Sermon Tone Analysis

OPEN WITH 4th of JULY VIDEO, “Celebrate Freedom”

Announce about the parents meeting after service and also reaffirm about the 4th of July blowout and about the mission selling fireworks at 3 locations: the Mission on Sparta Hwy, Peavine Road at Mountaineer Realty and Simonton’s Cheese House on 127 south.

So, this Wednesday is the 4th of July.

It is that time of the year, annually, when we celebrate our nations Declaration of Independence and our coming out from under the tyranny and oppression of another nation!

I really had not put much thought into this being the Sunday before the 4th of July and wasn’t even going to mention anything dealing with the 4th and about our independence.

However, as I began to read up on a group of words and of a certain account in the Bible the other day, it became clear to me that the message Holy Spirit was directing me towards, was right in line with the subject of our independence and freedom!

Allow me to share with you a couple of Hebrew words that I am talking about this morning: mashach and shemen.

There you go, clear as crystal for you now, right?

I mean can’t you see the correlation between independence and freedom and these two words?

Well, let me share with you what these two words mean in Hebrew and then let’s see if you get it.

MASHACH - means to anoint, to consecrate

SHEMEN - means olive oil, or fat.

Now you’ve got it, right?

I mean it is so elementary; Anoint and oil/fat!

That is a dead ringer for independence and freedom if there ever was one!

OK, so all sarcasm and humor aside, let’s get into the word of God and read some passages about these words and the relevance they have for us this morning.

As I was reading this past week I began to look at the subject of “anointing with oil” in the Bible and the very use of the word, “anointing” itself.

If you have spent any time at all in the word of God, you have probably come across the word “anoint” or “anointing”, right?

I think that most of us have some understanding or idea of what “anointing” refers to.

I remember a movie that I watched years ago, one of those stupid sappy comedies that we used to get into, and in the movie, the man is reading a poem to this lady that he likes, and it is a poem that is from one of his favorite authors, and the poem is entitled, “Pointy Birds”.

The main part of the poem goes, “The pointy birds are pointy, pointy.

Anoint my head, anointy, nointy.”

I know that that is deep, right?

From the literal standpoint, the act of anointing meant.

“To pour oil or ointment onto a person or object in a ritualistic fashion; for the purpose of healing, setting apart, or embalming.”

And although we are about to look at specific criteria that God gave for anointing within the Old Testament in the book of Exodus, I just wanted to mention that anointing existed before the Exodus period and before the Levitical Law existed.

In fact, the first recorded account of anointing with oil, or setting something aside as sacred (i.e.

CONSECRATING), is found in the book of Genesis.

In Genesis, 28:18, we see Jacob, after just having his dream of the stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven.

The Bible says that early the next morning, after having the dream, Jacob awoke and took the “rock” that he had used as a pillow and stood it up and poured olive oil all over it and consecrated that place as a holy place and called it, Bethel, which literally means, “the house of God”!

The thing about this situation, besides it being the first recorded account of anointing with oil, is the fact that Jacob did so, as if it were common, or understood as proper to do so.

I mean, if I were out camping and God gives me a dream or vision of something great about the place that I am camping at, and then I awake and decide that that place is special, or sacred and that I should do something special to commemorate or set that place aside from all others, I would probably get out my smartphone and PGS tag the place and denote it with a description.

The reason for my action, would be that this is the normal response for many people and thus a logical thing to do.

However, if I woke up and then dumped my fresh brewing pot of coffee all over the tree beside me and said this place is sacred, with no real meaning to it, it would not make sense and would not be significant.

Point being, Jacob did what he did and it was natural to him and not mentioned as out of the ordinary or distant to his logic or ways.

People were already using oil to consecrate, or anoint objects at that time in the Bible’s history.

And Jacob’s statement about the importance of the place in the Genesis account shows us that his use of the oil was to set aside this place and retain its position as very important, as indicated via the oil anointing.

He could have stood the rock up, or even built a mound of stones and danced around them for awhile.

But, he anointed and set the place aside as holy to God!

There is something about the oil being applied that makes a difference, right?

Well then let’s move forward in the word of God and look at a specific place where we see God, Himself, making use of the anointing process with oil.

In , we read of God giving Moses some specific instructions about the making of and the use of “His”, Holy Anointing oil.

READ THE PASSAGE

Now, right away, I want to mention that in every detail that has to do with the worship of God and all of the ordinances that He gave to Moses and the children of Israel, were very specific.

You don’t see the Lord saying to them, “Just build me a structure to hang out in and put some amenities in it for worship and pour some olive oil in a cup for anointing!

No, God was extremely detailed about every facet of His tabernacle and the worship that was to take place from it!

And of course, as I have mentioned many, many times before and will reiterate again today, every detail about the tabernacle and the worship of God and all of the feasts and Holy days that the Israelites were to observe, all pointed to something and someone greater who was coming!

All of the law that was given for men from God, was never meant to remove sin, nor could it.

The law served only as a guard dog that reminded men of their sins and prompted them to react accordingly to it, via the tabernacle and the priests through the shedding of the animals blood for atonement.

It is like Paul said about the law and his sin, “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good.

The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it.

Instead, I do what I hate.

But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.

So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

I want to do what is good, but I don’t.

I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

I love God’s law with all my heart.

23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.”

You see, the law could only remind us of our sins, but was unable to do anything more about it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t.

I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

That is why it was necessary for all of the detailed implementations of the tabernacle and the priests and the sacrifices and all of the vessels that were used in service to God!

Our God, the one true God, is a details oriented God.

Look at all of the other false religions and false gods that have existed.

You make a statue and worship it.

That’t it!

Now go and read throughout the book of Exodus and Leviticus and look at the exact precision of Yahweh about all of the things that were involved in serving and worshipping Him and the great lengths that He went to, to buy us back and establish His presence with us again!

And in all of this detail that was given, there was a road map that was there, but they couldn’t see it, at the time, that was pointing to the greatest miracle in all of universe!

When you look at the tabernacle and the temple area and of how God designed the layout, you begin to see something relevant.

As you move from the outer parts of the court and head towards the Holy place, value begins to change.

The further away you are from the Holy place the amenities were fashioned from, or covered in bronze and lesser quality tapestry and silver.

However, as you moved into the Holy place and most definitely, going into the Holy of Holies, everything was made of and covered in pure gold and the best woven and died linens.

The closer that you got to the presence of God, the more pure and valuable the area around became!

And the oil that God had them make for His worship and service, was no different.

God had them make a special, holy anointing oil and He was very clear about it use.

“‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.

It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves.

It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.”

So, the question that arises, is, “why”?

Why so particular about this anointing oil?

Such that it was not to treated as or used as common, or else there was punishment for doing so!

Well, if you look at what it was used for, you begin to see some clarity.

God said that the tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the utensils, the lampstand, the altar, the washbasin and its stand, they were all to be anointed with this oil and marked as consecrated; that is, set aside solely for the use and worship of God alone.

God even said, that whatever touches them will also become holy.

Which is why the common people, were not allowed to come in and handle the implementations of worship; only the priests were to do so.

This was so that nothing would become as common which was associated with worship to Him.

Basically, everything that had to do with His presence and the worship to Him and for Him, was anointed, set aside as Holy.

Which then leads to the next use of the Holy anointing oil.

It was used, initially to anoint and consecrate the priests of the tabernacle for God’s service and no one else.

However, throughout the Old Testament, we see that the holy oil was eventually used for two more sets of servants for Yahweh, the kings and the prophets.

So, God’s holy anointing oil was used to consecrate everything that was part of His presence and His worship and specifically those whom He chose for His service.

So, what does any of this have to do with the price of tea in China and especially in dealing with the subjects of freedom and independence?

Well, God was very particular about His anointed and He placed great value upon them.