GROWING STRENGTH IN THE WORD
2 Kings 6:1-7
In this text I want to direct our focus on what it takes for us
to grow in the Lord.
Three basic steps
Training in God’s Word
Testing in God’s Word
Glory in God’s Word
I TRAINING IN GOD’S WORD
V:1. The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live."
And he said, "Go."
A. What we notice in this text, Elisha was the teacher for a school of
prophets. The first 5 books of the Bible, the Torah was the subject.
Elisha wasn't only a traveling preacher and a miracle-working prophet,
but he was also the overseer of several schools of the prophets where
young men called to ministry were trained and encouraged. We know
there were schools in Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho (2:1-5) and also in
Samuel's hometown of Ramah (1 Sam 19:22-24), but there may have
been others.
(from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 )
2. We are required to train the next generation of teachers.
3. It is every Christian job to teach the Word of God to those
God has put in their midst.
2 Tim 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
4. The job of teaching the Word must start in the home.
5. Most often the Word will not be found in the world.
6. Our children must be under the influence of the Word before
leave home.
PASTOR’S AID
B. It is good for a pastor to have people who see problems in the ministry.
1. Those who see the problems must offer solutions.
1. Those who make suggestions should be willing to
be involved in the improvements.
2. God want to see us grow spiritually.
3. God also want the church to grow in numbers.
4. The great commission give us the job of making disciples
Matthew 28:19.
5. You cannot make disciples without the Word.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
C. When the church is growing in numbers, members should
Be willing to support and finance the building program.
1. The meeting place of Elisha’s students was not large enough
to handle the number of students who wanted to be taught.
2. It was one of the students who presented the problem to
Elisha.
2. Any ideas should be approved by the pastor.
3. It was one of the students, who offered the solution and
got the student body involved in the building program.
4. When we all work together we can accomplish great things
for the Lord.
SERVANT WITH A PURPOSE
V: 3 Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?"
"I will," Elisha replied. 4 And he went with them.
They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees.
A. We should never start a program for the church without the
Blessings of the pastor.
1. While we may have ideas for improvement, that can always be
improved with the pastors oversight.
2. While we are focused on the project, the pastor views the entire church
program.
B. Notice, the students considered themselves servants of Elisha.
1. God places shepherds before us, and we are his sheep.
2. It is when we set ourselves above or equal to the shepherd that
we get in trouble.
II TESTING IN THE WORD
V:5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!"
A. In process of serving God we may suffer loss.
1. There are times when I am putting together a project, that I
fail to read the directions.
2. That is usually costly. That’s when I ask God for help.
B. These students were probably poor and had no tools.
1. One was resourceful enough to borrow an axe,
2. Like me, he probably didn’t ask the owner how to use and
maintain the axe.
3. While he was cutting down a tree the axe head flew off the handle
fell into the Jordan river.
4. He didn’t know to check the axe head to see if it was sliding
off the handle.
a. Had the student examine the axe he may have noticed that
Axe head wasn’t secure on the handle.
5. The Word of God is our axe and the Lord is the handle.
a. We should examine our beliefs to see if we not sliding
away from the Word of God.
b. It is easy to get so involved in a project for God
that you forget the God you are serving.
c. Someone will say something you don’t like and you
fly off the handle.
d, We have to make sure the Word is secure in our minds
continuously
TEST OF CHARACTER
C. The servant quickly realized his error and took responsibility
for the lost.
1. He understood, that it was his responsibility to return the axe
in the condition he got it.
2. Being poor, this lost would add an extra burden to him.
3. What we lose serving God. He can return
a. The servant immediately called on the Lord for help
b. He kept his eye on the place the axe head fell.
THE PURPOSE OF THE TEST
D. When we think about the axe we can get some spiritual
Insight.
1. Before we go to work for the Lord we need to insure that
cutting edge of the axe is sharp.
a. The Word is sharper than a two edged sword.
b. When we don’t stay in the Word we lose our sharpness.
c. The Word becomes dull in our heart when we spend
two much time in the World.
d. This pandemic has given us reason to stay away from the
church and thus the study of the Word.
2. We cannot do the work of God without a cutting edge.
a. The world don’t need to hear what we think, they
need hear what God said.
b. If The edge is not sharp. It takes more effort to cut
c. You can’t be effect proclaiming the Gospel if you
don’t know the Word.
d. If the servant didn’t know the power of the Word, he
would not have known to call on the Lord for help
3. We recover our edge when we go to the Lord in prayer
and meditate on the Word.
4. The edge is sharpen by actual experience.
5. Life creates circumstances that causes us to call on God.
6. It is the interaction with God through our circumstances
that strengthen our faith
III GLORY IN THE WORD
THE RECOVERY
V:6 The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 7 "Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
CONFESSION OF SIN
A. God is ready and waiting for our prayers.
1. Where did we fall.
2. Confessing our sins to Lord is beginning of our recovery.
3. How do we get into sin? We let our flesh dictate our desires.
4. The axe head comes off the handle when our desires become selfish.
TOTAL RELIANCE ON GOD
B. Our lost is an opportunity for God to do a miracle in our lives.
1. Iron is heavier than water, so it will fall to the bottom.
2. Elisha put a stick in the water which made the axe head float to
surface.
a. It was a quiet miracle from a powerful God through a compassionate
shepherd.
b. We are co partners with God. God raised the axe head, but the
servant put his hand in the water to retrieve the axe head
THE GLORY OF GOD
3. The recovery of this lost axe head gave the whole school an
illustration of the power and sovereignty of God.
4. This shows that there is no problem to big or to small that
God want handle for us.
5. In the course of serving God we find encouragement when we
witness the miracles of God.
God is interested and cares about the small and trivial incidents
in our lives. He tells us to pray about everything and to cast all our
cares on Him.
6. It is easy to become frustrated when the work we do for the Lord
stalled out or hits a dead end.
Phil 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
SUMMARY
GOD KNOWS US INTIMATELY
HE DESIGNS TEST FOR OUR LIVES
TO BRING US TO A PLACE OF HUMILITY AND
DEPENDANCY
TO FORCE OUR FAITH TO THE SURFACE
TO HELP US SEE OUR WEAKNESS
TO STRENGTHEN OUR WALK WITH HIM
TO SHOW HIS POWER, SOVEREIGNTY, AND
GLORY
Rev. M. Mitchell
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