Introduction
Today is the last message in our Going Deeper series, based on the final chapter in the book we’ve been reading together. The chapter and the message this morning is entitled The One Who Wars Through Us. It is a very important topic and one that is largely misunderstood.
Spiritual Warfare
Chris Johnson writes in the Christian Reader:
A friend of my eleven-year-old son called one day, announcing he had a problem with spiritual warfare. I asked him what I could do to help, and he replied he wanted to speak with my son, Scott. Proud that my son was being asked for spiritual advice, I later made a point to ask him how the conversation went.
"Oh, fine," Scott replied. "He just needed help getting to the next level of the 'Spiritual Warfare' Nintendo game." Chris Johnson, Britt, Minnesota. Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom."
Battle imagery
There is a lot of battle imagery and language used in scripture to refer to our spiritual lives in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is a frequently recurring theme. There is a reason for that. Let’s look at one familiar passage:
Ephesians 6:11-18 (NKJV)
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
OPS BRIEFING (Operations Briefing)
A great mistake that we could make today, and that has been made many times, is to treat this teaching as theological or theoretical. That idea couldn’t be more deadly. This is not about philosophy but is about practice. It is not about suggestion but is about survival. We would be wise to take it very seriously.
We are not distant, disinterested learners today but we are studying warfare techniques as those who are currently and actively involved in warfare. Don’t you think that should make a great difference in our attention and our application?
So, this is not a sermon today but an OPS BRIEFING (Operations Briefing). As a regular part of warfare, units will call their troops together for an OPS Briefing. That’s what we’re doing today.
Our OPS Briefing will have three parts:
- Sitrep. This is a situation report that gives the current status of things.
- Mission. A reminder of the focus and purpose of the military assignment.
- Tactical Orders. Instructions to observe for maximum effectiveness.
Let’s begin our briefing.
SITREP: (situation report)
1. Hell is at war.
They say, “War is Hell.” That may be true. It is also true that hell is at war.
There would be no need for spiritual warfare if there were no war. There is a spiritual war. Notice in verse 11 it talks about the wiles of the devil (New King James Version). The devil is wiley. It reminds me of Wile E. Coyote. He is the coyote on the Road Runner cartoons that is always trying to get the Road Runner. He is bent on that one thing. His existence is only to capture that roadrunner. He uses any devise possible, and some that take a ridiculous imagination, to capture his prey.
The devil is our Wile E. Coyote, but not so loveable. The word ‘wiles’ of the devil there means crafty, cunning, deceitful trickery. It is translated in other versions and commentaries as ‘schemes’ (ESV, NASB, NIV), ‘evil tricks’ (GNT, New Century), and ‘strategies’ (Int’l Standard Version and Wuest’s Word Studies). Like Wile E. Coyote, the devil never stops thinking up ways to capture unsuspecting people.
The book of Revelation describes this cosmic battle that began in the garden of Eden and will continue until the end of time.
Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Revelation 12:17 (NKJV)
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The bible also tells us that we have an adversary, or enemy, who is looking for whomever he can devour (1 Peter 5:8). He is here to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He is a murderer and the father of all lies (John 8:44). He accomplishes his mission by taking prisoners (Luke 4:18, 2 Timothy 2:26, 2 Timothy 3:6). This is why Jesus told us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
MISSION:
Verse 13 of our passage says, “having done all, to stand.” That word ‘stand’ is actually a military term. It doesn’t mean to stand passively by, or stand still, it means specifically not to run away or retreat. It means to hang in there and not give up on the mission.
2. Liberation.
Jesus came to set the captive free (Luke 4:18, Eph 4:8). He is still doing it today, and we are called into His liberation mission. It is a rescue mission.
Freeze tag
Remember playing the game of freeze tag as a kid? The way we played it, one person was ‘it.’ That person would try to tag the other players. The slow ones usually got caught first. That was me. Once you were tagged, you had to freeze in the position that you were in when you were tagged. You couldn’t move. You were no longer free to run around in the game but became a statue. If someone who was free came along and touched you, then you were set free to join the game and you could tag others and set them free.
Our liberation mission is like that. Someone comes along with the message of Jesus and sets you free from the captivity of sin and guilt. Then you can go along and set other people free. God’s liberation force is (1) people who (2) were once captive, but now have been (3) set free.
Liberation, not occupation or domination
It is a mission of liberation, not of occupation or of domination. Our mission gets off-track when we focus on occupation or of domination. We are not staying here. This is not our home. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (John 14:3). Don’t become preoccupied with making a life for yourself here.
Don’t think Jesus came to give you power so that you could dominate or be superior to anyone else. They are not the enemy, the devil is. They are the ones in need of rescue. They are the ones that you have been called to serve.
3. Infiltration.
This liberation mission has been perfectly planned by our Commander, Jesus. It will happen through infiltration. He wants us to infiltrate the very world that the captives live in to bring the power that He has given us right to them.
Jesus in the Marketplace
Mark 6:56 (NKJV)
56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.
Isn’t this interesting? When people heard that Jesus was coming they brought their sick out for Him to heal them. Where did they take them? Not to a hospital. Not even to a church but to the marketplaces. Why? They knew that Jesus would be in the marketplaces and that He would heal people there.
Imagine those business owners who went to work, wanting to make a few bucks, and they saw a bunch of sick people lying around. They had to walk around and step over hurting people in the course of their day. When Jesus came by with His disciples He didn’t say, “Hey, I’ll meet you in church next Sunday and heal you.” It says, “As many as touched Him (right there in the marketplace) were made well.”
When you and I go to the marketplace, we are often walking around and stepping over hurting people. Jesus will heal people right there in the marketplace. That’s where spiritual warfare is needed. We are the delivery system to bring the power of God to the place of greatest need, like the guided missles we see on the news.
TACTICAL ORDERS:
4. Keep weapons in good order.
When I was in basic training, they drilled into your head over and over the importance of your weapon. I remember the day we went down to the armory and everyone was issued an M-16 rifle. That’s when reality set in. It was exciting but also a little bit scary.
Throughout basic training we were taught how to fire our M-16’s, how to handle them, how to clean them, and how to care for them. We were timed on how quickly we could completely unassemble and reassemble our weapons. We were taught the most important thing we carried was that weapon, because it meant the difference between life and death.
We are in a spiritual war and our weapons are spiritual weapons (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Those spiritual weapons are exciting and also a little bit scary at times.
The whole armor of God
Two times in this passage it talks about the whole armor of God. First in verse 11 it says, “Put on the whole armor of God.” Then, in case you missed it the first time, in verse 13 it says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God.” We think of armor as protective clothing only. This phrase literally means all the weapons of God (English word: “panoply”). There is a strong focus on completeness. In other words, don’t leave anything out. The whole armor not parts of the armor. The whole set comes together and nothing should be neglected.
In this passage there are five defensive weapons and two offensive weapons.
Defensive weapons: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.
Offensive weapons: The sword of the Spirit (the word of God), and praying in the Spirit.
These seven weapons, five defensive and two offensive, make up the whole armor of God. Scripture says use them all together. Don’t neglect any of your weapons. They mean the difference between life and death.
5. Keep comm (communication) lines open.
In a battle situation it is easy to see the importance of clear communication lines. If the enemy can cut off the comm lines or intercept messages, then there is confusion and the mission is in jeopardy. It is easy for me to see why praying in the Spirit is such an important part of our arsenal. Scripture says when we don’t even know how we should pray that the Spirit Himself prays through us, in words only heaven can understand (Romans 8:26-27). Praying in the Spirit also builds me up (Jude 20). This is an essential and powerful comm link with our Commander.
Conclusion
We are at war. Our mission is liberation through infiltration. To be successful we must keep our spiritual weapons in good order and keep communication lines open.
Testimony of deliverance
I received an email this week from a member of our congregation. It begins:
Hi Pastor Jim and Prayer Team, I am writing to announce my dad has stopped drinking. For over 42 years he has been an alcoholic. On June 5 my dad celebrated one full month of not drinking! He says his drinking days are over.
She also wrote this:
Do you know how else I know it's a God-thing that he has stopped drinking? I looked up the symptoms of alcohol abuse and I found all the things that my dad should be going through right now. Things like hallucinations, tremors, and physical damage to his body. After so many years of drinking, my dad is healthy, he is not experiencing any of the damage someone his age with his drinking experience should be experiencing!
God has been working greatly in this woman’s life over the last few years and is using her to infiltrate the power of God into her family. This is just one of the works of deliverance that God has been doing in her family. Her dad is now excited about reading the bible and coming to church. She says that she is now having conversations with her dad that they have never had before. She ended the email this way:
The book we are studying all fits in with what has been happening in my family. There's a story in it where Ted Roberts talks about how his son Brian was healed from horrible food allergies. It made so much sense and confirmed in my heart the miracles God has performed for my dad and my family.
God is on a deliverance mission to set the captives free. Once freed, God will empower us with spiritual weapons to bring deliverance to others. It is urgently needed. It is life or death. Will you be fully equipped for power to set captives free?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
GOING DEEPER: The One Who Wars Through Us
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Going Deeper: The One Who Anoints
INTRODUCTION
We’re talking this week about the One who anoints. What is anointing? Is it really a big deal? Do I really want it? What do I do with it once I have it?
Three retired pastors
I was with a few of my friends from the congregation with whom I meet regularly for mentoring and accountability. All of them happen to be retired pastors. I figured they should know, so I asked them, “What is anointing?”
One of them immediately said, “I can sure tell you when it ain’t.” Another gave me his definition: It is the inspiration of God by which we say and do something on God’s behalf. We all agreed that inspiration included, in the case of anointing, not just motivation but also authority and power. Ultimately, they all agreed that anointing comes more from knee-ology than from theology.
“Christ-ian”
Consider the word Christian. What does it mean? Followers of Jesus were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). The word Christian has been around ever since.
Christian comes from the word Christ. Where does that come from? Some of you will say, “Well, that’s easy. That was Jesus’ last name: Jesus Christ. You know, Mr. Christ.” That’s not exactly it. Christ is a title. It’s the Greek version of a Hebrew title: Messiah. Both Christ and Messiah mean the same thing. They mean, “Anointed One.”
This idea of anointing is so important that it is the most recognized characteristic of the Promised One who was to come, in the line of David, to save His people. They were awaiting the Messiah or, in Greek, the Christ. Jesus came as the Anointed One.
That has ramifications for us as Christians. Christian means: One relating to, belonging to, or resembling the Anointed One. You could say it means little anointed ones. The reality of anointing is very significant in Who Jesus is and who we are as Christians. We carry the name, but do we carry the reality?
1 John 2:27 (NKJV)
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you…
A STEADY ANOINTING
Zechariah’s vision
The prophet Zechariah was ministering to God’s people as they had returned to a destroyed Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and their city. He was ministering at the same time as the prophet Haggai. The high priest was Joshua and Zerrubabel was leader of the people.
The work of rebuilding had been difficult and met with opposition. The altar of the Temple was errected in 537 BC. The following year work on the Temple itself began, but then was quickly abandoned until 520 BC (sixteen years). The work was reinitiated and sustained by these prophetic voices. The Temple was completed in 515 BC.
The people needed something to snap them out of sixteen years of discouragement and neglect. They needed something that could give them hope for real success. They needed the same thing we need today: confidence in God’s anointing.
Zechariah 4:1-6 (NKJV)
1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
Zechariah 4:11-14 (NKJV)
11 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” 12 And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?” 13 Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”
This vision was universally recognized by its hearers as anointing. Anointing is spiritual fuel. It keeps the fire burning. In this vision there is a single large lampstand with many pipes, or branches (picture a menorah), all receiving fuel, “the golden oil,” dripping straight in from the olive branches.
1. Go straight to the source.
There is nothing like going straight to the source.
Oregon Rain
I’ve always thought it was a little weird to buy water in a bottle. It’s all around us. How do we know those bottled water companies don’t just hold their bottles under their kitchen sink at home, fill them up, and sell them us?
I was at our small group gathering the other day and there was bottled water there called ‘Oregon Rain.’ Apparently the people who sell it collect Oregon Rain and then sell it to us. I get all I want for free. (But it was good water, I must admit.)
That is going right to the source. It falls from the sky and we drink it. It doesn’t become a snowcap; melt off and run down a mountain; collect in a reservoir or leech underground; go through a processing plant adding chemicals and minerals and then show up in your sink. It comes right from heaven and we drink it.
Go right to the source
The only way to receive the anointing from God is to go right to the source. Sermons are great. Books and tapes can be helpful. But they are all processed materials. You’ve got to go to God to keep your fire alive. Go right to the source through daily time in His Word, prayer, and being anointed by the Holy Spirit.
2. Keep it steady.
A steady flow is the key. Notice in verse 12 it talks about the olive branches which drip the golden oil into the receptacles. Sometimes we come to God and say, “Give me a big blast right now. Get out Your firehose of anointing and let me have it.” That’s not the way it goes. That can put out the flame or make it destructive. It only takes a little bit with consistency.
My brother and the gas can
My brother can tell you it only takes a little bit. When he was a young boy he was trying to figure out if there was much gas in a particular gas can. He looked in, but it was too dark and he couldn’t see. Luckily, he knew where there were some matches. He lit a match, held it close to the opening and looked inside. The small explosion that ensued left him without any eyelashes or hair around his face for quite some time.
Dalene and the hose
Dalene and I were out in front of our house working on the yard. She got the hose out and put a small power nozzle on the end of the hose. The power nozzle doesn’t have anything to turn it on or off so I helpfully said, “Honey, you can take the on/off attachment from the back hose to use on that if you want. That’s what I do.” “No,” she replied, “I’m just going to do it like this.” I went back to what I was doing. She walked over to the outside faucet and turned it on. She left the end of the hose just sitting there. When the water reached the end of the hose it just started taking off like a little water rocket. It was flying around, getting everything all wet. She had to grab it like one of those wildlife shows catching a big snake. It was awesome.
It is a steady and sure anointing which has the greatest effect. Sometimes people, under the name of anointing, jump around like that garden hose. They come on big and flashy for God. Jesus said people who come on fast and furious end up having a shallow root. I have known many people who seem to have a double or triple dose of anointing, but in reality have very shallow roots. Go deep. Keep it steady.
3. Share it.
Anointing is for a purpose. And that purpose doesn’t stop with you.
Notice in the picture there was not one flame but many. There was one lampstand but seven lamps and seven pipes leading to the lamps. The golden oil that fueled one fire was then distributed through the pipe to another flame, and then to another flame. What if one bowl kept everything for itself? The lampstand would not function properly.
Did you know it was actually illegal in the old testament to make up anointing oil for your own purposes? It could only be used for what God said it could be used for.
THREE TYPES OF ANOINTING
There are three basic, important types and functions of anointing in scripture:
There is a relational anointing for hospitality and reconciliation.
Psalm 23:5, Psalm 133, Luke 7:46
This is reflected near the end of that wonderful pastoral psalm, Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”
Anointing someone’s head with oil was an act of reception and hospitality.
A woman anoints Jesus’ feet
Jesus went to a Pharisees house to eat. The Pharisees name was Simon. A woman interupted their dinner by washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, drying them with her hair and pouring perfume on them. Simon criticized Jesus for letting her do it.
Jesus said, “Simon, when I entered your house you didn’t even anoint My head. Yet this woman has anointed my feet. Her sins are many and she has been forgiven much.”
Part of our anointing is a relational anointing for hospitality and reconciliation.
There is a medicinal anointing for comfort and healing.
Mark 6:13, Luke 10:33-34, James 5:14
Jesus sent His disciples out two by two, and one of the things that they did was anoint the sick and heal them. James says that we are to anoint the sick today for healing.
The Good Samaritan
This is also seen in Jesus’ story about the Good Samaritan. When the Good Samaritan saw the man in the ditch who had been beaten and left there to die, he went down to him and poured onto his wounds oil and wine. Anointing and compassion made him well.
There is a positional anointing to make you ‘fit for use.’
Exodus 30:26, Leviticus 4:16, 1 Samuel 16:13, 1 Kings 19:16, Isaiah 21:5, Rev 1:6
Maybe the anointing that we think of most is the positional anointing. In the Old Testament there were three different positions that received an anointing for office: prophets, priests and kings. There is a close tie between this positional anointing and Jesus’ title as Messiah (‘Anointed One’) since He was the only person who ever filled all three anointed offices of Prophet, Priest and King.
Inanimate objects were also anointed to accomplish ordained purposes. The articles in the tabernacle or in the Temple were to be anointed to fulfill a sacred purpose. In Isaiah 21:5 there is the phrase “anoint the shield,” which refers to anointing a leather shield with oil so that it would be ready for use in battle. (I use to anoint my baseball glove.)
God has given you this anointing because you have God-ordained positions to fulfill and purposes to accomplish. You can receive God’s anointing to fulfill the role that He has placed you in: as husband, or wife, or father, or mother, or boss, or worker, or minister, or Youth Worker, or Greeter, or Worship Team Member, or however God has called you.
Because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, this anointing stuff is for us everyday.
CONCLUSION
Rosi’s anointing
Many of you know Rosi Hinton. Rosi is part of our congregation but she hasn’t been with us for a while because she is suffering the affects of cancer. Rosi personifies the teaching of today. When you’re around Rosi, you can’t help but get a little of this anointing oil splashed on you. It becomes obvious that she has been with the Lord recently and steadily.
I have been with Rosi a couple of times over this last week. Once when I was there she called rather urgently for her bible and gave it to me because she wanted me to read something. When I got the bible she shouted to the others in the room, “Be quiet now. My pastor is going to read the word.” I asked her what she was wanting me to read and she calmly said, “Read anything. It’s all good.”
Rosi loves prayer and loves kids. She does whatever she can to love and teach kids. She has taught many of your kids to pray. She has been a teacher for years at an alternative school for troubled kids. Those are her kids. She loves those kids.
Pastor Tom and I went to see her on Thursday because she wasn’t doing well physically. Her spirit and her joy, like always, were soaring. We were told by Rosi and by her caregiver that some of the kids and school officials were over to see her the night before. The school is moving into a brand new facility next year and everyone is excited about the move. They told Rosi that when they move into their new school that they are going to give the school a brand new name. They are naming it after her: Hinton High School. Some of the kids don’t even want to graduate this year. They want to get held back and graduate next year so they can go to Hinton High.
Impact like that comes one way, through God’s anointing on our lives.
TRUST IN YOUR ANOINTING!
We’re talking this week about the One who anoints. What is anointing? Is it really a big deal? Do I really want it? What do I do with it once I have it?
Three retired pastors
I was with a few of my friends from the congregation with whom I meet regularly for mentoring and accountability. All of them happen to be retired pastors. I figured they should know, so I asked them, “What is anointing?”
One of them immediately said, “I can sure tell you when it ain’t.” Another gave me his definition: It is the inspiration of God by which we say and do something on God’s behalf. We all agreed that inspiration included, in the case of anointing, not just motivation but also authority and power. Ultimately, they all agreed that anointing comes more from knee-ology than from theology.
“Christ-ian”
Consider the word Christian. What does it mean? Followers of Jesus were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). The word Christian has been around ever since.
Christian comes from the word Christ. Where does that come from? Some of you will say, “Well, that’s easy. That was Jesus’ last name: Jesus Christ. You know, Mr. Christ.” That’s not exactly it. Christ is a title. It’s the Greek version of a Hebrew title: Messiah. Both Christ and Messiah mean the same thing. They mean, “Anointed One.”
This idea of anointing is so important that it is the most recognized characteristic of the Promised One who was to come, in the line of David, to save His people. They were awaiting the Messiah or, in Greek, the Christ. Jesus came as the Anointed One.
That has ramifications for us as Christians. Christian means: One relating to, belonging to, or resembling the Anointed One. You could say it means little anointed ones. The reality of anointing is very significant in Who Jesus is and who we are as Christians. We carry the name, but do we carry the reality?
1 John 2:27 (NKJV)
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you…
A STEADY ANOINTING
Zechariah’s vision
The prophet Zechariah was ministering to God’s people as they had returned to a destroyed Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and their city. He was ministering at the same time as the prophet Haggai. The high priest was Joshua and Zerrubabel was leader of the people.
The work of rebuilding had been difficult and met with opposition. The altar of the Temple was errected in 537 BC. The following year work on the Temple itself began, but then was quickly abandoned until 520 BC (sixteen years). The work was reinitiated and sustained by these prophetic voices. The Temple was completed in 515 BC.
The people needed something to snap them out of sixteen years of discouragement and neglect. They needed something that could give them hope for real success. They needed the same thing we need today: confidence in God’s anointing.
Zechariah 4:1-6 (NKJV)
1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
Zechariah 4:11-14 (NKJV)
11 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” 12 And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?” 13 Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”
This vision was universally recognized by its hearers as anointing. Anointing is spiritual fuel. It keeps the fire burning. In this vision there is a single large lampstand with many pipes, or branches (picture a menorah), all receiving fuel, “the golden oil,” dripping straight in from the olive branches.
1. Go straight to the source.
There is nothing like going straight to the source.
Oregon Rain
I’ve always thought it was a little weird to buy water in a bottle. It’s all around us. How do we know those bottled water companies don’t just hold their bottles under their kitchen sink at home, fill them up, and sell them us?
I was at our small group gathering the other day and there was bottled water there called ‘Oregon Rain.’ Apparently the people who sell it collect Oregon Rain and then sell it to us. I get all I want for free. (But it was good water, I must admit.)
That is going right to the source. It falls from the sky and we drink it. It doesn’t become a snowcap; melt off and run down a mountain; collect in a reservoir or leech underground; go through a processing plant adding chemicals and minerals and then show up in your sink. It comes right from heaven and we drink it.
Go right to the source
The only way to receive the anointing from God is to go right to the source. Sermons are great. Books and tapes can be helpful. But they are all processed materials. You’ve got to go to God to keep your fire alive. Go right to the source through daily time in His Word, prayer, and being anointed by the Holy Spirit.
2. Keep it steady.
A steady flow is the key. Notice in verse 12 it talks about the olive branches which drip the golden oil into the receptacles. Sometimes we come to God and say, “Give me a big blast right now. Get out Your firehose of anointing and let me have it.” That’s not the way it goes. That can put out the flame or make it destructive. It only takes a little bit with consistency.
My brother and the gas can
My brother can tell you it only takes a little bit. When he was a young boy he was trying to figure out if there was much gas in a particular gas can. He looked in, but it was too dark and he couldn’t see. Luckily, he knew where there were some matches. He lit a match, held it close to the opening and looked inside. The small explosion that ensued left him without any eyelashes or hair around his face for quite some time.
Dalene and the hose
Dalene and I were out in front of our house working on the yard. She got the hose out and put a small power nozzle on the end of the hose. The power nozzle doesn’t have anything to turn it on or off so I helpfully said, “Honey, you can take the on/off attachment from the back hose to use on that if you want. That’s what I do.” “No,” she replied, “I’m just going to do it like this.” I went back to what I was doing. She walked over to the outside faucet and turned it on. She left the end of the hose just sitting there. When the water reached the end of the hose it just started taking off like a little water rocket. It was flying around, getting everything all wet. She had to grab it like one of those wildlife shows catching a big snake. It was awesome.
It is a steady and sure anointing which has the greatest effect. Sometimes people, under the name of anointing, jump around like that garden hose. They come on big and flashy for God. Jesus said people who come on fast and furious end up having a shallow root. I have known many people who seem to have a double or triple dose of anointing, but in reality have very shallow roots. Go deep. Keep it steady.
3. Share it.
Anointing is for a purpose. And that purpose doesn’t stop with you.
Notice in the picture there was not one flame but many. There was one lampstand but seven lamps and seven pipes leading to the lamps. The golden oil that fueled one fire was then distributed through the pipe to another flame, and then to another flame. What if one bowl kept everything for itself? The lampstand would not function properly.
Did you know it was actually illegal in the old testament to make up anointing oil for your own purposes? It could only be used for what God said it could be used for.
THREE TYPES OF ANOINTING
There are three basic, important types and functions of anointing in scripture:
There is a relational anointing for hospitality and reconciliation.
Psalm 23:5, Psalm 133, Luke 7:46
This is reflected near the end of that wonderful pastoral psalm, Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”
Anointing someone’s head with oil was an act of reception and hospitality.
A woman anoints Jesus’ feet
Jesus went to a Pharisees house to eat. The Pharisees name was Simon. A woman interupted their dinner by washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, drying them with her hair and pouring perfume on them. Simon criticized Jesus for letting her do it.
Jesus said, “Simon, when I entered your house you didn’t even anoint My head. Yet this woman has anointed my feet. Her sins are many and she has been forgiven much.”
Part of our anointing is a relational anointing for hospitality and reconciliation.
There is a medicinal anointing for comfort and healing.
Mark 6:13, Luke 10:33-34, James 5:14
Jesus sent His disciples out two by two, and one of the things that they did was anoint the sick and heal them. James says that we are to anoint the sick today for healing.
The Good Samaritan
This is also seen in Jesus’ story about the Good Samaritan. When the Good Samaritan saw the man in the ditch who had been beaten and left there to die, he went down to him and poured onto his wounds oil and wine. Anointing and compassion made him well.
There is a positional anointing to make you ‘fit for use.’
Exodus 30:26, Leviticus 4:16, 1 Samuel 16:13, 1 Kings 19:16, Isaiah 21:5, Rev 1:6
Maybe the anointing that we think of most is the positional anointing. In the Old Testament there were three different positions that received an anointing for office: prophets, priests and kings. There is a close tie between this positional anointing and Jesus’ title as Messiah (‘Anointed One’) since He was the only person who ever filled all three anointed offices of Prophet, Priest and King.
Inanimate objects were also anointed to accomplish ordained purposes. The articles in the tabernacle or in the Temple were to be anointed to fulfill a sacred purpose. In Isaiah 21:5 there is the phrase “anoint the shield,” which refers to anointing a leather shield with oil so that it would be ready for use in battle. (I use to anoint my baseball glove.)
God has given you this anointing because you have God-ordained positions to fulfill and purposes to accomplish. You can receive God’s anointing to fulfill the role that He has placed you in: as husband, or wife, or father, or mother, or boss, or worker, or minister, or Youth Worker, or Greeter, or Worship Team Member, or however God has called you.
Because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, this anointing stuff is for us everyday.
CONCLUSION
Rosi’s anointing
Many of you know Rosi Hinton. Rosi is part of our congregation but she hasn’t been with us for a while because she is suffering the affects of cancer. Rosi personifies the teaching of today. When you’re around Rosi, you can’t help but get a little of this anointing oil splashed on you. It becomes obvious that she has been with the Lord recently and steadily.
I have been with Rosi a couple of times over this last week. Once when I was there she called rather urgently for her bible and gave it to me because she wanted me to read something. When I got the bible she shouted to the others in the room, “Be quiet now. My pastor is going to read the word.” I asked her what she was wanting me to read and she calmly said, “Read anything. It’s all good.”
Rosi loves prayer and loves kids. She does whatever she can to love and teach kids. She has taught many of your kids to pray. She has been a teacher for years at an alternative school for troubled kids. Those are her kids. She loves those kids.
Pastor Tom and I went to see her on Thursday because she wasn’t doing well physically. Her spirit and her joy, like always, were soaring. We were told by Rosi and by her caregiver that some of the kids and school officials were over to see her the night before. The school is moving into a brand new facility next year and everyone is excited about the move. They told Rosi that when they move into their new school that they are going to give the school a brand new name. They are naming it after her: Hinton High School. Some of the kids don’t even want to graduate this year. They want to get held back and graduate next year so they can go to Hinton High.
Impact like that comes one way, through God’s anointing on our lives.
TRUST IN YOUR ANOINTING!
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