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The Traveler · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And their eyes were opened, and they
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  Speaker 1: knew him. Luke 24, 31 As I am traveling through life,
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  Speaker 1: and when I experience moments of sadness, because it seems
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  Speaker 1: like you're not with me any longer, I will be
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  Speaker 1: reminded of Luke 24, 13-45. I will remember that your
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  Speaker 1: word declares that you will never leave me or forsake me.
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  Speaker 1: when I am sitting in silence and solitude, reveal Yourself
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  Speaker 1: to me. When I am fellowshipping with others, reveal Yourself
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  Speaker 1: to me. When I am walking throughout my day, attune
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  Speaker 1: my heart and spirit so that I can tell when
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  Speaker 1: You are in my midst. Unlike the disciples who remain
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  Speaker 1: fearful from the attack of the religious, I will live
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  Speaker 1: loud and unashamed in front of those who desire to
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  Speaker 1: judge me, because I know who is with me and
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  Speaker 1: in me. Walk with me, Jesus. Speak to the areas
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  Speaker 1: of my life that need your calming presence. I am
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  Speaker 1: open and available. I am ready for your revelation. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Traveler In our last story, the tomb that contained
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  Speaker 2: the beaten body of Jesus was rolled open by the
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  Speaker 2: power of God. Jesus, the Savior of the world, rose
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  Speaker 2: from the tomb to prove that death had no power
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  Speaker 2: over Him. Death was defeated as Jesus walked in the resurrection.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus appeared to the two Marys and told them to
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  Speaker 2: give word to the disciples that he had returned. Now
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  Speaker 2: we see Jesus revealing himself to two men on the
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  Speaker 2: road to Emmaus. They would pave the way for Jesus
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  Speaker 2: to come and reveal himself to the disciples, inspired by
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  Speaker 2: the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, Simply go
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
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  Speaker 3: you for your support. In our previous episode, we heard
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  Speaker 3: about the glorious resurrection of Jesus and how he appeared
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  Speaker 3: to the women who went to his tomb on the
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  Speaker 3: third day. With his resurrection, Jesus conquered sin, death, and
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  Speaker 3: hell once and for all. It was the completion of
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  Speaker 3: God's plan of redemption that began the moment that he
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  Speaker 3: created the world the moment Adam and Eve fell into
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  Speaker 3: sin and God's plan of salvation was promised. Today, we'll
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  Speaker 3: hear how Jesus appears to two travelers on the road
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  Speaker 3: to Emmaus. The men will not recognize Jesus even as
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  Speaker 3: he explains the whole arc of God's redemptive plan for
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  Speaker 3: them and the world. But finally, as they break bread together,
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  Speaker 3: their world would change in a moment and their hearts
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  Speaker 3: would burn with fire. Let's listen now to the reading
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  Speaker 3: of the gospel.
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  Speaker 2: It was late morning, and two disciples were walking to
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  Speaker 2: a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. The
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  Speaker 2: two friends spoke in great length about the events of
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  Speaker 2: the past week— Jesus turning over tables in the temple,
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  Speaker 2: the trail in from Pontius Pilate, and the brutal slaughter
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus on the cross. All these things were quite
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  Speaker 2: disturbing and challenged their views on who the Messiah was—
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  Speaker 2: They had thought it was Jesus, but his death had
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  Speaker 2: proven to them otherwise. As they were walking and talking
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  Speaker 2: with one another, a traveler joined them on the road.
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  Speaker 2: What were you discussing just now? the traveler asked. The
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  Speaker 2: two men paused for a moment, astonished that the traveler
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  Speaker 2: had not heard the news. Are you new here, sir?
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  Speaker 3: They scoffed.
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  Speaker 2: All of Jerusalem is in chaos because of what happened
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  Speaker 2: this past week. You must have just arrived here today
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  Speaker 2: if you have not heard about it yet. Tell me
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  Speaker 2: what has happened, the traveler asked with a smile. It's
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  Speaker 2: Jesus of Nazareth! Still astonished that he did not know
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  Speaker 2: these things. He was a man who was mighty. He
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  Speaker 2: performed many miracles and spoke with words so powerful that
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  Speaker 2: they seemed to be from God himself. One of the
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  Speaker 2: men sighed and scratched his head, but I guess he
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  Speaker 2: was too good to be true. He was killed by
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  Speaker 2: the Romans, given up by our very own priests and elders.
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  Speaker 2: They crucified him only three days ago. The three men
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  Speaker 2: walked together enjoying the fresh air and good conversation. One
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  Speaker 2: of the men wore a sorrowful face as he spoke, saying,
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  Speaker 2: We hoped he was the one to redeem Israel, the
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  Speaker 2: son of David, but he is dead now. The other
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  Speaker 2: man interjected and said, But there were a few women
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  Speaker 2: who claimed he was removed from the tomb. No one
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  Speaker 2: knows where his body is. The two men bickered over
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  Speaker 2: whether the rumors of his resurrection were true or just
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  Speaker 2: a made-up sham. The traveler listened to the two men argue.
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  Speaker 2: He shook his head and chuckled. Wasn't it prophesied that
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  Speaker 2: the Messiah would suffer these things before rising again in glory?
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  Speaker 1: He asked.
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  Speaker 2: The two men looked at the traveler, confused and curious.
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  Speaker 2: The traveler then began to recount the entire story of God,
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  Speaker 2: from Adam and Eve to Abraham, from Moses and the
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  Speaker 2: captives to Joshua and the judges, from David and Goliath
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  Speaker 2: to Solomon and the temple, from the Babylonian captivity to
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  Speaker 2: the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The traveler retold
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  Speaker 2: every story, showing how the Messiah was interviewed in all
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  Speaker 2: of it. The two men listened to the traveler in
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  Speaker 2: complete silence. They listened as he explained prophecy and allegory.
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  Speaker 2: They learned about how the Messiah was foretold since the
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  Speaker 2: beginning of Genesis. Every word spoken from the traveler's mouth
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  Speaker 2: entered into their hearts. As they reached the end of
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  Speaker 2: their journey to Emmaus, they ate together and spoke more
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus, the prophets, and the story of God.' May
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  Speaker 2: I bless the food?' the traveler said. The two men nodded,
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  Speaker 2: and the traveler prayed to God and broke the bread
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  Speaker 2: in front of the table. As the bread tore in half,
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  Speaker 2: the men's eyes were opened. They saw the traveler for
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  Speaker 2: who he really was. Jesus, the risen king, the shepherd
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  Speaker 2: of Israel, the one whom the whole story of God
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  Speaker 2: centered around. Then, just as they were about to worship him,
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  Speaker 2: he vanished. The two men ran into town screaming and
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  Speaker 2: proclaiming the risen Lord. They shouted into the city streets
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  Speaker 2: that Jesus was alive. He was alive and walking among them.
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  Speaker 2: Death could not hold the Son of God captive. He
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  Speaker 2: had overcome death just as it was foretold since the
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  Speaker 2: beginning of time. The disciples were entrenched in their homes
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  Speaker 2: with the doors locked, afraid that the high priest would
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  Speaker 2: come for them next. So much sorrow, so much grief,
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  Speaker 2: so much loss welled up within them. Their king, their teacher,
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  Speaker 2: and their friend had died. All hope seemed lost as
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  Speaker 2: they rotted in their home waiting to be taken. Then
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  Speaker 2: a still and quiet voice spoke from the corner of
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  Speaker 2: the room, Peace be with you. The disciples turned their
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  Speaker 2: heads to see Jesus standing among them. His smile was
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  Speaker 2: radiant and his presence was refreshing like a cool spring
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  Speaker 2: in a desolate desert. The disciples were frightened at first,
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  Speaker 2: thinking that they were witnessing a ghost. Do not be scared,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus said. Why do your hearts rise with trouble as
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  Speaker 2: if in the storms? The disciples grew closer to see
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  Speaker 2: Jesus in his glory. Look upon my hands and feet.
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  Speaker 2: See the scars for yourselves. They fell at his feet
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  Speaker 2: and worshipped him. Jesus ate with them and spoke of
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  Speaker 2: the fulfillment of prophecy, that the Messiah must suffer and
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  Speaker 2: rise again for humanity to be redeemed. Then Jesus embraced
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  Speaker 2: them and breathed on them, saying, Receive the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: The same breath that breathed life into mankind in the
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  Speaker 2: Garden of Eden breathed new life into the disciples that day.
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  Speaker 3: In our Bible reading today, we find two disciples on
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  Speaker 3: a road outside of Jerusalem. They are headed to a
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  Speaker 3: small town called Emmaus. This wasn't an all-day trek, but
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  Speaker 3: it wasn't a short walk either, so there was plenty
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  Speaker 3: of time for a long conversation and there was so
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  Speaker 3: much to talk about. This was the same day that
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  Speaker 3: Jesus rose from the grave and Though these two disciples
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  Speaker 3: had heard rumors of what the women at the tomb
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  Speaker 3: had said, they still thought Jesus was dead. As they walked,
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  Speaker 3: they were joined by another traveler, someone they did not
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  Speaker 3: recognize or know. And this one did not seem to
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  Speaker 3: know what had been going on the last several days
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  Speaker 3: with Jesus and the disciples. This man, of course, was
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  Speaker 3: Jesus himself, but they were kept from recognizing him. Why
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  Speaker 3: were they prevented from seeing Jesus for who he was? Well,
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  Speaker 3: we really don't know the answer to this question. But
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  Speaker 3: as the reading continues, we will see that their failure
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  Speaker 3: to recognize Jesus allowed the Lord to guide them through
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  Speaker 3: Scripture and to help them have a life of faith
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  Speaker 3: based not just on sight, but exactly what the Word
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  Speaker 3: of God said from the very beginning. What a privilege
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  Speaker 3: these men had to walk with the Word of God
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  Speaker 3: step by step and to understand who Jesus is and
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  Speaker 3: why he came. When Jesus asked them what things had
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  Speaker 3: been happening in order to draw them out, they began
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  Speaker 3: to tell him everything about Jesus of Nazareth, how he
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  Speaker 3: had healed many people, taught with great authority, and built
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  Speaker 3: a large following of people who believed that he was
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  Speaker 3: the promised Messiah. They told him how the chief priests
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  Speaker 3: and rulers had handed Jesus over to be crucified. And
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  Speaker 3: now their hope seemed gone, gone forever, as it had
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  Speaker 3: already been three days that Jesus was in the tomb.
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  Speaker 3: They continued saying that they had heard about the empty
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  Speaker 3: tomb and what others had seen, but despite what they
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  Speaker 3: had heard from trusted friends, these men were still skeptical.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus then spoke up, saying in Luke 24, verses 25
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  Speaker 3: to 27, O foolish ones and slow of heart to
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  Speaker 3: believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not
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  Speaker 3: necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter
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  Speaker 3: into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
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  Speaker 3: He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things
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  Speaker 3: concerning himself. So on that road, Jesus gave these men
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  Speaker 3: a master class in biblical interpretation. He was revealing to
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  Speaker 3: them that everything in God's word had pointed to Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: that Jesus is the focus of the Bible, that our
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  Speaker 3: faith and trust in him helps us know what the
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  Speaker 3: Bible is all about. Despite what they had experienced and
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  Speaker 3: seen Jesus do before his death, They were still blind
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  Speaker 3: to the truth of God and really blind to who
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  Speaker 3: Jesus was until he walked with them in the word. Now,
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  Speaker 3: this is an important lesson for us today as well.
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  Speaker 3: Too often we lose hope because we don't see things
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  Speaker 3: the way we want to see them. When in reality,
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  Speaker 3: what we should be doing is increasing our faith by
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  Speaker 3: getting into God's word and hearing what God has said.
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  Speaker 3: That's why I hope that you have connected with the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a year to find out more about what
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  Speaker 3: the Bible is about. and who Jesus is. The scripture
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  Speaker 3: says in the book of Romans, faith comes by hearing
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  Speaker 3: and hearing by the word of God. We believe and
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  Speaker 3: trust in God's word and experience the presence of God
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  Speaker 3: because the life of God is in his word. His
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  Speaker 3: breath has inspired it. If these men had seen Jesus
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  Speaker 3: and recognized him immediately, perhaps they would have missed their
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  Speaker 3: opportunity to learn the word of God and how to
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  Speaker 3: put their faith and trust in Christ. and find the
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  Speaker 3: answers that they were seeking, and most of all, the
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  Speaker 3: hope they so desperately needed. These men must have hung
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  Speaker 3: on to every word their traveling companions spoke. And when
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  Speaker 3: they arrived at Emmaus, they urged the Lord to come
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  Speaker 3: and eat with them. And as they dined, Jesus blessed
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  Speaker 3: the meal and he broke the bread, just as he
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  Speaker 3: had done just days before the Passover meal. And that's
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  Speaker 3: when these men's eyes were opened and they saw their Savior.
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  Speaker 3: Before they could say or do anything, Jesus disappeared. Without hesitation,
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  Speaker 3: they immediately made the eight-mile trip back to Jerusalem to
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  Speaker 3: tell the other disciples that they indeed had seen Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: that Jesus is alive. We then heard how Jesus appeared
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  Speaker 3: to his disciples who had just heard the news from Emmaus.
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  Speaker 3: This time, he was immediately recognizable, but they thought he
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  Speaker 3: was there in spirit. So Jesus let them touch him
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  Speaker 3: and see the scars on his hands and his feet
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  Speaker 3: because they were now in the presence of Christ himself.
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  Speaker 3: Not a phantom, not a ghost, not a spirit, but
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  Speaker 3: the body of Jesus. Jesus rose from the grave victoriously
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  Speaker 3: and bodily. He would not be with them long, but
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  Speaker 3: Jesus had a lot of work to do with these
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  Speaker 3: disciples to prepare them for the mission that he would
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  Speaker 3: give them to take this good news to the world.
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  Speaker 3: We'll hear more about that in our next episode. Let's
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  Speaker 3: pray together. Dear God, we thank you for the resurrection,
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  Speaker 3: for the living Lord. And we, along with those disciples
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  Speaker 3: who walked with him that day on the road to Emmaus,
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  Speaker 3: ask that you would revive our hearts, that you would
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  Speaker 3: set us on fire with your word, and that we
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  Speaker 3: could say with these travelers with Jesus, did not our
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  Speaker 3: hearts burn within us when we walked with him in
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  Speaker 3: the way? Oh God, let our hearts burn with fire
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  Speaker 3: for you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go,
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  Speaker 3: I wanted to let you know that the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: can only come to you each week through the support
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: of listeners like you. Your support today is so important
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: that we want to thank you for your gift by
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: giving you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: This book is a powerful guide that shows how every
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: book in the Bible points to Christ and how you
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: can better read and understand the Bible and how God's
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: Word transforms our lives. So to get your copy of
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: The Jesus Book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.