In this sermon, the speaker shares a message titled "Anointed for Burial." He begins by expressing his faith in God's plan for Nigeria and declares that the nation will rise again and take its rightful place in the kingdom. The speaker emphasizes the importance of being a worshipper of Jesus Christ, as it leads to experiencing the supernatural and doing things that may not be understood by others. He highlights the disciples' reaction to a woman anointing Jesus with expensive oil, showing that the flesh is often offended by the things of the spirit. The speaker encourages believers to worship God in spirit and truth, without confidence in the flesh.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. You're welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. Praise the Lord. It's wonderful to be here and this is one of God's great blessings that you begin to ask yourself, Lord, who am I and what is my Father's house that you have chosen to show me such great favor? Times Square Church has been a ministry we have heard of ever since we were young. Pastor Dave Wilkerson is somebody we have trusted and believed God that maybe one day we'll meet him in heaven. And here we are today meeting him. It's just one of these great mercies of God because it's not so much as your anointing, your years in ministry or who you are or have been, but it's just God's mercy. Hallelujah. And I really appreciate this church and the leadership of this ministry. Your fame has really gone abroad. And in the city of Joss, we are now in partnership with Times Square Church. And whenever we come, hallelujah. And whenever we come to the States for my family and I, Times Square Church is home for us. And I give God the praise. I bring you greetings from Nigeria, from the city of Joss, where I come from. And we are not moved by what the enemy is doing. We know God has a plan for our nation. And whether the devil likes it or not, that plan will come to pass. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We're seeing a bounce, much more grace. And we have seen the grace of God move in a mighty way in our nation. And our nation will rise again. And Nigeria will take her rightful place in the kingdom. I'm not so much interested in the political affairs, but in the kingdom. Nigeria will rise again. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Tonight, I'll be sharing a word that the Lord laid on my heart for this assembly. And the title of my message is Anointed for Burial. Anointed for Burial. Can we open our Bibles to the book of Matthew, the 26th chapter, Matthew 26. And I'll begin to read from verse six. And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil. And she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw it, they were indignant saying, Why this waste? For this fragrant oil may have been sold for much and given to the poor. But when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for me. For you have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. Father, we thank you for the entrance of your word brings light. And today you have come to give light to our circumstances and our situations. Lord, I thank you for utterance. And I thank you for grace that is available for me to minister tonight and for your people to receive your word. Father, you're the one who worketh in us both to will and to do of your good pleasure. Lord, I pray that tonight you will have your good pleasure in this house, that your name might be glorified. Father, I thank you and I give you all the praise in Jesus name. Amen. Now, this topic anointed for burial is something that is new to me. It's not something I have known before, but it's a word that God laid on my heart as we began to just wait and seek the face of God concerning this meeting. And I said to the Lord, Lord, what would you have me tell them? And he said, tell them about being anointed for burial. And that makes me understand that there is an anointing for burial. And if you're talking about burial, you have to talk about death first. So God is basically talking about one aspect of the anointing that has been neglected in the church. Maybe not so neglected, but we have found it easier to accept the other functions of the anointing than this very one. Now, the anoint to anoint basically just means to pour oil upon. That's the meaning of the word anoint. It means to set apart, to consecrate, to sanctify for ministry or to institute into a particular office. To anoint also means to commemorate an event or to confirm a covenant. And we have seen that in time past, anointing was done on our patriarchs. It was done on priests, on prophets, on kings, as well as sacred objects. We know that in the book of Psalm 105 from verse 9 to 15, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were anointed by God. And he said of them that he permitted no man to do them wrong. Yes, he rebuked kings for their sake saying, do not touch my anointed ones. So they were set apart. They were separated. They were consecrated for ministry. They were consecrated into an office for the use of God. And he said, do not touch my anointed ones and do my prophets no harm. We also find out in the book of Exodus chapter 29, verse 1 and 7, that priests were also anointed. And God said to Moses in Exodus 29, 1 and 7, and this is what you shall do to them to hallow them, to set them apart. He said, this is what you shall do to hallow them for ministering to me as priests. There is an anointing to minister unto God as priests. And too often we are concerned about ministering to the people, but we don't understand the ministry to God is our first call. Hallelujah. Until you are able to effectively minister to God, you cannot minister to the people. That's the first call of every man of God, every woman of God. We are first called to minister to Him. And out of that ministry will flow the grace to minister to His people. Hallelujah. And so God says in the book of Exodus 29, He says, this is what you shall do to hallow them for ministering to me as priests. And verse 7 says, and you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. And how many of you know we are all priests and kings? Amen. There's an anointing upon us to minister to the Lord. And it has nothing to do with those that are in the fivefold ministry. So we don't wait and look up to the pastors and the apostles and the prophets and the evangelists and the teachers to minister to God. No, we are all called to minister to Him. And out of that ministry, we will be able to minister to one another and to the world. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And then there's an anointing that comes upon prophets. We find that in the book of 1 Kings 19 and 16. God said to Elijah that you shall anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, as king over Israel. And Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel, Mahola, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. Amen. We also find that anointing is done on sacred objects. Objects that are sacred. In the book of Exodus 30, 26 to 28, we are told that you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of testimony, the table and all its utensils, the lampstands and its utensils, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. In the book of Genesis 28, verse 18 and 19, we also find out that a stone was anointed. Hallelujah. A stone was anointed by Jacob. When Jacob was running away from his brother Esau, when he was running from the threat of death over his life, he had an encounter with God. And he saw a ladder and angels were coming up and down. And God spoke to him and reconfirmed the covenant that he made with his fathers with Jacob. And Jacob woke up and said, surely the Lord is in this place. And I did not know it. And the Bible said that Jacob rose early in the morning. He took the stone that he had put at his head, set it as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel. But the name of that city had been lost previously. Now that tells me that Bethel, which is the house of God, is nothing other than stone with oil being poured on. And you and I are living stones being built up into a spiritual house with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. That is the house of God. Hallelujah. So we can find instances all through the Bible where the anointing oil is used to consecrate, to sanctify, to usher you into an office and a ministry. We also find the anointing oil is used for wounds. You know, remember the story of the Good Samaritan? Who stopped on the way and helped that man that was bitten by robbers. He poured oil on his wounds and bound it up and so on and so forth. And we understand the ministry of the anointing or the purpose of the anointing oil in many ways. But it is strange that we have never thought of the anointing oil being used to prepare us for burial. The disciples of Jesus Christ never knew or understood the meaning of that until this incident in Matthew chapter 26. They were sitting with Jesus Christ and a woman, the Bible says she came with very costly fragrant oil and she poured it on his head as he sat on the table. Of course, the disciples were angry. And when I read this scripture, what comes to my mind is, you see, we are in a time and a season where God is looking for people that will worship him in spirit and truth and have no confidence in the flesh. Now, we are the circumcision of the Lord who worship him in spirit and truth. I have no confidence in the flesh. And a lot of times when the spirit of God or the things of the spirit are manifested, the flesh is offended. The two don't go together. And that's why if you walk in the flesh, then you will not understand the things of the spirit. And the disciples of Jesus Christ were with him at that time. But there comes a woman outside of that circle, a woman who is a worshipper in her heart. And I tell you that once you become a worshipper of Jesus Christ, you will find yourself into realms that you do not even understand. You'll find yourself doing things that you cannot explain and other people cannot understand. But Jesus can explain it. Jesus understands the heart of worship that is causing you to do the things that you're doing. And don't think that everybody will understand and accept it. So the disciples of Jesus Christ were like, why are you wasting all this money? This thing could have been sold and we use the money for the poor. They had the poor all that time. What did they do with them? As if they cared for the poor. But you know, when you don't understand what's going on, you just try to speak from your flesh. And you try to reason and, you know, and the head cannot understand the things of the spirit. Hallelujah. So this Jesus had to defend her and he says, leave her alone. You don't know what she is doing. And she doesn't even know what she is doing. But she is anointing me and she is preparing me for my burial. There is an anointing that comes from your burial, for your burial. And before your burial, you have to go to the cross and be crucified on the cross and die there. And then you will get to a place of burial where all hope is gone, all lust is gone. And it seemed as if the enemy has won. Now look at what happened the moment Jesus was anointed. Let me tell you, there is an anointing of burial that releases certain things in your life. Now if you look at this incident in the book of Matthew, the moment she anointed Jesus Christ for his burial, we are told in verse 14 of the same chapter that one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priest and said, what are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you? And they counted out to him 30 pieces of silver. So from that time, he sought opportunity to betray him. And some of you are complaining about the Judas's in your life. And you have forgotten that you are anointed. And the anointing of God upon your life must tear up Judas to begin to propel you to your place of destiny, to the place that God has prepared for you. That anointing immediately released Judas to go and fulfill his ministry. And you will find out later when Jesus stood face to face with Judas, he called him friend. Let me tell you, the Judas's in your lives are not your enemies. They're your friends. I say they're your friends because they have to fulfill their purpose in order to get you into your purpose. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The anointing for burial releases the Judas's in our lives to begin to work for us. There's no need to start getting angry over Judas, getting bitter over Judas, getting angry over Judas. Now, if there is no Judas in your life, there's no anointing. Judas is attracted to the anointing. And if you've been anointed for burial, I'm telling you, Judas must show up. Hallelujah. Praise the name of the Lord. And right after that, we see that the trial of Jesus Christ began. And there was a time of agony in the garden. Then there was a time that Jesus came face to face with Judas. And then there was a time that all the disciples of Jesus Christ forsook him and fled. Why? All these things began to happen from the time that Jesus Christ was anointed for his burial. And that released a process of events that began to unfold. And you're wondering, why am I being forsaken? Where are all my friends? You're wondering why you're going through an agony. You're wondering why is it? Let me tell you something. The agony in the garden, when Jesus Christ was praying and he sought for company, he sought for his disciples to support him, to pray along with him. He couldn't find any one of them. They were so sleepy, they slept off. There comes a time when you have to stand one-on-one with God. Your pastor will not help you out. Sister, this brother, that will not help you out. You better learn how to pray by yourself. Even if it means crying, Oh God, help me. If that's the only thing you say, then you better say it. Because they that call upon his name shall be saved. All you need to do is call upon his name. And there must come a time in the life of the anointed of the Lord that you have to stand alone. You have to. Because the anointing that is upon your life must lead you to the place of death. What you don't know is that there are two people that are after you. The devil is after you, God is after you. And you need to make up your mind who is going to get you. Hallelujah. Praise the name of the Lord. Amen. I've made up my mind God will get me. And he gets us when he is able to take us on the way of the cross. That's when he gets us. When we are able to die that he might live in us. That's when he gets us. When we are able to come to a place like Jesus and said, Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. From the moment that Jesus Christ submitted himself in the garden of Gethsemane to the will and the purpose of God for his life, above his own will and his purpose, Jesus Christ died right there. And we all need to come to a place where we desire something so much, but we say, Lord, if it is your will, let this be done. However, not my will, but your will be done. That's what the anointing does. It does many other things. And we want to think of the anointing of God as a manifestation of his power, as the anointing to heal, as the anointing to deliver, as the anointing to preach a powerful sermon. Oh, yes, that is well, good and fine. But what about the anointing that will lead you to the cross? What about the anointing that will release Judas to begin to walk on your behalf? What about the anointing that will cost you to be sold for money? People will prefer money than friendships. Ask your friend to make a choice between you and one big contract and see what will happen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Amen. All the disciples forsook him and fled. This anointing for burial must get you to the place where you stand alone. You will stand alone in the garden and agonize. You will stand alone in the time of your trial and crucifixion. And let me tell you, it's all part of the package. Hallelujah. I remember the time that we had to stand alone as a ministry. We started church in 1995 in Jaws. And we had a rented building. Now you must know that Jaws is actually the middle belt of Nigeria. It's a bit to the north, more north than south. And in Jaws, they are not used to female ministers. So when we started church, it was like an abomination. And because of the stronghold of religion in the city, the people laughed at us, they mocked us, they were against us, the religious body and hierarchy. And of course, the enemy was out there to make sure that this work does not go on. And so we had a rented property and our landlady, who is also a Christian and an elder in another ministry, offered to sell it to us, but we didn't have money to buy it. So we just said, oh, well, why don't we just, you know, bid for time until we get the money? And she says, no, you either have to buy the property now or you leave. So we said, okay, we don't have the money to buy the property. So she said, you have to leave. And anyway, we said, okay, the procedure is that you give us six months notice before we leave. And she didn't want to give us six months notice. She wanted us to live right there and then. So while we were in the building, she sold off the property to another person and the person now came and he just wanted possession of his property. And all that time, we'd been looking and looking and looking for a place to move church to. And there was no way coming. It just was not possible. And so, because we would not move out, because she did not give us the proper procedure to our leaving the property and we're still there, she finally took us to court. And while the case was in court, our lawyer was just saying, well, let her follow the normal procedure and we will leave. But all that time, we were just looking, looking, looking for another place. And then my lawyer had to travel out of town. And if you live in Nigeria, those of you who are Nigerians, you know what I'm talking about. So while he was out of town, they went to the court, bribed the court officials and got them to come and evict us. And I remember the day of the eviction. You know, the Lord took everybody away from me. All the other pastors, the administrator, the church workers, my dear husband, nobody was around. It was just good old Esther and 10 other people that were coming at me. And they came and they broke the door of the church open. They went into the church. They started piling our chairs. We had these plastic chairs. They piled the chairs and threw them out. They took the rock from the altar, threw it out. They took our pulpit, threw it out. And I didn't believe, I didn't believe I was seeing what was happening. I said, Lord, this is your house. God did not even answer me. And I felt so furious and I felt so angry. And I'm like, these people are playing with God. And if they are not careful, I will call on the judgment of God upon them. I made all my tantrums and heaven was silent. And then I finally came out. And when I came out, I not saw the people there. And I saw a friend of mine, whom I knew from another ministry. And he was actually taking pictures to record the event. So I said to him, what are you doing? And he said, oh, you know, somebody just asked me to take pictures. I didn't even know it was your place. I said, what do you mean? You don't know it's my place. You've been here before. How can I be thrown out and you're recording it? And you're supposed to be my friend. You know, and then the lawyer to our landlady is also a pastor from another ministry. It was all within the body of Christ. And I felt so betrayed and I felt so alone. And I stood there and I was alone amongst about 10 people. And they were throwing our things out. And you know, the lawyer was just feeling good. He was just thinking about his money, what he will be paid for this accomplishment. And I stood there and I said, Lord, how can you let that happen? How can you let that happen? I just looked at them. And in my heart, I said, look at all these Judas. And they will go to church and lift up hands. What hands are they lifting to worship God? Anyway, we got thrown out. And then we began to look for another place. And that same year, you will not believe it. The Lord provided a place for us. It was a place that had already been kept. It was even fenced and sealed. The gate has been fixed. It was pure, just about 25 plots of land. Nobody, you know, He just kept it away from people until we got that land. And when we got that land, all we did was a change of ownership. And we got the papers right and everything. And we began to build. And from nowhere, from the time we began to build, God began to release the money into our hands. And money we had never handled before as a ministry began to come in. And within a year, we completed the office auditorium and the church auditorium. And when people come and see, they say, when did you start? How did you accomplish this? And I had to go back and look for those people that threw me out to tell them, thank you. Hallelujah. I had to say, thank you. You see, what I forgot was that there's an anointing on my life that will release Judas to begin to walk against me. But what the enemy means for evil, God is able to turn it around for your good. Hallelujah. Amen. You know, let me tell... I told you, I said, there are two people that are after you. God is after you. The devil is after you. The devil to accomplish his purpose. Amen. That's the truth. But you see, I had to go on the way of the cross too. Because when all that was going on, I felt very angry. I felt very bitter. But later on, I had to understand that there's an anointing on my life. And that anointing is preparing me for a place of burial. And before I get to that place, I must get to the place of death. Therefore, I couldn't get angry with them anymore. I mean, I had to find it in my heart to just love them, forgive them, and just go on with the work. Praise the name of the Lord. Hallelujah. Now, the trial and the accusation and the stripping and the mocking and the spitting on the face, as well as Peter's denial, and finally, the crucifixion and death on the cross of Jesus Christ was all part of the package. And all this started from a woman coming to anoint him and to prepare him for burial. Each time the anointing of God comes upon our lives, or it comes upon our heads, it is for a purpose. It is to lead us to a place of my will must die and his will must stay. Hallelujah. And until we get to that place, it is called the place of death, then his power cannot be manifested in and through us. That's why we must get to that place where it is called the place of death. Now, you will find out that after the burial of Jesus Christ, it was really difficult, the burial of Jesus Christ. That was even worse than the other things that had happened. It was worse than the stripping, than the slapping, than the mocking, than the false accusation. And you know, the anointing of God on your life will teach you when to say something and when to keep quiet. Because there were times that Jesus would say something and there were other times that they would ask him questions and he would keep quiet. Hallelujah. Praise the name of the Lord. So Jesus Christ came to that place where he had to be crucified naked before the whole world, accused, falsely accused by the people he came to save. And then he was buried. And think about all these days where he was buried. That's a time when nothing is happening. Nothing is happening and it seemed as though the enemy has won. It seemed as though that everything you've ever put your faith and your trust in was a lie. That's the time that you need to prove yourself and yet you must do or say nothing. You must remain buried. It doesn't matter what the world says. It doesn't matter if your disciples that you spent the last three and a half years of your life pumping yourself into them. It doesn't matter if they all go fishing. It doesn't matter if they all forget all the things you ever told them. You told them that this was about to happen. You prepared them for it and yet when it happened they just felt, well, he's gone. Let me go back to my business. And they went back to the things they'd been used to. That's the time that is most difficult for us. You need an anointing to stay buried. You need that grace and that spirit and that power of God to refuse to do anything. You need that power of God to remain misunderstood, to let your followers go. You must stay there, quiet, your mouth shut because remember you are dead. You must stay there even if it means the enemy has won, even if it means they were right after all, even if it means, oh, they're going to celebrate my downfall. Let them. You don't have anything to prove because you're dead. You've already been to the cross and you are buried unless a corn of wheat falls to the ground and dies. It abides alone. But if it will die, it will bring forth much fruit that will abide forever. So the Lord will keep us there. He will keep us buried after the death until the third day. And when that third day comes, and when that third day comes, and when that third day comes, there is no power on earth that can stop you from rising up. There is no demon on hell that can stop what God has already ordained from the foundation of time. God himself will release angels from heaven to come and roll away the stone that is the time for angelic ministration because human hands cannot do what God is about to do. And so he will release his angels from heaven and he will give the commandment, roll the stone away. If you will walk along this path, then you will rise again. I say, if you will walk along this path, then you will rise again. And when resurrection time comes, then the power of God, the same power that came upon you, the same power that anointed you to go through this way is the same power that will raise you up from the dead. And that's why Jesus can finally stand and say, all power and authority has been given to me. Hallelujah! We want to exhibit the power and the authority of God, but we don't want to go the way of the cross. We don't want to die. We don't want to be betrayed. We don't want to suffer anything. We don't want to be reproached. We don't want to be mocked. We don't want to be falsely accused. We just want to manifest his power. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way. If you want to walk in his power and his authority, then you must be ready to go the way of the cross, to die and be buried and let him raise you up. Not you raise yourself up. He will raise you up. Hallelujah! Jesus could not make this declaration until he had gone through this path. And the beginning of the path that Jesus went through was released by the anointing that came upon him which he now explained to the woman and explained to the disciples that she's preparing me for my burial. That's the purpose of that anointing. We've forgotten about the anointing for burial. Jesus said, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I've commanded and know I am with you always even to the end of life. Amen. Hallelujah! Oh, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Let me tell you, it's not the devil that has put you on that path. It is God himself who told you that when you become a Christian, everything will work out. There'll be no problems. Happy-go-lucky. That's a false gospel. That's from the gospel of Jesus Christ. The moment you become a Christian, you are a target for the devil. The moment you become a Christian, you're also a target for God. He wants to bring you to himself. He wants to form himself in you. He wants to bring you to the fullness of the measure of the statue of Jesus Christ. And we must attain that height. Hallelujah! If you go back to Luke chapter 3, the temptation of Jesus Christ, or I'll start from the baptism of Jesus Christ, and I'll probably end with the scriptures. Luke chapter 3 from verse 21. Hallelujah! When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized. And while he prayed, the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him. And a voice came from heaven which said, you are my beloved son. In you, I am well pleased. And I asked myself, what did Jesus do at that time that the father was pleased with him? That was before the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ was baptized, what he exhibited was his death, burial, and resurrection. And through that baptism, Jesus Christ exhibited the fact that he was ready to go through it all. Because as at that time, Jesus did not open any blind eyes. Jesus did not make the lame walk. Jesus did not feed the thousands with just five loaves and two fishes. He didn't do any of those things. Yet the father made a declaration. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Why was he pleased with Jesus Christ at that time? Because Jesus Christ waited for his time. He did not go ahead of the father. He waited until the father was ready to release him into his ministry. And so the father can say, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. How many of you would wait for 30 years to begin the ministry that God has called you to do? We're so anxious to prove a point. We're so anxious to exhibit, oh, we have an anointing. We are powerful men and women of God. But Jesus Christ waited. He was totally submitted to the will of the father. And after the declaration that the father was pleased with him, look at what happened. In Luke chapter 4 verse 1, it says, Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit... No, I'm sorry, not that. I wanted to read about the temptation. Praise the name of the Lord. I'll get to that later on, but that's not where it is. Yes, it is. Then Jesus, in Luke chapter 4 from verse 1, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into where? The wilderness. It was not the devil that took him to the wilderness. It was the anointing of God that came upon him that led him to the wilderness. The anointing is attracted to wilderness. And Jesus had to go to the wilderness to be tried and tested and proven in the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life until He overcame. And when He overcame, the same Spirit that led Him into the wilderness now said, Then He returned in the power of His might. If you are not led into the wilderness, there's no returning. You have to have your wilderness time. If you want to walk in the power of His might. So why do we fight the wilderness experience? Why do we think that something strange is happening to us? Why do we think that we're out of favor with God or we are not called by God just because we're going through the wilderness? There's an anointing on your life and that anointing must take you to the wilderness. And if you go through scriptures, you will find that it has not changed. Every time that the anointing of God will come upon a person, he must be led through a trial. It happened to David. David was anointed thrice before his brethren in Judah and then before all Israel. And after each, there comes a challenge. The moment that anointing gets upon him, the moment David was anointed, he was sent before Saul and that was where he was going to begin to learn the art of dodging javelins. Some of you are wondering, why do I have the kind of boss that I have? Why do I have the kind of husband that I have? David has to go to the house of Saul so that the soul in him can be removed. Hallelujah! Jacob had to go to the house of Laban so that he will hate, deceive so much that if you leave him for the next 100 years, he will have nothing to do with deception because he makes a master deceiver. But he wouldn't have learned that lesson if he didn't go to the house of Laban. Why do you think that's like some strange things happening to you just because of the trials you're going through? Hallelujah! Oh, praise Jesus! Jesus returned in the power of the might and in verse 18 of Luke chapter 4, he said, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. Listen to me. The anointing of God that is on your life is for the poor. He says, He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. The anointing of God on your life is for the brokenhearted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives. The anointing of God on your life is to proclaim liberty to the captives. So it's actually for the captives. He said, And recovery of sight to the blind. So therefore, the anointing of God on your life is actually meant for the blind. To set at liberty those that are oppressed for the oppressed and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. When I read this, what came to me is the anointing of God on my life is for the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the blind, the oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And you know what? I just looked at it and I said, Where am I in this anointing? I'm not represented there. And we think that the anointing is for us to just show how anointed we are and how much power we have and how we can preach the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The anointing of God on your life must remove you from self. Totally. Self must not be seen in the anointing. The anointing is sent for the oppressed, for the captives, for the brokenhearted, for the blind, for the poor, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. You get to that place when you pay the price. And the price is you agree to die. You agree to be buried and let his resurrection power manifest through you. Father, we thank you for the purpose of the anointing. Tonight, we see your anointing in a different light. And for as many of us are struggling and asking so many questions and wondering whether we are on the right path. Lord, I pray that you will speak to our hearts today. I pray that they have received light and direction and instruction. Father, help us to see the friend we have in Judas. You said offenses will surely come, but woe unto that man by whom these offenses come. We refuse to walk in anger and in bitterness, but we choose the way of the cross. And we agree to follow where the Spirit of God is leading us. Just as the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, we accept the wildernesses of our lives. And we ask that you help us to learn the lessons that are meant for us to learn. That we may move on to the place of death, burial, so that we can experience your resurrection power. We thank you, oh God, for your word. We give you praise and glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Father, we thank you for your children that are here before you. Father, I just sense so much anger in the hearts of some. Bitterness and strife and the turning away from you, Lord, because of the things they're going through. Because of the hurts, the pain, the disappointments, because of the wounds. But Lord, I thank you because tonight there is a ban in Gilead. And I ask that this ban will flow over the hearts and the situations of your people. Lord, that they will be healed in, oh God. That they will find it in their hearts to forgive and to release and to move on. That they will see you in the circumstances they're going through. Lord, let them understand that they are the anointed of the Lord. I ask that your Holy Spirit will fall upon them afresh. And that your Holy Spirit will have a free reign in their lives. That the Spirit of God will lead them to where you want them to be. Father, take away every arm of flesh in us. Take away self in them. Take away that that stands between them and you, oh God. Bring them to a place of total submission. That they can lift up their voices to say, not my will but your will be done. Father, I pray for the grace to submit to the dealings of the Holy Spirit, oh God. Upon each and every one of them tonight in the name of Jesus. Lord, you say we will have an unction from the Holy One. And we know all things. Grant them understanding, Lord. Open their eyes to see. Open their hearts to perceive and understand what you are doing in their lives. And to submit to it, oh God. Anoint them afresh, oh God. That they may be used for your glory. That you will raise up a great mighty army for your kingdom. Amongst these people that out of the experiences of their lives. They will stand and minister as oracles of the Most High God. You say that all things work together for good. Lord, let them know that what they're going through will work together for good. For those who love you and those who are called according to your purpose. Let that be true in their lives, oh God. Let that be true in their lives. Let that be true in their circumstances and situations. Lord, I pray you will help them to begin to see Judas as friend. That they will let themselves to hang on the cross. Naked and not ashamed. That we have nothing to cover. Nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to impress the world of. Bring them to that place, Father. I pray by your spirit. For you're the one that works it enough both to will and to do of your good pleasure. Help them learn the lessons of the wilderness. That they will return in the power of your might. And that their fame will go abroad. I thank you for the grace to forgive. And to release. I thank you for the grace to rise above self. I thank you for the grace to rise above strife. Thank you for calling them. Anoint them afresh, my Father. Anoint them afresh. Anoint us afresh. The same anointing is able to make us overcome the devil in the wilderness. I thank you, Father. I thank you, Father. Let there be a new day in their lives. Let there be a new walk in their lives. Let it be a walk of the spirit. Not of the flesh. Give them the grace to put the flesh under. Give them the grace to die to self. To their wills, to their ambitions, to their plans. To their own purpose. That your will, your plan for their lives, your purpose for their lives, may be established. Father, I pray that this word will not judge them on the last day. Because they will yield to the dealings of the Holy Spirit. You said your spirit will not strife with man. Lord, tonight, let them cease from striving. Let them cease from striving. And let them yield. Father, we thank you. I pray a blessing of your strength and your grace upon them. That they will walk on this fury path. I see the path lined up with fire. And some of you will step on that path and it will hurt your feet. It's a lonely path. It is a path that God has set for you. No bird, no eye of the bird has seen that path. That path is lined with fire. But that's where you're going. I want you to know that God is with you in the midst of the fire. He's the fourth night in the fire. You are not alone. He's there with you. And because of that, you can walk that path. And make it to the end. Lord, these ones will make it to the end. None will fall by the wayside. But they will make it to the end. To the praise and glory of your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. This is the conclusion of the message.