ENCOUNTERING THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 2
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
I AM ANOINTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CARRY ON THE MINISTRY OF JESUS IN MY WORLD
Isaiah 61:1-3; LUKE 4:15-30
INTRODUCTION
Little Johnny was home sick from Sunday School and church. It was Palm Sunday, and when his dad returned home from service he had brought a palm branch to give to Johnny.
‘What’s this?’ Johnny asked
His dad replied, ‘It’s a palm branch. When Jesus came to the city, the people waved palm branches.’
Little Johnny responded, ‘Aw, the Sunday I get sick is the day Jesus comes to church.’
It was Jesus’ custom to attend public worship, a custom all of His followers should imitate today (Heb_10:24-25). He might have argued that the “religious system” was corrupt, or that He didn’t need the instruction; but instead, He made His way on the Sabbath to the place of prayer.
A typical synagogue service opened with an invocation or prayer for God’s blessing and then the reading of the traditional Hebrew confession of faith (Deu_6:4-9
“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.[a] 5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
This was followed by prayer and the prescribed readings from the Law and from the Prophets, with the reader paraphrasing the Hebrew Scriptures in Aramaic.
This was followed by a brief sermon given by one of the men of the congregation or perhaps by a visiting rabbi .
If a priest was present, the service closed with a benediction. Otherwise, one of the laymen prayed and the meeting was dismissed.
Jesus was asked to read the Scripture text and to give the sermon. The passage He read included Isa_61:1-2, and He selected it for His “text.” The Jewish rabbis interpreted this passage to refer to the Messiah, and the people in the synagogue knew it. You can imagine how shocked they were when Jesus boldly said that it was written about Him and that He had come to usher in the “acceptable year of the Lord.”
The reference here is the “Year of Jubilee” described in Lev_25:1-55. Every seventh year was a “Sabbatical year” for the nation, when the land was allowed to rest; and every fiftieth year (after seven Sabbaticals) was set apart as the “Year of Jubilee.”
The main purpose of this special year was the balancing of the economic system: slaves were set free and returned to their families, property that was sold reverted to the original owners, and all debts were canceled. The land lay fallow as man and beast rested and rejoiced in the Lord.
Jesus applied all of this to His own ministry, not in a political or economic sense, but in a physical and spiritual sense. He had certainly brought Good News of salvation to bankrupt sinners and healing to brokenhearted and rejected people. He had delivered many from blindness and from bondage to demons and disease. In essence, Jesus was proclaiming that He was the fulfillment of the year of Jubilee.
In this scripture we see something very powerful
#1 We see that Jesus knew exactly what he supposed to do.
#2 We see that Jesus knew that he was empowered to do the work
In other words; Jesus was consciously aware of an enduement, an equipping, a supernatural endowment called the anointing.
I. WHAT IS THE ANNOINTING?
smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony.
"high priests were anointed with oil"
synonyms: consecrate, bless, ordain; More
• ceremonially confer divine or holy office upon (a priest or monarch) by smearing or rubbing with oil. "the Lord has anointed me to preach to the poor"
synonyms: consecrate, bless, ordain
The origin of anointing was from a practice of shepherds. Lice and other insects would often get into the wool of sheep, and when they got near the sheep's head, they could burrow into the sheep's ears and kill the sheep. So, ancient shepherds poured oil on the sheep's head. This made the wool slippery, making it impossible for insects to get near the sheep's ears because the insects would slide off.
From this, anointing became symbolic of blessing, protection, and empowerment.
In Bible times, people were anointed with oil to signify God’s blessing or call on that person’s life for a special service.
When giving instructions for anointing the High Priest and his soons, Moses writes in Exodus 29:7 “This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. 2 And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil. 3 Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams. 4 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5 Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. 6 Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban. 7 Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.
Not only were the priest consecrated for service, but the tabernacle and its furnishings were also anointed and dedicated for the Lords service. Exodus 40:9 “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy.
Kings were also anointed for service to the Lord. God instructs the Prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 9:6 “Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD’s people Israel.
In the New Testament, instructions are given to anoint people for healing. James 5:14 :Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
So when a person was anointed, they were consecrated or dedicated to God for a particular service for God.
Another meaning for the word anointed is "chosen one." Or ‘Messiah” or literally ‘Christ”. The Bible says that Jesus Christ was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit to spread the Good News and free those who have been held captive by sin
Acts 10:38 “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”
Here is the best most concise definition of the anointing I could find, The anointing is the Divine enablement and supernatural empowerment to carry on the ministry of Jesus.
II. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF JESUS ANOINTING?
To begin Jesus declares it was to PREACH GOOD NEWS to the poor. While Jesus did care about the poor, and was desperately poor Himself , this verse is not primarily speaking of material deprivation or economic poverty.
In His famous sermon on the Mount recorded in Mattherw 5, Jesus says, Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God. The word “poor” here implies humility and hopelessness of spirit. It literally means “having nothing to offer on one’s own accord.” In other words, it is the realization that on our own, we have nothing to offer God. God is not dependant on us, rather, we are dependant on Him! Eugene Peterson’s in the Message The Message translates this verse: “You’re blessed when you are at the end of your rope.” (Mt. 5:3)
Author Mike Breaux writes, “You are blessed…when you reach into your spiritual pockets, and you turn them inside out and all you’ve got are little lint balls. You will never be happy in life until you realize you’re spiritually busted and you need God in your life.”
That is who Jesus came to preach good news too. People like you and me, who have nothng to offer God, we are spiritually bankrupt and totally dependent on Him for salvation.
Secondly, Jesus came to COMFORT the brokenhearted. Isaiah says of the coming Messiah that Jesus came to “Heal (Bind up) the Brokenhearted.” The word broken comes from the Hebrew word “SHABAR” meaning “crushed into pieces, shattered, bruised, disconnected.”
Brokenhearted literally means “to shatter one’s strength.” What Isaiah tells us in this prophetic passages is the mission of Jesus was to come and to “bind up” which means “to heal, or to set right, as in a broken bone.”
Broken is a good word to describe people all around us. Even in this room are people who are experiencing a broken heart; perhaps you are experiencing a broken relationship; others are here with broken spirits and a broken will; while others are broken financially. Jesus came to “bind up and heal the brokenhearted.” He is the great physician who can make you whole again. Listen to God’s voice:
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
While the Lord is always near, this verse teaches something hard to understand. When we are crushed, the Lord gets closer. His presence is powerfully present in the lives of shattered saints.
Have you given your hurt to the healer? What is that thing that keeps you up at night? Give it to the Lord right now!
Next Jesus says His purpose is to PROCLAIM FREEDOM for those who are imprisoned.
Many of you and I know today are in “bondage.” People are captive to thier own desires and thier own will. Whether it is alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, or eating addictions, fear of the future or of failure, or bitterness and anger, some of you here are so bound by the desires of your own life that for you there is no freedom. They live life in “quiet desperation,” even within the walls of the church church.
This is exactly why Jesus came. Jesus came to bring you and I out of that captivity. Deliverance and recovery begins with a personal decision to let Jesus lead you out.
In addition to leading you out of bondage, Jesus came to RECOVER SIGHT to the blind.
Although Jesus does not quote this verse in Luke, Isaiah says that one of the ministries of the Messiah will be that of healer.
In the Old testament, there were four healing miracles never recorded; healing of the blind, lame, mute, and the deaf.
In Isaiah’s prophecy, HE declares that the sign the true Messiah has come is that all four of these would occur.
Jesus testifies that He is the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy and it is confirmed as the gospel writers record how the Lame walked, those born blind receive their sight, the mute are given voices, and deaf hear.
Finally, Jesus came to RELEASE the oppressed. The King James Version translates this verse “to set at liberty those who are bruised.” I love that translation. When I was young, in grade five, I was a victim of bullying. I was the tallest and skinniest in my class and the least athletic which made me a target. There were days I would come home with bruises, I would tell my mom that I fell in gym class.
This world is a difficult place sometimes. This is true even for Christians. We are going to “battered and bruised” from time to time. Maybe it is Satan trying to shoot down your self-esteem. Remember Satan is a “thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10) How do we stand in the midst of these storms that batter us?
Listen to the encouraging word of the Lord:
“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9)
Do you have some spiritual bruises this morning? Remember that to Jesus and He wants to be your stronghold. Have you found your shelter in Him? What is that one thing you have battling? Let’s ask the Lord to shelter us from it today.
III. WHAT HAS GOD ANOINTED ME TO DO? ( Rick Warren)
In this scripture we see something very powerful.
#1 We see exactly what we are supposed to do.
#2 We see that we are all empowered to do the work He has called us to do.
The ability to minister is made possible through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Remember our definition of the anointing? The anointing is the Divine enablement and supernatural empowerment to carry on the ministry of Jesus.
Look again at verse 18, Jesus takes the scroll and reads the words, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..’ Literally this can read "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed saturated, is resting on, is through me,’
True anointing is the power and influence of the Holy Spirit saturating and permeating a person. It is imperative that followers of Christ move with true Godly anointing. The anointing of the Holy Spirit makes ministry possible and effective.
So what has God the Holy Spirit anointed you and I to do?
I have distributed paper and so with a pen I want you to pay close attention,
Jesus came to preach good news to the poor. These are the people who live with not just material or moral poverty, but they are people who live with SPIRITUAL poverty.
In your notes I want you to fill in the space with the name of someone you know who needs the good news? ( raise notes and pray)
Jesus also came to comfort the brokenhearted. These are people who are WEIGHED DOWN with disappointment, discouragement, defeat or despair.
These are people whose hearts have been broken to pieces by pain, who have been deceived, abused, and let down by people in their lives. These are people who are suffering under crushing grief and are bound by bad memories. They are hopeless and see no point in living. Perhaps I just described someone you know. Perhaps I just described you. You fell broken down, beat down, used up, pushed aside, casted out, abused, and forgotten.
Who do you know that is hurting today? ( raise notes and prayer.)
Jesus came to proclaim freedom to those who are imprisoned. These are people who feel TRAPPED by their circumstances, addictions, habits or fears.
Who do you know that feels trapped? ( write down name, then pray)
Jesus came to recover SIGHT to the blind. These are people who are BLIND to the truth about God and themselves. Who do you know that is blind? (Raise notes and pray)
Finally Jesus came to release the oppressed. These are the people who are PICKED ON, PUT DOWN, VICTIMIZED OR TAKEN FOR GRANTED. Who do you know that is oppressed? ( raise notes and pray)
CONCLUSION: What does this mean?
It means the same Holy Ghost and Power is still here, and now we are his body
We are his hands and his feet
We are his voice in the earth
We are anointed to carry on his work
IT MEANS I AM ANOINTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CARRY ON THE MINISTRY OF JESUS IN MY WORLD
