Sermon # 3 - Attributes Of An Anointed Person Series

Acts 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” (KJV)

We looked at Psalm 89:20-21, where it says, “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.”(Webster).

In the previous we looked in detail at how the anointing of the Lord was needed for David, for the hand of the Lord to rest mightily on him and for him to perform great things for the Lord. We also looked at the other people who received this anointing, and the purpose of the same.

Many people are apprehensive about the topic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit only because they have many misconceptions. Also the ones who claim to have received this anointing by their lack of consistency in their Christian walk have in a way hindered others from experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore, on the basis of God’s word look at what are the characteristics that will be evident in a person who is anointed by the Holy Spirit.

The anointing of the “Holy Spirit” as the very word suggests, is the power or the anointing of God in our lives to lead a holy life. It is not just an emotional experience, but the fact that we belong to the Lord Jesus who lives within us, and we are also the temple of the Holy Spirit who enables us to live a life of godliness and holiness.

We will study the life of Joshua and see what we can learn from it.

Numbers 27:18, says, “So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit, and place your hand on him.” (GW)

We see at the very outset that Joshua was a man anointed with the Spirit of God.

Exodus 17:9, Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." (NRSVA)

1. Joshua respected Moses’ authority and was obedient

When Moses commanded Joshua to go and fight the Amalekites, as Moses stood on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand, Joshua obeyed without questioning and went into battle. Joshua was a man who could take on responsibility and fulfil it. He respected authority and was obedient to Moses.

All authority is God ordained, and if we don’t respect those who are in authority, then the ones under us will not respect us. For instance, if the father in a home does not respect his employer at his work place and has a rebellious attitude, he will very often find himself in a similar situation, sometimes in his own home where his children will not respect and submit to his authority. The reason for this is that, if we don’t give respect where it’s due, we will surely not receive the respect that is due to us.

In a home for example, the Lord ordained that the husband is the head of the family, not to rule and dominate his wife, but to give leadership, take responsibility, and love his wife, so that there is order in the home. The wife on the other hand is required to be obedient and in agreement with her husband’s decisions so that the home can be a joyful place. For a family to be a happy place there should be mutual love and respect. A truly anointed man will be a loving husband to his wife, and a truly anointed wife will be a submissive and loving partner to her husband.

We also need to teach our children to respect elders, and to speak and treat everyone with respect. We must instruct them to be obedient to rules set by those in authority. If we don’t teach them when they are young, they will one day embarrass us before others, and bring disgrace to us.

An anointed person will know how to submit to every authority that God has established. We need to submit to authority at our home, work place, at school or college and church as appointed by the Lord. God is a God of order, and all authority and rules are God ordained, and therefore we need to have a willingness to submit to them. It is indeed difficult to do this is in our own strength, but the Lord anoints us, and helps us to be submissive and obedient.

2. Joshua had firm faith in the Lord and was not swayed by the opinion of the majority.

Numbers 14:9, we read “Do not rebel against the LORD and don't be afraid of the people who live there. We will conquer them easily. The LORD is with us and has defeated the gods who protected them; so don't be afraid." (GNB)