The Anointing
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000
The Anointing
Isaiah 61:1-3 (especially verse one)
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings..."
These words here proclaimed by Isaiah were, like many other Old
Testament prophecies, a prophecy which could in part be applied to Isaiah
and Israel in his time. They also find particular fulfillment in the Person
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Furthermore, they can be applied to
the ambassadors of Christ, who take His message and ministry of
reconciliation unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
Who are His ambassadors? Why, the ministers of the Gospel, the
preachers! Yes, that is true, but so are the layman in their own spheres
ambassadors, or representatives, of Christ; for, Paul said, "Ye are our
epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye
are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us,
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables
of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." (II Corinthians 2:3).
Oh, what a tremendous responsibility! What an awesome privilege! The
one called to be a full-time minister is to be used of God through the
anointing of the Spirit to write this message of Divine love and Truth upon
the hearts of God's people, who are then to be living epistles, or the
gospel in shoe leather, and ministers of God in their own right, "known and
read of all men".
The anointing as here indicated is the fact that "The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me." The transliteration here is something like this: "The
Spirit of the Lord ('Adonay) Yahweh (Jehovah) is upon me." This form of the
title, 'Adonay, is only used in reference to the one and only true God; and,
it "means 'Lord' par excellence or 'Lord over all'". Yahweh,
Jehovah, "self-existent or eternal God", is the name that God used in His
dealings with the Israelites.
Now, let's hear what God says is the Spirit with which we are to be
anointed: "The Spirit of the most excellent, truest and best, Lord of all,
self-existent, and eternal God is upon me." (Definitions from Vines Dict.
of OT Words; & Strong's Hebrew Dictionary)
Speaking of Jesus, God's Word says, "For he whom God hath sent speaketh
the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." (John
3:34). The infinite Son of God is infinitely filled with the infinite Holy
Spirit. Since Jesus is unlimited in His capacity to receive, and there is
an unlimited supply of the Holy Spirit with which to anoint Him, He is the
supreme fulfillment of this prophesied mighty anointing.
Then we read in I John 2:20, 27, "But ye have an unction from the Holy
One ... the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you..." These
words were in reference to the blessed Holy Spirit which Jesus promised in
John chapters 14 through 17 (Especially notice chapter 16 and compare with I
John 2:20-27.). We can have the same anointing that Jesus had up to our
limited capacity to receive. Let us ask God to enlarge our borders. We are
to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
On the day of Pentecost "they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts
2:4). It was not just for the Apostles, or ministers. ALL of the 120 in
the upper room received this anointing. Then again, in Acts chapter 4, we
read, "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of
God with boldness." This is speaking of many who had received the Spirit
before in the upper room. So we see the continual need for fresh
outpourings of this anointing -- the Holy Spirit.
I pray, O God, give us this anointing! Give the preacher this
anointing! Give the people under his care this anointing! And do it that
the world may know that there is a God in Heaven Who really cares, and Who
has sent His only begotten Son to pay the price to redeem them from all
iniquity! Do it, O Lord, again -- pour out Your Holy Spirit anew -- that
the world may know that this salvation really saves, that it is not just a
religion but true righteousness, the work of God and not of man! O God, do
it once again, that our own feeble efforts at building the work of God might
appear as just that, our own feeble efforts. Anoint us with your Spirit,
Lord, that we might be humbled before You, that Christ would be uplifted and
draw all men by mighty Holy Ghost conviction unto Himself, and "that the
Lord might be glorified"! Amen! And Glory to God!
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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