Empower Sunday: Fresh Oil • Ps Luke De Jong

You see, this is what I like to call the kingdom economy. It's a profound principle that when we give out, he pours in. In fact, it was Jesus that says in Matthew 16 teaching his disciples, hey, just a moment, if you try to hang on to your life, you'll actually end up losing your life. [00:12:46] (24 seconds)  #KingdomEconomy

And whether in New Zealand or Australia right now, whether you feel abundantly close to God or you feel far away in this moment, every one of us needs to realize as followers of Christ, his economy works different to ours, and when we discover that we never lose with him, even if he asks us to turn up empty, he will always pour fresh oil. [00:13:16] (29 seconds)  #TrustGodsEconomy

We know the story to be true because we read it, but just imagine what it would have been like at first pour. This is all she had. She was facing an insurmountable debt, and God asked her to pour out what she had to realize he would pour out what he had. And not only was the debt paid, not only does it say there was enough oil for her, but enough oil for the next generation, her sons, to live on. [00:12:05] (41 seconds)  #MiracleProvision

See, there's power in the anointing of God. The oil that we're going to anoint everyone with is symbolic of the same anointing Jesus carried. Acts ten thirty eight. You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. [00:19:35] (27 seconds)  #AnointingPower

But my challenge to us all is that we would get to a point throughout the year where we're having to keep filling this up to be reminded as we're going to look in this passage that God is not looking for full vessels, but rather when we turn up to him empty, that's the place where the fresh oil will flow. [00:06:00] (29 seconds)  #ComeEmptyReceive

And I feel like I will need to encourage many of us today that the oil, the goodness of what God's done in yesteryear, we're thankful for, but this is a year of fresh oil. And an encouragement and a challenge for all of us to make room as empty vessels before the Lord to allow him to pour into our lives. [00:10:14] (26 seconds)  #YearOfFreshOil

I I really prophetically believe for all of us that call life home that are gonna get anointed today. We're we're believing that as we're anointed, when we go into our workplaces, our universities, our high schools, our families, our supermarkets, that there's going to be an impact and a change because of the fresh anointing and the fresh oil that's going to be on our lives. [00:20:45] (22 seconds)  #AnointingImpact

The oil is definitely for you, but the oil is also for where you go. That God has anointed and appointed all of us not just to have a great happy clappy club on a Sunday where we sing some great Christian karaoke, but that we would go out and that the oil will be noticed. But people will say there's something different about you. [00:21:29] (23 seconds)  #AnointedPresence

We need to understand this, that it is known shepherds would use oil on the wounds of their sheep. How many know life sucks sometimes? You get a few cuts along the way. The anointing oil has the power to heal what is hurting. They would put the oil on to help the cut heal. [00:24:43] (31 seconds)  #HealingAnointing

Again, shepherds were known to put oil on the sheep's forehead. Why? How many know sheep fight? They would put oil on the forehead to ease the friction. When you understand this, we're a part of a church where we all come from very different realities, but there is beauty in unity. [00:25:40] (28 seconds)  #UnityInAnointing

Again, shepherds have been known to use oil on the sheep's nose and the sheep's ears because flies would aim to get inside the nasal cavity or the ear cavity and lay eggs. And it's known to cause the sheep to go bonkers to the point where they are whacking their heads on rocks and trees trying to get the irritation out. [00:26:41] (29 seconds)  #SpiritualProtection

The oil protected. In fact, if you think about it, this is Old Testament Psalms. In the New Testament, Satan, the enemy, one of his names is Baalzebub. Translated means lord of the flies. The enemy wants nothing more more than to get into our heads with the lies of the enemy, cause us to live distracted, frustrated, constantly banging our heads against things we were never designed to bang our heads again. [00:27:10] (42 seconds)  #GuardYourMind

Now we may think about oil and just pour it into a deep fryer and then chuck it out and then pour some new stuff in, and it's no big deal because you can buy it for a few dollars from the supermarket. But the truth is, in this context, in this day, oil was incredibly valuable. In fact, it was used for almost everything cooking, lighting, medicine, fragrance. I mean, the list goes on. It was not like the man of God was asking her to do something easy because this was it. I've only got a little bit left to cook our last meal. I've only got a little bit left to light up at home. I've only got a little bit left to medicate our wounds. [00:14:34] (44 seconds)  #ValueOfOil

When you have the right fear of God, you can approach God and make your request known. Because the truth is, we see in this scripture that if there was no need, then it would equal no faith. And if there was no faith, it would equal no favor. She had to lose her husband and become a widow before this could take place. [00:16:51] (28 seconds)  #NeedLeadsToFaith

Remember what she said in verse two in response to the question? I have nothing at all except. What's the except in your life? Look, I'm doing it tough right now, but I'm going to make a decision every Sunday this year to give an hour and a half to drive in, be a part of church, and drive out. That's all I've got right now. [00:17:33] (26 seconds)  #OfferWhatYouHave

Because if you're anything like me, you often look at what you don't have Yeah. Rather than what you do have. Yeah. Right. God will always come, and he'll always remind us of what we do here because there is power in what you possess right now, not just in what the favor of God has for you in the future. [00:18:12] (27 seconds)  #PowerInWhatYouHave

But now a creditor has come threatening to take away my two sons as slaves. We don't have time to get into it, but if you understand, widows didn't have the ability to earn the income to pay off the debt, and so they would take your children and they would work as slaves until the debt was fulfilled, and then they would return. [00:02:02] (18 seconds)  #DebtThreat

This is why she's pleading with God. Hey. My husband, who was doing things for you, Lord, training up in the ways of God is now dead. You you know he was a man of God. He feared the Lord, she said, and now I'm stuck. Not just with the loss of my husband, but I'm actually stuck with the debt our family owes. And if I'm not being heard, you don't maybe understand I'm gonna lose the little I have left, my two sons. [00:02:20] (34 seconds)  #WidowsPlea

Oh, you'll still have a scar. That's the reality of life. I mean, Jesus showed us it's cool to have scars. He walked around with his and said, hey. Put your fingers in my hand, hand in my side like we're good. Scars take place in life, but you don't have to stay broken because the power and the healing power of Jesus is available. [00:25:14] (24 seconds)  #ScarsDontDefine