Sermon Central
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Regaining Your Cutting Edge
Contributed by John Gaston on Jul 14, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: A prophet lost his axhead/ cutting edge and needed to recover it. It was the key to his growth. Problem was, it was borrowed: he was trying to overcome his hindrances to growth by a borrowed anointing! A special stick altered its properties. Find out why.
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REGAINING YOUR CUTTING EDGE
2 Kgs. 6:1-7
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A police officer saw a man dressed as a cowboy in the street, complete with huge stetson hat, spurs, and six shooters.
"Excuse me, sir," said the police officer, "who are you?"
"My name's Tex, officer," said the cowboy.
2. "Eh?" said the police officer, "Are you from Texas?"
"Nope, Louisiana." "Louisiana? So why are you called Tex?"
3. "Don't want to be called Louise, do I?”
B. TEXT
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 axhead 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 Kgs. 6:1-7
C. THESIS
1. THREE QUOTES:
a. “There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” Pres. John F. Kennedy.
b. “In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” Max Dupree,
c. “Unless you do something beyond what you’ve already mastered, you will never grow.” Ron Osborne.
2. In this morning’s text, we’re going to see a man who got a revelation of how serious it was to be too limited and to lose your only way to grow!
3. The title of this message is “Regaining Your Cutting Edge.”
I. TOO SMALL
A. RECOGNIZING OUR SMALLNESS, SPIRITUALLY
1. In this portion of text is found what must become your anthem and heart’s cry and our life as a church. APATHY is a force which tries to seep into churches and make us comfortable, complacent and satisfied. We wouldn’t be the first church and group of people to succumb to this sickness.
2. The cry that parted the lips of this young man must become our constant, daily, weekly cry. It should be our cry individually and corporately.
3. The sons of the prophets made a statement that was literal for them but must become a spiritual statement for us. They approach Elisha and state, “The place where we are living is too limited for us.”
4. This statement has implications for us personally: the place where some of you have been living spiritually is too limited. Most American Christians spend:
a. about 2 minutes in prayer each day b. Too little time in the house of God
c. Too little time in the Word of God. d. Think that fasting one meal occasionally will bring them breakthrough in an area of their lives.
5. It is time to realize that the place where you have been living, where you have been abiding and spending your time is too limited. Touch your neighbor and say, “I need some room”.
B. IDENTIFYING THE SIZE OF THE PLACE YOU OCCUPY.
We know we are living in a small place when:
1. You're not expecting God to set up divine appointments during your day,
2. You're not prepared to pray for people who have needs,
3. You don't expect to be tested in your Christianity,
4. You're concentrating on your own needs and not the needs of others,
5. You're worried about building your own kingdom but not about building God's kingdom.
6. Touch a neighbor and say, “This place is too small for me.”
C. WHAT THE WORD TELLS US
1. The Word tells us that we are commissioned to: a. grow and mature,
b. move from glory to glory, precept to precept, c. move from milk to meat,
d. to press onward and upward.
2. We were never called to grow comfortable, stagnant, stationary, a monument. We are told to expand and lengthen the lines. And as much as I know you would like to stay with what you know best and what you grew up with you cannot grow if you stay in the same place and do the same things you have always done. You can never take it to the next level if you continue to stay in the small place. You must come to the place where you realize where you are living is too small. There is more out there. There is room to grow.
