This is Larry Jones. You are listening to the Grace and Glory Hour with Pastor David M. Atkinson. Thank you for joining us today. We appreciate your interest and request that you pray for this ministry. Our email address is GraceGlory7 at Juno.com GraceGlory7 at Juno.com Now here is Pastor Atkinson. In a few minutes, we will be coming in at 2 Kings 6, verse 1. We'll come in at 2 Kings 6, verse 1. So, you may want to turn there now. 2 Kings 6. But as we turn, let's take just a few moments for some background on what we will read. You have to go as far back as 1 Samuel 10 to find the origins of what we're going to be reading about. In 1 Samuel 10, verses five and 10, and 1 Samuel 19, Verse 20, we read of a school of the prophets. We read of a school of the prophets that had developed in Israel. Without doubt, this school of the prophets was composed of men upon whom God's spirit moved for the ministry of forth-telling, forth-telling with respect to Israel's sin, and also the ministry of foretelling with respect to Israel's future. Without doubt, from here and there and hither and yon, a band of sincere men had come together with a heart for God and declaring right and wrong and repentance to the people of Israel. They gathered together for training, for schooling, and mutual support. This school of the prophets developed and matured under the tutelage of the dynamic prophet Elijah. And in the ministry of that very outspoken prophet, we see the school of the prophets taking further shape and maturing. That prophet Elijah mentored Elisha, be his successor. God blessed Elisha with approximately double the miracles that God had performed through Elijah. There were more miracles under Elisha, and you know that rightly or wrongly, the populace is attracted to miracles. So Elisha's ministry attracted the attention of an increasing number of God-fearing men. They would run to this prophet who declared God's Word and through whom God did miracle after miracle. As a result of the influence of Elisha's miracle working ministry, the school of the prophets experienced statistical growth. It grew and grew and grew. And this brings us to 2 Kings 6, 1. And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence, that is, take from the banks of the Jordan. Let us take thence every man a beam, a piece of lumber, and let us make us a place there, near the Jordan, where we may dwell. And Elisha answered, go ye. And one of the sons of the prophet said, be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And Elisha answered, I will go. So Elisha went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a bean, the axe head fell into the water. And he cried and said, Alas, master, for it, the axe, was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And The son of the prophet showed him the place, and Elisha cut down a stick and cast it in thither, and the iron axe head did swim. Therefore said Elisha, take it up to thee. And the son of the prophet put out his hand and took it. In the message this morning from Luke 14, we looked together at the subject before the groundbreaking. And when our service finished and the message before the groundbreaking was done, we went out and we broke ground in preparation of the beginnings of the new school building. This afternoon we turn to the theme after the groundbreaking. So I'm asking you to prayerfully consider with me for really just a few moments. I will not keep us long. There is a measure of weariness when you just stay through the whole day. So I'll not keep you long, but would you please prayerfully try to look like you're awake? I snuck that one up on your blind side, didn't I? Let's be in prayer as we consider together this afternoon this theme after the groundbreaking. Let us notice some practical, applicable truths from these seven verses. Let us notice some truths by which we're going to need to live and pray and work for at least the next eight, nine, or ten months, depending on weather. We're going to need some of these truths before this year is out. Notice what the sons of the prophets said to Elisha in verse one. They said, the place we dwell with thee is too straight for us. The place we dwell with thee is too straight for us. I not only notice in this verse, the integral involvement of the teacher In the lives of the students, I noticed something else, and it is sure that this teacher, this preacher prophet, was intimately involved with his students. Indeed, he dwelt with them, and some say it was a kind of communal situation. Others say that there was a dormitory at close proximity to the teaching facility. But notice this first of all, after this groundbreaking, we will continue to acknowledge that we have outgrown our current school facilities. After this groundbreaking, we will continue to acknowledge that we have outgrown our current school facilities. The authorized translation, descriptive adjective, straight, is a very expressive word. I like it. I like the KJV adjective, straight. Think of the straights of Magellan. Or think of the Strait of Juan de Fuga. That which is straight is compressed. It's tight. It's crowded. It's close quarters. It's squeezed together. The teaching and dormitory facility for Elisha's chapter of the School of the Prophets had become too small. The School of the Prophets, under Elisha's influence and guidance, had outgrown its quarters. There was no space left. It was full. In this situation, The followers did something that leaders are always thrilled by. The followers seized the moment, the followers seized the initiative, and they came up with a creative suggestion. The sons of the prophets, the students here, took the initiative and suggested that they all pitch in and build a new log house type of lecture room and dormitory. It was the concept of fellowship and that always greatly encourages leadership. Our current school facility has also become straightened or squeezed or crowded I believe that we're at least one beyond what we said would be maximum enrollment in Mrs. Baggage's class. You need to, when you go home this afternoon, You need to thank God for Mrs. Baggage and every other teacher, certainly as well. But when you go to Mrs. Baggage and say, you know, the phone just rang and those people who came in six weeks ago, they have decided that they want their children here. And Mrs. Baggage, would you, could you, can you possibly, and she'll smile and nod her head. And basically what she says is there's always room for one more. So we are maxed out in that class and we are full in other classes. We're straightened, we're squeezed, we're pressed, we're crowded. Now let's remember that during the times of stress over the next eight or nine months. Let's remember why this is necessary. This is not necessary to keep the deacons and Pastor Lee awake at night. We're not doing it to help our leaders come to a place of consistent insomnia. We're not doing it for that reason. During the difficult, stressful times that will now come after the groundbreaking, we need to remember that the reason we are building a new academy building is that our current facilities are too small. That's the why. Keep it in mind. By God's grace, and only by His enablement, we have outgrown the current school facility. So instead of complaining about the stress and all the meetings and the mud, instead of complaining, let's remember the reason. We came to a considered evaluation that we didn't have any more room left. The place is too straight, small, or squeezed for us. So, instead of giving vent to our stress and our frustrations, why don't we just, remembering why we're doing it, why don't we just praise the Lord? Why don't we give thanks that we have to have meetings Why don't we give thanks that there will be some mud? Why don't we give thanks and praise that we will get weary? Let's remember the reason why we're doing this, because our current facility is too straight, or small, or squeezed. We've outgrown it. Note now, sections A, B, and C of verse 2. Sections A, B, and C of verse 2. Let us go on to Jordan and make us a place there. Let us go to Jordan and make us a place there. We do not know for sure precisely where the school of the prophets was when the prophets made this suggestion. Some say the school was at Bethel when it became crowded. Others say that the school of the prophets was more likely at Jericho or Gilgal. We don't know for sure. The school, when the sons of the prophets came up with this suggestion, was probably at Bethel, Jericho, or Gilgal. Now, let's remember the size of the Holy Land. I'm not going to exaggerate this, just trying to fabricate a point. Let's acknowledge that none of these places was far from the Jordan River. The Holy Land is very narrow. None of these places was very far from the Jordan River. But let's also understand that no matter which town the school had been in, the proposal involved not only a building program, this proposal also involved a relocation program. I sort of enjoyed that point. You saw me smiling before I spat the words out. I couldn't wait to get to that point. This proposal involved not only a building program, It required a relocation program. Oh my! The number of Baptist pastors who've just been summarily put out to pasture during a relocation program. Bye-bye pastor! You won't last this relocation program. It happens time after time after time. A pastor will start a relocation program, but things develop and he's not there when it's over. The prophets proposed that the school be relocated to very near the Jordan River, where small, willow, tamarisk and acacia trees were readily available near the source of moisture. Many places in the Holy Land do not have trees, but trees do grow along the Jordan. They said, let's make this easy. Let's move the school. Let's move it right to the Jordan where the trees are. Now, the girth the girth of these willow tamarisk and acacia trees was not large. At their very largest, these varieties of trees are not broad. But the point was, the trees were there. They said, let's relocate the school. Now, we can thank God that this building program does not require Relocation. And all God's people said, oh that was a good amen. Yes, we can thank God that this particular building program does not require relocation. And so that's brought me to the second practical truth. After this groundbreaking, we need to keep on giving thanks that we have not had to relocate. There's another praise. We need to praise God that we're out of room, and we need to also thank God that we have not had to relocate. We can thank God that our development here has been a gradual, non-traumatic, step-by-step process. Now, can't you just imagine how it could have been if it had to completely relocate? The Illinois people could have said, oh, move to Illinois. Move to Illinois. Text friendly. Tongue in cheek. Move to Illinois. Let's relocate there. Hammond people might have said, oh, come north of the interstate. The interstate is a psychological barrier. I've been waiting for an opportunity to suggest this for 20 years. Let's relocate to Hammond. Others could have said, oh no, South St. John, that's the place where we need to go. through the pressures and the stresses of this building program. We need to just back off from time to time and thank God that we're out of room and thank God we don't have to go through all the discussions and unity threateners that sometimes develop during a relocation program. Amen? Amen. But there's more to it than that. We need to thank God for those who are now in heaven, who had the faith and the foresight to vote when the second house became available. And to vote again when the third house and property became available. And to vote again when the fourth house and property became available. We need to thank God for the faith and the foresight of people along the way. So we don't have to relocate. This was the wisdom of gradual expansion, bite-sized chunks biting off a little bit at a time. I will not mention any names this afternoon, though I want to, but you are seeing their faces. People we all wanted to still be with us. when we turned the sod and broke the ground, but God has seen fit to take them on to heaven. But we need to thank God for them and the commitment to His glory in this place. And so they exercised faith and foresight and said, Pastor, the land has come up for sale. Let's get it while it's available. And because of that, we don't have to face moving to the Jordan. We find the third practical truth. In the third section of verse three, third section of verse three, the prophet said to their leader, be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. Number three, after this groundbreaking, we need to remember that it is God's using leadership that has got us to this crowded place, and it is God's continuing to use leadership that will guide us through this building program. I will repeat that. After this groundbreaking, we need to remember that it's God's using leadership that has got us to this crowded place. and it will be God's continuing to use leadership that will guide us through this building program. I am not referring to me. I do not have myself in mind. I have our deacons, I have our deacons and Pastor Lee in mind. When I say that God has used leadership to bring us to this point, And if we will let God, He will continue to use leadership to guide us through the building program. Our five deacons and our administrative pastor have given us good leadership up till now. Let's not give place to the devil and start to second-guess them or micromanage them now. I know of a Christian ministry that recently went through about a year and a half of agony because the leader was a micromanager. And if you haven't got the message now, you soon will. I don't think much of micromanagement. I think it is pattern in the plan of the local church for the people to find out where the spiritual gifts are, the ministry gifts are, and set some perimeters, and within those perimeters to set God's people loose. Oh, you're quiet. I like the point more than you did. The local church is not about micromanagement. It's about discerning spiritual gifts and letting the people exercise their gifts. You have elected the deacons. The church voted in Pastor Lee. 15 or so years ago. Now is not the time for us to start second-guessing them or micromanaging them. We need to let them lead. Now, I don't expect that we'll start second-guessing or micromanaging, but it's better to say it in advance than after the fact. Denominational churches tend to be committee crazy. Many denominational churches have more committees than our fox terrier had fleas in South Carolina. And please understand, South Carolina is prime flea territory. We don't need a lot of committees. We don't need a lot of micromanagement. We need to look at the record of those who lead us. And if it's a trustworthy record, we need to let them lead. Amen? You go with us, Elisha. You go with us. Now, look at verse 22. Look at verse 5E. We find out that in the process of cutting down these trees, as one was felling a beam, the axe had fell into the water, and that particular son of the prophet cried and said, Alas, Master, for it was borrowed after this groundbreaking. We'll have to borrow some axes. We'll have to borrow some axes because we're a lot like these country preachers. They were poor. Iron was rare. Iron was rare. Iron was expensive. These poor country preachers didn't even own axes. They had to borrow axes in order to cut down the trees for their new facility. We will have to borrow some axes because we're poor, like these country preachers. We've not yet received, unless it came in today, We've not yet received one gift of $10,000 toward this project. We may have received a gift of 5,000. I don't remember, but I go out to eat with preacher friends and college presidents and people who quite frankly have put pressure on me to get the church to give more to their particular project. And we sit there at lunch and over the years, they've put pressure on me to up how much we give to some of the ministries we support. And we're sitting there at lunch and it's, oh yes, we just got a check for 500,000. We're going to burn the mortgage. A lady remembered us in her will, and she's gone to heaven, and we're able to burn the mortgage, and we got another check for $250,000. It's never been that way. But I'll tell you one thing, at least we won't be beholden to a family or another organization, will we? We won't be beholden to vested interests. They've all been small gifts. Well, you say, I didn't think my gift was small. Well, I didn't think my gift was small either, but compared to a half million, we're just a bunch of poor, unaffiliated Baptist in Northwest Indiana, and we're gonna have to borrow not only some money, but some axes. But thank God. And I got this, I got this, I believe, from Matthew Poole. Oh, I like this. He said, poverty is no bar to prophecy. Poverty is no bar to prophecy. Poverty does not prevent getting the Word out. You don't have to be rich to get the Word out. And we don't have to be rich to teach children, amen and amen. Poverty does not preclude ministry. Then notice also here In verse 5b, that as one of the sons of the prophets was felling a bean, the ax head fell into the water. Not only after this groundbreaking will we have to borrow some axes, also after this groundbreaking, we will lose some ax heads. We will lose some ax heads. One of you men will bring your hammer and I'll break its handle. But one of you will bring your favorite screwdriver. You inherited that screwdriver from your grandfather. And you will bring that screwdriver and you'll put it down just long enough to have a Wendy's hamburger and you'll go for it. It'll be gone, lost. at the bottom of some Jordan River or Plum Creek. It'll be gone. After this groundbreaking, we will not only have to borrow some axes, after this groundbreaking, we will lose some axe heads. The building program will have some glitches. Write it down. Write it on your bulletin. The building program will have some glitches. I've never known of a building program that did not have some glitches. You say, well, pastor, we're a dire Baptist church. Yes, we are human. And because we're human, I think the last time I checked, that equals fallenness, right? Are we fallen? I'll start with me. Do I have a sin nature? Yes. Then I'll move to you. Do you have a sin nature? Yes. And because we all have fallen human natures, there are going to be some glitches in this building program. It will not be perfect. We'll lose some axe heads. But it doesn't have to be a flawless building program to be a good one. Doesn't have to be a perfect building program to be a good one. If we make up our minds to just rejoice in the process of losing axe heads. Then notice verse 5c, the son of the prophet that lost the axe head said, Alas, alas, for it was borrowed. He believed too much in justice not to return the axe and the axe head, but he was too poor. He believed too much in justice not to return the axe and the axe head, but he was too poor to come up with a new axe and a new axe head. I think it's number six. this groundbreaking, we will maintain unity and mutual respect by having a keen conscience over the property of others. We will maintain unity and respect after this groundbreaking by maintaining a keen conscience over the property of others. I love and respect all those who've gone before, but in this point I'm thinking of, yes, Jack Davis. He would come and clean up that workshop. Seemed like just turn his back, and it was all messed up. He had a place for everything. He tried to put everything in his place. And when he came to find a screwdriver and it wasn't there, he became Dutch. And rightly he should. Pastor, where is that screwdriver? Pastor, where is that saw? And I said, Amen, Brother Davis. You're exactly right. Somebody didn't have respect or conscience for the property of the church and didn't put it back. alas master it was borrowed and if I'm going to be just I need to give the one who loaned it back his axe handle and his axe head we will maintain unity and mutual respect after the groundbreaking by having a keen conscience over the property of both the church and those who come to work on the project then Finally, look at verses six and seven. Elisha said, where fell the axe head? And the son of the prophet showed him the place. And by the way, the Jordan River, the Jordan River was deep and fast at this point. The Jordan River was deep and fast at this point. That's where the axe head fell off the axe handle and sank, and Elisha cut down a stick and cast it in thither, and the iron axe head did swim. Therefore said Elisha, take it up to thee, and he put out his hand and took it." This is not a matter of a pig in a poke. Do you know what I mean when I say a pig in a poke? This is not a matter of this prophet taking a stick. Come on. You're thinking like a liberal. You're thinking like an apostate. If you think this was a pig in a poke where this prophet just took this stick and shoved it down, shoved it down, shoved it down until it just happened. One out of a thousand chances to connect with the fallen action. This was a miracle. It's a miracle. And any other suggestion is denying the plain supernatural work of God. And that's my final point. After this groundbreaking, we're going to need some miracles. We're going to need some miracles. Pray. Pray for someone to send us $50,000. I've been praying for at least two gifts of $50,000 a piece for a year and a half. We're going to need some miracles after this groundbreaking. Ask God to work. in ways that it's obvious that he did it. Because the iron did swim, I was lousy at physics. And I have some grandchildren who were like their father, and they're partial to the sciences. Oh, I'm partial to the arts, but I know enough about physics to know that iron doesn't naturally swim. It's only God who makes iron swim. So after this groundbreaking, pray for some miracles. Pray that we'll go out to Plum Creek one day and we'll see axe heads floating all over the place. We trust you have been encouraged or strengthened by the word today. We would love to hear from you. You can email us at GraceGlory7 at Juno.com. That's GraceGlory7 at Juno.com. We will reply to all those who contact us. And now, until next time, may the good Lord bless and keep you.