TD Jakes - The Convergence (09/27/2024)
After powerfully arguing in Romans that Jews and Gentiles are united by God's mercy in Christ—just as Abraham was called as a Gentile—the mature Paul humbly begs believers to present themselves as living sacrifices. This creates a profound convergence: we are brothers by mercy, priests with access to God, and the sacrifice itself, tied uncomfortably to the altar until transformed by renewing our minds.
Paul's Maturing Voice
I am amazed at the text itself because now Paul has matured. I will not waste your time going through the first eight chapters of the book of Romans as he deliberates back and forth from chapter to chapter between Gentile and Jew because he is the convergence of both. He is a Gentile citizen, but he is a Jew by birth, and he vacillates in both arenas. He can talk to both people. He has both experiences. It is a convergence going on here. Are you following what I am saying? And so now he has settled into who he is.
And what got me about the text is this proud, intellectual, brilliant, bright, erudite, charismatic individual that he would start the chapter off after laying out such an eloquent exposition on the book of Romans, talking about the peace of God, talking about, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," talking about the power of God. He litigates the case, therefore being justified by faith. We have peace with God. He litigates through the first eight chapters, going back and forth, showing that the Jews had no right to be arrogant against the Gentiles because their father Abraham was a Gentile when God called him.
Tearing Down Walls of Division
And he is tearing down walls of division that exist in the church because Abram received the promise while he was yet a Gentile before he was circumcised. It was not his circumcision that made him a Jew. It was his obedience that made him a Jew. And God took that person who was not a people and made him a people and said, "Get thee out of thy country, and away from thy kindred, and go to a place that I will show you, and I am going to turn you into something that you are not." And he created, the first Jewish man started out as a Gentile, and it was a convergence.
And so what you are seeing on the other side of the cross is a continuation of a convergence that started on the backside of the promises of God with Abraham while he was yet stealing Mesopotamia, worshiping idols. That is why Abram did not have a problem with offering up Isaac, because he came from a religious tradition where human sacrifice was considered normal, and he thought it not strange that God would tell him to, "Take now thy son, thine only son, and go to a place I will show you." And he thought, "Yes, I will take him," because it was in his background to offer up human sacrifice, and he was fully prepared to slay his own son.
God's Updates and Mercy
And God, who called him to do it, had to stop him from doing it. Look at how... y'all did not get that. God, who called him to do it, had to stop him from doing it. That is why man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You cannot make decisions off of yesterday's message. Yesterday's message said, "Take now thy son, thine only son, to a place that I will show you, and offer him up for a burnt offering." But then there was an update. You know how you get an update on your phone, and you have to download the update? God keeps you depending on Him. That is why you have to pray without ceasing, because God will send an update.
The problem with most of us, and the reason we have so many denominations, is that the name of the denominations tells me where you stop listening. And we build monuments on dead men's revelations rather than to keep listening for God to continue His speech, for the same God who said, "Do it," is the same God who says, "Stop it." "Abraham, Abraham! Stay your hand." Whenever God says a name twice, it is always a covenant. Once has He spoken it, twice have I heard it. Power belongs to God. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this day shalt thou be with me in paradise." "Moses, Moses! Take off your shoes. The ground you stand on is holy ground." Covenant.
The Convergence in Christ
He is always in covenant relationship with God. "Abram, Abram! Stay your hand. I am about to give you another revelation." And so he is telling the Orthodox Jews, "You have nothing to boast about because your ancestor was a Gentile. How can you not eat with a Gentile when your ancestor, the progenitor of your faith, was a Gentile?" So all the cross did was take us back (y'all do not hear what I am saying) to the convergence. So when Paul gets in Ephesians... oh, let me get back to this. When Paul gets to the Ephesians and God says that He had brought them both back together, raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that is just God renewing what existed before.
Are y'all with me? I wish I had a chart. I would draw it up for you, and I would show you how God separated them and called them out. And then, when they came through Calvary, He rebraided them back together again, and it was a convergence, and the church is a convergence... not being Jew nor Gentile, but all one in Christ Jesus. The church is a convergence.
Paul Begs by Mercy
But anyway, what I was saying was... the word "besieged" is similar to the word "beg." And I thought, "What would make Paul beg?" Proud Paul is now begging. "I beg you, I beg you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your body a living sacrifice." Wait a minute. He called them brethren while they were not yet sanctified. "I beg you, brethren." Now, this is a Gentile city, cosmopolitan city. There are many types of people living in Rome, but he called them brethren while they had never presented their body a living sacrifice by the mercies of God. "I am your brother by the mercies of God. I am in the family by the mercies of God. You who were not a people were made a people and adopted into the royal family and a part of the commonwealth of Israel by the mercies of God." Mercy. Mercy. Mercy.
Somebody say, "Mercy." Somebody say, "Mercy." Mercy brought you to church tonight. Yeah, mercy woke you up this morning. Mercy kept you while you were sleeping last night. Mercy protected you from drunk drivers while you were on the road. Mercy brought you to the house of the Lord. Somebody say, "Mercy." Look at your neighbor and say, "I am here by the mercy of God." It is not my goodness. I am here by the mercy of God. I am blessed by the mercy of God. I am included by the mercy of God. I am in the family by the mercy of God. I got a car by the mercy of God. I got a place to stay by the mercy of God. I got clothes to wear by the mercy.
Celebrating God's Enduring Mercy
"I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God." Jeremiah said, "His mercy is new every morning." Glory to God. The Bible said, "His mercy endures forever." Have you ever had God's mercy endure? You did not earn it, you did not deserve it, you were not qualified for it, but His mercy endured. Your friends left, your wife left, your husband left, the dog left, the goldfish died, and still mercy woke up every morning and got you up every morning. To God be the glory. I feel like preaching. I have to watch myself, because when I start talking about mercy, I get excited.
The Bible said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." And when I get to mercy, I want to shout, because I am standing in the mercy of God. I am breathing by the mercy of God. I am walking by the mercy of God. I am talking by the mercy of God. To God be the glory, for the things He has done is by His mercy. We are not consumed. Oh, He has been merciful. If I never get the house I want, He has been merciful. If I never drive the car I want, He has been merciful. He has been so merciful to me. Can I get a witness in here?
The Priest and the Sacrifice Converge
"I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God," and this is where the convergence gets real good, "that ye present your body." That is a convergence I really wanted to get to, "that ye present." To present anything to God is the function of a priest. Come on. Come on. So he went from talking to me like a brother to talking to me like a priest. A priest has access to the presence of God. So I went from being related, just because I am related does not mean I have access. I am related to my children, but they are not here tonight. So there is a difference between relationship and access. When he called me brother, he made me related. But when he said "present," he made me connected.
"I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present," that is the royal priesthood, "your body," that is the sacrifice. So I am both the presenter and the sacrifice in the same text. We do not see this in the Old Testament. You can easily distinguish the priest from the present. But now here we see that the priest and the sacrifice have been bottled together and they have converged together and they have connected together, and we do not see it. From Genesis to Malachi, we do not see it. There is always a distinction between the sacrifice and the priest.
Jesus as Priest and Sacrifice
The only time we see this again is in Hebrews, when the Bible said that Jesus went in by Himself and presented Himself. So when you say, "I want to be like Jesus," you say, "I want to be a convergence, I want to be a sacrifice, and I want to be a priest at the same time." Jesus was the only priest who went in by Himself. No lamb, no goat, no scapegoat offering, no drink offering. Jesus went in by Himself with Himself, offered up Himself.
Okay, let us see how far we get with this. "That ye present your body a living sacrifice." You have to be presented a living sacrifice. You cannot touch anything dead as a priest. So God said, "I want you to present it while it is still squirming." That is why the brazen altar had horns on it so that the sacrifice could be tied to the altar. It was tied to the altar. If it was dead, you would not have to tie it. Because dead people do not move. But the reason you had to tie it to the altar is because it is still squirming.
A Living Sacrifice Squirming
You say you are going to give it to God as soon as it dies, but God says, "I want it squirming. I want it uncomfortable. I want it difficult. I want you to present your body a living sacrifice." A living sacrifice tied to the horns of the altar. Tied to it. Tied to it. I want to talk to some people that are tied to some things that is killing you. And you cannot get out, and you cannot get away, and you are tied to it. And it might not be a brazen altar, and it might not be a cross.
When Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me," He was not just talking about wood. Sometimes your cross is not made of wood. Sometimes your cross is a church that will not grow, a mountain that will not move, a child that disrespects you, a parent that would not honor you. And you are squirming, and you cannot get away. And God says, "I want you to present your body a living sacrifice." What are you tied to that you ask God to move and He did not move it?
God's Purpose in Discomfort
Paul said three times, "I prayed for Him to take the thorn out of my flesh, and my only answer was His grace is sufficient." What are you trying to get out of? Mmm, got quiet. We were shouting real good, but it got quiet. Because you are squirming. You are squirming. Squirming. God says, "I put you in a situation, and I meant for you to be uncomfortable." And this is an era of people who love to be comfortable. "I would come to your church if I did not have to walk across the bridge." "I leave early because I do not like the traffic. I want to be comfortable." "It is too cold in the church. I do not want to come. I have to be comfortable." "I do not fool with her because she gets on my nerves."
How many times has God made you work with somebody that made you, "I would have quit the job, but my rent was due, and I am tied. I am tied." "I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice." Who told you God wants to make you comfortable? God is not interested in making your flesh comfortable. In fact, God wants your flesh uncomfortable. He wants your flesh squirming. Obedience is better than sacrifice, and I am only here because you got me tied. I am tied.
Tied for Greater Blessing
"I beg you, I beg you, by the mercies of God, that you do not get up, that you cannot get away, that your destiny is tied in an uncomfortable place." I preached ten years in a place that did not have 50 members. Ten years. And I knew everything I just said then. And it did not seem to change the momentum of the ministry, because He wanted me tied. I did not teach some Bible classes. I taught them all. I preached every Sunday to a handful of people because He wanted me tied. And I was working a job and pastoring a church that would not grow, and I could not close it, because He wanted me squirming.
Because the level of blessing He was going to give me was going to be so strong that if I had not proved to be faithful with nothing, I would not have earned the right to have something. "Does Job serve you for nothing? If I take away his stuff, he will curse you to his face." God said, "Take away whatever you want to. He will not curse me, because I know his motives."
Transformation Through Renewal
"You are going to present yourself a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable... do not go home bragging about it. It is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed." In the Greek, metamorphoo. Metamorphosis. It is a process. It is a process. It is not an event, it is a process. "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," where you start thinking differently about stuff. Where you start changing direction about stuff. Where you look at your phone and let it ring and go to voicemail.
Uh-huh, yeah. "Transformed by the renewing of your mind." And all of a sudden you start to think differently about things. And all of a sudden, you stop taking fentanyl. "I do not want to go. I think I am going to stay home. I am good. Y'all have a good time." "Transformed by the renewing of your mind." Where you start thinking differently. Where you start feeling differently. Where you start responding differently. Where it comes to your mind and you know exactly what to say to straighten them out, but you do not say it. Instead, you say, "Well, praise the Lord." "Transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The Urgency of Surrender
I know it is some brethren in here tonight, and I suspect there is some priests in here tonight, but I am wondering, is there any sacrifice in here tonight? In order for there to be a sacrifice, there has to be a transformation in the way you think. See, metamorphosis is a process, and the only problem with the process is we are running out of time. I know you are young, but we are running out of time. It is not just about age. There are many short graves as there are long ones. We are running out of time.
When I hold my newspaper up against my Bible, they are starting to look just alike. If these are not the last days, I do not know what they... I do not know what... we are running out of time. The Bible says that while Noah was building the ark, they were eating and drinking and making merry. Are you making merry or making changes? I do not know what you are supposed to do with that, but if there is a convergence that happens in this room right now, a name will change, a heart will break, a soul will surrender, somebody will say "yes" to His will. "Yes" to His Word.