Understanding Oil: The Power of a Simple Symbol

Last week we heard how the Holy Spirit is that breath of God, the wind of the spirit. But today I want to talk to you about how he is the oil. He is the oil that wants to anoint your life. He is the oil that wants to give movement and ease to your life.

I'm sure this morning many of you came here in a vehicle. In the parking lot there are many different vehicles—older ones, newer ones, sporty ones, reliable ones, and trucks of every size. Although they're all different makes and models and ages, they all require something, the same something: oil. Without oil, that engine does not work. Without oil, that car has no motion. It doesn't matter how old or new your vehicle is, it still needs oil.

I can pretty much guarantee that some of you in this room today have your oil fully topped up because you are a vigilant vehicle owner. But some of you have a little light flashing on your dashboard. You think it's cute. You think it's just there to color up the dashboard, but it's actually trying to say, "Hello, warning. You have little oil. Your oil is about to run out"—but you ignore that flashing icon because you don't realize its importance.

Or maybe every time you park your vehicle, you pull out of that parking space and say to yourself, "I wonder what that stain is on the cement. I wonder what that mark is on the floor." It's you. You are leaking oil. But you drive off as if it's nothing to do with you.

The Spiritual Oil Crisis

I'm saying that because in the house today, there are those of you who are fully topped up. You're aware of your need for oil. But there are others in the house today or watching online and your gauge spiritually is flashing. God's trying to get your attention. He's using me today to tell you: "Hey, hey, hey, there's something that is running low in your life and it's affecting every part of your life. The engine of your life is struggling not because the vehicle needs necessarily replacing, but because there's an oil issue."

Your marriage doesn't need replacing. It needs more oil. Your kids don't need swapping. You need more oil.

It's the oil of the Holy Spirit.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Jesus once told a parable in Matthew 25 about people waiting for Christ's return. Believers waiting and anticipating. Of the ten that are waiting, five were foolish and five were wise.

The only difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is one thing. > "The foolish ones took their lamps, but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars with their lamps."

When the bridegroom was a long time in coming, they became tired and weary and fell asleep. Then all of a sudden they hear the cry, "The bridegroom is here. Come out and meet him." They grab their lamps and run out. But the foolish ones can't trim their lamps. Why? Because they didn't bring their oil.

So they turn to the wise ones and say, "Hey, give us your oil." And the wise ones say, "No, no, we're not giving you our oil. There's not enough for both of us in my supply. You have to go get your own."

You might have known God for a long time or a short time. But no matter the amount of time you've known him, knowing him has to be matched by your carrying of him. The oil of the presence of God has to come alongside your knowledge of God. There has to be a carrying of oil because that's how you live ready for what God has called you and me to do in our lifetime.

The oil of the Holy Spirit creates a readiness in us to go where we need to go, to say yes to what we need to say yes to. It is the power and the presence that enables our lives to run in the way God intended them to run.

Three Things the Oil Wants to Be and Do

For the next few moments I want to give you three things that this oil wants to be and do in your life: the oil that consecrates, the oil that saturates, and the oil that translates.

The Oil That Consecrates: Being Set Apart for God

Consecration is an old-fashioned word, but it's such a powerful one. Consecration simply means for something to be set aside, for something to be marked in a certain way. The Holy Spirit is God's way of marking your life. Oil that marks our life.

The Bible puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22: > "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. For he has anointed us. He has set his seal of ownership on us."

The word "anointed" literally means to smear you with oil. Does that not blow your mind? I know me. And I'm pretty sure there are days and weeks when I would not want to own me. But God never has disowned me. Once I said yes to him, he marked my life and said, "I am putting my seal of ownership on you. You belong to me. I'm letting everybody know with my oil of the Holy Spirit, you are marked. You are consecrated. You are set apart."

It says he anointed us. He set his seal of ownership on us. How? > "By putting his spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

You are marked by the oil of the Holy Spirit.

Consecration in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, they would literally use physical oil to consecrate something. In Exodus 40, Moses is instructed: > "Take the anointing oil, the physical oil, and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it. I want you to set it apart, consecrate it and all its furnishings and it will be holy."

In the Old Testament, oil was used to actually consecrate. This is going to be used for God's services. This is holy. It is set apart. You can't use this bowl anywhere else. This bowl is set apart to be used in the tabernacle. You can't use this for anything else. This is set apart to be used for God's service.

Not just things, but people were marked by oil to set them apart for God's service. We read throughout the Old Testament of David in 1 Samuel 16 where it says that Samuel took the horn of oil, physical oil, and he anointed David in the presence of his brothers. > "From that day on, the spirit of the Lord came upon him powerfully."

There was a consecration, a marking of David for the assignment that he was called to fulfill.

The Anointing Is for Everyone

A lot of people ask me about the anointing. What about the anointing that I sense on your life or the anointing that flows? What is the anointing? Listen, the anointing is not just for people that get up here and do what I'm doing now. We have misunderstood the anointing. We have reduced the anointing. The anointing is for every single person under the sound of my voice this morning. It is for every one of you.

You might say, "Well, I don't feel the anointing." Okay, you might not feel it because maybe there's an oil supply shortage in your own tank. But once you fix your oil supply, I'm guaranteeing you, you will have anointing. Because anointing is simply the overflow of oil.

So if you have oil that is overflowing, then God can anoint the things that you touch and do. David was anointed for his assignment. But the Bible lists many gifts of the spirit throughout—not just pastoring and preaching. 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4. Do your homework. The list of gifts includes the gift of leadership, the gift of service, the gift of hospitality, the gift of giving, the gift of evangelism, the gift of pastoring. God's like, I'm going to anoint you in your assignment.

Are you an educator? You're an educator, you're a business leader, you're in the area of hospitality. How does that happen? By you saying, "I am setting myself apart. I am not living my life like everyone else around me. I am consecrated. I am set apart."

Living in the World but Not of It

The Bible puts it this way. It says in John 17 that we are in the world, but we are not of the world. In fact, in the Message Bible of John 17:16, it reads this way and uses the word consecrate:

"They are no more defined by the world than I am defined by the world. Make them holy. Make them holy, consecrated, set apart with the truth. Your word is consecrating truth in the same way that you gave me a mission in the world. I give them a mission in the world. I Jesus am consecrating myself, which was before he went to the cross for their sakes. I'm setting myself apart as a sacrifice for their sakes so that they will be truth consecrated in their mission."

How do you live a life that is in the world but not of it? How is that possible? How do you live in the business world but you're not of the business world? How do you live on that college campus with all those kids that don't believe what you do? How do you live in that environment but not of that environment?

Let me tell you how. It's called oil. The world is the water. God's like, I'm not making you live a life separate to the water. You're in the water. Every day you're in the water. Wherever you go, you're in the water. You're in the world. But I need you to know I'm giving you something so you're not of the world.

And the only way you can live in the world but not of the world is oil, the Holy Spirit. Because when I tip the oil of the Holy Spirit into the water of the world, it separates. The oil is in the water, but the oil is not of the water. Its substance has not changed because of the substance of the water. Because the oil lifts up higher than the density of the water.

Some of you saying, "I'm struggling in my job to be in it, but not of it." You need more oil. "I'm struggling in that place in my family to be in it, but not of it." You need more oil. Oil is the anointing that helps you live in it, but not be of it.

We need to live our lives in a way that are consecrated. Every part of our life, we have consecrated. What does that mean? It means we have prayed a prayer and said, "You are consecrated. You are marked by the Holy Spirit. You are in this world, but you are not of it. This home is an offering to God. This family is in service to God. We are marked by God. We are set apart. When you go out, you're consecrated in your going. You're consecrated in your coming."

My finances are consecrated. They're in the world, but they're not of the world. They belong in the kingdom of God. That's where my tithe goes. That's where my giving goes. This is consecrated. It is set apart. Every part of our life and every part of your life—you have to make a decision.

You don't wake up in the morning with mom and dad standing outside your bedroom with a vat of oil throwing it on you before you go to work. That would be messy. But you do know that you can cover and mark your life with the Holy Spirit. "Holy Spirit, I need you. I need you in this. I'm setting myself apart. I'm not doing life like the world. I'm doing life like God intended me to do life. I am letting you know, God, my life is for your service. It is set apart."

The Oil That Saturates: Complete Coverage

The anointing is simply the overflow of the oil that's on you and in you. We're supposed to be consecrated, but we're also supposed to be saturated.

Maybe this is where you're stuck. We had a door in our home in the United Kingdom that was on the guest bedroom, down a floor from where we would sleep and where the kids would sleep. So we really didn't use that door very much. And the door creaked. It had a terrible creak. The hinges were always creaking. But because nobody used that room on a regular basis, we didn't care. We just lived with the creak until someone was coming to visit, until someone was going to be in that room.

Then all of a sudden, we're fully aware of the creak in our household. So we would run and get some oil because I don't want anyone to hear the creak of the door. I don't want to be embarrassed that this door creaks. So we would get the oil and we would spray it. Because while they're there, I just need the oil to do its thing.

But how many of you know spraying oil doesn't fix the problem? And some of you came to church this morning for a spray. "My marriage is creaking. I just need a little spray. My kids are creaking. I just need a little spray. My business is definitely creaking. I need a few sprays. Pastor, would you open the word and spray me? Would you worship team lead me in a moment and spray me?"

And spray might get you to Monday. Maybe. I'm sure some of you wearing cologne, wearing perfume—I'm sure it smelt real good when you first put it on, but after a little hot, sweaty worship, it's not working quite as well as it did when you left your home. Do you understand?

So the idea is not that we spray. You'll never make it if the oil is only sprayed. The idea is that our lives are completely saturated.

There's a big difference between something that's saturated and something that's sprayed. Why do I feel different when I'm around you? Because I'm saturated. Why does it sound different out of your mouth than mine? Because I'm saturated. When your neighbor bumps into you and they're like, "Why are you not freaking out like I'm freaking out?" Because I'm saturated. I didn't spray the Holy Ghost over me. I got saturated in the Holy Ghost.

Jesus Was Full, Not Sprayed

When you get a little embarrassed that your marriage is creaking, stop reaching for the spray. Jesus had to be full, not sprayed—full of the Holy Spirit. Luke 4 tells us: > "Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit as he left the Jordan and was led by the spirit into the wilderness where he was going to be tempted for 40 days."

Jesus knew: "If I ain't saturated, I'm not protected. The saturation is my protection against the temptation."

I'm always tempted. Well, then you're not saturated. I'm telling you, the enemy will come and he will try and tempt you. But when you're saturated, it's a lot harder for him to get on you than for you to get on him.

If I was walking up and down the aisle today after having a vat of oil poured over me, everybody that came near me would end up with oil on them rather than me ending up with what was on them. Oil stains. Oil changes things. And when you walk out of your front door saturated in the Holy Spirit, the enemy can come at you and you know: "I have a covering over my life. I did not spray this morning. I am living saturated and my saturation is helping me with the temptation. It is helping me with frustration."

If you're easily frustrated, you're probably not saturated.

When the Holy Spirit Fell at Pentecost

When the Holy Spirit fell in Acts 2, he didn't fall and politely spray the disciples. He absolutely saturated them, consumed them.

I'm appealing to you, church, today. You need to get the oil of the Holy Spirit. Not just on a Sunday. Not just because we're in 21 days, but because the only way to live is with a saturation from your head to your toes.

Grieving the Holy Spirit Through Unsaturation

There's a verse in the Bible that I think would trouble us because none of us would be wanting to be guilty of it. But the Bible does say that we could grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 says: > "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit."

The Message says: > "Don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Don't break his heart. The Holy Spirit's moving and breathing in you. It's the most intimate part of your life, making you fit by himself. Don't take the gift for granted."

You say, "Well, how do I not grieve the Holy Spirit?" Well, you just start reading the verses before 30. That whole passage's subtitle is living like a Christian. How do you live a Christian life? And it doesn't give you a code of religious dos and don'ts. It gives you a way to behave that you can only do if you're saturated.

He says, "Hey, don't let any unholy talk come out your mouth." It's hard for unholy talk to come out of a mouth filled with oil. When they gossip, your oil won't let you. When they tear people down, the oil on you won't let you. It talks about not getting angry. When you're coated in oil, you'll find that you don't get angry like you do when you don't have oil.

We don't grieve the Holy Spirit by choosing to live a life that is saturated in the oil of his presence. And that oil helps us resist the enemy. It helps us live a life that is in keeping with the life God intended for us. There's something about a soaked life that is a protected life, a coated life. Soak your marriage. Soak your family. "Holy Spirit, I need you. My life's creaking right now. I need you."

The Oil That Translates: Divine Ability

Holy Spirit wants to mark us, consecrate us. It wants to saturate us. And finally, I believe the Holy Spirit gives us an incredible divine ability for translation.

The Purpose of the Anointing

Luke 4:17 says: > "The spirit of the Lord is on me. Why? Because he has anointed me. Smeared me with oil. Smeared me with his Holy Spirit. This is why:

So I can proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me. He's anointed me so I can proclaim freedom to the prisoners. Recovery of sight for the blind and set the oppressed free."

How do you go to someone that's blind and help them see by the anointing of the Holy Spirit? The oil helps you translate things on earth that can only make sense with the things of heaven.

The Gift of Languages at Pentecost

Want more evidence of the power of the oil to translate? What was the first thing that happened when the presence of the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in the upper room? They go out on the street and they start talking in other tongues and people from all different languages and tribes begin to say, "Wait a minute. They're speaking in my language. What they're saying makes sense in my own tribal tongue."

I believe when the Holy Spirit gets on you, it's like God is able to use you to translate pain, unclarity, frustration on the earth with an anointing from God to bring a wisdom of heaven.

Translation for the Confused and Frustrated

"I know you're confused, but I have oil that's going to bring you clarity. I know you don't understand what's going on right now, but the oil of the Holy Spirit is going to help me explain what's going on right now."

And some of you right now are frustrated in a season that does not make sense. "God, I don't know why this happened. What is going on? I know that because of the prayer requests that are coming in, God, I don't know. I can't see you in this. I don't know where you are in this. And I feel like God wants to say today: I'm going to help you translate."

"I need you to get out of your head and get into my mind. I need you to get out of your flesh. I need you to get into my spirit because I'm going to help you see what you can't see in your flesh, but you can see in the spirit. I'm anointing you to say to the prisoner, 'It's going to be okay.'"

"How can it be okay? I'm incarcerated." "It's going to be okay because there's one that's going to set you free. It's going to be okay because he's going to make a way where there is no way. It's going to be okay because he's going to forgive you of your sin. It's going to be okay because he's going to redeem those days that you feel are lost to you."

Oil changes everything.

Fresh Oil for Today

As I studied and as I consecrated myself to be in the word for you, as I got on my knees in my office here in our new home of Alabama and I prayed for you, I said, "Oh God, if they could only see how this oil that is readily available would transform and change and impact every part of their life. God, if they could just catch a glimpse today of the Holy Spirit that's right here, right now that wants to be poured out in every aspect of your life."

And so my prayer for you was this prayer that's found in Psalm 92. David says: > "But my horn, which is my emblem of strength and power, you have exalted like that of a wild ox, and I am anointed with fresh oil for your service."

Some of you need fresh oil today. The car's been running on empty for way too long. You've been spraying parts of your life for way too long. And all it takes today is: "Holy Spirit, I need fresh oil. I'm setting my life apart. I am consecrating my home, my family."

Someone walked in our home just a few days ago and said, "Your home feels different than any other place I've been." I said, "It's the Holy Spirit. Because we consecrated our house. We told God, 'This is your house. We want miracles to happen here. We want prayer to happen around this table. We want worship to be sung in the bedrooms and in the corridors. This is your house, God. It's not ours. It's yours.'"

Just right where you are, just close your eyes. You know you need fresh oil today. Just maybe lift your hands just in your seat. "God, I pray today that there would be an outpouring that begins in this moment, but it continues for many more moments. An outpouring that is your fresh oil in our lives, in our families, in our homes, on our children. God, we need the oil. We need that anointing. We need that consecration. We need that saturation. God, we need your Holy Spirit in us. But more than that, flowing out and through us."

"Fresh oil for the weary. Fresh oil for the broken. Fresh oil for the lonely. Fresh oil for the confused. Fresh oil for the depressed. Fresh oil for the one right now that has no sense of what to do next. Fresh oil that would help them translate, understand. Fresh oil for the one that feels so far from you right now. Fresh oil."

An Invitation to Surrender

As your eyes are closed, just ask him one final thing. I don't know who needs this today, but I know someone does. "You need the Holy Spirit, but you need God. You need God to come into your life so you can receive him in all his fullness. Receive him as your Father. Receive him as your Savior. Receive his presence and his power."

And if today you know, "I'm not where I should be with God, but today I'm making a choice. God, I need you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for where I've messed up. I'm sorry for where I've drifted today." He is just waiting for you to say yes to him. And he will mark you with that oil of his presence.

If you need this moment today, right where you are, just lift your hand up across every campus and location. Even if you're at home in your living room, or watching somewhere online, just lift your hand. Say, "That's me today. I'm just laying it down." "God, that's me today."

Take that same hand you just raised and put it on your heart. I'm going to pray this prayer over you. Make it your own.

"God, I thank you that you do not judge me, but you love me. And today, God, I come and I ask for your forgiveness of my sins. Today, I choose to run to you, not run from you. Today, God, I receive you and I declare that you are now my Lord and my Savior. Today I ask God for a fresh touch. Today God, I choose to set my life apart. I'm in this world, but God, I do not want to be of it. God, today, would you touch everyone? Would you consecrate every life? Would you renew and refresh?"

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you Holy Spirit for salvation, for restoration, and today for transformation in Jesus name. Amen.