Calloused--- Waxed Cold?

CALLOUSED, WAXED COLD

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Life has a tendency to cool the hot,

Lukewarm the cool,

Dull the sharpness, take off the cutting edge...

Strong love can die...

Young get old...

Erosion washes away the top souil?

Introduction:

Zech. 11:2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl,

O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

A. SMALL STROKES FELL MIGHTY OAKES...

One stroke, one wood chip, soon the huge tree falls.

B. In the ocean are these tiny living things.

They die and form huge rock formations.

Big ships sailing in the ocean have crashed and sank.

THESE TINY CORAL CAN SINK BIG SHIPS...

Song 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

C. The small bird builds a nest in the steeple of the huge church.

At first the bird hears the bells and flies off...

Soon the bird pays no attention to the sounding of the bells.

I. WE FACE MANY, MANY DANGEROUS AREAS IN THE SPIRIT REALM OF THE LAST DAYS...

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

There are many sad stories:

A. SINE CERA--- MEANS WITHOUT WAX... in Latin...

Romans would build beautiful statues, if a sculptor accidentally chipped his statue wrongly, and he

was nearly finished he would FILL THE MISTAKE WITH WAX TO MAKE THE STATUE LOOK REAL

GOOD...

Now we often close a written letter with the word: SINCERELY... closed with wax?

B. WHAT HAPPEN?

In 1972 the FIRST CHURCH OF NEWTON MASSACHUSETTS CALLED IT QUITS...

The church started in 1664 and was 308 years old.

The church gave many things to a local museum and sold it's building to another church.

In 1952 it had 1,200 members and it slowly dropped.

3/4 of the members were over 50? So the HISTORIC CHURCH DISBANDED?

II. WAX WILL MELT WHEN HOT? WE CAN EASILY MELT...

Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax;

it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

A. DID YOU KNOW WAX MELTS?

B. WILL THIS MELT THE FAMILY AND THE NATION?

THIS PROBLEM WILL MAKE ME OR BREAK ME... IT IS UP TO ME...

WANT TO TALK A SAD STORY?

My dad is dead...

My Grandfather is dead...

My Uncle is dead...

My Mom is dead...

BUT THE SAD STORY IS THE ARK OF GOD IS GONE...

1 Samuel 4:21 And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because

the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

C. Who can bear a wounded SPIRIT?

Grievous trials can bring terrible dark nights that seem to never end, and trip into DEPRESSION.

III. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BECOME SO GOOD AT LIES THAT ONE BELIEVES THEIR OWN LIES...

TO SEAR, TO IRON, TO BURN AWAY SENSITIVITY...

KJV

2 Thes. 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

[12] That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

1 Tim. 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

NLB

Tim. 4:2 These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences

are dead.

MESSAGE

1 Tim. 4:2 These liars have lied so well and for so long that they've lost their capacity for truth.

IV. BY SLOW DEGREES WE DEVELOP AS CALLOUSED INDIVIDUALS... WE ARE CALLOUSED...

WE WALK WITHOUT FEELINGS AND WE CAN LOSE ALL SENSITIVITY...

WE HAVE TROUBLE DEFINING RIGHT AND WRONG...

A. OUR EYES ONCE WERE ALARMED BY WHAT WE SEE TODAY AND ACCEPT AS A NORM...

B. OUR EARS ONCE HEARD THUNDER AND WOULD NOT TOLERATE FOUL LANGUAGE,

TODAY WE USE WORDS THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN USED BY SINNERS A FEW YEARS AGO.

C. WE THROW A BLANKET OF BEHAVIOR TO HID FROM THE HEARTS OF OTHERS...

SERMONS ARE NO LONGER EFFECT?

Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their

eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,

and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

V. PINK FLOYD HAS A SONG: " COMFORTABLY NUMB" --- It is about a rat?

WE WALK WITH LITTLE SENSITIVITY, NUMB, DEFICIENT PSYCHOLOGICAL OR PHYSICAL

OR EMOTION OR SPIRITUAL SENSATION...

KJV

Ephes. 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other

Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18] Having the understanding darkened, being