Callouses on the Soul

Colossians 1:21-23

COL-167

2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

Philippians 2:15-16: "That you may prove yourselves to be harmless and innocent children of God, above reproach, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the Word of Truth, so that in the day of Christ, I may have cause to glory, because I did not run in vain or toil in vain."

Matthew 4:4: "But Jesus answered and said, 'It is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

Our subject is "Reconciliation of the Colossians," segment number 12 in Colossians 1:21-23.

Reversionism

The apostle Paul, as we have seen, is concerned that the false teachers that have moved into Colossae are going to lead the Colossian Christians into spiritual reversionism. What spiritual reversionism is, is just a theological term that we invent, like the term "Trinity," to try to convey a theological concept. Revisionism begins by a Christian who is into carnality. And if he stays in carnality, he finally finds himself on a slippery slope spiritually, and he goes all the way to the bottom. This can often happen very quickly. Somebody may be a very insightful Christian, walking very closely to the Lord, and in a great deal of happiness and joy in the Christian life. And all of a sudden, that negative piece of disease comes in toward some factor of the Word of God or the will of God. And that person, if they do not stop that, will very quickly go all the way to the bottom, and they will crash.

This is a great disaster, and the apostle Paul knew what these people once had been in that city of Colossae. Now they were out of all that, and he wanted to prevent them from going back to that. From a walk with God the Father, to a walk with Satan and his world structure of evil – that's what concerned the apostle. From personal temporal fellowship with God the Father, to fellowship in time with Satan – that's what concerned the apostle. From the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, to the demonic guidance of Satan – that's what concerned the apostle.

The Lord Jesus Christ

Now, the reason the Lord lived a life that was sinless was fundamentally because He was separated from the world. He was separated from the world, and He was separated unto God, His Father. This too is what is incumbent upon every believer today.

Here's the way the apostle Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. This is what we are called to. And this kind of a lifestyle will keep you from falling into reversionism and self-destructing in your Christian life. It is easy to say that, but it is not very easy for me to convey the horrendous disasters that are there, if that happens. A Christian who falls into carnality, stays in it, and goes all the way down: I am a walking treasury of secrets in the lives of people that I get hit with regularly – all the time. The rest of you don't know anything about it. Others don't know anything about it. And, boy, could I give you some examples of people who do not understand this principle of separating themselves from the way the world does things, from operating on the value systems of the world?

Therefore, the apostle says, "This is it. This is the way it is for the Christian. This is the way that you should conduct yourselves:" "Do not be bound together with unbelievers." Now, how much of your life is bound up with unbelievers, in one way or another? How much of your life (not personally, that you know these people), but these unbelievers (these lowlife pigs on television that you see as entertainers) – your life is connected with them, and you try to imitate them. You see somebody do something, and you say, "Hey, I want to look like him. I want to smell like him. I want to talk like him. I want to dress like him." And all of a sudden, this doctrinal principle is violated: "Don't be tied to unbelievers."

Now, when you're an adult, and you play that game, you might just lose your sense of orientation, and you'll marry a pig – an unbeliever, or one who is not separated from the world. And if you're not separated from the world, you're the same thing as an unbeliever. The apostle Paul, in the book of 1 Corinthians calls that living like "the natural man." Paul says, "The carnal man is like "the natural man." What is the natural man? That's the way you're born. That's the man that's headed for the lake of fire. That's the man whom so many of you are prone to esteem, and to imitate, and to take your guidance from, instead of the finest, and the most wonderful man that ever lived, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is above the world system. He had no taste for it. He was not interested in it. And he wasn't worried. And I have no doubt that this didn't bother Him when He was a youth. It didn't worry Him that the other kids were not like He was; that the other kids acted differently; than the other kids maybe left Him out of the game; or, that he wasn't one of the gang. He was smart enough to know that that was an honor to Him, because He was one of His Father's gang – not one of Satan's gang.

Don't be bound up together with unbelievers. Why? Well: "What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is light with darkness?" None. But you look at these cultured people. You look at these friendly people, and you impugn to them what you are. You forget the fact that these are unrighteous people; that these are lawless people; and, that these are the enemies of God. And you take them to your bosom? "Or what Harmony has Christ with Belial (a name for Satan)? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Nothing. Yet you want to be in the unbeliever's gang? You want to listen to these people who are the opinion-makers in our society, because they're in positions of prominence? And these opinion-makers are to be given any attention? These are ignorant people. These are lowlife. These are people who are completely out of touch with reality. And that's a lonely life, isn't it? That's right. We're strangers. We're exiles.

I love the King James: "strangers and pilgrims." That means that we're different; we're separated; and, we're excluded. But that's OK, because we have the best person in the world walking with us, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you are youth, and Christ is your friend who walks with you, you are a prince. And that means everything. You are a princess. That's the top of the world.

Demas

"Or what agreement has a temple of God with idols?" And in the ancient world, that was a significant statement. The temple of God – now, what is the temple of God? Your body. Right? Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit now. And what does that temple have to do with idols? Down there, at the local temple to the pagan gods of Rome, there were all these idols in these temples. You know how they worshiped them, don't you? They had the temple prostitutes, male and female, and that's how they worshiped their gods – the fertility cult of Bail brought down from Nimrod. And this is why Demas said, "I want to go to Thessalonica. They have all that worshiping of their gods through sexual games and immorality. That's what I'd like to do."

How could that happen? This was a man who sat and watched the power of the apostle Paul in action, and saw the transforming work of the Word of God in the lives of people. Well, it should teach us that you can be right up there in the inner circle. And overnight, you permit reversionism through carnality to begin, and it will very quickly take you down, and you'll sit there whimpering in defeat; in the shame; in the sorrow; in the agony; and, in the hurt that will follow.

"What agreement has worshiping God with worshiping idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said." Now he quotes an Old Testament passage: "'I will dwell in them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst, and be separate,' says the Lord, 'and do not touch what is unclean.'" No, I'm not being fanatical by reminding us again and again that separation from the world is our normal calling, and that is our normal walk with God.

Our Calling is Separation

"'And I will welcome you, and I will be a Father to you. And you should be sons and daughters to Me,' says the Lord Almighty. Our Lord Jesus Christ lived His whole life in separation from the world system, and so indeed should we. And that was the best of all lives. I am smarter than your friends. I am smarter than the kids that you walk around with – not inherently, but because I know something about the Word of God. Therefore, when I give you a frame of reference from Scripture, don't wonder whether your friends could possibly know better; be more sophisticated; or, be in tune with modern times. They're in tune, all right. But what they're in tune with is self-destruction. Separation – that is our calling. And that is the best of all lives.

Separation from the evil system of the world, however, is going to be dependent upon positive volition to the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. It all gets back to looking at this book, and saying, "This is the food of God. I feed on this, and my spiritual life grows. I do not feed on this, and my life will wither. I do not feed either by not attending church services where expository preaching is the name of the game, or else I sit, and I listen, and I have all these mental reservations, and I push it out of my mind: "I don't like that. I don't like that. If I listen to him, I won't be able to go down there to this religious rally – this religious activity next week, because I realize that that's humbug, and that it is counter to my walk with Christ.

It's the authoritative Word of God – this Bible. Therefore, it is to be obeyed, and it is to be given priority. When the apostle Paul knew that he was on his way out, ready to check out of his life under the hand of Nero, he wrote perhaps the most poignant of all of his epistles: 2 Timothy. And he wrote it to this young man who had a gentile father but a mother and grandmother who were Jews, but who were born-again. And the apostle Paul picked him up as a young man in the city of Lystra, on one of his missionary journeys. And the result was that he took him under his wing, and Timothy immediately blossomed out in spiritual things. Why? For the same reason as for the Lord Jesus. Since he was young, his parents were teaching him the Word of God. They were teaching him what is right; what is wrong; and, and how to conduct oneself as a Christian with dignity.

When was the last time that you have been in the presence, as a parent, where someone has corrected your son or your daughter in something they were doing, that they should not do? And did you turn around and say, "Thanks. I appreciate keeping an eye on them. I can't be with them all the time." That's the kind of a person you should esteem. And Timothy had not only a mother, but a grandmother riding herd and riding shotgun on him.

I want to read the whole third chapter of 2 Timothy, so you'll have a perspective of why the Word of God is where it is all at. Do not rob yourself by failing to feed upon the Word of God. And feeding upon the Word of God starts with these local church services.

2 Timothy 3: "But realize this." Remember that this is a man who is giving his last words. He is about to be decapitated for his testimony for Jesus Christ under the hateful reign of Nero. And now he knows that Timothy is going to have to pick it up. Timothy, we see from Scripture, was not the gung-ho Marine type of person. Titus was. Timothy was more retiring, and Paul had asked some of the churches: "Don't be heavy handed with Timothy. You can scare him off. He knows what he's talking about. Just listen to him, and treat him as the man of God and the messenger to you. Now, the apostle Paul is trying to help him stiffen his backbone, so that when Paul is dead, he can carry on.

"But realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come." That has been from the very first – the last days. "For men will be lovers of self." Today, we have a lot of talk about self-esteem; self-respect; self-this; and, self-that. And here, I think this is a very interesting Scripture – that a series of terrible things now is going to be listed as characteristic of people in our day more than ever. And it all stems from the one thing – people love themselves. They are lovers of self.

These big radio preachers who are preaching self-love and self-esteem – all that is not of God. That is of Satan. They are self-lovers. Then they will be: "Lovers of money; boastful; arrogant; revilers; disobedient to parents; ungrateful; unholy; unloving; irreconcilable; malicious gossips; without self-control; brutal; haters of good; treacherous; reckless; conceited; and, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God." Boy, is that a summary statement? And how did it all start? I fell in love with myself, holding to a form of godliness (hypocrisy), although they have denied its power. Avoid such men as these. Now, please don't blow this off as unsaved. These are the people who aren't sitting here in church tonight. They're out in the world, up to their eyeballs, by choice: "Holding to a form of godliness." That means going through the ritual motions. Although they have denied the power of the Word of God and of the Spirit of God, steer clear of them. And what do we do? Oh, we want to imitate them. We want to help our sons and daughters to be like the people in the world.

God says, "Stay away from them. They will destroy you. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women, weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Oh, are they ever sophisticated? . . . "And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also opposed the truth, men of depraved minds, rejected as regards the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their folly will be obvious to all, and is also that of those two came to be. We don't know anything more about Jannes and Jambres, but we do know that their opposition to God's true teacher of the Word of God brought disaster on their heads. That's what the Scripture is telling us here. Their folly would become obvious to all.

Now, . . . this is a Christian following this kind of conduct. And, of course, that's what Paul is saying: "Timothy, don't ever act like this. That's the world. You're different from that." And the worst thing about this is that there's a sin unto death. And that folly is going to be obvious not only to people (this type of believer), but it will also be folly that will be obvious to God. And that is very serious: "But this is the way it should be with you, Timothy. You followed my teaching: conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and perseverance. You did it all the right way, Timothy – persecutions and sufferings such as happened to me at Antioch; at Iconium; and, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured! And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Timothy, you've seen the power of God, and you've seen me go down under all kinds of suffering, but you have never seen my head bowed. For God was always up there, holding me up. And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

Do you get along well with the world? The scum of the world – do you get along well with them? Something is wrong out there: "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things which you have learned, and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them." You learned them from an authoritative pastor-teacher who knew the Word, and who had the gift – the apostle Paul: "And from childhood, you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." Your parents taught you how to go to heaven. And you have been faithful to that. Stay with it.

Then we had that famous declaration – the basis of it all: "All Scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed), and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." This is the wonderful pattern of life that is ours in separation from the world system. Yes, we have freedoms and grace, and we would never give that up. But freedoms and grace never mean license to do evil. A Christian can go all the way down, and life becomes one horrendous disaster. . . .

Calloused Toward God

Hardened in your Soul

Indifferent to Prayer

Resistant with Offerings

Evasion Christian Service

Temporal Fellowship

Emotions

An Immoral Lifestyle

The problem is that we don't learn from the disasters that we go through. You would think that some people would say, "I've had the disasters of shame; of injury; and, destruction, because of my negative attitude toward the Word of God and toward other Christians. It would seem that I would say, 'I'm going to confess, which means cease and desist.'" 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, "Now these things happen to them as an example. And they were written for our instruction, upon which the end of the ages have come."

As a child, I was taught that I could learn from the mistakes of other people, or I could learn from my own. It would be smart to learn from other people's mistakes, and save myself the injury. And do not think that you, as a believer, are immune from the conquest of the vulgarities that make up the lifestyle of the old sin nature. You are not immune from it, and you are not excluded from it.

One time, I was asked to officiate at a wedding at a large church here in Irving. I knew the pastor well. And since the bride was from his church, he was the official. But the young man had been associated with Berean Church. So, I was there as an associate, and part of the service. As he proceeded to talk to this couple, I'd never heard this done before. It was rather interesting. At first, it seemed kind of odd. And it was something like this: "Now, you're going to get married. You're committing yourselves to one another. And you can live a life that is disloyal – live a life that is unfaithful. You'll begin with being unfaithful to God, then you'll be unfaithful to one another." He didn't put it all out like this. He couldn't have. I don't even know if he thought through the thing this way. Then he said, "And the result will be shame." Boy, I never heard that at a wedding ceremony before. You're entering a part of life that can be an enormous shame. That's not the way it should be. And he just talked on that line.

As I look back, I see how his experience had taught him the disasters of people who are not separate from the world, and who do not view the Bible as the book that it is – the God-breathed book that gives us the mind of God, so that they have no capacity to say "No" to the evil system of the world.

So, we've seen in Ephesians 4:17-18, that the apostle says, "This I say, therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer as the gentiles also walk in the futility (the emptiness) of their minds (minds devoid of doctrine), being darkened (as the result of that) in their understanding, excluded from the life of God (the spiritual maturity structure), because of the ignorance that is in them (concerning spiritual things), and because of the hardness of the heart." The heart then becomes hard, and the result is total disaster.

Now, it's important for us to remember that there is no temptation from Satan that is uncommon in the Christian life. Whatever kind of temptation that has come to you, somebody else has been hit with it. Whatever thing was there to trip you up by Satan, some other Christian faced that along the line. And you should remember that you will always be able to be defeated by that temptation.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 10:11 once more: "These things happened (to those people of the Old Testament) so we would learn from their evil (their negative attitudes) toward the Word of God. This is for our instruction – we upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

However, verse 12 says, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall." These things have all happened to people before, and you are fully capable of doing them too. It's important that you understand that you too can do these terrible things. You're not immune. So, those of you young people have grown up here in a place like Berean Church, you've heard it all, haven't you? You don't have to worry. You're the most vulnerable of all, because you think you have it made.

Then notice verse 13. No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man, and God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation, will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure. Yes, the Bible says, "You can just say "No," but not if you have cut yourself off from the supply of the power of the Spirit of God, and your subjection to the Word of doctrine – not if you have cut off your lifeline of temporal fellowship, and not if you have not separated yourself from Satan's lifestyle.

Then you'll be hit with temptations, and you won't be able to handle it. But this verse says that there is no excuse for a Christian going down in flames, ever. It will start in your mind, and it'll progress from there. Our ambition should be, as always, that the beauty of Jesus be seen in our lives and in our souls.

In Ephesians 4:19, the apostle Paul then summarizes the terrible ultimate consequence of all this. Here's what is happening: "They, have become calloused" (callouses have built upon the soul). Here's some information from the Greek: This word is perfect sense, which means that spiritual insensitivity is a present condition because of past actions that caused it: neglect of doctrine; not being in the service; or, not accepting it when you were instructed in it. It is active voice. That means it's by deliberate choice. You decide to go negative to the things of God." What this is telling us is that each Christian builds his own callouses on his own soul. And each Christian has to be able, because he's his own priest, to remove those callouses. Once the soul is calloused, a Christian then goes to the condition where he is past feeling.

They, having become calloused, have given themselves over to sensuality. They may be very active Christians. They may be even talking about the things of God. They may float around among Christians, but they're nothing but hypocrites. The result is this terrible condition of the calloused soul. And what do they do? They give themselves over. This word in the Greek means "to betray:" "paradidomi." How's that for a word? If there is anything that amply describes what a Christian does to himself and to others, when he is disloyal to the principles of Scripture and to the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the word "betray:" to betray himself.

Having become calloused, he proceeds then to give himself over (to betray himself) to what? To sensuality. The word "sensuality" is the Greek word "aselgeia." And what this word refers to is self-destruction. They give themselves over to sensual indulgence – sensual indulgence that destructs. This always begins with a little letting down of the bars.

Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever is true; whatsoever is honorable; whatsoever is right; whatever is pure; whatever is lovely; whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." Why is he saying that?

The book of James explains that to us – the reason that he is saying that. James 1:13: "Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust (that is, from his sin nature). Then when lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."

This is the pattern. Paul, in Philippians says, "Keep a pure mind. Jesus said that adultery begins in the mind. Lust begins in the mind. Murder begins with hatred in the mind. So, James comes along and says the same thing. He says, "God doesn't tempt you, but the evil world system will." And if you are exposed to it, then that temptation comes through. You cannot resist. And the result is that you are carried away, enticed by what? Your own sin nature lust patterns. And that lust gives birth externally to sin. First it starts in the mind. Then it brings forth death.

Now, that should have a sobering effect, unless you're really dumb, stupid, and half-brained. Death? What James goes from there, later on, is to tell us about the sin unto death. Sure. You go ahead. You play this game. You play the Demas game, and you may cross the line where God says, "OK, let's go to heaven. There's no use letting you live on this earth anymore." And the death is also temporal. It's not only physical death, but it's that spiritual death of being out of temporal fellowship of God the Father. Then you move in the same death condition spiritually that the unbeliever does.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing bestowed, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shifting in the exercise of His will. He brought us forth by the Word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the firstfruits among the creatures." It begins in the mind. It leads to death.

What this passage is referring to here in the book of Ephesians – "They have given themselves over to sensuality," is specifically the sexual sins in terms of what is extremely perverted. This particular word in the Greek is "aselegeia." The spiritually calloused Christian betrays himself with illicit promiscuity based on society's ways and standards. This is not the general Greek word for "adultery." This is the word that connotes the lowest kind of perversions – what the Bible calls "abominations." And the worst of abominations are now publicly protected, and publicly promoted, and people who practice these things are lauded.

Is there anybody here who is watching some of these television programs that make light of homosexuality and other sexual immoralities and abominations? You have a problem if you do. Nobody can go to the movies on a regular basis. Some people say, "Well, once a week we go to the movies. We go out to have a good time." You can't do that. If you do, I guarantee you that you are in a problem area of being separated from the world, and you are contaminating your soul, like Lot contaminated his righteous soul, because there's nothing out there in the movies that isn't contaminating to the righteous soul of a believer. And you want to sit there in that garbage dump?

This Greek word tells you that this is a very serious consequence when the soul is calloused toward God. This person becomes sexually promiscuous. He builds callouses on the soul. He's now hardened toward the Father in his mind; in his volition; and, in his emotions. When the right person comes along, he doesn't recognize that that's the right person to marry. He can't respond to that person. Perhaps he began playing an adult game too early in life. That hardens the soul toward God. That makes you insensitive for the leading of God.

Yes, I've had people speak with contempt when I speak about that intuitive guidance that the Spirit God gives you. One of the words that uses is: "Oh, so you believe in magic," and they blow it off. Don't let anybody do that to you. This is what God does. He surely leads. That's precisely what He does.

However, this illicit sex neutralizes the soul's capacity to express itself. It is disoriented, and it is incapable of love. It is incapable of love. And what should be a loving relationship between two people in the marital situation – it becomes a lustful situation.

Now, there's no fun missed in life because of sexual purity. Those who are promiscuous, thinking that they're out to have a good time, can expect that in the long run they will become suicides; they will become potheads; they will become lushes; they will become foulmouthed; they will become sneaky and deceptive; they will become bored; they will lack shame; they will lack self-respect; and, they will lack all personal dignity. But if they have money, they can put on a good front.

In Philippians 3:19, the apostle Paul says of these people: "Their end is destruction; their God is their appetite; and, their glory is their shame, who let their minds dwell on earthly things." How could you say it better than that? That's what it is not to be separated from the world. That's what it is to be calloused in the soul toward God your father. Your end is going to be destruction. Your God is your appetite (the sensualities). Your glory is all the things that you should be ashamed of. And you set your mind on earthly things: working; accumulating; buying; building up; and, getting fame and fortune.

In Romans 6:20-22, the apostle Paul touches on the same destructive road: "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore, what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death." Anybody who has progressed in the Christian life will look back, and they're ashamed of the things they did in their unsaved days. And they saw that there was no benefit to that. There was no future in that. And that was self-destructive. And the ultimate end of it was death. So, they look at it and say, "What good was that? Why would I want to do that?

In Ephesians 5:11-12, the apostle Paul touches on this again, when he says, "And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness. But instead even expose them. For it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret." Does Geraldo or Oprah? . . . What are they talking about? Shameful things. And what does Paul close the book of Romans with. Don't learn about evil things. If somebody starts teaching you, and talking about disgraceful, vile things that people do, turn it off. I have to do it all the time to people. People come to me, and they want to tell me things, and I say, "OK, I got the picture. Don't give me any more details. I don't have to know it, because I don't want to be learning about the things that I already know the things that the sin nature is capable of.

As some television program comes along, particularly geared to you, that is degrading, or makes fun of sinful things, turn it off. Walk away from it. It's a shame to learn about it, and it's a shame to speak about it. The fact is that you should expose it.

I told you about my professor at Dallas Seminary, Dr. Carl Armerding. Armerding was one of those men with big ears. Some poor human beings have these big ears. Armerding was one of those guys. And he would go to a barber, and he had a barber that, as soon as he'd sit in the chair, he'd start telling him dirty stories. When I go to a barber, I never speak to my barber. I just say, "Just a little trim. Just this and this." And then I bring my magazine, and I read, so they don't talk to me. But Dr. Armerding's barber used to pour in the evil thing. So, finally he remembered: "Don't participate in fruitful deeds of darkness. Instead expose them. Rebuke them."

So, one day, he goes in. The barber gets there, and he says, "Let me tell you this, Carl." And he starts giving him another dirty story. Dr. Armerding said, "Wait a minute, Mr. Jones." Does this look like a sewer opening on the street to you? And he wiggled that enormous ear that he had. And the barber said, "Well, no." And Dr. Armerding said, "Well then, please don't pour your sewage into it." The barber never talked to him again. He never gave him another good haircut. . . . But that's the Scripture. Why would you sit there and tolerate this? Why would you have television on to tolerate this? The effects are horribly destructive.

Spiritual callouses cause you to betray yourself to sexual immorality, to eliminate the ability even to find the right person to marry in life. This is horrible, and happiness is always lost when you don't approach life with somebody on God's order that makes happiness the end result. This doing things the way the world does them causes us to get in the habit of doing things the way these people do it.

I have to read 1 Thessalonians 5:23 to you again. Paul closes this book on prophecy saying, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify (that is, to set you aside for Him) entirely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be preserved complete, without blame – not sinless, but having confessed sin when you do something wrong, and getting back on-track immediately, without blame, at the coming that is at the rapture of our Lord Jesus Christ." There are the three parts that make up a human being: spirit; soul; and, body.

Now, when you are you going to get intimate with somebody in life, it has to be intimate in spirit. That's when you're dating people. And, of course, until you're post-high school adults, it is not very smart to date people, because what you are in your youth type changes dramatically once you get into those early years of your twenties – intimacy in spirit in dating. Then you have intimacy in the soul. That's when you get engaged to somebody. Now you get a little friendlier. And you're trying to learn what this person's mind is like; what their emotions are like; what their volition is like; and, how good they cook – all these important things. And then you have intimacy in body in marriage.

If you follow this way, God will not make a fool of you. You will not make a fool of yourself. God will protect you. If intimacy is first spiritual, you'll know that that guy you should get rid of; or, that girl that you should say "Adios" to, "Muchacha." And when it steps up into the soul, you get a little more friendly and serious, and you don't pretend that something is not there. First of all, you've got to be satisfied that this person is not a rebel against God – that this person is not calloused toward God. The spiritual is right. Then you can go from there. And the physical intimacies of sex are in marriage, and marriage alone. What this does is that it creates a very exotic union. However, when you reverse this, and go body, soul, and spirit, that's very undignified; it's very shameful; and, it's very destructive.

We read this in the Word of God, and we know that this is done by Christians: "Having become calloused, have given themselves over to sensuality of the most abominable kind." And then, as if that isn't bad enough, the next two keywords take you right down to the bottom of the garbage pile. And you sit there and say, "Dear Lord, this is what is possible for me as a Christian?" And we shall look at that at our next occasion.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Word of God.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1995

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