Hand of the Lord
Sermon #2
Anointed by God
Acts 11:21, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” (KJV)
What is the purpose for which, the Hand of the Lord rests on us
“I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: my arm also shall strengthen him.” Psalm 89: 20-21
In the previous chapter we looked at some of the reasons as to why the Lord had to search and find David, and how the Lord is still seeking for such men who are truly a rarity. Between the Lord finding David and His hand establishing Him, the Lord did something very special - he anointed David as King. The Bible says, God anointed David with His holy oil.
Today the word anointing has somehow been widely misinterpreted and misrepresented. However, we need to study the word of God and on the basis of His word try to understand what the true meaning of anointing is, and also find out how and why we need to receive this anointing in our lives.
Let’s study some of the passages where the Bible talks about anointing
The Anointing of Aaron
“Then dress Aaron in the holy clothes, and anoint him. In this way you will dedicate him to serve me as priest.” Exodus 40:13 (GW)
When the Lord anointed Aaron as a Priest, He did so, so that he would be ‘set apart’ by the Lord to serve the Lord. The role of a Priest was to stand in the presence of the Lord and to intercede to the Lord, on behalf of the sins of his people. He would also offer regular sacrifices on their behalf and literally be the one who stands in the gap between God and men.
The primary purpose of God’s anointing is that we should also be ‘set apart’ for Him. His desire is that we should be those like Aaron who will pray and intercede for those around us, who do not know the Lord. We need to desire to rise above our complacencies, and our traditional forms of worship, and seek to be a distinct people so that those around us can recognize God’s anointing on us.
It is indeed a morbid thought, that many who claim to have received the Lord’s anointing are leading dichotomous lives. As there is no real transformation from within, the life within the church and the life outside are in contradiction. We really need to desire to be those special people, chosen by God and who are totally separated for the Lord, whose lives will impact others to come into the Kingdom of God.
The anointing of David
......”The LORD said to Samuel, "This is the one---anoint him!" Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers.” 1 Samuel 16:12-13 (GNB)
The reason God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s house, was to anoint one of his son’s as King. It was imperative that the one who was to be chosen as King was first to be anointed by the prophet. As Samuel and the family of Jesse wait for David to come, the Lord commands Samuel to rise and anoint David.
“After removing him, God made David their king. This is what God said about him: 'I have found that David son of Jesse is the kind of man I like, a man who will do all I want him to do.’” Acts 13:22 (GNB)
Once David received the anointing he was separated from tending sheep, from the life in the wilderness, from his family so that the Lord could elevate Him to the position of king that the Lord had planned for him.
First and foremost it is the Lord Himself who calls us and anoints us. The intendment of His anointing on us, is that like David we too will seek to do the will of God, and fulfil all that the Lord has purposed for us. If we look at the Lord’s Prayer as taught by Jesus, He said pray, “…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (NKJV) that is precisely the reason why the Lord has given us His anointing, to be His instruments to fulfil His divine will on earth.
God has chosen us to be Kings and Priests
“And hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6 (KJV)
Isn’t it an overwhelming thought, that the Lord has anointed us with His Holy Spirit so that we too can be kings and priests. Kings so we can rule and accomplish the will of God on earth, and priests so we can be those intercessors for those around us.
The anointing on Jesus
Jesus has gone to Nazareth his home town. On the Sabbath he goes into the synagogue and takes the scroll reads the passage from Isaiah as recorded in Luke 4: 18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is with me. He has anointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin and the restoring of sight to the blind, to forgive those who have been shattered by sin, to announce the year of the Lord's favour." (GW)
Jesus revealed that the Spirit of the Lord rested on Him, and anointed Him, so that He could fulfil the very purposes of the Father while He was here on earth. His only goal was to serve the people the Father had entrusted to Him. So also, the Lord anoints us and sets us apart so that we can serve Him and fulfil the purposes and works that He has planned to complete through us.
The anointing in the Upper Room
After His resurrection and just before his ascension, Jesus commanded his disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. They were all in prayer and in one accord in the upper room.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:4 (Webster)
To accomplish this great commission as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: …..” they needed the power of the Holy Spirit.
Every single person who was there in that upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit without exception and every one of them spoke in various tongues. What happened as a result was that many who came as merely spectators were so filled with awe and wonderment that thousands believed and were saved.
Each one of us is representing the Lord in some way wherever we are. For example, when an officer is in uniform then there are certain expectations from him or her. While wearing that uniform, if he or she were to do wrong it would be very glaring and also in a way be a disgrace to the position they represent.
So also we are exemplifying Christ here on earth. We are robed with the armour of God – the belt of Truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of Salvation, the sword of the Spirit and our feet fitted with readiness to share the gospel of peace. The Lord calls us to consecrate all of ourselves, our body, soul and spirits to Him. Only when we live as those set apart will others believe and turn to the Lord. Diversely, if we don’t lead exemplary lives, it will truly bring dishonour to the Lord we represent.
Even if we have never led anyone to the Lord in the past, if we truly seek this kind of anointing, the Lord will use us to lead many into His kingdom. The same is true today as was on the day of Pentecost. The Lord will fill everyone with His Holy Spirit who is willing to be totally set apart and consecrated for Him alone.
Peter explained this anointing to the crowd that was amazed
As the crowds stood amazed at the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit in the upper room, Peter stood up and explained it this way.
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants, and on my hand-maidens I will, in those days, pour out of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:” Acts 2:17-18 (KJV)
The outcome was unbelievable
“Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.” Acts 2:41 (GNB)
This is what each one of us should desire, that the Lord separate us, take us, cleanse us, consecrate us and anoint us so that like the early church we too can lead many people into the Kingdom of God.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
