TD Jakes - Silent Testimonies: Allowing God's Work to Speak for Itself
I want to talk about some things that we don’t normally discuss. I want to talk about the Disappearance of Jesus. The Bible said that when Jesus came into Tyre, he entered a house to keep his presence a secret. However, Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet, he could not keep his presence a secret. We’re talking about Jesus. He had a clear sense that this was not a city that would be receptive to his ministry. He had a clear understanding that he was not called to the people of Sidon. He had a clear sense of his mission.
Do you have a clear sense of your mission, or are you just called to preach? Are you just going where? What kind of restaurant? What kind? Is it fast food, short order, delivery? What? Do you have a clear sense of mission? Don’t start a mission unless you have a clear sense of it. He wasn’t generic; he understood that he wasn’t for everybody. Are you allowing yourself to be hurt over the rejection of someone you aren’t even called to? Jesus had a clear sense of his purpose and his mission. He was aware that he was not generic and that he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he was okay with it. He was fine with being controversial; he was fine with being an outcast in certain circles. He didn’t keep contorting himself into different forms trying to get everybody to like him until he lost all sense of identity, twisting yourself over and over into all kinds of shapes, trying to fit in with people who had already made up their minds that they didn’t want you.
They don’t want you, so you might as well stand up and be who you are. He was specific; given that he was in Tyre, he chose to reside away from the people he wasn’t sent to. He wasn’t wasting time knocking on the doors of those he wasn’t sent to. Oh my God, I might not make it to the end! There are some situations you avoid, like Moses putting a veil over his face. Remember when he came down off the mountain and had been with God, and his face was lit up with glory? But the glory he had wasn’t for the people he saw. I will say that again: the glory he had wasn’t for the people he saw, so he hid, as it were, his face. Jesus hiding in the house is akin to Moses covering his face.
Sometimes God will hide his glory. Do you realize Jesus rose from the dead and only showed himself alive to his disciples? He hid from everyone else. Stop trying to make people see what they refuse to see. Stop trying to make people believe what they don’t believe. Stop trying to make people want what they don’t want. I got up and fixed breakfast the other day for my grandkids: made homemade biscuits, fried apples, and sausage, and my wife scrambled some eggs. They said, «We don’t want it. We want McDonald’s!»
When I was younger, I would have thrown a hissy fit. Now that I’m older, I said, «Thank you very much.» I went downstairs and into my quarters and kept going because I’m not going to try to change you for three days. Something has been sitting in me for 13 years. I said, «I know not to do that anymore. I won’t be doing that for the rest of the trip.»
I never entered the kitchen again; I stayed in my quarters and let them go to McDonald’s because my peace is worth it. Do y’all even hear what I’m saying? My peace is worth it! I’m not going to fuss at you trying to get you to eat your broccoli. My peace is worth it. I’m too old to have those kinds of arguments. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. McDonald’s is on the corner, red light, turn left. I’m not mad or frustrated. You can’t open yourself up to everyone. I have heard this said over and over again; I’ve preached it myself multiple times. However, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard this point expounded upon. Sometimes the gospel is hidden. The region as a whole was one that he wasn’t sent to.
I want to give you the history. We see what happened, but we don’t see why. We see the front of the story but don’t see the back of the story. We read little blurbs on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but you don’t know the backstory. The backstory has everything to do with the story. You came to the family reunion, and you saw us acting funny, but you don’t know what happened when we were seven. You don’t know what happened when we were twelve. You don’t understand that there are five different families gathering at the picnic that we didn’t know. Come on, talk to his people! Where are my real people? There are some things that you are too precious to fight about, and you shouldn’t try to make yourself go where you’re not sent.
Remember the early church in the book of Acts? The Bible said that the Spirit of God constrained us from entering certain cities. Remember what Jesus told the disciples? He said if you go into a house and they don’t receive you, shake the dust from your feet and leave swiftly. See, some of us are at an age now where we shouldn’t be arguing about eggs and bacon. I’m better than that! Go on and get what you like: IHOP, Denny’s, whatever! I’m not going to argue with anyone about nothing; I can have peace about it.
The second thing I want you to notice is that Jesus does not come into Tyre expecting to be seen. While almost anyone else would want to be seen, Jesus wants to be hidden. He is hidden in the house. Somebody say, «He’s hidden in the house!» Say it again: «He’s hidden in the house!» He’s hidden in the house! This time say, «He’s hidden in my house!» He’s hidden in my house! He’s hidden in my house! Somewhere in my situation, Jesus is hidden. Somewhere in the hospital room, Jesus is hidden. Somewhere in the court case, Jesus is hidden. Somewhere in the dilemma, Jesus is hidden.
All I have to do is find him! All I have to do is knock, and the door shall be opened! All I have to do is ask, and it shall be given! All I have to do is seek, and you shall find! He’s hidden in the house. He’s hidden in your problem, he’s hidden in your storm, he’s hidden in your crisis, he’s hidden in your dilemma. I feel something pushing me in the back. I’m trying not to preach, but I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Something is about to happen in this place! He’s hidden—he’s hidden in your problem, he’s hidden in your deliverance, he’s hidden in your crisis, he’s hidden in your circumstance. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
I feel a blessing about to hit this place! Stop somebody and tell them he’s in there! You may have to find him, but he’s in there! You may have to look for him, but he’s in there! You may have to travel, but he’s in there! You may have to walk alone, but he’s in there! You may have to get down on the floor, but he’s in there! Shout Hallelujah! Look at Jesus' unassuming manner; he is hidden in the house. Remember that Jesus is the one who healed masses of people and told them not to tell anybody. Look at the attitude of Jesus compared to the attitude of Christians. We want to tell everybody. Jesus did more and asked for less. He told them, «Don’t even tell anybody that I healed you!»
Jesus is hidden in the house. Despite the fact that he wanted to be hidden in the house, the glory that was on Jesus was so strong that it could not be hidden. This brings me to the conclusion that real glory cannot be hidden. When you’re the real deal, you don’t have to tell me you’re the real deal. When you have the real stuff, you don’t have to say, «I have the real stuff,» because real glory cannot be hidden. Stop telling me who’s fighting your ministry. Stop telling me who’s got their foot on you. If I can put my foot on you, God didn’t send you because if God sent you, he’ll break my foot; he’ll make me move! Real glory cannot be hidden. I want somebody that has some real glory to give him about ten seconds of a crazy praise!