THE SEVEN-FOLD SPIRIT OF THE LORD – THE FULL ANOINTING
KEY TEXT
Isaiah 11:1-2 (ESV)
Verse 1 – There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Verse 2 – 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 the fear of the LORD.
INTRODUCTION
- Being saved vs Being filled
Being saved gets you to heaven.
Being filled gets heaven into you.
- Background of the Isaiah 11
- Title
“THE SEVEN-FOLD SPIRIT OF THE LORD – THE FULL ANOINTING”
The outline:
- The seven-fold Spirit of the LORD
- The purpose of the seven-fold Spirit of the LORD
- The 12 Things Jesus never did because of the full anointing
- Receiving the full anointing
MAIN POINTS
( 1 ) THE SEVEN-FOLD SPIRIT OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD
Isaiah 11:2 shows the seven Spirits which prophesied the FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT that would be upon Jesus.
This is also a prophetic promise for those in our days who are willing to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of the LORD in Isaiah 11:2 is the HOLY SPIRIT.
The other Spirit listed in this verse are describing THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OR THE FULL ANOINTING, with three streams flowing from each side.
Revelation 4:5 -“Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”
In Isaiah 11:2, the seven Spirits are named and identified.
There are seven Spirits, the number 7 symbolizes FULLNESSOF THE HOLY SPIRIT, FULL ANOINTING.
And using the 7-candlesticksin a lampstand mentioned in Revelation 4:5, this is how the seven-fold Spirit looks like:
See Diagram # 1 – The Golden Lampstand
The attributes from each side are placed together in ONE SPIRIT to bring the BALANCED OUTPOURING AND FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Wisdom goes with understanding
�� Counsel goes with might
Knowledge goes with the fear of the LORD
It is this FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT that we should press into our lives “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).
The seven-fold Spirit that rested upon Jesus, which can also rest upon us are:
- THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD
The LORD here = YAHWEH in Hebrew.
It was the Spirit of Yahweh that rested upon Jesus.
The Spirit of Yahweh is the HOLY SPIRIT.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18,20) and was empowered to live as the perfect human man through that same Spirit (Luke 3:22, Luke 4:1,14,18).
This is the CENTRAL PART of the Jewish candlestick out of which all else proceeds.
The Spirit of the LORD is the SPIRIT OF POWER.
It is through this Spirit that we receive POWER FROM GOD.
Application: Central to our Christian testimony as the light of this world, symbolized by the candlestick of the lampstand, is the HOLY SPIRIT – THE SPIRIT THAT PROCEEDED FROM GOD THE FATHER, YAHWEH. If we have the Spirit of the LORD as our central power, we can stand erect to witness for the Lord and above all, the other 6 Spirits will also flow out from the central Spirit of the LORD.
- THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM
E.g. The Spirit of wisdom upon Jesus.
The Spirit of wisdom =ALL OF GOD’S SUPERNATURAL THOUGHTS (MIND) THAT HE HAS ALREADY PLACED IN OUR HEARTS AT OUR NEW BIRTH.
Hebrews 8:10 says that God inscribes or engraves His Word in our hearts.
God’s wisdom is HIS SUPERNATURAL INTELLIGENCE – HIS SECRET KNOWLEDGE.
God’s wisdom is not a wisdom of the world, because it cannot be bought; it cannot be studied for, or earned.
Job 32:9 (KJV) says, “Great men are not always wise….”
God’s wisdom is the foundation of our lives and the basis upon which the rest of our spiritual “house” will be built.
Proverbs 24:3 -“Through wisdom a house is built.”
GOD’S WORD WHICH IS HIS WISDOM MUST BE OUR SUSTENANCE, OUR NOURISHMENT, OUR FOOD AND OUR LIFE’S BREAD.
Matthew 4:4 (KJV), “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
= WE ARE NOT JUST TO DABBLE IN AND TASTE THE WORD BUT WE ARE TO LITERALLY EXIST BY IT.
= ONLY AS WE ALLOW THE WORD OF GOD TO GO DOWN INTO OUR INNERMOST PART AND BEGIN TO CHANGE AND TRANSFORM OUR LIVES, WILL WE EVER TRULY EXPERIENCE WHAT THE SCRIPTURE MEANS WHEN IT SAYS, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them” (Jeremiah 15:16).
We grow in proportion to the daily diet of God’s word that we are “eating”.
Only in reading and eating God’s word will we be reminded to put off the garbage in our own thinking and put on the mind of Christ which is wisdom.
Then we will be ready and prepared for whatever God allows in our life.
The written word of God is a translation of the “inscribed” word which is Jesus, who is already inscribed in our hearts.
The more we understand the written word, the more we will understand the Living Word (Jesus) who lives in our heart.
THE ENTIRE BIBLE IS GOD’S WRITTEN WISDOM.
Application: How is your Bible devotion?
Suggestions for Bible devotion:
- Get a good daily Bible reading plan from Christian book stores or download free Bible reading app from your cell phone.
- Read 3 chapters of your bible a day – one from the OT, one from the NT and one from Psalms or Proverbs. Then as you are seeking God and His wisdom for your particular situation, you can listen for His answer in your daily reading.
- Take any subject that you are interested in and do a word study on it throughout the Bible. For example, if you are having marital difficulties, then do a study on “marriage,” “love,” “divorce,” etc. Do a study on children, husbands, jobs, careers, goals and purposes, money.”
It is critical to keep on “investigating” new and different ways to be excited about God’s word.
We exist only by God’s word.
“Unless thy law (His Word) had been my delight, I should have perished in mine affliction” (Psalm 119:92).
Summary: The Spirit of wisdom helps us to make wise choices. It enables us to understand difficult concepts and interpret them in ways that are beneficial for ourselves and those around us. The Spirit of wisdom gives us insight into how we can use knowledge from the Scripture to make decisions that align with God’s plan.
- THE SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING
Proverbs 1:21 says, wisdom is just the entrance to the city (the opening of the gates).
Wisdom is just the first step to understanding and then to knowledge and then to the fear of God.
The next function produced by the Spirit of the LORD is the Spirit of understanding.
Just because we have God’s wisdom written and inscribed in our hearts does not necessarily mean that we will understand that wisdom.
The Spirit of understanding is GOD’S SUPERNATURAL REVELATION – HIS SECRET INSIGHTS TO HIS WORD.
Understanding simply means a “putting together” or a “comprehending” or a “grasping of His Word”.
E.g. The Spirit of understanding in Jesus.
The Spirit of the LORD illuminates our hearts and gives us understanding of His Wisdom.
= He “turns on the light for us.”
Diagram # 2 – Cartoon with a light turned on
Take for instance:
# 1 -Psalm 76:1-3 – In Judah God is known, his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
#2- Psalm 91:13- Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
What good is God’s wisdom (His Word) without our being able to understand it and apply it to our situation or lives?
We must have God’s understanding of His wisdom before we can begin to apply it to our lives and before we can pass it on to others.
One of the reasons so many Christians are stumbling and failing today is because of IGNORANCE.
Ignorance not only as to what the Word of God says and requires of us but also ignorance about ourselves – understanding our real motives, our wrong dependencies, our own misconceived priorities.
When we don’t read the Word and to allow the Spirit of understanding to operate, we won’t be able to see or find our way.
Hosea 4:14 (KJV) says, “….people that do not understand shall fall.”
All of us have God’s written wisdom lying on our laps but many of us because of busyness, laziness, distractions, hurts, unbelief and other self-centered thoughts and emotion, don’t take time to sit at God’s feet, listen and hear what He wants to say to us.
Instead, we depend on what we think and feel, what others are telling us and what our circumstances dictate us.
Consequently, when God allows trials in our lives, we don’t understand what He requires of us nor how to act.
Thus, we end up falling before we even begin.
Summary: The Spirit of understanding allows us to understand difficult concepts, revelations, spiritual truths and interpret them in ways that are beneficial for ourselves and those around us.
The Spirit of understanding will also work in practical ways for us. It helps us in our relationship with others because we understand why people do what they do. Discerning what is going on around us is also part of understanding. We get to see the behind-the scenes of situations and even people.
1ST PAIR -THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING
The first pair of the seven-fold Spirit is called THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING.
These two attributes are a balanced pair, each one relying upon the other, each one supporting the other.
- THE SPIRIT OF COUNSEL
E.g. The Spirit of counsel in Jesus
The Hebrew word of counsel is the SUPERNATURAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL FOR OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL LIVES.
= GOD’S PERSONAL INSTRUCTION, HIS DIRECTIONS, TO HELP US MAKE GODLY CHOICES.
= The Spirit of Counsel is like our PERSONAL ADVISOR, OUR HELPER, OUR GUIDE.
In Philippians 2:13, God tells us that He “is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
= God is in us to let us know what His will is for our own particular situation.
The Old Testament word for “counsel” is “esa” and it means STEERAGE OR NOT LETTING US VEER OFF COURSE.
= Not letting us miss the mark – the mark of being “conformed to his image.”
Summary: The Spirit of counsel acts as our helper and our personal advisor who helps guide us in the will of God for our lives. The Holy Spirit as our Counsellor, tells us what is right and what is wrong, what to do and what not to do. We have trusted ourselves to make decisions for ourselves before and the outcome varies and sometimes they are great and other times not so great. The Holy Spirit being the perfect and all-knowing, knows what is best for us and if our ears hear what the Holy Spirit is saying, then He will guide us and make our paths straight so we can bear fruit.
- THE SPIRIT OF MIGHT/POWER/STRENGTH
E.g. The Spirit of might upon Jesus
The Spirit of might is GOD’S SUPERNATURAL ABILITY TO TAKE WHAT HE HAS COUNSELED US, BRING IT FORTH AND THEN PERFORM IT OR ACCOMPLISH IT IN OUR LIVES.
=What good is knowing what God’s will is if we do not have the power or the strength to carry it out?
Philippians 2:13 – For it is God which worketh in you, both to will [counselling us as to what His will is] and to do [giving us His power and ability to perform that will in our lives].
God doesn’t need any of our own natural abilities or strength in order to help Him accomplish His will.
Even though we might have great capabilities and assets of our own, we must still choose to set those aside and trust Him in everything.
Jesus tells us, “Without me, ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
= everything we do in our own ability, apart from His Spirit of might, is going to chalk up to WORTHLESSNESS.
Self-confidence does not help.
All self-confidence must be confessed and replaced with God-confidence; all self-esteem (I like what I do and what I am) must also be set aside and replaced with God-esteem (Ilike what God does through me and what He makes of me) and all self-reliance must be superseded by God’s strength and His ability.
It is not what we can do for God but what God will do through us.
God does both the counseling and the performing of His will. If God does both, then He will be the one who will get the glory.
The Spirit of might in the Greek also means POWER TO REIN IN, MASTERY OVER SELF, SELF-CONTROL, or better yet, SPIRIT-CONTROL.
= The Spirit of might reins in or brings into captivity our self-life, so that God’s life can come forth.
Luke 21:19 (KJV) says, “In your patience possess [rein in] ye your souls.
When we are going through troubled times and we make faith choices not to go by what we feel, think or want but to go God’s way, God will then give us His supernatural strength to set aside our wild feelings, uncontrolled thoughts and self-centered desires so that we can act out of His Spirit and His life.
Summary – The Spirit of might is what helps Spirit-filled believers to persevere through life and to conquer the next challenge that comes. It is the Spirit of might that we use to carry out the will of God for our lives. By our strength on earth, we can only carry out earthly tasks but if we are to carry out the assignments of heaven, we need the Spirit of God to rest upon us and help us. It is the Spirit of might that helps us overcome the attacks of the enemy standing firm in our faith in Christ Jesus.
2ND PAIR – THE SPIRIT OF COUNSEL AND MIGHT
God’s Spirit of counsel and might are simply God’s authority and God’s power to put off the habits of the flesh and to put on Christ. The Spirit of counsel and might are also a pair. You can have all the counsel of the world but without the strength to carry it out, there is little you will accomplish. Conversely you can have all the strength but without good counsel, your strength will also be your ruin. The Spirit of counsel and might is not something you can grab hold of, but you are to be filled with.
The Spirit of counsel and might show you what to do and then gives you the power to do it. You know if you are led by the Holy Spirit by where you end up. The Holy Spirit can guide us if we would only follow.
God gives us counsel and might to build us but the devil gives us one to destroy us.
Where you lack balance, things will spin out or control.
Balance requires pairs – “With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13).
- THE SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE
This is not just general knowledge but the specific knowledge of God.
E.g. The Spirit of knowledge upon Jesus
��Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, who you have sent” (John 17:3).
The Spirit of knowledge is AN INTIMATE, LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE THAT CAN COME FROM REVELATION OR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S CHARACTER.
It is what we gain when we truly understand something on a deeper level, not just in our heads but in our hearts as well.
This is what changes and betters our lives in our work-week and day-to-day life.
Adam had his life changed in Genesis 4:1 and it says, “Now Adam KNEW Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain…..”
This is intimate knowledge that the Spirit of knowledge reveals to us.
- THE SPIRIT OF THE FEAR OF THE LORD
It is to know Him but also to place Him in His rightful first position in your life.
E.g. The Spirit of the fear of the LORD upon Jesus
The fear of the Lord is not demonic or unholy.
The fear of the Lord is a REVERENCE, RESPECT AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF WHO GOD IS.
3RD PAIR – THE SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE FEAR OF THE LORD
The Spirit of the knowledge and the fear of the Lord go together because without having the proper fear of God, we are unable to even begin to understand the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 1:7-The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”
To gain worldly wisdom requires much effort but to gain heavenly wisdom requires much SUBMISSION.
If you have a living faith, it will not flatline with the knowledge of God.
The more knowledge you have of God, the more you will fear Him.
“That all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:24).
We must fear the Lord before He can teach us.
“Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psa 25:12).
When you fear God, you will come to know God.
“Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverb 2:5).
( 2 ) THE PURPOSE OF THE SEVEN-FOLD SPIRIT
The Spirit of the LORD – to empower us to be his witness (Acts 1:8-9), to counsel, to comfort, to teach and to nurture.
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding – for LEADERSHIP
Deuteronomy 1:13 – Choose WISE, UNDERSTANDING and experienced man, according to your tribes and I will appoint them as your heads.
The Spirit of counsel and might – TO CARRY OUT WISE PLAN
The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord – FOR HOLINESS.
( 3 ) THE 12 THINGS JESUS NEVER DID BECAUSE OF THIS FULL ANOINTING
The impact of the Spirit of Yahweh upon the Lord Jesus was so full and profound that there are 12 things Jesus never did:
- HE NEVER SOUGHT ADVICE.
- HE NEVER CHANGED HIS MIND.
- HE NEVER WAS IN A HURRY.
- HE NEVER SHOWED PERSONAL FEAR.
- HE NEVER MADE A MISTAKE.
- HE NEVER SHOWED SURPRISE.
- HE NEVER WAS DEFEATED IN A CONTROVERSY.
- HE NEVER PERFORMED A SELFISH MIRACLE.
- HE NEVER DISTRUSTED GOD.
- HE NEVER DENIED A GOOD REQUEST.
- HE NEVER CONFESSED A SIN.
- HE NEVER APOLOGIZED FOR ANYTHING.
When we do not have this seven-fold Spirit of the LORD upon us, we will be:
- Foolish and darkened in our understanding
- Wayward and weak
- Ignorant and Irreverential
2000 years ago, Jesus whom the Spirit of Yahweh had rested upon with the FULLNESS OF SEVEN-FOLD SPIRIT, was crucified for all our foolishness, darkened understanding, waywardness and weakness, ignorance and lack of the fear of God.
He emptied Himself of the fullness of God on the cross so that today He can fill us with the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord.
( 4 ) RECEIVING THE FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT
Today, if we still feel that we lack the fullness of the Holy Spirit upon our life, it could be because we do not know about …
- Our Need
- Our right response
- The blockages
- Our hope
Our Need-If the Lord Jesus needed the seven-fold Spirit, how much do we? Again, how much do we, born with a fallen nature in a fallen world, need this SPIRIT OF THE LORD WHO IS SENT TO BE OUR HELPER?
Why is it we fail?
Is it because we think that we can manage by ourselves?
Charles Spurgeon – Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without the wind, branches without the sap, and like coals without fire, we are useless.”
The measure of the Holy Spirit filling you up will be in proportion to how much you can see your need of Him.
Our right response– Have you learned to thank the Lord; in whatever situation you are in for giving you His Spirit who is able in all things?
Often, we think and act like we are down here while God is in Heaven, not knowing that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, Yahweh has sent the Holy Spirit with his seven-fold anointing to bring HEAVEN INTO US NOW.
Our blockages– Is there anything now that is hindering you from experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit in your life more?
Are you blocking the full anointing of the Holy Spirit to your life by the actions or lack thereof?
Actions such as bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice.
Omission (lack of actions) such as kindness, tenderheartedness, love and forgiveness (Ephesian 4:17-32) can block the fullness of the Spirit in your life.
Our hope– We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit who is a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance and the full redemption of God’s possession.
There is a full inheritance still to come. On that day when we are all with Him, there is no restriction to the fullness of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION
Just as the Spirit of the LORD has rested fully on Jesus, the Holy Spirit wants to anoint us with His fullness with this same anointing that He has anointed Jesus with.
That is why Jesus died and resurrected so that we can jointly share in this same fullness of anointing as He had.
See your great need for this seven-fold anointing.
We are living in the last days.
We need the seven-fold Spirit to empower us and equip us to be wise with understanding; walking in the counsel and will of God in the might of the Spirit and knowing God so intimately with the fear of the Lord.
“Be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesian 3:19)
MY TESTIMONY
“Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers [ESV- aged], for thy testimonies are my meditation.” (Psalm 119:97-100 RSV).
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