How to Get Back to Work

Introduction

Tonight we continue our series on Elijah and Elisha. We began this series:

How God Sustains His People (1Ki. 17:1-6)

We saw the manner in which God mightily supplied the needs of Elijah in the midst of a drought in the land.

How God Uses His People (1Ki. 17:8-24)

We examined how God used the widow woman to supply Elijah’s need, as well as how Elijah supplied her need. Reminding us of Romans 8:28 “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.”

How the Fire Falls (1Ki. 18)

During a Feeble time w/ Depraved leadership & Divided people

God provided a Faithful man, who challenged his people; chastised false worship; Corrected the Basis of Worship; who had Confidence in God & Called upon the same

A Falling Fire

Came Powerfully; Sufficiently; Convincingly & Effectively.

How to Get Back in the Saddle

I. The Immorality of the Enemy (v1-4)

Unmistakable; Unconverted; Unsettling

II. The Indulgence of the LORD (v5-8)

Elijah Retreated; God allowed him Rest (v5-6b); God provided Refreshment for the Moment (v5b-6a); God gave Resources for the Journey (v7)

III. The Insight of the LORD (v9-12)

A Prophet Disheartened; God’s Power was Demonstrated; God’s Presence was Discovered

IV. The Instruction of the LORD (v13-18)

Get Back Where you Belong (v15a); Bless the Next Generation (v15b-16)

Be Encouraged

I Have a Plan (v17)

You are Not Alone (v18)

How to Have Peace Under Fire

I. The Reason for the Fire

For Following the Spirit’s Lead (v3); For Declaring the Word of the LORD (v4); For Having a Familiar a Description (v7-8)

II. The Right Way to Handle It

Be Situated Properly (v9b); Stand Fast in your Heritage (v10a); Stay Firm in Your Position (v9-12); Be Perceptive to the Spirit (v13-15)

III. The Rest of the Story

God Protected (v15); God’s Word was Proclaimed (v16); God’s Will was Performed (v17)

How to be Faithful in Times of Trouble

I. A Troubled Time

The Burden of Loss

The Opportunities it Presented;

Reviving of the Brethren; Remembering of the Past; The Resolve to Continue the Work

II. A Testimony of Faithfulness

Through the Pressures of the Known; Through the Pressures of the Unknown; Through the Voices of Discouragement

III. A Transformative Result

Because He was Faithful…

His Prayer was Answered; He Performed Miracles; He Proved His Calling

How to Set the Tone

I. The Waters were Cured

A Pitiful Land (v19); A Pristine Vessel and a Powerful Agent (v20); A Pronouncement Made (v21); A Purification Provided (v22)

II. The Mockers were Cursed

A Fallen City (v23a); A Faithless Generation (v23b); A Fury Unleashed (v24a); A Future Altered (v24b)

How to Solve a Problem

I. The Problem (v1a)

A Lack of Plan / Preparation; A Passing; A Pledge Unfulfilled

II. The Petition (v1b)

He had the Right Standing; She had the Right Source

III. The Plan (v2-6)

Was Faith Based; Faith in Procuring; Faith in Pouring

IV. The Providence (v7)

A Debt Settled; A Future Supplied

How to Bear Children

I. Our Conduct Unto Men

Her Description (v8a); Her Disposition (v8b); Her Duration (v8c)

II. Our Countenance Toward God

Her Discernment (v9); Her Devotion (v10); Her Deference (v13)

III. Children will be Born

Her Child was Born (v13)

How to Make the Dead Live

I. A Mediating Force

Her Care for him (v20); Her Commitment of him to God (v21); It was Crucial to Her (v22); Her Confidence (v23); Her Clarity (v24); Her Conviction (v27); Her Continuance (v30)

II. A Miracle-Working God

An Intervention (v30b); An Intimate Encounter (v32-34); An Indwelling & Expelling (v35)

How to Recover From a Mistake

I. There was a Responsibility Given

A Naked Land; A Noble Mission; A Needy People

II. There was Rot in the Pot

Was Placed by Accident; Was Polluting the People; It Brought more Peril than Plenitude

III. There was a Remedy Administered

It was by Intervention of Man; It was by Intercession of God; It Caused a Transformation & Continuation

How to See a Cleansing

I. The Start

Acknowledgement of the Good; Recognition of the Disease

II. The Spark

A Humble Voice; A Helpful Testimony

III. The Surety

A Chain of Faith (v3-5); An Investment by Faith (v5-6)

IV. The Simplicity

A False Impression; An Act of Faith

V. The Supplication

An Invested Servant; A Timely Intercession

VI. The Salvation

Submission to God’s Plan; Salvation Provided

How to Mess Up a Ministry

I. Recompense Refused

Healing brought Thanksgiving; Thanksgiving Inspired Restitution; Refusal (and Redirection)

II. Rottenness Revealed

Gehazi’s Perception (v20a); Gehazi's Passion (v20b-21); Gehazi’s Propaganda (v22-23); Gehazi's Posturing (v24-25)

III. Ruination the Result

His Deception is Revealed (v26a); A Dilemma is Posed (v26b); His Downfall was Apparent (v27)His Destruction was Not in Isolation (v27)

Today we examine a rather odd story. It's one of those stories in the Bible that will make you wonder why it's there, because it almost seems out of place.

I struggled somewhat with the purpose of it myself, but then God opened my eyes, and I think it's a wonderful message that can help us if we let it.

If you were to break it down to its simplest form, you would see that it is a story about one of God's servants that's struggling. They've lost their edge and their ability to labor to their fullest extent. They're unable to do what God has called them to do, and how they can get back to work.

This may describe you now or it may describe you one day in the future. But the principles that we see will be important to us at some time or another.

I. Labouring for Purpose

A Worthwhile Cause

The sons of the prophets are as I have described them in the past, the preacher boys of Elisha's day.

They are prophetic schools where they are trained to receive and speak the message of God unto the people.

In that sense, they are much like the church house. One of the main functions of the church house is for us to come together and be equipped so that we might take the message of God out unto the people.

It was a worthwhile cause in the sense that this was something that was needed to move the agenda of God forward.

Church, let me just say that moving God's agenda forward is the most worthwhile cause you could possibly have.

There's a lot of people that have a lot of causes that they are passionate about. (Ill.) I was at a county commission meeting recently. One of the things on the agenda was the Humane Society. There was an issue, and you had people that were passionate about caring for and tending to animals. (Ill.) You have people that are passionate about wounded warriors and entities such as that that honor our veterans. (Ill.) The only channel I ever watch is INSP, and you see on there every other commercial is about St. Jude's Children's Hospital. There's a multitude of people that are passionate about that.

But church, while those are all worthwhile causes, I have nothing against them, but they are in no way remotely close to the worthiness of the cause of Christ!

It was a worthwhile cause. There was a constraint for growth.

A Constraint for Growth

The problem that these men faced was there was no room for them to minister and grow in the things of God. They were simply unable to do so.

The church should be concerned about growth in at least two different ways:

Inward growth

Going back to the theme this year, "Rooted and Built Up in Jesus," every one of us can grow deeper into Christ and up in the things of God. We should constantly be seeking to grow personally in our walk with the Lord.

Outward growth

Next, we should be concerned about growing the church, seeing people come to the saving knowledge of Christ, but not only that, but them growing in the things of God.

You say you know people who claim to be Christians but are not attending church? We should be encouraging them to grow in the things of God. It's a better life for them, and would be better for the cause of Christ in general.

There was a constraint for growth that they were looking to address.

A Common Effort

“…and take thence every man a beam…” (v2)

There was a job for every one of the workers of God. No one was excluded nor left out.

Church, that is the way it is for you and me today. As members of the body of Christ, all have a function. Paul addresses this in: (1Cor. 12:12-26)

Each one of us has our own beam.

It was a common effort.

A Careful Approach (v3)

Something we must recognize is that these servants did not attempt nor desire to go it alone. They wanted Elisha with them.

Church, you and I have no power in and of ourselves to do anything worthwhile, lest the Lord be with us.

We must be careful that whatever work we endeavor to do, we're not leaving out the Lord - for if we are, we are laboring in vain! We will ultimately get stuck in languish, as this one son of the prophet would have done had Elisha not been there.

We see a careful approach.

I. Labouring for a Purpose

II. A Lost Edge

A Beam to Fell

We have already mentioned how everyone had their own beam. Now we are going to look at it specifically for this one son of the prophet. He had his own beam to fell. He had his own personal responsibility for the collective.

Now Church, you must remember that all of these were working together for a common goal. (They were trying to build a lodging place for them all to reside in.)

If one isn't able to do his job, it affects everyone else.

Church, I want you to consider this: God has called you to a work, and if you are not pulling your weight, it's not just affecting you; it's also affecting your family and your church. We all suffer when one isn't doing what God has called them to do.

A Beam to Fell

A Borrowed Tool

Now the axe that this son is using was not his own. He had borrowed it from someone. And so therefore he was responsible not only unto the others that were working with him but unto the one he borrowed it from.

1 Corinthians 4:6–7 “And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”

John 3:27 “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Church, do you know what your life is? Borrowed Time.

Do you know what your gift in ministry is? Borrowed.

There's going to come a time when everything that you have is going to be returned back from whence it came.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

We must recognize that all that we have is by the grace of God, and it is ours to use, but not to keep - And God will certainly take inventory one day.

A borrowed tool.

A Broken Axe

This thing which was borrowed ended up being broken. It was unusable in its current state.

There's a lot of Christians that get to a point in life where they're struggling. I know I have been there. I'm sure many of you have been there, if not all of you. Some of you may be there now.

They want to work and they want to labor, but (Ill.) they're about as useful as swinging an axe handle at a tree with no axe head on it. It's an exercise in futility. They have lost their edge.

Have you ever felt like you were trying but just weren't making any ground in your Christian walk? It might be that you've lost your edge.

We see a broken axe.

A Beleaguered Labourer

Beleaguered (def) under severe difficulty or persistent trouble; harassed, beset, or overwhelmed by problems, pressures, or hostile forces.

Can you not hear the trouble in his voice? This man is at his wit's end.

Church, sometimes service unto the Lord can get overwhelming. The trials and tribulations of life in general, and when you add on top of it instances of hardship that we all encounter, it can sometimes become just too much.

We lose our edge when our axe head slips off, and we're stressing out, spinning our wheels.

We see a man - a good servant of God, who through no fault of his own, who has lost his edge.

I. Labouring for a Purpose; II. A Lost Edge

III. A Lesson of Hope

Lastly, I'm thankful that the story does not end in v5, but we see how this man got his edge back and was able to continue productively serving the Lord.

Begins with a Profession

The very first thing that is required for someone to get their edge back is to admit that they've lost it in the first place.

The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have a problem.

(Ill.) My wife, son, and I were watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie yesterday where they went on a campout. Mrs. Olson is setting up her tent, and Carolyn asks her if she needs any help. She is so prideful that she would not ask for it. The next thing you know, the tent falls in on her.

Her problem was only fixed after she admitted that she had a problem and needed help.

If you've lost your edge, you have a few options in front of you:

You can continue on as if nothing is wrong. Swinging an axe handle at the tree stump, hoping for progress that will never come.

You can look around at others and compare your progress to them. (After all, there's many a Christian that has lost their edge.)

Or you can raise your hand and say, "Preacher, that's me. I've lost it."

It begins with a profession.

Then with a Plea

Where was it this man went? This man went to his master.

Church, the first place you need to go when you realize you've lost your edge is to the Lord.

You can share your burdens with me and I'll pray for you. But I'm not Elisha, and this isn't prior to Christ. We all have an avenue straight to the throne of God himself to share our burdens.

And do you know how long you stay at his feet? Until he moves.

You cry out, "God, I need help. I'm struggling. I'm unproductive. I'm trying. I don't know how this has happened. I was working. I was doing what you've called me to do, what you've desired for me to do, and I've just lost my edge."

Church, you can lose your edge through no fault of your own! This man did nothing wrong!

It's possible that you've lost your edge because of something you did. But it doesn't mean that it has to be. It's not an admission of guilt, It's an acknowledgement of where you are at!

Next, we see a plea.

Next by Pursuit

The next thing we see is that the man of God questions him and asks him, "Well, where did you lose it?" And then he took him to the place.

When you seek God's face, we need to then do our best to identify where it went so our edge might be found.

It might be something that you let into your life.

It might be something that happened to you.

It might be the actions of another that you have allowed to hinder you.

Church, let me just say this: there is no one that can force you out of a state of revival that you do not allow. It's very easy for us to point the finger at this person or that person as to why we are in the funk that we are. But those are never adequate excuses.

It might be that this person has affected you, but you have allowed it. You must acknowledge it so that you may move forward.

The next step is by trying to identify the cause where you lost your edge.

Lastly by Picking It Up

Lastly, you just pick it up. But I say lastly because those other things must come prior to.

You must acknowledge that you've lost it.

You must seek the face of God, that you might find it.

You must try to acknowledge what has hindered you.

Then you will see God working miraculously to bring that edge back into reach. But church, you still must seize it.

There are all too many people that are satisfied with griping and complaining about their lot in life, rather than just moving on in life. They’d rather sit and stew in a perpetual pity-party than doing the work to getting their edge back!

If you Acknowledge it, seek God’s help, identify the stumbling block, GOD WILL WORK A MIRACLE SO THAT YOU CAN GET YOUR EDGE BACK IF YOU’LL TAKE IT!

You got to pick it up

Conclusion