Sermon Central
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How To Recover Your Spiritual Edge?
Contributed by Charles Jones on Feb 24, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: When we are doing the LORD’S work it is important that we take time to “sharpen the axe.”
How To Recover Your Spiritual Edge?
2 Kings 6:1-7 New King James Version
And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” So he answered, “Go.” Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
The story we are looking at in today’s message took place in the 8th century B.C. during the time of the Kings when Israel was split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
After the prophet Elijah was taken away into heaven in a fiery chariot, the prophet Elisha began his ministry. Elisha had trained under Elijah for (it is believed) fifty years to prepare him for this ministry.
Elisha is now training other young prophets of God. This is what is meant by “the sons of the prophets” in verse 1.
From what we are told in verse 1, this School of The Prophets had become so large that they had outgrown their current place and needed to build something larger to accommodate their growing enrollment.
The anxious Prophets approached Elisha their teacher with this request: v. 2 “ Please let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”
Elisha replied “Go!”
In other words he was sending them off on this building task with his blessings. Elisha was not planning on accompanying them. Until one of the Prophets approached him and requested that he go with them.
Were they expecting Elisha to help them with the strenuous work of putting up a building? NO!
They wanted him there for inspiration. Having their teacher there to watch them would be a great source of strength and encouragement for the task.
Well when they arrived at the Jordan River they immediately began to work on cutting down trees, each student doing his part.
But pretty soon a problem arises. While cutting down a tree, one of the young men has his axe head come flying off the handle into the Jordan River and it sinks to the bottom.
This young man lost his axe head……...he lost his “cutting edge” .....…….he lost his effectiveness in doing the work he had set out to do.
Have you lost your “cutting edge?”
Have you lost your “spiritual sharpness?”
Have you lost your “effectiveness” and your "enthusiasm” for doing the work the LORD has called you to do?
Is it possible for one to get his or her “spiritual edge” back once they have lost it? Absolutely! And as we continue on with our scripture text we are going to learn three things we must do to in order to RECOVER OUR SPIRITUAL EDGE.
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First of all:
We Must ACCEPT Responsibility For Losing Our
Spiritual Edge (v. 5) says "But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”
That word “alas” literally means, “Oh no!” Isn’t that what you cry out when you’ve lost something?
”Oh no, I’ve lost my glasses.”
”Oh no, I’ve lost my wallet.”
”Oh no, I’ve lost my keys.”
This young man cried out, “Oh no Master, I’ve lost my axe head! For it was borrowed.” The fact that this young man lost something that didn’t belong to him took on even greater significance. He lost something that was not his to lose. He lost something that belonged to another.
He didn’t blame anyone else for what had happened!
No, He took full responsibility for what had happened.
In essence what the man cried out was “Oh no Master, I have lost the cutting edge I was borrowing from someone else.”
My Brothers and Sisters, when we lose our “spiritual cutting edge” we must accept personal responsibility for it.
We can point the finger at the preacher and say “I lost my spiritual edge” because the preacher’s sermons are boring and don’t feed me.
