Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Grasping God’s Anointing

Theme: A Recipe for the Anointing of the Holy Spirit

“So he 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 Almighty.”

(Zechariah 4:6)

A foundational truth for the church of Jesus Christ today

Our text found in Zechariah chapter four is a vision of comfort to a people whom were in great need of God’s mighty empowerment.

It is important to remember that the main purpose of the vision was to encourage the two leaders, Joshua and Zerubbabel in the work of rebuilding the temple by reminding them of their Divine resources.

God spoke to Zechariah in this vision about how the holy things of God will be done.

It is a vision of much encouragement to the people of God and lays a foundational truth for the church of Jesus Christ today.

God anointed two men to do an overwhelming task at the close of the seventy-year Babylonian captivity of the Israelites.

One was Joshua, the high priest in Judah and the other was Zerubbabel, the first governor of Judah.

They were anointed of God to re-establish the Temple and true worship between 538 – 516 BC. (Hag 1:1, 12, 14; 2:4; Zech.

3:1, 3, 6, 8 – 9; 6:11).

Zerubbabel’s name means, “Yahweh’s personal residence among His people.”

Meaning that he was God’s anointed servant sent to accomplish a certain task.

The promise to the obedient church of Jesus Christ

I would propose to you that any church who is surrendered to the complete will of God and is striving to walk in obedience to His written Word, has this encouragement, “…Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord Almighty.”

The promise to the obedient church of Jesus Christ is that you “…will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

(Acts 1:8)

Dr. Kenneth L. Baker wrote it wonderfully, “Only if His Spirit governs every detail can a service be glorifying to Him.” Henry T. Blackaby said it powerfully and truthfully, “The church of Jesus Christ must understand their need of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling the Great Commission.”

I would like to add this; the Holy Spirit is as much available to us today as He was to the early church and we need only to receive Him by faith and through obedience to God’s Word.

What should be in the heart of the child of God who is “Grasping for the Anointing of God’s Holy Spirit?”

Is there a “Recipe for the Anointing of the Holy Spirit” that will enable the born again believer to walk in the empowerment that Joshua and Zerubbabel did?

It is a necessity that we allow the Holy Spirit to place deep within our hearts and mind some spiritual truths

Every Christian needs God’s power in his life and upon the ministry that God has called him to work in or else his efforts will be completely of the flesh.

Exodus 30: 22 – 33 holds the ingredients that should be in the heart of the child of God who is “Grasping for God’s Anointing.”

These passages of Scripture tell of the special anointing oil which was to be used upon men or things which were to be set apart for God’s use.

This oil may be referred to as the sweetness of Holy anointing oil.

This oil had infused into it the essence of four principal spices which included myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, and cassia.

The recipe for this oil gives a picture of what we need in our hearts to enjoy God’s anointing.

Therefore, it is a necessity that we allow the Holy Spirit to place deep within our hearts and minds the spiritual truths to these ingredients and pray that the Lord will once again birth these principals back into the heart of the church.

A principal fragrant is a life that is dying to self

We must begin with a simple understanding of the anointing with oil from Exodus 30.

It is for the setting apart for God’s use.

It is also important to note that the anointing with oil was symbolizing the Holy Spirit.

You see there must be a mixture of these principals in our lives, if we are going to express a life and ministry that has God’s Holy Spirit working through it.

The first principal fragrant is a life that is dying to self.

The first ingredient in making God’s special anointing oil was liquid Myrrh.

Myrrh was used to prepare bodies for burial.

We are taught in order to get its beautiful sweetness it has to be crushed.

Every great ministry that is long lasting and has great value has been birthed through someone who has died to self.

They were asked by God to let something go that was special to them, in order to prepare for the work of the Lord.

Myrrh speaks of death.

There is no anointing of the Holy Spirit without death to self and the love of the world.

If we want to know the Lord and have God’s anointing we have to die first to ourselves.

The old man must be put to death.

We must die to our own agendas, which includes dreams and desires, not born from a surrendered heart to the Lord Jesus.

Christians cannot depend upon their own strength, abilities and resources.

The Christian who is willing to allow the Holy Spirit to bring him to dying to self through prayerful reading of God’s Word, is a prime prospect for God’s anointing, or being set apart for a special task with the Lord.

Dr. George Rawlinson tells us that liquid myrrh can be translated as pure myrrh or literally “myrrh of freedom.”

Dying to self literally brings freedom and liberty, not bondage.

Therefore, the true way to having freedom and liberty and to being used of God is to first die to self.

Every anointed man of God who has been truly set apart for God has been given the opportunity by the Lord to give up something very special in his life to serve Him.

Some have given up sports, fishing, good jobs and careers.

Many a great missionary has given up mothers and fathers to go and serve in third world countries.

These great servants of the Lord have God’s anointing.

What sacrifices are you making or have made to be trained for the Lord’s work?

How are you allowing the Lord to continue to work in your life, exposing attitudes of self and cleansing of the world out of your heart?

Is the “Old Man” dead within you, have you been made a new creation in Christ Jesus?

Are you walking in step with the Holy Spirit?

An aroma pleasing to the Lord

The second ingredient to obtaining the anointing oil special to God was fragrant cinnamon.

Cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark from young branches of the evergreen tree found often in Sri Lanka.

Cinnamon oil is distilled out of these branches and is used for food, perfume, and drugs.

It brought a pleasant flavor to everything it was added to and gave off a very pleasant smell.

Its fragrance was beautiful in the Tabernacle because it counteracted the stench of animal sacrifices and human odors.

A term you read often in the Bible is “an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”

God wants sacrifices that are a pleasing aroma, and this is done by 1.) Offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. (Romans 12:1, 2) 2.) By obeying the Word’s of Christ.

(John 15:10; Matthew 3:17) Having a passion for Christ, and being victorious in Christ, thus, becoming a sweet fragrance to God, and 3.) By conducting ministries that are gripped with a passion for Christ, and are victorious in Christ, thus, becoming a sweet fragrance to God.

The apostle Paul wrote about being ministers of the New Covenant in 2 Corinthians 2:15 – 17, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are perishing.

To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

And who is equal to such a task?

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit.

On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.”

There are several points worth mentioning to those with ears to hear and hearts to obey.

The minister and church that is a sweet fragrance to God are those who are about their Father’s business.

They spread the message of Christ to both the church and the perishing.

They are teaching the Word of truth through careful instruction to the children of God and they are making ways to get the word of God out to those in the world.

This type of servant hood to the Lord is acceptable, pleasing, enjoyable, satisfying, fulfilling, precious, and worthy of the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit.

Paul says “unlike so many.”

Those who desire and get His anointing are those who do not peddle the Word of God for profit.

The Greek word for “peddle” (kapeleuontes) can also be translated as “corrupt.”

Meaning to corrupt the Word of God.

It is taken from an old word, meaning “huckster.”

A huckster is defined as one who is a hawker, or a trickery fellow.

It is used here as one who peddles for personal gain.

It can also mean to adulterate, to whittle down, to contaminate, to tamper with the Word of God.

The Practical Word Studies of the New Testament gives us this application, “…it is to mix other things into the Word of God and the gospel such as, personal ideas, speculations, the latest religious fads or novel ideas.”

The Pastor and congregation that enjoy the anointing of the Holy Spirit speak before God with “sincerity.”

The word “sincere” here means that the pastor and church have pure, unadulterated hearts.

The practical application is that their motives have been shaken and rolled through a sieve.

They will be unstained and untainted when inspected.

This type of Christian church will not be respected because of profession or for any other reason.

This church is respected because the aroma of Holy Spirit fruit is seen as spiritual gifts are exercised under the key fruit of sacrificial love.

God’s anointing is upon those who offer up the sweet aroma of Christ-like character.

What purpose do you have as you do ministry, is it to gain numbers or make true disciples of Christ?

Can your ministry withstand close inspections?

Do you joyfully allow your ministry to be examined for sincerity?

The third ingredient that made the special anointing oil was fragrant cane.

The more you beat it the better it smells

The third ingredient that made the special anointing oil for those people who were or things which were set apart for service to God was fragrant cane.