TD Jakes - Grounded In Faith
To be grounded in faith, we must recognize Christ as preeminent—before all things, holding everything together, head of the church with all fullness of the Godhead; be clear on deity (in whom we believe), doctrine (what we believe), and how faith comes (hearing the Word), so His power manifests even when worldly wisdom calls it foolishness.
Grounded in Faith
Whether you know it or not, you may not consciously be waiting, but whether you know it or not, many of us are waiting consciously or unconsciously for something to break over our lives. And if not us, our children. And if not our children, our finances. And if not our finances, our community.
That seemingly there is always something that you are waiting to mature or develop into what you see in your spirit it ought to be.
Basic Elements of Grounded Faith
So we are going to talk about what are the basic elements that cause us to be grounded in our faith? I want you to go to Colossians for a minute, chapter 1, verse 17 through 23. Colossians chapter 1, verse 17-23.
And this is really, really review. It might be boring to some of you who are already grounded, but you need it too. You are going to be alright. You do not have to stand—I am just teaching.
He Holds All Things Together
Colossians chapter 1, verse 17-23: "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." I want to take that one verse: "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."
If that is not your testimony, you are not grounded in the faith. The writer here speaks in reference to the creation, that He is the Creator through which the creation has been formed. He is before all things—Alpha, the beginning. "In the beginning, God"—not matter, not atoms, not molecules, not cells, not monkeys—"In the beginning, God."
"He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." Again, the writer is talking about cosmos—he is talking about planets, he is talking about the earth, he is talking about galaxies, the atmosphere, all matter, material things—all things by Him consist.
And this is true. Even science can only go so far in the exploration of what causes material to hold together. There is some invisible force between atoms and molecules that cause them to connect that science knows holds it together but cannot define it.
The Bible clearly defines it. It is God holding your chair together. It is God holding your house together. It is God holding the molecules of the wood together. It is God holding your life together. It is God holding your mind together.
By Him, all things consist. He is the recipe. He is the force. He is the glue that holds all things together. Anything that lasts long in your life and is consistent is consistent because God is holding it together.
In fact, God is holding you together. How many of you know that you have gone through enough things that you should have lost your mind, had a nervous breakdown, thrown in the towel, freaked out on everybody, gone postal at work, shot everybody to death—and yet you are coming in talking about, "Good morning. How are you today?"
It is not because you are so strong, it is not because you are so powerful, but He is holding you together. Come on, somebody.
Head of the Church
The writer says that, "He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body"—He is the head of the body—"the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He should have the preeminence."
He is in charge. He is the boss. He is the CEO. He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. He is above and before all things. He is the head of the church. He runs the church. He has got the last say-so on everything.
Why would you come to this place and never meet the head? The head is God. He is the head, and you are not here until you are connected to Him, because He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.
That seems real simple, except what you do not realize is that many people come to church because they are not connected to God—they are connected to The Potter's House. Some people come here—they are not connecting to God, they are connecting to me.
Some people come here but they are not connected to God—they are connected to all the beautiful women that are in this church. They did not come to church to seek God—they came to seek you.
Oh, you sitting there looking all shocked. I have been out in the lobby. Everybody is not passing Scriptures. I have seen those brothers out there winking and blinking and talking about, "Praise the Lord." There is a praise the Lord and then there is a praise the Lord.
Anytime you drop down into your base tone, it is not for Jesus. Come on—it is not for Jesus, it is not for Jesus. It is a camouflage suit with a hidden agenda. Just because he says Jesus stuff does not mean he is a Jesus guy. Watch them tones. When that voice drops down, it is not for the Lord, baby—it is for you. Let all the brothers say, "Amen."
True Connection
You have to realize then that you... this only becomes relevant to you when you have a God connection. He is the head of the body, the church, "the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence."
Preeminence of Christ
For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. Now, I want you to understand—I want you to underline that word "preeminence." If you are an old-timer and you are writing in the Bible like I do, or if you are taking notes, I want you to underscore it, because that preeminence is important.
It speaks to majesty. It speaks to royalty. You address certain royalties by calling him His Eminence—His Eminence. We have come before you today to greet His Eminence with the various facts and components of this case.
God says not only is He His Eminence—He is preeminent. He is before all other eminence. He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. He is absolutely there.
I am trying to get you to understand that what I am talking about—being grounded in your faith—is having a relationship with more than superficial accoutrements of religious suggestions. More than crosses on your neck, Ichthys on your car, more than wearing long skirts and looking deep and spiritual, more than playing Mahalia Jackson in your house, more than skip-dancing to praise and worship music.
We got a whole lot of that, but when trouble comes, the reason you cannot stand trouble is that your root does not go any deeper than the fact that you sing in the choir. And if they do not call on you to sing your solo, you will leave this church, because you are not rooted to God—you are rooted to the stage, and if you do not get the stage, you are out of here.
If we do not acknowledge your ministry, you are out of here. If you do not get to preach, you are out of here. If you do not get to be seen, you are out of here. If you do not get the platform you need, you are out of here.
But there are some people in this church—whether I sing or do not sing, whether I preach or do not preach, whether I am on the stage or on the floor—I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
And you can tell the difference between somebody who is singing for the stage and singing for the Savior. It is... I do not care what you say—you can tell a difference.
Preeminence—that He is before all things, that He is royalty, that He is the head, that He is in charge, that in all things He might have the preeminence.
First or Last?
Does God have preeminence in your life or is He an EMT—an emergency medical technician who we only call when we are in trouble? That is the last call.
God says, "I do not want to be the last call you make—I want to be the first call you make. I want you to call Me when you are looking at the job, not when you are about to get laid off the job. I want you to call Me early in the morning before your day gets started. I want to be before all things," and by Him all things consist.
I want you to have a prayer life when there is no microphone. I want you to pray off camera. I want you to pray in the shadows, in the dark, every day, consistently, until I know that I am before all things in your life.
You will not take a job without Me. You will not move without Me. You will not take a position without Me. You will not marry without Me. You will not choose a spouse without Me. You will not make a medical decision without Me.
I want to know that I am before all things. You go ahead and keep putting your spouse first—you will find out spouses will fail, children will fail, pets will fail. Mama, as good as Mama is, will fail you. Daddy, as wonderful as Daddy is, will fail you.
But God says I have never failed you—I have always been there for you. Why are you making Me last when I ought to be first in your life? In fact, the Bible says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added."
I gave you the husband. I gave you the wife. I blessed you to have the children. I gave you the job. I gave you the house. I gave you the education. I paid your school bill. I brought you through the storm. I wish I had a witness in here. Somebody shout, "Preeminence."
Fullness in Christ
"For it pleased the Father that in Him," talking about Jesus, "should all fullness dwell." It pleased the Father that in Him, being in Christ, should all fullness dwell. This is even the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Without Jesus, you cannot access the Father or the Holy Spirit. That in Him should all fullness dwell. When you say Jesus, you have not robbed the Father, nor have you ripped off the Holy Spirit, because Jesus is the icon through which you gain access to the fullness of the Godhead.
All you got to do is press Jesus and the whole Godhead opens up to you. Oh, you all do not hear what I am saying. There is power in the name of Jesus. There is healing in the name of Jesus. There is deliverance in the name of Jesus. There is salvation in the name of Jesus.
The Bible said He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet made of Himself no reputation. He so pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.
Let me give you more Bible: "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased"—not aside from, not apart from—in whom I am well pleased. Somebody say, "Jesus." You just hit the button. You just hit the button. You just hit the button that accesses the fullness.
Do you understand the power of what I am saying? That when you are in that hospital room and you say, "In the name of Jesus," the fullness of the Godhead is accessible through that one click. J-E-S-U-S opens up the fullness of the Godhead.
Three Areas for Grounded Faith
In order to be rooted in your faith, these three areas have to be evidenced in your thinking, in your life, and in your heart. And number one is in whom you believe—in whom you believe.
Be Clear on Deity
Not... oh, let me tell you. I was someplace and they were... oh, this woman was teaching. She was teaching some awesome stuff, and then she got down to praying and she started praying to the universe—and my eye popped open.
I was going real good, you know, got right down to principles—I was all into it—and she said, "And now I pray to the universe"—my eye popped open. Why would I pray to the creation when I can pray to the Creator?
Okay, so I want you to be clear on in whom you believe. We can fellowship with all kinds of people, but we got to be clear in whom we believe. We can respect everybody, but we got to be clear on in whom we believe.
That is why you will see me on secular talk shows—I can talk to anybody from an ecumenical perspective, from a political perspective—it makes no difference, but then I will always make a distinction: As a Christian, I believe...
I understand that I have to live in a society that incorporates a lot of ideologies—I even like that I live in a society that embraces various ideologies. I do not want a government imposing one religion on me—that is what our country is built on, it is the freedom to believe as your heart dictates.
So I respect that freedom and your choice therein, but as for me and my house... So you got to be clear on in whom you believe. That is deity—that is deity. Who has the preeminence? Who is the author and finisher of your faith? That is deity—in whom you believe.
That is something you can have when The Potter's House is closed. You do not have to wait for the church to open—you do not have to schedule a meeting with the priest. Do you not know you do not need me to absolve your sin?
Do you not know you do not have to go in a booth with me and tell me what happened to you when you were 7 or what happened to you when you were 12, and why you still with that crazy joker you are with right now? You do not have to talk to me about it.
I do not want to hear all that stuff. I mean, I will help you if I need to help you, but you do not have to get me on the phone to get God on the phone. You do not have to say, "You know, when I get to church Sunday, I am going to get right with God." Suppose the car breaks down? Suppose the church doors are closed? Suppose I die—I drop dead?
This is not built on me. You got to know clearly in whom you believe. That is the deity.
So you must be clear about in whom you believe. Who is your deity? Personally, I do not want a God I have to carry. Some people worship—and I respect it—they put their God in their suitcase, they set up a shrine in their room, and they worship a God they carried to Nebraska.
I do not want to worship a God I have to carry to Nebraska. I want to worship a God who can carry me to Nebraska. You understand? So who do you worship? You have to be clear about that—in whom you believe.
Be Clear on Doctrine
Number two—in what you believe. That is your doctrine—in what you believe.
You know, I was telling one of my mentees who is trying to develop a position, a corporate position, and I told him, "You can develop the position and you can be trained to do the job if you have the courage to ask questions."
People who do not do well in upper-level positions do not do well because they will not ask questions. Whenever you have entered into an arena for which you are underdeveloped, do not fake like you know what you do not know, because if you really do not know it, sooner or later people are going to find out you do not know it.
It is far better to be inquisitive and to ask questions, because when you ask questions you will learn why. When you learn why, you can be sure of yourself. When you are sure of yourself, you can make choices. When you make choices, you are respected. When you are respected, you are promoted.
When it comes to doctrine, ask questions. What do we believe? Stop doing stuff that you do not know why you are doing it. "I just saw everybody else raising their hands—I raised my hands. All them else was saying thank you, Jesus—so I thought I did not want to be different, so I said thank you, Jesus, too. I heard them speaking in tongues, but I do not know why they do it."
Ask questions. Ask questions, because you want to learn and know what you believe. You are clear about who you believe—now let us learn what you believe.
Now, in order to learn what you believe, you cannot just go to church on Sunday. You got to hit that Wednesday night, baby. You got to get in some of those classes. You got to take some of those courses, because you want to learn what you believe. This causes you to be grounded.
How Faith Comes
Third thing I want to give you is the instrument of faith—and the instrument of faith, what I mean by the instrument of faith is how does faith come? How do we get it?
Let us be clear about how we get it, because if we were clear about how we got it, we would have to run three services in here on Sundays. How we get our faith—let us be clear about it.
Romans 10:17 clears it up: "So then faith cometh by... and hearing by..." So that is how we get our faith.
Now, why should I have to beg you to come here? If faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, why do I have to be creative with commercials to get you to come?
If I have to tantalize you into coming, maybe you do not have anything to feed. I do not have to tantalize you into eating. "I forgot to eat for three days till I saw that Burger King commercial."
You know why you do not forget to eat? There is something living inside of you that demands to be fed. And nobody has to remind you to eat because you crave eating because you are alive.
If you are alive in Christ, you want to hear this Word. I expect to invite sinners to church—I do not expect to invite saints to church. You invite sinners and backsliders. Saints are going to come eat because they are hungry. Let all the saints clap their hands.
The Power of the Cross
So we understand our deity, we understand our doctrine, and then we understand the declaration of faith. Go to 1 Corinthians—and I am almost done—1 Corinthians 1:18-21.
1 Corinthians 1:18-21—I almost for a moment thought I was back in the old days. In the old days, you would give the Scripture like that and somebody would start reading for you. You all remember when I first came here teaching? A lady would be back there reading, "For the preaching of the cross"—come on. Read it again. No it did not. What did it say? You all do not know what I am talking about.
Listen at this: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness." "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness."
People who are perishing or want to perish—when you give them our CD, they do not play it. They will listen at a few minutes—they would say, "That is foolishness—put on something else." They do not hear what you hear, because their ears are stuffed up.
There was a time you would not have heard it. "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God."
In fact, one of the reasons I knew I was meant to be a Christian is when I heard it—when I came and I was exposed to it, I heard it. You know what I mean? I heard it. I was not right or living right or nothing like that. It bothered me and it made me uncomfortable, but I knew it was something to it, because something inside of me said, "Yeah." It woke up something inside of me.
If I could have just laughed it off and walked away, then it is foolishness to me. And there are some people you cannot make them... you cannot... when my sister was a kid, you could not make her eat. My mama had a rule—you could not get up till the plate was clean. Jackie sat there till she almost got arthritis.
You cannot make somebody eat if they are not hungry. You cannot make somebody enjoy what they do not enjoy.
"The preaching of the cross is to them that perish," what? "But unto us which are saved, it is," what? "For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? In your own life—in your own life—has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Look at all the people that by all rights they do not think you should have what you have, be where you are, do what you do, enjoy what you enjoy. They do not even understand why you are sitting here right now.
But God, by the power of His Word, blessed you with stuff that does not even make sense. And they say, "How can a woman like her have a blessing like that?" And that is when you tell them, "To God be the glory for the things He has done."
I am trying to tell you that God will give you a blessing that does not make sense—a crazy blessing, a stupid blessing, a ridiculous blessing. He will bless you till the heathens are scratching their heads saying, "No she did not do that. No, she did not come up out of that. Not that girl, after all she has been through."
God will show the world that He is your God by how He blessed you. I want the blessed people to give God a praise!