by: Pas. Carlos Barcelona Jr.
KEY TEXT
John 1: 29- 34 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
It is significant that John was the son of a priest, Zachariah, who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people. He would know all the ritual of the Temple and its sacrifices. So in Jesus, John saw the true and only sacrifice which can deliver us from sin. He said, “Behold the Lamb of God.”
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and so signifies Jesus’ mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. If the blood of the Passover Lamb in Exodus 12 delivered the Israelites in Egypt from death, the blood of Jesus, the true Passover Lamb in 1 Corinthians 5:7, delivers us from everlasting death and destruction.
When John says he did not know Jesus he was referring to the hidden reality of Jesus divinity. But the Holy Spirit in that hour revealed to him Jesus’ true nature, such that John bore witness that “this is the Son of God.”
We can only know who Jesus truly is through the Holy Spirit who reveals him to us. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to lead us, draw us close and help us know Jesus more. But John also spoke of the Holy Spirit which Jesus will baptize every believer with.
At first people became curious at what John was doing but when he mentioned he was baptizing them with water for the forgiveness of sins, the Bible tells us that many sinners came and were baptized since man wants to be forgiven. John preached the message of repentance and forgiveness by being washed with water yet he knew that after they come up out of the water they will be tempted to sin and go back to bondage. The only way to live a free and powerful life is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. So he introduced Jesus as the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.John’s baptism meant cleansing and dedication but Jesus’ baptism was a baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The Greek verb baptizein means to dip or to submerge. It can be used of clothes being dipped in dye; it can be used of a ship submerged beneath the waves; it can be used of a person who is so drunk that he is soaked in drink. When John says that Jesus will baptize men with the Holy Spirit, he means that Jesus can bring God’s Spirit to us in such a way that we are saturated and our life and being are flooded with that Spirit.
To be baptized with the Holy Spirit means to be immersed in the realm of the Spirit. It is equivalent to the anointing with oil in the Old Testament.
Origin of anointing with oil:
The origin of anointing with oil 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.
Exodus 29:7 “You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.”
2 Kings 9:6 “So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.’”
The New Testament Greek words for “anoint” are chrio, which means “to smear or rub with oil” and, by implication, “to consecrate for office or religious service”; and aleipho, which means “to anoint.” In Bible times, people were anointed with oil to signify God’s blessing or call on that person’s life.
The meaning of the word anointed is “chosen one.” 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.
Luke 4: 18- 19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Acts 10: 38 “how 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.”
Jesus was anointed and He also wants to anoint us. After He left the earth, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.”
Every true believer is anointed, chosen for a specific purpose in furthering God’s Kingdom. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee”
What is the anointing for?
I. THE ANOINTING IS FOR OUR IDENTITY AND APPOINTMENT
Identity is the distinctive characteristic belonging to any given individual or shared by members of a particular group.
A man who doesn’t know who he is will not know who he is not. If a man doesn’t know his name, he can as well respond to any name that is uttered.
Factors that shape our identity:
1. Culture and Tradition- a lot of people are trapped in a long-standing family traditions which are not in line with the Word of God.
2. Language- what we say, how we say and when we say affects our way of living.
3. Gender – many times our gender puts us in a disadvantage situation.
4. Family and friends – who they are has a way of influencing our way of life and outlook.
But the anointing gives you the identity of a child of God. You are no longer bound by anything, whether by culture, tradition, language, gender, family and friends.
God also anoints us because He has an appointment for us. In other words a person is anointed for a special purpose—to be a king, to be a prophet, to be a judge, to be a priest, to be a builder, to be a leader.
The moment we are saved, God starts to set appointments for us. Some have bigger appointments some have smaller appointments depending on what a person has. The Holy Spirit may not change the circumstances but he will help you develop what He has already given you. Only for a very special reason God will use us like Samson (become so strong). God will use you for who you are, not for who you are not.
If your anointing is in singing, be a singer. If it is helping, be a minister. If it is intercession, be a prayer warrior. If it is teaching, be a teacher, if it is leading, be a leader.Today, why don’t we ask the Holy Spirit for His appointment for us. What does He want us to be?
II. THE ANOINTING IS FOR A DEMONSTRATION
“The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity but a new demonstration.” ~Leonard Ravenhill. God anoints us so we can demonstrate Him to people.
Demonstration means “the action of showing the existence or truth of something by giving proof or evidence.”
Therefore the anointing is for a demonstration of:
1. God’s power.
It’s not in the enticing words of man’s wisdom that will bring the world back to God, but in the demonstration of the spirit and of power.
1Corinthians 2: 4- 5 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Wherever the Spirit is there is power. Acts 6:5 says Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Ghost and in Acts 6:8 it says Stephen was full of faith and power. And with faith and power he did great wonders and signs among the people. Not just wonders and miracles but great wonders and miracles. And Jesus said you would receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon you (Acts 1:8).
There is a connection between the Holy Ghost and power. So wherever the Holy Spirit is there is power. We have power on the inside of us that sometimes we lose sight of. And that power is for a demonstration. We have been trying to reason (persuade) people into the kingdom of God, when are we going to demonstrate the power of God? Not to be a big shot but for the glory of God.
The world is tired of hearing about how powerful God is. They want to see something. Acts 5:12-14 records that when a miracle took place people came to God by the hundreds and even the thousands. Daniel 11:32 says those that know their God would be strong and do exploits.
Bill Johnson wrote: “When God made it possible for the Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead to live in you, He made powerlessness inexcusable. Jesus did not leave us powerless. He never desired us to go without power. To do God’s work we need God’s power. There is no witness without power. A good news without power is not good.”
Without power we can end up as phony as the door to door salesmen whose products do not work when he is asked for a demonstration. Power is God coming into the lives of men. Power is the demonstrated presence of God.
2. God’s love
Love is best defined as “selflessness,” since “greater love has no man than this, that He would lay down His life for His friends” (John 15.13). This is why “Perfect love casts out all fear ” (1 John). Fear is based out of self-consciousness, and love is being conscious of others before ourselves.
E.g. Two Attorneys Turn from Hate to Love
There were two lawyers who worked in the same law firm and they hate one another. One day one of them became a Christian and he became so convicted. So one day he came to his pastor and asked what he should do. The pastor advised him to forgive and tell the other lawyer that he forgives him and loves him. The next day, the Christian lawyer did what the pastor advised him and to his surprise the other lawyer responded well and said, “I also want to forgive and love you but I also want know the God who taught you to forgive and love.”
Short story:
A young disciple followed Francis of Assisi all day long hoping to hear the preaching that transformed hopeless people and brought faith alive. But Francis did not preach. Instead, he got to see him help an old man, give to a beggar, listen to the tearful story of another, serve a sick person. It was actually the message of the love of God in his actions that drew people to faith in Jesus.
Story of Doug Nichols:
Doug Nichols went to India to be a missionary, but while he was just starting to study the language he became infected with tuberculosis and had to be put in a sanitarium. It was not a very good place to be. It was not very clean and conditions were difficult because there were so many sick people there. But Doug decided to do the best he could in that situation. So he took a bunch of Christian books and tracts and tried to share the gospel with the other patients in the sanitarium.
But when he tried to pass out tracts, no one wanted them. He tried to hand out books, but no one would take them. He tried to talk with them, but he was handicapped because of his inability to communicate in their language, and he felt so discouraged. There he was. Because of his illness he would be there a long time. But it seemed like the work that he had been sent to do would not be done because no one would listen to him.
Because of his tuberculosis, every morning at about 2 o’clock he would wake up with chronic coughing that wouldn’t quit. Then one morning when he awoke he noticed across the aisle an old man trying to get out of bed. He said the man would roll himself up into a little ball and teeter back and forth trying to get up the momentum to get up and stand on his feet. But he just couldn’t do it. He was too weak. Finally, after several attempts the old man laid back and wept.
The next morning Doug understood why the man was weeping. He was trying to get up to go to the bathroom and didn’t have enough strength to do that. So his bed was a mess and there was a smell in the air. The other patients made fun of the old man. The nurses came to clean up his bed and they weren’t kind to him, either. In fact, one of them even slapped him in the face. Doug said that the old man just laid there and cried.
Doug said, “That next morning about 2 o’clock I started coughing again. I looked across the way and there was the old man trying to get out of bed once more. I really didn’t want to do it, but somehow I managed to get up and I walked across the aisle and I helped the old man stand up. But he was too weak to walk.”
Doug said, “I took him in my arms and carried him like a baby. He was so light that it wasn’t a difficult task. I took him into the bathroom, which was nothing more than a dirty hole in the floor, and I stood behind him and cradled him in my arms as he took care of himself. Then I carried him back to his bed and laid him down. As I turned to leave he reached up and grabbed my face and pulled me close and kissed me on the cheek and said what I think was ‘Thank you.'”
Doug said, “The next morning there were patients waiting when I awoke and they asked if they could read some of the books and tracts that I had brought. Others had questions about the God I worshiped and His only begotten Son who came into the world to die for their sins.” In the next few weeks Doug Nichols gave out all the literature that he had brought, and many of the doctors and nurses and patients in that sanitarium came to know Jesus Christ, too.
He said, “Now what did I do? I didn’t preach a sermon. I couldn’t even communicate in their language. I didn’t have a great lesson to teach them. I didn’t have wonderful things to offer. All I did was take an old man to the bathroom and anyone can do that.”
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
What can you do to demonstrate the love of God to people around you today?
Our anointing is not only for an appointment but for an assignment, a demonstration. We must be doing something with what we’ve got. The devil holds the people down in great pain, sorrow, confusion, hatred and brokenness so Jesus anoints us to set them free. It is through us that God demonstrates this power and love.
Somebody said “The Gospel is not a verbal argument for the existence of God. It is above all things, a demonstration of God Himself. It is the evidence of who He is in His love and power.”
If we say we want more of God, He also wants more of us in a demonstration of Himself.
CONCLUSION:
The Holy Spirit was given to you to make you the best of you. God anoints you for your identity as a child of God. He anoints you because He has an appointment for you and He anoints you to demonstrate Him to people. Are you running out of anointing? Have you lost the anointing for some reasons like sin, laziness and indifference? Do you feel as if you have quenched the Holy Spirit? God wants to anoint and re anoint you today. You must desire for it, ask God, believe, receive and step out.
