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Speaker 1: Let us pray, and he taught saying unto them. Is

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Speaker 1: it not written my house shall be called of all

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Speaker 1: nations the house of prayer, But ye have made it

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Speaker 1: a den of thieves. Mark eleven seventeen. As the truth

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Speaker 1: of Mark eleven and twelve hits my soul. May it

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Speaker 1: serve as a reminder to never allow my life to

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Speaker 1: be as a fake tree. Never allow my life to

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Speaker 1: have the appearance of godliness and the appearance of obedience,

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Speaker 1: when in reality there is no fruit of it in

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Speaker 1: my life. At this moment, I am making the conscious

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Speaker 1: choice to allow my words and my actions to remain

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Speaker 1: in alignment. Give me the boldness to stand up for

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Speaker 1: righteousness like Jesus in the temple court yard, to oppose

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Speaker 1: anything and everything that is counter cultural to the word

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Speaker 1: of God. Let me speak with the authority of Heaven

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Speaker 1: behind me, Let me speak with the love of Jesus

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Speaker 1: within me, and let me speak with a caring heart

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Speaker 1: to restore people back to the rightful place. With you, God,

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Speaker 1: I decree and declare that I will not be intimidated

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Speaker 1: nor silenced by those who give the appearance that they

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Speaker 1: are in power, but who are corrupt in heart and deed.

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Speaker 1: From this moment on, I will live with a full

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Speaker 1: assurance that whatever I speak in your name, I will

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Speaker 1: be able to receive it, because I live in direct

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Speaker 1: obedience to you and your word in Jesus name. Amen,

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Speaker 1: thank you for praying with us to day. Continue your

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Speaker 1: time with God by listening to to day's Bible story

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Speaker 1: brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.

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Speaker 2: Com Den of Thieves. In our last story, we learned

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Speaker 2: about the triumphal entry of Jesus. People made way for

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Speaker 2: Jesus to take over as king of Israel. However, Jesus

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Speaker 2: was not the king they expected. They expected him to

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Speaker 2: sit on a throne and overthrow Rome. However, Jesus was

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Speaker 2: coming to hang on a cross and overthrow Sin. Now

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Speaker 2: we see Jesus rebuking the things that outwardly look holy

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Speaker 2: but are filled with corruption and greed. Inspired by the Gospels.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible

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Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we began, I want

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Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique ebook that's yours

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Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress,

41
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Speaker 3: and my prayer is that it will help you conquer

42
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Speaker 3: the daily ask and pressures and burdens that bring stress

43
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Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free

44
00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,280
Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting Jack Graham dot org slash stress.

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Speaker 3: That's Jack Graham dot org slash stress. In our last episode,

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Speaker 3: we heard how Jesus was anointed by Mary in a

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Speaker 3: generous act of worship that foreshadowed his coming death. We

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Speaker 3: also heard how Jesus entered Jerusalem to much jubilation and

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Speaker 3: celebration before a crowd who sought a military conqueror, a

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Speaker 3: king who would throw off the rule of Rome. But

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Speaker 3: this crowd missed Jesus' true purpose. He came not as

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Speaker 3: a conquering king the first time, but as the suffering

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Speaker 3: savior to give his life for us on the cross,

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Speaker 3: to die and to rise again on the third day.

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Speaker 3: This is the message of the Gospel. It's why Jesus came. Today,

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Speaker 3: we're going to hear Jesus calling out those who have

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Speaker 3: an appearance of righteousness, but in their self righteousness they

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Speaker 3: are far from God God. So let's listen now to

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Speaker 3: the reading of God's word.

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Speaker 2: After Jesus had entered the city of Jerusalem, he was

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Speaker 2: walking with his followers from Bethany. The sun was high

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Speaker 2: in the sky, and the day was long and drawn out.

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Speaker 2: Jesus saw a fig tree in the distance and walked

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Speaker 2: to it so he might have a snack. As he

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Speaker 2: drew closer to the fig tree, he saw that it

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Speaker 2: had no fruit. Its leaves were deep green, and its

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Speaker 2: branches were healthy, but there was no fruit. Jesus looked

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Speaker 2: at the tree for a long moment. He scanned its

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Speaker 2: branches and leaves. Then he whispered, may no one ever

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Speaker 2: eat fruit from you again? And then he walked off.

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Speaker 2: They walked to the temple. Even from a half mile away,

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Speaker 2: the ground shook from the crowds gathered at the temple.

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Speaker 2: The disciples could hear the sound of the money changers

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Speaker 2: and vendors growing louder. They looked at Jesus. They could

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Speaker 2: see intent in his eyes. They had seen this type

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Speaker 2: of anger before. Jesus was about to do another cleansing.

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Speaker 2: He marched through the temple gates and walked up its steps.

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Speaker 2: Jesus looked at an entire market place set up in

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Speaker 2: the only place gentiles could come in worship. Jesus teemed

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Speaker 2: with righteous anger. They sold only the temple animals for sacrifice,

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Speaker 2: keeping the poor from worshiping. They only took a special

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Speaker 2: temple currency, which made the priests money. Once again, men

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Speaker 2: were keeping people from worshiping God with their greed. Jesus

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Speaker 2: wasted no time making a whip like he did last time. Instead,

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Speaker 2: the Son of God leaped into the fray of vendors

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Speaker 2: and flipped over their tables. Jesus displayed an intense strength

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Speaker 2: as he lifted stone altars onto their sides. He went

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Speaker 2: to the table where the money was being changed and

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Speaker 2: flung its wooden frame against the temple walls. Jesus saw

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Speaker 2: that some men were trying to bring their items into

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Speaker 2: the temple. Jesus seized their bags and tossed them aside,

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Speaker 2: forbidding them to enter God's holy house with greedy hands.

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Speaker 2: The whole temple courtyard stirred, and they all looked upon

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Speaker 2: Jesus with fear, respect, and wonder. Jesus's chest heaved with

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Speaker 2: anger as he walked up the temple steps. He looked

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Speaker 2: out into the crowd and yelled, Is it not written

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Speaker 2: that this place should be a place where all are

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Speaker 2: welcome to connect with God? It is supposed to be

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Speaker 2: a house of prayer and love for all nations, poor

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Speaker 2: and rich alike. Jesus looked to the Pharisees who watched

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Speaker 2: him from the corner. He looked them dead in the

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Speaker 2: eye and said, but you have turned it into a

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Speaker 2: den of thieves. The chief priest and his men watched

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Speaker 2: from the lattice of their upper prayer room. They watched

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Speaker 2: Jesus inspired the crowd with wonder and authority.

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Speaker 1: They hated him.

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Speaker 2: They could not stand the truth he spoke. His words

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Speaker 2: challenged their traditions, his actions challenged their authority. They feared him,

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Speaker 2: and when evening came, they conspired against him. Morning dawned

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Speaker 2: and the light shone over Jerusalem like golden arrows. Jesus

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Speaker 2: walked with his disciples in the coolness of the morning.

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Speaker 2: They went back to Bethany to eat and pray. As

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Speaker 2: they passed by, they saw the same fig tree Jesus

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Speaker 2: had cursed the day before. It had withered and died.

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Speaker 2: Its once green leaves were brown and falling into the dust.

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Speaker 2: Peter noticed this first and said, Rabbi, look at the tree.

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Speaker 2: It has dyed. Jesus nodded and pointed it out to

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Speaker 2: his followers. Have faith in God, my friends, pray to

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Speaker 2: him with conviction and confidence in his goodness. Whoever says

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Speaker 2: to a mountain move, we'll see it move only do

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Speaker 2: not be double minded. Believe in what you have received,

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Speaker 2: and when you pray, make sure to also forgive others.

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Speaker 2: Jesus and his disciples walked away from the tree, but

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Speaker 2: Peter looked back to observe it once more. In many ways,

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Speaker 2: the brown leaves were the true representation of what the

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Speaker 2: tree really was. It bore no fruit, so it might

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Speaker 2: as well have been dead. For many people may look

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Speaker 2: outwardly alive, but within they are dead and bear no fruit.

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Speaker 3: As we begin today, Jesus is walking with his followers

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Speaker 3: outside of Jerusalem in Bethany. He was hungry, so he

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Speaker 3: approached a fig tree, and from a distance the tree

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Speaker 3: looked healthy with leaves that covered the branches, but upon

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Speaker 3: closer inspection, the tree had no fruit. Jesus spoke to

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Speaker 3: the tree, saying, may no fruit ever come from you again.

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Speaker 3: Jesus once again entered Jerusalem, just as he had before.

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Speaker 3: The temple was infested with greedy, dishonest money changers and

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Speaker 3: merchants who were in effect con artists, cheating the people.

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Speaker 3: This angered the Lord. God's house was intended to be

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Speaker 3: a place of prayer, a place where people could find forgiveness.

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Speaker 3: But rather than helping people worship God by selling animals

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Speaker 3: for sacrifices at reasonable prices, these merchants were taking advantage

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Speaker 3: of those who came to seek God. We should never

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Speaker 3: presume that the gentleness of Christ, the kindness of Christ,

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Speaker 3: is equal to weakness or permissiveness, and today's reading is

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Speaker 3: a clear example of this. Seeing the wickedness and greed

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Speaker 3: on display in the temple courts, Jesus rushed into the

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Speaker 3: temple and began overturning tables and driving out the money changers.

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Speaker 3: He would fiercely protect the house of his father. And

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Speaker 3: in Mark eleventh, seventeen to eighteen, here's what we read.

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Speaker 3: And he was teaching them and saying to them, is

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Speaker 3: it not written my house shall be called a house

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Speaker 3: of prayer for all the nations, But you have made

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Speaker 3: it a den of robbers. And the chief priest and

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Speaker 3: the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to

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Speaker 3: destroy him, for they feared him because all the crowd

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Speaker 3: was astonished at his teaching God's house. God's temple is

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Speaker 3: to be a place for all the nations. Yes, Israel

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Speaker 3: had a special part in God's plan, but his desire

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Speaker 3: is that all would know him and worship him and

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Speaker 3: seek him. The good news of Jesus Christ is for

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Speaker 3: all people of all nations, that includes our neighbors and

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Speaker 3: the nations of the world. Just as Israel was meant

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Speaker 3: to point the nations to God, we also are to

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Speaker 3: point others to Jesus. Because we are his witnesses and

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Speaker 3: because we have experienced his love and grace in our lives,

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Speaker 3: we want to tell this good news to others. We

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Speaker 3: want everyone we know, and even people we don't know,

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Speaker 3: to know who Jesus is and how to find salvation

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Speaker 3: in him. The Pharisees and other religious leaders watched on

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Speaker 3: as Jesus taught the people. They were afraid of his power,

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Speaker 3: and so they hated him. So they amped up their

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Speaker 3: efforts to get rid of him and begins conspiring to

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Speaker 3: have him killed. The next day, is the disciples and

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Speaker 3: Jesus walked back along the countryside. They saw the fig

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Speaker 3: tree that Jesus had cursed. It did not look like

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Speaker 3: the healthy tree full of leaves that they seen before.

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Speaker 3: Its branches withered and the leaves had turned brown and died.

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Speaker 3: Peter noticed it and pointed it out in surprise. Despite

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Speaker 3: all they had seen Jesus do, they were still amazed

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Speaker 3: by his power to do anything he chose to do.

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Speaker 3: Jesus replied to Peter and the others that they must

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Speaker 3: have faith in God and not doubt. Their faith would

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Speaker 3: enable them to do even greater things that Jesus was doing.

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Speaker 3: And because we can do it together in the power

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Speaker 3: of the Holy Spirit. God does great things and even

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Speaker 3: greater things through us the disciples and all of us

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Speaker 3: can move mountains by faith when we pray and trust

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Speaker 3: in a God, the Savior, who can do anything. Dear Lord,

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Speaker 3: we know that our bodies are the temple of the

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Speaker 3: Holy Spirit according to the scriptures, and that you want

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Speaker 3: the temples to be cleaned our temples, So Lord, remove

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Speaker 3: anything in our lives, Drive out anything in our lives

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Speaker 3: that is dishonoring to you that your temple would be

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Speaker 3: a place of prayer, that we would be people of prayer.

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Speaker 3: And help us to remember that by your power, the

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Speaker 3: power of Jesus alive in us, that we can do anything.

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Speaker 3: We can move mountains according to your will in Jesus' name. Amen,

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Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible Any Year podcast.

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Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about

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Speaker 3: a unique ebook that's yours to download absolutely free today.

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Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress, and my prayer is

202
00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:31,439
Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily task and

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Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download

204
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Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by

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Speaker 3: visiting Jack Graham dot org slash stress. That's Jagraham dot

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Speaker 3: org slash stress