The Potter's House Podcast

Episode: "Sticks & Stones" — Bishop TD Jakes

Date: April 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This powerful sermon, delivered by Bishop TD Jakes at The Potter’s House of Dallas, centers on the biblical story of Exodus 17:1-6 and the theme "Sticks & Stones." Bishop Jakes masterfully connects the physical hardships and miracles of the Israelites' desert journey to spiritual obstacles and breakthroughs in modern life. Emphasizing the symbolism of the “stick” (Moses’ rod, the wooden cross) and the “stone” (the rock struck for water, the stone at Jesus’ tomb), Bishop Jakes encourages listeners to trust divine instructions—even when they do not make sense—and to boldly break free from spiritual and emotional barriers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Israelites’ Journey and the Reality of Deliverance

• Scripture Foundation: Exodus 17:1–6 (03:21–08:12)

  • The Israelites, after 400 years of bondage, are brought out of Egypt but “even though they got out of one hell, they faced another in the desert” (03:37).
  • Deliverance comes with difficulty—not always convenient or comfortable.

• Spiritual Maturity:

  • “When you can praise God when everything isn’t quite right” (05:09).
  • Being freed does not mean you are problem-free. Mature faith flourishes in imperfection.

2. The Wilderness Teaches Endurance

• Personal Reflection:

  • Bishop Jakes shares about his childhood, growing up “in a hot house with no air conditioning,” learning to “make do with what you had” (15:02–19:57).

• Endurance as Strength:

  • Hardship prepares us for resilience—“It’s hard to hurt somebody that’s been raised in the wilderness” (20:06).
  • He ties this back to spiritual wilderness seasons, saying, “All you got to do is default back to where you came from and say, I’m going to be all right” (20:20).

3. God Uses Ordinary Things for Extraordinary Purposes

• The Power of the Stick:

  • God gave Moses a stick (the rod) against Pharaoh’s chariots and armies.
  • “God must have a sense of humor. And God said, what is that in your hand?” (24:14).

• Obedience in the Absurd:

  • Sometimes God gives an answer that “doesn’t make no sense”—like being told to strike a rock for water (10:57).
  • Quote: “But he said, I want you to smite the rock.… If you obey me, I’ll make things that’s not supposed to bless you, bless you” (11:16–12:02).

4. The Pattern of "Sticks & Stones" through Scripture

• Biblical Connections:

  • From Moses' rod to David’s sling stone, the Bible repeats the motif of victory through unexpected means (35:36–36:42).
  • Quote: “David picked up rocks… and killed Goliath with a rock.… Jacob laid his head down on a rock and the heavens opened up” (35:36–36:12).

• Calvary's Shadow:

  • The cross (“the stick”) and Jesus’ tombstone (“the stone”) prefigured in the Old Testament stories.
  • “Genesis 22 is a picture of Calvary—Abraham put the wood on Isaac, then built an altar with a stick and a stone” (38:03–38:21).
  • “Like Isaac carried the wood, Jesus carried the cross. But the cross was just a stick” (38:24).

5. The Resurrection as Breaking Free

• Overcoming the Stone:

  • “It’s not enough to wake up out the grave if you’re still stuck behind the stone. Some of you been resurrected but you've been living behind a stone…” (48:01–48:52).
  • Stones can be “doubt, poverty, insecurity, pride, lust.”

• Freedom Call:

  • “When God says get up, I’m gonna get up. And the nails can’t hold me. I’m gonna get up. And the grave can’t hold me. I’m gonna get up…” (51:33–52:21).

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Spiritual Hardness:

  • “It was hot in the house… but we still sang, and we still got along… Everything doesn't have to go your way for you to have peace.” (16:42–17:23)

• On Human Nature during Crisis:

  • “Thirst and gossip, thirst and murmuring… when you are not satisfied in your own life, you have a tendency to be cynical, to be condescending… when people are mean to you, they are mad at themselves.” (08:52–09:23)

• On Blaming Others:

  • “When people get tight, they need somebody to blame. So they want to blame this folk and that folk… Moses said unto them, why chide ye with me? Haven’t you ever wanted to say that to somebody?… Why you fooling with me? Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing.” (07:21–08:09)

• The Power of Praise:

  • “[Miriam] grabbed her tambourine… she started beating her tambourine… the more she beat the tambourine, the more Pharaoh’s army dwelt drown in the Red Sea… praise is a weapon” (27:47–28:04).

• On The Finished Work:

  • He died “for your secret sins… that’s why God doesn’t understand when you can come out on Easter and not praise God. Because he knows what he did in your life.” (41:44–42:19)

• Call to Action:

  • “Some of you have decided, I’m just going to live in the tomb. But God said no. God said no. Lift your hands for a moment and worship him… that stone in your life need not stay…” (58:45–59:40)

• On Grace:

  • “This space we got right here is a grace space. Grace don't last always… There is nothing in your life… that God cannot forgive” (66:25–67:45)

Key Timestamps

• Introduction to Exodus and Oppression: 01:47–03:37
• Deliverance Brings New Challenges: 03:37–05:09
• Adapting to Hardship and the Power of Enduring: 15:02–20:01
• Learning from the Past and Making Do: 19:30–21:04
• Moses and the Miracle of the Stick: 24:14–26:22
• Praise as Warfare: 27:47–29:34
• The Symbolism of Stones and Sticks: 35:32–38:24
• The Cross and Resurrection Paralleled: 38:24–41:44
• Rolling the Stone Away—Breaking Free: 48:01–50:27
• Congregational Call to Praise and Leap Up: 52:21–57:21
• Altar Call: Breaking Free, Leaving the Grave: 58:23–64:27

Tone and Atmosphere

• Fiery, passionate, and personal: Bishop Jakes weaves Bible exposition with personal and cultural anecdotes, using humor and candid stories about his childhood to connect spiritual principles to real-life struggles.
• Encouraging and liberating: Throughout, the message is about believing your way out of bondage; “if I had a hundred radical people that would give God the praise, something would break in here this morning” (52:31).
• Inclusive and urgent: The altar call is direct—"If I got to come with liquor on my breath, I'm coming this morning. Because I want a change in my life…" (64:27).

Concluding Challenge

• Bishop Jakes closes with an urgent, grace-filled invitation: “There is nothing in your life, on your life or in your past, that God cannot forgive… Stones are going to rol[l] this morning. They’re going to roll this morning. It’s God’s job to call and it’s your job to answer.” (64:21–66:25)

Listening to this episode is an experience of deep encouragement—calling all to obedience, trust, and faith that God can do the miraculous with even the simplest things in our lives, and that no stone, no matter how long it has held us, is too great for Him to roll away.