The Anointing Preaching Institute

We've been in a series of messages on preaching, and particularly on preaching on the topic of the man, how God prepares a man to represent him. And the last two messages in this series, I feel, are the most impactful and important of all, for they deal with power in the pulpit. George Whitefield, the great British evangelist, would stand in the field with 4,000 people waiting in expectation for him to preach to them.

And he would stand there silent for several moments, waiting on his God to touch him with an anointing from on high, as he would pray. And he prayed this prayer to this effect. The first of these last two messages on the man, friends, is entitled the anointing.

And I'm going to go over that now, but it reminds me of the passage found in 2 Kings chapter 4, and verse 9, which speaks of the Shumanite woman's comments about the prophet Elijah, where the text reads, and she said unto her husband, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passes us by continually. My homiletical mentor, Dr. Stephen Offord, had this kind of anointing on his life, and I'll share with you, friends, the following story, because it describes it. Stephen Offord was invited to preach at a Dallas church, and the pastor of that church asked his seminary intern to go pick up Dr. Offord from the airport.

The young intern asked to see a photograph of Stephen Offord, so he would recognize him. No need for that, said the pastor. Just go to the airport terminal and watch the passengers deplane, and look for a man that has God all over him.

Well, the young intern did as he was told, and sure enough, when he saw Stephen Offord with his coat over his arm and briquets in hand as he walked with the passengers off the plane, he could tell he was a man of God who had God all over him, and that's the subject today, friends, the anointing. It's heaven power in the pulpit. The British preacher and Bible commentator J. Sidlow Baxter had a secret to power in the pulpit, and this is the secret that J. Sidlow Baxter shared.

He said, what I give to him, he takes. What he takes, he cleanses. What he cleanses, he fills, and what he fills, he uses.

Well, we are in this special preaching institute today, friends, and I can't wait to get to it. I know you're excited about it as well. It's in making a man a preacher, a God-sent man, a God-man full of the Holy Ghost to preach to God's people.

This institute is entitled The Anointing, and it's the secret to power in the pulpit, but what exactly is an anointing, and why would you need it, why would you want it? We turn to one of the best descriptions of this anointing power that I've ever read, and it's by E. M. Bounds from his book Preacher and Prayer. Listen carefully to his remarks. Unction is that indefinable, indescribable something which an old renowned Scottish preacher describes thus, therefore is sometimes somewhat in preaching that cannot be ascribed either to matter or expression.

It cannot be described what it is or from whence it comes, but with a sweet violence it pierces into the heart and affections and comes immediately from the Lord. But if there be any way to obtain such a thing, it is by the heavenly disposition of the speaker. We call it unction, and here's E. M. Bounds words friends, it is this unction which makes the Word of God quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.

It is this unction which gives the words of the preacher such point, sharpness, and power, and which creates such friction and stir in many a dead congregation. This unction comes to the preacher not in the study, but in the closet. It is heaven's distillation in answer to prayer.

It is the sweetest exaltation of the Holy Spirit. It impregnates, suffuses, softens, cuts, percolates, and soothes. It carries the Word like dynamite, like salt, like sugar, makes the Word a soother, an arrainer, a revealer, a searcher, makes the hearer a culprit or a saint, makes him weep like a child and live like a giant, opens his heart and purses gently, yet as strongly as the spring opens the leaves.

But this unction is not the gift of genius. It is not found in the halls of learning. No eloquence can woo it.

No industry can win it. No prelatical hands can confer it. It is the gift of God, the signet sent to his own messengers.

It is heaven's knighthood given to the chosen true and brave ones who have sought this anointed honor through many an hour of tearful, wrestling prayer. Well, friends, that's Ian Bounds being the best of Ian Bounds on the subject of unction. And I like the story also told about Charles Spurgeon, the great British preacher, who was visited one time by a young minister at his church about 30 minutes before the Sunday service began.

Spurgeon asked the young man if he'd like to see the engine of his church. The young minister said yes, and the great Spurgeon led him down two flights of stairs to the basement of the church, where the young visitor imagined he was to be shown the church's boiler room. But to his amazement, Charles Spurgeon threw open two doors of the basement to reveal 300 of his choice deacons on their faces in prayer, crying out to God to touch their pastor with an anointing of the Spirit that morning.

Spurgeon grinned and pointed to them, saying, this young sir is the engine of my church. Well, I love that story, friends, don't you? The Word of God in Jeremiah is described the following way, as seen in Jeremiah 23, 29, where God says of his word, is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Here is the power of the word, and it's said to be like a fire. Well, friends, what does a fire do? It awakens and alarms.

Searching, preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost should bring conviction and concern. It should awaken an alarm. It should awaken the lost to their danger of dying in their sins and their peril for being in danger of damnation in a devil's hell.

Our preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost should be like a fire that awakens and alarms man of their eternal destiny apart from salvation in Christ Jesus. Our searching sermons should probe the conscience of man and smoke out any false refuges. To have power in the pulpit is to preach with the power of the Holy Ghost where God's preached word falls with the weight of heavy hammers to bust up any false foundations of carnal security and spurious conversions.

The sanction from on high should attend our preached word and apply to the conscience of man in the awakening of sinners to their danger of damnation. We read the words of John the Baptist in Luke's gospel in chapter 3 and verse 16, which reads, John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

I've known men, friends, who when they preached, they had this fire. Well, how about you, friend, brother pastor? Do you desire more power in the pulpit? Do you want your preaching to have a lasting difference for eternity? Then seek this anointing from on high. Well, let us take some time now, friends, to get on our faces before God in prayer, and let's seek his face for this power.

Let us pray.