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The Storm Within - The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And he saith unto them, Why are
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  Speaker 1: ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose,
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  Speaker 1: and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was
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  Speaker 1: a great calm. Matthew 6.26 Peace, be still. In the
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  Speaker 1: same way that Jesus spoke these words over the waves
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  Speaker 1: and the storm, I too speak these words over the
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  Speaker 1: storms in my life. Peace be still. When others come
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  Speaker 1: to me to bring up the magnitude of the storm
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  Speaker 1: I may be facing, I will, in all boldness, remind
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  Speaker 1: them of the magnitude of my God. For there is
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  Speaker 1: nothing that I can't conquer, because Jesus who lives inside
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  Speaker 1: of me has already conquered this world and every trouble
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  Speaker 1: in it. No matter the demonic attack around me, I
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  Speaker 1: will not be moved when I am standing face to
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  Speaker 1: face with Satan and his traps. Because of Jesus and
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  Speaker 1: his sacrifice, I now possess more power than the darkest
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  Speaker 1: of enemies. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that I am
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  Speaker 1: set free and that I also have the power to
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  Speaker 1: point people to you and your absolute freedom. In Jesus' name. Amen.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: The storm within. In our last story, Jesus told parables
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  Speaker 3: on the kingdom of heaven. He told earthly stories with
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  Speaker 3: heavenly implications. His disciples were greatly impacted by the seemingly
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  Speaker 3: backwards kingdom of God. Now we see Jesus showing his
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  Speaker 3: might and power. The same voice that spoke the universe
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  Speaker 3: into existence will calm storms and defeat over a thousand
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  Speaker 3: demons with just a word. Inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 4: Hello and welcome to the Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 4: I'm Jack Graham. In our last episode, we heard Jesus
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  Speaker 4: teaching about the things of heaven, God's mercy, and the
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  Speaker 4: incorruptible value of the kingdom of God. The disciples marveled
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  Speaker 4: at their Master's words of wisdom and insight, desiring more
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  Speaker 4: for understanding of the things of God. Today, we'll see
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  Speaker 4: as Jesus once more with only his words, rebukes the
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  Speaker 4: seas and waves, bringing calm and safety into a place
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  Speaker 4: of fear and despair. We'll see the same power over
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  Speaker 4: the waves demonstrated against the evil spirits that held a
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  Speaker 4: man captive as Jesus calls out demons who shudder at
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  Speaker 4: the sound of his voice. So let's listen now to
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  Speaker 4: the reading of God's word.
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  Speaker 3: Dark clouds rolled in from the middle of the Sea
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  Speaker 3: of Galilee. Jesus looked upon the waters towards the other side.
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  Speaker 3: The mountains could be vaguely seen about five miles across
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  Speaker 3: the sea. They were dark and ominous. There were rumors
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  Speaker 3: of a violent demoniac dwelling in the caves on the
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  Speaker 3: other side. Let us go to the other side, Jesus
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  Speaker 3: said confidently. So the twelve disciples and Jesus boarded Peter's
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  Speaker 3: fishing boat. The skies grew darker as the clouds became thick.
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  Speaker 3: The gentle breeze of the sea became more and more violent. Peter, James,
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  Speaker 3: and John knew what was coming. They were fishermen and
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  Speaker 3: knew all the signs of a tempest. Jesus, being weary
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  Speaker 3: from a day of serving and preaching, went below to sleep.
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  Speaker 3: The winds tore against the sails. There was a sharp
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  Speaker 3: whistle coming from the north and south of the sea.
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  Speaker 3: The two winds collided against one another in the middle
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  Speaker 3: of the waters. It was as if the disciples were
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  Speaker 3: caught in the middle of a cosmic war. The waves thrashed,
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  Speaker 3: and the rain began to drum against the boat. James
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  Speaker 3: and Andrew leaned both their bodies against the rudder to
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  Speaker 3: keep it in place as Peter and John tied in
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  Speaker 3: the sails. The others desperately emptied the boat of water,
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  Speaker 3: but to no avail. The ship would sink in minutes
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  Speaker 3: if the wind and rain did not cease. Jesus was
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  Speaker 3: still sleeping soundly at the bottom of the boat. Simon
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  Speaker 3: looked down at Jesus, astonished that someone so powerful could
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  Speaker 3: sleep through such a nightmare. Master!
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  Speaker 4: He yelled.
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  Speaker 3: The boat was jolted by a wave, and Simon was
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  Speaker 3: sent tumbling into the side of the boat. He crawled
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  Speaker 3: to the small space where Jesus was sleeping and shook
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  Speaker 3: him awake. Master, do you not care that we are perishing?
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  Speaker 3: Jesus looked, stood up, and walked towards the front of
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  Speaker 3: the boat. The wind howled like a mighty titan. The
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  Speaker 3: disciples were tossed all around the boat from the waves,
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  Speaker 3: but Jesus' feet were sturdy as he marched. The wind
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  Speaker 3: whipped at his back and the rain fell down like gravel.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus looked at the storm like an adversary. The waves
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  Speaker 3: were relentless and smashed against the bow to rock Jesus overboard.
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  Speaker 3: God's hero stood firm. He stretched out his hand and said,
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  Speaker 3: Hush now, be still. He spoke to the wind in
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  Speaker 3: waves like disobedient children. Like a lion finally tamed, the
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  Speaker 3: wind in waves subsided and calmed. The sun peered in
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  Speaker 3: through the dark clouds and the sea became still as glass.
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  Speaker 3: The scattered rays of light fell on Jesus' face. He
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  Speaker 3: closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Jesus turned back
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  Speaker 3: to his disciples and said, Where is your faith? The
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  Speaker 3: disciples could not answer him. They were dumbfounded by what
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  Speaker 3: they had just witnessed. They had seen Jesus heal the
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  Speaker 3: sick and turn water into wine, but they just saw
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  Speaker 3: him command the untamable wind and unbeatable waves. With a word,
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  Speaker 3: he made the rain cease. They thought they knew who
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  Speaker 3: Jesus was, but they had not even begun to scratch
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  Speaker 3: the surface. Peter released the sails, and James took hold
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  Speaker 3: of the rudder. They sailed gracefully to the country of Gerasenes,
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  Speaker 3: which is opposite of Galilee. The boat came closer, and
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  Speaker 3: the men could hear a deep, painful cry echo from
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  Speaker 3: the mountains above the shore. Its sound was blood-curdling, the
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  Speaker 3: sound of screaming mixed with broken chains rattling against stone.
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  Speaker 3: They pushed the boat onto shore and Jesus stepped off
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  Speaker 3: to see a man running towards him. He was naked
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  Speaker 3: and screaming. Blood dripped down his mangled chest and broken
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  Speaker 3: chains were still attached to his wrists and feet. He
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  Speaker 3: was like a rabid beast seeking prey. And the disciples
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  Speaker 3: began to run back to the boat. But Jesus stepped forward.
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  Speaker 3: As the beastly man leapt towards Jesus, he fell short
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  Speaker 3: with his face to the rocky sand. He yelled with
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  Speaker 3: intense pain, Sand and blood covered his naked body. His
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  Speaker 3: pupils were wide with rage and sadness. Tears fell down
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  Speaker 3: the man's face, and he scowled at Jesus. Why do
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  Speaker 3: you come to me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
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  Speaker 3: His voice was deep and piercing, but behind the voice
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  Speaker 3: was a man in great pain. He was possessed by
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  Speaker 3: a demon, so it was no longer him who spoke.
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  Speaker 3: He had a storm raging within him. What is your name?
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  Speaker 3: Jesus asked calmly.
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  Speaker 1: I am Legion.
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  Speaker 4: Legion.
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  Speaker 3: The demon replied, for I am many. The demon's attempt
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  Speaker 3: to intimidate Jesus failed. Jesus stepped forward and the demon
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  Speaker 3: retreated backwards in fear. Do not cast me out into
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  Speaker 3: the nothingness, Legion begged. Jesus nodded and gestured to a
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  Speaker 3: herd of pigs grazing on the side of the mountain.
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  Speaker 3: The man's body jolted backwards and all of the sudden
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  Speaker 3: painful cries could be heard from the pigs above the mountain.
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  Speaker 3: They ran in circles, eventually tossing themselves off the side
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  Speaker 3: of the mountain into the sea. When the pig herders
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  Speaker 3: saw this, they ran back into the city and gathered
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  Speaker 3: people to come and see. Jesus knelt down to the
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  Speaker 3: man's still body. He was breathing but unconscious. Jesus gestured
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  Speaker 3: for one of the disciples to bring water, and the
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  Speaker 3: man was restored to consciousness. They clothed him and fed him.
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  Speaker 3: When the pig herders came back with members from the city,
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  Speaker 3: they saw the man at Jesus' feet, speaking his right mind.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus smiled and waved towards the group. They approached him
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  Speaker 3: with pitchforks and swords. Please, they said politely, we see
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  Speaker 3: you have done a kind thing, but do not come
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  Speaker 3: back here. We want no more dealings with demons. They
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  Speaker 3: did not understand who Jesus was. All they knew was
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  Speaker 3: that he had authority over demons. The unknown frightened them.
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  Speaker 3: The healed man begged Jesus to take him in. He
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  Speaker 3: wanted to join Jesus and follow him. Jesus smiled and
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  Speaker 3: gave the man a big hug. No. Jesus said warmly,
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  Speaker 3: You must stay here and tell everyone what has happened.
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  Speaker 3: Your testimony will change lives. As Jesus said these things,
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  Speaker 3: he waved the group and took off back to Galilee.
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  Speaker 3: The disciples were silent as they looked at Jesus. He
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  Speaker 3: stared at the horizon and the sun began its descent
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  Speaker 3: beyond the waters. Jesus had calmed a great and mighty
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  Speaker 3: storm before their very eyes. However, he was also able
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  Speaker 3: to calm the storm within. They marveled and thanked God
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  Speaker 3: that he had finally sent their promised hero.
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  Speaker 4: We begin today on the Sea of Galilee in a
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  Speaker 4: fishing boat where Jesus and his men have set sail
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  Speaker 4: for another shore. On the other side of this lake
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  Speaker 4: lie an opportunity for the Lord's power to be demonstrated
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  Speaker 4: in yet another astounding, amazing way. The disciples didn't know it,
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  Speaker 4: but Jesus knew exactly what he would do. Of course,
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  Speaker 4: they wouldn't have to wait for the next shore to
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  Speaker 4: see their master's power. Galilee was known for sudden squalls
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  Speaker 4: that would rise suddenly out of nowhere, and they could
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  Speaker 4: be deadly to unsuspecting fishermen caught in a storm. Not
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  Speaker 4: long after Jesus went to the back of the boat
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  Speaker 4: to rest, one of those storms arose. The clouds darkened,
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  Speaker 4: the skies and the wind whipped the boat to and
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  Speaker 4: fro like a rag doll. The disciples, many of them
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  Speaker 4: seasoned sailors, were terrified. They'd seen these storms before and
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  Speaker 4: how vicious they could be. Now they were caught in
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  Speaker 4: the middle of a raging sea and they panicked. It is,
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  Speaker 4: in fact, a picture of the storms of life, the
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  Speaker 4: realities of life. Disaster and danger often come unannounced, seemingly
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  Speaker 4: out of nowhere. And no matter how seasoned we are
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  Speaker 4: as followers of Jesus, even then fear can grip us
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  Speaker 4: and leave us paralyzed in those moments, just as it
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  Speaker 4: did the disciples. Jesus was sleeping. How could this be true,
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  Speaker 4: they wondered. They woke him and asked if he didn't
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  Speaker 4: care that they were about to die. Mark 4 39
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  Speaker 4: gives us his response and what happened next. And he
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  Speaker 4: awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace,
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  Speaker 4: be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a
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  Speaker 4: great calm. It is often easy for us to ask
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  Speaker 4: the same question the disciples ask. Lord, do you care?
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  Speaker 4: Do you care what's happening to me? Do you care
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  Speaker 4: what's happening around me? And our Lord still has the
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  Speaker 4: same power to speak into the storms of our lives, saying, Peace,
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  Speaker 4: be still. In fact, we are promised in God's Word
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  Speaker 4: a peace that passes all understanding, an inexplainable, inexplicable peace
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  Speaker 4: that comes only from God. For the disciples, this peace
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  Speaker 4: meant that the waves and the winds, the storm, actually
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  Speaker 4: stopped and they were delivered. This, of course, is not
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  Speaker 4: always the case in our lives. Sometimes the storms we
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  Speaker 4: face can continue to rage, but God's voice, His loving
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  Speaker 4: peace bestill, can calm the storms within us and give
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  Speaker 4: us confidence that he is with us and that he cares.
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  Speaker 4: With the seas under control, Jesus turned to his men
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  Speaker 4: and asked, Why are you afraid? Do you still not
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  Speaker 4: trust me? The disciples marveled at Jesus. They were beginning
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  Speaker 4: to see that there was no limit to his power.
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  Speaker 4: It excited and terrified them at the same time. They
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  Speaker 4: continued to sail to the other side to a place
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  Speaker 4: called Gerasenes. This was enemy territory both literally and spiritually.
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  Speaker 4: It was Gentile land, but it was also a place
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  Speaker 4: where a man lived among the tombs like an animal.
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  Speaker 4: He was filled with demons who tortured him daily and
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  Speaker 4: made his life a living hell. This man truly was
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  Speaker 4: a tragic and terrible sight. The depth of his demonization
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  Speaker 4: separated him from God. This was all caused somehow by
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  Speaker 4: his sin. He was far from God, far from other men,
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  Speaker 4: cut off. He was not in his right mind. He
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  Speaker 4: was completely alone and tortured by the enemy. But when
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  Speaker 4: he saw Jesus, the demons within him cowered in fear.
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  Speaker 4: Though many people could not recognize Jesus for who he
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  Speaker 4: was and is, Satan's army had no such confusions. The
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  Speaker 4: demons spoke to Jesus, asking why he had come. Even
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  Speaker 4: in their fallen state, these fallen angels, demons, could not
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  Speaker 4: help but call Jesus who he really was and is
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  Speaker 4: the Son of the Most High God. Jesus responded and
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  Speaker 4: asked the demon's name, to which he responded, Legion, to
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  Speaker 4: indicate there were many evil spirits in this man. Jesus,
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  Speaker 4: once again, with just his words, called the demons out
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  Speaker 4: of the man, sending them into a herd of pigs
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  Speaker 4: that immediately hurled themselves off a cliff. This man was
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  Speaker 4: freed from his torture, but the pig herders weren't too
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  Speaker 4: thrilled at what they had lost. They begged Jesus to
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  Speaker 4: leave because they did not know who he truly was.
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  Speaker 4: The man, now delivered, clothed in his right mind, wanted
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  Speaker 4: to go with Jesus. But Jesus told him to stay
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  Speaker 4: and tell others what the Lord had done for him.
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  Speaker 4: And so the message of God's power to heal the
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  Speaker 4: most demonized and wicked heart spread throughout the Gentile region
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  Speaker 4: as well. Today's reading shows us, as it showed the
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  Speaker 4: disciples then, that Jesus has power to calm the storms
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  Speaker 4: of life, be they storms around us or storms within us.
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  Speaker 4: And as we are transformed by his word, that we
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  Speaker 4: are called to share the good news of Jesus of
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  Speaker 4: what he has done for us. Let's always be ready
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  Speaker 4: to tell people just how good our God is and
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  Speaker 4: what He can do for all who will put their
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  Speaker 4: faith and trust in Him. Thank you for listening to
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  Speaker 4: today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 4: You can download the Pray.com app and make prayer a
• 15:28
  Speaker 4: priority in your life, just like over 20 million people
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  Speaker 4: make an eternal difference in someone's life. And I want
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  Speaker 4: to encourage you to go to jackgram.org. That's me at jackgram.org.
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  Speaker 4: God bless you, and we look forward to joining you
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  Speaker 4: again the next time.