Would you like to build and
strengthen your relationship
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with God?
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Then stay tuned for this
edition of Walking With Jesus.
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Thank you for joining me
for this, our first program
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in this series.
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You may be asking yourself, what
am I going to get out of this
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series of programs?
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How are they
going to benefit me?
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Is there something here for
me to learn; something that's
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relevant for me
in today's world?
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Before I answer those
questions I'd first like to ask
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you something.
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Have you noticed the increase
in frequency and devastation
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from wars, famine, starvation,
earthquakes, hurricanes,
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and tornados?
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How about from forest fires
and floods, disease, sickness,
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and poverty?
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And all of these things
happening like never before
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all around the world.
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If you've noticed these things,
you've probably already sensed
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that something big is going to
happen soon because this world
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simply can't survive
like this much longer.
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Now I'd like to answer those
questions you may have by simply
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saying this: what you're going
to get out of this series is a
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deeper understanding
and knowledge of Jesus,
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and of knowing God's
will for you in your life.
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This knowledge, if accepted
and applied to your life,
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will bring you to the salvation
of God, leading you to an
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eternal life with Him; a life of
peace, love, happiness, and joy.
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If this sounds like something
you want, or would like to have
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more of in your life, then,
yes, these programs are relevant
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for you today.
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Many people struggle to find
a loving God in this world of
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sickness and turmoil.
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I've often said a person can
see God's great love for mankind
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in nature.
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Just think
about it for a minute.
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God could have created
all the grass, trees, shrubs,
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and flowers all the same color.
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They could have been created
with the same texture and aroma.
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Life on earth could have
been a world of black and white,
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or various shades of grey.
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Not only that, but God could
have made every person the same.
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He could have made us all with
the same hair, the same color
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eyes, the same skin.
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What do you think about that?
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How would you like to live
in a world where everyone looked
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the same?
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What a drab and
boring planet this would be.
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God's love for mankind can
also be seen in the food we eat.
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Look at the many
different fruits there are;
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each with it's own
unique taste and aroma.
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Just think about the pleasure
you have when you bite into a
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delicious apple, or a succulent
pear, or a mango, or an orange,
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or a grape, or a plum, or...
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Well, you get the picture.
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The point is this: God had
mankind in mind when He created
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our food.
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God wants to bestow good things
upon us because He loves us.
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He has given us the crystal
blue waters of the Caribbean,
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the gorgeous red sunsets of the
West, and the brilliant colors
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of the New
England Autumn leaves.
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However, this world has been
marred by sin, and even the most
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pristine areas of this world,
never touched by human hands,
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can't compare to the beauties
of heaven which God has in store
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for those who love Him.
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God has done everything
He can to show us His love.
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He placed our first parents,
Adam and Eve, in the Garden
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of Eden.
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A garden full of such beauty
that no one's description of it
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could possibly do it justice.
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This garden was also a holy
place; a place where God would
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meet Adam and Eve and
communicate His love to them.
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For Adam and Eve it was a
place of splendor and joy,
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one of variety and
color, taste and sound.
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Then one day everything
changed in the garden.
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You see my friend, an angel
in heaven became jealous of God
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and wanted to be
like God himself.
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He sought to paint a
vastly different picture of God.
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He wanted the universe to
believe that God is unjust
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and always looking to exact
punishment from His people.
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This angel's name was Lucifer,
and we know him today as Satan.
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Lucifer, or Satan, rebelled
against God and spread lies
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and suspicion
among the other angels.
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Lucifer wasn't satisfied
with the high position that God
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had given him.
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Instead he wanted
to be like God Himself.
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The book of Ezekiel
28:14, 15 gives us the following
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description of Lucifer.
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It says:
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Yes, an angel who was
created and ordained by God,
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one who experienced firsthand
His endless love, is the very
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one in whom
wickedness and rebellion began.
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So what's a loving God to
do in a situation like this?
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Well, He could have simply
destroyed Lucifer and wiped out
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this evil seed of rebellion
that was growing in the ranks
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of the angels.
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But that would have only caused
the remaining angels to serve
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God out of fear for
their very existence.
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This kind of action goes
against the loving nature of God
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for He doesn't
force Himself upon anyone.
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He doesn't desire service
or worship based on fear,
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but rather that
which is based on love.
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In rebelling against God Lucifer
was challenging the moral laws
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which govern God's holy kingdom.
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These very laws portray
God's character and His justice
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to the world.
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So God did the only thing that
He could do to demonstrate His
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great love, His justice,
and His mercy throughout
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all of the universe,
for all time to come,
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and for all to see.
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God was patient with Lucifer.
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He had hoped that He would
change his ways, but the day
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came when Lucifer caused a
war to break out in heaven.
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At this time Jesus cast
Lucifer, and the other angels
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which Lucifer deceived,
out of the heavenly kingdom.
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It was now time for the whole
world to vindicate the character
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of God, to know that
Lucifer himself is the tyrant
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that he would have
others believe God to be.
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So how do we know for
ourselves what God is like?
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Well, one way we can know is to
read God's book the Holy Bible.
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In doing this we have the
opportunity to examine the
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testimony of those who have
a close relationship with Him,
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and the person who was closest
to God the Father was His
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Son Jesus.
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When Jesus was asked to show His
Father to His disciples He said
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in John 14:8, 9 If you've
seen me you've seen the Father.
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In other words, if you've
seen the way I treat others;
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the way that I show sympathy
and mercy to those in need;
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the way that I've worked to
relieve pain, and suffering,
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and sickness; if you've
seen My character in these deeds
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then, Jesus says, you've
seen the character of My Father.
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The love of God towards us
softens and subdues our hearts.
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His love for mankind has caused
millions of people throughout
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all of time to return their
love to Him, so much so that
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they would rather die
than to sin against Him.
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These people cling onto
their Bibles and they won't
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give them up even though they
might face ridicule, or torture,
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or imprisonment,
or even death itself.
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So right about now you might
be thinking, If God is so loving
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then why do millions
of people die every year?
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Why doesn't God do
something about it? you ask.
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Well, that's a good question,
and the answer has to do with
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free will or free choice.
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God will not force
someone to love Him.
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Likewise Satan cannot force
someone to harm someone else.
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Both situations
require an individuals consent.
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We either consent to follow
a loving God, or we consent to
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turn away from Him, and
in so doing we follow Satan.
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It really is as
black and white as that.
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In the end there's only
two groups of people: those who
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follow God, and
those who do not.
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This brings us to the
heart of our message today.
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Just how do we find the power
to choose God and to follow Him
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rather than reject
God and follow Satan?
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Where do we find the power
to break the hold over doing
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what feels good simply
because that's what everyone
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else is doing?
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Friend, the good news is
that God has already made a way
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for us to do this, and He's
done it out of His compassionate
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heart towards us.
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He's done it out of His
great love for each and every
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one of us.
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Here's how God broke the power
of Satan and has shown to the
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entire world His
great love for mankind.
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1 Peter 1:18-21
says the following:
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You see, friend, the
reason Jesus came to this world
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was to show us the way back
to the Father, and this was no
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after thought on
God's part either.
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The text that we just read
said that the plan was for Jesus
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to do this.
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It was formulated from before
the foundation of the world.
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That is before God created the
world and placed mankind in it.
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In describing His earthly
mission Jesus said in Luke 4:18
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that He was anointed of God to
preach the gospel to the poor;
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that He was sent to
heal the broken hearted;
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to preach
deliverance to the captives;
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to recover the
sight of the blind;
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and to set at liberty
those who were bruised.
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You could say that the work
of Jesus was to undo that which
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Satan had done.
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He went about doing
good, healing those whom Satan
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had oppressed.
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In fact we're told that Jesus
went through entire villages,
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going from house to house,
and healing all of their sick.
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Now that's a loving God!
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Let me ask you a question.
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How many times have you seen
your doctor, or any other doctor
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that you know, that would
go through the entire town
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and heal everyone
within it without pay?
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The heart of Jesus went
out to the children of men.
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He took on man's nature that
He might identify with the needs
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and sorrows of mankind,
that He might uplift man,
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and restore him to an
intimate relationship with God
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the Father.
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Within the book Steps to Christ
page 3 we find this passage:
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But a life of doing good
was only part of what Jesus did
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to show us God's love.
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This He did to meet our
immediate needs while He was
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here on this earth.
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What He did to meet our eternal
needs was a far greater sign
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of God's love than
you and I can imagine.
00:12:26.62\00:12:29.04
You see the plan, which
was laid before the foundation
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of the world, was to
bring salvation and eternal life
00:12:32.73\00:12:36.32
to God's people.
00:12:36.35\00:12:37.41
This plan to restore the sinner
to God, to give lost man eternal
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life, would require
the life of God Himself.
00:12:42.36\00:12:45.66
None but the spotless Son
of God could make atonement
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for our sins.
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If you break down that
word, atonement, you will see
00:12:50.36\00:12:54.55
three words.
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Those words are:
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Or in this case, to
be made at one with God.
00:12:58.29\00:13:00.89
That's the significance
of Jesus' death on the cross
00:13:00.93\00:13:04.13
of Calvary.
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His death provides the way for
lost man to be at one with God.
00:13:05.14\00:13:09.26
Jesus died that we might live.
00:13:09.29\00:13:11.64
The Bible says, "Greater love
has no man than to give his life
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for his friend. "
00:13:15.85\00:13:16.82
This is what Jesus
did for the entire world.
00:13:16.83\00:13:19.70
This is what Jesus
did for you and for me.
00:13:19.74\00:13:22.73
Even if you were the only one
on earth, Jesus would have died
00:13:22.77\00:13:26.75
just for you.
00:13:26.78\00:13:27.76
This can only be attributed
to the fact that God is love,
00:13:27.79\00:13:31.60
and that God loves you no
less than He loves anyone else.
00:13:31.63\00:13:35.44
Now there's a lot
more to be said here,
00:13:35.47\00:13:38.08
but we're out of time.
00:13:38.12\00:13:39.18
So until we meet again we will
be praying for you, and for your
00:13:39.22\00:13:43.72
loved ones, that you may
be found walking with Jesus.
00:13:43.75\00:13:48.40
We grow in our walk with Jesus
each time we read the Bible
00:13:49.83\00:13:54.46
and practice what we learn.
00:13:54.49\00:13:56.43
By doing this you will see
it makes all the difference
00:13:56.47\00:14:00.61
in the world.
00:14:00.64\00:14:01.61
Join us again for our next
program in this series called
00:14:01.62\00:14:05.98
Our Need Of Jesus.
00:14:06.01\00:14:07.85