Introduction. A father collected
his son from Junior Church and asked, "what Bible story
have you heard today"? It was about Moses and the Israelites,
Dad," replied the boy. " They were trapped with
the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind
them.
"So what happened?" asked the father. "Well,
Moses sent some tanks back to face the Egyptians, and he
radioed for support to some warships anchored in the Gulf.
While the navy bombers attacked Pharaoh's troops and chariots,
helicopters airlifted the Hebrews to safety on the other
shore." Dad laughed. "Sounds a bit far-fetched
to me. I don't remember that story from Sunday school."
I know, Dad, " replied his son. " But if I told
you what really happened, you'd never believe it."
There are some stories like that scattered throughout the
Bible. In telling us what really happened, the human author
never seems to be troubled about whether or not people will
believe it. The story of the floating axe-head is one of
those stories. Modernists and rationalists round on this
story and tell us this miracle is childish. They cannot
explain it away and they do not like to accept it. But one
thing is absolutely certain, " the iron did swim."
Verse 6 Contrary to natural law, the Iron floated to the
surface. My.... this is the simple statement of Scripture,
and we dare not deny it, or modify it to suit modern scientific
views. Here God was active, and a higher law of miracle
was operative!
The larger part of what is recorded of the life of Elisha,
the Prophet of Jehovah, is devoted to the description of
the miracles that were performed by him and the circumstances,
which gave rise to them.
Israel had fallen on hard
times, and their spirituality was at low ebb. Idolatry was
rampant and God's judgement fell frequently upon them in
the form of "Famine" and invasion by the surrounding
Nations.
Yet God still had a faithful
remnant that had not bowed the knee to Baal. At Bethel,
Jericho, and Gilgal there were schools for the training
of young preachers who were known "as the sons of the
Prophets.
The message today centres around one of these young men,
who lost an "Axe Head" while he was felling a
tree.
2 Kings 6:5 But as one was
felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water: and he
cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
This is a story with deep
spiritual and practical lessons. The Axe head, in type,
pictures the keen cutting edge of a life that is equipped
with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Loss and the recovery
of the Axe head is an illustrative picture of the manner
in which God matches the misery of human tragedy with the
miracle of divine victory.
Now this miracle of the raising
of the lost axe head confronts believers with one crucial
question: Have you lost your edge; your spiritual sharpness
lately? Are you still going through the motions of activity
and busyness for the Lord, but you are not felling any trees?
In fact you are no longer making even a dent for the Lord!
Somewhere along the way you have lost your cutting edge.
That's the bad news. The good news is God can restore your
spiritual effectiveness. To appreciate the personal application
of this fascinating Old Testament story we must firstly
observe the significance of
The Loaning of the Axe Head.
Verse 5 "Alas, master! For it was borrowed"
The opening verses present to us a scene of activity! They
also present a problem for Elisha " the place is too
small for us." (6:1) The prophet's college was overfull:
there was no room for the growing number of students. The
place, where the sons of the prophets were meeting, under
the leadership of Elisha, had now become too small. There
needed to be
An Enlargement. "The place is too small." That's
a good problem to have! This work was prospering, it was
growing, it was developing, and the hand of the Lord's blessing
was upon it.
Beloved, the Church of Christ and the Work of God ought
ever to Prosper. It is the best-established business on
earth today, and there is no limit to what God can do, when
His people walk in obedience to Him.
The Sons of the Prophets were keen to see
"The Enlargement of their Place of worship"
"The Enlargement of their number"
This was the end result of
"The enlargement of their hearts" as they responded
to the ministry of Elisha.
Are you developing Spiritually?
It's great when we are developing Evangelistically: When
we are seeking to extend and expand the work of the Gospel,
building the Church of God, which is composed of living
stones that are taken out of the nations of the world. Extension
and Enlargement is still God's program for the Church today.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth.
The Lord promised His church-
ability, efficiency and mighty power as witnesses, who would
go forward to conquer for Him. Are we standing still or
going forward? Are we beating a retreat or sounding an alarm?
Like Paul have we a desire " to preach the gospel,
sharing our faith with all men"
How we would need to seek to emulate these sons of the Prophets
and to ask our Master for an Enlargement of our Spiritual
experience. Asking the Lord to, enlarge our hearts that
we might receive and respond to His Word.
For an enlarged heart is
ever eager to be "An Obedient Heart" It says with
the Psalmist, "I will run the way of thy commandments
when thou shalt enlarge my heart"
How, we need to ask the Lord
to enlarge our dwelling so that we might rejoice in the
Lord because of His blessing on our lives and upon His work.
Isa 54:2 "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them
stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not,
lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;"
This should be the earnest
Prayer and heart's desire of all who know and love the Lord
and are associated with this place of witness. That under
the leadership of our blessed Lord and Master, we might
have to enlarge our Tent, enlarge our place because of His
hand of blessing upon His people.
We need to lengthen the Cords, and strengthen the stakes
and work with a united effort for the extension of God's
kingdom.
These sons of the prophets
were united in the goal and in their effort to enlarge their
place.
Verse 2 " Every man a beam," Is this not a basic
principle in God's work?
Far too often the attitude in church work is, " Oh,
let someone else do it. I'm too busy." It's usually
the few who do the work, while the rest stand back and criticise
them!
Can you imagine the difference it would make in this church
if we all did what we could?
Can I ask you personally: are you doing what you can? Are
you doing your bit? Are you really playing your part?
Verse 3 There is something
that we ought to note. Although all of these men were keen
workers, there was one who was wiser than the others. Read
These students desired the
presence of their Master, as they undertook the task. No
doubt they had learned from experience that, if left to
their own resources, they were likely to fail, but the prophet's
presence with them was the pledge of success! Do you remember
what Moses prayed? " If Thy presence go not with me,
carry us not up hence?" (Exod 33:15)
If the master had not been
with them in the work, their special effort would have been
severely hindered, when one of the few Axe heads fell into
the river. We must ever remember
"Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain
that build"
How we ought to long for the Presence, the Power, and the
sweet fellowship of our blessed Lord as we labour for the
enlargement of His kingdom today.
God, give us men! A time
like this demand
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Illustration. When H. M.
Stanley went to Africa in 1871, to find and report on David
Livingston, he spent several months in the missionary's
company, carefully observing the man and his work.
Livingston never spoke to Stanley about spiritual matters,
but Livingston's loving and patient compassion for the African
people was beyond Stanley's comprehension.
He could not understand how
the missionary could have such love for and patience with
the backward, pagan people, among whom he had so long ministered.
Livingston literally spent himself in untiring service for
those whom he had no reason to love, except for Christ's
sake.
Stanley wrote in his journal,
"When I saw that unwearied patience, that unflagging
zeal, and those enlightened sons of Africa, I became a Christian
at his side, though he never spoke to me one word."
Livingston never lost his cutting edge and his work spoke
volumes to the glory of GOD.
Verse 5 we have a man whose work experience speaks to us
today. As he was busily working, the "Axe head"
fell off the shaft into the muddy waters of the river Jordan.
Can you picture this scene? One of the students was hacking
away at a rather stubborn tree on the banks of the Jordan,
when suddenly, the head of his axe flew off, arched through
the air, and landed mid-stream in the Jordan.
Beloved the thing, which had made this man's contribution
effective, had gone. The keen sharp cutting blade of the
axe, and he was left with the useless shaft of the axe in
his hand. Now, is this old story not strangely up to date?
Have you not seen this happen time and again? A Christian,
suddenly ceases to count for God. . He has lost his axe-head
and is no longer felling trees in the service of God. The
lost axe-head meant that this man had to stop working! The
man stopped working. Of course, you say, "how could
he cut down trees when the axe-head was gone?"
And yet, is this not exactly what many of us do, when we
lose our sharp cutting edge:, our effectiveness, our power?
Instead of crying to our heavenly Elisha, we go on dealing
ineffective blows with the axe-handle.
Do you know the experience? You pray but you get no answers
to your prayers: we preach but we see no converts: we teach
but none gets blessed: you counsel but no problems are resolved.
We use the shaft of human wisdom but the cutting driving
power of God has been lost.
The keen cutting edge of the Axe Head is gone and he is
left with a useless shaft in his hand. He cries out
"Alas, master, for it was borrowed".
The Axe head was borrowed There is a lesson that we sometimes
can find difficult to learn. We can take pride in our accomplishments,
in our achievements in life and we forget to recognise that
all that we have; and ever will have, comes from the compassionate
hand of our heavenly benefactor.
The Bible says "He that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Naught have I gotten but
what I received Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed.
Illustration. During his
last hours John Knox… awoke from a slumber, sighing,
and told his friends that he had just been tempted to believe
that he had "merited heaven and eternal blessedness,
by the faithful discharge of his ministry. But the Lord
enabled me to quench this fiery dart from the wicked one,
by bringing to my mind such scripture as "What hast
thou that thou didst not receive"?
"By the Grace of God
I am what I am"
"Not I but the grace of God that was with me"
Friend, although the calling
of God and the gifts of God are irrevocable, yet He does
expect us to give account for every gift, talent, and ability
that He has conferred upon us.
The Loaning of the Axe Head.
It involved…The Provision of a gracious Benefactor
The Loosing of the Axe Head.
"Alas master for it was borrowed" It involved.
This man's cry indicated
that he was under obligation. He was not only responsible
for the scheduled task; he was also accountable for the
supplied tool.
Now he had lost the Axe head, and he was well aware of it
and others had noticed it also.
A> This was a Conscious
Loss
Spiritual power can be lost
and when it is lost, we know it and others notice it! I
wonder if others have noticed that things are not well with
you? Has something gone out of your prayer life?
Out of your testimony? Out of your Christian service?
I'm certain that if it has, then one thing is true:, you
know it and others have seen it ! Here was one of Elisha's
students who was fully aware that something vital had gone
out of his life! What about you?
Is this your condition today?
Have you lost the axe-head? Have you lost your sharpness,
your effectiveness for Christ? Is your cry "Where is
the blessedness I knew when first I met the Lord, where
is the soul refreshing view of Jesus in His Word?"
Illustration. Robert Robinson,
author of the hymn, " Come Thou fount of every blessing,"
lost the happy fellowship with the Saviour that he had once
enjoyed. As a result, he became deeply troubled in spirit.
Hoping to relieve his mind, he decided to travel. In the
course of his journeys he became acquainted with a young
woman on spiritual matters. She asked him what he thought
of a hymn she had just been reading. To his astonishment,
it was his own hymn. With tears streaming down his cheeks
he said, " I'm the man who wrote that hymn many years
ago. I'd give anything to experience She reassured him that
the " streams of mercy," mentioned in his song
still flowed. There and then he turned his wandering heart
to the Lord and discovered the mercy and grace of God again
Friends, we have obligation
in Christian service. The work of God is ever on going!
And we are accountable to Him for the tasks and our commitment
and involvement in His work. The Lord holds each of us responsible.
He gives and we are accountable for the tools He gives us
to do the tasks. Every believer is responsible for the way
they use, or misuse or abuse their time, talents, and their
tithes.
Illustration Daniel Webster,
the great statesman of former years was once asked the question
"What is the most sober searching thought that has
ever entered your mind?" Immediately the great man
replied "My personal Accountability" The Holy
Spirit is teaching us that it is possible to loose our cutting
edge, our usefulness, our power for service and we are accountable
to the Master.
This man had a mind to work
but he had not the sense to watch. He was blind to the fact
that the Axe was slackening and slipping and he was loosing
his effectiveness.
How is it with us today? Have we felled any trees lately?
Could it be that some are swinging a headless handle as
we seek to work for the Lord?
Could it be that we have
failed to watch, something has gone out of our prayer life?
We have lost our Zeal and the power that we once had. Jesus
told His disciples "to watch and pray, lest they enter
into temptation.
Samson lost his power while
diligent in working but was neglectful in watching. Then
one day he awoke from his sleep to find that his power was
gone and that the Philistines were upon him.
Let us beware of loosing our power from God in service,
because we have failed to be watchful in our devotional
life, in the place of Prayer and Bible Study.
When you're faced with a
busy day, save precious time by skipping your devotions.
Signed, Satan.
1.The Loaning of the Axe
Head.
2.The Loosing of the Axe
Head.
"Alas master for it was borrowed"
3.The Locating of the Axe
Head.
The loss of the Axe head
was not only A Conscious Loss It was A Confessed Loss
II Ki 6:5-6 Alas, Master for it was borrowed. And the man
of God said, "Where felled it?" And he shewed
him the place.
Two things were needed from
this man. The first was humility, and the second honesty!
He was humble enough to admit that he had lost the axe-head:
he was honest enough to admit where he had lost it.
It is a Principle of scripture,
that the "Place of Departure is the Place of Recovery"
You will only find Power again where you have lost it, and
when you have confessed that you have lost it.
Beloved, it is futile to
imagine that you can overlook the past without accounting
for it and confessing it before God. The Bible says. Eccl
3:15"That which hath been is now; and that which is
to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is
past."
1 John 1:9"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
Where fell it?" Where did it fall? Where did you lose
it? Was it when you made that unholy alliance? When you
entered into that dishonest business transaction? "
Where fell it?" Was it when you allowed bitterness
to seep into your soul? Was it when you got angry with God
because of what He allowed or didn't allow? Answer honestly
the question: Where did it fall? where did you lose your
spiritual power?
Where fell it?" " Where did you sin and get out
of touch with the Lord? Where did you begin to slip? Where
did you loose your power? Show Him the place… Show
Him the Problem! Confession is His way to restoration. Answer
A> The Solution for a Human Problem
"Where fell it"? "Show Him the Place"
B> The Application of
Divine Power
2 Ki 6:6 and the man of God
said, where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he
cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did
swim.
The word " stick,"
in the Hebrew means a " sapling," or even a "
tree." You see what had seemed gone for ever was now,
not only within sight but
It was within reach, all because a power greater than any
human power was at work. Friend, when God wants to bring
what we have lost within sight, He, too, uses the wood of
a tree, wet, not with water, but with the blood of His dear
Son!
(Gal 3:13) For there is forgiveness for the saint as well
as for the sinner in the Cross of Christ
Have you lost your edge lately and have failed to fell any
trees in the service of God? Avail yourself of the means
of recovery? The cross work of Jesus Christ.
A> The Solution for a Human Problem
B> The Application of Divine Power
C>The Appropriation of
the Provision.
Verse 7 Therefore said he,
Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
As Elisha cut off the branch and threw it into the river
the "Iron Axe head floated to the surface"
So he reached out his hand and took it
This young student was not
asked to analyse the miracle, but to appropriate it. It
was not the time for the explanation of reason, but for
the exercise of faith.
Friends, in just the same way we must not stand at the river's
edge seeking to understand all of the inner workings of
God's power.
What we've got to do is to
appropriate that power and take back what we thought we
had lost for good! Will you do that even now? Will you put
out the hand of faith and take up again the life of effective
service, which is God's purpose for you? There's a work
to be done! There's a house to be built! There's a world
to be reached! Will you lay hold of your axe-head, and get
right to work? Are you willing to do the work of God, in
the power of God, for the glory of God?
