CHRIST CREATIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
A SERMON PREACHED ON SUNDAY
JANUARY 4, 1998
BY
THE REV. DR. GEORGE ST. ANTHONY FERGUSON, SR.
As we enter into the year of 1998, I have been thinking about the anointing of God. When Pauline and I went to Canaan Baptist Church in New York City, we had a chance to listen to Dr. James Forbes, Pastor of Riverside Church, as he preached at the graduation of the new doctors of ministry from United Theological Seminary. Dr. Forbes told us the story of how a man who was a doctor of ministry went to a family reunion. At the reunion were his brothers the brain surgeon, the eye doctor, and the dentist. When his daughter was asked by one of the little girls who her father was she said Doctor Brown. So the little girl said, oh your daddy is the one they named the new hospital. She said no, that’s my uncle the brain doctor. When your brain is sick, you need my uncle the brain doctor. And when your eyes is weak, you need my uncle the eye doctor. And when your tooth aches, you need my uncle the tooth doctor. But when your spirit is down or your heart is broken or your soul needs to be saved, then you need my daddy, God’s doctor. He’s the everything doctor. And the everything doctor can only do ministry by being anointed by God. So on this first Sunday in 1998, God has told me to preach on the subject: The Anointing Breaks The Yoke.
We are in the book of Isaiah. By way of introduction, Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets that ever lived. He lived during the time of the demise of Israel as a nation. He lived during the time leading up to the 70 year Babylonian captivity. He began his ministry near the end of the reign of King Uzziah his uncle. He continued his ministry through the reign of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Assyria was growing in worldly power but Isaiah was growing in the grace of God. Isaiah wrote more about the Messiah than any other prophet. Isaiah wrote behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah wrote the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah wrote for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Isaiah wrote and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah wrote and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah wrote and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Isaiah wrote thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believes shall not make haste. Isaiah wrote surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isaiah wrote but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah wrote the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. So when Isaiah speaks, we should listen. Isaiah was prophesying against the Nation of Judah. By the time that we get to chapter 10, Isaiah had written about the Judgment on Judah. Isaiah had written about the day of the Lord. Isaiah had written about the parable of the vineyard. Isaiah had written about the destruction of Israel by Assyria. Isaiah had written about the sign of Immanuel. Isaiah had written about the birth of the Messiah. And now here in V20, Isaiah wrote about the remnant of Israel that would return after Assyria destroyed it. V20 says, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth." The first point is this: God Knows How To Deliver You. Israel was going down as a nation and God wanted them to know that He knew about it. God said woe unto those who decree unrighteous decrees, and write grievous laws. God said woe to those who turn aside the needy from justice and take away the rights from the poor of my people. God said woe to those that make widows their prey and rob the fatherless! It sounds just like us today telling welfare mothers to get a job but not preparing them to get a decent job. God asked these unbelieving Jews what will you do in the day of my visitation? God asked these hard hearted Jews what will you do in the desolation which shall come from afar? God asked them to whom will you flee for help? God asked them where will you leave your glory? God said without me, you shall bow down as prisoners and you shall fall down slain. God said because My anger is not turned away but my hand is still stretched out. Don’t you know that even as God is about to send judgment, he always extends his hands in mercy. God said, Assyria is the rod of My anger. God said the staff in Assyria’s hand is the staff of My indignation. Israel had sinned so badly that God was willing to send a sinful Gentile nation in to destroy it. God was willing to send an evil Gentile nation to bring Israel down. God was willing to send an uncircumcised Gentile nation to give Israel a spanking. The Assyrians were to totally destroy Israel. The Assyrians were to give Judah a complete spanking. God allowed the Assyrians to bring Israel down but God would never allow his people to be destroyed forever. Even in God’s judgment He will show mercy. David said his judgment is for a little while but his mercy endures forever. God said it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and those who escaped of the house of Jacob shall no longer stay with those who slay them; but they shall stay with the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. Even if you fall in the trap,
GOD KNOWS HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOU
GOD KNOWS HOW TO BRING YOU OUT
GOD KNOWS HOW TO SAVE YOU
GOD KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT YOUR BATTLE
GOD KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER YOU
The Lord will make a way somehow. Am I right about it? The Anointing Breaks the Yoke.
God told Isaiah that the remnant of Israel shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto God almighty. God told them that although the number of Jews during that time was as great as the sand of the sea, yet only a remnant of them shall return to the land. What is a remnant? A remnant is a small amount of people who actually serve the Lord. A remnant is a few people who actually serve the Lord. A remnant is just a little bit of people who actually serve the Lord. Christ Creative, we only have the remnant of the church in our Church. Most of us who worship in Christ Creative really want to serve the Lord. We may not always serve the Lord with all our heart and all our souls and all our mind. We may not always love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But most of us who worship in Christ Creative really want to serve the Lord. We are the few true believers. God has decreed that although we may doubt our Church because we have few visitors and few new members and only a few members are faithfully attend, God has decreed in 1998 that our lack of faith shall turn faith. Our lack of hope shall turn to hope. Our unrighteousness shall turn to righteousness. Paul said we may be troubled but not distressed. We may be perplexed but not in despair. We may be persecuted but not forsaken. We may be cast down but not destroyed. I came by to tell you that we might be down but not out. We might be little but we are not without hope. We might not be growing fast but we have the Lord on our side. And when God is on your side, you can do anything. God is only allowing us to stay small until we learn the lessons of how to take care of one another. God has give us these sheep in our Church for us to take care of. God has given us these sheep to shepherd. God has given us these sheep to raise up so they can shepherd other sheep. God will require on our head as pastor and leaders the blood of the sheep we lose because we did not faithfully shepherd them in this sheep fold of Christ Creative. If you don’t think God is holding us responsible because we did not faithfully shepherd our members especially the weak ones who rarely come to Church, God told Ezekiel, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me." God told Ezekiel, "When I say to a wicked man, `You will surely die and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin; but I will hold you accountable for his blood." God told Ezekiel, "But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself." God told Ezekiel, "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood." God told Ezekiel, "But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself." The hand of the Lord is upon us Christ Creative and He told me to make it plan to the people. God is holding us leaders responsible for our 20 to 40 year olds who are not actively involved in our church. Jesus said I came to seek and to save that which was lost. That’s the heart of God. Too many people in Christ Creative are lost in Church. Lost in the house. Lost in space. And they need our help. They need our tender touch. They need our kind word. They need our ministry. And God in V24 said, "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt." My second point is this: God May Allow Satan To Pull Us Down, But In The End God Will Lift Us Up. God was talking to His people and He said that He is the Lord of hosts. God was talking to His people who live in Zion. If you are in the Church, you live in Zion. God was telling the Jews not to be afraid of the Assyrians. God was telling the Jews that he will smite the Assyrians just like he smote the Egyptians. And God is telling us not to be afraid of Satan or his demons. God will smite them with His rod. God will smite them with His staff. David said thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. God’s rod and His staff comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comforted. God will smite Satan just like he smote the Egyptians. You remember how God destroyed the Egyptians at the Red Sea. The Jews had mountains on the right and the left. The Jews had Pharaoh behind them. The Jews had the Red Sea before them. But just when it looked like all hope was gone, God told Moses to lift up his rod. Moses said stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The water started to stack, stack, and stack up. The water stacked up like a cement wall and the Jews crossed over on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to cross over, the water came down and they were drowned in the Red Sea. O Mary don’t you wept and tell Martha not to mourn. Pharaoh and his army, drown in the Red Sea. O Mary don’t you wept and tell Martha not to mourn. And Christ Creative don’t wept or mourn because just like Pharaoh drown in the Red Sea, God will remove this curse of Satan off our Church. We will come out of the darkness and walk in the marvelous light of God. We will grow as a Church. We will see the salvation of the Lord. We will see the blessing of God because we will minister to these members whom God has given to us. We will minister in Sunday School. We will minister in Bible Study. We will minister in Church. We will minister in the Choir. We will minister in the Ushers. We will minister as pastor. We will minister as deacons and deaconesses. We will minister as trustees. We will all minister to each other so God will send us more members in order to minister them also. Operation Multiplication will be a big part of our ministry. Church is about ministry and people need to be ministered to. They need to hear a kind voice. They need to feel a warm touch. They need to have their needs met. This is our spiritual ministry. This is our business ministry. This is our social ministry. This is our ministry to God. God is trying to tell us that yet a very little while and the indignation shall cease in Christ Creative. God is trying to tell us that yet a very little while and God will cause His anger against Christ Creative to subside. God is going to turn our sad rags into glad rages. God is going to turn our weakness into strength. God is going to make this Church into what He wants it to be. Satan my have us down but God will lift us up. I’m so glad, Jesus lifted me. The song says:
SATAN HAD ME DOWN BUT JESUS LIFTED ME
SATAN HAD ME DOWN BUT JESUS LIFTED ME
SATAN HAD ME DOWN BUT JESUS LIFTED ME
SINGING GLORY HALLELUJAH JESUS LIFTED ME
Christ Creative, Satan my have kept us down and used us to gossip about one another and put rumors out on one another, but God will not let Satan ultimately destroy this Church. Jesus will lift us up. Can I get a witness? It Is the Anointing That Breaks the Yoke.
God is telling us that just like his rod was upon the Red Sea against the Egyptians so shall God lift up his rod against Satan in this Church. And the only way God will get rid of Satan in this Church is through the anointing. What is the anointing? The anointing is the unction of God. The anointing is the ointment of God. The anointing is the joy of the Lord. The anointing is the power of God. The anointing is God the Holy Ghost. God told Isaiah in V27, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." My last point is this: You Will Never Get Rid Of The Yoke Without The Anointing Of God. The Assyrians were a burden on the shoulders of Israel. The Assyrians were a yoke on the necks of Israel. And just like the Assyrians were the evil working against Israel, Satan and his demons are the evils working against us here at Christ Creative Baptist Church. Satan works against us in our lack of ministry among each other. Satan works against us in our lack of evangelistic zeal to bring others to our Church. Satan works against us in our lack of compassion for each other. Satan works against us in our wanting to blame everybody else for our lack of growth and lack of love. But you need to say it's me, it's me, it's me, Oh Lord; standing in the need of prayer… You might think it's the pastor who is the problem but you need to think again. You might think it's the officers who are the problem but you need to think again. You might think its sister so and so or brother so and so but you need to think again. The song says, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. If you want to know why Christ Creative is not growing or meeting your needs just look in the mirror. And you are not alone. Satan has a burden on us. Satan has a yoke on us. But in 1998, God is going to change our situation. God will make us great in 1998. God told me to tell you that that day has come when He will bring light to our darkness. Jesus said I am the light of the world. Jesus said He is coming into this Church to clean it up and bring us to the light. God told me to tell you that Satan’s burden shall be taken off our shoulder. God told me to tell you that Satan’s yoke shall be taken off our neck. God told me to tell you that the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. It is the anointing that breaks the yoke. It is the Holy Spirit that breaks the yoke. The only way this burden will be taken off our shoulder is for the Holy Spirit to move freely in this Church. The only way this yoke will be taken off our neck is for the Holy Spirit to move freely in this Church. It is the anointing that breaks the yoke. Last Sunday those of you who came to Church were marked for the ministry of Christ. You were marked with anointing oil. You were marked with holy oil. You were marked with olive oil. But more importantly you were marked with the Holy Spirit. You were marked with the anointing of God. If you are born again you have the anointing of God. If you are born again you have been seal by the Holy Spirit. If you are born again you already have the anointing that breaks the yoke in your heart. But that is not enough. That is not all that you need. You need to go on with the Lord. You need to feel the anointing of God in your life. You need to see the manifestation of the anointing in your life. You need to be full with the anointing in your life. Paul said be not drunk with wine to excess but be ye full with the Spirit. The only way you will see the yoke broken in Christ Creative is for you to be full with the Spirit. The only way you will see the yoke broken in Christ Creative is for you to feel the Joy of the Lord which is your strength. The only way you will see the yoke broken in Christ Creative is for you to let the anointing of God flow in your life. The yoke is that active sin in your life. The yoke is that unforgiving spirit in your heart. The yoke is that judgmental spirit in your soul. The yoke is your lack of support for your pastor. The yoke is your lack of excitement for your Church. The yoke is your sitting on the side line not being involved in your Church. The yoke is a bondage. But you can break the yoke with the anointing. You can break the yoke with the manifest power of God in your life. You can break the yoke with the Holy Spirit active in your life. The anointing breaks the yoke. The joy of the Lord breaks the yoke. The glory of God breaks the yoke. The Holy Spirit breaks the yoke. God said not by strength, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord. Now that you have the Holy Spirit, now what? Will you let the Holy Spirit full you and pump up the power in your life? What’s it gonna be Christ Creative? You gonna let the Spirit work in you or you gonna just keep trying to live the Christian life in the flesh? You cannot live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. Well, as I head to my seat, I need to be straight up and honest with you and tell you that we will not be a great church until we let the Holy Ghost rest, rule and abide in our hearts, in our Church, and in our lives. Is the Holy Ghost leading you? Is the Holy Ghost guiding you? Is the Holy Ghost blessing you? Is the Holy Ghost giving you the power today?
POWER TO WALK RIGHT.
POWER TO TALK RIGHT.
POWER TO BE RIGHT.
POWER TO LIVE RIGHT.
POWER TO DO RIGHT.
What is missing in Christ Creative is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost. We have refused to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. Paul said there is now no condemnation to those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. And the last thing Dr. Forbes told us in New York was that when a doctor of ministry cannot heal, he or she should never be afraid to make a referral. A doctor of ministry is a general practitioner for God but God is the specialist. God specializes. God is a doctor in a sick room. God walks the corridors of the hospital and heals the most difficult cases. God gives me all my medicine in the prayer room. There is more healing in the helm of His garment than all the medicine in the world. If you have heart problems, God can heal that. If you have eye problems, God can heal that. If you have head problems, God can heal that. If you have blood pressure problems, God can heal that. If you have kidney problems, God can heal that. If you have spiritual problems, God can heal that. The Holy Spirit is the healing power of God. The Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost. And let me tell you about the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is intelligent. The Holy Ghost has feelings. The Holy Ghost has a will. The Holy Ghost makes us born again. The Holy Ghost teaches. The Holy Ghost guides. The Holy Ghost commissions. The Holy Ghost commands. The Holy Ghost restrains. The Holy Ghost intercedes. The Holy Ghost speaks. The Holy Ghost heals. The Holy Ghost seals us unto the day of redemption. The Holy Ghost witness about Jesus. The song says, "Joys are flowing like a river, Since the Comforter has come; He abides with us forever, Makes the trusting heart His home. Blessed quietness, holy quietness, What assurance in my soul! On the stormy sea, Jesus speaks to me, And the billows cease to roll!" The Holy Ghost is our comforter. The Holy Ghost is our clothing. The Holy Ghost is our dove. The Holy Ghost is our earnest. The Holy Ghost is our seal. The Holy Ghost is our water. The Holy Spirit is our wind. The Holy Ghost is our fire. It's like fire shout up in my bones. The Holy Ghost is our oil. The Holy Ghost is our joy. The Holy Ghost is our peace. The Holy Ghost is the living Word of God. The Holy Ghost is the power of God. The Holy Ghost is the power every hour. Christ Creative, we need the power of the Holy Ghost working in us and in our Church. The Holy Ghost is the anointing that breaks the yoke. David said, "Thou anointest my head with oil my cup runneth over… So I want to know, "Are you going to let the anointing break the yoke of bondage in your life and in our Church." The doors of the Church are open.
© 1998 drsax989238@msn.com