Called & Anointed

You Will Receive Power

Pastor John Talcott
Christ's Community Church

Read Part 1

(9/3) Welcome to part two of our series, "Called and Anointed," as we look at the call and anointing of David. This is an Old Testament example making a New Testament application as we consider how the Lord chooses the most unlikely people to manifest his power. In other words, he doesn’t look at external things, outward appearances of those he calls, but he chooses the weak things, the lowly things, the foolish things of the world, because those he calls, he also empowers.

And so, if you would turn with me in your Bibles or on your phone to your Bible app, let’s go to first Samuel, chapter 16, studying together from verse one. I’m going to go through this slowly, line upon line, so that we’re able to effectively glean the riches of God’s word. Beginning in verse one, the Lord said to Samuel,

"How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?" (1 Samuel 16:1).

Now, let’s stop right there for a moment, I want to set the context, because I want you to understand that at this point the people of Israel did not have a history of kings. Up to this point God had considered himself to be their king and he gave them judges to be their arbitrators or mediators. But when the people of God saw that the people nearby were led by kings, they grumbled and said, "Give us a king to lead us like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:6).

In other words, this whole king thing began because Israel rejected God as their King. And so, that’s how king Saul came to be, the people wanted a king, and the Lord told Samuel to listen to the people. But Saul got them in trouble because he was disobedient and wasn’t walking according to the will of God.

In fact, there may be some of you here who are honest enough to admit that you have done that a time or two. You’ve made a decision based upon your own will, out of your own desires, and not according to God’s will. And then you asked God to bless your decision, you hoped he would bless it, but everything ended up in a big mess. Why? Because it wasn’t God’s will, it wasn’t what God intended to happen in the first place.

In other words, it was something born out of your will and that is the backdrop to the story of King Saul. The people grumbled and complained, they said they wanted a king, and God warned them but eventually gave them a king. The problem was that Saul wasn’t walking with God, he sinned against the Lord, which led to him sending Samuel to tell Saul that things just weren’t working out. Samuel said,

"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command" (1 Samuel 13:14).

And so, that’s the context, that’s why we find Samuel weeping, because God had rejected Saul as king over Israel. The Lord had told him that I’ve found a man after my own heart, and yet Samuel kept weeping and mourning for Saul. And so, the Lord said to Samuel,

"Fill your horn with oil and be on your way." He’s like, quit your crying and get up. "I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king" (1 Samuel 16:1).

In other words, "You had your king, you did your thing, and I let you do what you wanted to do. You had one who was after your heart, but now I’m going to give you one who is after my heart." And this is a pivotal point in the text because Samuel shifts from the will of the people to the will of God.

In other words, instead of bringing the people’s complaints to God, bringing the people’s will to God, he’s bringing God’s will to the people. And so, the Lord said, "Go to Bethlehem because…

"I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do" (Acts 13:22).

He says, "Go to Bethlehem," and we’re familiar with Bethlehem, because this isn’t a coincidence, this is a dress rehearsal. This is a foreshadowing that whatever God was going to do on earth was going to begin in Bethlehem.

And the truth is that it’s always been about Bethlehem. We sing, "O Little town of Bethlehem," but it’s always been about Bethlehem. In the biblical narrative, everybody is headed for Bethlehem, because Bethlehem is the epicenter of redemptive theory and ideology. You may remember that Rachel gave birth to Benjamin just outside of Bethlehem. That Naomi and Ruth went to Bethlehem because there they would find their kinsman redeemer (Ruth 1:22). And God tells Samuel to go down to Bethlehem, because that’s where he will find Jesse’s son David.

However, that’s not the end of the biblical narrative, because many years later, a young man named Joseph would load his pregnant wife on the back of a donkey to go to Bethlehem. Going to the town of David in time to register for the census, because he belonged to the house and line of David (Luke 2:4). And that’s why after the angels announced the birth of Jesus to some shepherds out in the field, they said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem" (Luke 2:15). And it was those redemptive tremors radiating out from Bethlehem that caused King Herod to send the Magi to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:7-8).

You see, all of this happened centuries apart, but it was all important, because they had to be in the right place at the right time. It was there in Bethlehem that David would be anointed, where Jesus would be born, and the wise men would worship the true king of Israel. David was just a shadow of the King of Kings, but that’s why the Lord said to Samuel in our text,

"Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem" (1 Samuel 16:1).

It was just a little town on the outskirts of Jerusalem, but God’s got something for you, and when he gets ready to move, when he gets ready to raise you up, he’s going to do it in Bethlehem.

O Little town of Bethlehem, but Samuel said in verse two,

"How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me" (1 Samuel 16:2).

And so, Samuel was weeping and mourning for Saul like he was dead, like he was gone, but he wasn’t gone, he was still ruling as King. And so, Saul was alive physically, he was still ruling Israel, but spiritually he was dead.

In other words, spiritually the decision had already been made. That’s why when God says,

"Be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king" (1 Samuel 16:1).

And Samuel didn’t have to wait until it happened, spiritually it was already done, something is about to happen in Bethlehem. There is a move of glory, a shift, a transition happening from the house of Saul to the house of David. God is getting ready to move, he’s doing a new thing, taking something little and irrelevant, raising it up and bringing it out of obscurity. And so, the Lord said to Samuel,

"Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate" (1 Samuel 16:2-3).

"Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" (1 Samuel 16:4).

"Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice" (1 Samuel 16:5).

And so, the Lord sent Samuel with a horn filled with oil to anoint the next king of Israel, because the anointing represents the Holy Spirit, the anointing comes to work, the anointing comes to function, the anointing comes to do something.

And that’s why the Lord said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you," because the anointing of God is the enablement of God (Acts 1:8). He’s preparing you, giving you the ability, giving you the power to rebuke sickness, power to engage in spiritual warfare, and power to cast out demons. And so, whenever God sends the anointing in your life, he is empowering you to do something, so that you are an overcomer, more than a conqueror.

Samuel comes with this container of oil, this horn of oil to anoint the son of Jesse giving him the power he needs to rule and reign. It’s not his own power, because the Lord said it’s,

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

And so, whenever God begins to pour out the oil, sending the anointing, he’s enabling you to do what you couldn’t do in your own strength.

In other words, Samuel’s coming with an amazing gift, a Spirit of impartation, a Spirit of release, bringing somebody’s deliverance, somebody’s breakthrough, and that’s why the Bible declares in our context,

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

And so, this is David’s anointing, but it’s in Samuel’s hands. He’s going to Bethlehem with a horn full of oil to anoint one of Jesse’s sons. He doesn’t know which one, but he’s faithful, he’s carrying the anointing, trusting that the Lord will give him the details at the appropriate time. And the Lord does, he directs Samuel’s steps, and that’s a good thing, because verse 6 says,

"When they arrived," Jesse brings out Eliab, his eldest son to be anointed. And so, here comes Eliab and he fools Samuel, because he would’ve made a good-looking king. When Samuel saw Eliab he thought,

"Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord" (1 Samuel 16:6).

And so, he thought this was the one, the people wouldn’t even know that Saul was gone, because the Bible says that Saul was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites — a head taller than any of the others (1 Samuel 9:2). And so, he knew that Eliab wouldn’t disappoint the people, but he was wrong, because he was looking at his external appearances.

Samuel was ready to anoint the wrong man, but he had the wisdom to wait for the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. And this was important, because it couldn’t just be one of Jesse’s sons, it had to be the right one. In other words, it can’t be what looks good to you, it’s got to be done exactly the way God says because the genealogy is specific.

And so, Eliab may have been tall and handsome and strong, but the Lord was looking for something else. He said to Samuel in verse seven,

"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

In other words, he was looking for a man after his own heart. Not necessarily someone who does everything perfectly, but someone who was seeking the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Someone who would wake up early in the morning and sing songs to God out in the field all by himself. Someone who was pursuing God, chasing God, writing songs to God, dancing on the mountain were nobody could see but God.

You see, when you run after God, pursuing him, whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re showing God, if it doesn’t come from the heart it doesn’t matter. If it’s a scheme, a strategy, or an agenda coming from your head, if it doesn’t come from a sincere heart, it might move people, but it won’t move God. He said,

"I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do" (Acts 13:22).

Obviously, he’s not saying that David didn’t make mistakes, he wasn’t saying that David was as holy and righteous as himself, but simply that he had a heart after God.

Meanwhile, Jesse brought Eliab, his eldest, but he wasn’t the one. And so,

"Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either." Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these" (1 Samuel 16:8-10).

In other words, Samuel recognizes that it couldn’t be just any one of Jesse’s sons, it had to be the right one. And so, he waited for the confirmation of the Lord, but after seven of Jesse’s sons were brought before him, he recognized there must be another one.

"So, he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" (1 Samuel 16:11).

Because he knew there must be another one, there had to be somebody else, somebody’s not here, somebody’s missing. They’d gone through seven sons, but Samuel held onto the anointing, because he knew that something new was about to come. God was going to do something new, and Jesse answered in verse eleven,

"There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep" (1 Samuel 16:11).

David may have been small, the youngest, unqualified and untrained, but he was underestimated, because God was about to make a king out of a shepherd boy.

Now, in Jesse’s mind it seemed foolish because David didn’t know anything about warfare, kings or kingdoms. His youngest son just stayed out in the field were nobody could see him dancing and singing songs to the Lord. He was kind of weird in that way, but he was underestimated.

As much as God had prepared for David while he was dancing on the mountain, the glory would only fall when he was in the right place. And David was about to find out who he was, but first he had to come down to Bethlehem. And so, Samuel said,

"Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives" (1 Samuel 16:11).

They called for him, sending for him, because he had to come down. God wasn’t going to send the anointing to David, David had to come down to receive the anointing. In other words, Samuel said, "I won’t rest until David comes down, he’s got to come down, because centuries of prophecy are based on David coming into Bethlehem. This wasn’t about him, but this is prophecy, it’s about what’s going to come through him.

And so, Samuel sent for David, somebody who had been overlooked, somebody who had been ignored, because they didn’t think that he was good enough, big enough, or bright enough.

There may be some of you that God is getting ready to send for because you’ve been underestimated, ignored and alienated, but he’s about to bring you in from the field.

Verse twelve says that Samuel had him brought in. David comes down out of the mountains, down into Bethlehem, down where Jesus would be born. The Bible says,

"He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features" (1 Samuel 16:12).

But this wasn’t just about his looks, this was about David, this is prophecy. This was bigger than a promotion, this is his destiny, his legacy, and when they brought him in the oil began to flow because he was the one.

The Holy Spirit knows him, and so this anointing is his, it’s coming down from glory. And the Lord said to Samuel,

"Rise and anoint him; he is the one" (1 Samuel 16:12).

The oil is about to flow because the prophet is prophesying, David is in the right place at the right time, he is fulfilling Scripture, and when it is your time, the Holy Spirit will move everything out of the way.

You see, God was setting this up, preparing us for a new thing, and so they offered up sacrifices to God, they worshiped God, and Samuel

"Took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers" (1 Samuel 16:13).

It means something to be chosen, to be called and anointed by God, and when Samuel held up the horn of oil, the anointing flowed, flowing down upon the head of David.

And so, this wasn’t just a little sign of the cross on his forehead, he was drenched. A horn of oil is enough oil to run down your head, down your face, down your beard, getting on your clothes, and puddling on the floor. That oil flowed down to David’s sons, down through the generations, flowing all the way down to Jesus Christ, the Anointed One.

And so, David comes down to Bethlehem, foreshadowing what Jesus is, giving us a shadow of the Messiah, the everlasting King of Israel. And it’s just a shadow, but it had to be in Bethlehem, because it was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. And so, the anointing was poured out in Bethlehem, and the Bible says,

"From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power" (1 Samuel 16:13).

You see, everything about God is about a flow, about movement, and so the oil flows, the Spirit flows, and it doesn’t just anoint David, it anoints prophetically all the way down to Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One.

As we reflect on the story of David being called and anointed, we must ask ourselves if we are willing to be used by God despite our weaknesses and shortcomings? The Bible says,

"Samuel then went to Ramah" (1 Samuel 16:13).

You see, he knew that he had done what he had to do, and I wonder if you are open to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Are we as the church, the body of Christ, willing and prepared for him to anoint us, empowering us, and equipping us for the tasks he calls us to do?

I believe we are on the precipice, on the pinnacle of a great move of God, and he’s getting ready to pour out his Spirit, drenching you in supernatural power, as you humble yourself before him, trusting in his strength rather than your own. You see, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be agents of God’s love and grace in the world. Not just those who are unworthy and unqualified, but those who are boldly reaching out to those who may feel unworthy and unqualified. And as we do, we are able to help others discover their God-given potential and encourage them to step into the plan and purpose God has for their lives.

Today, you and I have been called to display God’s power in our weakness. This is a central theme throughout the Bible, and the story of David’s anointing serves as a powerful reminder that God calls the most unlikely people. He’s not limited by our qualifications, but instead he looks at the heart, and chooses those who are willing to be used by him.

Those like the apostle Paul to whom the Lord said,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

And so, the Lord reminds us that it’s not our own strength or abilities that matter, but rather our dependence on Christ, the Anointed One. I love Paul’s response to the Lord, when he replies,

"Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

In other words, when we tap into the supernatural power of God, and allow him to work through us, working through our weaknesses to accomplish his purposes we are glorifying him.

Are you willing to be used by him even in your weakness?

The Word of God, both Old and New Testament is full of invitations, the call to respond to God. Jesus said,

"For many are invited, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

In other words, many are called, but few respond. Few come to Christ by way of repentance and faith, making themselves available, but for those who do,

"It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

Today, you have the opportunity to respond because you are the one he’s looking for. He said to wait for it and the invitation remains to be the called and anointed of God. And right now, he wants to flow through this place with an outpouring of his Spirit in a demonstration of his power working through us in our weakness. That’s why the apostle tells us,

"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10).

Not in our strength, but in the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, because as we rely on God’s strength, we can overcome the enemy, breaking strongholds in our lives, and in the lives of others.

And so, today, you and I can be a display of God’s power in our weakness by participating in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These outpourings occur when we are in the right place, gathered together in unity, crying out to God for a fresh touch of his Spirit. As the Lord said,

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8).

And so, whatever God says, I want to encourage you to do it right now, because the anointing is here and the oil will flow as you obey him. It’s flowing right now and so we want to be in the right place, we want to do whatever God says to do, because the oil is flowing right now.

As we bring the service to a close, we’re going to praise him, and so you don’t want to miss this opportunity. You don’t want to miss the flow of the Holy Spirit. When the anointing begins to flow, it’s going to flow down over your head, dripping down on your clothes, and puddling around your feet.

Read Part 3

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott