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Den of Thieves · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And he taught, saying unto them, Is
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  Speaker 1: it not written, My house shall be called of all
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  Speaker 1: nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it
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  Speaker 1: a den of thieves. Mark 11.17 As the truth of
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  Speaker 1: Mark 11 and 12 hits my soul, may it serve
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  Speaker 1: as a reminder to never allow my life to be
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  Speaker 1: as a fake tree. Never allow my life to have
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  Speaker 1: the appearance of godliness, and the appearance of obedience, when
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  Speaker 1: in reality there is no fruit of it in my life.
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  Speaker 1: At this moment, I am making the conscious choice to
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  Speaker 1: allow my words and my actions to remain in alignment.
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  Speaker 1: Give me the boldness to stand up for righteousness, like
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  Speaker 1: Jesus in the temple courtyard, to oppose anything and everything
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  Speaker 1: that is counter-cultural to the Word of God. Let me
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  Speaker 1: speak with the authority of heaven behind me. Let me
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  Speaker 1: speak with the love of Jesus within me. And let
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  Speaker 1: me speak with a caring heart to restore people back
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  Speaker 1: to the rightful place with you, God. I decree and
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  Speaker 1: declare that I will not be intimidated nor silenced by
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  Speaker 1: those who give the appearance that they are in power,
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  Speaker 1: but who are corrupt in heart and deed. From this
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  Speaker 1: moment on, I will live with a full assurance that
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  Speaker 1: whatever I speak in your name, I will be able
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  Speaker 1: to receive it because I live in direct obedience to
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  Speaker 1: you and your word. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for praying with us today. Continue your time with God
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  Speaker 1: by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Den of Thieves In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: the triumphal entry of Jesus. People made way for Jesus
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  Speaker 2: to take over as king of Israel. However, Jesus was
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  Speaker 2: not the king they expected. They expected him to sit
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  Speaker 2: on a throne and overthrow Rome. However, Jesus was coming
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  Speaker 2: to hang on a cross and overthrow sin. Now we
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  Speaker 2: see Jesus rebuking the things that outwardly look holy, but
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  Speaker 2: are filled with corruption and greed.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the Gospels. Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's
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  Speaker 3: episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. But before
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  Speaker 3: we begin, I want to let you know about a
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is that
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: it will help you conquer the daily tasks and pressures
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  Speaker 3: and burdens that bring stress in your life. Download your
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting
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  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress. In our last episode,
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  Speaker 3: we heard how Jesus was anointed by Mary in a
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  Speaker 3: generous act of worship that foreshadowed his coming death. We
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  Speaker 3: also heard how Jesus entered Jerusalem to much jubilation and
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  Speaker 3: celebration before a crowd who sought a military conqueror. a
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  Speaker 3: king who would throw off the rule of Rome. But
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  Speaker 3: this crowd missed Jesus' true purpose. He came not as
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  Speaker 3: a conquering king the first time, but as the suffering Savior,
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  Speaker 3: to give his life for us on the cross, to
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  Speaker 3: die and to rise again on the third day. This
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  Speaker 3: is the message of the gospel. It's why Jesus came.
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  Speaker 3: Today we're going to hear Jesus calling out those who
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  Speaker 3: have an appearance of righteousness, but in their self-righteousness they
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  Speaker 3: are far from God. So let's listen now to the
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  Speaker 3: reading of God's word.
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  Speaker 2: After Jesus had entered the city of Jerusalem, he was
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  Speaker 2: walking with his followers from Bethany. The sun was high
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  Speaker 2: in the sky and the day was long and drawn out.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus saw a fig tree in the distance and walked
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  Speaker 2: to it so he might have a snack. As he
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  Speaker 2: drew closer to the fig tree, he saw that it
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  Speaker 2: had no fruit. Its leaves were deep green and its
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  Speaker 2: branches were healthy, but there was no fruit. Jesus looked
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  Speaker 2: at the tree for a long moment. He scanned its
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  Speaker 2: branches and leaves. Then he whispered, May no one ever
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  Speaker 2: eat fruit from you again. And then he walked off.
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  Speaker 2: They walked to the temple. Even from a half mile away,
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  Speaker 2: the ground shook from the crowds gathered at the temple.
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  Speaker 2: The disciples could hear the sound of the money changers
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  Speaker 2: and vendors growing louder. They looked at Jesus. They could
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  Speaker 2: see intent in his eyes. They had seen this type
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  Speaker 2: of anger before. Jesus was about to do another cleansing.
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  Speaker 2: He marched through the temple gates and walked up its steps.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus looked at an entire marketplace set up in the
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  Speaker 2: only place Gentiles could come and worship. Jesus teemed with
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  Speaker 2: righteous anger. They sold only the temple animals for sacrifice,
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  Speaker 2: keeping the poor from worshiping. They only took a special
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  Speaker 2: temple currency, which made the priests money. Once again, men
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  Speaker 2: were keeping people from worshiping God with their greed. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: wasted no time making a whip like he did last time. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: the Son of God leapt into the fray of vendors
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  Speaker 2: and flipped over their tables. Jesus displayed an intense strength
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  Speaker 2: as he lifted stone altars onto their sides. He went
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  Speaker 2: to the table where the money was being changed and
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  Speaker 2: flung its wooden frame against the temple walls. Jesus saw
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  Speaker 2: that some men were trying to bring their items into
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  Speaker 2: the temple. Jesus seized their bags and tossed them aside,
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  Speaker 2: forbidding them to enter God's holy house with greedy hands.
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  Speaker 2: The whole temple courtyard stirred, and they all looked upon
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  Speaker 2: Jesus with fear, respect, and wonder. Jesus' chest heaved with
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  Speaker 2: anger as he walked up the temple steps. He looked
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  Speaker 2: out into the crowd and yelled, Is it not written
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  Speaker 2: that this place should be a place where all are
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  Speaker 2: welcome to connect with God? It is supposed to be
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  Speaker 2: a house of prayer and love for all nations, poor
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  Speaker 2: and rich alike. Jesus looked to the Pharisees who watched
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  Speaker 2: him from the corner. He looked them dead in the
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  Speaker 2: eye and said, But you have turned it into a
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  Speaker 2: den of thieves. The chief priest and his men watched
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  Speaker 2: from the lattice of their upper prayer room. They watched
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  Speaker 2: Jesus inspire the crowd with wonder and authority.
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  Speaker 3: They hated him.
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  Speaker 2: They could not stand the truth he spoke. His words
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  Speaker 2: challenged their traditions. His actions challenged their authority. They feared him,
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  Speaker 2: and when evening came, they conspired against him. Morning dawned
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  Speaker 2: and the light shone over Jerusalem like golden arrows. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: walked with his disciples in the coolness of the morning.
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  Speaker 2: They went back to Bethany to eat and pray. As
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  Speaker 2: they passed by, they saw the same fig tree Jesus
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  Speaker 2: had cursed the day before. It had withered and died.
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  Speaker 2: Its once green leaves were brown and falling into the dust.
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  Speaker 2: Peter noticed this first and said,' Rabbi, look at the tree,
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  Speaker 2: it has died.' Jesus nodded and pointed it out to
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  Speaker 2: his followers. Have faith in God, my friends. Pray to
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  Speaker 2: him with conviction and confidence in his goodness. Whoever says
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  Speaker 2: to a mountain, move, will see it move. Only do
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  Speaker 2: not be double-minded. Believe in what you have received, and
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  Speaker 2: when you pray, make sure to also forgive others. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: and his disciples walked away from the tree, but Peter
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  Speaker 2: looked back to observe it once more. In many ways,
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  Speaker 2: the brown leaves were the true representation of what the
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  Speaker 2: tree really was. It bore no fruit, so it might
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  Speaker 2: as well have been dead. For many people may look
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  Speaker 2: outwardly alive, but within they are dead and bear no fruit.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today, Jesus is walking with his followers
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  Speaker 3: outside of Jerusalem in Bethany. He was hungry, so he
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  Speaker 3: approached a fig tree. And from a distance, the tree
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  Speaker 3: looked healthy with leaves that covered the branches. But upon
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  Speaker 3: closer inspection, the tree had no fruit. Jesus spoke to
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  Speaker 3: the tree, saying, May no fruit ever come from you again.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus once again entered Jerusalem just as he had before.
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  Speaker 3: The temple was infested with greedy, dishonest money changers and
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  Speaker 3: merchants who were in effect con artists cheating the people.
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  Speaker 3: This angered the Lord. God's house was intended to be
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  Speaker 3: a place of prayer. a place where people could find forgiveness.
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  Speaker 3: But rather than helping people worship God by selling animals
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  Speaker 3: for sacrifices at reasonable prices, these merchants were taking advantage
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  Speaker 3: of those who came to seek God. We should never
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  Speaker 3: presume that the gentleness of Christ, the kindness of Christ,
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  Speaker 3: is equal to weakness or permissiveness. And today's reading is
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  Speaker 3: a clear example of this. Seeing the wickedness and greed
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  Speaker 3: on display in the temple courts, Jesus rushed into the
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  Speaker 3: temple and began overturning tables and driving out the money changers.
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  Speaker 3: He would fiercely protect the house of his father. And
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  Speaker 3: in Mark 11, 17 to 18, here's what we read.
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  Speaker 3: And he was teaching them and saying to them, is
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  Speaker 3: it not written, my house shall be called a house
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  Speaker 3: of prayer for all the nations, but you have made
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  Speaker 3: it a den of robbers. And the chief priest and
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  Speaker 3: the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to
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  Speaker 3: destroy him for they feared him. because all the crowd
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  Speaker 3: was astonished at his teaching. God's house, God's temple, is
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  Speaker 3: to be a place for all the nations. Yes, Israel
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  Speaker 3: had a special part in God's plan, but his desire
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  Speaker 3: is that all would know him and worship him and
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  Speaker 3: seek him. The good news of Jesus Christ is for
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  Speaker 3: all people of all nations. That includes our neighbors and
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  Speaker 3: the nations of the world. Just as Israel was meant
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  Speaker 3: to point the nations to God, we also are to
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  Speaker 3: point others to Jesus because we are his witnesses. And
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  Speaker 3: because we have experienced his love and grace in our lives,
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  Speaker 3: we want to tell this good news to others. We
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  Speaker 3: want everyone we know, and even people we don't know,
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  Speaker 3: to know who Jesus is and how to find salvation
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  Speaker 3: in him. The Pharisees and other religious leaders watched on
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  Speaker 3: as Jesus taught the people. They were afraid of his power,
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  Speaker 3: and so they hated him. So they amped up their
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  Speaker 3: efforts to get rid of him and began conspiring to
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  Speaker 3: have him killed. The next day, as the disciples and
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  Speaker 3: Jesus walked back along the countryside, they saw the fig
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  Speaker 3: tree that Jesus had cursed. It did not look like
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  Speaker 3: the healthy tree full of leaves that they'd seen before.
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  Speaker 3: Its branches withered and the leaves had turned brown and died.
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  Speaker 3: Peter noticed it and pointed it out in surprise. Despite
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  Speaker 3: all they'd seen Jesus do, they were still amazed by
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  Speaker 3: his power to do anything he chose to do. Jesus
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  Speaker 3: replied to Peter and the others that they must have
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  Speaker 3: faith in God and not doubt. Their faith would enable
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  Speaker 3: them to do even greater things that Jesus was doing.
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  Speaker 3: And because we can do it together in the power
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  Speaker 3: of the Holy Spirit, God does great things and even
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  Speaker 3: greater things through us. The disciples and all of us
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  Speaker 3: can move mountains by faith when we pray and trust
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  Speaker 3: in a God, the Savior, who can do anything. Dear Lord,
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  Speaker 3: we know that our bodies are the temple of the
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  Speaker 3: Holy Spirit according to the scriptures and that you want
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  Speaker 3: the temples to be cleaned, our temples. So Lord, remove
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  Speaker 3: anything in our lives, drive out anything in our lives
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  Speaker 3: that is dishonoring to you, that your temple would be
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  Speaker 3: a place of prayer, that we would be people of prayer.
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  Speaker 3: And help us to remember that by your power, the
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  Speaker 3: power of Jesus alive in us, that we can do anything.
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  Speaker 3: We can move mountains according to your will in Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: a unique ebook that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's JackGraham.org slash stress.