Andrews University

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Evangelistic Style Sermon

A Sermon Written in Partial Fulfillment of the Course

GSEM 530 “Doctrine of the Sanctuary”

Instructor: Roy Gane, Ph.D. Student: Ryan Long

Box Number: 260 Date: December 16, 2004

 “The Anointing”

Last night we dealt with the intercessory ministry of Jesus Christ in the heavenly

sanctuary for us. Isn’t that good news that Jesus is still even today applying His perfect

life to our lives and that He is still actively and personally involved in our salvation? I

am so glad that He continues to minister for me in heaven. Tonight we are going to talk

about one result of Jesus’ ministry for us in the sanctuary in heaven. We are going to see

how this ministry benefits us in our Christian experience. We are going to start by

looking in the Old Testament at the priests and their service, and then we will see how it

applies to Jesus in heaven and to us today.

Illustration: Jean Francois Gravelet, also known as Charles Blondin, “the great

Blondin”, was the first, and possibly the best known, of Niagara's tightrope walkers. He

also is considered to be one of the greatest tightrope walkers of all time. He was also

known as “Daredevil Wire Walker” and popularly known as “the Prince of Manila” (The

rope he used was made of Manila.).

Depending on where he mounted the rope across Niagara Falls on this particular

September day in 1859, its length measured between 900 and 1200 feet.

As he prepared for this great feat, the crowds began to gather. After a few

minutes, thousands of observers lined the two sides of the falls. They were there to watch

“The Great Blondin” walk this tightrope facing the elements of nature. Many had seen

similar indoor stunts before, but Blondin now was facing the unpredictable element of

nature, the wind. And on top of this, the Niagara Falls were offering their distraction as

well.

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 Before he began, he shouted out to the crowd. Do you believe that I can cross the

Niagara Falls successfully? “Yes!” the crowd roared, “We believe that you can!”

And so he set out across the falls, balancing pole in hand, and proved the crowd

right. That day, “The Great Blondin” crossed many times back and forth, and each time,

before setting out on another round-trip across the falls and back he would ask the crowd

again, “Do you believe that I can walk across the falls….blind-folded, on stilts, etc.?”

And each time the crowd roared back enthusiastically, “Yes, we believe!”

Finally came the time that Blondin always looked forward to when he would put

on a show, his wheel barrow walk. And so again he asked the crowd, “Do you

believe….?” “Yes, we believe they replied.” And so he set out to the other side of the

falls. Making it across successfully, he picked up a shovel that was waiting for him on

that side of the falls, shoveled nearly 200 lbs. into the wheelbarrow and started back

across.

Upon reaching the other side again, the crowd cheered its overwhelming

approval. The noise of the crowd now exceeded that of the falls. But Blondin still had

two more questions for them.

“Do you believe that I can push a person across the fall in this wheelbarrow?”

Now things were really getting interesting. “Wow, someone is going to ride in that

wheelbarrow, marvelous!!!” And so they all shouted back more enthusiastically than

ever, “Yes, we believe that you can cross the falls with a person in the wheelbarrow.”

Then came his last question for the day, “Who is going to get in the wheelbarrow?”

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 Silence fell across the crowd. Nobody responded. Finally a man came forward,

sort of a humble man, and he said to Blondin, “I believe I would be willing to get in the

wheelbarrow.”

He did and Blondin wheeled him across successfully. The man who had true

faith? None other than one of Blondin’s own servants, his manager.

How’s your faith this evening? Have you gotten into the wheelbarrow before

when God asks, “Who believes?” I want you to be aware that coming to the end of the

evening, I am going to be asking for volunteers to get into the wheelbarrow. So please be

thinking and praying about what God wants for you as we study tonight.

I want to start this evening by looking at where the idea of “anointing” comes

from, what it involves, and what the meaning of anointing was. To do this, we are going

to quickly step through a few verses in Exodus where anointing is talked about.

We are going to start by taking a look at the first time that we see anointing in the

Bible. Turn with me to Exodus 28:41, 42. This is the first mentioning in the Bible of

anointing people. Let’s read this here, “For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics; you shall

also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.

You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint

them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests.”

So let me ask you something, who was being anointed, and what were they being

anointed for? That’s right it was Aaron’s sons, and they were being anointed so that they

could serve God as priests.

Let me ask you another question though. How were they anointed? Let’s turn to

Exodus 29:4, 7. This passage says, “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the

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doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water….Then you shall take the

anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.” So the priests were anointed by

using oil and pouring it over their heads. And notice what Exodus 30:30-33 says about

their function and purpose as priests. “You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and

consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. You shall speak to the sons of

Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. It

shall not be poured on anyone's body, nor shall you make any like it in the same

proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever shall mix any like it or

whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.” Did you see what

the purpose of the priests is? Their purpose was to minister to God for the people. Their

ministry took place in and around the sanctuary.

Turn to Exodus 40:12-15. Notice what happened before these people were

anointed as priests. “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent

of meeting and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and

anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. You shall bring

his sons and put tunics on them; and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed

their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them

for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

Notice that immediately before the sons of Aaron were anointed with oil they

were washed with water. Notice that it is their anointing which “qualified” them for their

ministry as priests before God. What a neat thing.

But why oil? And why was this oil called “holy oil” by God? Why didn’t God

have them use something else for anointing priests? Oil had a special significance in

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Bible times. It was a symbol to represents something else. It was a symbol that was

clearly understood in Israel. We find this symbol clearly seen in the story of King David

being anointed. In 1 Samuel 16:13, we find this story. Let’s turn there and read what

happened to David when he was anointed. “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and

anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon

David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.” Notice several

things here. First of all, the oil in anointing symbolizes the Holy Spirit coming upon you.

But secondly, the Holy Spirit did not come powerfully on David for just a moment or a

day or a week but “from this day forward”. So anointing symbolizes the Holy Spirit

coming upon you, and not just once but for the rest of your life to qualify you to be a

minister and a priest before the Lord.

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 Let’s think for a moment about Jesus’ anointing. Do you realize that Jesus was

anointed? We sometimes miss this all together in the gospels. But yes, Jesus was

anointed according to the Scripture. In fact, the word Messiah that we use for Jesus

means “Anointed One”. The word Christ, which we also use for Jesus, also means

“Anointed One”. So when did Jesus’ anointing take place? That’s right, at His baptism.

As you remember, Jesus was baptized, and then the Holy Spirit came down upon Him

from heaven. Let’s notice what Jesus says about this experience in Luke 4:18-19. He

says this in the chapter right after His baptism, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim

release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are

downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Now let’s think for just a

moment about Jesus’ anointing. How do we see the anointing that Jesus received as a

fulfillment of the anointing that the priests received?

There are three main connections here. First is the connection that we see in what

happened before the priest was anointed. Like we saw earlier, before the priest was

anointed he was washed with water. Jesus too was washed with water before His

anointing in His baptism.

Second, there is a connection in the event of the anointing itself. Priests were

anointed with oil, and likewise, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, which the oil

symbolized.

Third, a clear connection seen in what the purpose of the anointing was for the

priests and for Jesus. Both were anointed for the purpose of ministry. Jesus says that he

was anointed “to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the

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captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden, to

proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” What a beautiful picture of ministry here!!!

And Jesus did not enter into His public ministry until He had received the anointing of

the Holy Spirit first. And His ministry did not stop when He returned to heaven. In fact,

His ministry to lost human beings continues now through us. He actually uses us in

ministry if we will let Him. This is an integral part of His heavenly sanctuary ministry

today. He wants to free us up to serve Him. We will come back to this thought, but let

me ask you something. Are you excited about ministering for Jesus and serving Him?

Do you have a passion for it?

Illustration: Charles Haddon Spurgeon once told this tale of a person in danger.

“A traveler was journeying in the darkness of the night along a road that led to a

deep and rapid river, which, swollen by sudden rains, was surging and roaring within its

banks. The bridge that crossed the stream had been swept away by the torrent, but the

traveler didn't know it.

A man met him and said to him in an indifferent way, ‘Are you aware that the

bridge is gone? I heard such a report this afternoon, and though I am not certain about it,

perhaps you had better not proceed.’

“Unconvinced by the hesitating and undecided manner in which the information

was given, the traveler pushed on in the way of death. Soon another came along and cried

out in consternation, ‘Sir, sir, the bridge is gone!’

“‘Oh, yes,’” replied the traveler. “‘Someone told me that story a little while ago,

but I'm sure it is an idle tale.’”

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 “‘Oh, it is true!’ exclaimed the other. ‘I barely escaped being carried away with it

myself. You must not go on.’ In the excitement of his feelings, he grasped the traveler by

the hands, by the arms, by the clothes. Convinced by the earnest voice, the earnest eyes,

the earnest gestures, the traveler turned back and was saved.

And so Spurgeon concluded his story with these words, “So it is only through a

burning zeal for the salvation of the lost--a zeal glowing in the heart and flashing out in

look and action and utterance--that the confidence of unbelief can be overcome and the

heedless travelers of the broad way won to the path of life and happiness. Love is the

most potent logic: interest and sympathy are the most subduing eloquence.”

If we really don’t have a heart for serving and ministering for others, what might

be the problem? Maybe we do not have the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

How does the anointing apply to us? Is there any relevance for us today? Is there

any connection between the priests of the Old Testament and us as Christians today?

Apparently so. When we look at the book of Revelation, the book that we have been

studying, we notice something very interesting about the results of Jesus’ death. Turn

with me to Revelation 5:9, 10. It says this, “And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy

art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase

for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And

Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon

the earth.” Revelation tells us that by His death, Jesus purchased us for Himself. And as

He is now back in heaven, having already died, His purpose is to make us into priests or

ministers for Him. But in order to be priests for Him, we need an anointing just as the

priests of the Old Testament needed an anointing. This is very clear from the New

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Testament. In fact there are 2 things that we must experience to be a part of this special

priesthood. Early in the book of Acts we see that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the

early believers and Peter preaches to a huge crowd. And as the story goes, the Holy

Spirit moved upon the people’s hearts and they wanted to know what to do. Now let’s

pick it up in Acts 2:37, 38, which shows us what Peter tells this crowd. “Now when they

heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,

Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent, and let each of you be

baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall

receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So according to Peter, we must first of all be baptized

into Jesus Christ. And secondly, we must receive the Holy Spirit as an anointing to move

us into ministry. Are you in ministry right now? I don’t mean as a pastor, I mean, are

you being used by the Holy Spirit to serve God and lead people to the Lord? God wants

to use each and every one of us in this kind of service and ministry, but it doesn’t happen

without being baptized into Jesus Christ and without receiving the Holy Spirit as well.

I am thoroughly convinced that the reason that so few people are actually

effectively ministering for Jesus is because we have misunderstood the principal of “the

anointing of the Holy Spirit,” and right now so few Christians actually have this special

anointing. We need it so badly. If we as Christians had this anointing, the world would

be completely turned upside down for Jesus. Do you feel a need for the Holy Spirit in a

greater way? Do you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart tonight?

Illustration: I was in college, and it was the first semester of my freshmen year. I had

been attending a small group Bible study at one of my friend’s house. And at that study,

there was a young lady named Maria. She was so focused on the Lord, such a wonderful

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Christian young woman, so caring and compassionate towards others. And in addition to

this, she was just gorgeous. Needless to say, I was head-over-heals for her. We began to

develop a friendship, and I remember one afternoon, I told her how I was getting so tired

of cafeteria food. That evening, she brought some food by my dorm and had it sent up to

my room. I got back to my room, and my friend Justin had eaten it all except for some

french fries, which were cold by then. He said he knew that the sandwich wouldn’t have

been any good after it got old and soggy and cold. But I didn’t care about him eating it; I

was just so thrilled that she had thought enough of me to bring me by some food.

I began to spend my free time in the library, just hoping that I would run into

Maria and get to talk to her. I remember the day that Justin found that I was going to the

library just hoping to run into her, and he said, “Man, she already has you wrapped

around her little finger and you guys aren’t even dating yet.”

I talked about her all the time to Justin. I would tell him how much I wished I

could go out with her. I would talk with him about not having the courage to ask her out,

and finally he said something that got my attention. He said, “Ryan, why don’t you quit

talking about her and actually do something about it, or she will start dating someone

else.” What great advice! I followed it, and the rest is history. Maria is my wife today,

and I couldn’t be happier.

You know we talk a lot about the Holy Spirit in the church. But I want to suggest

something to you. It is time for us to stop talking about the Holy Spirit. Now that we

understand what it means to receive the Holy Spirit, and that we can’t even be a part of

the priesthood without being anointed by the Holy Spirit, we need to move forward with

it and practice it Biblically. In fact, we have a date set where we are going to be making

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this experience available to those who desire to follow Jesus and enter into ministry for

Him and others. We are going to be practicing this Biblically with baptism and prayer for

the Spirit’s anointing for some, and just prayer for the anointing for others who have

already been baptized and don’t feel a need for rebaptism. This special day is just 1 week

from tonight on the last day of our meetings. And tonight, right now, I want to ask you to

come to the front tonight if the Holy Spirit has been moving upon your heart and if you

desire the baptism of the Holy Spirit to anoint you to become a priest for Jesus to minister

for Him.

Before I go any further, I want you to know that God wants everyone here

involved in the ministry experience with Him. Tonight the devil may be telling you that

you are not good enough to minister for Jesus.

Now I have some good news for you, and I also have some bad news. Let me

give you the bad news first. You aren’t good enough to minister for Jesus. In fact,

nobody is good enough. But let me tell you the good news. Jesus still wants to use you

in ministry, and He wants to put His perfect life in place of yours, and He wants to offer

His death for the death that you should have to die for your sins, so that you will be freed

up to serve Him by having your conscience wiped clean. Do you realize that Jesus is

taking care of this problem right now in heaven as He ministers up there for us? That’s

right. Hebrews 9 tells us that this is actually a part of his heavenly ministry in heaven as

He intercedes for us there. You remember this chapter from last night, but let’s look at it

one more time. It says here in verses 13-15, “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the

ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the

flesh,” now this is the part I want you to listen to “how much more will the blood of

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Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God,” (how

much more will the blood of Christ) “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve”

(or minister for) “the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant,

so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were

committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise

of the eternal inheritance.” Isn’t this a wonderful part of Jesus’ heavenly sanctuary

ministry. He not only takes care of the sin problem, but He also takes care of the guilt

problem. You don’t have to feel guilty anymore. Even though you are unworthy, you

don’t have to feel the guilt that keeps us from being able to freely serve Jesus and

minister for Him. He wants to free you up for ministry by anointing you with His Holy

Spirit.

There are several different calls that I want you to be listening for tonight. As you

are listening to the Holy Spirit, you may hear Him calling you to make your decision for

Jesus for the first time ever. And if He is calling you to do make this decision, I would

like you to come forward tonight.

Or you may hear Him calling you to a deeper relationship with Jesus. Yes you

may have committed to Jesus before, or you may have even been baptized, but maybe

you have never experienced ministry for Jesus and the Holy Spirit working powerfully in

your life for this purpose. And if this is your case, God is calling you to respond tonight

and join us in the front.

And finally, you may be in one other group tonight. You may have been baptized

and received the Holy Spirit for ministry, but you may have gotten too busy in life or

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gotten out of ministry in a number of other ways, and if this is your situation, God is

calling you to recommit to letting the Holy Spirit use you in ministry.

So as we sing this last song, if one of these categories fits you, please come

forward. There is no pride here tonight. No one will be looking at you like you are not

as good as someone else. We are here tonight to rejoice with you as Jesus increases His

priesthood. So as the Spirit moves, come.

With those who come forward, I will go over some of these basic guidelines for

preparing for receiving the Holy Spirit (after the service).

1. It may be a spectacular miraculous event to those around you but it may not be.

The Spirit doesn’t always work in the same way. One thing will be sure – that the

Holy Spirit is working now in you.

2. You must put differences between you and others behind you. You need to make

an effort to be reconciled with others before this happens.

3. It may take a while before you become effective at using the gifts that the Spirit

gives you.

4. You can lose the Holy Spirit just as fast as you receive Him.

5. Receiving the Holy Spirit is a daily thing after you are anointed the first time –

just like receiving Jesus at baptism becomes a daily choice, so is receiving the

Holy Spirit.

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