YOU MUST PROTECT YOUR AXE HEAD!
1. 2 KINGS 6:1 The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet.” And he said, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?” “I will,” Elisha replied. 4 And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!” 6 The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 7 “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
2. ECCLESIASTES 10:10 If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.
INTRO: YOU MUST PROTECT YOUR AXE HEAD
The Story Of The Lost Axe-Head Is One Of A Miracle Of Recovery And Restoration especially where there is a desire to genuinely work for God. Thank God, He is still able to perform such miracles in our lives! In this incident, Elisha typifies the Lord Jesus; the company of the prophets typify Christian workers; and the axe-head speaks to us of the power, the anointing and the enablement of the Holy Ghost, without which all service is ineffective. This is an encouragement to those who desire to serve God. Work with focus knowing that God who has called you is more than able to sustain you even in the times of losses. Because committed and genuine church leaders are under attack from within and without, protect you axe head. It gives value to the wood. Paul says in Acts 20: 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
THE ESSENCE OF THE STORY AND THE AXE HEAD
The Story Here Centers Around Elisha. Who is he? 1n 2 Kings 2, immediately before Elijah was caught up to heaven, his armor-bearer Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elijah being under God’s anointing replies that Elisha's request would be granted but not until Elijah is taken to heaven. How possible was it for a double anointing from this great MOG to fall on another?
Elijah: Know That This Man Elijah Performed 14 Miracles: Caused The Rain To Cease For 3½ Years (James 5:17). Was Fed By Ravens. Brought Widow's Son To Life. Made Barrel Of Meal & Jar Of Oil To Never Run Dry. Called Fire From Heaven On The Altar. Caused It To Rain. Prophesized Ahab's Sons Would Be Killed. Prophesized Jezebel Would Be Eaten By Dogs. Prophesized King Ahaziah Would Die Of His Illness. Called Fire From Heaven On 1st 50 Soldiers Of Samaria. Called Fire From Heaven On 2nd 50 Soldiers Of Samaria. Parted Jordan River With His Garment. Prophesized Elisha would Have A Double Portion Of His Spirit. Was Caught Up To Heaven In A Whirlwind.
Could Any Man Receive A Double Portion Of Elijah’s Spirit & Do 28 Miracles? Yes! God Gave That To Elisha: Parted The Jordan. Healed The Polluted Waters. Curse Children Who Mocked Him & 42 Eaten By 2 She-Bears. Miracle Of The Oil That Multiplied. Prophesized Shunammite Woman Would Have A Son. Resurrection Of The Shunammite Woman's Son. Healing Of Naaman. Cursing Gehazi With Leprosy. Floating Of Axe Head (14th Miracle). Could See Syrian Battle Plans. Struck Syrian Army With Blindness. Restored Sight Of Syrian Army. Prophesized End Of The Great Famine. Prophesized The King's Advisor Would See But Not Partake Of The Abundance. Revealed Hazael's Cruelty To Israel. Resurrected The Man Touched By His Bones (2 Kings 13:21).
A LOOK AT ELISHA, THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS AND THE AXE HEAD
A. When This Elisha Appeared, The Sons Of The Prophets Discovered Their Potential: 2 Kings 6:1 The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us.
1. In 2 Kings 4, these sons of the prophets had been at Gilgal – Story of Poisoned Soup & Flour. Gilgal means wheel, circle, rolling. Things were rolling great at Gilgal.
2. The prophets were experiencing growth – spiritually and physically.
3. But they had been limited for many years – The place had become small for them.
4. It was a burden upon their hearts. Where there is no burden, there is no motivation. David had a burden to remove Goliath the disgrace from Israel. He had a burden to build God a house. Daniel had a burden to represent God in Babylon. The 3 Hebrew Boys had a passion to pray even when it risked their lives.
5. The Sons Of The Prophets decided to break off the limit - and be enlarged.
6. It is good to move with people who are going somewhere.
7. They consulted Elisha the man of God - before they begin this project. Why?
8. They saw the enlargement of Elisha - and knew they could do the same.
9. Candidates, there is nothing wrong with consultation – just consult the right people.
10. God had blessed them - but they did not see it until Elisha appeared.
11. Refuse advise from people who try to limit you - by words or actions.
12. Refuse to live in a place of limitation - in any area of your life or ministry.
13. God wants to enlarge territories, but until we make a decision to enlarge, we will not.
14. You need to believe in the God that cannot be limited.
15. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye are free indeed.
B. People With The Same Mind Do Great Things – Great Team. 2 Kings 6:2 Let us go to the Jordan, where Each Of Us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet.” And he said, “Go.”
1. There was growth in the ministry - they were being limited by the space & decided to act.
2. They went out as a team – Ecc. 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. Pro. 27:17 Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
3. They were men with the same calling, at different degrees - but same mind.
4. They all did not have the same abilities. But they all went to do the work.
5. We must diminish laziness & competition from among us.
6. We must associate with people who have the same God-given vision and driven by it.
7. The devil only attacks people who carry the grace and favor of God.
8. They sought permission from the man of God – Our degree of authority differs.
9. What if they had gone on their own? What would have happened when trouble came?
10. He commissioned them to go.
11. Note: God is never limited by time, space or circumstances. He is a God of no boundaries. God has answer to all questions of life.
12. You are commissioned today to go – let nothing stop you. These 3 candidates and all.
C. God Has Commissioned You, Never Leave Him Behind. 2 Kings 6:3 Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?” “I will,” Elisha replied.
1. They realized their inter-dependence upon the master: John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
2. When many of us are commissioned or licensed, we cut ties.
3. We are permitted to burn bridges the devil constructs, but not what God commissioned.
4. We cannot do ministry without God’s presence: Exodus 33:15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
5. Elisha knew that to get the job done, one can chase a 1000, two can put 10,000 to flight! You may be mighty in Prayer alone, but you can be mightier with someone joining you.
6. They requested Elisha’s presence to accompany them – that’s wisdom & humility.
7. Though they too were prophets, they realized their need for wisdom of their mentor.
8. And the Man of God was not too big to go with them – and work also
9. Elisha was a servant. With the double portion upon him, he still worked. Titles will derail and demote; servanthood will elevate and promote.
10. They were energetic, keen workers. They were equipped with the right tools for felling trees and the work of building.
D. They Went To The River And Did What They Said They Would Do. 2 Kings 6:4 And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees.
1. They went and did what they said they would do – cut trees.
2. Are you a person of your word, honesty and integrity?
3. When you make a vow to God or others, do you keep it?
4. Leaders, your honesty will be tested by people assassinating people’s character before you.
5. I am afraid to gossip about others, because the person I gossip to might not trust me later.
6. Reject every opportunity to compromise your integrity. Learn to rebuke people. No easy pass.
7. Joseph refused to compromise with Potiphar’s wife because God saw. He avoided her.
8. Be honest to yourself, to others and to God. Matthew 12:36: Every idle word we speak, we will give account – if not now then on the day of judgment.
9. Paul lived what he preached. Acts 20:33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
10. They were an energetic and great team to work with – everyone worked. Find those ready to work and avoid those who are idle.
E. Whatever You Do For God, There Will Be Distractions And Attacks. 2 Kings 6:5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”
1. As they were cutting trees needed for their enlargement, the axe head fell into the river.
2. Their cutting edge was gone - an end to their godly ambition and pursuit.
3. Not only that, the axe was borrowed and meant to be returned after use. This has brought shame, confusion, discouragement on their way of progress and enlargement.
4. That which was needed to get the job done was gone. What do you do?
5. Do you ever feel trapped? Have you ever felt like you were at the end of your rope?
6. What do you do when your heart is broken, your dreams shattered and hopes dashed?
7. What do you or us do when the Devil is out to oppose our move of breaking limitations, and to distract us from our focus, our visions and our goals.
F. There Are Some Disasters We Can Avoid In Ministry – Protect Your Axe Head. 2 Kings 6:5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”
1. There are some situations we can avoid in ministry. Some dangers we can avoid.
2. The worker lost his axe-head, the sharp cutting edge of all his service, without which all effort was useless. He did not lose the handle.
3. From a distance it might have appeared like the tool was complete, but it was not. Samson experienced that when he woke up and found out he had no strength left. Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.
4. How foolish it would have been for him to keep on working!
5. Note: Axe heads do not just fall off – it is a gradual process, as is backsliding.
6. How is the building to be finished? - He had lost his power and effectiveness.
7. Such crisis takes place in the life of every child & Church of God. None is immune. Track the lives of the greatest believers - there will be a record of a lost axe head.
8. It can be the death of strong member of the church.
9. It can take place when one of its greatest leaders backslides.
10. It can take place when the people get into petty conflicts and disunity prevails.
11. It can take place when complacency gets a chokehold on the church.
12. It can take place when sin enters and it is allowed to go on without rebuke.
13. It can take place when the priorities of members are misplaced.
14. It may have taken place when sickness prevailed in our body.
15. It may have occurred when we took our offenses and let them take over our best intentions.
16. It may have happened when we took to watching others instead of God.
17. It may have been that we got a little weary in well-doing.
18. Individually some of us have lost our axe heads - and going around with the blank handles.
19. This lost axe head shut down our vision, choked our spiritual dreams, stifled our prayers.
20. When you have lost your axe head, you are much more susceptible to listening to the voice of the enemy. You get critical, negative and start looking for recruits to heart you gossips. “We are never going to get this thing done.” “He is not the only one God speaks to.”
G. You Don’t Have To Lose The Axe Head, But When You Do, Stop And Make It Right. 2 Kings 6:6-7 6 The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 7 “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
1. Never allow repeated failures and defeats to prevent you from progressing in life. Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.
2. The axe head fell into the water where it was impossible to retrieve it – a deep part. The man was incapable of doing anything to rectify the problem. On land, it would have been different, but in this watery, fluid location it magnifies the difficulty of a bad situation.
3. His world is suddenly changed - immediately confronted with a situation that seems impossible.
4. Loss of an axe head may mean nothing to us but it meant so much to them: financial issue, an integrity issue, a relational issue.
5. Examples: Samson lost his anointing. The sons of Eli lost their relevance. David lost his ability to write and sing for the 3 months that he was living in rebellion in Ziglag.
6. The prophet borrowed the axe - from his poverty he was unable to buy one – a painful loss.
7. His cutting edge did not originate with him, and yet he had lost it – just like the spiritual anointing in our lives. It did not originate with us - But there are occasions when it is lost. Just as Samson’s strength departed from him, we can lose our spiritual strength. That easy!
8. This loss brought deep sorrow to his heart. And to him, it was irreplaceable by any means of his own as is the presence of the Holy Spirit.
9. The restoration of the lost axe was impossible – he appealed to the prophet for help.
10. When in desperate situation, we always forget that our God can reverse the very laws of nature in order to relieve our distress. That is why Peter walked on water; Joshua caused the sun to stand still. Dead people came back to life.
11. When you lose the anointing, immediately stop working. The man did that.
12. It would have been foolish to try to work without the axe-head!
13. We must make a full and a frank confession to our Master. Immediately the man was conscious of his loss and cried out, “Oh, my lord!…”. If we have failed
14. We must show our Master the place where we lost our effectiveness and our experience of His presence and power. The first question Elisha asked was, “Where did it fall?” He did not scold the young man. You will never recover your axe-head until you tell God where you lost it.
15. Then, we shall see the miracle performed! 2 Kings 6:6 tells us that Elisha performed the miracle by the use of a “stick”; and the way back to God is by way of the Cross (1 Peter 2:24). His blood can cleanse us and make us whole.
16. We must put out our hand and take it. Here is the step of faith. To act in faith in this way was a humbling experience for the son of the prophet, for probably others were watching as he bent down very low, put out his hand and took back that which he had lost.
CONCLUSION: WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE TEACH US?
1. If we can call upon God and refused to be distracted, we will surely see His divine interventions.
2. God has a plan for our problem – He took care of sons of the prophet and will take care of you.
3. When we reach the end of our rope, there is help and there is hope.
4. When you reach that point, the world, the flesh and the devil are all going to tell you that God doesn’t see and that He doesn’t care. But He does see – Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 1 Peter 5:7 He cares more than you know about what you are facing.
5. Therefore, no matter what you are called on to face in this life, learn to turn to the Lord first for the help you need. He cares! He is able! He will work in your need!
6. Often God will use the trials, heartaches and burdens of life to bring us to the place where we can honestly see our need and our own inability to meet it.
7. As long as we think we can handle things, why should we look to the Lord? If we have all the answers, why should we turn to Him with our questions?
8. To break off your limitation, you need to take a decision, you need a determination to succeed and you need to refuse Satanic distractions designed to prevent you from reaching your destinations by trusting God for divine interventions.
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS AND ALTAR CALL: “PROTECT YOUR AXE HEAD”
1. Matthew 7:6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
2. Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.
3. Isaiah 61:7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
4. Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
5. Zechariah 9:12 Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.
