Summary
What does it truly mean to be anointed? In Luke chapter 4, we encounter a moment where Jesus stands before His hometown and declares His identity as the Anointed One. Isaiah 61 reveals three powerful truths about anointing: God’s presence with us, the Holy Spirit’s power on us, and God’s special purpose through us. Jesus doesn’t just claim these things—He demonstrates them by proclaiming freedom to the demon-possessed, providing healing to the sick, and preaching good news throughout the region. The beauty of this message is that it’s not just about Jesus—it’s about us as well. Through Christ, we have received this same anointing from the Holy One. We are set apart, made holy not by our own works but by His finished work on the cross. This means we’re called to live differently, to be distinct from the chaos and fear of the world around us. The question we must wrestle with is this: Do we truly believe we are holy in Christ? And if we do, are we living out that holiness? We’re living in the comma between Christ’s first coming as servant and His second coming as king, and in this space, God is sanctifying us, molding us into the image of His Son. The invitation is clear: walk in the anointing you’ve already received and let God work through you in powerful ways.
Key Scripture
Luke 4:16-44 (Read Luke 4:18-21)
Key Takeaways
✓ Holy means set apart – different, with God’s presence, power, and purpose
✓ Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King – He preaches, intercedes, and rules
✓ In Christ, we are anointed – God is with us, on us, and through us
✓ Being holy vs. living holy – We are made righteous (justification) and being made like Jesus (sanctification)
✓ Jesus brings complete healing – He doesn’t leave scars; He restores fully
Discussion Questions
- The sermon explained that “anointing” means the following. Which of these three concepts is easiest for you to believe? Which is hardest? Why?
- God is WITH me
- God is ON me
- God is THROUGH me
- How did Jesus demonstrate His anointing in the three stories that follow (demon-possessed man, Peter’s mother-in-law, preaching in synagogues)?
- The sermon distinguished between being holy (justification) and living holy (sanctification). Where do you see yourself in this journey? Are you:
- Still unsure if you’re holy in God’s eyes?
- Confident you’re made holy but struggling to live holy?
- Growing in both understanding and practice?
- Jesus proclaimed freedom to the captive man. Is there an area of your life where you feel bound or enslaved? How might Jesus want to speak freedom over that area?
- When Jesus heals, He doesn’t leave scars—He restores completely. How have you experienced or seen in someone God’s complete healing (physically, emotionally, or spiritually)? If you haven’t, what might be holding you back from receiving it?
- Read 1 John 2:20. How does knowing you are anointed change the way you view yourself? Your purpose?
- As an example of what it means to live on purpose, discuss how Jesus refused to let the crowds keep Him from His God-given purpose. What voices or pressures try to distract us from God’s calling on our lives?
Scripture Reference
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
- Luke 4:16-21 – Jesus reading from Isaiah in the synagogue about being anointed to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and the year of the Lord’s favor.
- Isaiah 61:1-2 – The prophecy that Jesus reads from in Luke 4 (specifically mentioned that Jesus stops reading before “the day of God’s vengeance”).
- Luke 4:31-37 – Jesus casting out a demon in the Capernaum synagogue.
- Luke 4:38-39 – Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever.
- Luke 4:42-44 – Jesus preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
- 1 John 2:20 – “But you have an anointing from the Holy One.”