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TD Jakes - The Dressmaker


TD Jakes - The Dressmaker
TD Jakes - The Dressmaker

I found him covered with fig leaves that he and Eve had stitched together. I found him covered with his works. Oh, I don't want to be found in him like Adam, covered in what I have worked and stitched together. Because you must understand that when Adam was stitching the fig leaves, he was sewing together that which was dying. And all the stuff that we work so hard to stitch together is dying. All the stuff that we think is important is dying. All the things that makes you smart are dying, because smart will be stupid in ten years. It's dying. All the things you learned in school will be antiquated in five years. It's dying.

All when I went to school, Pluto was a planet. And we're busy stitching all of this stuff. Your beauty is dying. Your financial portfolio is going to die. It's gonna run out. All the stuff that you are stitching together are the fig leaves of Adam. Whatcha think of making an apron out of fig leaves? And you're pulling 'em from a vine, from their life source. And you have been pulled from your life source, and so you started pulling them from their life source because dead begets dead, and separated begets separated, and disconnected always likes disconnected. And so you're disconnected, now you want to disconnect the fig leaves and sew them together with dead thread to cover you.

Don't you know that they're withering while you're sewing? Don't you know that they'll only cover you for a few days before they turn brown and fall down again? Don't you know the house you built will fall down again? The new car will be old as soon as you drive it off the parking lot. Don't you know that the new building will be old in a year? Don't you understand that all of your stuff is old, and dying, and dung, and nothing? Put my Scripture up. In Genesis, when God found Adam, he was dressed in death. He was covered with that which was withering. "And the eyes of them were both opened and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And God rebuked them and said, 'What you are trying to impress me with does not work'."

All my talented, gifted, artistic, creative, instrumentalist, vocalist, singer, psalmist, church people love you because of your gift. And sometimes they use you because of your gift. I hate to blow your head off this morning, but God does not love you because you can sing. God does not love you because you can play the instruments. God does not love you because of the way you beat the drums. God does not love you because you are in the choir. If you lose your voice and can never sing another note, it would never stop God from loving you.

So don't come before God and be important because you got a gift, because all of your fig leaves... I don't want anybody to love me for my stuff. I want somebody to love me for me. I don't want anybody to love me because I did something, or I do something, or I perform something. I want somebody to love me on a deeper level. If I couldn't walk, if I couldn't move, if I couldn't sit up, if I couldn't entertain ya, if I couldn't think anymore, if I couldn't move anymore. Anybody will love you for your stuff, but God says, "I'm deeper than that". So all of your righteousness is as filthy rags. All of this stuff you brag about, God said, "It makes me sick. All of the stuff you think is important makes me sick".

Oh, don't let me be found in him covered with something that makes God sick. Don't let me do that. Give me the 21st verse, because God had to go and do "And unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and he clothed them". Not in that which they had stitched. They didn't sew a piece of it together. God sat down and slayed an innocent animal as a substitution for slaying them, and took the coats of skin, and stitched them together, and made a garment to cover them so that they would be dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. Not because of what I had made, but because of what he made for me. Do you hear what I'm saying? I don't want to be found in him, covered with my stuff. I want to be found in him, covered with that which has been bestowed, bequeathed, been given, imparted unto me, and that's the power of this text.

Can I go deeper? Maybe you can see it this way, because, you know the story of David and Goliath and you know how God sent Goliath to reveal David. You thought God sent David to kill Goliath? No, child, that's Sunday school. That's Sunday School. That's the children's church next door. Go down the hallway to the left and you'll get that story about how God sent David to kill Goliath. God sent Goliath to reveal... God sent... God always sends your Goliath to reveal you. He never sends your giants to kill you, he sends your giants to reveal you, to give you a platform for you to find out what you got. Because all the while you thought all your had was a rag and a rock, but when Goliath comes against you, you find out what you got. You find out what you're made out of. You find out how tough you are. You find out how strong you are.

Oh God, anybody here found your Goliath? Your Goliath is your platform. It's a place for you to strut your stuff. It's a place to show the devil who's boss. God sends your Goliath to reveal your power, your influence, your ministry, your integrity, your tenacity, your fight, your drive, your discipline, your order, your function. And Goliath becomes the gateway that brings the shepherd boy to the palace. There was no other way for him to get there. He was anointed, but he had not been appointed. Anointing will not get you there. Anointing will not get you there. We overemphasize anointing. Anointing will not get you there. Killing your giant, killing your giant will bring you to the attention of kings. It will bring you before great men.

The Bible says that Saul asked Abner, "Who is that boy"? Abner said, "I don't know. He's not been in the court before. I'll find out who he is". They became curious of him because of what he killed. They're not curious because he had an Instagram page that said, "I'm a philanthropist. I'm a CEO. I'm an executive. I'm a company owner, and I dropped out of school when I was 19". They respected him because of what he killed. I'm not sure your neighbor can handle this, but touch 'em and say, "Kill something". I didn't say somebody now. I didn't say somebody. I didn't say somebody. Don't bring me to court. Y'all not suing me this morning. I didn't say kill somebody, I said kill something, something bigger than you, something stronger than you, something where the odds are against ya, somethin' you can't afford, something you can't do by yourself, something you need God to help you to do.

Oh my God, is there anybody listening at me this morning? Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere, somebody hear this. The thing that has warred against you looks like an opposition, but it's an opportunity. And the Lord sent me here to tell you, don't be intimidated when he opens up this big door. Don't be intimidated because you don't know all the rules, and you don't know the protocol, and you don't know when to stand, or when to sit, or what to wear. God said, "I got you covered. When you get there, I'll make"...

Oh God. Do you hear what I'm sayin'? Touch your neighbor and say, "Something's about to happen in this place". Somebody in this room is getting ready to shift. Somebody's getting ready to go to the next dimension. Somebody's getting ready to step into the next level. And God's gonna give you favor with a stranger. It will not be your uncle. It will not be your mama. It will not be your cousin. Stop being mad at who didn't love you. You don't need them. God will give you favor. Oh, I'm about to preach. I feel something about to blow up in this place. Somebody give him 30 seconds of crazy praise. Put my text on there. I want you to see this. This is good. It's about to get good. "And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house".

Slap your neighbor and say, "You can't go back". I don't care how hard it gets, you can't go back. I don't care who doesn't like you, you can't go back. I don't care who tries to fight you, you cannot go back. Put that out of your head. You cannot go back. You can go no longer to your father's house. You are in. You crossed the line. You crossed over. You're there. I will let it go no longer. I'm sorry. Give me some more. I will let it go no longer. "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul". This is crazy. And this is what I want. There it is. The Dressmaker's at work again. We met him making clothes in the garden and now he's making clothes through Jonathan. "And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments". He took off all his clothes.

Ain't it funny that it fit? Isn't it funny that it fit, that it just so happened that what Jonathan was wearing fit David, no alterations needed? God's got somebody wearing your stuff right now, but it is your stuff. Somebody's living in a house that belongs to you. Somebody built a building that belongs to you. And when you get there, it's gonna fit because the Dressmaker made it for you. Oh, y'all don't hear what I'm saying. Touch your neighbor and say, "The Dressmaker made it for me". You bought it, but the Dressmaker made it for me. You're wearing it, but the Dressmaker made it for me. You've been modeling my clothes. It's gonna fit. Don't worry about it. It's gonna fit.

Put my text back up there. I'm not through with it. "And Jonathan stripped himself". He stripped himself. He stripped himself. And Christ stripped himself. And Christ stripped himself. And he became poor that through his poverty I might be made rich. He became naked that I might be clothed. He emptied out of himself that I might be filled. "And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle".

Jonathan stripped himself so that David could be dressed. This is calvary. This is being dressed in his righteousness. This is what Jesus did. This is why he died naked. He had to die naked so that you could be covered. He is your propitiation. He is your covering. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. When they got through changing clothes, Jonathan looked like David and David looked like Jonathan. Jesus so clothed you that he said, "When you go talk to Daddy, don't use your name. Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, that will I do for you. Don't go in in your name 'cause you don't look like you. You're wearing my clothes".

Can I preach that this morning? I feel like preaching this this morning. I feel like preaching this because the pauper is dressed like a prince. The Lord told me to share this with you because sometimes your clothing doesn't fit how you see yourself. I said, "What do you mean, Lord"? He said, "Tell my people I'm dressing you for what's next". Who am I preaching to? God said, "You look funny right now 'cause I didn't dress you for where you are I dressed you for where you're going". See, y'all don't get this yet. David wasn't a prince, but he was dressed like one. If you're willing to look out of place for a little while, if you're willing to be a woman who hadn't got married trying on a wedding gown, God said, I'm not dressing you for your past, "I'm dressing you for your future. What I got on you right now, when you step in the place"... Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Now, see, this is the problem with you. Here's the problem with you. Can I tell you? You tryin' to fit in where you're leaving. You're trying to fit in where you are leaving. God said he's dressin' you for what's next, but you gotta be willing to look strange to your brothers 'cause you're dressed for what's next. Can I go deeper? Give me a little bit more. I want to finish this. "And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine".

One thing about David, he could fight. He could fight. He learned how to fight in his past and God brought it over into his future. He was training him. And David whipped the Philistines hind parts. He tore them up. "That the women started singing. All the cities of Israel singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tambourines, and with joy, and with instruments of music". And they're making noise, and they're playing all the instruments to meet the king. Come on, "And the women answered one another as they played and said, 'Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten'"...

Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. Ooh ooh. All up until then, Saul was cool. When they started sayin' that David was better than him, Saul was wroth. "Wroth" is a Hebrew word which means anger with fire. And the saints displeased him and he said, "Anytime you succeed, you will breed haters". "Saul was displeased with him and he said, 'They have ascribed unto David ten thousands and to me they have ascribed but thousands'", and watch this, "And what can he have more but the kingdom"? Who said, "Hallelujah"? Say "Hallelujah" again. That lets me know that you understand that God was getting him dressed for what was next and what Saul says is a prophecy. What more can he have but the kingdom? He ended up getting the kingdom. Oh, y'all don't hear what I'm sayin'. Y'all don't hear what I'm sayin'. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God is about to give you the... About 30% of y'all know how to act. The rest of y'all can't even receive what I'm saying. God is about to give you the kingdom. The kingdom. The kingdom. He gave you the clothes, now he's gonna give you the kingdom. And when I'm talkin' about clothes, I'm really not talkin' about clothes like dressing up. I'm talking about God will present you as if while you were not, because it is a precursor of what he's about to do in your life. And he will make people see you as more than you have. He will cause them to respect you on the level of your prophecy, not your history. And you know your history, but they see your prophecy, and you're standing in between both things wondering which one to believe. So God is making a king out of a person who sees himself as a shepherd boy. And the first clue was the Dressmaker.
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