Pressed But Not Crushed – Chosen For The Oil
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 08/10/2025
Foundation Scriptures:
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:36–46 NKJV
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
1. Gethsemane—Oil Press.
a. Luke 22:44 NKJV –– And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
b. Everyone wants the anointing; few survive the pressing.
c. The oil you admire in someone’s life was pressed from agony you’ll never see.
d. Gethsemane means “oil press” — a place where the press produces oil.
2. The Process of Oil.
a. Olives must be pressed to release oil.
b. Pressing breaks the skin, releasing what is hidden inside.
c. Without pressing, the oil remains trapped.
d. In Biblical times, olive oil was extracted by:
- Harvesting – Olives gathered by hand or struck from branches with sticks.
- Pressing – A heavy stone wheel rolled over the olives, breaking skin and pulp into a paste.
- Process – Paste placed in woven baskets, stacked, and pressed with a beam or stone weights.
- Separation – Oil and water mixture stood until oil floated to the top to be skimmed off.
e. God allows pressure to release what He placed within you — the greater the press, the purer the oil.
3. The Process of Wine.
a. Grapes must be pressed to release wine.
b. Pressing separates juice from skin and pulp, removing impurities.
c. The best wine comes from grapes fully yielded to the press.
d. Joy, fruitfulness, and spiritual maturity often come through full surrender under pressure.
4. Gethsemane: The Ultimate Press.
a. Matthew 26:36–39
b. Luke 22:41–44 NKJV –– And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
5. The Cost of the Anointing.
a. The oil always costs something.
b. Examples from Scripture—those who paid a price:
c. Jeremiah – Reputation.
- Jeremiah 20:1–2 – Pashhur struck Jeremiah and put him in the stocks.
d. Hosea – Pride.
- Hosea 1:2 – God told Hosea to marry a woman of harlotry.
e. Ezekiel – Comfort.
- Ezekiel 4:4–5 – Ezekiel lay on his side for 390 days.
f. Paul – Body.
- 2 Corinthians 11:24–27 – Beatings, shipwreck, suffering.
g. Mary – Treasure.
- John 12:3 – Mary anointed Jesus with costly oil.
h. Job – Security.
- Job 1:14–15, 18–19 – Job lost livestock, servants, and children in one day.
i. Stephen – Life.
- Acts 7:59–60 – Stephen stoned, praying for his killers.
6. The Hard-Press Is Not Failure.
a. 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 NKJV –– We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
b. Pressing is not proof of failure — it’s proof you’ve been chosen.
c. The grace of God will bring you through if you will trust Him with your life.
d. If you’ve felt the hidden weight of your calling — loneliness, loss, nights of wrestling with obedience — you’re not weak, you’re marked.
e. John 12:24 NKJV –– Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
f. Do not despise the press; it produces the anointing.
g. What God produces through you will feed nations, break chains, and heal hearts.
h. Your Gethsemane is the preparation for your fruitful season.
7. Pressed, But Not Crushed.
a. Pray: “Lord, not my will but Yours be done.”
b. Trust that every press is producing eternal weight and glory.
c. Encourage others in their own “press” — remind them they are chosen.
d. 2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV –– For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.