DONT GO FLYING OFF THE HANDLE!
2 Kings 6:1-7
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. 3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. 4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. 5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. 6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. 7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
From the New Living Translation: One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, "As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small.2 Lets go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet." "All right," he told them, "go ahead." 3 "Please come with us," someone suggested. "I will," he said. 4 When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. 5 But as one of them was chopping, his ax head fell into the river. "Ah, my lord!" he cried. "It was a borrowed ax!" 6 "Where did it fall?" the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water. Then the ax head rose to the surface and floated. 7 "Grab it," Elisha said to him. And the man reached out and grabbed it.
I. The prophet Elisha had received a double portion of anointing from his predecessor, Elijah.
1. Elisha was probably the most anointed man of God in the Old Testament.
a. Some of the most amazing miracles are recorded in the life of Elisha.
b. None of them were more interesting, or curious, than this story of the lost axe head.
c. Why did the Holy Spirit have this incident recorded in the Bible? And what does it have to do with us today?
2. Lets take a moment to look at the background of the story.
a. Elisha had formed a school of young prophets.
b. Elisha lived with and taught the students.
c. We dont know the particulars about the school except at one point it became too small. They needed more room for the increasing number of students.
3. Notice in verse one the students, or prophets, came to Elisha "And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait (or too small, so small it is distressing) for us"
a. Crowded classrooms are not only a problem of modern society.
b. The students came to Elisha and presented their case. School needed to be enlarged.
c. They ask Elisha for permission to expand and also ask him to go with them to the Jordan River where he can oversee the work. There were plenty of trees at the river to provide lumber. Elisha agreed to go with them.
d. The students decided they could do the work themselves. No need for professional carpenters.
1. How many times have we said the same thing and later wished we had hired someone more experienced? I have many times. It seems like I always have to do something twice. The first time to learn how not to do it.
e. When the students got to the Jordan River they started to work cutting down trees while Elisha supervised.
f. Cutting down trees in those days was a more of a chore than today. Chain saws hadnt been invented yet. Tree cutting was done with an axe and a lot of muscle.
1. Today axeheads are more securely fastened to a handle than in O.T. days. In those days the handle was split at the place where the axe head was put and tied down with leather. Then the leather was soaked with water. That would cause it to shrink and tighten up. The more it was used the looser the leather became. It was common for the axeheads to come loose and go flying off when the axe was used.
g. Flying axe heads presented such a danger that God gave Moses a special law to take care of a situation where an axe head may come off and kill another man. It would be an accident but God had the people specify certain cities for a man to go to in case he accidentally killed another man. The cities were called Cities of Refuge. If a relative of the dead man want to take revenge on the man who caused the accident the man could flee to one of those cities and be safe. (Numbers 19:4-7)
3. Back to our story in 2 Kings 6
h. The young students are busy cutting down trees to enlarge the school. While they were working one of the young men swings his axe, the axehead comes loose from the handle, flies through the air and disappears in the Jordan River.
i. The young prophet yells out to Elisha, "My Lord, it was a borrowed axe!".
1. The fact that he was concerned about the axe head because it was borrowed tells us something.
a. He probably didnt want to borrow the axe in the first place. I think most men are that way when it comes to borrowing tools from another man. There is always a possibility that something will happen to it and possibly end up breaking or losing it. It’s not the loss of the tool so much as the possible loss of a friend who was kind enough to loan you one of his tools.
2. (Mention about borrowing chain saw from Ted.) Then the joke about man cutting down trees with new chain saw. He took it back to the store where he bought it. He complained that he couldn’t cut down as many trees in one day as he thought. He said it must be a defective chainsaw. The clerk takes it from him, pulls on the starter rope. The chainsaw starts running. The man who complained jumped back in surprise and asked: "Whats that noise?"
Ted would have been very surprised (and mad) if I told him I swung it to cut down a tree and it flew into the Nishna River.
j. The axehead is lost so Elisha asks where it went into the water. The student shows him, Elisha cuts a branch from a tree and throws it into the water.
k. As soon as the branch hits the water he axe head swam to the surface and then to shore where the young prophet held out his hand and picked it up.
l. This was a true miracle. Not only was the axe head saved but the friend who loaned it in the first place was saved as a good friend.
II. The world may read this story about an axe head swimming and think its a lot of nonsense. Not only the world, maybe you have read this story and wondered why in the world the Holy Spirit put it in the Bible. Except for the fact that it was a miracle, there doesnt really seem to be any point to the story.
1. The world may seem this is a silly story. But there are some lessons to be learned that will help us in our walk with the Lord.
2. First of all, the Holy Spirit included this little story to let us know that God is concerned about the small things in our lives.
a. God takes a real, living and practical interest in everything we do.
b. Think about the young man who lost the axe head. It was a great loss to lose the axe head but to make it worse, it was borrowed.
c. Did that matter to God? Yes!!! God is interested in axe heads, pots & pans, carburetors, tires, bank accounts, pets, chain saws and everything else that matters to us.
d. He is not only interested in things that matter today. God can look ahead to see how things are going to effect us in the future and work out those things for our benefit. Glory!!
e. Romans 8:28 explains it like this: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
f. God cares for us even in the little things.
One man put it like this:
Not one concern of ours is small,
If we belong to Him,
To teach us this, the Lord of all,
Once made the iron to swim.
d. God cares for the little things in our lives. Remember the time when Jesus was a guest at a marriage in the village of Canna? They ran out of wine, it was an embarrassing situation in those days. The young couple probably did not have the money to buy more wine but Jesus took care of it by turning water to wine. It was the best wine too. Not only did He turn water to wine but probably saved a marriage.
III. Lets look at this story about the iron axe head that swam and see what it has to do with us today.
Point No. 1: The Axe head was separated from the handle.
I think the Holy Spirit would have us know the danger of becoming separated from God.
a. Remember, the young prophet didn’t lose the whole axe, only the axe head.
b. Lets say the axe head represents the Born-Again Believer. The handle represents Jesus, the Holy Spirit within us.
c. The axe head became separated from the handle. The axe was borrowed, it didnt belong to the prophet.
d. The next lesson to be learned here is that we are not our own. We were bought with a price. We will never fully comprehend our value except to know that God gave His very best for us.
Point No. 2: The axe head was the most effective part of the axe. The cutting edge of the axe head is where the full force of power is concentrated when used to cut down a tree.
a.. Have we lost our cutting edge for the Lord? Has our walk with the Lord become just so much routine?
b. Is this typical: 1. We go to church 2. We listen to the Word. 3. We praise and worship. 4. We pray to God. 5. We witness to others and tell them about our great God who saved us from Hell thru the death of His only Son. Its an exciting life. Oh, hum.
c. But the Bible says, "The joy of the Lord is our strength".
(1) Instead of: "We go to church sometimes"
It should be: "We cant wait to get to church so we can hear to the Word of God!! I was glad when they said unto me, let us go unto the house of the Lord Psalms 122:1
(2) Insead of: "We sing some songs"
It should be: Then we praise and worship Him just as the scripture says, "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD!" Ps. 156:05
(3) Instead of: "We pray".
It should be: We have the privilege of talking to the Creator of the Universe and can call Him Daddy!" "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15
(4) Instead of: "We witness to others"
It should be: We cant wait to tell others how He saved us from the fires of Hell by sending His Word manifested in the flesh and called Jesus, God’s only Son!!! As the scripture says: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover". Mark 16:16-18
Point No. 3. When did the young prophet lose the axe head?
a. When everything seemed to be going right. At a time of growth and expansion of the school.
1. Thats usually when the Devil strikes. When everything is going well in our lives maybe a sickness will hit. Loss of income. Marriage goes bad, etc. Those are the times were put to a test. Our faith has to become stronger by reaching out to the Lord instead of blaming Him for the circumstances and backing away from Him.
b. The young Prophet in our story didnt lose the axe handle and he didnt lose his knowledge of how to cut down a tree. Only one small part was lost but it stopped him in his service for the Lord.
1. A person can have Jesus Christ in our lives, go to church regularly and still let the cares of the world weigh them down. Faith becomes weak.
2. We worry about bills, about our health, about our kids, etc., and thats when the Devil sits back and laughs. He has us in bondage to worry. Consequently we become less effective for the Lord and for ourselves.
Point No. 4. How did the young prophet recover the axe head?
a. First, he confessed his loss. He said, "Alas, master! for it was borrowed."
b. Elisha tells him to go back back to the place where he lost it.
c. Thats what we have to do. We confess our sins to the Lord and go back to the place where we began with our Lord.. Remember when you were first Born-Again? Remember the joy in your life? Thats where we have to be.
Psalm 51:12, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."
Dont let the Devil steal the joy of your salvation. He knows thats your strong point.
1. We can be Spirit-Filled, Tongue-Talking Christians walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and can be doing the Lords work, really working hard, we can read the Bible for hours, listen to teaching tapes, Christian radio and TV programs, etc. and that activity doesnt bother the Devil one bit.
2. As long as were busy "doing" and keeping focused on our work, our tapes & teachings, its OK with the Devil.
3. But just try getting alone with God on a One-to-one basis. Just try talking to Him as you would a best Friend or even as a Father. Thats when the Devil gets upset. The Devil cant stand it when we focus our full attention on the Lord.
4. Because thats building a relationship on a personal basis. Its developing a bond that the Devil cant break. Jesus has sealed that bond with His Blood and there are scars on His Hands to prove it. We have nothing to show except our faith and thats all the Lord asks of us.
5. The secret is abiding in the Lord, keeping that relationship going and growing on a daily basis, not just on Sunday mornings.
VI. In John 15 Jesus tells a parable about the grape vine and its branches.
a. In that story He said the Vine represents Him and the branches represents the Believer.
b. He uses the illustration to point out how important it is for us to continue to be branches of the vine.
1. In verse 5 He said, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
2. Back to our story about the lost axe head.
a. The complete axe consisted of the handle and the axe head.
b. When they are used together they are effective. But the handle is useless without the axe head. Without the handle the axe head is just so much iron.
3. The Bible tells us we are Gods representatives on earth, called to do the works Jesus did while He walked the streets of Israel. In His absence we have been commissioned to carry on His work and, in His own words, even greater works.
a. So, in a spiritual sense, each of us is like an axe head in the Kingdom of God. When we go to work for God the Holy Spirit is the Handle and our faith is the muscle to complete His work.
b. When we become separated from the Lord we become useless, just as the handle without an axe head.
c. The solution: Nothing must be allowed to come between the Lord and ourselves.
d. If left to ourselves we would "sink" just like the axe head.
e. There is always a downward pull in the world and always something in our old nature that wants to answer to that pull.
f. How do we stay fixed to the Handle?
1. Several years ago I worked in a print shop. We set one day aside a couple of hours per week for "preventive maintenance". It was a time to go over our presses to clean, oil & grease them, check out important settings, etc.
2. As Born-Again Believers we have to do the same thing. We have to set aside special times for us to build a deeper relationship with the Lord on a One-to-one basis.
a. It could be in the morning or evening before going to bed.
b. But it should be a time when we just talk to Him.
c. A time when were not listening to tapes, radio or some teacher on TV.
d. A time not reading a book about the Word but reading THE Word.
e. Setting aside a few minutes every day just to talk TO the Word.
f. Having communion every day. The Bible says to do it "often". The early church had communion every time they met.
1. Communion is a time of remembering that we have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe thru His Son. Its a relationship built on His Grace and His love for us. Its also a time of looking ahead to the day Jesus returns.
4. How do we keep our cutting edge? Proverbs 27:17, Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. The New Living Translation: As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
1. Iron sharpens iron. Have you ever used a sharpening steel? Its one of the best ways to sharpen a knife. Butchers use them. The sharpening steel is effective because it is hardened more than the blade it is sharpening. Its harder because its been in the fire longer.
2. As stated before, in a spiritual sense we are the iron axe head of Gods Kingdom on earth. Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. He came to earth as a Man. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin".He had been exposed to every temptation but never sinned once. He became like that hardened steel, hardened to sin but sensitive enough to help us in our temptations.
3. As we come to know more about Jesus by praying, reading & hearing the Word and fellowshiping with like Believers, our cutting edge stays sharp.
4. Away from Jesus we become "dull". Have you ever tried to cut down a tree with a dull axe? You can swing the axe as hard and as many times as you want but it just doesnt seem to get anywhere. Thats how life is for us when we dont stay in fellowship with the Lord.
VI. Now lets look at the same story about the lost axe head and see how it applies to the Salvation of a sinner.
1. The Sinner.
a. Lets say the axe head represents the sinner.
b. The young prophet lost the axe head, something that really wasnt his in the first place.
c. The same with man. Man belongs to God. But through deception and lies the Devil has taken what wasnt his in the first place. He stole man from God.
d. In the natural an axe head will sink in water and the same is true of man who is in sin and without God.
2. The Place where the axe head fell was the River Jordan.
a. The Jordan River represents death.
b. The same is true of a sinner. Until a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior hes dead in his sins.
3. How to be saved?
a. Could the axe head raise itself? No, help must come from outside of self.
b. How did Elisha save the axe head? By throwing a branch into the water.
c. Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: The sinner is saved by a Branch, Jesus Christ.
d. Notice back in 2 Kings 6, verse 6: And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim
e. "And he cut down a stick, or branch". In Daniel 9:26, speaking about Jesus Who was to come, Daniel says, "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself"
f. In Isaiah 53:6: "He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."
g. This is talking about Jesus. Before being saved we were like that axe head at the bottom of the Jordan River, we were dead in sin. But, Praise God, God cut down a Branch named Jesus. Then God cast the Branch into the pit of death in place of every "whosoever" that will accept it.
h. The axe head disappeared into the water but only for a short time. What happened? It resurrected.
1. The world has a saying, "What goes up must come down but in the spiritual realm it"s just the opposite: What goes down must come up!
2. If Jesus tarries and we die and are buried, when He comes back we will burst that grave open and be caught up to Him in the clouds! GLORY!
i. Jesus was the first to be resurrected. 1 Cor. 15:20-22, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming."
j. In the Old Testament they had the festival of Firstfruits when they would bring the first sheaf of grain to the Lord. This was a sign that there would be more to come.
k. Before we were saved we belonged to the Family of Adam and were subject to die.
l. But Jesus rose from the dead and became the firstfruits of a great harvest of souls who will be resurrected at His Second Coming. Those who are living at His Second Coming will never die. Whether living or dead in the grave at His Second Coming, we will all win over death.
4. Elisha asked the young prophet where the axe head fell into the water and that was where he threw the branch.
a. This is telling us that Jesus comes to us where we are, in whatever state we are in. He doesnt ask us to clean up our act first or get right with God. Jesus comes when we ask because He loves and cares for us.
5. What was the result of throwing the Branch into the water?
a. First, the axe head was recovered, or saved. So is man when He confesses Jesus as Lord.
b. Then it was raised up from the waters of death. So is man raised from the pit of destruction and planted on a Rock called Jesus.
c. The axe head didnt "float" . . . a dead body can do that.
d. The Bible says the axe head did swim, it was contrary to nature and all common sense. I Cor. 1:27 says, "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;"
e. If the axe head did swim that means it was alive, just as we are truly alive when Jesus comes into our lives. We become new creations, contrary to nature and common logic.
f. The axe was restored back to the original owner, just as we are restored back to God through the shed Blood of the Branch, Jesus.
6. Last but not least, Elisha told the young prophet to reach out and take the axe head as it swam to him.
a. Thats what the sinner and Believer does. Salvation, healing, deliverance and every other need is a free gift from God. In every instance, He tells us to reach out and take it.
VII. The lessons learned from the story about the iron that did swim.
1. Just as the young men asked Elisha to be with them as they worked so should we ask the Lord to be with us and guide us by His Holy Spirit in everything we do.
2. Be conscientious about things you borrow. Be sure to take good care of it and then return it in good condition when youre finished with it.
3. Dont think that God doesnt care about the little things in our lives.
4. Dont forget, is anything too hard for God, the One Who made an axe head to swim?
Closing scripture: Philippians 4:4-7, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.5 Let your moderation (or gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (or the Lord is coming soon) 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing (every small detail of the most trivial matter) by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
IN SUMMING UP THIS TEACHING MY ADVICE WOULD BE THIS:
1. DONT BE LIKE THE AXEHEAD IN OUR STORY.
2. STAY CLOSE TO THE LORD.
3. AND DONT GO FLYING OFF THE HANDLE!
