Pastor Andy · 09 August 2026
Sermon Theme: Restoration, Remembrance, and the Anointing
Key Scriptures referenced:
Psalm 51:11-12 — "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous spirit." Used as the central prayer of the message — asking God to restore what has been lost and to renew the joy of salvation.
Joel 2:25 (referenced as "John 2:25," likely a slip) — "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten..." Used to teach that God restores what the enemy has consumed or stolen over time.
Luke 11:13 — "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Used to encourage the congregation to ask boldly for a fresh filling of the Spirit.
John 16 (general reference) — Jesus' teaching that the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) will remind believers of everything He has taught them.
Ephesians 5:17-18 — "Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is... do not be drunk with wine... but be filled with the Spirit." Used to call the church to pursue wisdom and the Spirit's fullness rather than complacency.
2 John / 1 John 2 (general reference, "verse 20") — Used to teach that every believer already carries the anointing; it isn't something to be earned by works but something to steward and not quench.
2 Timothy 1:6 (referenced as "2 Timothy 1:9") — "Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands." Used to call the congregation to actively reawaken dormant gifts and calling.
Matthew 6:33 — "Seek first the kingdom of God... and all these things shall be added to you." Used to reframe personal desires and plans around God's purposes rather than self-interest.
Leviticus 6:13 — "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." The pastor's closing anchor verse — used to teach that the presence of the Holy Spirit within a believer is permanent and cannot be lost, only quenched by sin, division, or a divided heart.
Core message: The sermon centered on the idea that believers often feel they have "lost" something spiritually — joy, empathy, passion, calling — through busyness, distraction, or discouragement. Rather than needing to "earn back" God's presence through works, the call was to ask the Holy Spirit to remind believers of what He has already taught and given them, and to actively "stir up" the gifts already placed within them. The anointing, the pastor stressed, is not something that depletes with use (unlike water from a cup) but is sustained by abiding connection to Christ — the "fire on the altar" that never goes out.
Illustration: The pastor shared a personal moment from the previous night's conference, where an older, well-loved pastor sang the simple worship song "Anointing Fall on Me" — which struck him deeply and became the theme he carried into this sermon.
Application: Practical charge to the congregation to actively invite the Spirit's reminder and renewal in the coming week — to not "run on empty anointing," to guard against unbelief, competition, and unresolved sin (called "the things that quench the fire"), and to pursue being "Holy Spirit conscious" daily.
Closing: Prayer for restoration, a "double anointing," and breakthrough over the congregation, followed by offering and a closing prayer of thanks and blessing, with mention of the public holiday the next day.