TD Jakes - Wanted

I’m going to talk about being wanted. Wherever I go to preach, I will take you with me. I would get you a plane ticket, whatever I have to do, because you’re my co-host. Being wanted is important. I think of people in nursing homes who don’t get visitors, or orphans who aren’t selected. I think of people who are always the bridesmaid but never the bride. I think of people who have precious moments that go uncelebrated. Being wanted is not about the magnitude of the gift; it’s that you are wanted. Conversely, I think of all the people who do nice things but don’t really want to. Sometimes it takes the joy out of the moment when I know it doesn’t come from a place of authenticity. We all want to be wanted.

In our text today, beginning at the twenty-first verse, Jesus said unto her, talking about the woman at the well, «Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when you shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what.» You don’t know what you’re doing; you’re just doing stuff without anything behind you. «We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.» Let’s be clear. But now, when you put that «but» in, we are getting ready to shift. It’s a paradigm shift from a traditional theological context into a revelatory transformative truth that stands in contradiction to the previous statement. The previous statement said, «Salvation is of the Jews,» and that the Samaritans worship in the mountain; they know not what we know, for salvation is of the Jews.

«But the hour, watch this, cometh, and now is.» That’s a massive statement right there. It cometh, and now is. It is and it’s coming when the true worshipers—those who we can identify—are having an old argument about whether we should worship in the mountain or worship in Jerusalem. He said, «But the hour cometh, and now is.»

I’m afraid our world is having an old argument, and we don’t understand that we need to move the narrative to where we are right now. I’m afraid a lot of couples are having old arguments. If you can’t say «Amen,» say «ouch.» Uh-huh.

But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers—true worshipers without discrimination, not Jews, not Gentiles, not Samaritans—will worship. I’m introducing a new sect of people: the true worshipers—not black, not white, not brown. The true worshipers are not Baptist, not Methodist, not Presbyterian. The true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit, not in mountains, not in temples, but in spirit and in truth, from a place of authenticity.

This truth is not theology; it means that in order to worship Him in spirit, you have to get down into your spirit, past your flesh, past your soul. How are you feeling about it? Down to your spirit and in truth, you have to be authentic. Oh, God says I will not accept worship from a fraudulent person who fakes their identity and is more concerned about their image than their reality. I will not anoint who you appear to be.

«True worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.» Here’s why I’m here today: watch this! «For the Father seeketh.» Oh, this messes with my whole theology. How can an omniscient God seek? Where do we get the all-knowing that seeks? The Father seeking is an oxymoron. If you’re a father and you’re all-knowing, why would you be looking for anything? So really, I’m caught up in this Father’s secret; I didn’t even know He could do that. How could you, who are everything, want anything? «The Father seeketh such to worship Him.»

He’s seeking it! «God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must be Jews, must be Samaritans, must be Hebrews, must be white folks, must be black folks, must be brown folks.» They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. That’s the only criteria—not male, not female, not rich, not poor, not intellectual, not illiterate. The only thing God counts is spirit and truth. That’s what Jesus said to her.

The woman said unto him, «I know that the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When He is come…» Oh, that’s the problem: when He has come. It’s a problem when you have futuristic faith in present revelation. Yeah, you’re believing God for tomorrow, but tomorrow is now. «When He has come…» Y’all don’t get it; when He has come, she’s standing right in front of Him, waiting on Him.

I don’t know who this is for, but you’re standing right in front of it, waiting on it. You’ve got in your mind what it’s going to look like, and because it doesn’t look like what you had in mind, you don’t recognize it, and it’s standing right in front of you. That’s your word for the day.

You may go home. «When He has come, He will tell us all things.» Jesus said unto her, «I that speak unto thee am He.» «The Father seeketh.» Seek the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is yet near. I understand why I should seek Him, but who am I that He should seek me? I know why I should want Him, but for the life of me, I cannot determine why He would want me. My subject is «Wanted.»

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on us today; we need Your anointing. We thank You for it. We thank You for all that You have said.