Boot Camp: The Anointing
[powerpress] The life of Jesus is one of impassioned relationship and purpose. As we come to understand God's great love for us expressed in Jesus, we are set ablaze to love Him in return with the totality of our lives. This sets us on course for kingdom work which we are able to enact by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. As we begin to study the work of God in the life of King David, we will discover what God's looking for in an anointed servant, who qualifies us for the anointing of God and finally, the purpose of the anointing of God.
What God's Looking For
1 Samuel 16:1-7 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Why Saul was rejected as king
Saul did not live in the fear of the Lord. He did not take obedience to God seriously. In the time of King Saul and David, his successor, God was looking for men and women who would not attempt to serve Him in the wrappings of their own desires, but would worship and obey Him as He truly is. It is no different today. Jesus is continually looking throughout the earth to find those who will love Him wholeheartedly and prioritize doing His will in the earth.
King Saul, David's predecessor, would be removed by God from his privileged position to rule Israel because he gave Him a reasoned devotion. He thought he could negotiate complete obedience to God rather than understanding his place as a vassal, a servant who was appointed to God's will. Saul never imagined there would be such an aversion and consequence to his ignorant pride.
“Those who set up a fictitious worship, merely worship and adore their own delirious fancies; indeed, they would never dare so to trifle with God, had they not previously fashioned him after their own childish conceits.” ― John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
What is God looking for? God is looking for men and women after His own heart (I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).
The heart in the biblical sense means more than just your untethered passions, as it is reduced to in our popular songs. It is the Hebrew word, Leb, which indicates the center of a man or woman's whole being - translated colloquially as the "heart and soul" of an individual. It consists not only of the whole spectrum of human emotions, but also signifies the intellect or mind, good sense and discernment. It is the seat of the will where wisdom and understanding reside. In essence, it is the totality of who you are, the inner man or woman. To be one after God's own heart is to be like-minded with God and to have your desires and affections directed towards Him.
How have you been living before God? Are you living in partial obedience or with a fully submitted heart?
Some would think to themselves, "This really doesn't matter for me, because I'm not necessarily one of God's anointed." Jesus would say something different.
Anointed by the Choosing of God
Jesus chooses you for His purposes. You don't choose Him.
1 Samuel 16:8-13 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 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.
How do I know if God has chosen me?
You are not chosen because of your good works, society's determination of your value or even your own sense of self-worth. You are anointed simply because of God's gracious choosing made possible by Jesus' atoning, substitutionary work on the cross. This is the gospel. His family disqualified David, but God chose him to be for the display of His splendor. Will you allow Him to use you?
“Of course God does not consider you hopeless. If He did, He would not be moving you to seek Him (and He obviously is)... Continue seeking Him with seriousness. Unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him.” ― C.S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis
There will be no true rest for you in life until you come into the purposes of God. As the family stood awaiting the arrival of David, God will not allow rest to your soul without it.
When you submit to Jesus, He anoints you.
What is anointing/the anointing? The anointing is when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon you for His divine, eternal purposes.
The horn of an animal was symbolic of its strength. Anointing from a horn filled with oil was symbolic of God's strength coming upon the anointed individual for His divine purposes, to act as God's representative in the areas to which they were called.
Such things as kings in the marketplace, tools in the temple and priests were all anointed for service to God. Jesus was all of these things. In this way, we know how to walk out our purpose when anointed because Jesus is our example.
Because God is the one who does the choosing, what you do with your life should also be His choice.
"The glory of God is the living man, but the life of man is the vision of God', says St. Irenaeus, getting to the heart of what happens when man meets God on the mountain in the wilderness. Ultimately, it is the very life of man, man himself as living righteously, that is the true worship of God, but life only becomes real life when it receives its form from looking toward God.” ― Pope Benedict XVI, The Spirit of the Liturgy
I can ask, "How would Jesus run this business? What would be His purpose in this job that I have?" "What manner would He serve others in the church and what way would He reach out with the gospel to those that I know and love?" "In what way would He look to bring transformation to the community?"
For what have you been anointed?
Anointed To Do What?
You are anointed to introduce the healing power of Jesus and the gospel into whatever environment in which you find yourself.
1 Samuel 16:14-23 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.” So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.” One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.” Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
When the Spirit of the Lord departs from an individual or an environment, the end result is torment. David, foreshadowing Jesus, would be the anointed individual to restore peace.
Our answer for troubled times
Ethnic tensions flair in places like Ferguson and Iraq, and even our own neighborhoods in Chicago. However, amidst the violence, the gospel of peace through Jesus' reconciliatory work on the cross can supernaturally change hardened hearts. This is the gospel that we preach calling all men to repentance and faith in the Son of God. This is His barrier dividing, resurrecting work bringing new life where there was previously only death. Jesus breaks down the dividing wall between God and man, man and man and man and God's creation. We are anointed to live as and make disciples who bring this gospel of peace to the world.
God looks at the heart. The anointing of the Holy Spirit empowers you, like Jesus, to fulfill God's holy purposes. When you are anointed, you are a vessel to bring Jesus' transforming gospel and power into individual lives, industries, cities and nations that they might literally be saved from destruction. Let's come to Jesus in worship today, giving Him our whole hearts, allowing Him to anoint us for His purposes in this city and beyond.
Second City Church: Boot Camp Sermon Series 2014