“Have You Lost Jesus?”
Intro: If your child has ever wondered away from you as a parent and you thought they were lost, you understand the frightening feeling that comes in your heart when you feel you have truly lost something of great value. I wonder today has the church lost something of value that we are willing to diligently seek after until we have found it. We tend to lose the anointing of God’s Spirit upon our lives and churches but we tend to move on in life like nothing has ever happened. Must I say that it is time that we understand what is missing and regain it back in the church today.
Text: Luke 2:41-52
One of the hardest lessons for us to learn is that we cannot monopolize the Holy Spirit. We cannot get a corner on the Holy Spirit market. He is not for sale and will not allow Himself to be franchised like a fast food chain. We must therefore reverence Him, honor Him, let Him be Himself; we must flow with Him and not try to coerce Him to flow with us.
Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
We as the church must learn to distinguish the difference between what is important and what is essential. Yesterday’s anointing of God’s blessing is important to remember but the fresh anointing of God’s presence today is essential. If I do not experience a fresh anointing everyday it is only a matter of time before I will be satisfied to think that yesterday’s anointing is something greater than me seeking God for something fresh in me today.
Phi 3:14 ‘ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
We can get caught up in the Spiritual phenomenon of yesterday, that we don’t see the Spiritual Move of God’s Spirit for us today. Thank God for the Upper Room, Topeka Kansas, Pensecola FLordia, Tornoto Canada Outpour-ing, but I need something for me and my family today, to war off the devils and demons of my society with something fresh and new in my own life.
Illustration: A poll was taken not long ago that revealed how much time the average clergyman or church leader actually spent alone with God in prayer and private devotions every day. The average: four minutes a day. We may wonder why the Church is powerless, generally speaking, but this is part of the reason for the spirit of death on the Church.
QUOTE: Martin Luther quote from journal, “I have a very busy day today. Must spend not two, but three hours in prayer.”
I. Christ was the anointed one
A. The anointed One is a title ascribed to Jesus Christ. Christ or the Messiah means the Anointed One. Jesus experienced in a deep, inward and personal way the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ demonstrated this power in His life and ministry by transforming the lives of those who were sick or found themselves in hopeless situations.
Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. For God was with Him
B. Holy Spirit anointed, or came upon Jesus, at his baptism. In the O.T. the Holy Spirit was given to individuals to carry out a specific task for God. The Jews expected that the Mes-siah would have the Holy Spirit. Indeed the word "Messiah" means one anointed with the Holy Spirit in Hebrew. The Greek is Christ.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed,”
C. The anointing brings God to us and brings us to God. It brings us into the depths of God, the holiness of God and the power of God. The anointing brings a new dimension of reality and life to the Christian experience. It is this reality that makes us focus on God no matter our situation and gives us the right perspective of life.
II. Church is to be the anointed ones
A. Jesus was actively interested in His Father’s business. We , the church – the Body of Christ – must also be actively interested in the Father’s business. The only way that the church can do the Father’s business is to have the anointing of the Father. WE must be about our Father’s business.
Act 10:38 “ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him.”
B. We the Church have been called out to do what Jesus did. Even Jesus said that greater works than these shall you do when I go to my Father. We have been anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick and cast out demons. - - LUKE 4:18 - - - -
III. Carelessness with having anointing
A. Mary and Joseph had become so busy with other matters that their thoughts were not focused on Jesus. They took His presence for granted. They had accomplished their religious obligation and did not want to hang around the church house any longer than they had to.
- - - - - - - Luke 2:41-52 - - - - - - -
B. They just assumed Jesus was around somewhere. How many of us Christians do exactly the same thing. To often we want Jesus to be where we are instead of us being where He is.
2Timothy 3:2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
2Timothy 3:4 “Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”
C. My continued effectiveness here below is by my hearing God’s voice today. If my anointing from yesterday years is not replenished by today’s fresh anointing, I will eventually lose the power and anointing of God’s power upon my life today.
ILLUSTRATION: A foolish old farmer, so the story goes, concluded one day that the oats he had fed his mule for years were simply costing him too much. So he hatched a plan he mixed a little sawdust in with the feed, and then a little more the next day, and even more the next, each time reducing the amount of oats in the mix. The mule didn’t seem to notice the gradual change, so the farmer thought things were fine and kept decreasing the proportion of oats. But weeks later, on the day he finally fed the poor beast nothing but sawdust, the mule finished the meal and fell over dead.
I hope the point is understood, nothing can substitute our relationship with Jesus. We must set ourselves on guard lest we misplace him, or drift from him. The exchange is ever so subtle hardly even noticeable until our spiritual life collapses before us. Take day-to-day responsibility for your relationship with Him.
