Jill Briscoe | 2 Kings 6:1-7: Sharpening the Edge

want to read you a story from the Old Testament the company of the Prophet said to Elisha this is 2 Kings chapter 6 look at the place where we meet with you it's too small let's 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 and one of them said well won't you please come with your servants I will Elisha replied and he went with them and they went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees and 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 and the man of God asked where did it fall and when he showed in the place Elisha cut a stick and threw it there and made the iron float lift it out take it to you again then the man reached out his hand and took it I want to talk about sharpening the edge I want to talk about losing the edge this is a true story of a young man who thought he had a handle on things but became dull the wonderful verse in Ecclesiastes 10:10 if the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge more strength is needed but wisdom will bring success it's talking about losing the edge of your Christian life of becoming dull it's talking about the wisdom and wisdom spiritual intelligence if you wish spiritual street smarts that sort of wisdom helps you recover the sharp Ness the cutting edge of your Christian life and you know phrases come and go it was probably five years ago that all the things we were asking to do had image there was cutting-edge conferences on mission or whatever I want to use that phrase people were debating then and now what is theological edging us good edginess or bad edginess and I think you know what I mean this is a Bible story of one of Elijah's miracles it's a cutting-edge miracle literally it happened post Jezebel post Elijah going to heaven in a fiery chariot well how else would somebody like him go Elijah was a very colorful character and the prophet Elijah takes over remember and he begins to began to reestablish the group's the little groups of prophets that have been decimated under Jezebel who'd married old king compromised a half of Israel and now it's peaceful now that you come out of the caves where they've been hidden for their own physical safety and a great sort of revival began and groups little families or young men would join these little groups and Elijah the prophet and he reestablished them and this is a story about one of those little groups and imagine having Elijah as your leader and so they want to know how God can use them they want to know how to go deeper and wider and press the sides of their souls till God's present presence becomes a living reality moment by moment and day by day that's what they're after how do I know God where is he in my life how do you go to the deep place where nobody goes sit on the steps of yourself find him there how do you know you were listening to his voice that it's his voice and not something in your head that's why they joined the company of prophets how do I hear God and then how do I tell people what I hear and this story just read it to you it's very simple young man full of enthusiasm joined the company of prophets we don't know if he was married they were married little families there have to read Elijah's story of the woman with a little pot of oil that was a company of prophets that was a group Elijah was the head of that one now here Elijah is seeing growth and they need a new place because the place where they sat with him was too small and suddenly as I look at this story I see Wheaton I look out on a company of the sons of the prophets and the daughters of the prophets and I see here among other things that you have come for I trust you came with expectations for the most important part of what you will hopefully reach out for here to knowing knowing better knowing more to get this hunger in your heart that you will not allowed to be dulled by anything and you go after him go after him well let me just run through it when I came to Christ as a student at hamat and college at Cambridge the girl that led me to the Lord put some questions down who why when what gave me a Bible never opened it didn't know whether a wife apostle was the wife of an epistle I had no idea about what was in this book and I didn't know where to start and she said just ask the text questions I asked him to point out the points okay don't you read it to him let him read it to you sit there with expectation guys are going to point out the points here yeah so let me just run through the story again who lost the axe head well a man at the company of the prophets told you who they were when well when they were in enthusiastic expansion of the groups went to the Jordan found a better place a bigger place where it could have been Jordan some people say Gerhart doesn't really matter what did he lose a borrowed accent it's like losing the hard drive of your computer he had to borrow it he didn't have an axe he was poor most of them were poor dirt poor they lived in community they shared everything that they had somebody had food they shared it with the rest if somebody had an axe they shared it and ax was a vital very expensive and iron axe yeah that was like your computer so he borrowed it and he set - why did he lose it we don't know was it loose didn't he use it properly was it too much enthusiasm didn't pace himself we don't know maybe it just wasn't sharp enough and he didn't take time to sharpen the edge whatever he became in effective he had this sense of loss I've lost something I don't know where I lost it you ever had that sense spiritually so here's a committed servant of the Lord attending a training college under a master teacher team of godly students full of faith and enthusiasm a group engaging in an expansion program wanting to play his part each were assigned to a task each person in that group had a few trees to cut down it was spread around each had a responsibility and right in the middle of it he loses it experiences this sense of loss so we search for it but he couldn't find it so he lost it what happened he went for help who did he go to Elijah and Elijah was their leaders be there be accessible be available be approachable it's our part that's your part being Elijah for another student being Elijah helped them find it again I want to draw this analogy because before you are through in serving the Lord Jesus in your life you will lose your cutting edge many times let me tell you that now for 50 years in ministry I've lost my cutting edge many many many times I've lost the sharpness and I end up hurting the tree just banging it with the handle of the axe and there's many many places you can lose it when he went to Elijah what did Elijah say where'd you lose it if you want to help somebody find the sharpness of walking in the spirit of that power that somehow disappeared and that enthusiasm and everything's darlin you want to find it yourself you want to find help somebody else then then you've got to figure out where you lost it I spoke to a young man after church a few years ago at down Brook at our church in Milwaukee came forward at the end and he said I've lost my jury will you help me find it I said where'd you lose it he said what you mean I said well where'd you lose it did you have the joy of the Lord oh yes it it was ed I know you did you were in leadership here with the youth group so where'd you lose it well couple years ago I guess and yeah just help me find it I want my job back so I said I can't help you find it until you tell me where you lost it and so we began to talk and then I found out he'd moved in with his girlfriend that's where you lost it right do you know how long it took to get there I'm not amazing do you know how long it took to get there Elijah said show me the place right go get help and those of us who are teachers leaders speakers hey be there go with them sit with them note don't be up here don't disappear go and get involved with them cut down the trees praise God for the Elijah's in my life I tell you let help go and say I've lost it get specific show him the place I remember getting very bitter as a young missionary very angry with the mission for organizing that my husband was away most of the year three small kids and I began to get very resentful but I didn't go and find my Elijah I just allowed myself to lose my cutting edge but I still went on because I knew how to smile the Jesus smile and I knew how to sing the hymns and I knew how to lead people to Christ and I knew how to do all those things but I did notice that there weren't too many people coming to Christ I was doing street ministry and ministry among young people and one day I sat at the back because when you've lost your cutting edge you don't usually sit at the front usually sit at the back I wanted to be as far away as I could from senior missionary who was giving the message and he began to talk about basically in other terms losing your cutting edge and I thought yeah that's what I've done but nobody knows nobody knows I'm a good actress I know how to do it I know how to cut the trees down or at least bash them III know what to do and he got my attention nobody knows I said and he said everybody knows and I began to argue with him internally no nobody knows I'm out of touch nobody knows I'm tell and then he said I'll tell you how they know and I thought okay go on and he said when was the last time you let someone to Christ when was the last time you got hold of a Christian who's blown in showed him that the blood of Christ covers everything failures never finally brought him back to the cross and seeing others restore and Trent when was the last time and I thought a long time ago everybody knows oh I felt so bad everybody knew how did they know I was Dell because I wasn't achieving anything in fact I was hurting them yeah get specific show him the place did I know where that began yes resentment but I didn't confess anger I didn't deal with hurt grows into anger and your hurts from your dead past flow into your living present if you don't do something about them you'll get Dell you'll get down so you have to answer the question where did it fall you have to show him your heavenly Elijah and please God you have somebody and earthly Elijah that you can go to and show in the place it's very and it's very humbling to go to somebody and say I need help it's incredibly hard to humble yourself to do that especially when you're a leader folks especially when you're in eventually especially when you're a missionary right so what River did you lose it in where'd you lose it the river of busyness bitterness unforgiving spirit doubt I can't tell anyone here at Wheaton I'm just the first time in my Christian life having some doubts about science and the Bible or about about things that the reason I came to waiting for can't I mean how could I go and admit that showing the place shame guilt hypocrisy sin as I am right admit it confess it apply the wood Elijah took a piece of wood and threw it in and I know I don't want to stretch the analogy but hey what about the piece of wood that we are so familiar with what about the cross apply the benefits of the cross repent confess and then appropriate the power put your hand out and take it to yourself again that is restoration that is connection that is forgiveness no sin for God too big for him to forgive iron sharpens iron they say go to a friend a friend whose shop humble yourself asked help if the axe is dull and it's a junk shop and more strength is needed don't just get more and more frantic more and more busy more and more active wisdom spiritual smarter Italian that you have to go to God and He will bring it within reach he will bring your power sharpness fullness of the Spirit he will bring it within reach somehow someway but every one of us it'll be different and then you take it and you get on cutting down the trees and building the kingdom of God we finish with one story some of you say you know I don't know what that woman's talking about could I ask you listen to me put these notes away if you didn't take them you took them up here because you're gonna need them you're gonna need them you never say never you never say oh I I love Jesus and what do you think I'm here for Jill yeah yeah yeah yeah but what the devil is after is your edge he doesn't want you to be dangerous okay so you can be a ministry 50 years and still find some where you lose your edge now here I am work for World Relief for 20 years been to the Hell House the world see what we can do we Church back here with the church out there I am a Christian leader so on 9/11 I'm sitting in the plane which is not a good place to be trying to get back to Chicago land at gander Newfoundland with 12,000 other people in 57 planes because the airspace is closed and everything's down and I am on my own Stewart's promptly on the plane and Heathrow gone on to Ireland and I'm sitting next to a fine young doctor who is not a I didn't know them but he wasn't a believer and in fact very much the opposite and there's a little boy next to me and a little old lady and the pilot comes on it's all very frightening and he won't tell us what I can't tell you till I get you down I've got to get you down at Gander and then I'll tell you what's happened because I don't even know I've just got to get this plane down and so everybody's hearts going like this and all of us me included dive for that piece of information you never read when you get in a plane because you know you've heard it before and you know yes and I don't need to well I tell you I was practicing everyone was practicing and I the I asked God for a verse and into it immediately every day are Dane for you is written in my book before one of them comes to be that's what he gave me in that moment Oh got it nothing can happen to the child of God outside the will of God right right so I must be in your will right this is where you meant to be in this plane and so you get all your theology you get your a good Calvinist at this point lean on the will of God right you know if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans somebody said yeah right so you become you become you know firmly into the will of God and all of that and and actually it was quite exciting because as the base of my feet this great excitement began oh I'm just in the right place and I remember sort of buckling myself into the world of God thinking what's gonna happen I had no idea I'd be six and a half days with my plane load of people in Gamboa Newfoundland sleeping on a floor miss Salvation Army place no idea what was the head but I was ready now of course Jill you're an evangelist you're a you're a Christian worker you've been a believer for 50 years right so I have all these grand plans for whatever I know not what is ahead of me I have some biscuits in my pocket I haven't eaten since I came from Siberia okay I am hungry so as everybody there's no food left on the plane we're 24 hours out of food maybe by the time way down and along with all these noble thoughts comes another voice why don't you wait until everyone's asleep and eat your biscuits see is that relevant to this sense oh yes yes yes yes yes and I began to struggle and I have to tell you I hate them every bit and I didn't give them to the little boy who was starving or this poor little lady weeping into her cup of coffee I ate them myself and I lost my sharpness not for very long because I've learned where'd you lose it jail I ate my biscuits I mean I have given starving people food what's the matter you have no idea where you'll lose it but a walk in the spirit of god is so he might only lightly tap you on the shoulder whether it be what we think a big sin or a cookie and you have to be sensitive and say sorry lord i did a little bit better for the next six days a little bit but you're never over and the devil will look for a cookie or real look for the big thing he doesn't care because he wants to make you down pray with me dear God I pray here we are company of your children sons of the prophets and daughters of the prophets and Oh God teach us humility Oh God convict us we want to stay sharp for you so give us the wisdom give us the skill to know how to do that we ask it for your sake Jesus because we love you I mean you're watching W etn a service of Wheaton College for information on our programs call six three oh seven five two five zero six one or email W etn at Wheaton dot edu a video program guide is available at w ET n dot o-r-g

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Keywords: wheaton, college, illinois, Wheaton College (College/University), Jill Briscoe, Wheaton College Chapel, Chapel (Building Function), Edman Memorial Chapel, Christianity (Religion), Books Of Kings (Book)

Id: 64OkyisG-Pk

Length: 23min 26sec (1406 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 25 2015