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
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness
of their heart:
[19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all
uncleanness with greediness.
CALLOUS:
Unfeeling, insensitive, hardened,
Thick skinned, uncaring, hard-hearted, cold-hearted, heartless, tough, leathery
TO LOSE ALL SENSITIVITY, TO BE PAST FEELING; TO BECOME CALLOUS...
DON'T CARE ANYMORE, To not care care about right or wrong
NASB
Ephes. 4:17 This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the
Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
[18] being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance
that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
[19] and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of
every kind of impurity with greediness.
NKJV
Ephes. 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the
Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
[18] having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that
is in them, because of the blindness of their heart
[19] who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
NLT
Ephes. 4:17 With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly
confused.
[18] Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their
minds and hardened their hearts against him.
[19] They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways.
Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.
VI. Is it possible for us to REACH A POINT WHERE WE HAVE SMALLER TO NO FEELINGS FOR
GOD AND HIS STANDARDS.
A. The more one walks in sin, the more they sear their CONSCIENCE... PAST FEELINGS?
Matthew 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
[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.
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
[17] For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
B. God gave people a CONSCIENCE to protect us...
A good conscience is to people what a TACHOMETER is to an engine... (oil light)
When we do wrong we must REPENT, CONFESS...
To over ride he conscience again and again will DEVELOP A HARD HEART.
2 Tim. 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Matthew 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
VII. HE DID NOT KNOW THE GLORY WAS GONE...
A COLD CHRISTIAN IS MISERABLE,
A. HE IS LIKE A GARDEN FULL OF WILD WEEDS...
B. HE IS LIKE A SHIP WITH A BIG HOLE IN THE HULL...
C. HE IS LIKE A GUITAR WITH 5 BROKEN STRINGS...
D. HE IS LIKE A EAGLE WITH A BROKEN WING... HE CAN FLY IN CIRLES...
Judges 16:20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep,
and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord
was departed from him.
E. A WOUNDED SPIRIT...
F. A BROKEN HEART...
VIII. COMPASSION FATIQUE...
MY FRIEND WE CAN NOT GROW WEARY IN WELL DOING...
Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
A. WEARY: Very tired, tiring, tedious, worn out, exhausted, fatiqued...
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
B. TWICE WARNED?
2 Thes. 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
C HAVING DONE ALL... STAND
Ephes. 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand
in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Pass it on?
