Why We Anoint With Oil:

A Reminder of

Our Spiritual Empowerment 

• In this world, we have troubles and face mountains of problems from time to time and seemingly for some, all the time some people just seem prone to trouble..

  • Sometimes, our challenges seem insurmountable. 

    • Health struggles 

      • Long-term challenges. Healing seems to be elusive. 

      • Doctors don’t have answers. 

        • Like the woman with the issue of blood, 12 years suffering and having spent all her money.

        • Living a lifetime with a chronic illness. Like the man born blind or the cripple from birth or other birth defects. Sickle cell.

        • There are a lot of unexplained diseases.

    • Financial crisis 

      • bills pile up, prices go up, 

      • choices have to be made between necessities, medicine or food, 

      • taxes have to be paid, 

      • gas prices soar, 

      • unexpected car or household expenses

    • Family drama 

      • Broken relationships

      • Divorce

      • Death

      • Drama

• • I am sure many of you have felt challenges in your life that seem to come like the waves on the ocean. Never-ending challenges, over and over again. You get over one struggle, and then there’s another. 

    • How many of you have gotten weary and tired? Sick of being tired?

    • How much longer, O Lord, do we have to deal with the troubles of this world?

    • How many of you feel like you want to give up and quit fighting?

    • Life is hard, and sometimes you feel helpless and drained laboring under the overwhelming weight of daily responsibility.

    • Day after day, new challenges arise with the rising of the sun.

  • Sometimes, the mountains that we are facing seem to be too high to climb and too vast to conquer.

  • What are we to do?

• How do some of us choose to handle the challenges we face? 

  • Some trust in the power of money; 

    • They are constantly looking for ways to make it! Even if it means working multiple jobs or sometimes cheating and robbing others.

    • They believe that if they can make enough money, they can be at peace and happy. But they really never have enough. They need more the more they get.  

    • Maybe they can win the lottery or succeed at a slot machine.

  • Some trust in education, believing the phrase that knowledge is power, 

    • They believe the way to overcome the possibility of poverty and lack is by going to college, 

    • They go to school year after year, thinking it’s going to be the way to make a way. Then, they have the debt haunting them.  

    • Even college graduates can become jobless and homeless.

  • Some trust in organizations. 

    • Relationships that they develop in the military, sororities, and fraternities. 

    • Being a part of this group or that group, political parties, the Democrats or the Republicans

  • Some trust in government and politics

    • waiting on that check to come in, never realizing they are slaves to the government and the government ultimately could care less about them.

    • Trying to get in lifetime positions of power exploiting the lack of knowledge of the public.  

  • Some trust in the power of numbers. 

    • If we all just unite, we can make it better if we as a people stick together. 

  • Some trust in having fame and recognition. 

    • Become a star in sports, entertainment, whatever…

    • We have lots of ways to try to make a good life for ourselves.there are lots of ways to try, but most will leave you dry.  

• • Not that anything is wrong with any of these things, but none of them, or all of them together, can give you guaranteed success and freedom from trouble.

    • When I sat at the piano and contemplated the direction of my life in Holly Springs at 2:00 am in the studio.

  • There is a better way to overcome the troubles of life, and I’m going to reveal it to you in just a few minutes. Now, let me set it up.

• The Situation 

  • in 586 BCE after a lengthy siege of Jerusalem, Jewish Temple, also known as Solomon’s Temple, and the city was destroyed by fire by the Babylonians under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar II. Following the destruction of the Temple, many Jews were taken into captivity and exiled to Babylon. They remained there 70 years because of disobedience to the Lord.

  • When the Jews returned to the promised land after they were carried off into Babylon, they came back to a destroyed city. It was only a few of them that returned. Their numbers were small, and they had mountains of problems to deal with.

  • The devastation they faced was everywhere. Jerusalem had no walls, and the temple area was burned-out ruins like the rest of the city. 

  • They had been gone for 70 years, and when they came back, there were other people living on the land who had moved in during their absence. They couldn’t claim the areas that were once theirs because others were living there.

  • The people there were opposed to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the temple. They fought against the Jews in various ways to hinder the work of rebuilding. There was a lot of political maneuvering and just plain downright hostility.

  • They had to negotiate with the Persian authorities for permission to rebuild, requiring political skill and patience to deal with the complex bureaucratic procedures. They had to organize themselves also to manage the reconstruction and get the people to rally around a leader.

  • Not only were there political issues, but there were economic hardships. They had to rebuild their own houses, sometimes using the vacated, burned-out ruins of the previous owners. They needed money to do this, as well as continue to have enough money to feed their families.

    • The people had to make a decision between contributing money to the rebuilding of their church and putting food on their table, clothes on their backs, and shelter for their families.

    • How are they going to face these struggles and remain a unified people?

    • Morale was low. Many of the people experiencing such hardship doubted God’s power or his commitment to help them.

  • Haggai’s prophecy makes it clear that the people had become preoccupied with making a living and finding comforts for themselves. “My house,” he said, “lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house” (Hag. 1:9). 

  • They were faced with a mountain of troubles, and this word came to Zachariah, the prophet, to give a word to Zerubbabel, who was the governor of the land.

    • It was very common in Bible days that the prophet would communicate with the government. Governments were established among men to secure the rights of God’s people.

    • Many of our problems today come about because we have ignored this fundamental truth! We believe in the separation of church and state, but that was never God’s idea. As a result we now defy God worse than any other nation that has ever existed and our children are going to pay a terrible price for our failure to hold out government accountable.

    • Let’s see what Scripture has to say about how to deal with trouble in your life.

• Zec 4:6 (NKJV) —6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 

  • The angel said to Zachariah the prophet, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

    • How are they going to overcome all of the many obstacles they had the face?

      • They didn’t have an army

      • they didn’t have a lot of money

      • they didn’t have a lot of political influence

      • they weren’t many

      • but God gave them an answer, you overcome the challenges of this world… Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord 

    • This is the simple answer to all of our problems! Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

    • The mountain of challenges the governor would have to face would become none. The mountain would be removed! It would become a plain!

7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! 

• • • • Reminding us that no matter the difficulties we may face, they’re not greater than our God!

      • Zerubbabel was and was a descendant of King David appointed by the Persian king. Zerubbabel is best known for leading the Jewish community in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians.

• • The challenges we all face too can not be overcome by our efforts at all!!! In this world we are going to have trouble! There is no escaping trouble in this life! 

    • Jesus told us this. John 16:33 guarantees us trouble! But continue to read and it goes on to say, but he has overcome the world! 

• • Too many preachers have done us a disservice by preaching a trouble-free life. That is not biblical!

    • In this world we are going to have constant trouble!

    • No amount of confession will overwrite God’s Word!

• • But what but what we need to be told is that it is by the Spirit of the Lord we can have success over our problems and tribulations, and even find peace in the midst of the storms and mountain of problems we will face in this life!

    • His Spirit is the source of our strength, our endurance, and our victory.

      • Jesus said, I will not leave you comfortless… He has given us his Holy Spirit to be with us.

      • Ac 1:8 (NKJV) — 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

• • • We may feel like we are facing mountains that are too high to climb, but with the spirit of God, no mountain is too high, and no challenge is too great. 

    • It is The Holy Spirit that consecrates us and dedicates us to the Lord also empowers us to overcome any obstacle in our path. We are more than conquerors!

    • Who are you, O great mountain? Before a child of God, you shall become a plain! 

By the Spirit, we can press on, by our strength alone, we will fail.

• • We must learn this word of God by heart. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

    • We must stop trusting in ourselves and trust in the Lord. If he said it, he will do it.

    • We must learn to tap into the abundant flow of the Holy Spirit and know that his power is more than enough to see us through.

    • We must learn that unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers work in vain

  • Our best efforts are not good enough. They will never be good enough.

    • The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent.

    • We can never be sure of success without God!

    • Even if my deliverance does not come when I want it, I will not be discouraged by all the challenges I face because His strength is perfected in my weakness.

  • Success is not dependent on your might or your power, but his spirit!

    • So, when things look tight, when they look bleak, fear not!

    • Your heavenly father knows your needs. 

    • You have to learn to trust in him.

    • Wait on him, he will deliver you.

  • It is not God’s will for you to worry. 

    • His desire is for you to cast all your cares on him.

    • My peace I give to you he said.

    • Let not your hearts be troubled

    • Don’t worry about tomorrow

  • How will God take care of these things? Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

• Listen, I want to tell you something that is rarely told today’s world. All things are done by the spirit of God anyway. Man is the only stupid fool to believe he can do it without God.

  • See, in the beginning, his spirit hovered over the waters, and when God spoke, what he spoke became by the spirit. Gen 1:2

  • Jesus accomplished his work by the spirit

    • When He was baptized, 

Mt 3:16 (NKJV) — 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 

• • • • God didn’t give him an earthly kingship

      • he didn’t give him any money

      • he didn’t give him soldiers

      • he just gave him his spirit

    • When He went in the desert. 

Mt 4:1 (NKJV) — 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

• • • When he came out of the desert 

Lk 4:14 (NKJV) — 14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 

• • • In the synagogue of Nazareth he started his ministry saying

“Luke 4:18–19 (NKJV): The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

• • • When he rose from the grave he was declared

Ro 1:4 (NKJV) — 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 

• • • His ministry began with the Spirit on him and it ended 

Jn 20:22 (NKJV) — 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” 

• • • And then at Pentecost He gave the Holy Spirit to us 

    • Ac 2:2–4 (NKJV) — 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

• • •  Jesus ministry was Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

• • By sending the Spirit to God’s people on earth, Jesus empowered his disciples and us to carry on with his own work.

    • Research the Old Testament and see what great men and women did under the anointing of the spirit.

    • You have that same spirit!

  • By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do what is impossible to be done otherwise.

    • We can breathe life into a valley of dead bones Ezekiel 37:9. 

    • We can resurrect dead souls into a new life with Christ. 

    • We can discern and reveal the mysteries of Christ.

    • We can convict the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment

    • We can empower others to become a bold witness for Christ

    • We can remove all fear from our hearts.

    • We can provide comfort to the troubled and broken hearted.

    • We can live a sinless lives when we live in the spirit

    • We can ask for anything we desire what we pray in the spirit cause

Ro 8:26 (NKJV) — 26 ….the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

• • • Nothing is impossible for us.

    • Why?, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 

• • • We can do all things!

• Now, why we do the anointing with oil? We learn from the words the angel spoke to Zachariah 

Zec 4:1–6 (NKJV) — 1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 

Zec 4:3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 

6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! 

• • The two olive trees that fired the light of the lampstand, were not made by man. Therefore, the fulfillment of the will of God does not come from man, it comes from God, by his spirit.

    • His spirit destroys every yoke of oppression by the oil. Isaiah 10:27

Is 10:27 (NKJV) — 27 It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 

• • • The whole universe responds to the moving of the spirit of God. 

    • The Spirit God is able to overrule kings and direct the affairs of men so that his people have all they need. 

The use of the oil reminds Satan of the spirit of God! Like the sounding of the shofar reminds him of the son of God!

• • Now, As the light of the world,  Let your light shine and allow the power of God, his spirit to dwell in you. Walk in the spirit and pray in the spirit!

The oil in your house reminds you that you have been anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit! 

• • His power is more than sufficient to carry you through whatever challenges you shall face.

    • Your victory is not based on your ability but the ability of his spirit. You will win in the end because of the anointing!  

• • • Because, It is Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 

• • Remember,Jesus has overcome the world!

• • If we are going through, we know that he is perfecting, maturing his strength, his spirit, in us, 

2 Co 4:16–18 (NKJV) — 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

1 Pe 5:10 (NKJV) — 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 

James 1:2–4 (NKJV): My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

• Now, let the oil remind you to go forth with confidence knowing that the Holy Spirit has anointed you! 

You are Consecrated, Dedicated, and Empowered for you to overcome and accomplish God’s purposes for you in the earth! 

For….

It is Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 

Thursday night more about the anointing!

Altar call

Offering