What Do you want me to do for you!

Opening:

As we embark upon this new season called 2019, I am not happy to report that were living in very dangerous times in the Body of Christ (p)

There has been this dangerous infiltration of pop culture, that has reduced Christianity to nothing more than a feel good, get stuff agency.

And one of the challenges that the body of Christ has, is that we are competing with so many new options and avenues. For the advancement and success of life.

To the extent now, that the church has bought into the materialistic mentality of the culture.

Now we have this modern-day pop psychology and this I dream of Jeannie theology and we have become so materialistic with many possessing the mindset of “what’s in it for me”.

It’s almost as if we think God is obligated to give us everything we want on a silver platter.

What’s more, we seemingly believe that the measure of our Christian maturity can be substantiated by what we have…

Today people go after God’s stuff but don’t go after God…

We run after His stuff but don’t desire to be in His presence…

And Technology has ruined us to this end, leaving many believers with the mindset of I get what I want -when I want …

Example: ATM- I can get money when I want it…. (if I let my wife know)

Cell Phone – I can call who I want - when I want

Microwave – I can eat what I want - when I want

But I stopped by Living Word to tell somebody that Technology and Theology are two very different things, because God is not sitting in heaven waiting on our next material request….

In fact, the reality is that God is not after delighting us, he’s after developing us, and sometimes to develop me, He can’t always give me the stuff I want.

In the text, normally preacher’s focus on the blind man being healed and the touch of Jesus.

But in studying this text I encountered a crazy question: Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?

I came by Living Word tonight to ask you that same question?

What is it that you want Jesus to do for you in 2019? If Jesus gave you a blank check request, what would you ask Him for this evening?

Most of us would ask for : Money – Cars - New Boo – New Bae- House

But not Bartimaeus, he said, I don’t want something to make me feel better, I want something that will make me better!

All I want is vision!

And like Bartimaeus, if we want to be victorious in 2019, we need to ask God to give us vision!

Vision for our lives, families, children, business, ministry!

There’s an anointing here tonight that will usher you towards your vision, but it’s conditional, in that, you must quit asking God for feel good things and determine that you want more…

If that’s you this evening, then shout as loud as you can “I want my vision”!

This text confounded me so much, that it left me asking “Why” (p) out of all the things Bartimaeus could have asked for, Why vision…

I said, “The man’s a beggar, to which the Holy Spirit say you’re right!

He said, As a beggar he encountered people everyday who dropped money in his cup, and although the filled his cup (watch this) They didn’t change his condition…

(You missed it) Before you can have vision you must be willing to move away from those people who only add to your cup and associate yourself with those who can change your condition!

I’m speaking to those who have a filled cup and a jacked-up condition!

Money but miserable

Nice house but no holiness

Nice car but no character

In 2019 to have vision means, I am no longer associating with people who only can fill my cup---I must seek out those people and situations that can change my condition….

Here’s the point: When you are dependent on a cup, you make yourself dependent on others to be nice to you for you to have a good day…

When your dependent on your cup, you empower other people to be a factor in how you move in life….

I don’t know who I’m speaking to, but you’ve got a cup right now, and I want you to rare back and throw that cup into the sea of forgetfulness (why)

Because when you get your vision:

- Vision starts everything

- Vision allows you to see beyond your current condition

- Vision takes you beyond a messed-up condition and changes the reality of your attitude…

- Vision ignites your imagination (it changes how you see things)

- Vision allows you to see what the Lord wants me to do!

There are some steps to having vision in 2019---And this text speaks to those steps

1. Bartimaeus learned to live above the labels (46)

a. It’s interesting how in the text Bartimaeus is never called simply by his name

b. He is called by his condition, He’s called “Blind”

c. He’s defined by his deficiency (labeled)

Note: The only reason people need to label you is because in their insecurity they want to limit you.

So they label you and then, put a definition on the label…they expect you to live in the parameters of the label they put on your life…

(Ex-offender -Ex addict- drug addict-un-educated- teenage mother)

They define you by what you been through and not by what God created you to be…

It’s a terrible thing to empower the definition of other people and allow it to determine your destiny…

The reality is : Many of you here struggled in 2018 because you allowed others to define who your were….And if 2019 is going to be any different …..

Turn to your neighbor and tell them “Live above the labels”

- Don’t you let people tell you who you are

- Don’t you let people determine your value

- Don’t you let people tell you what you can become

You are not defined by what they say….

2. If you label me, you get permission to place me…

a. He’s Blind Bartimaeus sitting by the roadside

b. The roadside is where blind people sat.

Note: If I let you tell me who I am, I also allow you to tell me where to sit….

If you allow someone to define who you are, then you also allow the m to put you where they want you to be…

I’m speaking to those who are living on the outskirts of Life…

Some of us are living on the outskirts of Life: That almost place

- I almost got the Job

- I almost got the promotion

- I almost started the business

Note: I declare that tonight can be the very last night on the outskirts of Life!

Jesus wants you to get your vision, so you can possess all that He has for you!

3. If you’re going to have vision in 2019, you must possess the ability to make use of your current resources.

Note: So many times, we allow the enemy to get us so wrapped up in what we don’t have, that we fail to be good Stewarts of what we do have…

You get so caught up complaining about what’s wrong that you neglect to celebrate what’s right!

a. The text says, “He heard, and He said” (you missed it)

b. He’s “Blind Bartimaeus” but “He heard, and He said”

c. He’s Blind true, but He could still hear and speak…

Note: He’s not worried about his eyes not working, He uses his ears and his mouth…

The point is: Sometimes when you don’t have everything you have to give God glory with what you have…

What you have: can be used to help you get back what you have lost...

In 2019, stop spending so much time talking and worrying about what you don’t have, and give God glory for what you do have….

Is there anybody here tonight that can say:

- God I thank you, I don’t have my eyes don’t work but my ears and my mouth do…

- I lost my job, but I still got my sanity

- I may have cancer, but I got good medicine..

Somebody should shout right now, Lord I see the vision because I got something left to work with….

Tell your neighbor: Use what you got left (repeat)

Note: The Enemy shows how dumb he is…because if he really wanted to keep Bartimaeus from getting vision, he shut down the wrong body part…

Cause the power of life and death isn’t in my eyes, it’s in my mouth!

And right now I looking for somebody to open up their mouth and show the enemy that you possess the weapon you need in 2019 to recover everything you’ve lost.

- I’m talking to someone who going to recover your sanity

- Recover your joy

- Recover your marriage

- Recover your children

- Recover your business

It starts by opening your mouth and using your greatest weapon!

In reality Bartimaeus, is the great example of faith: He is an ocular demonstration and the biblical definition of faith:

Cause He can’t see, but he ask in spite of no sight! (you missed it)

The bible say: We walk by faith, not sight!

Note: So the real example of my faith is when I can’t see it but I got the nerve to ask for it!

- I don’t need to see it to ask if I can have it

And that’s my word for somebody: In 2019, you have got to have the faith to ask for things that you can’t see yet!

- Stop waiting to see it before you begin to walk in it…

- Because sight is not a requirement! (expound)

4. To get your vision, you must learn to call things differently from others (47)

They say, “Jesus of Nazareth is coming, but He say, “Jesus thou Son of David”

a. The reason some of us can’t get our vision is because were comfortable calling things what others say it is..

- They call it foreclosure – I call it deliverance

- They call it Cancer – I’m calling it healed

- They call it bankrupt – I call it accelerated deliverance

By faith you get what you speak! You got to learn to call it what the Lord called it, even if you can’t see it!

But here’s a warning: When you are getting your vision, you got to be ready for resistance…(48)

- Resistance will always come when you are trying to get vision…

- Resistance is evidence that you are close to your breakthrough

Scholars tell us that he’s a beggar that sits on the road everyday….isn’t it interesting that the only time they attempt to stop him is when he’s close to deliverance? (expound)

I came by to tell somebody that the resistance you’re experiencing is evidence that you are closer than you’ve ever been before! (somebody give him praise) (repeat)

Bartimaeus wasn’t going to let resistance stop his blessings (expound) (48)

5. Here’s how you know he got his vision

a. Bartimaeus just asked for vision..

b. And just responds “Go your way” but that’s not the shout!

Jesus told him to “go his way” but the bible says Bartimaeus followed Jesus “In the way” (you missed your shout)…(repeat)

Here’s your shout: Jesus told him to “go his way” but you can tell something has changed because he followed Jesus….

Here’s the shout : Once you truly have vision, you realize that your way is what got you in the position you’re in in the first place…

The demonstration that you got vision is your decision to follow Jesus!

Is there anybody how can testify that you tried it your way, but when you decided to follow Jesus way, it bought you blessing you never had before?

I’m looking for somebody who’s not ashamed to testify that I tried it my way. But chile…I found out about a man named Jesus, and since I came to know Him,

- Doors have opened

- I got my Joy

- My kids stopped acting crazy

- My wife started cooking every night…

Turn to you neighbor and tell them “You ought to try Jesus”