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Speaker 1: Let us pray. But Abraham said, son, remember that thou

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Speaker 1: in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus

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Speaker 1: evil things. But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

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Speaker 1: Luke sixteen twenty five. When I look at everything You've

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Speaker 1: blessed me with in my life, Lord, I stand in

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Speaker 1: awe and reverence at all the times You've come through

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Speaker 1: for me, and for all the times you've lavished me

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Speaker 1: with provision. As I think about to day's story from Luke,

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Speaker 1: I'm reminded through the life of the rich Glutton that

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Speaker 1: the purpose for blessing is to be a blessing to others.

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Speaker 1: May my life be first known by my love for

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Speaker 1: you God, then second by the generosity I lived by.

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Speaker 1: With every new year, I will not ask how how

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Speaker 1: much I can make. I will ask instead how much

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Speaker 1: I can give. With this paradigm shift, I acknowledge that

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Speaker 1: blessing and abundance are a by product of my generous heart.

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Speaker 1: For the life of the stingy gets smaller and smaller,

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Speaker 1: while the life of the generous gets larger and larger.

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Speaker 1: Because I am a change agent, I am always in

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Speaker 1: tune with the needs of your children Lord, whether time, talents,

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Speaker 1: or treasures, I will give where I can because You've

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Speaker 1: blessed me so much. In Jesus's name. Amen, thank you

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Speaker 1: for praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible

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Speaker 1: Bible story brought to you by Bible in a Year

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Speaker 1: dot com.

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Speaker 2: The Rich Glutton and Poor Lazarus. In our last story,

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Speaker 2: we learned about Jesus's provision over Peter's taxes. Jesus also

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Speaker 2: gave a stiff warning to those who would threaten the innocence.

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Speaker 1: Of a child.

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Speaker 2: Now we hear a story told by Jesus, a story

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Speaker 2: that has an eternal lesson with great consequences, as inspired

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Speaker 2: by the Gospels.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, we heard

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Speaker 3: how Jesus taught Peter about the freedom we have as

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Speaker 3: children of God, and we discovered the upside down nature

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Speaker 3: of God's kingdom, where the way up is down, where

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Speaker 3: humility and servanthood is a strength rather than a weakness.

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Speaker 3: So today we'll hear as Jesus tells a story that

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Speaker 3: reveals more of God's heart and speaks to the eternal

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Speaker 3: implications of our faith. In this life and in the

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Speaker 3: life to come. Let's listen now to the Gospel.

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Speaker 2: Jesus sat among his disciples by the fire. The coals

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Speaker 2: glowed under the darkness above them. They ate beside the flames,

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Speaker 2: and Jesus told them parables and stories to illustrate heavenly meaning.

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Speaker 2: There was once a wealthy man. He was clothed in

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Speaker 2: fine linens, fat and content. He lavished in his chambers,

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Speaker 2: consuming fine meats and cheeses to fill his gullet. Crumbs

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Speaker 2: littered the floor of his dining hall and were picked

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Speaker 2: up by the dogs and rats. His wealth made him comfortable,

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Speaker 2: His comfort made him lazy, and his laziness made him selfish.

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Speaker 2: Only a few yards away, at the gates of the

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Speaker 2: rich man's property was a poor man named Lazarus. He

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Speaker 2: laid at the gate, nursing the sores on his feet.

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Speaker 2: Lazarus was hungry, thin, and sickly. Every night he would

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Speaker 2: dream of feasting on the crumbs that fell from the

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Speaker 2: rich man's table. Every day, the rich man would pass

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Speaker 2: by him, belly full in eyes forward. Lazarus was invisible

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Speaker 2: to the wealthy man. The only companions he had were

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Speaker 2: the dogs that licked the sores on his feet. On

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Speaker 2: one cold and dark evening, Lazarus was shivering outside the gate.

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Speaker 2: He lay on his side, eyes fixed on the warm

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Speaker 2: fire that could be seen from the window. Lazarus could

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Speaker 2: see the rich man gorging himself on fruits, meats, and bread.

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Speaker 2: His bones quivered from the frosty night. As Lazarus lay

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Speaker 2: on the cold ground, his heart began to beat slower

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Speaker 2: and slower, until eventually he drifted off into a deep sleep.

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Speaker 2: That night, alone and hungry, Lazarus died and was carried

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Speaker 2: by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man died

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Speaker 2: not too long after, no doubt, due to his plutony. However,

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Speaker 2: he was not embraced by angels. Rather, he was cast

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Speaker 2: out into the dark depths of Hades. There he was

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Speaker 2: tormented with hunger and thirst. In his discomfort, the rich

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Speaker 2: man cried out to Abraham, saying, Father, Abraham, have mercy

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Speaker 2: on me. Then he peered into the light above. In

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Speaker 2: the windows of Abraham's house, he could see Lazarus drinking

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Speaker 2: the cool water of heaven and feasting. Please, the rich

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Speaker 2: man shouted, send Lazarus to dip his finger in the water,

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Speaker 2: so I might have one drop. But Abraham shook his

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Speaker 2: head and said, remember your life, my child. Remember that

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Speaker 2: you received only good things and shared none of it,

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Speaker 2: but Lazarus only received bad. Now he dwells in comfort,

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Speaker 2: and you are the one who suffers. The once rich

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Speaker 2: man anguished in his hunger and pain, he looked up

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Speaker 2: to Abraham, gasping for every breath. Please, Father, send Lazarus

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Speaker 2: to my family's home, war my father and brothers of

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Speaker 2: this punishment. Abraham shook his head again and said, they

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Speaker 2: have the prophets in Moses to guide them in how

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Speaker 2: to live and treat others, just as you did. But

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Speaker 2: if someone were to come from the dead and warn them,

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Speaker 2: perhaps they would listen. The man responded, Abraham began to

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Speaker 2: shut the gates between them and said, if they were

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Speaker 2: unwilling to listen to the word of God himself, surely

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Speaker 2: they would not be convinced if someone rose from the dead.

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Speaker 2: And with those words, the rich man was shut away forever.

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Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins with Jesus telling the disciples a story.

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Speaker 3: It's a parable. It's interesting to note that of all

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Speaker 3: the parables Jesus told, this one is unique in that

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Speaker 3: he named one of the characters. It was a man

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Speaker 3: named Lazarus. The meaning of this man's name is God

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Speaker 3: Will Help, which may seem an odd choice given the

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Speaker 3: man's condition. Lazarus, you see, had nothing and no one.

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Speaker 3: He lived in hunger, cold, and pain. Dogs would come

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Speaker 3: to lick his swords, surely compounding his pain, his suffering,

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Speaker 3: and his humiliation. Why would such a man be given

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Speaker 3: a name like God Will Help? Lazarus lived outside the

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Speaker 3: gates of a rich man's home. He isn't given a name,

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Speaker 3: that is, the rich man is not given a name.

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Speaker 3: But it seems he has everything that he needs, the

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Speaker 3: best clothes made of fine linen, and delicious, sumptuous food

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Speaker 3: to enjoy. But as we all know, death is no

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Speaker 3: respect of wealth, or position or power. And so one

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Speaker 3: day Jesus said, both of the men died, and just

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Speaker 3: as in life, their condition could not have been more different.

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Speaker 3: Their condition and death was polar opposite of one another.

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Speaker 3: Lazarus went to the bosom of Abraham, a place of

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Speaker 3: rest for those who followed God and obeyed his commandments.

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Speaker 3: In an instant, his life was changed. The hunger, the thirst,

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Speaker 3: the pain was gone, and he entered a place of

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Speaker 3: peace and comfort. This is like heaven. The rich man, howe, however,

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Speaker 3: went to Hades, where he lived in punishment and pain

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Speaker 3: outside of Paradise. Jesus then said, the rich man called

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Speaker 3: from his place of torment to Abraham, asking for just

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Speaker 3: a bit of comfort. If Lazars could just dip his

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Speaker 3: finger in water and place just to drop on his tongue,

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Speaker 3: to get one moment of respite from his anguish and torment, This,

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Speaker 3: my friends, is hell. Of course, it is impossible for

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Speaker 3: him to be comforted in hell. Abraham reminded the man

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Speaker 3: of the comfort and pleasures he enjoyed in life, and

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Speaker 3: the suffering that the other man, the poor man Lazarus,

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Speaker 3: had endured. Though Abraham did not say so specifically, we

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Speaker 3: can understand that in life this man was indifferent to

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Speaker 3: the pain of others. Surely he would have seen and

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Speaker 3: even heard Lazarus outside his gates, and yet he nor

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Speaker 3: no one else provided for the poor man. The only

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Speaker 3: comfort Lazarus had was God's comfort. Indeed, as his name suggests,

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Speaker 3: God will help. Abraham also pointed out that there was

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Speaker 3: a great chasm separating the two places, reaching him would

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Speaker 3: simply be impossible. At this point, he was beyond hope.

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Speaker 3: You see, we are all separated from God by this

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Speaker 3: great divide in life. There is only one who can

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Speaker 3: cross it, and that one is Jesus, who brings us

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Speaker 3: to the Father. He died on a cross to bridge

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Speaker 3: the chasm between heaven and Hell. He bridges the separation

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Speaker 3: between us and God, just as it was true for

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Speaker 3: the rich man in death. There is no hope for

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Speaker 3: those who have rejected God, those who have turned their

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Speaker 3: back on Jesus. The choice is made and fate is final.

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Speaker 3: This is why we must be so urgent and sharing

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Speaker 3: the Gospel, the good news of Jesus with our friends

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Speaker 3: and family, and even strangers we meet who are separated

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Speaker 3: from God and need the hope that we know in Christ.

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Speaker 3: The rich man then made another request, if Lazarth could

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Speaker 3: just return to his family's home and warn them that

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Speaker 3: they might not come to this terrible place of separation

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Speaker 3: from God. He was desperate to save his loved ones

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Speaker 3: from this eternal fate, but it was too late. Abraham

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Speaker 3: then replied that they have Moses and the prophets, that

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Speaker 3: they should listen to them. That wasn't enough for this man.

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Speaker 3: He protested, saying that if someone could just return from

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Speaker 3: the dead, they would repent for you and me. With

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Speaker 3: the benefit of hindsight, we can see the foreshadowing of

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Speaker 3: this statement, and we can understand the hard truth in

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Speaker 3: Abraham's response. For in Luke sixteen thirty one we read

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Speaker 3: he said to him, if they do not hear Moses

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Speaker 3: and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone

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Speaker 3: should rise from the dead. Jesus knew that he himself

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Speaker 3: would one day soon die and then rise from the dead,

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Speaker 3: and many who had failed to see God's truth pointing

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Speaker 3: them to the Law and the prophets would also fail

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Speaker 3: to believe in him, even though he rose from the grave. Ultimately,

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Speaker 3: Lazarus name reminds us, Yes, God will help. He'll help

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Speaker 3: us in this life to find comfort even in the

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Speaker 3: most dire and deathly of circumstances. And He's provided the

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Speaker 3: true help, the everlasting help. We need, the Savior who

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Speaker 3: can open Heaven's doors with nail scarred hands through his

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Speaker 3: death and resurrection. But we must believe in him by

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Speaker 3: repenting of our sin and putting our faith in Christ

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Speaker 3: and Christ's alone. He is the help we need. He

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Speaker 3: is the hope that we have in this life and

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Speaker 3: in the life to come. And if you want this

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Speaker 3: brand new life, why not where you are right now,

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Speaker 3: bow your head and pray a prayer like this. Dear God,

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Speaker 3: I thank you for loving me, for sending your son

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Speaker 3: into the world to be my savior. I believe Jesus

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Speaker 3: that you died and rose again and that you're coming

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Speaker 3: again for me. And I trust you as my Lord

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Speaker 3: and my savior. Lord. I give you my heart. I

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Speaker 3: will follow you by the power of your spirit all

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Speaker 3: the days of my life. Amen. Thank you for listening

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Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham

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Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. You can download the pray dot Com

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Speaker 3: app and make prayer a priority in your life, just

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Speaker 3: like over twenty million people have done to this date.

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Speaker 3: If you enjoy this podcast, share it with someone you

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Speaker 3: know and love, because by sharing this message of the

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Speaker 3: Word of God, you can make an eternal difference in

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Speaker 3: someone's life. And I want to encourage you to go

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Speaker 3: to Jack Graham dot org. That's me at Jack Graham

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Speaker 3: dot org. We have resources available to you. God bless you,

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Speaker 3: and we look forward to joining you again the next

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Speaker 3: time