The Anointing Of God

The Anointing of God

10/07/2007

Shannon Lewis

Bayou Community Church

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Over the last several weeks you were invited to pray with us concerning 3 things which we feel is essential to our success as a church. Today we will begin a 3 part series that will look at each of these 3 areas, God’s anointing, God’s presence and finally God’s will. Today we’ll be considering God’s anointing.

In Pentecostal circles we talk or refer to the “anointing” a great deal. Some would even seem to suggest that we have the monopoly on God’s anointing. I would strongly disagree with that. I know many non-Pentecostals that are quite anointed of God. What is paramount to the anointing is having a good understanding of it. I think the first thing we need to do is to get a clear picture of what the Bible says about “anointing”. To gain a better understanding of what anointing is we should first attempt to understand what anointing is not.

In much of today’s church world, you don’t always get a clear understanding of what God’s anointing really is. Sadly, the anointing of God has been reduced to a Pastors performance in the pulpit, how good the sermon is or how loud he shouts. In some circles, large numbers and a wealth of programs are considered as clear evidence that God’s anointing is upon a particular church. If a song brings chill bumps on your arms, then it has to be anointed. If the choir sounds heavenly, they must be anointed. If after you have left church and you feel good about your experience then surely it was anointed.

Let me be very clear. I like good preaching and good singing as much as the next person but I also understand what I call good isn’t necessarily what God calls anointed!

Very often in God’s word we see God anointing people or things that upon first glance, leaves us scratching our heads. If something or someone is anointed by God they are “set apart for the service of God.” When you strip everything else away, that is what you’re left with, “set apart for the service of God”. God only anoints what he intends to use to bring about his purposes and plans.

I think it’s safe to say, not everything we see and hear in today’s church world is anointed! I’ll leave this for you to fill in the blanks. Suffice it to say, not everything is set apart for the purpose of bringing glory and honor to God.

The Anointing of God, let’s consider it together this morning.

TEXT

David Anointed King

1 Samuel 16:1-13

The first truth regarding God’s anointing I would like to bring to you this morning is this,

1. God is particular with His anointing.

We see as evidenced here that God is not willing to place his anointing on everything that simply looks good with the natural eye. One of the greatest threats to God’s work today is the supposed anointing that people and ministries have based on who they are what they are doing. It’s very clear through what we have read together that God does not look on the outside as man does. Rather, God is most interested in what a man looks like on the inside. It’s the inside of the heart that holds all the secrets of man. What may appear to be perfect on the outside can be quite putrid on the inside!

God tells the prophet Samuel in verse 7, ““Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Samuel thought upon first glance of Eliab he had found God’s anointed! His failure was looking solely on the outside for proof of what he thought was on the inside. Listen, just because a cake is frosted with beautiful icing, doesn’t mean its contents are equal! We have to be careful when casually naming something as God’s anointed when God hasn’t yet said it was.

If we can see anything from this portion of scripture it is that God is particular with his anointing. Although Eliab was the eldest and probably the strongest and most fit, God overlooked him along with 6 others for the one that was the youngest, ruddy (red headed) and fair to look on. I guess what they thought God was looking for a biker type with crude looks and tough guy image.

Things aren’t always the way they appear.

During one of his political campaigns, a delegation called on Theodore Roosevelt at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The President met them with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. "Ah, gentlemen," he said, "come down to the barn and we will talk while I do some work." At the barn, Roosevelt picked up a pitchfork and looked around for the hay. Then he called out, "John, where’s all the hay?"