09 The Anointing – 1 John 2:20-27
John makes his point warning the readers about the deception of the times they are living in. We also should realise that it is so relevant to us today. He quickly shifts his emphasis as a real pastor to encourage his readers that however bad things may get they have been anointed by God Himself. He is in no doubt himself that they are anointed as he can see the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. All through the Bible when the Father wants to correct us or warn us, He warns us about the wrong thing we may be doing, but immediately reminds us of how He sees us in Christ – justified (‘Just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned’). This is Love at His best He doesn’t focus on the bad things but lifts us to focus on what is His Truth and the bigger picture, Matthew 7:15-27. This is a wonderful way to talk to someone if we see a problem in their lives, saying what is good but at the same time challenging anything that is contrary to the Word of God, Revelation 2:1-5.
The Anointing.
The anointing is very exciting as it sits on us like a cloak of God’s Presence and yet at the same time it is His overwhelming power rising from within us so we can do and say all Jesus would do today and we can see a supernatural response when we walk in this anointing. God did not ask us to walk the Christian life and then leave us to get on with it. He gave us the same anointing as He gave Jesus when He was living in the earth. This is why when we do some activities we feel so exhausted and they seem to dry us out physically, spiritually and emotionally. Yet at other times we can do things where we do feel tired but there is a real sense of satisfaction and being right in the centre of the Father’s will. That is the difference between un-anointed and anointed work. If you are or I am a very active person we can add our own activities to our job list for the day especially if we see a need, and then we find there is no satisfaction in our work. We are spreading ourselves too thin and the anointed work is not being done with excellence. Our extra jobs will be burnt up on Judgement Day and we will suffer loss, 1 Corinthians 3:12.
Anointing is done in the Old Testament with oil to appoint, to qualify for the office of a priest, (Moses anointed Aaron with oil as the first High Priest – Exodus 29:7), a king or prophet. David was anointed as king (1 Samuel 16:12-13) long before he actually rose to be King after Saul died, 1 Samuel 31:8. David also realised the importance of not touching God’s anointed, so he never took the kingdom from Saul until God gave it to him. ‘He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 24:6 also similarly “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” 1 Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15; and Psalm 132:10.
The Lord takes seriously the prayers of the anointed ones and part of the blessing of walking in obedience under the anointing is the confidence we have in knowing our Father who loves us and hears us; ‘Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Psalm 28:6-8. Choose joy as a faith response to your prayer request, showing the Father that you can give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) saying to Him that you are trusting Him that all things work together for your good, whatever is the outcome, Psalm 20:6; Psalm 84:9.
People think Jesus Christ had his surname as ‘Christ’ but the Truth was that ‘Christ’ was His title meaning ‘the anointed one’ so followers of Jesus are called little ‘anointed ones’ or Christians. We are His followers today and Acts 10:38 describes His life and should be a testimony of ours if we walk in the abundant anointing ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him’. Jesus gives His own testimony as to why God anointed Him. He declares in Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” This passage Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 61:1-3 to point the hearts of the people to their Messiah. We need to step out and receive the mantle of the anointing as if Jesus needed it for His walk with the Father how much more do we need it to walk in power and authority. It is a vital part of our armour.
What have we heard from the beginning?
John re-emphasises his previous point about the warning of the antichrists. He is pointing out that at the root of their problem is denying the relationship between the Father and His Son, Jesus. They habitually stated that Jesus was not the true Messiah but just an ordinary man that God used, so He was not fully divine. This is Docetism which states that Jesus was just a man and God clothed Him with divinity to make Him the Messiah, but He was never fully God in the form of a person. Christianity states that Jesus was fully human, Hebrews 2:14 and fully divine, Romans 1:3-4. John says that a person who denies there is a relationship between Father God and His Son cannot have the Father or He would know that he was wrong.
If we are born again believers we know that
1) Jesus Christ is God’s Son, Galatians 4:6-7.
2) That He died for our sins, 2 Corinthians 5:21,
3) That He was raised from the dead, Ephesians 1:20 and
4) He will return to establish His Kingdom, Acts 1:11.
This has to be the foundation for our daily lives and if anyone comes in to our fellowship to side track us we have these basic facts to hold onto and never swerve from, Acts 4:12.
We cannot afford to give ground to any new speculative theory or someone who denies the truths we have as the foundation of our salvation. Probably today the most common wrong teaching is ‘all roads lead to God’; ‘We all worship the same God’. There are many who wish to divert us from focusing on Jesus and lift themselves up to a position of power and idolatry. We are all open to a charismatic leader who slowly lulls us into a false sense of security with a wrong emphasis in our lives and often through laziness or weakness we believe what they preach without checking it out in our spirit or from the Word of God.
When we have been walking with Jesus for some time we can be looking for ‘more’ or we may be disheartened by our slow progress to be more like Jesus and so are open to a ‘new’ revelation. It often gets hold of us as we do not seek God’s face for Truth. What He really is requiring from us is ‘stickability’ and consistency while we want some excitement!! This can cause us and our family years of pain and heartache, at worst turning away from God. We need to be realistic about the enemy and confident in those we share fellowship with ‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings’. 1 Peter 5:8-9
1 John 2:26-27 Msg.
‘I’ve written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you—Christ’s anointing, no less! You don’t need any of their so-called teaching. Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and Him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught’. Have you ever noticed that you know the answer to a problem and how you should react before you get a chance to read the Word or even pray? Then you get a thought and you are sure this is the right way forward. That is Christ’s anointing teaching you the Truth.
This helps us to become more aware of the Spirit’s leading so we are quicker to obey next time. We then develop a habit of allowing the Spirit of Truth to reveal the will of God. As we obey, His promptings become stronger and ‘we are led of the Spirit so we will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh’, Galatians 5:16. God has not just anointed certain ‘super Christians’, He has given the Spirit to all of us and as we learn to be sensitive to His voice, He’ll guide us into all Truth. Think about how your life will be when you know God’s Truth about every situation in your life. His anointing will give you the power to obey all He wants you to do to walk in victory. Welcome Him and honour Him into your everyday affairs and allow Him to be your Lord and listen to His every whisper whether that is in your heart or through the reading of the Word.
09 The Anointing – 1 John 2:20-27 Challenge Questions
Read the beginning of the notes on 1 John 2:20-27 – The Anointing
1. Can you see how John balances the warning and the encouragement? Do you know any situation where you could use his strategy to help someone or has it been used on you? How did it happen, and was it successful?
2. In what area of your life have you experienced God’s anointing?
3. Have you read anything new in these notes about ‘the anointing’?
Read ‘What have we heard from the beginning?’
4. Do you know on which foundations of the Truth you made your decision to follow Jesus Christ?
5. Write the Bible verses out here.
6. If you were to die tonight, are you sure where you would go?
7. Do you think that if a new preacher came into your town with new ideas you would be looking for a more exciting walk? How would you check out whether he was a genuine Christian or not?
Read the notes headed ‘1 John 2:26-27 Msg.’
8. In what situations in your life would you benefit from listening to the Holy Spirit? Stop now and see what He is telling you to do.
Read 1 John 2:27-29
9. What name does John use again to address his readers?
10. What words are repeated in these verses?
11. When John tells them to ‘continue in Him’ what do you think he is suggesting? 1 John 2:28
12. How can we be confident and unashamed when Jesus comes back?
Read John 15:1-16
13. Give some actions from these verses that show that we are remaining in Christ and are true followers of His.
14. What commands does Jesus give as we abide, remain, in Him? John 15:1-16
15. Looking at 1 John 2:27-29 what is the anointing teaching you?
16. Sum up in one short sentence what you have learned in any of these verses.
Memory Verse ‘As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love’ John 15:9
