Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / A Hole in the Roof

Transcript

A Hole in the Roof · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And when they could not come nigh unto him for
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  Speaker 1: the press, they uncovered the roof where he was. And
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  Speaker 1: when they had broken it up, they let down the
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  Speaker 1: bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. Mark 2.4
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  Speaker 1: As I ponder and meditate on Mark 2 and Matthew 9,
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  Speaker 1: I stand in awe of how the two stories connect.
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  Speaker 1: in the same way that the friends got to Jesus
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  Speaker 1: in unconventional ways, so too did the outcasts, misfits, and
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  Speaker 1: tax collectors get to Jesus in unconventional ways. Jesus, may
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  Speaker 1: this story and your life serve as a reminder that
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  Speaker 1: you came to heal all that are lost and in
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  Speaker 1: need of healing, both physically and, more importantly, spiritually. no
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  Speaker 1: matter what their condition, I am committing my life to
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  Speaker 1: be able to be a helping hand to those in
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  Speaker 1: need of your forgiveness and grace. I will not look
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  Speaker 1: to title or economic standing to determine the passion of
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  Speaker 1: my pursuit. I will rip a hole through the roof,
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  Speaker 1: push through a crowd, or sit with those forgotten if
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  Speaker 1: it means they receive their breakthrough and healing. Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: in advance, for using me to lend a helping hand
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  Speaker 1: to people that are hurting. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks
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  Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your life. To hear
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  Speaker 1: the Bible come to life, stay tuned for the Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: A hole in the roof. In our last story, Jesus
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  Speaker 2: climbed a small hill and preached to thousands of people
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  Speaker 2: about the kingdom of God. He spoke about the backwards
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  Speaker 2: economy of God's blessings, that the poor in spirit, meek,
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  Speaker 2: and mourning are the ones to inherit ultimate blessing from God.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke of loving your enemies, not harboring hatred in
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  Speaker 2: your heart, and removing judgment from your mind. All these
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  Speaker 2: things caused awe and wonder in those listening. Now we
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  Speaker 2: witness the faithful devotion of a few friends. They truly
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  Speaker 2: act out the kingdom of God by doing whatever it
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  Speaker 2: takes to get their friend to the feet of Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: They even risk vandalism and arrest to make sure their
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  Speaker 2: loved one is healed. Inspired by the Gospels.
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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
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  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries. and can only come
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
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  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
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  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
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  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
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  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's JackGraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
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  Speaker 3: you for your support. Let's pick up where we left
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  Speaker 3: off the last time. We heard Jesus teaching the Sermon
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  Speaker 3: on the Mount in our last episode. He laid out
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  Speaker 3: God's standard for true righteousness and made it clear that
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  Speaker 3: righteousness is not self-righteousness, but righteousness in Christ. That it's
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  Speaker 3: a matter of the heart, not just words or actions. Ultimately,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus was making a clear case for our need of
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  Speaker 3: a Savior, our desperate need for His salvation. Today, we'll
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  Speaker 3: hear of a man and his friends who demonstrated great
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  Speaker 3: faith and friendship as they went to extraordinary lengths to
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  Speaker 3: help their friend receive the healing he needed from Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: We'll also hear how Jesus called Matthew, a hated tax collector,
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  Speaker 3: to be one of His twelve disciples. In both stories,
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  Speaker 3: The religious elite become angry at Jesus' words and deeds
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  Speaker 3: as they fail to see who this man who heals
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  Speaker 3: and forgives really is, the Lord of life, the Lord
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  Speaker 3: of all. Let's listen now to the reading of the
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  Speaker 3: gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 2: The three friends stood outside the crowded house. Hundreds of
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  Speaker 2: people surrounded the property so they could hear Jesus teach.
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  Speaker 2: Two of them stood, the other one laid on a stretcher.
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  Speaker 2: The man laying down was completely paralyzed from the neck down.
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  Speaker 2: His friends had brought him to the house in hopes
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  Speaker 2: that Jesus would be able to heal him. However, the
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  Speaker 2: house was overflowing with so many people, almost all hope
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  Speaker 2: of seeing Jesus was lost. The two men looked down
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  Speaker 2: at their friend, trying to hold back their tears. Then
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  Speaker 2: one of them looked at the house again. His eyes
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  Speaker 2: scanned the property. He smiled and looked.
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  Speaker 1: At the others.
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  Speaker 2: I have an idea, he said. Jesus was teaching in
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  Speaker 2: the middle of the home. Hundreds of people sat and
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  Speaker 2: stood around him, hanging on every word he said. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: was speaking of the kingdom of God. He spoke of
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  Speaker 2: God's law, his love, and his forgiveness. As Jesus was speaking,
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  Speaker 2: he felt a small piece of plaster fall on his head. Startled,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus looked up to the ceiling to see the roof
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  Speaker 2: being torn apart from the outside. Jesus stood to his feet,
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  Speaker 2: and the crowd stepped back as more roofing fell from
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  Speaker 2: the ceiling onto the floor. A bright light shone through
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  Speaker 2: the ceiling. Then, all of the sudden, Jesus saw a
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  Speaker 2: silhouette of a man on a stretcher being lowered down
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  Speaker 2: by ropes. The two friends had found a way to Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Although it was unconventional and perhaps illegal, they were willing
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  Speaker 2: to do whatever it took. The paralytic was lowered slowly.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus went under the man and helped him to the floor.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus looked up at the hole in the ceiling. He
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  Speaker 2: could see the friend's guilty smiles. Jesus grinned and looked
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  Speaker 2: down at the man. He placed his hand on his
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  Speaker 2: shoulder and said, As Jesus said this, a scribe in
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  Speaker 2: the crowd scoffed, The scribe spat on the ground, angry
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  Speaker 2: at Jesus' words. Jesus looked at the man with compassion.
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  Speaker 2: He knew the scribe was questioning his words. Jesus smiled
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  Speaker 2: and answered him, Tell me, which is easier to say,
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  Speaker 2: Your sins are forgiven, or get up and walk? And
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  Speaker 2: immediately as Jesus said this, the man's legs began to move.
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  Speaker 2: The paralytic's eyes widened as he lifted himself upright. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: stood up and helped the man to his feet. The
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  Speaker 2: two of them embraced, and the man picked up his
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  Speaker 2: bed and walked out. The crowd parted to make way
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  Speaker 2: for the man, and Jesus could see his two friends
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  Speaker 2: standing outside hugging him and leaping for joy. Standing shoulder
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  Speaker 2: to shoulder, the three men walked away back to their homes.
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  Speaker 2: After these things, Jesus went out and sat by the sea.
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  Speaker 2: The waves crashed gently on the shore. The breeze whistled
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  Speaker 2: to the left, and Jesus watched as crowds began to
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  Speaker 2: approach him. Their needs were endless, but so was his
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  Speaker 2: love for them. To his right, Jesus saw a man
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  Speaker 2: named Matthew. He was a tax collector and hated among
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  Speaker 2: his Jewish kin. Tax collectors were considered Jewish traitors. They
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  Speaker 2: whored themselves to the Roman government and used corruption for
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  Speaker 2: their own gain. Matthew, however, felt the weight of his sins.
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  Speaker 2: He sat at his booth with his head held low,
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  Speaker 2: ashamed of who he had become. Jesus approached the booth.
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  Speaker 2: Matthew had grown accustomed to men and women coming to
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  Speaker 2: the tax booth Matthew paused for a moment and looked
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  Speaker 2: at the pile of coins and paper at his desk.
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  Speaker 2: Was he truly willing to sacrifice wealth and favor with
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  Speaker 2: Rome to follow Jesus? Was Jesus worth it? Matthew looked
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  Speaker 2: at Jesus walking away. Yes. It is worth everything, he
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  Speaker 2: thought to himself. Matthew stood to his feet and ran
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  Speaker 2: after Jesus. The two of them connected, and Matthew hosted
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  Speaker 2: Jesus and his followers at his home. They laughed and
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  Speaker 2: shared stories. However, not all were amused. The Pharisees stood
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  Speaker 2: outside the house with their arms crossed. They stopped one
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  Speaker 2: of his disciples and said, Look how he dines with
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  Speaker 2: tax collectors and sinners. Aren't you ashamed to follow him?
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  Speaker 2: The disciple paused, unsure of how he should answer. Before
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  Speaker 2: he could say anything, Jesus stepped outside and approached them.
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  Speaker 2: His eyes were piercing, filled with deep wisdom. Tell me,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus said, who needs a doctor more, the sick or
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  Speaker 2: the healthy? I have not come to sit at the
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  Speaker 2: table of the righteous, but to help sinners in need.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus left with his disciple back inside. As he left,
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  Speaker 2: he gestured for the Pharisees to join him. They sneered
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  Speaker 2: and left.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin the story of Jesus today, we find
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  Speaker 3: him teaching in a very crowded house. People are squeezed
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  Speaker 3: in from wall to wall and spilling out of the
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  Speaker 3: door as they listen to the wise words of this teacher, Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: who was unlike anyone they had ever heard before. We
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  Speaker 3: then discovered that some men had heard that Jesus would
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  Speaker 3: be nearby, and they had known of his healing ministry.
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  Speaker 3: Perhaps they'd seen some of the miracles happen. But for
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  Speaker 3: whatever reason, they knew that this was an opportunity to
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  Speaker 3: help a dear friend, a man who was paralyzed and helpless.
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  Speaker 3: They wanted to get their friend to Jesus. He would
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  Speaker 3: not have the ability to get to Jesus on his own,
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  Speaker 3: immobile as he was. But these friends demonstrated true love
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  Speaker 3: and compassion as they carried the man to the home
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  Speaker 3: where Jesus was speaking. When they arrived, it seemed impossible
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  Speaker 3: to get to Jesus. There were so many people around,
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  Speaker 3: and apparently no one else cared for the paralyzed man
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  Speaker 3: and wouldn't let him through. But these four friends were
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  Speaker 3: undeterred and undaunted. They climbed up on the roof and
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  Speaker 3: dug out a hole so that they could lower the
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  Speaker 3: man to Jesus. Talk about determination. and dedication, compassion, and
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  Speaker 3: cooperation is all here. They could have easily packed up
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  Speaker 3: and left, heads hanging low, defeated, sad because their friend
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  Speaker 3: would remain crippled. But that's not what they did. They
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  Speaker 3: insisted on seeking after Jesus and the promise of healing
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  Speaker 3: they believe he could give to their friend. What a
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  Speaker 3: great reminder this is, that we should have compassion upon
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  Speaker 3: people that we love and care about, that we should
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  Speaker 3: do everything possible to spend and be spent in order
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  Speaker 3: to bring our friends and even people we don't know
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  Speaker 3: to Jesus? Are we willing to push through every obstacle,
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  Speaker 3: to search for every possible way to connect those who
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  Speaker 3: need the Lord to the one and the only one
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  Speaker 3: who can make a difference in their lives? Or do
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  Speaker 3: we just give a half-hearted attempt and turn away at
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  Speaker 3: the slightest setback? Pray that God would give you and
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  Speaker 3: me strong determination and devotion to get our friends to Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: These men show us the valuable lesson that Jesus taught
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  Speaker 3: about asking and seeking and knocking and never giving up
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  Speaker 3: because the answer will come. When Jesus saw the man
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  Speaker 3: coming down from the ceiling, he went into action. Going
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  Speaker 3: to the man and speaking to him, here is what
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  Speaker 3: he said in Luke 5 verse 20. When Jesus saw
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  Speaker 3: their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven. First,
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  Speaker 3: notice that Jesus was not speaking of this man's faith,
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  Speaker 3: the crippled man's faith, but the faith of his friends.
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  Speaker 3: It was their faith that brought the man to Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: Our actions, when done in faith, believing God, have significant
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  Speaker 3: impact on the lives of others. Our faith moves from
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  Speaker 3: faith to faith. Notice that Jesus doesn't immediately heal the
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  Speaker 3: man's body. His first words are words of forgiveness. The crowd,
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  Speaker 3: and especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the law,
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  Speaker 3: take note of this. It's offensive and shocking to them
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  Speaker 3: that Jesus would claim to be able to forgive sins.
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  Speaker 3: That's something only God can do. But Jesus shocked them
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  Speaker 3: again as he spoke to reveal their hidden thoughts. He
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  Speaker 3: asked if it would be easier to say the man's
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  Speaker 3: sins were forgiven or to tell the man to get
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  Speaker 3: up and walk. Clearly, It would be easier to just
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  Speaker 3: say his sins were forgiven because there would be no
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  Speaker 3: visual proof of this having worked or not. So he
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  Speaker 3: turned to the man and told him to take up
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  Speaker 3: his mat and go home. Immediately, the man was healed.
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  Speaker 3: He stood up from his cot and began praising God.
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  Speaker 3: With those words, Jesus showed that he has the power
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  Speaker 3: to both heal, but most importantly, to heal the soul,
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  Speaker 3: to forgive sins. Everyone praised God in amazement for what
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  Speaker 3: they saw Jesus do. We then see Jesus calling another disciple.
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  Speaker 3: This time it was a man named Matthew. He was
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  Speaker 3: a tax collector, which means the Jewish people saw him
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  Speaker 3: as a traitor and a servant of the invading Roman government.
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  Speaker 3: Tax collectors were not respected or revered members of Jewish society.
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  Speaker 3: They were just included with all the other sinners. So
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  Speaker 3: when the religious crowd saw Jesus with tax collectors, they
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  Speaker 3: once again sneered and scoffed that this man would stoop
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  Speaker 3: so low as to associate with outcasts and sinners. How
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  Speaker 3: could anyone follow such a man, they thought. And once more,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus called them out for their hypocrisy. He had come
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  Speaker 3: to heal the sick, to help sinners, not the righteous.
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  Speaker 3: They could not understand that the purpose of Christ's coming
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  Speaker 3: was to save sinful people. The righteousness of the Pharisees
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  Speaker 3: and the religious crowd was only skin deep, and that
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  Speaker 3: they needed healing, soul healing, just as much as the
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  Speaker 3: tax collectors and the sinners. Christ came into the world
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  Speaker 3: to save sinners like you and me. Jesus was ready
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  Speaker 3: and willing for all to follow him, but so many
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  Speaker 3: rejected him, especially those who were very religious, and yet
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  Speaker 3: he kept on helping people, loving people, and would one
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  Speaker 3: day go to a cross to lay down his life
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  Speaker 3: so that our sins could be forgiven. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you for the four faithful friends who go to
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  Speaker 3: great lengths to show your love and compassion to their
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  Speaker 3: friend for the healing and the power of Jesus to save.
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  Speaker 3: Help us, Lord, to be friends like these to people
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  Speaker 3: we know and to do whatever it takes to bring
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  Speaker 3: people to the loving, saving arms of Christ. In Jesus'
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  Speaker 3: name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go, I
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  Speaker 3: wanted to let you know that the Bible in a
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  Speaker 3: Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: only come to you each week through the support of
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: listeners like you. Your support today is so important that
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: we want to thank you for your gift by giving
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: This book is a powerful guide that shows how every
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  Speaker 3: book in the Bible points to Christ and how you
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: can better read and understand the Bible and how God's
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  Speaker 3: Word transforms our lives. So to get your copy of
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  Speaker 3: the Jesus book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.