Called & Anointed

Stay In The City

Pastor John Talcott
Christ's Community Church

(8/27) Welcome to Christ’s Community Church. I want to talk to you about being Called and Anointed and it is my goal today to encourage you to seek the Lord, learning to wait patiently, and responding to God’s calling no matter how impossible it may seem.

A.W. Tozer once said, "God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible."

And that’s why it’s so important that you are here, because Christ’s Community Church is a place where you can belong, a place where you can connect with God, a place where you can be surrounded by a community of believers who will help you to discern God’s call and encourage you to walk in obedience to his will.

And so, we want to have our hearts open to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we can be like those first followers of Jesus. They had been called and understood the cost of following Jesus. They were men who had given up everything to follow Jesus, following him wherever he went, whenever he went, and however he went. And so, whether by boat on the sea, hiking through the deserts, through doubts and fears, wherever and whatever it was, for three years they had followed Jesus.

As they saw the fulfillment of many centuries of prophecy, their commitment to Jesus and the gospel was tested. And so, turning to Luke chapter 24, Jesus reminded them again of the gospel. He summarized it for them in verse 46, telling them,

"This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:46-49).

Today, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are Called and Anointed just as those first disciples of Jesus. And so, I want you to imagine yourself in those first disciple’s sandals… And just think about it as if it was your friend, your pastor, somebody that you knew and looked up to, and you had to watch them die. All of a sudden, the enemy begins to place all kinds of doubts in your mind.

I know we often focus on the fact that Thomas doubted, that Peter started cursing, and that Judas hung himself, but we fail to recognize the intense pressure all the others were under. The suffering of Jesus was humiliating, it was scary, it was devastating, it was emotional, but you can’t be a king without a cross. People don’t always see it, it’s not always public, but every crown is paid for by a cross. In fact, Jesus had told them all,

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

But nonetheless, the cross came to them as a surprise, and the disciple’s commitment to their calling was tested because things had not gone the way they thought they were going to go. They were trying to be faithful to their teacher, they were trying to follow Jesus, but then he was crucified. And so, they’re trying to figure out what’s going on, because they wanted him to be their king, but they didn’t see the cross, they didn’t understand how much it was going to cost Jesus.

In other words, when Jesus got ready to pay the bill for the forgiveness of sins it caused great confusion among them. They were traumatized because they had dedicated their lives and resources to following Jesus, but then he was stripped naked, beaten like a thief, humiliated in front of everybody, and then nailed to a cross; the powerful seemed powerless, the miracle worker appeared to be out of miracles, and the overcomer looked like he had been overcome.

It’s no wonder they struggled with such doubt and fear, because now that Jesus had been crucified, certainly they would begin looking for those who were with him. And so, the disciples locked themselves in a room all by themselves for fear of the Jews because all kinds of rumors were circulating. The Roman soldiers claimed that his body had been stolen, others said that it was a prank, and others said that they heard from angels. But the fact was that the stone had been rolled away, and the place where Jesus was laid, there was nobody there, his body was missing.

"This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" (Luke 24:46).

And so, the disciples were in hiding trying to escape the possibility of anything worse happening to them when Jesus comes to visit. The Bible says in Acts chapter 1,

"After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive" (Acts 1:3).

In other words, he desires to have a private moment with them. You see, he has given up on public displays, he’s only showing himself to believers. As the Scripture says,

"The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them" (Psalms 25:14).

As it was then, so it is now, there are certain things that God will only show people that really believe. He won’t just show you because you’re curious, he won’t just show you because you’re looking for signs and wonders, he won’t just show you because you’ve taken a class in religious studies and you think you are a Bible scholar.

And so, the God walked among them has now started showing up for visits to those who believe in him. This is important, because sometimes the only way you can survive what you lost and start getting excited about what you’re about to receive is to get a visit from Jesus. Just a little visit from Jesus can change your midnight into the morning, turn hopelessness into hope, turn sorrow into a garment of praise. Every now and then Jesus will come where you are and visit you. The psalmist praised God saying,

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever" (Psalms 30:11-12).

Because just a visit from Jesus can anesthetize your pain and give you joy that doesn’t even make sense. Just a visit from the Holy Spirit can change your darkness into the dawn and despair into revelation. And so, the Scripture says,

"Jesus appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit"

(Acts 1:3-5).

And so, the disciples are wrestling with this, trying to figure out what to do, because even after all of these visits, all of this teaching, all of this revelation, he hadn’t told them everything and they’re still curious.

And so, when they met together, they were wondering if this is the time, because they’ve seen the dead raised, the sick healed, lepers cleansed, and the captives set free. You know, we’re grateful that we’ll be baptized with the Holy Spirit, but they asked him,

"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).

In other words, they didn’t know what, but they knew something was about to happen in Jerusalem, because Jesus told them to stay in the city. Jesus had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gift the Father promised. And so, they are wondering, when are you going to set up your kingdom?

Jesus replied to them in verse seven,

"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).

And so, he says you’ve got to be in the right place, it’s going to happen in Jerusalem, there is a shift coming. Isaiah said, he’s getting ready to do a new thing, taking something that doesn’t even make sense, calling it out, anointing it, and raising it up. There is a transfer of glory, a transition coming, moving from a temple model to a church model. This is something that has never been seen before, but many centuries before he said,

"I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy" (Acts 2:17-18).

You see, up until this time the temple had been the center of life for believers. It was there in the temple courts that the people read the Scriptures, prayed, encouraged each other, and worshiped God. It was there in the temple, in the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, where the glory of God dwelt, and so the temple was the place where heaven and earth met.

But on that fateful day when Jesus died on the cross, the thick veil isolating the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom by the mighty hand of God. The glory and majesty of God was exposed, the presence of God was unleashed, and the Holy Spirit was made available to all who believe. This is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel and those who believed in Jesus became the place where heaven and earth met.

In fact, several decades later the apostle Paul described it this way to the believers in Corinth. He said,

"Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

That has always been the plan and the purpose of God because he is the dwell among us God. And so, his desire is that all believers and all gatherings of believers become the place where heaven and earth meet. And that is why we have been Called and Anointed, God was very purposeful, the baptism in the Holy Spirit wasn’t for the privileged, it wasn’t for your entertainment, it was given for your empowerment. He said,

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6).

In other words, God Called and Anointed you to be something, to do something, and to accomplish something according to his own purpose. And yet, some of us have ignored the Holy Spirit, wasting the power and presence of God, instead of directing it toward what he is trying to do in our lives. Others of us are singing and clapping, being satisfied with warm sensations or goosebumps when you’re worshiping in the Spirit. But whenever God sends the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he sends it for a purpose, and he is empowering you to do something.

And so, Jesus said to wait on it. He said,

"Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

Because you need it. Whenever God sends the Holy Spirit on you, he is enabling you to do what you could not do on your own. Empowering you to do what you couldn’t do in your own strength. And often that has to do with spiritual warfare, declaring war on the enemy.

The Bible says, when a young lion came roaring toward Sampson,

"Suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands" (Judges 14:5-6).

In his own strength Sampson would have been defeated, the lion would have torn him apart, but when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him, it was the great equalizer. In his own power Samson would’ve been defeated by the Philistines, but when the anointing came upon him, he grabbed a fresh jawbone of a donkey and struck down 1,000 Philistines (Judges 15:15).

God said to stay in the city, he said wait on it, and the reason you are here today is that God is trying to teach you that he has something for you. It’s not about you making a name for yourself, but it’s for his glory, because when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon you, you will be empowered to demolish strongholds, to rebuke sickness, depression, and suicide.

With the anointing of God, you’ll be able to do a lot with a little.

"The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry" (1 Kings 17:14).

When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, he will make one jar of oil last until the famine is over, because the anointing of God is stronger than whatever crisis you may be facing.

Last week we talked about Jesus words in the garden and how he said,

"The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

And when your spirit is anointed by the Holy Spirit you will be stronger than any hex or spell of the witch and warlock. Stronger than hatred, stronger than racism, stronger than jealousy, because Jesus said,

"The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

And I believe something is happening in here, something is about to shift, because there is faith in the power of God rising up in this place.

In other words, God’s got something for you, the anointing is here, the power is here, but you’re going to have to ask for it. He wants you to hunger and thirst for it, he wants you to seek it. And he said,

"If you then… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13).

And so, he wants to give it to you, but he won’t give it to you until you are found faithful. Jesus said,

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much" (Luke 16:10).

And so, he will give it to you, if he can get it through you, but first he said you’ve got to go to Jerusalem and wait for it. You’ve got to stay in the city, Luke chapter 24, verse 48 says,

"You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:48-49).

The problem with our culture today is that we don’t want to wait on anything, we want everything in an instant, but there was a time when we would wait around the altar. We would wait for an encounter with God, I mean a real supernatural encounter with God, and I know that there are some of you here like that, because you are here every time the doors open. You are here on Wednesday nights after working all day, if you weren’t seeking something from God, waiting for something from God, you wouldn’t be out here every time the doors are open.

The truth is that God is looking for those who are seeking him, those who are pursuing him, that’s why he said,

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6).

I’m not talking about receiving him as your Lord and Savior, I’m not talking about giving him your heart, I’m talking about getting in the presence of God and receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

You see, there is a power that comes from the Holy Spirit that will loosen the shackles in your life, that will set captives free, that will open up prison doors, that will save everybody in your house, but you’ve got to wait for it, you’ve got to be in position to receive it. I dare you to get on your knees and ask for it, because there is a power that will break every curse off your life. I dare you to lift your hands and receive it, because Jesus said,

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on 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).

And so, put down your phone and receive it, get in the right place and wait on it, because you’ve been Called and Anointed. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you to walk right, to talk right, to pray right, and to live right. Jesus said,

"Power through his Spirit in your inner being" (Ephesians 3:16).

You will have power to be my witnesses, but it’s more than testifying to what you have seen. You see, the disciples saw a lot of things. They saw,

"The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, and the dead raised" (Matthew 11:5).

And so, they’ve seen some stuff because they were there for the trial, they saw the Lord crucified, and three days later they saw that the stone had been rolled away. They were there when Jesus walked through a locked door, they saw the nail marks in his hands and the wound in his side, but that’s not the type of witness he’s talking about.

He said, you’ve got a good memory, but you’re going to need more, because you’re not a witness until the witness comes.

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit" (Romans 8:16).

And so, in order to be his witness, you had to have been there in glory. You had to have been there when he stepped down from eternity into time. You had to have been there when he said, "Let there be light" and there was light. You had to have been there when he wrestled with Jacob in the middle of the night. You had to have been there in the fiery furnace, but you’re not a witness yet, because Jesus said,

"The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26).

And so, you may have seen some stuff, you saw the evidence, you’ve got the proof, but you’re not a witness until the witness comes. The Holy Spirit is the witness and so when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you can witness things that you’ve never seen, that you never got to do. And so, he said,

"Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

The problem is that we don’t want to stay still, we don’t want to wait for it, and we want our healing right now, we want a ministry overnight, we want a promotion tomorrow, we want to become a pastor in two weeks. But Jesus clearly teaches us that good things come to those who wait, those who walk by faith and not by sight, and he says,

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

And so, if we don’t learn anything else this morning, we’ve got to learn to stay in the city, we’ve got to learn how to wait for it, because God has already given his word. He gave us great and mighty promises, telling us of the things that he’s going to do in our lives, and so just because they don’t come instantly doesn’t mean that is not going to happen.

Today, you and I have to have enough faith to believe in the promise, waiting for it, crying out for it, enduring for it, because after his suffering, Jesus showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive (Acts 1:3).

He said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

And so, I’ve been crucified with Christ and the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who said to his disciples, "Stay in the city,"

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised" (Acts 1:4).

He said, you heard me speak about it, I’m going to send it, because my father promised, but stay in the city.

"And when he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (Luke 24:50-52).

As we close, there is no doubt that he will answer your prayer, no doubt that he is going to bring you out, but you’ve got to show him that you’re willing to wait for it.

Read Part 2

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott