If you could choose between making an ordinary impact with your life and an extraordinary impact with your life, which would you choose? If you could decide between only utilizing your natural gifts and strengths or having those same gifts empowered by a supernatural reality, which of those two would you pick? If there was a power that could be on you and in you that would exponentially increase the output in your life, would that possibility get your attention? And would you still be interested in it if it you didn’t get credit or glory for what it produced in your life?

This is what I want to talk about today in a message I’m simply calling “The Anointing”. This is our 5th and final message in our series on the Holy Spirit called I’m Still With You. This concept of the anointing has captured my heart over the last couple of years. As we get into this sermon, here are a couple of things I need you to know. We’re going to cover a lot of Scripture today, so stay engaged and take good notes. Also, while I have learned so much about this topic, there is still so much I need to learn and want to learn about what it means to have an anointing.

In the Old Testament, we see certain individuals being anointed for a particular office. In Exodus 29 – Aaron, the brother of Moses, is anointed as a priest. We also see kings being anointed, like this powerful moment in the life of David.

1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

The oil, as it worked its way into David’s hair and body, symbolized the divine presence entering David as the anointed king. But it wasn’t just the symbolic oil. The Holy Spirit came powerfully upon David. And this is the big idea of being anointed, being supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit for a specific service. Hold onto this as we keep going on this journey to understand how anointing works.

Anointing – refers to marking a person for service to God

Fast forward to Jesus. I want to show you what Peter said about Jesus when he was visiting Cornelius’ home in Acts 10.

Acts 10:36-38 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – 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.

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power. And he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Not because he was talented or gifted. Now here’s something you might not know. When we call him Jesus Christ, it’s not because Christ is His last name. Jesus Christ literally means, “Jesus, the Anointed One.” Are we ready for a quick Hebrew lesson?

מָשִׁיַח (mashiach) – anointed one

(pronounce it mah-SHEE-akh)

When mashiach gets transliterated into the Greek language and then translated into English what’s the word – Messiah. Messiah literally means anointed one. Jesus was anointed by the Spirit to do the works He did on earth as our Messiah. And after his resurrection, he appeared to his disciples and told them this:

Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

You’re going to carry out this mission of the kingdom, but not in your own strength. Do not go until you’ve been clothed with power from on high. Meaning what? Do not go until the Holy Spirit comes on you. Do not leave the city and begin the work until you have been anointed.

We are disciples of Jesus, the Anointed One. And this is so stunning to me:

Jesus, the Anointed One, has anointed us for special service to God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

What does God specifically anoint us for?

Romans 12:3-8 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

What is Paul telling us that we need to understand about our anointing?

Every person who has genuine faith in Jesus has been anointed by God, but that anointing is limited.

Paul says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” In other words, do not think of yourself as more than you are. But Paul would not encourage you to think of yourself as less than you are either. He says to think of ourselves with sober judgment.

God has distributed different gifts to His people. And we do not all have the same function. Or another way to say it is this: we do not all have the same anointing. We have different gifts according to the grace given to us. This is huge.

We should not boast about our anointing, because God has given it to us. We should not see our anointing as less than anyone else’s, because God has given it to us.

I am not gifted for most things.

You are not gifted for most things.

But I am gifted and anointed for some things.

And you are gifted and anointed for some things.

God has limited our anointing. And if we view this properly, we will rejoice over it. Why? If I have anointing, it means I have something to contribute to the body of Christ – the church. If I don’t have every anointing, it means there’s so much I need to receive from you and the things you have been anointed for. I’ve recommended this book before, but I want to put it before you once again; it’s called The Anointing by R.T. Kendall.

“The person who is filled with the Holy Spirit is able to do extraordinary things, but to him it seems quite natural…The anointing is the power of the Spirit that makes your gift function easily.” -R.T. Kendall, The Anointing

Do you have a sense of what God has anointed you for? If not, I want to encourage you to begin discovering what it is that God has anointed you for. Get into studying spiritual gifts in places like 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4.

1 Peter 4:10-11 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

While God has limited our anointing, we can actually limit it even more or even remove it from our lives.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

While any sin in our lives can grieve the Holy Spirit, let’s talk about a few of the obvious ones that tend to be associated with our anointing. What might happen that could cause us to lose our anointing?

-Pride: We begin to think that we’re the ones who are making it happen. If we think we begin to believe we’re responsible for the effectiveness of our gifts, God will remove His hand and His spirit from our lives.

-Jealousy: Though Saul was anointed as Israel’s first king, there came a day when he could not get over his jealousy of David.

Has your jealousy of someone else’s anointing caused you to forfeit your anointing?

If either pride or jealousy has caused you to limit or even lose your anointing, could I encourage you to confess and repent of that today?

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in him.

You cannot anoint yourself, but you can be anointed by God. And if God anoints you, no human can take away your anointing.

“Anointing will always bring attack. When God has anointed you, regardless of what comes against you, you will be successful. When the enemy wants to take you out, you have to remember your anointing and assignment.” -Andres Spyker

Fresh Anointing today. God, will you anoint me in a fresh way and show me or remind me what exactly you have anointed me for. Fill me with your Spirit. Produce the fruit of the Spirit in my life. Step fully into your anointing without trying to overstep your anointing.