“The Autopsy of anUnchanged Attitude”- Part I
I have been teaching a series at Resurrection Baptist Church entitled, “How to Get the Hell out of Your House.” Recently, I talked about a “changed” attitude.
An autopsy indicates something dead being examined. We’ll peel back the layers of an unchanged attitude. In the years gone by, the attitudes of people have changedtoward GOD and Christians. Each night on the 10 o’clock newswe witness the depravity of humanity.
We have a choice to change toward an attitude acceptable to GOD. We don’t want to be like Cain. Cain’s attitude caused death and his spending the rest of his life as a wanderer.
Let’s look at the familiar story of Cain and Abel. With the world in its infancy, we still see the depravity of Cain’s attitude. He killed his brother. Cain had an attitude devoid of GODand a lack of love for his own brother.
We see this in so many families today. Parents and children have such a messed up attitude toward one another. The generations of biblically illiterate children are reaping havoc in our society.It all starts with attitude.
We would rather know about technology and gadgets than the Almighty GOD. We crave our cell phones and can’t be without our devices, but we can go months and years without talking to the LORD, fellowshipping in love and respect with one another.
Even in the church, the LORD can be put at the bottom of the totem pole behind the disobedient attitudes of the pews and pulpits.
Most of us know the story of Cain and Abel, but we need to see how Cain changed. He refused to obeyGODfound the worship of GOD unimportant.
Cain let his attitude toward GOD get to the place where he believed hecould worship and honor GOD his way.
We can’t offer the LORD just anything and in any way.
As we are made in the likeness of GOD, never do we see that Jesus Christ has a messed up attitude.
I want to perform an autopsy on the attitude of CAIN,because we can learn a lot of lessons from what to be aware of when it comes to Cain’s attitude and what GOD instructs about it.
In the story of Cain we can learn what is acceptable and unacceptable about our attitude toward the LORD and others.
The LORD did not respect Cain’s offering. Cain thought GOD disrespected him. Cain didn’t recognize the utter disrespect he had toward GOD as his Creator, Provider and LORD.
The Lord said to Cain “if you do well, will you not be accepted?
The LORD respected “Abel” and his offering.” Abel had an attitude of a joyful giver. He recognized GOD as his Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. That’s why Abel was willing to give GOD anything he had.
The picture of what we see is about worship. Abel recognized GOD was worthy of true worship and Cain didn’t see GOD as worthy of worship.
The LORD accepted the person of Abel first. Then he accepted what Abel brought as his offering in worship to Him.
This shines a clear picture of how the LORD looks at each of us.
GOD sees our attitude toward His Worship before He sees our ministry, our work, our activities and offerings. The Scripture states Cain got very angry.
This anger from Cain came after GOD respected “Abel” and his offering of worship. Cain’s attitudes rose up in his flesh because GOD revealed his lack of respect and acceptance for him and his offering.
Cain was very angry but for all the wrong reasons. He didn’t get angry or upset at himself for his foolishness or his disrespect to the Almighty GOD. Because he couldn’t put his hands on GOD, he put his hands on his brother and killed him. That same attitude is found today. We can’t put our hands on GOD, so we put our hands to fight others.
People are putting their hands and mouth’s on GOD’s people. We are angry with GOD, we do everything we can to deny GOD His rightful place. We deny His people and refuse to offer Him true worship. We don’t believe His WORD. We find the country wandering and full of angry people. People are murdering fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters – all because our attitudes are bad and we know GOD does not respect our waywardness.
Cain’s emotions were caught up in self-perseveration of his own arrogance and pride. He, like Luciferhad an attitude that he wanted to deny GOD true worship. Cain wanted the worship for himself.
We,like Cain,say to ourselves, “Doesn’t GOD know that I’m doing Him a favor giving him my offering?” We say this every Sunday when we say we don’t need to go to church; we don’t need to give Him our money; hence, we are not accepted by GOD. We will destroy everything around us keeping these bad attitudes. We need to change.
Look atwhat GOD shares with Cain: Cain – if you do not do well, (aka change your attitude) sin lies at the door. Getting the Hell out of your home requires a changed attitude. Getting the Hell out requires self-examination for whose house is it in the first place.
It requires you and me to really look at our worship to the LORD. Are you or I respected by the LORD? Is our offering to the LORD accepted?
The LORD is saying the same thing to you and me about our attitudes – that “if we do well, will we not be accepted? But if we do not do well, sin lies at the doors of our houses, our workplaces, our churches and communities. That’s where we are in our society now. We are sick and not doing well at all.
Sin and Satan desire to rule over all of us. We have a choice. We can change our attitudes and provide true worship to GOD or we can have death and Hell like Cain and Satan.
The Lord is calling us to come to Him. He as our Change Agent wants to changes our attitudes.
Every day in our lives we have to ensure we present ourselves to the LORD with acceptable worship stemming from right attitudes.
Before we try to bring our gifts, talents, services of ministry, we have to perform self-examinations. That’s what the ordinance of the Holy Communion commands – examine ourselves.
Cain refused to perform self-examination. He refused to fall down with an attitude of repentance. Instead Cain got “very” angry. He welled up with pride. Pride leads us to anger. A prideful man when he thinks he has been disrespected gets very angry. Anger leads to more sin.
Look how GOD handled Cain’s pride and fallen countenance. The LORD questioned Cain saying, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?”
This exchange spoke volumes. Cain disobeyed GOD. He refused to listen to GOD, he didn’t want to worship GOD correctly, he didn’t want to repent and he was in a free fall - hell ward bound.
He was on the same spiral declineas Satan. The Scripture says Cain was like that wicked one. He repeated the same thing as Satan did. He refused GOD true worship. Any refusal to listen to GOD results in a refusal to worship Him.
If you do well, will “YOU” not be accepted?
Our attitudes are like stagnating water, in the process of time the foul odor reeks to the point you cannot stand being in its presence.
The stench offends the breath in our nostrils. That’s like our sin and refusal for true worship in GOD’s nostrils. In order to get the Hell out of our houses, we first have to listen to GOD. Listening to GOD will change our attitudes. We have to repent before the LORD and provide Him true worship.
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