Sharpen Your Edge

Introduction

Fasting is a short season that releases long-term rewards.

It is like taking the time to sharpen your ax before cutting down a tree.

[Illustration] lumberjack competition

The Fasting Edge Chapter 1: You Need to Regain the Edge

“Son, what you don’t understand is that every time I sat down for what you call a break, I was sharpening my ax. A well-sharpened ax makes for a lot less work, so trees fall faster.”

Don’t lose your Edge

[narrate the text]

young man, young prophet. called to prophesy to the nations

swinging an ax. an ax that falls in the water.

His word said that he was a prophet but his world said that he was tree chopper.

[POINT] YOU MAY BE IN A SEASON WHERE YOUR WORD DOESN’T MATCH UP TO YOUR WORLD. FAITH IS TRUSTING GOD NO MATTER HOW IMPOSSIBLE THE ODDS MIGHT BE. GOD LOVES TO SHOW UP TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.

3 steps to regain your edge

1. Make up your mind that you ARE going to regain your edge.

the young boy immediately went to Elisha for help because he knew Elisha was used to seeing the impossible become possible. He didn’t try to hide the lost axe or sit there in defeat, he made up his mind to do the best thing possible to get back his edge.

2. Open Your Mouth and Confess that you have lost your edge

3. Move Into the Opportunity God Presents (v.7 he had to pick the axhead himself once it floated to the top)

If You have lost your edge, the question you have to ask yourself this morning is where did you lose your edge?

Was it due to life’s battles and disappointments sufferered along the way?

Was it due to some secret sin or stronghold that you just gave up on ever beating?

Points

[illustration] The shipwrecked sailor

Don’t let the crisis your going through drive you crazy, Let the crisis your going through drive you to your knees in a season of fasting and prayer.

Go back to the place where the edge was lost. Go back to that place and get it under the blood of Jesus.

Bring that stronghold to the Master’s feet

Bring that sin and confess it at the altar before the Son

The altar is place for more than just first time people coming to the Lord. It is a place to get free from that thing weighing you down and drowning out your fiery passion for God.

Alterations are made at the altar

[transition] After the axe came out of the water, the edge had to be sharpened. Reminds me of Jesus coming up out of the water over 1200 years later and needing to be sharpened

Sharpen your Ax

Immediately after being baptised Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit. Why? Because it is in the dry places that God can begin to sharpen our spirits. It is in the cold nightime experiences when we feel like we’re all alone that God can begin to show us that He is always with us.

Sharpening occurs in the wilderness

Jesus Tempted In The Wilderness (at all points)

1 John 2:16 AV

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Turn to

Temptation 1: Bread (lust of the flesh):

Luke 4:3–4 AV

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

luke 4

Matthew 4:3–4 AV

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

matthew 4:

...every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God...

Three times the devil tried to:

Cause Jesus to Question His Character (IF YOU BE…)

Cause Jesus to CORRUPT His Character (turn stones to bread…)

But, Jesus could not be questioned nor corrupted because He had received a word!

Word = rhema - a living word; not a word that's old and stale but a right now, right on time right when i need it word!

What was the word declared to Jesus? Just back up to the last chapter when the Father declared Jesus to be His son.

ONE WORD DECLARED JESUS' IDENTITY

ONE WORD MEANS HE WOULD NEVER HAVE TO QUESTION WHO HE WAS

ONE WORD FROM GOD WAS SO STRONG THAT IS SUSTAINED JESUS FOR THROUGH 40 HOT DAYS AND 40 COLD NIGHTS

He sharpened His edge against the flesh!

Temptation 2: Shortcuts (pride of life):

Matthew 4:5–7 AV

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

matt

The devil knew scripture as well as anyone. he knew the prophecies that the Messiah was to come to die for the sins of the people. So, here he presents Jesus with an opportunity to shortcut the process and get on with it sooner. Because he realized that if he could get Jesus to negate fulfilling even one prophecy then He wasn’t really the Savior. So he gives Him a shortcut to the whole process.

Some of us face these issues today

we do not want to face the extremes of life,

we do not want the sharpening of the wilderness

of rejection

of isolation

TOO MANY DESIRE TO GO DIRECTLY FROM PROMISE TO POSSESSION AND FORGET ABOUT THE PROCESS

JESUS sharpened His edge against the eye!

Temptation 3: Stolen Glory (lust of the eye):

Matthew 4:8–10 AV

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

how could the devil tempt Jesus with stuff that was already owned by His Daddy? Again Jesus knew His identity. He knew He was the very Son of God, the bright and morning star. Why would He worship anyone other than the Father? Why would He give glory to anyone but the Father?

Jesus sharpened His edge against lust of the eye!

Conclusion

But how do we really know that Jesus was sharpened in the dessert?

How can we be sure that the wilderness experience gave Him a razor’s edge to do ministry?

For that answer you have to turn to

Luke 4:14 AV

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

HE RETURNED IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT...

BEFORE HE HEALED ONE LEPER

CURED ONE BLIND MAN’S EYES

CAUSED ONE LAME MAN TO WALK

HE HAD TO SHARPEN HIS EDGE

THIS 21 DAY FAST IS OUR TIME TO SHARPEN OUR EDGE

WE CAN SHARPEN OUR WALK OF AUTHORITY AS CHILDREN OF GOD

WE CAN SHARPEN OUR IDENTITY AS SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THE ONLY TRUE AND LIVING GOD

WE CAN SHARPEN OUR FAITH TO CAUSE DREAMS WE THOUGHT LONG GONE TO COME BACK UP

WHAT HAVE YOU LOST?

WHAT HAVE YOU THOUGHT COULD NEVER HAPPEN?

TOO OLD, ITS TOO HARD, IT COSTS TOO MUCH?

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE, SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND

John 14:14 AV

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Sharpening our edge will allow us to keep moving forward God’s way in a fallen world

MLK said: If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.