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