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Possession and Rejection · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And he began to say to them, This day is
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  Speaker 1: this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4.21 Dear Lord,
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  Speaker 1: thank you that as you build my life, I will
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  Speaker 1: not be driven by reputation, but will be driven by purpose.
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that as my life begins to take form,
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  Speaker 1: and the ministry that you called me to live takes shape,
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  Speaker 1: I praise you that I will be able to preach
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  Speaker 1: with authority. I'll be able to heal the brokenhearted with compassion.
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  Speaker 1: And I'll be able to cast out evil mindsets and
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  Speaker 1: spirits with power and authority. If you did it, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: I know that I can do it. Because the same
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  Speaker 1: power that flowed through you is flowing through me. I
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  Speaker 1: will only do what I see you doing. I will
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  Speaker 1: only speak what you tell me to speak. I declare
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  Speaker 1: that your Spirit is upon me. I declare that your
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  Speaker 1: authority is on me. Therefore, I will stand in the
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  Speaker 1: power of your Holy Spirit and remember who you've called
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  Speaker 1: me to be, even when others don't believe it. I
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  Speaker 1: know who I am in the Lord, and nothing will
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  Speaker 1: change that. I am called and I am chosen. In Jesus' name. 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: Possession and Rejection In our last story, Jesus revealed himself
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  Speaker 2: to be the Messiah towards an outcast. She had spent
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  Speaker 2: most of her life ridiculed and rejected, but in Jesus
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  Speaker 2: she found hope. This woman was the adulteress from Samaria.
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  Speaker 2: When she discovered Jesus was the Messiah, she ran to
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  Speaker 2: go and tell everyone she knew. Now we see the
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  Speaker 2: beginnings of Jesus' ministry. He heals a man's son with
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  Speaker 2: just a word. He releases a man from demon possession
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  Speaker 2: with a command, and he ignites a crowd of friends
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  Speaker 2: against him with his preaching. Jesus' words are beginning to heal,
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  Speaker 2: set free, and divide. It is the beginning of a
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  Speaker 2: revival 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
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:10
  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. In our last time together, in
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  Speaker 3: our story of Jesus, we learned how Jesus showed himself
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  Speaker 3: as Messiah to a Samaritan woman, a very lost woman.
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  Speaker 3: But his words made faith come alive in her heart
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  Speaker 3: and changed her forever. She received living water. And as
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  Speaker 3: a result, she brought many others to meet Jesus, and
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  Speaker 3: they also believed in him. Today, we'll hear as Jesus
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  Speaker 3: begins to travel about healing different people in different ways,
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  Speaker 3: from healing physical maladies to casting out demons. Jesus is
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  Speaker 3: showing the world that he has the power of God
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  Speaker 3: because he is God. His deeds and his words bring
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  Speaker 3: many to himself. Yet for others, the wonders and the
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  Speaker 3: words of Jesus incite anger, hatred, and rejection. Far from
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  Speaker 3: being universally accepted, Jesus will be opposed by many. So,
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  Speaker 3: let's listen now to today's word.
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  Speaker 2: Word of Jesus' presence spread like wildfire. Stories of his
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  Speaker 2: teaching had brought many to his side. Rumors of his
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  Speaker 2: whips in the temples created speculation and intrigue. Yet Jesus
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  Speaker 2: was not a man driven by reputation. He had a purpose,
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  Speaker 2: to fulfill the will of the Father. Each act was
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  Speaker 2: deliberate and He did nothing on a whim or out
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  Speaker 2: of laziness. People began to notice that Jesus walked with
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  Speaker 2: a different type of authority than just some other teacher.
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  Speaker 2: They were beginning to believe the words proclaimed by John
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  Speaker 2: the Baptist. Perhaps this was the Messiah. Jesus was walking
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  Speaker 2: the streets of Cana in Galilee, where he had turned
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  Speaker 2: water into wine. Jesus navigated the marketplace with his followers,
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  Speaker 2: looking for food to cook for dinner. As Jesus was
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  Speaker 2: enjoying the marketplace, he heard a desperate voice cry out
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  Speaker 2: from a distance, Jesus, please help me! Jesus looked and
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  Speaker 2: saw an official from Capernaum running towards him. He was
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  Speaker 2: clearly a wealthy man, judging by his robes. However, he
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  Speaker 2: did not walk or speak like a man of power. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: he desperately ran towards Jesus and fell at his feet. Panting,
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  Speaker 2: the man gasped for words, Jesus, my son is sick,
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  Speaker 2: towards the point of death. I am out of options.
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  Speaker 2: Are you able to heal him? Jesus looked at the
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  Speaker 2: man and noticed that many people were observing them. They
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  Speaker 2: were waiting for some sort of miraculous sign or spectacle.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus would not give it to them. He touched the
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  Speaker 2: man's shoulder and helped him to his feet. Go, your
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  Speaker 2: son will live. Jesus said with a smile. The man
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  Speaker 2: wiped away some of his tears. Although he had no
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  Speaker 2: physical proof yet that what Jesus said was true, he
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  Speaker 2: believed him and left to be with his son. As
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  Speaker 2: he was on his way, his servants found him and
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  Speaker 2: brought a report that his son had been healed. So
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  Speaker 2: he and his entire household believed in Jesus. Jesus dwelled
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  Speaker 2: in Galilee for a while. There he would meet with
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  Speaker 2: people that were ill and preach in the synagogues. When
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  Speaker 2: the Sabbath had come, Jesus was preaching in the synagogue
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  Speaker 2: in Capernaum. Hundreds of people piled into the room to
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  Speaker 2: hear from Jesus. All were silent as he spoke. His
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  Speaker 2: words flowed with the strength and grace of the Jordan River.
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  Speaker 2: People marveled at his teaching. Many teachers of the day
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  Speaker 2: relied on eloquent speech or jarring rhetoric, but not Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: His words possessed authority. Every sentence presented new and fresh truths,
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  Speaker 2: yet not all in attendance were enjoying his servant. There
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  Speaker 2: was a man in the back of the room shaking
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  Speaker 2: where he stood. His eyes glared at Jesus and he
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  Speaker 2: rammed his fist against the wall. As Jesus was speaking,
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  Speaker 2: a deep laughter echoed from the back of the synagogue.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone's heads turned as the man walked towards the front.
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  Speaker 2: His eyes were bloodshot and his entire body twitched and
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  Speaker 2: shook as he marched. His laugh was disturbing and sent
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  Speaker 2: chills down the spines of the disciples.' Ha!' he yelled
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  Speaker 2: as he pointed towards Jesus. Why have you come to us,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus of Nazareth? the man spat. His neck flexed backwards
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  Speaker 2: and his face turned red. Jesus knew who this man was. Rather,
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  Speaker 2: he knew who possessed him. Have you come to destroy us?
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  Speaker 2: I know who you are. You are the Holy One,
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  Speaker 2: the Son of God. You are... Be silent, Jesus rebuked.
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  Speaker 2: He stepped down from the front of the stage and
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  Speaker 2: made his way towards the demon-possessed man. The man writhed
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  Speaker 2: as he saw Jesus approaching, still seeping with disturbing laughter.
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  Speaker 2: The man fell on his back and Jesus knelt down
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  Speaker 2: and touched his chest. Be silent and come out of him.
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  Speaker 2: As he said this, the man's twitching body began to
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  Speaker 2: find control again. His mind cleared like fog being broken
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  Speaker 2: up by the sun. The demon had left and the
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  Speaker 2: man was saved from further torment. The entire room was silent.
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  Speaker 2: They had seen many people possessed by demons. However, they
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  Speaker 2: had never seen someone possess so much authority over them.
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  Speaker 2: After a few weeks of healing, preaching, and relieving people
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  Speaker 2: of demons, Jesus made his way back to Nazareth, his hometown.
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  Speaker 2: He walked the city streets, greeting loved ones and distant relatives. Jesus'
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  Speaker 2: fame had grown in Judea, but in Nazareth, he was
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  Speaker 2: just Jesus the carpenter. As was Jesus' habit, he went
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  Speaker 2: into the local synagogues to preach. Many of his friends
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  Speaker 2: and family were in attendance and watched Jesus open up
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  Speaker 2: the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus read the words of the prophet,
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  Speaker 2: The Spirit of the Lord is with me because he
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  Speaker 2: has chosen and anointed me to preach good news to
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  Speaker 2: the poor. He has sent me to bring liberty to
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  Speaker 2: the captives and sight to the blind. He has sent
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  Speaker 2: me to bring liberty to all those who are oppressed.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus paused for a moment and looked out at the crowd.
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  Speaker 2: He gave the scroll back to the attendant. Everyone's gaze
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  Speaker 2: was fixed on Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: The silence was.
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  Speaker 2: So thick it could be cut with a knife. Today,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus began. Today this word has been fulfilled. As Jesus
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  Speaker 2: spoke these words, people began to mumble and complain. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: had just claimed to be the promised Messiah prophesied by Isaiah.
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  Speaker 2: Some of them scoffed at him and began to leave
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  Speaker 2: the synagogue. Isn't this Joseph's son, the carpenter?
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  Speaker 3: They asked.
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  Speaker 2: We heard you did some elaborate healings in Galilee. Why
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  Speaker 2: don't you do some of those here? Then we will
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  Speaker 2: believe you. Jesus sighed. He was heartbroken over his old friends.
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  Speaker 2: Truly a prophet is not welcomed in his hometown. Jesus said.
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  Speaker 2: When the prophets proclaimed repentance before the time of captivity,
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  Speaker 2: they were rejected and killed. When the people heard him
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  Speaker 2: say these things, they were furious. They mobbed towards Jesus
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  Speaker 2: and drove him out of the town towards the ledge
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  Speaker 2: of a hill. They were ready to throw him off
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  Speaker 2: of the hill for blasphemy. They could not stand the
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  Speaker 2: idea of one of their own being so righteous. As
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  Speaker 2: the mob lunged toward him, Jesus slipped through the crowd
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  Speaker 2: and escaped like a thief in the night.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's story of Jesus, our Lord's name
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  Speaker 3: is becoming well known in the region. He's traveling throughout
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  Speaker 3: Galilee and was well received. Many trusted him and followed
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  Speaker 3: him and believed on him. They gathered in large multitudes
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  Speaker 3: to hear him and to see the signs and the wonders,
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  Speaker 3: the miracles. These were gracious and beautiful displays of his
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  Speaker 3: power and of his presence and compassion. And while the
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  Speaker 3: heart of Jesus was intent on healing, he is much
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  Speaker 3: more than a miracle worker. So, as he is walking
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  Speaker 3: one day, an official approached him, begging for his son,
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  Speaker 3: who was at home, sick, to be healed. Rather than
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  Speaker 3: go with him as the man asked, Jesus simply told
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  Speaker 3: him to go back to his home to find his
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  Speaker 3: son healed. There was no public miracle. He just said,
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  Speaker 3: the child is well. It was just a word. But
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  Speaker 3: then again, it wasn't just a word. It was the
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  Speaker 3: word of God, the word of Jesus. And his words
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  Speaker 3: have power to heal everything imaginable. The official, we are told,
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  Speaker 3: took Jesus at his word. That is, he believed and
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  Speaker 3: trusted in the words. of the Lord Jesus. My prayer
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  Speaker 3: is that many people today would do just that, that
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  Speaker 3: people would take the Lord at his word and believe
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  Speaker 3: in him and trust him, because the greatest miracle of
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  Speaker 3: all is not a miracle of physical healing, but the
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  Speaker 3: spiritual healing that only Jesus can give. What we really
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  Speaker 3: need to do is to take God at his word
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  Speaker 3: today and to trust him always. This is what this
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  Speaker 3: noble man did. and his faith allowed his son to
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  Speaker 3: be healed while he was still walking home. The man
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  Speaker 3: and his entire household believed in the Lord that day.
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  Speaker 3: They trusted in Jesus. Salvation came to that household through
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  Speaker 3: faith in God's grace through Jesus Christ. Next, we hear
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  Speaker 3: how Jesus was preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath day.
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  Speaker 3: People crowded in to hang on his every word. Jesus
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  Speaker 3: could compel and captivate a crowd like no one else.
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  Speaker 3: The wisdom and the truth of his words were irresistible
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  Speaker 3: to those who heard. And yet as he spoke, a
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  Speaker 3: voice arose from the back of the room and a
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  Speaker 3: deranged cackle. This was not a man in his right mind,
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  Speaker 3: and Jesus knew it. The demonic presence, demon spirit, spoke
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  Speaker 3: through the man, asking Jesus why he was there. You see,
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  Speaker 3: Satan and his armies, they know Jesus, and they are terrified.
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  Speaker 3: Just as Jesus had faced down Satan in the wilderness,
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  Speaker 3: he walked to this man and commanded the demon to
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  Speaker 3: stop speaking and leave. For all their evil power, demonic forces,
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  Speaker 3: are no equal to Jesus. And all who were there
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  Speaker 3: saw the man released from the spirit that had tormented him.
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  Speaker 3: And in Mark 1, 27 and 28, we read this.
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  Speaker 3: The people were all amazed that they ask each other,
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  Speaker 3: what is this? A new teaching and with authority. He
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  Speaker 3: even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.
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  Speaker 3: News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
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  Speaker 3: So many were finding faith and salvation and healing and
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  Speaker 3: deliverance because of Jesus. But not everyone believed, and as
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  Speaker 3: we heard in today's reading, in his own town of Nazareth,
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  Speaker 3: people rejected him. He was in the synagogue one Sabbath,
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  Speaker 3: and the scroll was handed to him, and he read
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  Speaker 3: from the prophet Isaiah that said, The Spirit of the
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  Speaker 3: Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
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  Speaker 3: proclaim good news to the poor. This was a prophecy
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  Speaker 3: regarding the Messiah, and all who heard this would know
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  Speaker 3: this very well. And so when Jesus said to them, Today,
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  Speaker 3: this scripture, this promise has been fulfilled, they understood exactly
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  Speaker 3: what he was saying. Jesus was claiming to be the
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  Speaker 3: very Messiah for whom they waited for so long. They
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  Speaker 3: were skeptical. They even scoffed. Some became angry, not believing Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: And this rejection deeply saddened the Lord, but he was
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  Speaker 3: not surprised. He knew that he would be rejected by
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  Speaker 3: his own. And as he went to leave, the crowd
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  Speaker 3: began to get angrier and angrier. And they decided they
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  Speaker 3: needed to kill this man they considered mad, throwing him
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  Speaker 3: from a cliff. Jesus simply walked through the crowd, and
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  Speaker 3: he left behind his hometown and those who rejected him.
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  Speaker 3: In John 1, verse 12, the Bible says, He came
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  Speaker 3: into his own, but his own received him not. But
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  Speaker 3: as many as received him, Jesus, to them gave he
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  Speaker 3: the power to become the sons of God. Rejection would
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  Speaker 3: begin to mark the life of Jesus. And ultimately, it
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  Speaker 3: would lead to his crucifixion. They tried to cancel him.
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  Speaker 3: But he came to die and to be rejected of
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  Speaker 3: men so that he might be received by you and me.
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  Speaker 3: I want to encourage you today. Never reject Jesus. Don't
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  Speaker 3: turn away from Jesus, but trust in Jesus by turning
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  Speaker 3: from your sin and receiving him as your Savior and Lord.
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  Speaker 3: As many as received him, to them gave he the
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  Speaker 3: right to be called the children of God. Lord, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you for this promise that we can become your children,
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  Speaker 3: that because of what you have done for us in
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  Speaker 3: living and dying and rising again, that we can have
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  Speaker 3: eternal life. May we receive this promise now and forever.
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  Speaker 3: In your name we pray. 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
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  Speaker 3: can only come to you each week through the support
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  Speaker 3: of listeners like you. Your support today is so important
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: that we want to thank you for your gift by
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: giving you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
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  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
• 16:40
  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
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: The Jesus Book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.