TD Jakes - Glimpses of Jesus
Genesis 2:7-9 is where we first are introduced to our God and we find him playing in the dirt. He was the Potter and we were the first pot. God stepped out on nothing and said, "Let there be light," and there was light and it was good. The light, the light, light, light, light, light, light, light came from his Word, Word, Word, Word, Word, Word. And it is the Word that said, "Let there be light," has not come back to him. It is still out there. He spoke you. So what Paul is doing here is taking us back and showing us glimpses of Jesus in Genesis. "For God who commanded the light to shine in darkness". That's Jesus. When God said, "Let there be light," that was Jesus. In earthen vessels, the Creator of matter allows himself to live in matter. God has caused the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ to shine into your heart. If there is anything good in me, I don't have to wonder whether it's me or him or not. If there's anything good in me, it's got to be God. Because I know that the vessel is earthen but the treasure is divine. Oh my God. Jesus told Thomas, "You have believed because you have seen, but blessed are they who have not seen and yet they believe". Glimpses of Jesus.
Because what Paul does, in glimpses of Jesus, is remind us of the creation; that God stepped out on nothing and said, "Let there be light," and there was light, and it was good. The light, the light, light, light, light, light, light, light came from his Word, Word, Word, Word, Word, Word. It didn't come from waterfalls. It didn't come from coals. It didn't come from solar systems. The light, "Let there be light," came out of his Word, Word, Word, Word, Word. And it is the Word that said, "Let there be light," has not come back to him. It is still out there. 'Cause the book of Hebrews chapter 1 says, "He upholds all things by the Word of his power". Ooh, that oughta make you happy because he spoke you. He spoke you. And until he decides to move, I will remain as long as the Word holds me up. He upholds all things by the Word of his power.
How long will my blessing last? As long as my Word is behind it. How long will I be able to endure? As long as my Word holds you up. How long will I be able to walk on water? As long as my Word holds you up. He upholds, what? All things by the Word of his power. Somebody talk to me. I feel the Holy Ghost in here. He is reminding us in 2 Corinthians that who God is, he was. Who God is, he was. Who God is, he was. He changeth not. He is absolute. He cannot grow. He cannot evolve. He cannot decline. He cannot subtract. He just is. Who shall I say sent me? "I Am that I Am. I'm not becoming. I just am". "He that cometh to God must first believe that he," what? "Is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".
You have to understand that God is. He neither declines or increases. He just is. That's where you begin to understand that God isn't making this up as he goes along. "Thy Word, O Lord, is forever settled in the heavens". It's done. The plan is done. Oh, let me bring it closer. The Lamb was slain from the foundations of the world. Jesus was slain before the cross was made. I'm trying to tell you about eternity and you're thinking about time. Eternity transcends time, you know. Time is just a ball, a ball of yarn in the room of eternity. Time is so small that I remember when it was born. The book of Genesis says, "The evening and the morning was the first day". Not of God.
Come on, somebody. You don't think that they're talkin' about it was the first day of God. It was the first day of time. For God does not exist in time, therefore he cannot get old. God exists in eternity. We exist in time. That's why you have birthdays. God can't have a birthday because he always is. He is before Mary was. You understand what I'm saying. Are you following what I'm sayin'? So what Paul is doing here is taking us back and showing us glimpses of Jesus in Genesis. "For God who commanded the light to shine in darkness". That's Jesus. Oh, y'all don't believe me. When God said, "Let there be light," that was Jesus. When God said, "Let there be light," that was Jesus.
I can prove it to you. John chapter 1, verse 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was," what? "The light of men". So when God said, "Let there be light," he's saying, "Let there be Jesus," because Jesus is the light, the light of the world. Jesus is the light, the light of the world. So whatever Jesus is, he was. If he's light now, he was light then. If I had time tonight, I would show you that light existed in the creation three days before the sun was ever made. He created the sun on the fourth day. He said, "Let there be light," on the first day. So we have three days of unexplainable light. We have light before we have sun because the light is...
Oh, come on here, somebody. Talk to me tonight. I feel like discussing his Word with you. Let there be light in the hospital. Let there be light in South Africa. Let there be light in Afghanistan. Let there be light in Iraq. Let there be light in Brazil. Let there be light in Haiti. Let there be light in Washington. Let there be light in South Dallas. Let there be light in Harlem. Let there be light in the Bronx. Let there be light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light. Glimpses of Jesus. He which is, and was, and is to come. That's what Revelations call him, "He which he is, and was, and is to come". I am the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.
Do you hear what... how every good and perfect gift cometh down from above in whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. God says, "I don't even have the shadow of a turn. I am solid as a rock. I am stable. I am everlasting. I am immutable. I am eternal. I am sovereign. I am God. I was God before you were there to tell me I was God. I was there before the stars of the morning sang their first song. I was there before the angels cut their wings into the air. I was God before there was a where, or when, or this, or that. I alone. I alone. I looked for something greater to swear by than myself and I couldn't find anything greater than myself. Therefore, I swear by myself that my Word is true. I am God. I'm not your church. I'm not your building. I'm not your bishop. I'm not your denomination. I'm not your organization. I'm not your doctrine. I'm not your creed. I'm not your board of directors. I'm not your trustees. I'm God".
The Bible said when God found Adam, Adam was hiding in the bushes covered by leaves. That was man's attempt to save himself. It represents works. And the thing that was wrong with it is while Adam was sewing it, the leaves were withering because he had separated it from its source. And the same problem with the leaf was the same problem that Adam had. Adam was separated from his source and the leaf was separated from his source. And the blind can't lead the blind, and so what Adam had made to cover himself was dying while he was sewing it. But when God killed the animal, he covered Adam with the coats of skin and sewed together a covering, or New Testament would call it a propitiation for our sins, an atonement, a covering for our sin. And with the blood of the lamb or the animal running down his thighs, he was covered because death was satisfied.
I told you the day you eat, you'll surely die, but I didn't say it would be your death and it wouldn't be your blood. And without the shedding of blood, there is no remissions of sins. So I would say to you as I close tonight that if you have to have Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John to preach Jesus, you're not much of a preacher... 'cause I only need Genesis. If you will tear out the first two pages of Genesis, I could preach 'til I died. Because what the first two chapters are is really the nut of the whole tree of the gospel. Everything that will ever be shared is in the book of Genesis. So all of the rest of the story finds its roots in the book of beginnings. And through it, we catch glimpses of Jesus. We beheld the wonder of his glory, the only Begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. All you need is a glimpse. Paul said, "I count not myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching to those things which are before, I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus".
Why is he chasing Jesus? Because Jesus knows who I am. He added up when I would be born, what I would have, what my IQ would be, what my EQ would be, what my adaptability quotient would be. He added up what the anointing would do with me. He added up what pain would do with me. And when he hit the sum total button, before I could read it, he ran and said, "Chase me". So I'm chasing him to find out who I am because he knows what I can do, and he knows what I can be, and he knows what I have, and I want to catch a glimpse. How far can I go? How high can I jump? How long can I run? How much can I reach? What can I do? I count not myself to have apprehended, but I'm chasing him. Oh, that I may apprehend that which I'm apprehended of. I wanna catch the one who caught me. I want to chase the one who chased me. I want to find the one who found me because he knows who I am.
Tonight, if you're on crack, if you're on cocaine, if you're suicidal, if you've been hexed, if you're under a spell, if they've worked roots, if you've got a curse, if you've got a mental issue, tonight all you need is a glimpse of Jesus. I didn't even use Exodus. It would've taken too much time. But Moses caught a glimpse of him, and his whole face was lit up with the glory of God. And the brightness of the glory of God from a glimpse of the back parts was so strong that they had to veil his face, yeah, because one glimpse of God is enough to get into the pores of your skin and cause your face to be illuminated with the glory that comes from God. And God told Moses, he said, "No man has seen me face to face and lived, but I'm going to put you in a rock and I'm gonna cause my goodness to pass by you. And after I walked past you, you can see my back parts". And if you catch a glimpse, a glimpse was enough to cause his face to light up.
A glimpse is enough to deliver you from your addiction. A glimpse is enough to rebuke suicide. A glimpse is enough to get you off of crack cocaine. A glimpse is enough to make you stop beating your wife. A glimpse is enough to change your attitude and disposition. A glimpse is enough to give you joy in sorrow. Behold, all you need is a glimpse. If you catch a glimpse of his glory, it is enough to change your life. Oh, my brothers and sisters, 44 years ago, I caught a glimpse and I've been running ever since off a glimpse. A glimpse of his glory. A glimpse of his goodness. A glimpse of his grace. If you're watching right now, you just need a glimpse. If while I was ministering and you got a glimpse of Jesus, I want you to type on the line, "I see something". I see it. I see something. I see a way out of this wilderness. I see a way out of this depression. I see a way out of this fog. I see a way out of this pain. I see a way out of this sorrow. I see a way out of it. I see a way. I couldn't see it before.
f it be hid, it's hid from them that are lost, but something happened tonight and God said, "Let there be light". And I caught a flash. It was like lightning. It was quick, but I could see. I see something and I'm going to chase the light. I'm gonna chase the light 'til my body is whole. I'm gonna chase the light until my spirit is healed. I'm gonna chase the light until my soul recovers. I'm gonna chase the light until I'm not schizophrenic. I'm gonna chase the light until I can rest at night. I'm gonna chase the light until cancer shrinks out of my body. I'm gonna chase the light, the light, the glorious light. Devil, I will not die in this wilderness. I will not collapse in this wilderness. I will not decay in this wilderness. I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord. I saw the light. I saw the light. No more darkness, no more night.
I see something changing me, healing me, blessing me, fixing me, restoring me. I'm gonna drag my children under the light, my spouse under the light, my house up under the light. I want my finances under the light. That's what's wrong with my money is that it's been dark money. It's been dark money. How you gonna prosper with dark money? You need God to send you money that's got light on it, that's got favor on it, that's got strength on it, that's got power on it. You need the provision of the Holy... let there be light. Not just in your wallet, but in your heart, in your mind, in your soul, in your spirit. Let there be light. Light will drive out darkness. Light will drive out debt. Light will drive out depression. Light will drive out discouragement. As I close today, I wanna challenge you to walk in the light, to give in the light, to sow in the light, to love in the light, to plant in the light. Not murmuring, not complaining. That's why God will only accept a cheerful giver, because God will not take an offering from a dark place. Let there be light.
If you need to sow in this moment you should sow in this moment. You should plan in this moment. You should sow it in the light of the truth of who he is. You should plant in the light of who he is. You should honor him in the light of who he is. Don't let the presence of beasts stop you, because the angels want to minister to you. And he will, and he can, and he shall. And there are some things that God has for you, but you gotta have it in the light. And I challenge you right now, whatever the Holy Spirit is telling you to sow, whatever the Holy Spirit is telling you to do, obey him, because things don't grow in the dark. They only grow in the light. And yet you do not know if you do not know, if you do not know, if you do not know Jesus and the free pardon of your sins. I know this is a Bible class and it's not a revival, but I would be so proud to pray for anybody in this room that you might come to know him. Because if you would come to know him, he would grow in you, and heal you, and bless you, and strengthen you.