Sermon(2 Kings 6:1-7): God will give you another chance

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025256537

 

>> 1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water; and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7 And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it. (2 Kings 6:1-7) <<

 

In fact, I am a man who has been much favored by God. In particular, I put more importance on God's work than my studies, and God gave me the opportunity to learn many noble studies. Forgive me if I boast of myself, but I'll do it because that will be a boast about God's blessing. I majored in physics in college. I also encountered profound mathematics then. It was a very big grace of God that I had the opportunity to grasp the neat relationship between mathematics and physics. God made me first study physics, then he made me study theology, a really noble study. I studied theology after physics and mathematics, so the height and depth of the wisdom of God who created the world came into my sight automatically. There were several theological graduate schools in Korea, but I decided to enter The United Graduate School of Theology, Yonsei University, because I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of a university. (When I was an undergraduate at Chungnam National University, I was too loyal to C.C.C. and could not enjoy the atmosphere of the university.) But, when I wanted to take the exam for the master's degree of theology, I was required to have gotten 21 credits or more in theology. Having studied no theological subjects as an undergraduate student, I got the credits needed for the entrance exam while attending a research course for a year in The United Graduate School of Theology. After the research course, I passed the entrance exam, and completed the Th. M. successfully by God's help. However, since The United Graduate School of Theology, Yonsei University, was transdenominational (or non-denominational), I needed to obtain M. Div. of a graduate school of theology belonging to a certain denomination, in order to be a pastor of the denomination. I was originally a Methodist, so I took the entrance exam for M. Div. of Methodist Theological University and passed it, after the course of Th. M. of Yonsei University. But I couldn't pay the admission fee. Then I went to the Presbyterian Church. I took the entrance exam for M. Div. of Chongshin University and passed it. But also this time I couldn't pay the admission fee. I couldn't take the M. Div. course. Perhaps God allowed me to pass the exams, then didn't allow me to enter the two graduate schools of theology, in order to hear words of great appreciation from two persons who luckily entered the graduate schools instead of me. (ㅡ A joke!) What I'd like to say is this: I came to study philosophy while preparing for the entrance exam for the graduate school of theology, Chongshin University. One of the subjects of the exam was philosophy. I tasted philosophy a little then. I realized then that philosophy was a profound subject, and that theology students must learn the subject. By the way, as for the completing the subjects of the theology of the Methodist Church, the denomination amended the law so that anyone who graduated from the United Graduate School of Theology, Yonsei University, may take only three subjects of the denominational theology in any graduate school of theology belonging to the denomination, in order to minister in the denomination, instead of taking M. Div. course for three years. I completed the three subjects, not spending a lot of money. What I was really grateful for to God was that I, paying only 1 million won (about 1,000 dollars) in a year, took all the good lectures I wanted to attend best that the University of the denomination offered, whether the undergraduate subjects or the graduate subjects. I could have completed the three subjects of the denominational theology in one semester, but I attended the university for a year, taking all lectures I liked. I needed at least 10 million won for the tuition fee and three years to complete M. Div., but I could satisfy the preconditions for the ministry in the denomination with the least money and time, and that taking all additional theological lectures I wanted to take. How wonderful and delicate the providence of God was! (Of course, I haven't used the qualification for the ministry in the Methodist Church until today when I'm translating my Korean sermon into English. I'm ministering on the internet as an individual servant of God.) As a matter of fact, I didn't take enough lectures in the research course and the Th. M. course in The United Graduate School of Theology, Yonsei University. At that time the study of theology to me, who hadn't studied theology in college, was absolutely insufficient, although I had achieved Th. M. Generally, M. Div. requires far more credits than Th. M. I was very sad and frustrated when I couldn't pay the admission fee twice, for M. Div. of Methodist Theological University and of Chongshin University. It was a great pain for me to miss the opportunity to take M. Div. after passing the entrance exam twice, but God gave me the better things. I'd lost a silver axe but got a gold axe. Thanks to God's good guidance, I directly experienced the Presbyterian Church and philosophy as well. (Above all, I could make up for my deficient study of theology during that time.)

 

God also drove me from place to place and made me see various churches and hear a lot of stories of the churches and the saints. (I mean by the word 'drove' that God made me walk in the way of pain.) That's also a kind of training, a teaching. It can be called an on-site training. May I tell you a heartbreaking story about a saint? Just before the Korean economic crisis in 1997, the so-called 'IMF', broke out, many pastors tried to construct big churches, spending money beyond the financial capacity of the church. (Koreans call the 'foreign exchange crisis in 1997' IMF.) A church in a new town mortgaged believers' houses to get a bank loan, and built a nice big church. Then the so-called IMF broke out. The saints didn't know what to do in the crisis, and the church got in a difficult situation and was not able to pay the bank loan, so that the church was put up for auction and another church purchased it at a low price. However some female believers, whose church was sold at a low price, whose apartments were mortgaged for the bank loan, couldn't receive any money from the church that purchased their church, so their households were ruined and some of them were divorced. Some believers, including the divorced, went into the chapel of the church, and asked for money. But the church that purchased the church forced them all out. This actually happened! Innocent sheep of Jesus shed a lot of tears and lost a lot of precious things thanks to the pastor who built a new church to satisfy his greed without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and thanks to the pastor who purchased the new church at a very low price and ruthlessly rejected the demand of the saints. If he bought the church at a low price, isn't it natural that he should gradually compensate the loss of the victims over a period of time? But who will comfort those saints who are in such great sadness because they suffered such a great misfortune while building the temple of God?

 

Today's biblical text tells of an episode that the prophet Elisha performed a miracle to restore the loss of a man who unexpectedly suffered a loss while doing God's work. As there are seminaries these days, so there was a community of (a school of) prophets in the days of Elisha, and there were a leader Elisha and students following him there. When the place where Elisha and his disciples stayed became too small, some of them suggested to Elisha that they should build a bigger house. They cut down trees for the building, by the Jordan. However a man had a borrowed axe fall into the Jordan; the helve of the axe was loose, so that the head of the axe fell from the helve into the water. So dismayed, the man who had borrowed the axe whined, "Alas, my master! It was borrowed." In the past when the metal was rare, an axe was one of the most important items of assets of a household. And the borrower was a disciple of the prophet. How can we imagine that he had some money to buy an axe? He himself must be in serious trouble. Now Elisha, the prophet, threw a branch into the water and made the axe float.

 

My brethren, believe that the axe you lost while doing God's work today will be restored to you. You may suffer heavy losses when you work for God on account of various accidents. You may lose riches, honor, human relationships, and health, etc. My brethren, God comforts you. He wipes away your tears. And he will make your axe which has sunk float again. He will restore your happiness you've lost. Your fortune, honor, human relationships, and health as well. But we can see another story opposite to this in the Bible. "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! (Mt 18:6-7)" He who causes others to commit sins or throws them into the water can be thrown into the water with a heavy stone fastened round his neck by God. You must repent your sins right now if you have thrust someone or some precious things he owns into the water. Do not push down into the water, by means of law or authority, the heads of the weak who strive to put their heads out of the water in order to live. God never lets them be drowned. You who are drowning, you who have the axe fall into the water, do not be discouraged. Don't cry. God will deliver you and restore you. In particular, you who have suffered heavy losses while doing God's work, God will give you and your descendants a gold axe. If you do not forget to give thanks to God for all these, the blessing of recovery and double compensation will come upon you in due season. God loves you very much.

 

Another lesson God gives us through the words of the text is this. God gives another chance to the worker of God even though he failed this time. The disciple of the prophet had to stop his work when his axe fell into the water. But God made the axe float and helped him fulfill his work. My brethren, sometimes we may stop the works of God due to various circumstances. Sometimes because of sickness, sometimes because of a lot of people who oppose you, sometimes lack of money, sometimes lack of ability. You want to accomplish the work of God indeed, but the unfavorable situation continues. But your axe will float again if the stoppage of the work of God was not due to your sin just as the ‘falling into the water’ of the axe was not due to the sin of the disciple. God will give you a chance again at a best time. Will he not help you if it is his work? So you yourself must pray hard. "My God, this is your work. Please open the way quickly and help me get back to the work!"

 

My brethren, let Jesus be your companion on your way. >>Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” (v. 3)<< The disciples wanted Elisha to go with them, and Elisha accompanied them and worked a miracle when they got into trouble. Elisha, a servant of God, caused the axe to float. Then how much more can our Lord whom even Elisha serves as his master keep us by still greater miracles? If our Lord Jesus is with us, the axe which has sunk will float, power and blessings will come upon us from heaven, and even angels of God will come to us to help us. Just as Elisha gladly promised them to go with them, so our Lord will willingly be with us on our way. My brethren, let your life be a life of prayer. Keep fellowship with God in your prayer. The blessing that God gave us Korean believers is the dawn prayer. Meet the Lord at dawn. Today, your whole day will stand firm on the rock.

 

My brethren, do you want to experience miracles? But when do the miracles happen? You can witness the miracles while doing God's works. When we lack ability for some work, God gives us ability and works miracles for us. The miracle is God's finger touching me. In particular, Elisha's miracle was a miracle relating to the caring for the saints. By working miracles Elisha fed the hungry, made an axe in the water float, kept his country from the enemy, healed a leper, gave a son to a woman without a son, and helped a woman pay off her debts. It may look so childish to you for Elisha to throw a branch into the water to cause the axe to float. But the attitude of Elisha in the text is a far better image of a pastor than that of a pastor who looks on with his arms folded to keep his authority. Doesn't it make us feel friendly towards Jesus when he ordered Peter to angle for a fish, open a fish’s mouth to get a coin, and pay the temple-tax for himself and Peter? A fairytale-like truth gives us not only the benefits of the truth itself but also calm joy and relaxation. Come to think of it, it is a fairytale-like truth, too, that the only Son of God became a man and saved all human beings. God said, and the whole world was created ㅡ how nice and fairytale-like a truth! The Scripture gives us the truth even kindergarten children can understand.

 

May God compensate you for all your losses. May God give you a chance to work again.

 

Chong Tack Kim

- Dongtoma Sunshine Church -