I'm Trying to See Something

0:00 Brace yourself and buckle up. You are about to hear a life-changing, history-making, world-defining message from the New Birth Podcast. Tell everybody you know, things will never be the same. worshiping with us on today. I'm all the more humbled and overwhelmed, and I don't take it for granted or lightly to have my dad with me today. Bishop John Bryant is in the building. Would you help me thank God for my father worshiping with us on today, 81 years old. flew in from preaching in New York yesterday, and I really thought he was here to see me, but my daughter, who's at Spelman, said she wanted to see her grandfather, so he got on a plane to see his grandbaby.

0:58 I'm like, what about me? I was here first, amen. But I am so grateful. How many of you need a word from God today? You need a word from God. Would you stand to your feet and join me in Mark's Gospel, chapter 10? Mark's Gospel, Chapter 10. I want to illuminate for your understanding verse 46 and 47.

1:38 Mark chapter 10, verse 46 and 47. Those of you who are visiting with us from out of town, we honor your presence. Mark 10, verse 46 and 47. Won't you have found it? Won't you say, I got it? Amen. Would you read silently as I read aloud? Then they came to Jericho as Jesus and his disciples together with a large crowd were leaving the city. A blind man, Bartimaeus, which means son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Go back to verse 46.

2:31 We're going to read it now together aloud, everybody with uplifted voices. Then they came to Jericho. God bless you. You may be seated. as Jesus and his disciples together with a large crowd were leaving the city a blind man. Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside begging.

3:18 I want to preach for a little while this morning using as a subject, I'm trying to see something. Look at the person, well don't look at them, don't look at them. Amen. I'm trying to see something. Ray Lewis, my dear brother from the Baltimore Ravens, will probably be recorded in history as the greatest linebacker to ever play in the NFL.

4:03 He shared with me a remarkable testimony that I wanted to share with you about how he grew up in South Florida. He asked his mother at nine years of age to give him a deck of playing cards.

4:24 His mother, a sanctified holy woman, walked back at him. Ain't gonna be no cards in my house. this is a sanctified house at nine years of age Ray Lewis was harboring so much pain because his whole life he had watched his mother get physically abused fair in complexion often had to wear sunglasses to cover black eyes had to apply extra rouge to cover the demarcations on her cheek.

5:11 And he lamented how powerless he felt seeing his mother get beat up day in and day out. He wasn't strong enough to defend her or to fight back. Finally, one day, somebody gave him a deck of cards.

5:36 And he took the deck of cards and went in the garage. When he pulled a nine out of the deck, he would do nine push-ups. he pulled a five out of the deck he would do five push-ups if he pulled a king out of the deck he would do 10 push-ups he pulled a joker out of the deck he would do 20 push-ups and when he got through the deck he would start all over again but when he pulled cards this time If he pulled the seven, he would do seven sit-ups.

6:22 Pulled the two, he would do two sit-ups. He confessed he didn't start training in order to play sports. He started training because he wanted to protect his mother. He wanted to get strong enough so that his mother would never get beat again, never get abused again, never get touched again.

6:56 And in case you didn't pay attention, there are 52 cards in a deck. When he won the Super Bowl, his jersey number was 52. And I wanted you to hear the byproduct of your pain will be your accomplishments. People don't know or understand your motivation or the source of the intensity of your efforts because they have no idea how your pain has pushed you. People don't have a clue that you work so hard because you know firsthand how things can be taken away easily.

7:53 They don't know why you feel deeply due to the fact that neglect and abandonment was a way of life growing up. You don't take friendship lightly because of how many seasons you had to masquerade as if you weren't lonely. They don't understand why you are so into clothes is because of the days you had no options about what you were going to wear.

8:25 They can't figure out why you are so overprotective of your children because they don't know what it feels like to never be defended as an adolescent. You will never understand my drive if your life has been on cruise control. Every Bible believer, every Bible believer has been introduced to blind Bartimaeus as a beggar sitting by the roadside, but nobody has ever interviewed him to figure out where he found his gumption, to go out every day with people stepping over him,

9:15 ignoring his plea, handling him like he's subhuman. Nobody ever asked by the mayors, why didn't you just stay at the school for the blind? They would have gave you food, they would have gave you somewhere to live, somewhere to stay. Nobody ever asked him, why didn't you just get a C&I dog? Why didn't you ever get just a walking stick? you just gonna sit out on peach tree every day and feel demoralized while church people walk past you I want to say this to the person who's sitting two rows behind you because it may not mean anything to you, but I want to say this to somebody two rows behind you. Sometimes choosing to struggle is self-respect.

10:12 Y'all didn't hear what I just said. I better say it again. Choosing to struggle sometimes is self-respect. I can do bad by myself. It's some stuff I ain't ever gonna ask you for help with because my self-respect will allow me to struggle. I am not gonna stay in a relationship because we look good in pictures. when it leaves me with a pit in my stomach. The job pays well, but the cost on my mental health is way too expensive. Y'all talking about me behind my back because I had to downsize.

11:08 It ain't because I fell off. It's because I'm trying to pay this debt down. At this stage of my life, I am not trying to impress people. I just want to have some peace and be able to rest so I ain't running behind everybody. I don't have a bunch of people in my house. I don't hang with a whole bunch of people. I've been there, done that, and got the T-shirt. But at this season, I choose to have peace. sometimes when you see me struggle don't feel bad for me I chose this life because I know where I can get some money I know who could help me y'all ain't saying nothing I know who would give me an opportunity but it would take too much out of my character and too much out of my integrity to have them hold it over my head.

12:10 And I don't want the strings that are attached. I'd rather be begging on skid row than you tell everybody how you helped me. He's blind and he's begging, but I wanted you to see where he chose to beg.

12:37 He chose to beg in Jericho. Jericho is the first truck stop after the children of Israel came out of the Jordan. But they had to go through it. They were instructed, the children of God were, to go around the walls of Jericho seven times. When you come around those walls the seventh time, then I want you to shout. And when you shout, watch what Yahweh told them. the walls will come down. If you are anointed, if you are anointed, if you claim you are anointed, you are obligated to go through some obstacles. If you ain't going through nothing, you really ain't got that much anointing. But if there's some people in the room that's going through some stuff right now, sometimes that ain't the enemy, that's confirmation.

13:43 They had to go over the wall to get to their destination. They were directed to address it, not to scale it. Many of you are wasting your energy and your strength on mountains God never told you to climb. he told them just speak to it and you keep hitting a wall because you dealing with stuff that God never told you to contend with you done hit a wall because you got a criminal record you done hit a wall because you are a single parent you done hit a wall because you never finished your degree you done hit a wall because you done ate up your savings account you done hit a wall because you can't stop drinking.

14:38 You done hit a wall because you keep being attracted to cheaters. You done hit a wall because nothing you start ever ends up finishing. And God said, I didn't tell you to climb this. I told you to speak to that thing and tell it, do you know who I am? I am a child of God. And I declare over somebody who's in this room, whatever mountain you've been facing, whatever wall that's been in front of you, as long as you quiet, it ain't gonna move. But if you open up your mouth, whatever obstacle it is, it's got to come down. Here it is. Humpty Dumpty.

15:43 sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had all the king's horses, all the king's men couldn't put Humpty back together again. I came to tell somebody, this time Humpty ain't gonna fall, the wall will.

16:07 You ain't got to get nobody to pull you back together again. whatever was trying to block you from your promise is getting ready to fall at your feet because you've been faithful over a few things. God is about to make you ruler over many. I need you real quick. Would you just grab your neighbor's hand and tell them it's getting ready to fall? Depression is getting ready to fall. Unemployment is getting ready to fall. The housing crisis is getting ready to fall. Your student loans is getting ready to fall. Your loneliness is getting ready to fall. You ain't gonna fall, Lord. Stand still and know that he's coming. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

17:02 Hallelujah. You may be seated. He hit the wall. He hit the wall in coming to the realization that he was blind and the government wasn't going to help him. He hit the wall and now in new budget, there is no line items to help those who are visually impaired. They'll only pay Congress people who were investigated for an insurrection.

17:44 He's got to deal with the realization that whole parties didn't want to see him get the health services that were needed and necessary for him to manage through his life. He's blind and he has hit the wall. He's hit the wall because the church stopped answering his calls. He's hit the wall because family members are now turned off because they're irritated that he needs assistance. So he's out there with only one option left. The only option he's got left It's to call on Jesus.

18:19 I feel like Bartimaeus ain't by himself. But every now and again, in the words of Dr. Charles Booth, when you're between the devil and the deep blue sea, you come to a moment that you ain't got nobody else you can call on but to call on God. And when you hit that moment and you end up in church and you start calling on him, you don't care about saints that roll their eyes and say, It don't take all of that, and I wish that they would be quieted. All of that screaming is getting on my nerves. But when you get in the posture to say, Father, I stretch my hands to thee. No other help. I know if thou withdraw. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You may be seated.

19:13 You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. He's by the roadside. And when he's by the roadside, he starts crying out to Jesus. He ain't crying out to the disciples. He's crying out to Jesus, and he's crying out to Jesus, Lord, I need to see something. He had heard about Jesus, but never experienced him for himself. Look at your neighbor. Tell your neighbor, I'm trying to see something.

19:48 That's the wrong neighbor. They're not really looking for nothing. Find somebody else. Tell that other neighbor who don't look stuck up. Look at him and tell him, I'm just trying to see something. He had heard about Jesus. but he had never seen Jesus, and he was trying to see something. I want you to know what he's trying to see and what your neighbor is trying to see. He was trying to see, will Jesus bring my brother back the way he did Lazarus for Mary and Martha? I'm trying to see something. I want to see him do something for my mother's body the way he did it for Peter's mother-in-law. I'm trying to see something. I want to see will he multiply my child's gift like he did the little boy who had two fish and five loaves of bread.

20:46 I'm just trying to see something. I want to see will he speak to the storms in my life the way he told the winds and the waves, peace be still. I'm trying to see something. Will he do something for my body? The way he did for the woman that had the issue of blood. That went to every doctor. And instead of getting better, she got worse. I'm trying to see something. And some of y'all make us sick. Because you come into church trying to be seen. Sit down. We don't want to see you. We want to see his glory. We want to see his power. We want to see him operating. hallelujah hallelujah you you may be seated hallelujah I feel glory coming now hey hallelujah I want to see something I don't know where my worshipers are I got a lot of spectators and instigators God show me a miracle before this year is over show me what eyes haven't seen that what is heaven hurt?

22:05 I need to see something. hallelujah hallelujah be seated you getting ready to see something hallelujah a whole turnaround is getting ready to happen for your children you getting ready to see something your bills are getting ready to be paid in advance you about to see something he's gonna make your enemies your footstool you about to see something everything you prayed about and everything you dreamed about is getting ready to manifest in your lifetime you about to see something the surgery will not be necessary the court case is going in your favor a job is about to be offered that you're not even worthy. I gotta see.

23:02 Hallelujah. Be seated, please, sir. Hallelujah. Hallelujah I want to see something. I want to see his hand. Hallelujah. I need him to stretch my check. I got to see something. I can't afford to lose this house. I got to see something. God, keep this car running even though I didn't get his service. I need to see something. Hallelujah. That ought to be your prayer in this moment. Lord, let me see something that will ignite my faith and my belief and my conviction. I want to feel my passion again, Lord. Help now my disbelief. I want 500 people to just shout out loud, Lord, show me something.

24:08 Let me see that I'm still on your mind, that you still got plans for me, that wherever it is that you show me is still getting ready to happen. Lord, show me something. You may be seated. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. Show me.

24:34 Show me something. Reduce my medication. Show me something. Get my child out of jail ahead of schedule. Show me something. I can't hear no worshipers in here. Have an opportunity open up for me that on paper I don't qualify for. Show me something. Embarrass the people that spit on my name. Show me something. I need God to show me something.

25:15 I'm going to see the undocumented treated with respect. I'm going to see the veterans honored with care. I'm going to see senior citizens being able to afford health insurance. I want to see politicians stand up for the people and not protect pedophiles. Show me something. I want to see evangelicals more loyal to Christ than they are to Trump. Show me something. I want to see corporations pay a livable wage. Show me something. I want to see affordable housing that people don't have to wait till they're 50 in order to own real estate. Show me something.

26:06 I want to see capital made accessible to black entrepreneurs. I want to see something. I want you to lift up that hand right where you are. Lord show me something Hallelujah I feel something moving in this room I don't want the only thing that you ask God for to be material things.

26:40 Moses said, I can't stand to see your face. Let me just see your hand apart. Let me just see your hand. The woman with the issue of blood said, let me just see the hem of your garment. I just got about 2,000 people that just want to see his glory. it's depressing watching the news but Jehovah has the final say come on I can't hear anybody I'm not intimidated by Mike Johnson I'm not threatened by the Supreme Court I can't deal with the president's imbecilic ranch Lord I need to see your glory Hallelujah If you want to see him I need you just for 30 seconds With that hand lifted Would you just want to cry out unto him Like you want to see his glory Let me hear you son come on Oh my God I got to see his glory I got to see his glory I hope you are energized That you don't need an energy drink What you just heard should have you off and running, chasing your dreams, pursuing your purpose, and answering your call.

27:59 If this was a blessing, share it with somebody else. Don't be selfish. This is what God gave you so that you can be a blessing to somebody who needs it worse.