Intro: one of the most intriguing people in scripture is Samson. His story is amazing in many ways. He was a miracle baby to a barren mother. An angel appeared to Samson’s parents to announce him as a deliverer of Israel. Samson failed miserably, but we learn some valuable lessons about how the anointing is obtained, how the anointing is misused, how the flesh and spirit fight against each other, how signs and wonders must be backed by purpose and truth, and what it takes for a true deliverance. Our story comes from Judges 13:1-16:31
The Purpose of Anointing
God is sick of all the so-called anointing in America. It is the most over-used word in our society. Some Samson like anointed ones are parading through our nation with wholesale anointing that doesn’t accomplish anything and has no lasting results. I have the right to preach this, I have been in the Pentecostal church all my life, I have pastured Assembly of God churches for 20 years, and most of what goes on in the Pentecostal/ Charismatic/ Full Gospel/ Independent churches in America is nothing more than a Samson anointing. It doesn’t matter how many outward signs are seen in a church service, results matter to God, true deliverance must take place or everything is superficial. Most churches that claim anointing have never even paid the initial price of the Nazarite code of obedience, separation, denial of flesh and sacrifice to God. Today, I will take 47 years of Pentecostal experience, and in a nutshell give you what a true anointing in someone’s life is suppose to accomplish.
Anointing Obtained
Anointing Misused
Flesh and Spirit
Signs and Wonders must be backed by purpose and truth
True Deliverance
I. Anointing Obtained—one of the misnomers of the anointing is that you just come to a Pentecostal service, someone lays hands on your life, and immediately you become an anointed one. If that is true, I am going to go to a mechanic, let him touch me, and immediately I am going to be the mechanical one. It just doesn’t happen like this. God’s anointing is too precious to be given out in such a superficial way. Samson had to fulfill the Nazarite code to obtain anointing, and today these principles still apply.
a. couldn’t cut his hair—his long hair was a sign or symbol of obedience to the Word of God. It is still true today, that God will never divorce Spirit and Truth. He will not place His anointing on someone that doesn’t walk in the Truth of God’s word.
b. Separated from the world—Samson lived a life of separation, he was set aside from the world. For someone to obtain a true anointing they must spend time alone with God. The anointing isn’t something caught in an emotionally pitched service, it is something given by special time with God.
c. Denial of the flesh—here is another missing element in today’s anointing. Some of the most showy, carnal, worldly type of people are promoted as having the anointing. Anointing is humility, anointing is Spirit not flesh. It is almost amusing that every good singer that hits a high note, every preacher who can run or shout, every teacher who can give a deep teaching is called anointed. Lack of true discernment among the Pentecostal church has allowed many people of low character to be promoted as having a great anointing.
d. Called to be a deliverer—here is one of the greatest mistakes that goes on in Charismatic circles, the anointing is so people can be blessed, feel good, get a Holy Ghost tingle, fall out, shake or dance, but no one leaves out delivered. Samson wasn’t given the anointing to get Israel happy, he was given the anointing to deliver them out of captivity.
II. Anointing Misused—Samson would fit in to modern Pentecostal services today because he could come in, misuse the Spirit of God, and everyone would celebrate the anointing. The anointing isn’t for killing lions, starting fox fires, or beating people to death with the jawbone of an ass, even though these things may seem glorious, none of them had any purpose for the people of God. Today, if someone has a few people fall out under the anointing, if someone gives special words over peoples lives, then it doesn’t matter that no one was saved, no true deliverance takes place, people leave out saying, boy that was an anointed service.
· Samson used the anointing to impress people---Judges 14:8—you could miss this if you weren’t looking for it, but he went to show off his lion kill to his new bride. I guess that is what Samson anointing is all about, it doesn’t accomplish much but it looks real impressive. This may seem hard to swallow for some, I believe many people want the anointing, not to be a deliverer, not to see people get saved, but to have a feeling of superiority in ministry over those who don’t have as much anointing. Is this a sick concept or what? But it is the Samson anointing.
· Samson’s anointing wasn’t being used against the enemy. Samson was marrying the Philistines, telling riddles to the Philistines but not killing the Philistines. If you have the anointing it is for destroy the yokes of bondage in people. At the end of any service, not matter how much of a spiritual high people seem to leave with, the important question should be asked, did any devil’s get killed, was anyone set totally free, or will the same group need the same fix for the next service.
III. Flesh verses Spirit—we all battle with our flesh, so I am not even suggesting that someone with an anointed ministry is perfect and infallible, or that God can’t use someone who has feet of clay. But here is a key point that should be mentioned. Samson’s life was never fulfilling because he never realized his true purpose in ministry. Today, God may bless someone with good services, a good ministry, and they may experience the anointing from time to time. But if they don’t walk in the full power of God, if the anointing isn’t consistent in their lives, they will never reach their full potential in ministry and that will leave them frustrated and discouraged.
· Samson’s victories were all short lived. Because of his fleshly appetites being so strong, even when he did accomplish something for God, it was always undone by some fleshly demonstration.
· You can never walk in the fullness of the Spirit with the flesh still in control. His dad said, can’t you take a wife from your own people, but Samson had a craving for strange flesh which was the ruining of his life.
· There are ministers who are very sincere, that preach strong sermons, pray hard around the altars, and have some good results that never conquer certain areas of the flesh. In time, those areas will infect their spirit, a little leaven will leaven the whole lump. As a Pentecostal minister I have seen many great ministries come down, not because the minister was a bad or evil person, they just didn’t win over one area of the flesh over time, and the small fox in time ate the entire vine. Every minister must guard against weakness in the flesh, because just like Samson, it only takes one day of weakness for the plan and purpose of God to come crumbling down in your life.
IV. Signs And Wonders must be backed by purpose and truth—one day a minister of another faith told me that we were known as the feel good church. He said, charismatic people want to feel good more than live right. I could have gotten angry but instead I did a little research into 47 years of my Pentecostal experience, and to some degree this evaluation is correct. People actually come to a service not to get correction, not to get reproof, not to hear about discipline, denial of flesh or suffering for Christ. Many come to be blessed, to get a spiritual high, or catch a feeling. Now nothing is wrong with wanting to experience the presence of God, but it must be back by purpose and truth.
· Until Samson delivers Israel, it doesn’t matter how strong his anointing is, or how many people are impressed with him. We live in a numbers society, a success society and a material society. One of the greatest misconceptions in ministry is this: the bigger the church or ministry, the more financial success, the nicer the cars and suits, then the more anointing that is resting on that ministry. We have blended success and anointing into one pot. If someone has a national or worldwide ministry, they must be anointed. When will we ever learn, how many superheroes of ministry will have to come down before we realize that God still looks at the heart.
V. True Deliverance—16:28-31—every minister should read these few verses every week. It is Samson’s greatest hour, it is when he fulfills God’s call on his life in a great measure. Some would say, no way, this is the day his ministry died, but really this is the day his ministry was fulfilled. It may seem like a sad ending to a sad life, but for one moment in time, Samson was the true deliverer that God had called him to be. I hope for you and me, we will not have to have it come to this exact end, but I do hope that at least we will experience the fulfillment of tearing down the enemies camp one time in our lives.
· True deliverance came with a cry—Samson had run out of games, run out of riddles and now was reduced to a blind man mocked by the enemy. It was here that Samson cried out to the Lord, it is here that all true anointing begins, at the end of ourselves is God. We all must have a cry for help, we must all humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord. Samson’s last hour was his greatest hour.
· One more time—Samson had come to that place where he realized the value of the anointing. Something he had taken for granted now was the most valuable thing in his life. I guess we all need to come to this place in our lives, where with the anointing we can do anything, without it we can’t do anything. We see God’s mercy that endures forever, he heard Samson’s final cry.
· He desired his purpose—I believe we see the secret to true anointing in this picture. Samson finally wants to kill the enemy, deliver Israel. It isn’t fame, or women, or finance—he comes to the place that purpose is the most powerful desire in his heart. We all need to get there. In our world, like Samson’s there are so many distractions, there are so many fleshly pursuits, but you have to make the choice, tear down the walls today, or one day the walls will come down on you. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Today, search for purpose over everything else in your life.
Close: a well known end time preacher gave this message a few years ago that God was about to expose all the false anointing in America. He said, that only the true anointing will survive during God’s judgment on our society for sin. He went on to say that only two churches will exist in the final days, the Anti-Christ churches and the Anointed Churches full of God’s Spirit and Power of deliverance. I want our church to be a true church, and for any minister, pastor or evangelist that reads this sermon, I want you to walk in a true anointing full of purpose and power. In Revelation there were those whose garments weren’t spotted by the world, may you be a wearer of white on that great and glorious day of the Lord.
