Recovering The Power
Introduction
The significance of the story is that the axe head represents the power of the axe. When the head is lost nothing is effective any more. The New Testament Church was characterized by its power not by its influence. They prayed Simon Peter out of jail. Many of us in our own lives have lost the power.
Many churches and individuals that have lost the axe head are going through the emotions and pretending like they still have the axe head and nothing ever happens.
I. We Have To Become Desperate About Our Situation
If you are satisfied to keep playing the game, having meetings, just chopping away with an axe handle without a head on it. Then you will end up in your Christian life just like you are right now.
God wants us to grow and make progress. Our church is not corporate America. Your life is not about positive thinking and success seminars. There is a spiritual dynamic to it all without which all you do is keep going through the emotions, flaming away and not doing anything but getting tired and bruising the tree that never falls down.
II. We Must Be Willing To Honestly Acknowledge Our Needs
Acknowledgement is always the first step to healing. Confession is always the first step to regaining the power and acknowledgement of need.
The definition of a fool is somebody who keeps doing the same thing the same way over and over again and expecting different results. In genuine repentance there is first an acknowledgement, a confession to God and a repentance of going the other way. You have to humble yourself and admit that you need help This is the first step to recovery. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of manliness to say I need help.
III. We Must Stay In Fellowship With God's People
Stay with the group. Stay in the fellowship. You can't make it alone.
IV. We Have To Go Back To The Same Spot Where We Lost It
You lose everything when you lose fellowship and when you lose God. You will spend your life going through the motions and trying to cut down trees that don't come down without the power of the axe head on the end. Unless you confess, then you will not recover and get well in whatever is the area of your life. We need to go forward.
You go away from God a step at a time. But you don't come back to God a step at a time. You come back to God all at once.
V. We Have To Depend Totally Upon The Power Of God
When you put the cross in the situation, things change. You do that in one way, repentance, cleanness and prayer. Four challenges: