Get Your Edge Back

INTRODUCTION

When was the last time you felt sharp? Physically, mentally, and spiritually? Like you had that edge? Like you were hitting your stride? Like you had energy? Like your head was clear? Like you felt accomplished? Like you were spiritually connected to God. Like you were living daily in a spirit of revival? Like you were serving God out of overflow instead of obligation?

Or do you feel like you’ve lost your edge? Like you’re giving everything you have to give and it is not enough? You’re not lazy. You’re working hard. You’re putting in the effort every day. But you don’t feel accomplished. You don’t feel connected. You don’t feel like you are living or experiencing the abundant life that Christ promised.

If you feel like that this morning, I want to share a word of encouragement with you. You can GET YOUR EDGE BACK! You can be sharp: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Jesus did not just tell us that He came give us life and life more abundantly, but he also sprinkled throughout the entire Word of God the principles we can follow to live the kind of life that Jesus came to give us through the power of His death, burial, and resurrection.

And this morning I want to look at one of those principles in the Word of God that will help you GET YOUR EDGE BACK!

SCRIPTURE

Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV

If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 MSG

Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.

MESSAGE

THE PROBLEM: YOU’VE LOST YOUR EDGE

Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV

If the ax is dull...

Imagine a man in Jesus’ day who was hired to clear a stand of trees on a plot of land. The first day he showed up with his axe and managed to clear almost half of the trees. The second day, he only managed to cut down about half the number of trees as he had done the first day. By day three, the man worked tirelessly all day, from sun up to sun down, but only managed to fell a couple trees. The employer who hired him to clear the land asked him on day 3, “Why haven’t you finished the job? And why has your production slowed down so drastically from Day 1? Have you stopped to sharpen your axe?” The worker responded, “I haven’t had time. I’ve been too busy cutting down trees.”

The edge on the axe blade gets dull over time. The more it is used. The more times it is swung and the more times it makes contact with the trunk of a tree, the faster the blade begins to dull.

As the blade dulls, the work becomes more difficult. It takes more energy and more time to chop the tree down. The same produces less results.

The man in this story was not lazy. He showed up. He put in the effort. He swung the axe. The problem was not his commitment. It was not his work ethic. The problem was the allowed the edge on his axe to get dull. He didn’t stop and take time to sharpen the edge. If he would have stopped a couple times a day and taken a few minutes to reset the edge on his axe, he would have cleared the stand of trees faster and with less effort.

Maybe someone here today, you feel like this man. You’re exhausted. You feel like you’re working your fingers to the bone. You are drained physically, mentally, and spiritually. You’re showing up every day. You’re putting in the work. But it feels like you are putting in twice the effort and only accomplishing half of what you used to accomplish. You’re swinging the axe harder and harder, but the tree is not going anywhere.

You’re stressed out at work. Your home life is chaos. You’re overwhelmed by everything life is throwing at you.

You try to pray, but you don’t feel connected to God. You find it more difficult to raise your hands and worship God. You find the enemy’s voice of deception is louder than the Voice of Truth.

It’s not from lack of effort. It’s not that you don’t care. Maybe it’s simply because you have allowed some areas of your life that used to be sharp to become dull. You’ve stopped sharpening.

THE REASON: YOU ARE NOT STAYING SHARP

Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV

...And one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength...

Dullness is inevitable. Life, family, relationships, even church and service to God will dull your edge over time.

But neglecting to take time to sharpen is a choice. Like the worker in our illustration, we think, if we just swing the axe harder, we’ll be ok. We confuse activity with productivity. We’re doing, but we’re not accomplishing.

If you find yourself in that condition, I guarantee you that you’ve allowed some areas of your life to become dull.

PRAYER

BIBLE STUDY

WORSHIP

SABAATH REST

SERVING

CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

Even if that is true, I want you to know that you are not beyond repair. God has not and will not give up on you. He is the Sharpening Stone. He is the One you can come to for maintenance. He is your Source. He is your Strength. He is everything you need to GET YOUR EDGE BACK!

THE SOLUTION: SUBMIT TO THE SHARPENING STONE

Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV

...But wisdom brings success.

Wisdom brings success. You want to be successful? You want to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? The wise thing to do is PRAY! Get on your knees before God. Get in your prayer closet. Get away from the distractions and talk to God. Spend time with Him. Listen to His voice. PRAY and seek His face every day and it will keep you sharp and maintain your edge.

Wisdom brings success. You want to be successful? You want to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? The wise thing to do is STUDY GOD’S WORD! Psalm 1 says, immerse yourself in God’s Word. Meditate on it day and night. Let it soak into every fiber of your being. Let it become ingrained in who you are. Let it change you and transform you. STUDY GOD’S WORD and it will keep you sharp and maintain your edge.

Wisdom brings success. You want to be successful? You want to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? The wise thing to do is WORSHIP! Worship is not a performance. Worship is the temperature reading of your relationship with God. Worship indicates whether your relationship with God is sharp or dull. How you worship is between you and God. But excuse your lack of worship as style. Worship for a Christian is not an option, it is a lifestyle. WORSHIP and it will keep you sharp and maintain your edge.

Wisdom brings success. You want to be successful? You want to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? The wise thing to do is take time for SABAATH REST! God modeled this for us in creation. He created everything in six days and rested on the seventh. Then in the fourth commandment God reminded Israel to remember the Sabaath day and keep it holy. They were to work six days and rest on the seventh. The Sabaath was meant for rest, worship, and connecting with God. The principle is intended to give us a break physically and mentally from work and anxiety. It also is intended to give us rest spiritually as we are reminded that we can’t earn our own salvation or way to God, but we must depend on Jesus’ all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. It is a pause to remind us to depend of God to take care of our needs. Take time for SABAATH REST and it will keep you sharp and maintain your edge.

Wisdom brings success. You want to be successful? You want to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? The wise thing to do is to SERVE in the Kingdom of God. SERVICE in the Kingdom of God is the very heart of Jesus. He said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve and give My life as a ransom for many.” Serving others and working for the Kingdom of God is the best way to stay sharp. Get involved. Idleness results in dullness just like not taking time to sharpen. SERVE and it will keep you sharp and maintain your edge.

Wisdom brings success. You want to be successful? You want to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? The wise thing to do is to stay CONNECTED TO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. CONNECTION is how we help keep each other sharp. Proverbs 27:17 says “as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” We need church community. We need each other. We need fellowship. We need accountability. We need someone to push us, encourage us, and motivate us. CONNECT and it will keep you sharp and maintain your edge.

Wisdom says, “work smarter, not harder.” Wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Wisdom is submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ. Wisdom is taking time to allow the Holy Spirit to sharpen us. Wisdom is taking time to allow the Holy Spirit to refine us. Wisdom is taking time to allow the Holy Spirit to empower us.

CALL TO ACTION

Are there some areas of your life where you feel like you need to GET YOUR EDGE BACK? You’re striving but not arriving. You’re laboring but not accomplishing. You’re swinging but the tree isn’t falling. Maybe it is because there are some areas of your life that you have allowed to become dull. Maybe it is because you haven’t stopped and allowed the Holy Spirit to sharpen those areas of your life. What is it?

Is it your PRAYER time?

Is it your BIBLE time?

Is it your WORSHIP?

Is it your need for SABAATH REST?

Is it your disconnection from CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY?

Whatever it is, you are not broken beyond repair. The Holy Spirit can sharpen the dullest blade and restore your strength, your energy, your drive, your motivation, and your relationship with Him.

Why don’t you stop swinging, start sharpening, and GET YOUR EDGE BACK!

ALTAR CALL