How to Recover the Cutting Edge
2 Kings 6:1-7
March 1, 2009 FBC, Chester Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us.2 "Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live." So he said, "Go."3 Then one said, "Please be willing to go with your servants." And he answered , "I shall go."4 So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed."6 Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float.7 He said, "Take it up for yourself." So he put out his hand and took it. 2 Kings 6:1-7 (NASB)
A In the Old Testament, there was a school for young men who had been called to the prophetic ministry.
1 Elisha was the dean of the school.
a So many were coming, the school grew out of the space & needed more room.
b Elisha took young men out to cut logs for building materials.
aa While swinging, one man’s axe head pops off & it cast into the Jordan.
bb Big deal for many reasons: hard to come by, this one was borrowed, the work will stop, somebody will be hurt!
2 Elisha performs a great miracle, & the axe head floats up! The young prophet goes and picks it up.
B We’re not going to blame this young man too much.
1 He’s busy! (Flurry of activity)
a Busy-but not watching
b Didn’t notice the play in the axe head, vibration, sound...
aa Thinking of a new place
bb Thinking of a new ministry
c He lost his cutting edge
2 I believe there is plenty for us to learn.
a I believe the Holy Spirit is our cutting edge (church/individual)
b There is so much in the life of modern church/believers we do without the Spirit.
aa We don’t need power, programs, & plans
bb We don’t need more of God, methods
cc We don’t need the Spirit/staff
C We’ll never be able to serve the Lord in an effective manner until we do it all in His power alone.
1 There are some valuable lessons we/the church can learn from how that situation was handled. God can help us recover the cutting edge (transitional sentence).
I It involves concern
A As soon as the man feels the axe head fly off, he cries out in despair.
1 He can’t do another thing until he recovers the axe head.
2 He’s lost his edge, & he cries out!
B If we’re going to recover our edge, we must first come to the place where we realize we no longer have it.
1 Many Christians walk through life filled with the Spirit, when they’ve lost His power & don’t even know it.
a Live in defeat, deflation, depression
b Trying to live for God in our flesh/power...as long as we’re operating in our flesh/power, God will let you.
2 Once you experience the power of the Spirit, nothing else will do.
a Presence-manifest presence
b Not just expect God to show up-show out.
II It involves confession
A When the man lost the edge, he had to tell Elisha what had happened.
1 He confessed the fact he’s lost the cutting edge.
a “I should’ve noticed the head was loose...paid more attention...tightened it up.”
b He told his master, “I lost it.”
B If we’ve lost our edge (want it back), we must honestly come to God & say, “I just don’t have the fire I used to! I’m not as close to the Lord as I used to be! I need the power of the Lord operating through me to get the job done.”
1 We must come clean to God.
a God already knows...
b He wants me to know
2 We need to relearn the path to the actor.
C To get our cutting edge back, we must admit to God we need Him, His power & presence (then we’ll see souls saved, delivered, set free, experience God, supernatural).
III It involves comprehension
A One of the reasons the man was so upset was that the axe head didn’t belong to him (borrowed).
1 The man trusted the young prophet, & so he lent him his axe.
a We’d go buy him a new one today...much more difficult then.
b The prophet had to replace it! (Obviously couldn’t because he had to borrow the one he’d just lost)
2 The prophet didn’t want to violate the trust.
B Lesson: whatever power we operate in is borrowed power.
1 ...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NASB)
2 Don’t ever think/act like God can’t get along with us!
a The Lord gives & takes away
b The same God who saves who He wants, also gives power to those whom He wants...He won’t give you more than you’re qualified for.
IV It involves coming back.
A As soon as Elisha heard, take me to where you lost the axe head.
B Church, if we’ve lost the cutting edge, we must return to the place we lost the power.
1 We’ll see why the power was forfeited.
a Sin we’ve committed, priorities misplaced
b Guilty of trusting the flesh over the Spirit.
2 We need to go back, pinpoint areas of our lives that have stood between us & the power of God.
3 Close correlation, where did we lose the power?
V It involves confrontation
A Elisha cuts down sapling (tree) & throws it into the river.
1 The axe head floats to the top.
a The tree confronts the water
b Supernatural confronts the natural
2 When he gave up trying to get the axe on his own...miraculous happened.
B Lesson: when we experience a confrontation with the tree, we experience the supernatural power of God.
1 It can get weird-sticks & axe heads floating
2 Delivered, marriages restored, healed people that were sick, operating in the Spirit.
VI It involves commitment
A The last thing the young prophet did was reach down, get the axe head.
1 He committed himself to receiving what the Lord had done!
2 The story ends here, but I believe he put the axe head back on the handle & went back to cutting wood.
a Able to do what needed to be done!
B I believe God has power available to those who are willing to pay the price & who will reach out & take it by faith.
1 Not for the faint-hearted, for the faith-hearted
2 When we come to the place where we are filled with the same old, same old-lost our edge, God will give us back power to do His work.
Conclusion
A Where is the cutting edge this evening? For most of us, it is at the bottom of the river, totally beyond our reach and ability to recover.
1 Can we get it back?
a We can if we take the steps given this evening/
b Are you willing? That’s the first step.
2 The second step is to get before the Lord and deal with the problem His way!
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
