How Did I Get Here? (Travis Greene)

And I love Pastor Stephen. He is a songwriter, he is an architect. He is the greatest communicator in the world. And so to be on his platform is beyond a blessing. Something funny happened to me. I told myself that I would be validated as a good preacher when he invited me. And let me tell you how gracious God is he refused to allow me to be invited. As long as I believe that, because when Heaven wants to affirm you,

it doesn't use opportunity and use opposition. I know you're annoying it, not by the stages, but by the star that you got. I need you to hop up your neighbor, but like you and Valentine and tell them I know I'm annoying it. The struggles that you overcome reveal your anointing. We know that the all on David worked not from the throne he sat on, but by the giant that fell at his feet. And if open doors can make you, then closed doors can break you. Quit waiting on man

to validate you. And I'm afraid that in our churches, Heaven believes in us. And I'm gonna tell you something you never heard before. Hell believes in you. This is why the devil and all his imps and whimps have been coming against you because he know how much you carry. He doesn't bother you if you're not a threat. But if the devil's been trying to come against you and your family and your neighborhood, I need you to give God ten seconds of praise like.

It's my custom to share the title after I read the scripture, but today I'm gonna share it before because I believe God is about to bring your name up. I don't know how it happened for me. I was minding my business, and Chunce texted me and said, are you available? And I'm wondering how did my name get brought up? God's about to bring your name up because this is the season. Hear me that God ain't looking for gifts. I got degrees, but I'm gonna talk how

I want to talk. God ain't looking for gifts. He's after heart. There's so many people that can sing. Man, we don't need another song. We need hearts like Chris, and hearts like Jen and hearts like John south Man. We need hearts. And God's about to bring your name up. Here's the title for today. How did I get here? How did I get here? Let me preach because my

wife tell me I'll take too long to transition. I'm not gonna show a family picture there all on the ground, but my wife is a dying piece on the front row. I love you, Mark ten, Mark ten forty six. Then they came to Jericho. I teach at Ford City that you can't just read the Bible. Oh snap, you gotta read the Bible. It's a second read. Then they came to Jericho as Jesus and his disciples together with the

large crowd. We're leaving the city. A blind man, Bartimaeus, which means son of Tomais, was sitting on the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth. He began to shout, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Many rebuked him. I hate when you're sitting next to the loud one. You're like, okay, I get it, you grateful. I am too. But my God, they told him, be quiet. Sam Jesus, you ever brought your mama to church? I said, mama preaching the elevation, Do not come my mom be

tearing the whole row up in the back. I said, be quiet, man, but he shouted all the more. I love that son of David, have mercy on me. I really want to preach this next verse, but I got something else to preach. But the next verse says, Jesus, stop.

I say, you can't listen to people. One second they said hush. That second they saying cheer up, cause what do you want from me?

were facing. And the Bible says, I like this word immediately, I feel it coming all of a sudden, immediately. This ain't for everybody. This is just for fifty people and a two year old that can give off a prayer to say that thing about to happen quicker then you can't even imagine. Immediately immediately he received this site followed Jesus along the road. How did I get here? Lord Jesus, I'm a prayer, prayer? You ready? How did we get here? Amen? You could take your seats all right? How did I

get here? How did I get here? How did I get here? This past week I went to Northmortal Beach, that's where my dad is buried, where my mom is from, and we went there to visit my grandma. My grandma's ninety two years old. Yeah yeah, her classmate was Harriet Tupman. My grandma is so old she seen many presidents. And I walk in and my grandma. She's like Isaac. Her side is felling hers because she you know, she's up

in age and she's sitting there with her snuff. You're not from the country if you don't know what snuff is. No teeth but snuff, I said, Grandma. My grandma had fourteen kids, y'all. After ten you don't even feel them no more. There's another child. They just she got fourteen over forty grandkids. And I walk in and I'm like grandma, and she's like, wow, hold dad, get over here. And I go over to her and I said, grandma's me

and I can't talk, y'all. I got speech impediment. If you laugh, you laughed, and that was not a joke. So I thought it was just me and my speech marks me. So my grandma she knew it, and she was like, try.

to mister beauty of the season. You're in he's in Jericho. This is not a mountaintop message because most of the people were asking how did I get here? Aren't on top? You feel like you're at the bottom. You're asking how did this happen to me? How did I get here? My last great memory was a wedding photo, and now I'm a widow. That was my mom at the age of twenty nine. When my dad died on a Sunday morning, I was five years old. How did I get here? How did I get in the back of this police car?

How did I get in divorce court? Come on, y'all, don't look at me in that tone of voice? How did I get here? My life was heading in one direction, and then one decision, one thing, caused me to get into an uncertain, unfamiliar, and unexpected place. How did I get here? How did I get here? How did I get addicted? How did this happen to my child? How did I get here? And you may think. You may be sitting here thinking like, man, my situation is rough.

Listen to me. Your situation cannot compare to being blind in the first century fam that was the lowest of the lowest. They had nothing. There was no brain for reading, there were no guide dogs to help them, there was no eighty a compliance. You were just stuck begging. And that is the circumstance that this man is in. But I want to preach to the people who feel like your place that you're in is a surprise to you. The good news is that what is new to you

is old to your God. Your future is his cast, Your life is a rerun to him. Just watching a movie with a friend of mine named Carlin, clearly his wife. There's no black people named Carlin and Carlin. And I was watching this movie years ago, years ago called Avatar, the first Avatar, and this thing, you know, people were bragging about how beautiful it is. God, I'm scared of everything. Okay, all creatures here below, don't invite me to your house.

So if you got a dog I hate come to your house, you'd be like, Oh, I forgot to tell you I got a dog. You don't forget to tell somebody black, you got a dog, first of all, second of all, second of all, you don't forget. Let me just and man, don't tell me he don't bite. No, he don't bite you. He don't bite. He's just nibbling. Get he got taste for dark meat. And this is so I'm scared. I'm scared of all animals.

is because he already saw the movie before. So when God gives you a word, I don't care how it looks. He's confident in the world he gives you because he already saw your life before. Do you hear what I'm telling you? He's not just Alpha, he is Omega, my God. And so there's nothing that you face that's new to him. He saw it coming. Tell somebody he saw it coming. He saw it coming. He saw it coming. And so

here's this blind man. And maybe he didn't know this was gonna happen in his life, but God did, and he had a plan for him anyway. Even in the low place, there is a plan. Even in the low place, there is a plan. There's another story in John chapter nine about another blind man. This story is interesting because this man was blind from birth right and the disciples here's something that happened in the first century because they

didn't have medical understanding, so they thought. They thought this, if you were blind, you were cursed. Clearly you did something wrong. This is what they believed. They believed this so much so that Jesus is twelve thought the same thing. They walk up on this blind man and John nine and they asked him. They say, hey, who's him? Are his parents? He was blind from birth. That's a dumb question. How he gonna sin? For he was born dumb? And

so Jesus answered them. He asks them in verse three, he says, hey, man, no one sind We get this verse right here. But this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. Can I tell you something. What this means, ladies and gentlemen, is that it's all a set up. I had this thought in order for a way to be made. That means that a way has to be blocked. And if something is standing in between you and promised, then it has to

be a setup. If there's something that you see that does not match what he said, it has to be a setup. The rat see from Moses was a setup for God. Jericho's war for Joshua was a set up for God. Goliath for David was a set up for God. Death for Lazarus was a set up for God. And so if it's sitting your way, tell your neighbor, it's just a setup. I wrote a song years ago called made Away, and I wrote this song his What significant about the song? I wrote it when we desperately needed

a way to be made. So my wife water broke halfway during her pregnancy of our first child. The doctor literally told me, mister Green, I'm sorry, we're gonna take the baby. You guys can go home and try again. Obviously he's not gonna make it, but we know a God who's still a healer. I know some people think his power stopped in the Bible. But we know a God who is still able to turn your situation around. We know a God whose blood still works. Does anybody

know this Jesus that I'm talking about? And so we started praying God to praying. My son was born at twenty eight weeks two pounds. He was in the incubator for two months. My wife was in the hospital for two months. Her lege was with her in a way. I mean, this was a desperate situation. But this is what I need you to hear. This is where I wrote the song you Made Away. I did not write a song that said you'll make a way. I wrote it in past tense. You ready, because anything God's about

to do, He's already done. Did you hear what I just said? Anything God's about to do in your life, it's already done. And ladies and gentlemen, this is the difference between reactive praisers and proactive praisers. A reactive praisers wait today, see the solution, wait today, see the victory, wait until the X ray is turned around in that favor. But a proactive praiser set I walk in with that, I into this date with that Shitn't I into this course with praiser.

did those ten plagues? What is this sea? Who is this uncircumcised, felistyde. What is cancer? What is the person? What is anxiety?

you how to worship him here. It is even when you don't feel like it, even when your head hurt a little bit, even when your chald didn't show back up home last night, even when Bak of America, what are you telling me? Right now? Come on, I just need ten people. I gotta move in this message. I'm not gonna be greedy. Give me ten people. I gotta lie to on top. That's all I need.

speaks about the blind being healed. Everyone over Matthew Mark and Luke John. They all talk about Matthew markat Loup, they all talk about blind Bartimaeus. But Mark's account is a little different. Mark's account goes straight from blind Bartimaeus to the triumphant entantry. This is a climatic event for Jesus hilling ministry. Next it's Passion Sunday. Next Palm Sunday. You know what I'm talking about. Next, He's writing in What's Interesting, I didn't really come to talk about Bartimaeus.

I can't talk about Mark. This god John Mark is a very interesting character. Here's why. His mom is the one who hosted the prime meeting for Peter's miraculous prison break, which means her house was big enough, which tells me Mark was privileged. Like me, you can judge me. I'm not from the hood. I'm a military brat. I don't know what government chiefs this. I have my own bathroom since I was five. I got everything I wanted for Christmas.

This is Mark. Mark's cousin is Barnabas. So Mark is out with Paul on the first mission trip and Mark is like, you know, you get hiked up and you're like, I'm going.

I mean, I know you annoying it. Damascus. Listen, that's still my cousin.

I don't know if you know this or not, but Mark's gospel is actually Peter's gospel. So now Marcus his student, and the whole book of Mark is Mark writing but Peter speaking. This is why it's the shortest gospel. This is why it gets straight to the point, because Peter was a straight shooter. This is why it's the only gospel to talk about Peter walking on water. Nobody else talked about it. Peter was like, don't miss this one part.

Because Mark was like, gotcha, it's the only gospel that talks about Peter denying Christ three times, so telling me Peter also wanted us to know his laws. It's the only gospel that talks about getting money from fish. So Mark gets exclusive content. It is director's cut. This is straight from Peter, y'all. Peter wasn't just one of the twelve. He was in the top three. This is a man who walked with Jesus everywhere. He was in the inner circle.

And so Mark now got the inside school. And he's taking all of these notes, all these cliff notes, getting them down. And this is why whoa you ready for this? This is why I'm so glad that Mark wrote this, y'all. This thing's setting me all the way up. I'm so glad Mark wrote this because you gotta understand the context of the content. Mark is actually feeling like a reject. Mark is at home scratch in his head, wondering is

there any ministry left in me? Mark is like I came from a woman of faith, and here I am a ministry dropout. Is God's hand still on me? Have you ever felt like that before? It's God's hands still on me? Here I am talking about it. I believe God, and I'm pregnant and I'm not married. Is God's hands still on me? Can God still use me? I was an entrepreneur known for taking risks, but I dropped the ball. I gambled and I lost everything. Can God still use me?

This is Mark. He's wondering how did I get here? And Peter sees him and says, they're still valuing you. How does Peter know that? Because Peter also was a dropout. Peter knows what it feels like to drop the ball, and so he invites Mark in and Mark starts writing this. And here's the reason I'm glad Mark wrote it. You ready because Mark knows what it means to be marked by God. If anybody knows what it means for God's hand to still be on you, Mark knows it. Here's

the significant part. You're ready for this. Mark is the only one who names Bartimaeus. Imagine with me. Mark's sitting there taking notes, Peter talking, and he leans over and said Peter, but what was his name? And Peter said, his name is Bartimaeus. Y'all this thing jumped out at the pages and hit me in the heart. Because this is God's way of telling us, when you're marked by God, he'll bring your name up. When God's hand is on you, it does not matter what hand is against you. Somebody

knows what I'm talking about. When God is for you, it doesn't matter who post stuff against you. That was so many haters that thought elevation was gonna close, and you're five, but look at us, not started from the bottom. Now we're here. When God marks you, it doesn't matter what giant, what disease, what famine, what hater, what devil try to rise against. I need you to put your neighbor in knee count and tell him you're marked by God.

That brother Carl Wreck couldn't take you out because you're marked by God. No poet of the deeds had to stand back and wait. Because you're marked by God. That's why you didn't take your own life. Because you're marked by God. I've been marked. Don't count me out, don't call me out, don't call me out. I'm marked. I brought a prop. You can't preach an elevation without a prop marked marked. Blind Bartimaeus was marked without even knowing it, because even when you can't see Jesus, he sees you.

When you're marked, he had to die on you. When you're marked, he has his eye on you. I'm so glad for the stick. Some of y'all like, oh Jesus, this can go real bad. That's how I felt last week in fort Worth. She's when God gave me this message. I was in Fort Worth with my little sister who lives there, and she said, I got to take you to stockyard. Anybody from Texas good for you? She said, I gotta take you the stockyard, y'all. We went to stockyard. I said, what in the andy Griffin?

the dark, you're not picky about who help you. Oh yeah, when you when you're in the dark, you're not selective about who decides to give you mercy. That's why I'm grateful for Elevation, because it's a safe place. There's some black people that's been going here, and your family like, how are you following that white man? And you said, child, I was blind so long. I'm not selective about who leading me to the light. I'm not selective about who's

helping me. I'm not selective about who's value in me, as long as he believes in the blood, the only color that matters here and dread. I gotta get to the right. I gotta get out of this dark place.

do I go from here? Where do I go from here? How do I get out of this? And ladies and gentlemen, this is blind barda Mayas. He's stuck in a cycle, He's stuck in a circle, He's stuck going lacking vision. There are people watching today from all over the world. Pastors who are trying to build a church that won't grow. Businessman who has this business plan that won't get off the ground. Parents that's believe in God. For your teenager who won't listen. Can I get an amen? Lacking vision?

What's interesting about this? Let's go back to Jericho. Bartimaeus's ancestors got into Jericho with a shout, But Bartimaeus got out with a shout. He got out with a shout, and he shout until Jesus stopped. And the Bible says, my favorite part that he followed him. He followed him. I like this because Bartimaeus, he refused to stay where he listen. I may be here, but I don't have to stay here. I may be in this abusive relationship, but I don't have to stay in it. I don't

know who I'm preaching to. You too embarrassed, and tell your parents that that gud been hitting you.

let me just park here just for one second. Quit feeling like you got to reply that all the haters online, the battles that you engage in reveal the level you on. That's time somebody say, did you read that? Yeah, but I'm a buff that, I'm abuff that I need you to hit somebody to you above that, you above that? And so he shout, son of David, this title, son of David was reserved. Hear me for the Messiah exclusively, So it wasn't just the fact that he shouted, it's

what he said. What he was saying was that, Jesus, you're surrounding it by a lot of people, hear me. But they don't see you like I do. He says, I see you, I see the real you. They see you as a miracle worker. I see you as Messiah, they see you as a problem solverig but I see you as a promised to one. They see you as a leader. But I see you as Lord. I see you. I see you. And his title to Jesus got Jesus to stop in its tracks. He stopped because the only

thing worse than physical blindness is spiritual blindness. Here we go, Verse forty nine. Jesus stopped and said, call him. I said, tear up on your feet. He's calling you. Hey. You may feel stuck, but he's calling you. You may feel disqualified, Mark, but he's calling you. You may feel under but he's still calling you. Favorite part Verse fifty, throwing his cloak aside. Throwing his cloak aside, he got up a random Jesus, you know what, It's significant because the cloak is the

only thing that marked you as a legitimate beggar. When I thow this on you fall out, so they think I'm annoying it. That's where I came from, man, I said. He threw his cloak aside. He threw his cloak aside. He threw his cloak aside. He took off the thing that marked him as a beggar. Hear me, this is where it gets crazy. He took it off before he was healed. We got to crank up, just for a second, just for a second, he said, I don't know what you're about to do, Jesus, but I know I won't

need this no more. I gotta take this off of me. Somebody put it on me, but it's not my identity. Somebody put this lame on me, but it's not my He put his name on me. He took what they on him. He said, I don't know where we're going, but I'm not staying here. I don't know what it had, but I'm not staying here.

everybody under the age of fifty to sit down. If you're fifty and older, I want you to stand up because this is your word. Now there's somebody here and denial you are. You've been forty nine for ten years. Stand your button. Stella got her group back. Your boyfriend thinks that you're thirty. You it's fifty two.

Believe in God for everybody else. One of you told yourself, as long as my child make it, I'm okay. God says you have a child, but you're my child. You're gonna see it. You're gonna see it. Go back to the diary you wrote forty years ago. You're gonna see it. Get your vision back. You're gonna see it now. I need everybody to give God afraid like he's about.

the Beatles wouldn't have broken up. If the Beatles didn't break up, Mark would have been in the Philippian jail with Paul homesick on Paul's second missionary trip. If Mark was homesick in the jail, then the right praise partner named Silas wouldn't have been with Paul. So maybe God calls it an eviction in that last relationship to Chris, vacancy for the right partner, didn't you hit what I just said? Silence had to be there because the Bible

said add about midnight. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, at about midnight. Hey, Matt, make it dark. I know you able make it midnight at about midnight? Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, hey, hey, midnight is the darkest moment. Ain't that paulae Silas were blinded by their situation, but they refused to allow their sight to silence their shout. They never asked for freedom, because all you have to do is shout loud enough for Jesus

to stop. And when he stopped, he brings everything you need. And the Bible said, watch this, watch this Waimeas took off his clothes, God took off their chains. I'm gonna count the three, and I want you to shout for your vision to come back. When I count the three, we're gonna shout. Matt, You're gonna turn the lights up, and we're gonna give God thirty seconds of a pentecostal store front praise because you're about to see again, your family about to see again, your business is about to

see it again. Yeah, the light is coming back to you. Are you ready to shout? I want you to shout the name that's above every name, for the name of Jesus, deamons, trump at the name of Jesus.

I receive this vision. I'm gonna believe again, because a small vision is an insult to a big God. I'm gonna see again. I'm gonna believe again in Jesus' name, Hey man, come on, give them a praise Goblin.