“STRIKE THE IRON WHILE IT’S HOT!”
2 Kgs. 13:15-19
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: MISTAKEN FOR GOD
1. A nurse wrote in Reader’s Digest that she works in a hospital’s children’s ward. “One night I was at the nurse’s station when I heard a little boy in his room talking to himself.
2. He kept the chatter up for some time. Finally, I got on the intercom and said softly but firmly, “All right Johnny, it’s time to go to sleep now!”
3. There was quiet in the room and then he said, “Ok, God, I will.” I didn’t hear a peep from him until morning.” [J.C.] Sometimes God can use a little human help!
B. TEXT
Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 16 “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17 “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!”....18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times” 2 Kgs. 13:15-19.
C. THESIS
1. The title of this message is “Strike the Iron While it’s Hot!” Iron can only be bent or molded when it’s been heated to extreme temperatures. This alludes to the fact that change isn’t possible in every season, so we must be spiritually prepared, watch carefully, and take action as soon as we see the signs of opportunity.
2. In today’s text, Elisha undertakes 4 actions in the spiritual realm that lead to victory:
I. CALLS FOR WARFARE WITH THE ENEMY
Taking the BOWS & ARROWS signifies WARFARE WITH THE ENEMY. We’re at war with the kingdom of darkness. At least this King knew there was a war going on!
A. WHO THE ENEMY IS
1. You might think the enemy is your boss, your mother-in-law, your parents, your teenager, your spouse, or the police. But Paul tells us who the real enemy is; “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Eph. 6:12.
2. Billy Graham once said, “Much of church warfare is fought by blind-folded soldiers, who can’t see the forces against them, who are buffeted by invisible opponents so they respond by striking at each other.”
3. Kind of like the guy who had too much to drink and he was driving – and he turned onto a one-way street going the wrong direction. A policeman pulled him over and said, “Hey, what are you doing? You could’ve killed yourself and someone else. Didn’t you see the one-way arrows back there?” The man responded, “Arrows? I didn’t even see the Indians!”
4. Church, it’s high time we stop sounding the retreat and start shouting “charge”! Instead of the devil taking it to us, we should be taking it to the devil!
B. 3 DIFF. LEVELS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
1. THE BATTLE WITHIN
a. Rom. 7:23; “…but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.”
b. The first battle that we must win is the Battle within. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Nor can we be effective as Christians if we haven’t conquered our fallen human nature inside – our tendency to sin.
2. OUTWARD BATTLE WITH OTHER HUMANS. Many times our friends, loved ones, or people we’re associated with will stand in opposition to the gospel, or truth, and we must recognize they may be tools of the enemy.
3. INVISIBLE SPIRITUAL FORCES. Lastly, are the invisible spiritual forces allied with Satan. Our greatest weapon against them is prayer. God promises, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper!” Jesus said, “All power is given to ME in heaven and in earth!” Praise God! We’re on the winning side!
II. THE ANOINTING OF THE SPIRIT
A. Notice ELISHA’S HANDS ON THE KING’S HANDS
1. This symbolizes God’s miraculous assistance made available to us; the anointing of God coming on humans.
2. Ezekiel said, “The hand of the Lord was upon me!” (3:22). This is a reference to God’s presence. God wants to put His hands on you and empower you to go to a new level you couldn’t possibly reach in your own power.
3. You can try shooting arrows all day – without the anointing – and you won’t hit anything; but if you get full of the Spirit, God will guide your efforts to success.
4. I don’t think David was so good of a shot that he could hit a 3-inch spot on Goliath’s forehead at 20-30 yards. I think the Spirit of God laser-guided that stone to be the knock-out punch to win the victory for God’s people!
B. POWER TO DO WHAT GOD SAYS
1. Missionary Ludwig Nommenson spent 2 years living among the Batak people of Indonesia. He taught them Jesus’ teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.
2. The Chief said, “We too have laws which teach us not to steal, nor take our neighbor’s wife, or lie.” Nommensen said, “But my God gives the power to keep His laws!” The Chief was startled; “Can you teach my people that?”
3. For six months Nommensen taught them about the Holy Spirit and the power of God. At the end of that time the Chief declared, “Your way is better than ours. Ours tells us what we ought to do, but your God says, “Come, I will walk with you and give you the inner strength to do the good thing!”
4. Being filled with God’s Spirit makes all the difference. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem... Judea...Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8. We need that power; let’s get filled today!
III. SEEING THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
Elisha told the King to open the window facing East. Then he helped the King shoot the arrow of victory out that window. THE OPEN WINDOW represents WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY God was making for him.
A. WHAT IS AN “OPPORTUNITY?”
1. Opportunity – “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.”
2. God arranges the opportunities and sets up the ‘season’ of access to those opportunities. It’s up to us to grasp the opportunities and thrust ourselves into God’s will before the window of opportunity closes.
3. God opens doors! This’s the wonderful advantage of working with the Holy Spirit. There are many instances of miracles opening doors in the Book of Acts at the Gate called Beautiful, Lydda, Samaria, Philippi, Ephesus, etc.
4. God is still opening doors today! Let the Spirit open your eyes to see the opportunities God is setting before YOU!
B. ONLY ONE WINDOW WOULD DO
1. A lot of people think it doesn’t matter which window they shoot out of. “All of them are good.” No, there’s only one window you can shoot out through – that window is Jesus Christ! He’s the only one connected to Heaven.
2. He said, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6.
3. THERE’S NO ONE ELSE LIKE JESUS!
a. In infancy he startled a king. In childhood he amazed the scholars. In manhood he ruled over nature—walking on the stormy waves & stilling the crashing of the sea.
b. He healed multitudes without medicine; restored broken hearts without psychiatry. He never wrote a book, but inspired more books than any other. He never wrote a song but inspired more songs than all songwriters combined.
c. He never founded a college, but has more students than all the colleges of the world. He never marshaled an army, but He has more soldiers willing to die for Him than all the Napoleons, Caesars, Alexanders, etc., combined.
d. Herod could not kill him. Satan could not seduce him. His enemies could not destroy him. The grave could not hold him. Hell could not contain Him. All creation can’t stop Him!
e. He is the ever-living, highest reigning Son of God; proclaimed by God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by demons. He’s the risen King of Kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. – Author Unknown
4. Get connected to Christ and God will give you victory!
IV. GIVE MAXIMUM EFFORT FOR GOD
STRIKING THE ARROWS on the ground represents the number of times/battles Jehoash would defeat his (God’s) enemies. He only got 50% of what he could have from God!
A. AREAS IN WHICH WE DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH
1. Many are satisfied with doing only a little. So you brought a soul to Christ? Good! Bring another! Do you teach Sunday School? Good, but seek to increase your class. Do you pay tithes? Good, but seek to give more!
2. We’re too soon contented. Many church workers/ seekers feel like they’ve done their share or their time; now it’s someone else’s turn. Caleb saw it a different way, “There’s still much more land to be possessed!”
3. The “halfway spirit” is most visible when it comes to prayer. Oh that God’s people desired more power in prayer! God needs more Christians like Jacob who wouldn’t let the Lord go until He gave him the blessing. We strike only 3X, but God says, “You should strike 6X and have total victory!”
4. ILLUS. A man went to Paris and sat down in an exclusive restaurant. He ordered an expensive steak. When they brought it, it was about the size of an egg. He popped the whole thing in his mouth and said, “Thanks for the taster; now bring me the whole steak!” Too many Christians are satisfied with only a mouthful when God is offering them a whole plate-full!
5. I think Jehoash was also too lazy to strike five or six times. It’s funny how we didn’t mind serving the devil every night but we think it’s too much to serve the Lord more than one day a week! Will we do less for God than the devil?
B. THE TERRIBLE RESULTS OF NOT STRIVING
1. THE BLESSINGS STOPPED. When Jehoash ceased striving, the blessings ceased. The same thing will happen to us. A lackadaisical spirit blocks the conduit by which God’s blessings will flow to you. Don’t allow that!
2. THE ENEMY TAKES BACK OVER. After three victories, the rival power began to win again. Jehoash’s army was defeated 3X; land was lost and people were subjected to enemy rule. Moms & Dads – our kids future is riding on how committed & dedicated WE are to God!
C. GLORIOUS POSSIBILITIES LOST. There weren’t only losses, but glorious possibilities were forfeited. Who knows what financial blessings, what improved situations, and what special people might come into your life if you fight the good fight of faith?
C. CAN WE EVER DO ENOUGH FOR CHRIST?
1. We give our best for sports, for our careers, and for the opposite sex. Shouldn’t our striving for God should surpass all other pursuits? Shall we do less for God than for others?
2. Can we ever do enough for our Savior? Did He stop anywhere? At the whipping post, did he turn back? When the nails were driven into his hands and feet, did He say, “I’ve done enough?” When He was forsaken by the Father, did He count the cost too high? NO! He kept going until he could say, “It is finished.” I pray that each of us will serve Jesus just as fervently as He served us – to the very end!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. A little boy said to his mother, “Mom, my Sunday school teacher said that Jesus is coming and that all the Christians are preparing to go to heaven. But I don’t notice anyone preparing!”
2. “Mom, I saw everybody get prepared for Christmas and I see you and Dad preparing to go on vacation, but I don’t see everybody preparing to go to Heaven.”
3. “Why aren’t people getting ready to go to Heaven?” GOOD QUESTION!
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Now is the only chance you have to make a difference in your lives and the lives of your family. Do you want to change? God is opening a window of opportunity before you today. Jesus has the answers to your problems!
2. Will you ‘bang the arrows of dedication’ only 3X or will you bang them 6X? Why don’t you come to the front and dedicate 100% to Jesus.
3. How many are ready to jettison some sin you’ve been allowing? Let’s pray.
[Section IV. drew on Charles Spurgeon’s sermon “Three Arrows or Six?” on 2 Kgs. 13:18-19]
