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Lazarus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And when he thus had spoken, he
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  Speaker 1: cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. John
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  Speaker 1: 11.43 Thank you, God, that the story of Lazarus serves
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  Speaker 1: as a reminder that death no longer has power over
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  Speaker 1: my soul. Through the life of Jesus, you continually display
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  Speaker 1: for me the fact that I can no longer that
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  Speaker 1: I can conquer anything, including the Goliath of death. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: I will not be afraid to live my life to
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  Speaker 1: the fullest, because I know that I will not die,
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  Speaker 1: but I will simply transition into my heavenly home when
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  Speaker 1: my time comes. I declare that I will not live
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  Speaker 1: with regret or remorse, but instead I will maximize every
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  Speaker 1: opportunity that I'm given. I will love with an intense
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  Speaker 1: and compassionate heart, and I will live out the purpose
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  Speaker 1: and plans that you have for me, Lord. In the
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  Speaker 1: same way, Jesus, that you called forth Lazarus from the tomb,
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  Speaker 1: I now call forth from the tombs in my life
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  Speaker 1: the dreams and visions that have died because of fear
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  Speaker 1: and doubt. I thank you, Lord, that as I place
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  Speaker 1: them in your hands, you will breathe new life and
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  Speaker 1: new strategy into every dream and vision you have given me.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for praying with me today.
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  Speaker 1: Continue listening for an incredible Bible story brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Lazarus. In our last story, we learned about Jesus' stories
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  Speaker 2: of thankfulness and humility. Now we see Jesus weep at
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  Speaker 2: the sting of death. However, death would not have the
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  Speaker 2: final word against Jesus. Through his friend Lazarus, Jesus would
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  Speaker 2: display ultimate power over death itself. Inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: slash stress. In our last episode, we discovered the importance
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  Speaker 3: of gratitude when Jesus healed the ten lepers and one
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  Speaker 3: man returned to give thanks. As a result, the thankful
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  Speaker 3: man received a greater, deeper spiritual restoration and not just
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  Speaker 3: the healing of his body. We also heard what Jesus
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  Speaker 3: says about prayer, both the value and the necessity of
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  Speaker 3: persistence in prayer, trusting God to always hear us when
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  Speaker 3: we cry out to him, but also that we would
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  Speaker 3: pray with humility as we approach God. Today, we'll hear
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  Speaker 3: how Jesus experiences grief when his dear friend Lazarus dies.
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  Speaker 3: But in this time of sorrow, we see how Jesus
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  Speaker 3: demonstrates his power over death because only Jesus can raise
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  Speaker 3: the dead, the one who is the resurrection and the life.
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  Speaker 3: His friend lives again, and it's one of the most
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  Speaker 3: powerful stories in all of the Bible. So let's listen now.
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  Speaker 2: It was late, and the winter air bit like a
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  Speaker 2: snake in the night. Coughing in his bed lay Lazarus.
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  Speaker 2: His once happy and bright demeanor was replaced by a
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  Speaker 2: pale shell of his former self. Beside one side of
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  Speaker 2: his bed was his sister, Mary, the woman who had
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  Speaker 2: once wiped Jesus' feet with ointment and tears. On the
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  Speaker 2: other side was Martha, his other sister. They tended to
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  Speaker 2: their brother, exchanging concerned looks and tears of worry. We
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  Speaker 2: should send for him, Mary whispered. Martha nodded and went
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  Speaker 2: downstairs to send one of her teenage sons. Go and
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  Speaker 2: find Jesus, she ordered. Do not rest until you find him.
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  Speaker 2: The boy nodded and ran into the cold winter darkness.
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  Speaker 2: A day had passed, and Jesus was ministering in a
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  Speaker 2: town over thirty miles away from Bethany, where Lazarus lay
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  Speaker 2: sick in his bed. Jesus was just about to enter
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  Speaker 2: into a synagogue when a boy bumped into him. The
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  Speaker 2: boy staggered back, then looked to see that he had
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  Speaker 2: found Jesus. My Lord, he shouted out of breath. Lazarus,
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  Speaker 2: your dear friend is sick and dying. Jesus nodded and
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  Speaker 2: sent the boy on his way. Then he began to
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  Speaker 2: go back into the synagogue. His disciples stopped him and asked, Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: why don't you go to heal Lazarus? Because this illness
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  Speaker 2: does not lead to death. It leads to the glory
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  Speaker 2: of God, Jesus replied. Two days passed and the disciples
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  Speaker 2: were packing up their things to follow Jesus. We are
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  Speaker 2: going back to Judea, Jesus said plainly. The disciples were
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  Speaker 2: confused since many of Jesus' enemies were in Judea. Rabbi,
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  Speaker 2: the religious leaders are waiting for you there to stone you,
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  Speaker 2: they warned. Jesus slung his pack over his shoulder and
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  Speaker 2: began walking. He waved for the disciples to follow. Hurry,
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  Speaker 2: he said. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. We are
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  Speaker 2: going to wake him up. The disciples were confused. Lazarus
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  Speaker 2: has died, Jesus said plainly, and for your sake I
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  Speaker 2: am glad I did not heal him, for now you
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  Speaker 2: get to see what happens next. So Jesus kept walking.
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  Speaker 2: The disciples were frozen. There were many violent men in
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  Speaker 2: Judea waiting to harm them. Thomas grabbed his walking stick, sighed,
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  Speaker 2: and began walking after Jesus. Well, I guess we are
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  Speaker 2: going to die with him. The men chuckled and followed
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  Speaker 2: Jesus to Judea. After a few days' journey, Jesus had
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  Speaker 2: made it to Bethany, which was a small town near Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 2: By that time, Lazarus had been dead for days. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: walked closer to the home of Mary and Martha. He
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  Speaker 2: saw them weeping outside the house. Martha and Mary saw
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  Speaker 2: Jesus approaching, and Martha ran out to him.' If only
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  Speaker 2: you had been there,' she wept.' He would have—' Martha
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  Speaker 2: could not contain her tears.' Even now I know that
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  Speaker 2: you do the will of God.' and whatever you ask
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  Speaker 2: of God will be given to you. Jesus hugged Martha
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  Speaker 2: and allowed her to cry for a while. He led
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  Speaker 2: her to the bench where Mary sat silently. Your brother
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  Speaker 2: will rise again, Jesus said in a comforting tone. Martha
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  Speaker 2: wiped her eyes and said, Yes, of course. We know
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  Speaker 2: that he will have a life after this one. The
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  Speaker 2: day of the resurrection will come for him. I am
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  Speaker 2: the resurrection and the life, Jesus said. Whoever believes in me,
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  Speaker 2: even though he may die, will experience life everlasting. Do
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  Speaker 2: you believe this? Martha nodded. Yes, Lord, I believe you
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  Speaker 2: are the Christ, the living Son of God. Jesus gave
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  Speaker 2: a brief smile and walked to Lazarus' tomb. Jesus placed
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  Speaker 2: his hand against the large stone blocking the entrance to
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  Speaker 2: the tomb. Its cold surface sent chills down Jesus' spine.
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  Speaker 2: He thought of his friend Lazarus. He thought of his smile.
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  Speaker 2: his gifts, his personality. Jesus slammed his fist against the
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  Speaker 2: stone and wept. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he
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  Speaker 2: fell to his knees beside the tomb. Jesus wept with
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  Speaker 2: the sorrow of a God who created life. It was
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  Speaker 2: not supposed to be this way. Mankind was supposed to
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  Speaker 2: experience life, not death. Death was the true and final enemy,
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  Speaker 2: an enemy Jesus was determined to defeat. Jesus stood to
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  Speaker 2: his feet, His eyes were filled with holy fury and purpose.'
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  Speaker 2: Roll away the stone,' he ordered to the servant.' But, Lord,
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  Speaker 2: the rotting body will surely stink!' Mary yelled. Jesus' eyes
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  Speaker 2: darted backwards.' Did I not tell you that if you
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  Speaker 2: believed in me you would see the glory of God?'
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  Speaker 2: Jesus turned to the servant and said,' Please, roll away
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  Speaker 2: the stone.' The heavy stone was rolled away and a
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  Speaker 2: devastating odor seeped from the cave entrance. The disciples and
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  Speaker 2: others stepped back and covered their noses. But Jesus lifted
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  Speaker 2: his eyes to heaven. Father, thank you that you have
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  Speaker 2: heard me. You always hear me. Then Jesus fixed his
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  Speaker 2: gaze on the cave and yelled, Lazarus, arise! Jesus spoke
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  Speaker 2: with a voice like the wind. The same breath that
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  Speaker 2: breathed life into mankind spoke into the cave. And like
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  Speaker 2: the atom so many generations ago... Lazarus emerged from the dust.
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  Speaker 2: He was covered in cloth and bound at his arms.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus ordered for him to be untied, and the sisters
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  Speaker 2: ran towards him in joy. Jesus came so that all
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  Speaker 2: would have life and live more abundantly. Like Moses against Pharaoh,
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  Speaker 2: Samson against the Philistines, and David against Goliath, Jesus saw
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  Speaker 2: death as an unwelcome adversary. He would go against it
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  Speaker 2: with purpose. It would be his joy to endure the
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  Speaker 2: sting of death so that no one would ever have
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  Speaker 2: to again.
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  Speaker 3: In today's reading, we meet a man and his family.
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  Speaker 3: by the name of Lazarus. He had two sisters by
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  Speaker 3: the name of Mary and Martha, and they were close
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  Speaker 3: friends of Jesus. Lazarus was dying in bed, so they
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  Speaker 3: sent word to Jesus that his friend, Lazarus, was deathly sick.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus was at least one day's journey away. But when
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  Speaker 3: the messenger arrived and gave him the news, Jesus was
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  Speaker 3: not alarmed. He sent the boy back with encouraging words. Lazarus'
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  Speaker 3: sickness was not leading to death, but for God's glory. Jesus'
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  Speaker 3: words are a reminder to trust God in his plan
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  Speaker 3: and his timing, even when he seems to delay and
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  Speaker 3: things don't get better. He could have simply spoken a
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  Speaker 3: word and Lazarus would have been immediately well. But because
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  Speaker 3: he knew there was a greater purpose unfolding, Jesus did
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  Speaker 3: not rush to heal or to raise his friend from
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  Speaker 3: the dead. He remained where he was for two more days.
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  Speaker 3: Then he told the disciples that they were going to
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  Speaker 3: Judea to Lazarus and his sisters. This was a dangerous decision,
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  Speaker 3: and the disciples knew it. They reminded the Lord that
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  Speaker 3: there were people in Judea who wanted to kill him.
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  Speaker 3: Why would we go back? Here we see something that
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  Speaker 3: was always characteristic of Jesus. He was courageous and compassionate,
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  Speaker 3: and he always moved according to plans. There are no
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  Speaker 3: accidents or coincidences with God, and he is God. We
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  Speaker 3: saw this when he walked through the Samaritan town and
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  Speaker 3: encountered the woman at the well. We saw it again
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  Speaker 3: with his intentional desire to cross into Galilee and heal
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  Speaker 3: a man possessed by a legion of demons. From an
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  Speaker 3: outsider's perspective, his actions, his timing, his direction sometimes seemed ill-advised.
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  Speaker 3: But Jesus always moved on God's timetable according to divine plan.
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  Speaker 3: He was never in a hurry and he was never late.
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  Speaker 3: And he wasn't afraid. He was there to do the
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  Speaker 3: will of the Father, that God would be glorified in
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  Speaker 3: him and through him. He and the Father worked in
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  Speaker 3: perfect unity and concert. Jesus then tells his disciples to
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  Speaker 3: hurry saying that their friend Lazarus is asleep and they
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  Speaker 3: need to go and wake him up. They didn't understand
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  Speaker 3: what he was talking about, so he made it very
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  Speaker 3: plain to him. Lazarus is dead. But then he says
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  Speaker 3: he is happy for this because it will help the
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  Speaker 3: disciples to believe. Now, how is this possible? How could
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  Speaker 3: the death of this man, his dear friend, a loss
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  Speaker 3: like this, lead to faith and belief? When we face
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  Speaker 3: sickness or illness or death, trials and challenges that come
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  Speaker 3: our way, we are often tempted to pray that all
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  Speaker 3: the bad things would just go away or of course
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  Speaker 3: never happen. But as Jesus' words remind us, there is
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  Speaker 3: a purpose in our pain, in God's divine plan. And always,
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  Speaker 3: when we face trials and tests and dark times and
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  Speaker 3: even death, we may experience the power of God. After
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  Speaker 3: a couple of days of walking, Jesus and his disciples
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  Speaker 3: were met outside of town by Martha, the sister, who
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  Speaker 3: gave him the news that indeed Lazarus was dead. She wept.
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  Speaker 3: She mourned that if only Jesus had been there, her
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  Speaker 3: brother would not have died. But she also demonstrates her
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  Speaker 3: faith in him, saying that she knows that even now
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  Speaker 3: God will give Jesus whatever he asks of him. Jesus
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  Speaker 3: tells Martha that her brother will rise again. She misunderstands
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  Speaker 3: and is even skeptical, thinking that Jesus is speaking of
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  Speaker 3: the resurrection in the future. She wasn't expecting Jesus to
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  Speaker 3: actually raise her brother from the dead. But Jesus says
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  Speaker 3: to her in John 11, 25 and 26, I am
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  Speaker 3: the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though
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  Speaker 3: he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives
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  Speaker 3: and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
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  Speaker 3: Martha professed her faith then and there, saying that he
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  Speaker 3: is the Christ, son of the living God. So she
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  Speaker 3: went and called her sister Mary. Jesus went with the
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  Speaker 3: two sisters to the tomb where all the mourners were
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  Speaker 3: gathered in great sorrow. Lazarus had been dead for close
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  Speaker 3: to four days, and this was significant. To the Jews,
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  Speaker 3: that meant that this man's spirit was no longer in
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  Speaker 3: his body. In other words, he was dead, dead, and
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  Speaker 3: dead some more. What really happened in the text now
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  Speaker 3: is powerful. When Jesus saw the tomb and witnessed the
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  Speaker 3: sorrow of those who had lost a friend, a brother,
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  Speaker 3: a neighbor, he was moved to the point of his
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  Speaker 3: own tears. Jesus wept. And why did he weep? Well,
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  Speaker 3: he certainly is weeping for Mary and Martha and his
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  Speaker 3: friends and all who wept that day. But in effect,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus is showing his compassion and shedding his tears for
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  Speaker 3: the love of God that he feels for all people.
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  Speaker 3: He sees and knows your heart. When you sorrow, when
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  Speaker 3: you grieve, when you're hurting, in your pain, Jesus knows
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  Speaker 3: when you cry and hears every cry to him. Then
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  Speaker 3: Jesus did something supernatural, startling. He asked for the stone
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  Speaker 3: to be rolled away from the tomb, despite the protest
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  Speaker 3: of Mary, who knew the decomposing body would smell by now.
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  Speaker 3: But Jesus then prayed to the Father and thanked him
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  Speaker 3: for hearing his prayer. Then he spoke to Lazarus, saying
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  Speaker 3: out loud, Arise, come forth. And his friend walked out
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  Speaker 3: of the tomb to the astonishment, to the amazement of
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  Speaker 3: everyone there. It was clear that there was no force,
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  Speaker 3: no power over which this man, Jesus, did not have authority.
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  Speaker 3: For even a dead man whose spirit had left his
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  Speaker 3: body could be brought back to vibrant, abundant life at
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  Speaker 3: the command of Jesus. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
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  Speaker 3: Soon it would be Jesus himself who died and was
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  Speaker 3: buried behind a stone in a tomb. But Jesus, the
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  Speaker 3: resurrection and the life, would conquer the grave. There is
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  Speaker 3: no grave that could hold our Lord, and he came
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  Speaker 3: out alive conquering sin, death, and hell, and conquering death
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  Speaker 3: for all who will believe in him. For we can
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  Speaker 3: have eternal life by putting our faith in Christ. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you for today's tremendous story. that you have
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  Speaker 3: such power over death. And you call us like Lazarus
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  Speaker 3: to rise and come to you. And we come to you, Lord.
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  Speaker 3: We come to you in faith and belief because you
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  Speaker 3: are the resurrection and the life. Amen and amen. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: a unique ebook that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.