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Christmas Morning · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold,
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  Speaker 1: the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall
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  Speaker 1: call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7.14 Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, God
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  Speaker 1: with us. We thank you for coming down in human likeness,
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  Speaker 1: for fulfilling prophecies, and for providing us with a relationship
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  Speaker 1: that transcends our understanding. Help us to grasp the depth
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  Speaker 1: of your love and the significance of your birth. May
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  Speaker 1: our lives reflect the humility and purity you demonstrated as
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  Speaker 1: a child. And may we embrace the new beginning you offer.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Stars blanketed the night sky like white paint scattered across
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  Speaker 3: a dark canvas. Ruling among the candescent lights was a
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  Speaker 3: new star fixed above Bethlehem. It shone brighter than the others,
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  Speaker 3: its radiance mimicking that of the moon. The silvery gleams
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  Speaker 3: trickled downward like a stream from a mountain. Under the
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  Speaker 3: lights was the stable carved in the hill behind the inn.
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  Speaker 3: Joseph made a space for Mary to give birth. Time
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  Speaker 3: was of the essence. He frantically swept and laid out
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  Speaker 3: some blankets the innkeeper had given him. He turned to
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  Speaker 3: his wife, whose back was against the stone walls. Joseph
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  Speaker 3: sighed and shook his head. I'm sorry, Mary.
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  Speaker 1: This will have to do.
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  Speaker 3: Mary held her lower back and belly and inched her
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  Speaker 3: way towards him. I'm ready, she sighed. She winced in pain.
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  Speaker 3: and had Joseph help her onto the blankets. Everything smelled
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  Speaker 3: like hay and soot, and the breeze wafting in from
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  Speaker 3: the outside carried with it the scent of sheep dung.
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  Speaker 3: Mary couldn't help but chuckle. She leaned back and wondered
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  Speaker 3: why the Lord was working in this way. She had
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  Speaker 3: so many questions, but the sudden contractions drowned out her thoughts.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, he's coming, Joseph. He's coming.
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  Speaker 3: Mary clenched her fists. and with quiet determination, began to push.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year podcast. Christmas isn't just about the
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  Speaker 4: birth of a child in Bethlehem. It's the awe-inspiring story
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  Speaker 4: of God coming down on the likeness of man, a
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  Speaker 4: theme heralded in the title Emmanuel, which means God with us.
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  Speaker 4: Do you ever pause to consider what thrills God? Looking
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  Speaker 4: at the entirety of Scripture reveals that God finds joy
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  Speaker 4: in being among his people. He was in the garden
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  Speaker 4: with Adam and Eve. He followed Abraham's family. He dwelled
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  Speaker 4: with the Hebrews in the tabernacle. Then he dwelled in
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  Speaker 4: the temple among the people of Israel. The incarnation of
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  Speaker 4: Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God's joyous pursuit of humanity.
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  Speaker 4: Let this episode remind everyone that God wants to be
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  Speaker 4: with you. He wants to transform your life, to fill
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  Speaker 4: you with His Spirit, and to guide you daily toward
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  Speaker 4: His kingdom. This episode will give us an intimate glimpse
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  Speaker 4: into the birth of Christ. Mary and Joseph behold the
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  Speaker 4: newborn King and experience awe, confusion, wonder, and excitement. The
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  Speaker 4: birth of Christ invites us into all these feelings. It's
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  Speaker 4: a truly baffling thing that the God of all creation
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  Speaker 4: would humble himself in the likeness of a helpless baby.
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  Speaker 4: Without further ado, let's listen to this cinematic retelling of
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  Speaker 4: the birth of Christ. Afterward, we'll reflect on the joys
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  Speaker 4: of Christmas.
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  Speaker 3: The stable was dark, only slightly lit by the oil
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  Speaker 3: lamp hanging over Mary and Joseph. Mary's quiet and determined
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  Speaker 3: breaths echoed through the stables. Beads of sweat like pearls
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  Speaker 3: descended down her brow.
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  Speaker 2: Is this a blessing or a curse?
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  Speaker 1: She murmured to herself.
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  Speaker 3: However, she knew it was a blessing. She knew what
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  Speaker 3: awaited her on the other side of her anguish. God
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  Speaker 3: had foretold this day, and she was determined to step
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  Speaker 3: into the promised hope. At her side was Joseph, reassuring
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  Speaker 3: and steady. Hour after hour, Mary strained. Finally, her shrieks
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  Speaker 3: of distress were replaced with the tender whimpers of her
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  Speaker 3: newborn son. Joseph wrapped him in his arms and wiped
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  Speaker 3: him with woven wool. He stared into the child's eyes.
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  Speaker 3: There was nothing different about him. There were no lights
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  Speaker 3: radiating from his eyes or humming of heavenly hosts behind him.
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  Speaker 3: He was a baby, crying and taking in the newness
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  Speaker 3: of life. But as Joseph cradled him in his arms...
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  Speaker 3: He knew without a doubt this child was exceptional, chosen, blessed.
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  Speaker 3: All the turmoil, danger, and chaos he had to endure
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  Speaker 3: was worth it for the sake of this treasure he
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  Speaker 3: held in his hands.
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  Speaker 1: We already know his name, he.
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  Speaker 3: Said to Mary. Mary reached for her son and cradled
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  Speaker 3: him in her arms. She stroked his face.
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  Speaker 2: His name will be Jesus, she whispered. The Lord save.
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  Speaker 3: Mary pressed Jesus against her chest and cried joyfully. He
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  Speaker 3: was the fulfillment of God's promise to humanity, the good
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  Speaker 3: shepherd of Israel, the savior of the world. But at
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  Speaker 3: that moment, under the chilly night sky, he was Mary's baby.
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  Speaker 3: A heart fluttered at the sound of his whimpers. Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: she whispered again.
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  Speaker 2: Welcome.
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  Speaker 3: Joseph crouched beside Mary and the two stared at the
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  Speaker 3: child with doting eyes. It was a baffling thing to behold.
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  Speaker 3: God himself, the maker of the stars, the masters of
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  Speaker 3: the sea, was with them, among them. The prophecy told
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  Speaker 3: by Isaiah rang in their minds like wedding bells. Therefore
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  Speaker 3: the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a
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  Speaker 3: virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call
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  Speaker 3: his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. God was
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  Speaker 3: with them in the flesh. voice whimpering and eyes adjusting
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  Speaker 3: to the dim lights of the oil lamp. A small
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  Speaker 3: gust of wind blew through the cave, and he shivered.
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  Speaker 3: The maker of the wind shivered as it blew. Mary
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  Speaker 3: could barely wrap her mind around it, and perhaps never
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  Speaker 3: truly would, until it was time to behold his power
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  Speaker 3: over sin and death. Joseph took Jesus from Mary and
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  Speaker 3: swaddled him tightly in the tattered remains of the blankets
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  Speaker 3: Mary used to save his life. He placed him in
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  Speaker 3: the manger, where the donkey fed, the same donkey that
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  Speaker 3: carried Mary from Nazareth. Joseph, perhaps from exhaustion, felt his
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  Speaker 3: mind wander. He looked at the craftsmanship of the manger
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  Speaker 3: and couldn't help but critique it. That's when he realized,
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  Speaker 3: perhaps for the first time, that he would raise this
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  Speaker 3: child to be a craftsman like him. He was going
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  Speaker 3: to raise the Son of God to be a carpenter?
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  Speaker 1: What are you doing, Lord?
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  Speaker 3: Joseph wondered. He stepped back and watched the boy gently
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  Speaker 3: fall asleep to the low humming of Mary's voice. The
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  Speaker 3: cave filled with the warmth of her melody. There, in
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  Speaker 3: a stable tucked in a mountain, Mary sang the same
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  Speaker 3: song of redemption she had in the beginning. A song
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  Speaker 3: of salvation. redemption and hope, undying and unrelenting hope.
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  Speaker 2: He has shown his strength with his mighty arm, scattered
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  Speaker 2: the proud and humbled the hard. He has shown his
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  Speaker 2: strength with his mighty arm, scattered the proud, humbled the hard.
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  Speaker 2: He toppled the mighty from their thrones and lifted the
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  Speaker 2: humble and set them apart. For now all generations will
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  Speaker 2: call me blessed. For the mighty one has done great
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  Speaker 2: things for me. Holy, holy, holy is his name. His
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  Speaker 2: mercy is for those who believe.
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  Speaker 4: On that first Christmas, the Messiah was born under a
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  Speaker 4: canopy of stars and surrounded by livestock. Jesus' birth fulfilled
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  Speaker 4: God's promise to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
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  Speaker 4: He promised there that one day, A son of Eve
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  Speaker 4: would be born to crush the work of evil. That
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  Speaker 4: promised son arrived, not on a chariot or in a palace,
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  Speaker 4: but in a stable. His humble arrival tells us that
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  Speaker 4: God doesn't care for pomp and circumstance, but humility and passion.
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  Speaker 4: The circumstances of Jesus' birth were foretold in numerous Old
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  Speaker 4: Testament prophecies. signifying that God's redemptive plan was unfolding exactly
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  Speaker 4: as He had intended. Isaiah 7, verse 14 said, This prophecy,
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  Speaker 4: given centuries before Jesus' birth, pointed to the unique circumstances
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  Speaker 4: of His arrival and His divine nature. The birth of
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  Speaker 4: Christ was not a random occurrence. It was a carefully
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  Speaker 4: orchestrated divine plan that fulfilled specific prophecies, providing evidence of
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  Speaker 4: his Messiahship. The title Emmanuel carries profound significance. It means
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  Speaker 4: God with us. That title symbolizes the intimate relationship between
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  Speaker 4: God and humanity made possible through the Incarnation. God did
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  Speaker 4: not remain distant or detached from human suffering and sin.
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  Speaker 4: He came down to live among us. In Philippians 2,
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  Speaker 4: verses 6 and 7, we see that Jesus, being in
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  Speaker 4: very nature God, did not consider equality with God something
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  Speaker 4: to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made
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  Speaker 4: himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
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  Speaker 4: being made in human likeness. Jesus' arrival as a vulnerable
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  Speaker 4: child demonstrates a profound humility and an invitation to approach
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  Speaker 4: God with childlike faith. It also represents a new beginning
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  Speaker 4: and the hope for redemption and renewal. The Nativity story
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  Speaker 4: is not merely a historical account. It's a story filled
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  Speaker 4: with mystery, drama, and profound theological truths. This story illustrates
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  Speaker 4: God's profound love and willingness to enter our messy, broken world.
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  Speaker 4: But why did Jesus have to come as a child? Theologically,
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  Speaker 4: this has profound implications. By coming as a child, God
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  Speaker 4: made himself approachable and relatable. He began life on earth
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  Speaker 4: in the most humble and vulnerable state, indicating his willingness
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  Speaker 4: to identify with the human condition. Jesus' birth as a
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  Speaker 4: child also symbolizes innocence and purity, qualities necessary for the
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  Speaker 4: one who would take away the sins of the world. Lastly,
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  Speaker 4: the birth of a child represents new life and hope.
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  Speaker 4: In Jesus, we see the promise of a new creation,
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  Speaker 4: a fresh start for humanity, reconciled to God. May this
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  Speaker 4: Christmas season be a time to reflect on the profound
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  Speaker 4: truth that God is with us. He's not distant or aloof,
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  Speaker 4: but intimately involved in our lives, offering hope, redemption, and
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  Speaker 4: a relationship that begins now and lasts for eternity. Our
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  Speaker 4: story is not yet over. God has orchestrated visitors to
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  Speaker 4: come and behold Jesus. And behind the scenes, the plot
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  Speaker 4: will be made to find and kill the newborn Messiah,
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  Speaker 4: Continue this epic Christmas tale with us for the rest
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  Speaker 4: of December, and behold God's sovereign power. Thanks for listening
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  Speaker 4: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack
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  Speaker 4: Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and make
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  Speaker 4: prayer a priority in your life. If you enjoy this podcast,
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  Speaker 4: share it with someone you love. By sharing this podcast,
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  Speaker 4: you can make a difference in someone's life. And if
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  Speaker 4: you want more resources on how to tap into God's
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  Speaker 4: power for successful Christian living, be sure to visit JackGraham.org.
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  Speaker 4: God bless you.