Sermon Central
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Four Reasons Why God Gave You The Anointing
Contributed by Earl Pickett on Oct 19, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the topic of the anointing. The confusion quickly unravels when you discover that God's purposes in the anointing was very simple. God wants to empower your life to do His will in the world.
2 Corinthians 1:21, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God”
WHAT IS THE ANOINTING?
The anointing is the marking of a person or object with oil to establish that person or thing for a special purpose. In the Old Testament, objects and vessels were anointed in the temple in Jerusalem to identify them as belonging to God for the strict purpose of worship. People were also anointed in the Old Testament. When a prophet, priest, or king was chosen by God, they were anointed for their assignment. The anointing carried God’s endorsement and endowment for the person to carry out ministry.
DOES GOD STILL ANOINT PEOPLE TODAY?
Yes, He does! Even after the time of the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:21 that God was still anointing people. The Lord doesn’t use natural oil to anoint people in the New Testament, like He did in the Old Testament. Instead, people are anointed by the presence and power of the Spirit of God. The work of ministry is very challenging and God’s endorsement and endowment is still the way He equips us to do this work. The world would love to believe that God is dead, but His anointing of people over the past 2000 years gives us evidence otherwise!!!
FOR WHAT PURPOSE ARE WE ANOINTED?
1. Like a prophet, you were anointed to represent God and proclaim His Word. When the Spirit of God encounters of the life of the believer, the Bible becomes more than a book. It becomes the very voice of God speaking spiritual life and hope in the ears of the people.
2. Like a priest, you were anointed to serve God, be an intercessor and a worshipper. It takes Spirit and Truth to be a true worshipper of God. When true worship occurs often God will anoint that person with a desire to pray for others and intercede on their behalf. When that happens, the promises of James 5: 16 becomes a reality: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
3. Like a king, you were anointed so could be a godly leader at home, on your job, at school, or in church. Leading others can be a very difficult task. But God is still calling the people in His body to rise up and be the “light of the world”. Being the light means to let Jesus shine in you as the Holy Spirit leads them out of darkness. Many of the moral problems we are seeing in our government comes from a lack of elected officials who are “born again Christians” who are willing to shine the light of Jesus into darkness.
4. You were anointed so you could bring healing, hope, and the love of God into people’s broken lives. In the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, sick people were often anointed. This marked the person as under the loving care of the Great Physician Jesus Christ. Jesus is still healing and bringing hope in to people’s lives through the Body of Christ. Are you willing to be His hands reaching out to those who need Him most? This is the reason for your anointing!
