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Speaker 1: For even the Son of Man did not come to

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Speaker 1: be served, but to serve, and to give his life

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Speaker 1: as a ransom for many. Mark 10.45 Dear Lord, Our

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Speaker 1: hearts are stirred by the ultimate example of humility and sacrifice. Jesus,

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Speaker 1: your willingness to serve others rather than to be served,

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Speaker 1: to lay down your life for us, illuminates the path

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Speaker 1: of true greatness in your kingdom. Inspire us with the

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Speaker 1: same spirit of humility. Infuse our hearts with a desire

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Speaker 1: to serve others, not seeking recognition or reward, but motivated

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Speaker 1: by love and compassion. Grant us the courage to follow

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Speaker 1: in Jesus' footsteps. Prioritize the needs of others. and embody

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Speaker 1: your love in our actions. May our lives reflect your

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Speaker 1: humility and selflessness, becoming beacons of hope and agents of

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Speaker 1: change in a world in need. Empower us to serve

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Speaker 1: with joy, to love without limits, and to make a

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Speaker 1: difference in the lives of those around us. In the

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Speaker 1: name of Jesus, our greatest example and source of strength,

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Speaker 1: we pray.

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Speaker 2: Amen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to

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Speaker 1: The Jesus Podcast. Groundbreaking stories of hope inspired by the Gospels.

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Speaker 1: Stay here for a story about a man going against

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Speaker 1: the crowd to reach Jesus. Follow this podcast on whatever

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Speaker 1: platform you're listening to. Doing so will keep you updated,

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Speaker 1: but also help us get discovered by more people. We

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Speaker 1: want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for making that possible. Bartimaeus sat in the shadow

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Speaker 1: of Jericho's bustling gates, where the cacophony of life melded

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Speaker 1: with the whispers of ancient stones. His world was one

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Speaker 1: of perpetual darkness, where the sun's warmth and the breeze's

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Speaker 1: chill were the only signs of day and night. His

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Speaker 1: days were spent begging by the gates, earnestly seeking charity

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Speaker 1: from travelers and merchants. He spoke with other beggars nearby,

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Speaker 1: bonding over their shared struggles. He spent his nights tucked

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Speaker 1: underneath a canopy near the gates, where he and the

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Speaker 1: others huddled together for warmth. They were a weary band

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Speaker 1: of outcasts, forced by pain and fate to stick together.

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Speaker 3: Alms for a blind man.

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus would ask in the darkness as people passed by.

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Speaker 3: Any mercy for a man in need?

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus had nearly forgotten the beauty of a sunset or

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Speaker 1: the splendor of a springtime meadow. All he had known

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Speaker 1: for years was darkness. Little did he know that the

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Speaker 1: light of humanity was walking toward him.

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Speaker 4: Never put godly counsel above the counsel of God. Even

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Speaker 4: our most trusted friends or people who seem to know

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Speaker 4: better than us can give us bad advice. It's good

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Speaker 4: to have people you can hear from but never listen

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Speaker 4: to the words of those that are in contradiction to

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Speaker 4: God's word. Psalm 119, 105 reads this, Your word is

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Speaker 4: a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

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Speaker 4: Let God's word shine above all others and be the

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Speaker 4: guiding principle in your life. Welcome to the Jesus Podcast,

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Speaker 4: a year of stories showcasing the depth of Christ's love

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Speaker 4: and the glory of God's truth. I'm Zach, your host

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Speaker 4: from Pray.com, and I'm excited you're joining us for another

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Speaker 4: story today. Get updates for new episodes by hitting the

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Speaker 4: follow button as we continue to hear stories of how

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Speaker 4: Jesus meets the outcasts. In the Gospel of Matthew, we

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Speaker 4: read a compelling story of Jesus healing a blind man

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Speaker 4: named Bartimaeus. In Mark and Luke, we learn that Bartimaeus

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Speaker 4: had a companion who was also blind and healed at

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Speaker 4: the feet of Jesus. As these two men spent their

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Speaker 4: days in darkness around the gates of Jericho, there didn't

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Speaker 4: seem to be much in life for them save for

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Speaker 4: begging and idly letting the day slip by. What else

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Speaker 4: could you do? That is, until one day they hear

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Speaker 4: the word of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, leaving their

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Speaker 4: very city. With Jesus' fame and renown at its peak,

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Speaker 4: these two men knew that this would be their chance

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Speaker 4: to receive healing from the one who had given sight

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Speaker 4: to the blind of so many others. Today was the

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Speaker 4: day of salvation for them. It was now or never.

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Speaker 4: This is Jesus' final miracle recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark,

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Speaker 4: and Luke before triumphantly entering the city of Jerusalem. In

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Speaker 4: the final moments of Jesus' ministry of healing, he deliberately

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Speaker 4: gives sight to the blind. But this sight is much

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Speaker 4: more than the ability to see in the physical world.

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Speaker 4: This miracle was a shadow of things to come as

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Speaker 4: Jesus opens the eyes of our hearts to see salvation.

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Speaker 1: And what's the baker making today, Bartimaeus?

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Speaker 3: Rosemary loaves with... Ah. dried honeycomb.

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus replied with a smile. His lack of vision had

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Speaker 1: heightened his other senses and given him an appreciation for

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Speaker 1: other beauties. He could hear each unique songbird and knew

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Speaker 1: them by their tunes. He could smell each ingredient in

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Speaker 1: a cake baking in the marketplace. He recognized each generous

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Speaker 1: villager by their footsteps and and knew when to reach

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Speaker 1: out for coins. So when a distant commotion emerged within

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Speaker 1: the city, Bartimaeus perked up with curiosity. The name Jesus

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Speaker 1: fluttered through the air like a leaf caught in a

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Speaker 1: gentle stream, stirring a torrent of hope and desperation within Bartimaeus.

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Speaker 3: Did you hear that?

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus turned to his companion with anxious excitement.

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Speaker 3: Jesus is here in Jericho.

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Speaker 2: Who is Jesus?

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus shook his head in disbelief.

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Speaker 2: You haven't listened to anything for the past year, have you?

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Speaker 2: Stories about Jesus have been whispered and shouted on this

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Speaker 2: road since his sermon in Capernaum. He's healed lepers and

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Speaker 2: given the lame their legs again. He's given sermons about mercy, love,

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Speaker 2: and righteousness. Some people say he's Messiah, the son of David,

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Speaker 2: we've been waiting for.

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus' voice quivered with excitement, his hands shaking as if

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Speaker 1: he could sense Jesus approaching.

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Speaker 3: He's even restored sight to the blind. And he's there

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Speaker 3: in Jericho?

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Speaker 1: How can you be certain?

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Speaker 2: Press your palms against the dirt, my friend. Press your

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Speaker 2: palms against the dirt, my friend. Do you feel the

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Speaker 2: stampede of people approaching the gates? A crowd like that

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Speaker 2: can only mean two things.

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Speaker 1: One.

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Speaker 3: A riot stirred by the zealots. To Jesus of Nazareth.

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Speaker 1: Sure enough, as Bartimaeus spoke those words, a crowd poured

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Speaker 1: out of the city gates. Bartimaeus could feel the electricity

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Speaker 1: surrounding them. Each person was lit up with excitement and wonder.

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Speaker 1: Everyone wanted a glimpse of Jesus, but nobody more than Bartimaeus.

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Speaker 1: He lifted himself onto his feet, steadying himself against the

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Speaker 1: stone wall.

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Speaker 3: I'm going after him.

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus said with a determined spark in his voice. Wary

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Speaker 1: and curious, his companion laid a restraining hand upon his arm. Bartimaeus,

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Speaker 1: think wisely.

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Speaker 3: It sounds like an enormous crowd. You could be trampled,

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Speaker 3: or worse. Is it worth the risk?

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Speaker 1: But Bartimaeus shrugged off the cautionary grip.

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Speaker 3: If I stay here, I remain in darkness.

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Speaker 2: But if I go to him, there might be light.

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Speaker 1: I must try, he stepped forward and added.

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Speaker 3: If you want to see the sunrise again, follow me.

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Speaker 1: With a determination that seemed to lend him sight, Bartimaeus rose,

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Speaker 1: his every step a testament to his unwavering faith. The

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Speaker 1: crowd was like the walls of Jericho in the times

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Speaker 1: of Joshua. unyielding and sturdy. But with faith, Bartimaeus knew

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Speaker 1: his cries would tear the walls down. Bartimaeus took more steps,

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Speaker 1: which soon turned to running. He threw himself into the

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Speaker 1: throng of bodies.

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Speaker 3: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus' voice was like a battering ram, desperately trying to

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Speaker 1: break through to Jesus. His plea, however, was met with hostility.

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Speaker 1: Two men shoved him aside as if they were Jesus'

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Speaker 1: personal guards. They sneered, their hands rough as they thrust

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Speaker 1: him to the ground, but the earth beneath him, beaten

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Speaker 1: and trodden, became holy ground to Bartimaeus. From the dust

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Speaker 1: his cries arose, a defiant roar against the voices of doubt.

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Speaker 3: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.

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Speaker 1: His voice was a shout of pure desperation and faith.

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Speaker 1: He knew his cries would reach the ears of Jesus.

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Speaker 1: He knew that the Messiah had time for the likes

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Speaker 1: of a beggar like him. He knew something profound that

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Speaker 1: these two men didn't. Jesus always heard the outcast. Bartimaeus'

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Speaker 1: legs quivered as he rose to his feet. In defiance,

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Speaker 1: he raised his voice again and stepped forward.

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Speaker 3: Jesus! Son of David!

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Speaker 1: Before he finished, he was tripped into it. A few laughed.

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Speaker 1: Others scoffed. The sound of mockery was like a dagger

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Speaker 1: to his poor heart. But a single voice called out

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Speaker 1: from among them. A voice Bartimaeus had desperately longed to hear.

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Speaker 1: It was gentle. yet imbued with an authority that stilled

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Speaker 1: every heart. Bring him to me, the command brought the

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Speaker 1: crowd to a halt. Everyone was quiet. Bartimaeus could not

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Speaker 1: see it, but could feel the ground shifting beneath him.

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Speaker 1: A way was being made for him to access Jesus.

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Speaker 1: The same men who shoved Bartimaeus to the ground lifted

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Speaker 1: him up and dusted off his clothes.

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Speaker 3: Take heart, my friend. Jesus is calling to you. Quick,

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Speaker 3: we'll escort you to him.

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside, coins spilling from his pockets

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Speaker 1: onto the floor. He ran with blind faith toward Jesus,

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Speaker 1: trusting that he would eventually fall at his feet. Two

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Speaker 1: strong arms stopped him, and in that moment, Bartimaeus knew

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Speaker 1: he was in the presence of Jesus. Murmurs and whispers

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Speaker 1: spread throughout the sea of people. Bartimaeus could hear every

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Speaker 1: one of them. They were voices of doubt and irritation.

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Speaker 1: These sounds had become the backdrop of Bartimaeus' life. He

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Speaker 1: had always felt like an inconvenience.

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Speaker 3: He was a beggar.

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Speaker 1: Therefore, his livelihood depended on interrupting people. The familiar shamed

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Speaker 1: overcame him, causing him to hunch over apologetically. But Jesus

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Speaker 1: spoke again, with a voice unwavering in its gentle strength.

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Speaker 2: Shalom, my friend.

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Speaker 1: Jesus' warm greeting slowly melted away the icy stares of

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Speaker 1: the crowd. Jesus didn't see Bartimaeus as a burden or inconvenience.

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Speaker 1: At that moment, The crowd saw Bartimaeus as Jesus did.

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Speaker 1: A fellow image-bearer of God. Burdened, but filled with untapped potential.

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Speaker 1: What can I do for you? The answer was evident

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Speaker 1: to everyone. But still, Bartimaeus paused to consider the question.

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Speaker 1: He had been a beggar for so long that asking

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Speaker 1: for money had become second nature. He rarely had space

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Speaker 1: to consider desires beyond his next meal or finding shelter.

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Speaker 1: But before Jesus, Bartimaeus could finally think of needs beyond

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Speaker 1: food and safety. Rabbi, he said, his voice a mere whisper,

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Speaker 1: yet carrying the weight of his entire being.

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Speaker 3: I want to see.

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Speaker 1: Jesus said, whose gaze pierced the veils of the night

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Speaker 1: that shrouded Bartimaeus' world, replied with a tenderness that seemed

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Speaker 1: to embrace him, Go, your faith has made you well.

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Speaker 1: At that moment, the scales of darkness fell from Bartimaeus' eyes,

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Speaker 1: and he saw not just the light of day, but

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Speaker 1: the light of the world standing before him. Jesus gestured

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Speaker 1: to the distance, inviting Bartimaeus to look around him. His

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Speaker 1: eyes beamed with delight as he beheld the songbirds and

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Speaker 1: the wildflowers. The world was vibrant again. Bartimaeus looked behind him.

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Speaker 1: His companion, once blind and begging beside him, stood a

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Speaker 1: few paces away, smiling from ear to ear. He had

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Speaker 1: followed Bartimaeus, stepping with his own faith to see Jesus.

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Speaker 1: The two of them laughed and hugged each other. Jesus

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Speaker 1: embraced them. Jesus continued on his way. Bartimaeus followed. The crowd,

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Speaker 1: so sure in their knowledge of Jesus, had been revealed

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Speaker 1: in their actions as strangers to his heart. But Bartimaeus...

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Speaker 1: blind though he may have been, saw Jesus for who

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Speaker 1: he truly was. As he followed Jesus along the road,

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Speaker 1: his path illuminated by the light of faith and sight restored,

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Speaker 1: Bartimaeus knew that it was not just his eyes that

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Speaker 1: had been opened, but the eyes of his heart. And

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Speaker 1: recognizing Jesus, He had found not only physical healing, but

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Speaker 1: the revelation of a love so profound, it sought him

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Speaker 1: out of his darkness and called him into the light.

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Speaker 4: We all have voices that we regularly turn to in

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Speaker 4: moments of doubt, in moments of uncertainty. The teachers who

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Speaker 4: offer us wisdom and insights as we traverse through life.

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Speaker 4: Friends with words of encouragement and affirmation to keep us

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Speaker 4: moving forward. Perhaps parents or loved ones who offer consolation

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Speaker 4: and comfort in dark moments. These voices can be a

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Speaker 4: wonderful blessing in life. The Bible continually reminds us that

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Speaker 4: we have to surround ourselves with good counsel. People who

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Speaker 4: care about us, but people who are also going to

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Speaker 4: tell us the truth, even when it's hard to hear.

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Speaker 4: But we have to know that nobody's perfect, and their

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Speaker 4: words won't be either. Sometimes we get bad advice or

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Speaker 4: find ourselves surrounded by pessimism to give up. It's good

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Speaker 4: to have voices of reason. Until a point. Today's story

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Speaker 4: shows us two men who have the chance for change.

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Speaker 4: The moment they've been waiting for to have their whole

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Speaker 4: lives turned around. Jesus was finally near enough for them

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Speaker 4: to meet him. And if God's favor was upon them,

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Speaker 4: they were near enough for a miraculous healing. Though they

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Speaker 4: had been through the margins of societies as outcasts trapped

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Speaker 4: in a cloak of darkness, Bartimaeus wasn't going to let

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Speaker 4: the negativity of others rob him from his hope. You see,

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Speaker 4: Bartimaeus was desperately grasping for Jesus. The crowds were trying

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Speaker 4: to deny him access. As the crowds pressed towards Jesus

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Speaker 4: and pushed the two blind men to the sidelines of life,

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Speaker 4: Bartimaeus found a boldness to fight against the pessimism to

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Speaker 4: fight against the voices that told him to stay back.

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Speaker 4: Bartimaeus had a boldness to not give up any ground

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Speaker 4: in his endeavor to reach for the Lord Jesus, the

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Speaker 4: son of David. Bartimaeus was putting himself at risk by

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Speaker 4: throwing himself into the crowd. He was at their mercy

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Speaker 4: because he couldn't see anything. He could be pushed and

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Speaker 4: shoved with veracity and they would maybe tramp along over him.

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Speaker 4: The jabs, the pushing, the shoving could have left these

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Speaker 4: two men broken on the floor to be trampled. But

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Speaker 4: despite the risk, Barnabas knew that getting to Jesus was

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Speaker 4: worth it all. Following Jesus requires that we take risks.

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Speaker 4: It's a call to leave behind our old lives. It

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Speaker 4: compels us to combat the things of this world that

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Speaker 4: would try and bring us down. It leads us to

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Speaker 4: places of discomfort and sometimes even danger. But when we

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Speaker 4: choose to follow Jesus, the odds are always in our favor.

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Speaker 4: Whatever path we must take to get to Jesus and

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Speaker 4: follow him, we can be sure of two things. The

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Speaker 4: first is knowing that he will bless us. In Ephesians 1.3,

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Speaker 4: the Apostle Paul writes, Despite whatever we face losing in

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Speaker 4: boldly making our way to Jesus, the blessing on the

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Speaker 4: other side is always worth it. The second thing we

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Speaker 4: can be sure of is knowing that he will empower

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Speaker 4: us for any obstacle that stands in our way. Paul

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Speaker 4: writes to the Philippian church in Philippians 4, I have

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Speaker 4: learned to be content in whatever circumstances. You see, we

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Speaker 4: love Philippians 4.13. We use it on our coffee mugs,

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Speaker 4: our bumper stickers, and frame it on our walls as

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Speaker 4: a mantra that we can do anything by Christ's strength.

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Speaker 4: You see, we love Philippians 4.13. We use it on

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Speaker 4: our coffee mugs, our bumper stickers, and frame it on

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Speaker 4: our walls as a mantra that we can do anything

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Speaker 4: by Christ's strength. But in the context of the passage,

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Speaker 4: we see that this verse is packed with much more

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Speaker 4: of a promise. What Paul has learned in his experience

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Speaker 4: of faith isn't that Jesus is a spiritual vending machine

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Speaker 4: or a wish grantor, allowing him to attain anything his

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Speaker 4: heart desires. Instead, He's learned that the road to following

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Speaker 4: Jesus is narrow, full of twists and turns, highs and lows,

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Speaker 4: suffering and triumph. But through the strength afforded to him

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Speaker 4: through Christ, he was able to endure it all with

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Speaker 4: a boldness and boast about the greatness of God, even

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Speaker 4: amidst great trial and difficulty. As Bartimaeus and his friends

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Speaker 4: weave their way through the crowds, Bartimaeus begins to lift

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Speaker 4: up his voice and shout for Jesus, crying, Jesus, Son

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Speaker 4: of David, have mercy on me. His cry blended in

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Speaker 4: with the hundreds of other voices that were likely calling

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Speaker 4: out to get Jesus' attention. And even though there were

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Speaker 4: some around him who tried to quiet his roar for help,

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Speaker 4: like a lion on the hunt, he couldn't be stopped.

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Speaker 4: He cries out again, Son of David, have mercy on me.

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Speaker 4: It was at this moment that the Lord stopped. There

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Speaker 4: must have been something different in Bartimaeus' call. Perhaps not

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Speaker 4: something perceptible to the ears, but something different in what

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Speaker 4: Jesus perceived in Bartimaeus' heart. A shimmering well of faith,

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Speaker 4: a determination to be near Jesus. This unwavering courage, despite

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Speaker 4: the voices of doubt, seeking God. It was this that

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Speaker 4: caused Jesus to command the people to call the blind

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Speaker 4: man to him. You see, there's going to be a

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Speaker 4: lot of people that tell you to calm down. There's

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Speaker 4: going to be a lot of people that tell you

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Speaker 4: to chill out.

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Speaker 1: There's going to be a.

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Speaker 4: Lot of people telling you that your vigor, your fire,

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Speaker 4: your enthusiasm is just distracting people from the actual mission

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Speaker 4: that's ahead. But there's only one voice that truly matters

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Speaker 4: in the end. And that's the voice of Christ beckoning

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Speaker 4: you forward. We should never let the voices of doubt

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Speaker 4: stop us from being passionate and passionately pursuing Jesus. When

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Speaker 4: we call out to Jesus, whether it's the most meager

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Speaker 4: or humble whisper for help or the strongest in passion shout,

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Speaker 4: Jesus hears us when we call. And he calls back

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Speaker 4: to us saying, come near. There's something truly moving. Don't

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Speaker 4: feed into the lies that tell you to calm down.

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Speaker 4: Don't feed into the negative voices in your life that

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Speaker 4: tell you to stop being so passionate. Jesus wants to

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Speaker 4: hear from you, and he loves your boldness. I remember

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Speaker 4: being in a worship service once, and this worship service

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Speaker 4: was one of the standard worship services you would find

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Speaker 4: in an evangelical church. Some people are singing loud. Some

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Speaker 4: people are singing quietly. Some people are raising their hands.

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Speaker 4: Some people have their hands in their pockets. Everyone worships

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Speaker 4: in their own way. But there was one person in

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Speaker 4: the front who was particularly loud. Now, I would be

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Speaker 4: lying if I said that he wasn't distracting me a bit.

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Speaker 4: You see, he was dancing, he was going up and

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Speaker 4: down the aisles. It wasn't performative. You could just tell

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Speaker 4: that this man was so overwhelmed with joy that he

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Speaker 4: just couldn't help it. He couldn't contain himself. Did he

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Speaker 4: have a few screws loose? Maybe, but that really.

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Speaker 3: Wasn't the point.

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Speaker 4: He was so joyful in the presence of God and

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Speaker 4: he was shouting and he was praying and he was

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Speaker 4: praising to the Lord. And I'll never forget the cynicism

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Speaker 4: I had in my heart. I was thinking, man, who's

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Speaker 4: going to come and calm this guy down? But then

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Speaker 4: the pastor came up. The pastor came up and he

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Speaker 4: was pointing to the man and he said, heaven is

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Speaker 4: going to be filled with people like you, brother. People

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Speaker 4: who can't contain the joy of being in the presence

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Speaker 4: of Jesus. You see, that statement floored me. I was

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Speaker 4: someone who had the attitude of, let's shut this guy up.

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Speaker 4: But then I found a heavenly perspective. This man was

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Speaker 4: overflowing with joy. Now, is there a time and place

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Speaker 4: for everything? Absolutely. Should we be distracting others from worshiping?

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Speaker 4: And there's plenty of moments in scripture where we find

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Speaker 4: that actually being loud and obnoxious is actually the antithesis

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Speaker 4: of what God calls us to do. But in this

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Speaker 4: specific context, it seemed right. This man was overflowing with joy,

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Speaker 4: wanting to be near Jesus.

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Speaker 3: And do you know what?

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Speaker 4: The pastor was right. Heaven is going to be filled

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Speaker 4: with people just like him. Can't contain themselves and can't

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Speaker 4: help but proclaim Jesus from the rooftops. Nobody likes the

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Speaker 4: idea of looking ridiculous by putting ourselves out there only

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Speaker 4: to fall flat on our faces. But we don't have

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Speaker 4: to worry about that happening in our search for God.

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Speaker 4: Hebrews 11.6 reads, And without faith it is impossible to

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Speaker 4: please God. because anyone who comes to him must believe

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Speaker 4: that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly

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Speaker 4: seek him. Our boldness for God will never put us

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Speaker 4: to shame. God rewards our faithful seeking by not hiding himself,

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Speaker 4: but revealing himself to us. And one of the greatest

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Speaker 4: prizes granted to us when that happens is getting to

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Speaker 4: witness the work of God. Being bold before the Lord

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Speaker 4: gives us a front row seat to seeing him at work.

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Speaker 4: Bartimaeus and his friend didn't simply have their sight restored,

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Speaker 4: They got to play a part in one of Jesus'

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Speaker 4: final miracles that affirmed all of his claims to be

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Speaker 4: the Son of God. Where can we find such boldness?

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Speaker 4: The boldness of Bartimaeus. Well, it definitely won't come from

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Speaker 4: within ourselves. If our boldness comes from within, it rises

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Speaker 4: and falls along with us. Lasting boldness is birthed from

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Speaker 4: faith and the Holy Spirit. Knowing and being grounded in

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Speaker 4: who Jesus is and being sustained by the power of

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Speaker 4: God's Spirit. Bartimaeus wasn't bold for a stranger. because he

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Speaker 4: knew who Jesus truly was. And he knew what was

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Speaker 4: to gain if he could push through the doubt, he

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Speaker 4: could push through the cynicism,