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The Roman Soldier - The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled
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  Speaker 1: at him and turned him about and said unto the
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  Speaker 1: people that followed him, I say unto you, I have
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  Speaker 1: not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. Luke 7, 9.
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  Speaker 1: I stand with full belief, Lord, as I look to you,
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  Speaker 1: to restore health to every place in my being. I
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  Speaker 1: choose to stand on the truth of your word. and
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  Speaker 1: declare that healing is mine for the taking because of
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  Speaker 1: the sacrifice and blood of Jesus. In the same way
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  Speaker 1: the centurion soldier believed in your spoken word, Jesus, I
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  Speaker 1: know that through your holy Bible, your word is being
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  Speaker 1: spoken to me all the time. And with the same faith,
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  Speaker 1: I know that whatever you command as done is done.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Lord, for bringing dead things back to life,
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  Speaker 1: like the bones of Ezekiel. Thank you that even though
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  Speaker 1: my dreams seem to be dead in a coffin, you
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  Speaker 1: can resurrect them back to life. So, in the name
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus, I command healing to flood my life. In
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  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus, I command dead dreams and visions
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  Speaker 1: to breathe new life and to arise. through the activation
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  Speaker 1: of great faith. I will do great things on your behalf, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: It's time to take back freedom over your health care.
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  Speaker 4: The Roman Soldier In our last story, Jesus called the
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  Speaker 4: twelve disciples. They were not chosen because of their skills
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  Speaker 4: or accomplishments. They were not chosen because of their wisdom
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  Speaker 4: or prowess. No, Jesus chose a ragtag group of misfits
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  Speaker 4: and outcasts. Through them, the kingdom of God would spread
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  Speaker 4: across the entire world. Now we witness the authority of
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  Speaker 4: Jesus over death itself. Jesus heals in a way that
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  Speaker 4: spits in the face of death. People begin to truly
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  Speaker 4: understand that Jesus is more than just a good teacher.
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  Speaker 4: He alone holds the power over life itself. Inspired by
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  Speaker 4: the Gospels.
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  Speaker 2: Hello and welcome once again to the Bible in a
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  Speaker 2: Year podcast. You are a part of a worldwide congregation
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  Speaker 2: of over 20 million people who have currently downloaded the
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  Speaker 2: Bible in a Year podcast. Thank you for being a part.
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  Speaker 2: In our previous episode, Jesus called his 12 disciples, an
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  Speaker 2: unlikely group of men that, by the world's standards, showed
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  Speaker 2: no great potential. But it would be through these men
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  Speaker 2: that God's plan and purpose and power would be shown
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  Speaker 2: to the whole world, that the gospel would go to
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  Speaker 2: the nations. Today, We'll hear how Jesus' healing stops at nothing,
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  Speaker 2: not even death itself. And we'll see how his offer
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  Speaker 2: of healing and new life does not stop at the
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  Speaker 2: Jewish people, but extends to those who were seen as
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  Speaker 2: the enemy and the outsider. Jesus was showing himself as
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  Speaker 2: much more than a wise teacher. He was demonstrating God's
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  Speaker 2: unrelenting power and compassion for those who are hurting, broken,
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  Speaker 2: and even have died. So, let's listen now to the
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  Speaker 2: reading of the gospel of Christ.
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  Speaker 4: The Roman centurion sat beside his servant's bed. The fever
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  Speaker 4: had completely overtaken him, and there didn't seem to be
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  Speaker 4: much time left. Although the Roman official was high in
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  Speaker 4: the ranks of the greatest army in the world, he
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  Speaker 4: was not above caring for those he cared about. The
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  Speaker 4: servant who had risked his life so many times to
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  Speaker 4: aid him in battle was on the brink of death.
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  Speaker 4: The finest doctors the Roman Empire had to offer could
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  Speaker 4: do nothing. However, the centurion knew there may be one
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  Speaker 4: man who could help. He had heard rumors of a
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  Speaker 4: Jewish teacher going around the land healing people. Upon further investigation,
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  Speaker 4: this man seemed to be the fulfillment of old Hebrew prophecies.
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  Speaker 4: Whoever he was, he was the centurion's last hope to
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  Speaker 4: heal his servant. So he called for his officials and
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  Speaker 4: sent them to go find the man called Jesus. Jesus
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  Speaker 4: was walking about Capernaum, meeting the needs of people around him.
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  Speaker 4: All of the sudden, Jesus was stopped by some Jewish
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  Speaker 4: elders who had been sent by the centurion. Jesus, we
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  Speaker 4: ask humbly that you would come and see this man's servant.
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  Speaker 4: He is not like the other Romans. He cares for
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  Speaker 4: our people and is worthy of your attention, they said.
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  Speaker 4: Very well, Jesus said. And he left with the elders
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  Speaker 4: to go to the centurion's home. When the Roman heard
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  Speaker 4: that Jesus was on his way to his home, he
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  Speaker 4: became nervous. He did not think of himself as worthy
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  Speaker 4: for Jesus to make the trip over to his home.
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  Speaker 4: So he sent a servant to stop Jesus from coming.
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  Speaker 4: With the servant was a message saying, Please, Lord, do
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  Speaker 4: not trouble yourself. I am not worthy to have you
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  Speaker 4: come under my roof. I am a Gentile and represent
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  Speaker 4: the oppression of Rome. I am a man of authority.
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  Speaker 4: When I tell my men to come and go, they.
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  Speaker 3: Do so without question.
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  Speaker 4: I know you are also a man of great authority.
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  Speaker 4: All you need is to speak and my servant will
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  Speaker 4: be healed. Jesus marveled at the faith of this centurion.
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  Speaker 4: He understood the profound reality that Jesus' miracles did not
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  Speaker 4: come from magic tricks or special rituals. He held the
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  Speaker 4: authority over all things. Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
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  Speaker 4: I have not seen such faith from anyone in all
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  Speaker 4: of Israel. So Jesus departed, and the messengers returned home
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  Speaker 4: to find the centurion's servant healed and well. Soon afterward,
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  Speaker 4: Jesus traveled to the town of Nain. A large crowd
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  Speaker 4: followed Jesus wherever he went. However, when he arrived at Nain,
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  Speaker 4: people were surprised. Nain was a desolate and ugly town.
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  Speaker 4: It was dirty and filled with crime. However, Jesus walked
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  Speaker 4: with purpose behind each step. He went nowhere on accident.
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  Speaker 4: As Jesus entered into the town, a line of people
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  Speaker 4: were exiting. They were all wearing black, and a man
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  Speaker 4: was being carried out of the town to be buried.
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  Speaker 4: He was the only son of his widowed mother. Now
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  Speaker 4: that he had died, she was utterly and completely alone.
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  Speaker 4: Jesus watched as the people walked out of the city.
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  Speaker 4: Then he saw the man's mother. Her eyes were red
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  Speaker 4: from tears. Jesus could feel her pain deep in his stomach.
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  Speaker 4: Watching her mourn over her son was heart-wrenching. Jesus was
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  Speaker 4: filled with compassion. He held the woman in his arms.
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  Speaker 4: She wept bitter tears of sorrow. Jesus' disciples watched as
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  Speaker 4: Jesus comforted this old woman, like a father would his daughter.
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  Speaker 4: Do not cry, Jesus hushed. Then he approached the men
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  Speaker 4: holding up the dead son and stopped them from walking.
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  Speaker 4: Jesus touched the dead man's chest gently. Young man, Jesus whispered,
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  Speaker 4: I say to you, arise. And just as in the
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  Speaker 4: valley of dry bones in Ezekiel, the word of the
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  Speaker 4: Lord caused new life to spring forth in the young man,
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  Speaker 4: His lungs filled with air and he sat up from
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  Speaker 4: his stretcher. A wonderful fear came over them all as
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  Speaker 4: they watched the once dead man walk to his mother.
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  Speaker 4: She crumbled in his arms, sobbing deep tears of joy.
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  Speaker 4: Jesus smiled as he watched the two of them embrace.
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  Speaker 4: Then he gestured for his disciples to follow him out
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  Speaker 4: of Nain. Report of Jesus' act spread like fire fueled
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  Speaker 4: by wind. People from near and far could not help
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  Speaker 4: but travel to get a glimpse of Jesus. The great
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  Speaker 4: hero of Scripture was now known. History would never be
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  Speaker 4: the same.
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  Speaker 2: Today's Scripture, the story of Jesus, begins with a powerful
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  Speaker 2: man sitting at the side of his servant's bed, unable
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  Speaker 2: to do anything to bring that man relief or wellness.
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  Speaker 2: No doctor had been able to cure the man of
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  Speaker 2: his fever. The setting itself shows us that this Roman centurion,
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  Speaker 2: a commander of dozens of soldiers, was compassionate and caring.
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  Speaker 2: He was truly seeking the best for this man who
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  Speaker 2: was under his care and command, which is the mark
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  Speaker 2: of a true leader. Though many Roman soldiers were hard
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  Speaker 2: and callous men, cruel men really, here we see a
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  Speaker 2: compassionate Roman soldier. He had heard that a man by
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  Speaker 2: the name of Jesus was healing people among the Jews,
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  Speaker 2: so he He sent for Jesus to be called to
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  Speaker 2: his home, hoping that the Lord could heal his beloved servant.
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  Speaker 2: Those who went to Jesus vouched for the centurion, saying
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  Speaker 2: that he had been kind to Israel, even helping them
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  Speaker 2: build a synagogue. In their minds, this man deserved the grace.
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  Speaker 2: that he requested. So Jesus went to the man's home,
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  Speaker 2: and this is where it really gets interesting. You see,
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  Speaker 2: before the man even arrived, the centurion sent word to Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: saying in Luke 7, 6 and 7, Lord, don't trouble yourself,
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  Speaker 2: for I do not deserve to have you come under
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  Speaker 2: my roof. Notice that while others pleaded for this man
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  Speaker 2: based on his merit, his deeds, claiming he deserved to
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  Speaker 2: have Jesus heal his servant, this man lived under no
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  Speaker 2: such illusion. He knew he was not worthy. He didn't
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  Speaker 2: even consider himself worthy to be in the presence of Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Once again, as we see so many times in Scripture,
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  Speaker 2: It is an outsider, a non-Jewish person in this case,
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  Speaker 2: who seems to really get it. This wasn't about merit
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  Speaker 2: or behavior, trying to earn God's favor. This is a
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  Speaker 2: man who knew he needed to humble himself before Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: as we all must do. But the man didn't stop there.
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  Speaker 2: He exhibited amazing faith, saying that he knew that with
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  Speaker 2: just a word, Jesus could heal his servant. I love that.
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  Speaker 2: Just say the word and my servant will be healed.
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  Speaker 2: This was not an experiential faith. Jesus had not yet
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  Speaker 2: healed his servant. He had not healed this man or
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  Speaker 2: anyone that he knew before. He believed based on what
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  Speaker 2: he had heard about Jesus. Faith comes by hearing according
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  Speaker 2: to the scripture and hearing by the word of God.
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  Speaker 2: And by God's word that was spreading, this centurion had faith.
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  Speaker 2: It was a faith greater than any Jesus had seen
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  Speaker 2: in all of Israel. Those words would surely have stung
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  Speaker 2: the Pharisees and any who considered themselves to be faith-filled people.
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  Speaker 2: How could this foreign oppressor, a Roman, have greater faith
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  Speaker 2: than they? But just as the man had said he could,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus spoke the word. He said he would. And when
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  Speaker 2: they returned to the centurion, the servant was fully healed. Amazing! Truly,
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  Speaker 2: There is power in the name of Jesus. There is
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  Speaker 2: power in the word of Jesus. Speak the name of
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  Speaker 2: Jesus and watch what he can do in your life.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus then went to a town called Nain. There we
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  Speaker 2: see the compassionate heart of Jesus once again. As the
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  Speaker 2: disciples and the Lord are entering the city, they see
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  Speaker 2: a funeral procession. A widow has lost her only son,
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  Speaker 2: a grown man who would have been this woman's only
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  Speaker 2: provider and hope for stability and provision. This time, nobody
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  Speaker 2: sought Jesus out, but rather he sought the woman out.
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  Speaker 2: He saw her, and we're told that his heart reached
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  Speaker 2: out to her. What a beautiful picture of how God
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  Speaker 2: sees us, you and me, in our need. He knows
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  Speaker 2: our name. He knows our need. He sees our desperate,
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  Speaker 2: hopeless state, that we are walking and living in darkness,
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  Speaker 2: in spiritual death, and his heart goes out to us.
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  Speaker 2: So Jesus went to the woman. He calmed her and
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  Speaker 2: comforted her. telling her not to cry. He then commanded
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  Speaker 2: the man to rise to life, that life would re-enter
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  Speaker 2: his body, and this man who was dead walked into
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  Speaker 2: his mother's arms. All who saw this were mesmerized by
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  Speaker 2: the miracle, and they glorified God, saying that the Lord
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  Speaker 2: had surely come to his people through Jesus. They spoke
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  Speaker 2: a truth that day, the depth of which they did
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  Speaker 2: not yet fully understand. But God had indeed come to
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  Speaker 2: save his people, to bring the dead back to life,
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  Speaker 2: and to restore his children into his loving arms. Dear God,
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  Speaker 2: how thankful we are once again to praise your name
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  Speaker 2: for the hope and the healing that you give us.
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  Speaker 2: You give us the promise of eternal life through Jesus
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  Speaker 2: our Lord. Thank you that you can raise the dead,
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  Speaker 2: that you have raised us to a new life in
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  Speaker 2: Christ that we will live with you now and forever.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for your love, your grace, your salvation, the
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  Speaker 2: healing and the hope that is ours because of what
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  Speaker 2: you have done. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 2: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack
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  Speaker 2: Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 2: and make prayer a priority in your life, just like
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  Speaker 2: over 20 million people have done to this date. If
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  Speaker 2: you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know
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  Speaker 2: and love, because by sharing This message of the Word
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  Speaker 2: of God, you can make an eternal difference in someone's life.
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  Speaker 2: And I want to encourage you to go to jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 2: That's me at jackgraham.org. God bless you, and we look
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  Speaker 2: forward to joining you again the next time.