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Pastor Chuck Swindoll | Insight for Living – God Keeps His Promises │... · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: Ships, Si, Marry, did you know that your pay be
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Speaker 1: boring would one day walk on water?
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Speaker 2: Mary?
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Speaker 3: Did you know that your pay be bored would save
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Speaker 3: our sons and paws? Did you know that your day
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Speaker 3: before as come to make you that.
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Speaker 2: This child that you did never heard.
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Speaker 4: Were soon dely?
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Speaker 5: Did you know?
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Speaker 1: Mary?
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Speaker 3: Did you know that your pay concited to a blind
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Speaker 3: p eay?
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Speaker 2: Did you know that your pay before.
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Speaker 6: Calm the storm with its.
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Speaker 3: Hard did you know?
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Speaker 5: And no pay has walked?
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Speaker 4: Where as.
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Speaker 2: When you kiss your head pay, you.
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Speaker 6: Kiss the face of God by.
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Speaker 5: Maybe to see, not to maviea really look at.
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Speaker 4: The only will lead the time to speak. It's had.
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Speaker 6: The all baby boy, it's thorn of all creation married
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Speaker 6: to now and not he the boy.
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Speaker 3: Name the nations?
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Speaker 5: Didn't you con more? It's mas back.
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Speaker 3: The speed me child.
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Speaker 5: Your whole holding that this child that you are holding,
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Speaker 5: the seeing child, Your is the grad.
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Speaker 2: If you have brought your Bible today, please open to
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Speaker 2: the Old Testament the Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter seven. Once
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Speaker 2: you locate chapter seven, verse fourteen, please put your finger
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Speaker 2: at Isaiah nine. We're thinking about how God keeps his promises,
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Speaker 2: and we're looking at a couple of three of them
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Speaker 2: today that are among the most familiar, and we're going
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Speaker 2: to sort of set them in the context of this
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Speaker 2: great season of the year you found your place. Let's
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Speaker 2: stand together for the reading of these verses of scripture
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Speaker 2: Isaiah seven fourteen. The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look,
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Speaker 2: the Virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth
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Speaker 2: to a son, and will call him Emmanuel, which means
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Speaker 2: God is with us. And then turn the page to
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Speaker 2: chapter nine, verse six. For a child is born to us,
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Speaker 2: a son is given to us. The government will rest
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Speaker 2: on his shoulders, and he will be called wonderful counselor
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Speaker 2: Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and
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Speaker 2: its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness
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Speaker 2: and justice from the throne of his ancestor David, for
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Speaker 2: all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's
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Speaker 2: armies will make this happen. There's another in Michael, we
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Speaker 2: will look at later, but for now, just the two
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Speaker 2: in Isaiah seven and nine. You may be seated, our father.
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Speaker 2: There is no one who knows us like you do.
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Speaker 2: You know all about us. You know when we sit down,
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Speaker 2: and when we rise up. You know our thoughts even
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Speaker 2: before they come to our minds. You know every hair
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Speaker 2: of our head, every muscle of our body, and all
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Speaker 2: of our days. You have appointed even before we were born.
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Speaker 2: You know it all, and you're in charge. We are not.
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Speaker 2: We're often surprised. You are never surprised. But we do
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Speaker 2: not know your plan. And we've all lived long enough
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Speaker 2: to know that your plan is always best. Though it
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Speaker 2: is not our way, and it is not as we
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Speaker 2: would have chosen. But you know what you're about, and
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Speaker 2: we rest in you our shield and our defender, our God,
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Speaker 2: our faithful Father, our caring shepherd, our Lord and master,
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Speaker 2: now Lord. At this time of the year, when giving
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Speaker 2: is a part of our lives, we pray that our
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Speaker 2: gifts this morning will be given for the right reason,
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Speaker 2: and may they be used for the right purposes. And
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Speaker 2: we trust you, our Father, for the outcome of each
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Speaker 2: gift that is placed before you. We pray these things,
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Speaker 2: and we give these gifts in the name of Christ,
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Speaker 2: our Savior, and all God's people. Said Amen. I plan
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Speaker 2: to bring a mini series of five messages during the
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Speaker 2: holiday season. All five will focus our attention on the
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Speaker 2: single theme God Knows what He is about. My hope
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Speaker 2: is to remove all doubt in anyone's mind regarding God's
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Speaker 2: awareness and God's control. Whether it has to do with
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Speaker 2: things of the past, things going on at the present,
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Speaker 2: or things that unfold in the future, all of them
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Speaker 2: fall in the category of that overarching theme. God knows
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Speaker 2: what He's about, and as all of us could testify,
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Speaker 2: they fall into two categories. Those things we would call
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Speaker 2: God's blessings. Those are the things we look forward to
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Speaker 2: and give thanks for. Times when He gives us reason
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Speaker 2: to rejoice, healing from diseases, getting through hard times, and
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Speaker 2: coming out on the other side whole and wiser, times
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Speaker 2: of encouragement and affirmation. These are when God blesses us
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Speaker 2: and how he has done so. God knows exactly what
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Speaker 2: he's doing, and he knows it from eternity past. He
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Speaker 2: never learns, he never discovers, He's never surprised. Things do
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Speaker 2: not unfold against his will, but according to his will,
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Speaker 2: whether it is planned or permitted, whatever, it is all
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Speaker 2: a part of the arrangement of things that He has
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Speaker 2: in mind. That includes both his blessings as well as
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Speaker 2: the trials and the heartaches those of us who have
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Speaker 2: lived long enough to see the unfolding of events over
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Speaker 2: our lifetime. Have discovered that no matter which blessing or
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Speaker 2: crushing it works together for good has a purpose, it
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Speaker 2: has a reason, and those are often not known at
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Speaker 2: the time they occur. And so I would like to
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Speaker 2: talk about both the blessings and what I will call
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Speaker 2: the crushings of God. The first three times during this series,
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Speaker 2: little mini series of five messages, I'll address the blessings
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Speaker 2: of God and why and how does he carry out
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Speaker 2: those blessings. And then we'll turn for the last two
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Speaker 2: messages in the series as we get into the new year,
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Speaker 2: the crushings of God and why. That's often the question
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Speaker 2: we ask when we're in the middle of it. I
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Speaker 2: was a first year student at Dallas Seminary sitting in
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Speaker 2: the old Chaffer Chapel listening to Alan Redpath, now gone
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Speaker 2: from us. Doctor Redpath was at that time the pastor
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Speaker 2: of Moody Church and he had come for a brief
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Speaker 2: a couple or three messages at Dallas Seminary, and they
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Speaker 2: were along the theme of a biography from the scriptures.
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Speaker 2: I forget which biography he was addressing at that time,
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Speaker 2: or what his message was in its hole. But I
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Speaker 2: remember one line that he gave again and again. In fact,
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Speaker 2: each of those messages he repeated the line when God
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Speaker 2: wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible
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Speaker 2: person and crushes him. That gripped my attention because up
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Speaker 2: until then my life had been pretty much free of crushings.
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Speaker 2: I had known disappointments, of course, and hard time, but
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Speaker 2: I was back then in my mid twenties, and life
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Speaker 2: had been awfully good, for which I gave God praise.
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Speaker 2: But I had to stop and think that there are
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Speaker 2: also times when He determines something for us is needed,
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Speaker 2: and it is to be learned only through the crushing
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Speaker 2: blows of life. When God wants to do an impossible task,
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Speaker 2: he takes an impossible person and crushes him. It's interesting
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Speaker 2: when you hear that, and when I first heard it,
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Speaker 2: we don't normally link God's working to the subject of crushing.
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Speaker 2: It may surprise you to know that there is a
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Speaker 2: prophecy that appears in one of the passages of Scripture
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Speaker 2: that it please the Lord to crush his son. His
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Speaker 2: death on the cross was no last minute rescue plan,
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Speaker 2: but when Jesus came, he came to die, and to
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Speaker 2: die a certain way, and over a period of torturous
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Speaker 2: hours he was literally crushed physically. I've learned in my
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Speaker 2: years on this earth that God not only in his
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Speaker 2: plan brings blessing, he also plans the trials. All of
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Speaker 2: this came home to me in a fresh way when
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Speaker 2: another man was speaking during my years at seminary, and
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Speaker 2: that man was Richard Sumi. Doctor Sumi was a pastoring
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Speaker 2: a church in Richmond, Virginia before he came to the
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Speaker 2: seminary as our chaplain for a number of years. He
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Speaker 2: also is now gone, but his ministry lives on in
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Speaker 2: many of our memories. A magnificent man of God. And
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Speaker 2: I'll never forget when he stood to deliver a particular
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Speaker 2: message at the chapel, and he included this peace. When
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Speaker 2: God wants to drill a man, and thrill a man,
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Speaker 2: and skill a man, when God wants to mold a
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Speaker 2: man to play the noblest part, when he yearns with
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Speaker 2: all his heart to create so great and bold a
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Speaker 2: man that all the world shall be amazed. Watch his methods,
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Speaker 2: his ways, how he ruthlessly perfects whom he royally elects,
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Speaker 2: how he hammers him and hurts him, and with mighty
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Speaker 2: blows converts him into trial shapes of clay, which only
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Speaker 2: God understands. While his tortured heart is crying, and he
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Speaker 2: lifts beseeching hands. How he bends but never breaks. When
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Speaker 2: his good he undertakes, How he uses whom he chooses,
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Speaker 2: and with every purpose fuses him, with every act, induces
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Speaker 2: him to try his splendor out. God knows what he's about.
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Speaker 2: It's from that last line I draw the title or
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Speaker 2: this mini series over the season of the year, this
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Speaker 2: year into the next year. God knows what he's about
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Speaker 2: when he blesses, and we'll consider that in three messages,
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Speaker 2: God keeps his promises. That's today. God chooses his servants.
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Speaker 2: That's next week we'll look a little closer at Mary
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Speaker 2: and Joseph, carefully selected servants. And third, God sends his son,
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Speaker 2: which is an appropriate statement to be used on Christmas Morning,
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Speaker 2: which will be Sunday in this particular year. The first
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Speaker 2: two Sundays of the new year, we'll flip it over
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Speaker 2: to the other side, and we'll look at the crushings
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Speaker 2: in the lives of two individuals. The Christians are somewhat
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Speaker 2: familiar with. The fourth message will be God bends a
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Speaker 2: stubborn will. Will look at Jonah of Joppa and how
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Speaker 2: God bent his will to walk ultimately in obedience. And
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Speaker 2: then the final of the series will be God humbles
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Speaker 2: a proud heart. God not only bends the stubborn will,
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Speaker 2: he humbles a proud heart, and will look at Saul
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Speaker 2: of Tarsus the earlier years of his life when he
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Speaker 2: was anything but a model of godliness. That will be
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Speaker 2: our plan for the coming holiday season to begin with.
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Speaker 2: God keeps his promises. We look at three of them
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Speaker 2: that are among the better known of those that God
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Speaker 2: has promised. Someone wants number all the promises in the Bible,
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Speaker 2: and he said in the particular article he wrote, there
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Speaker 2: are seven thousand, four hundred and seventy four promises. I
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Speaker 2: chose not to read them today, knowing that you wanted
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Speaker 2: to have lunch and suffer. So I wouldn't address all
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Speaker 2: of those, but only three that stand out. But by
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Speaker 2: the way, not all the promises are for us to claim.
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Speaker 2: Remember that that there are certain promises written to certain
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Speaker 2: certain individuals that have nothing to do with us but
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Speaker 2: their promises. And then there are those that are directly
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Speaker 2: related to us. In our lives. Those are promises we
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Speaker 2: can claim for ourselves. The three I'm looking at today
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Speaker 2: have to do, of course, with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Speaker 2: What makes it interesting is that all three written in
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Speaker 2: seven hundred BC. Think of that, seven centuries before Christ
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Speaker 2: was even on the earth, God had made statements regarding
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Speaker 2: Jesus that were a long time away from their being fulfilled.
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Speaker 2: In fact, the first one in Isaiah seven, verse fourteen
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Speaker 2: has a double fulfillment. Interestingly, all three of these promises
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Speaker 2: were fulfilled during the days the Bible was being written,
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Speaker 2: which gives us assurance that if God kept his word
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Speaker 2: back when the scriptures were being written, he certainly does
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Speaker 2: the same today in case you question his promises. But
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Speaker 2: in this first case, where we read the Lord himself
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Speaker 2: will give you a sign Isaiah seven fourteen, the Virgin
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Speaker 2: will conceive a child, and she will give birth to
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Speaker 2: a and will call his name Immanuel, meaning God with us.
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Speaker 2: That's got a double fulfillment. Maybe you hadn't found that
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Speaker 2: out in your study of the scriptures. First in the
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Speaker 2: days of Isaiah, who lived around the era of seven
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Speaker 2: hundred BC, and Isaiah speaking these words to a king
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Speaker 2: named Ahaz who was doubting, and he was one of
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Speaker 2: those long time doubters. And Isaiah says to him, He's
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Speaker 2: going to give you a sign, and you will know
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Speaker 2: that it is the Lord. A virgin will will have
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Speaker 2: a child. Now, in this case, the word virgin al
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Speaker 2: mah in the Hebrew means of a woman of marriageable age.
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Speaker 2: It doesn't necessarily refer to one who conceives while a virgin,
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Speaker 2: as it does in the case of Mary. Will look
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Speaker 2: at that in a moment, But this has reference to
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Speaker 2: one who was at that time. Isaiah wrote this and
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Speaker 2: spoke this. She was a virgin. She would later be
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Speaker 2: married and would have a son. But at this time,
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Speaker 2: the Lord makes this promise to Ahaz and he can
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Speaker 2: count on it that the Lord will bring about a
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Speaker 2: child from this woman, who as of now is not
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Speaker 2: even married nor has ever known a man intimately. Interestingly,
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Speaker 2: this one would be the wife of Isaiah himself. After
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Speaker 2: he lost his first wife, he marries again, and that
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Speaker 2: second wife would give birth to a child. When it
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Speaker 2: was written, she was a virgin. But when it was fulfilled,
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Speaker 2: of course, she had known Isaiah intimately, and they saw
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Speaker 2: their first born come into their home. Now, I want
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Speaker 2: you to go to the second fulfillment, and that's found
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Speaker 2: over in Matthew Chapter one. Turn there. Please, we'll look
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Speaker 2: more closely at this passage next time, as we consider
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Speaker 2: that God chooses his servants, and I have in mind
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Speaker 2: both Joseph and Mary. But look at how this unfolds
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Speaker 2: in the fulfillment the second time in the scriptures, verse eighteen,
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Speaker 2: it is begins in this way in Matthew won this
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Speaker 2: is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary,
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Speaker 2: was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before the
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Speaker 2: marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she
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Speaker 2: became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph,
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Speaker 2: her fiance, say, was a good man and did not
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Speaker 2: want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break
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Speaker 2: the engagement quietly. In those days, an engagement was a
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Speaker 2: permanent issue. You were engaged and within a number of
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Speaker 2: months later usually a full year, you would be married.
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Speaker 2: But during the engagement period it was not simply a
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Speaker 2: matter of wearing a ring. It was a commitment to marriage,
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Speaker 2: and to break off an engagement required a bill of
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Speaker 2: divorcement or worse, if the woman is found pregnant, she
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Speaker 2: could be stoned. Joseph did not want to make a
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Speaker 2: spectacle of this. He obviously at this time doubted the
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Speaker 2: divine source of the pregnancy and decided Mary had been
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Speaker 2: unfaithful and was simply going to put her away quietly.
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Speaker 2: By that it means divorce her. Now. We'll look at
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Speaker 2: this more in detail next time. But if you will
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Speaker 2: put yourself in the place of Joseph, you have to
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Speaker 2: be realistic enough to think that you would have trouble
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Speaker 2: with that statement. When Mary says to you, I'm pregnant,
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Speaker 2: but the Holy Spirit is the reason I'm pregnant, you
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Speaker 2: would question that. Don't look at me like you wouldn't.
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Speaker 2: You would question that there's not a man here that
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Speaker 2: would say, oh, yeah, that's great. Because you never read
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Speaker 2: Matthew before, it had not been written. You have no
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Speaker 2: record of such a thing. It's never occurred before. And
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Speaker 2: it sounds like Mary might be delusional or worse, might
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Speaker 2: not be telling the truth, though he's never had reason
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Speaker 2: to doubt her. But Joseph, in all reality, doubts her word.
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Speaker 2: So we read further. Look at the next verse, verse twenty.
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Speaker 2: As he considered this an angel of the Lord appeared
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Speaker 2: to him in a dream, Joseph's son of David. The
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Speaker 2: Angel said, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
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Speaker 2: for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
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Speaker 2: and she will have a son, and you are to
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Speaker 2: name him Jesus, for he will save his people from
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Speaker 2: their sins. Matthew then adds these next lines. All of
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Speaker 2: this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet,
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Speaker 2: and we just read the message earlier out of Isaiah seventh.
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Speaker 2: The virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth
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Speaker 2: to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which
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Speaker 2: means God is with us. Here's the second fulfillment of
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Speaker 2: a statement made in Isaiah seven fourteen. Originally it was
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Speaker 2: fulfilled in the wife of the prophet, but secondly it
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Speaker 2: would be fulfilled in the life of Mary. There is, however,
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Speaker 2: a far more significant difference. When you read the word
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Speaker 2: virgin in Isaiah seven, verse fourteen. It's the Hebrew word
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Speaker 2: al mah, which means simply a young woman of marriageable age,
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Speaker 2: and it may or may not refer to one who
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Speaker 2: has never known a man. Now with this case, it
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Speaker 2: does mean that, but it could be rendered a young
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Speaker 2: woman or a man maiden, a chaste maiden who is
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Speaker 2: still a virgin. But when you read the word virgin
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Speaker 2: in the New Testament Matthew, Chapter one, verse twenty three,
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Speaker 2: the virgin will conceive this is the word parthenos. The
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Speaker 2: Greek word parthenos simply means one who has never known
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Speaker 2: a man intimately, and so in that case it is
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Speaker 2: the record of a miracle. Mary, who has never known
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Speaker 2: a man intimately, found herself with child, and therefore she
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Speaker 2: is called in this case a very specific Greek word parthenos,
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Speaker 2: one who has never known a man, and she, though pregnant,
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Speaker 2: has never been intimate with a man, even Joseph. And
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Speaker 2: so in the fulfillment of this promise, we have one
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Speaker 2: example in the days of Isaiah, and the other fulfilled
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Speaker 2: in the days when the New Testament is just being written,
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Speaker 2: or the days of the first Century are just beginning.
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Speaker 2: All of these years the promise has been waiting to
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Speaker 2: be fulfilled in its literal form verse twenty four. Joseph
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Speaker 2: woke up. He did as the Angel of the Lord commanded.
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Speaker 2: He took Mary as his wife, and the story continues on.
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Speaker 2: We'll look at that in greater detail, right next time.
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Speaker 2: I just want you to see the promise that God
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Speaker 2: made God kept. Now look at chapter nine, verse six.
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Speaker 2: Here's another of fairly familiar promise. We will often see
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Speaker 2: it written on Christmas cards and Christmas greetings, or often
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Speaker 2: printed out on worship folders of a church. We read
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Speaker 2: in the first two lines words that would apply directly
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Speaker 2: to the first coming of Christ. A child is born
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Speaker 2: to us, A son is given to us. Let me
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Speaker 2: pause here and interrupt the reading to mention you have
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Speaker 2: two different perspectives of Jesus in these first two lines.
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Speaker 2: The first is the human perspective, the horizontal, where a
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Speaker 2: child was born and was born by Mary to us
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Speaker 2: would be a reference to Israel, to the people of
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Speaker 2: the Jews. He was himself Jewish. A child is born
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Speaker 2: to us, a son is given. This is the divine
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Speaker 2: the vertical perspective. God gave us his son when Jesus
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Speaker 2: was born. So both Mary had the child, and yet
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Speaker 2: the child is in every sense Deity, having come from
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Speaker 2: heaven to Earth to spend those years among us. Then
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Speaker 2: the prophecy turns to a time even future, to our
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Speaker 2: own day, even beyond our own day. You will see
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Speaker 2: it in the words that follow the government will rest
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Speaker 2: on his shoulders. Now we know when Jesus first came,
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Speaker 2: the government did not rest with him. The Romans controlled
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Speaker 2: the government of that era. The Roman Empire was the
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Speaker 2: source of authority among the government. But when Jesus comes
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Speaker 2: to this earth and establishes his kingdom, fulfilling his promises
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Speaker 2: to the nation Israel, he will establish the government and
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Speaker 2: he will be in charge of it. He will be
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Speaker 2: called and now we read several names that are descriptive
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Speaker 2: of what will be true of him in the kingdom
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Speaker 2: yet future. First, he will be called wonderful, wonderful, it
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Speaker 2: could be rendered exceptional, extraordinary, even supernatural. One of our
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Speaker 2: favorite terms awesome. Yeah, here's a place you can use
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Speaker 2: the word awesome. He'll be called awesome. I was talking
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Speaker 2: with some folks and one of the ladies in our
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Speaker 2: group said, oh, you should see it. It's really awesome. Well,
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Speaker 2: not awesome. She looked at me and corrected herself. She'd
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Speaker 2: remembered my saying, please, would you just reserve the word
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Speaker 2: awesome for things related to God and God alone. Now
33:55
Speaker 2: this is a perfect example. He will be called an awesome,
34:00
Speaker 2: magnificent counselor the word counselor means one possessing great wisdom.
34:09
Speaker 2: He always knows what is best. I like the net
34:12
Speaker 2: Bible rendering of the two words. He will be called
34:16
Speaker 2: an extraordinary strategist. That good. When he comes and establishes
34:22
Speaker 2: his kingdom and rules over the government, he will be
34:25
Speaker 2: an extraordinary strategist, well organized, able to carry out the
34:31
Speaker 2: plan that he puts into motion. But it's not true.
34:36
Speaker 2: He's also going to be called mighty God. This is
34:41
Speaker 2: one who is a strong deliverer, a powerful victor, able
34:46
Speaker 2: to conquer all things evil. So when he establishes his kingdom,
34:52
Speaker 2: he will be one who is the mighty God, everlasting father.
35:00
Speaker 2: It would be difficult for some to grasp because you
35:03
Speaker 2: first think of the Trinity. But it's not a reference
35:06
Speaker 2: to the Trinity here, but rather to a relational term father,
35:11
Speaker 2: one who watches over his family, one who provides and
35:16
Speaker 2: guards and protects and takes care of. He will be
35:21
Speaker 2: a father to those who fall under his reign, and
35:26
Speaker 2: it will be timeless. It will be eternal or everlasting
35:31
Speaker 2: in nature. And I also read he will be the
35:36
Speaker 2: peace prince Shalom, Prince Peace will be there, and he
35:43
Speaker 2: will maintain serenity and tranquility, and a wholeness of life,
35:52
Speaker 2: freedom from evil and evildoers, and evil events and evil schemes.
35:59
Speaker 2: It will be a time of perfect peace. That kind
36:05
Speaker 2: of government will be for that time. It'll be a
36:09
Speaker 2: peace that will never end throughout its existence. He will
36:13
Speaker 2: rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his
36:18
Speaker 2: ancestor David. Isn't that a beautiful statement. He will rule,
36:23
Speaker 2: and it will be a rule that those of that
36:26
Speaker 2: kingdom will find comfort in. God keeps his promises. Verse
36:32
Speaker 2: seven really states the government and its peace will never end,
36:39
Speaker 2: So he will be the Prince of peace, the peace prince.
36:47
Speaker 2: We say a lot about peace when Wag says, every
36:52
Speaker 2: time we observe peace, there's always a monument built to it,
37:00
Speaker 2: and it refers to some war we have just completed.
37:03
Speaker 2: There's peace that follows war, or peace is hoped for
37:08
Speaker 2: in days of war. In the kingdom age, there will
37:11
Speaker 2: be no uprising, there will be no warfare, there will
37:16
Speaker 2: be no conflict. It will be a time when this
37:19
Speaker 2: promise is fulfilled, and because God keeps his promises, it
37:24
Speaker 2: will be an era of constant, unending peace. The beautiful
37:32
Speaker 2: part about Isaiah nine six and seven. Is that just
37:36
Speaker 2: as God has fulfilled the first part, a child is born,
37:41
Speaker 2: a son is given, he will fulfill the others in
37:45
Speaker 2: the days ahead. Let's go to one more over in Micah.
37:50
Speaker 2: And even though we're turning ahead several books, here we
37:55
Speaker 2: go Joseiah, Joel, amos Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. There it is
38:01
Speaker 2: always glad. I went to vacation Bible school. That's where
38:04
Speaker 2: I learned the books of the Bible. Micah, one of
38:08
Speaker 2: the little books in the minor prophets. You have trouble
38:13
Speaker 2: finding it. It's right after amozob A, Jonah Micah, right
38:25
Speaker 2: after Jonah. About to lose my place there now, Michael five. Two,
38:30
Speaker 2: Look at this. Here we are with another promise in
38:33
Speaker 2: front of us. And I always smile when I read
38:37
Speaker 2: it because I've been to Israel and I visited Bethlehem.
38:41
Speaker 2: Now look at verse two. But you, o, Bethlehem, Empratah,
38:46
Speaker 2: are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
38:49
Speaker 2: Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you. We
38:51
Speaker 2: just read about that ruler. We just read about him.
38:55
Speaker 2: A ruler will come from you, from whom from Bethlehem,
38:59
Speaker 2: one who's ours are from the distant past. Now, let
39:05
Speaker 2: me pause and ruin a Christmas carol for all of you.
39:10
Speaker 2: Right now, Bethlehem is no great shakes to visit if
39:16
Speaker 2: you go to Israel. In fact, some tours will not
39:19
Speaker 2: take you to Bethlehem anymore. Some consider it now at
39:26
Speaker 2: times dangerous, a dangerous place to be. It is not
39:29
Speaker 2: a quaint, it is not cute, and it is not clean.
39:34
Speaker 2: In fact, it is it really has little to draw
39:39
Speaker 2: you to it. Now I realized when I tell you this,
39:43
Speaker 2: that you're going to get Christmas cards that are gonna
39:47
Speaker 2: do everything but sing to you, O little town of Bethlehem.
39:51
Speaker 2: How still we see the lie and your heartle flutter.
39:55
Speaker 2: And then you go to Israel and your heart will
39:57
Speaker 2: go what You look at this place and you'll think,
40:05
Speaker 2: what's the big deal? The big deal is the one
40:09
Speaker 2: who is going to be born there. Now the place
40:13
Speaker 2: is significant. Now, why is it Bethlen Why not five
40:16
Speaker 2: miles away from there, in the big city of Jerusalem.
40:21
Speaker 2: Why not Jerusalem? Because the hometown of Joseph, who had
40:26
Speaker 2: to leave Nazareth to go pay the taxes, or at
40:29
Speaker 2: least sign up for the census to pay taxes, took
40:33
Speaker 2: him to his place of birth, which was Bethlenham. Beth
40:37
Speaker 2: Leckham means house of bread and Ephratan means fruitful. In
40:44
Speaker 2: that day it may have been a very fruitful, lovely
40:49
Speaker 2: little village, but it was obscure. It was never as
40:57
Speaker 2: well known as the big city nearby. In fact, it's
41:00
Speaker 2: called here a small village. What's significant of this? Remember
41:07
Speaker 2: Micah is writing about seven hundred BC Bethlehem. Who would
41:17
Speaker 2: have ever thought Bethlehem when you got over into the
41:21
Speaker 2: story of Jesus' birth and you read of chaus Octavius
41:27
Speaker 2: Augustus Caesar, you read his decree that all the world
41:32
Speaker 2: should be taxed, and there's a census to be taken.
41:36
Speaker 2: It required Joseph leaving where they were living, Nazareth in
41:41
Speaker 2: Galilee and making that journey almost one hundred miles down
41:45
Speaker 2: to the town of Bethlehem, because that's where he was born,
41:54
Speaker 2: and that's he had to sign into his place of birth.
41:57
Speaker 2: We would call it like a county seat. God keeps
42:03
Speaker 2: his promises. That's the way the Lord God Joseph and
42:06
Speaker 2: Mary to Bethley him. God keeps his promises, He doesn't
42:14
Speaker 2: make them in a random manner. Haram Scaram throwing out
42:19
Speaker 2: words that sound nice, encouraging. He makes statements that are fulfilled.
42:25
Speaker 2: For example, fear not, I am with you. Don't be dismayed.
42:32
Speaker 2: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will
42:35
Speaker 2: help you. I will watch over you if you will
42:40
Speaker 2: by the right hand of my righteousness. It's a promise
42:43
Speaker 2: you can claim when you are fearful. In the same way,
42:49
Speaker 2: this promise waits to be fulfilled when Micah writes it.
42:54
Speaker 2: But when you get to Luke chapter two, you read
42:58
Speaker 2: that it's exactly where they wound up, and it's there
43:02
Speaker 2: she has her first child at Bethlehem, just as God
43:10
Speaker 2: had promised. Now let me tie into our lives. Let's
43:14
Speaker 2: make this applicable for everyone here. Since we will we
43:20
Speaker 2: have to imagine the kingdom age, or we have to
43:23
Speaker 2: imagine a scene like Bethlehem. Here, you don't have to imagine.
43:28
Speaker 2: Turn to Hebrews chapter six. Let me read you something
43:33
Speaker 2: you can read to yourself when you go through times
43:39
Speaker 2: of doubting six'. Ten it Is hebrews six.' Ten for
43:44
Speaker 2: god is. Not unjust, Look closely he will not forget.
43:52
Speaker 2: Your work my new living, translation reads he will not
43:58
Speaker 2: forget how hard you have worked, for him and how
44:03
Speaker 2: you have shown your love to him by caring for
44:08
Speaker 2: other believers as you. Still do he pause right here
44:13
Speaker 2: with my finger on, verse ten and look into, your
44:17
Speaker 2: faces you who are in the midst of doing some
44:22
Speaker 2: hard things behind, the scenes probably known by only, a few,
44:29
Speaker 2: if any and yet to. Be rewarded it's, all, giving
44:37
Speaker 2: giving reaching out to someone, in need, helping someone maybe a,
44:47
Speaker 2: loved one may be your. Own spouse of the possibilities.
44:55
Speaker 2: Are numerous many of you serve faithfully, as teachers others
45:02
Speaker 2: of you as helpers who work behind. THE scenes a
45:07
Speaker 2: number of you Work in christian organizations where your service
45:12
Speaker 2: is carried out faithfully from one work day to. The
45:16
Speaker 2: next and those that your minister to may not even know.
45:21
Speaker 2: YOUR name i was speaking to our insight for living
45:25
Speaker 2: family this, last WEEK and i was speaking looking to
45:29
Speaker 2: the faces of people who who answer mail or take,
45:33
Speaker 2: phone calls or handle the counseling needs that come to,
45:39
Speaker 2: our ATTENTION and i reminded them that their work is not.
45:43
Speaker 2: In vain at the heart of that is verse Ten of.
45:48
Speaker 2: Hebrews six god will not forget your work and labor
45:53
Speaker 2: of love in that you have, shown yourself faithful to
45:58
Speaker 2: those who, need You and he will not forget as
46:03
Speaker 2: you care. For others what a magnificent thought to know
46:09
Speaker 2: That when god gives us, his word he never. WILL
46:14
Speaker 2: forget i came across a remarkable story that drives. This
46:20
Speaker 2: home like Few stories i've, Ever read it's a. True
46:25
Speaker 2: story in nineteen eighty nine and eight point two earthquake
46:33
Speaker 2: almost flattened the Country, of armenia killing over thirty thousand
46:41
Speaker 2: people in less than. Four minutes in the midst of
46:49
Speaker 2: utter devastation, and chaos a father left his wife securely
46:56
Speaker 2: at home and rushed to the school where his son
47:01
Speaker 2: was supposed, to be only to discover that the building
47:05
Speaker 2: was as flat as. A pancake after the traumatic, initial
47:11
Speaker 2: shock he remembered the promise he had made to his
47:17
Speaker 2: son when, he said no, MATTER what i will always
47:23
Speaker 2: be there. For you tears began to fill his eyes
47:29
Speaker 2: as he looked at the pile of debris that was once.
47:34
Speaker 2: The schoolhouse it, looked hopeless but he kept remembering his
47:41
Speaker 2: promise to. His son he began to concentrate on where
47:47
Speaker 2: he walked his son to class at school, each morning
47:53
Speaker 2: remembering his son's classroom would be in the back right of.
48:01
Speaker 2: The building he rushed to that area and started digging through.
48:07
Speaker 2: The rubble as he, was digging other forlorn, parents arrived
48:15
Speaker 2: clutching their hearts, and saying, my son. My daughter other
48:21
Speaker 2: well meaning parents tried to pull him off of what
48:24
Speaker 2: was left of, the school saying, to him it's, too
48:27
Speaker 2: late it's, no use. They're dead you. Can't help go,
48:33
Speaker 2: On home, come on. Face reality there's nothing you. Can
48:38
Speaker 2: do you're just going to make. Things worse to, Each
48:43
Speaker 2: parent he responded with, one line are you going to help?
48:48
Speaker 2: Me now and then he proceeded to dig for, his
48:53
Speaker 2: son stone. By stone the fire chief showed up and
48:58
Speaker 2: tried to pull him off the st, school debris saying
49:02
Speaker 2: fires are, breaking out explosions are. Happening everywhere you're. In
49:06
Speaker 2: danger we'll take care. Of things go, on home to which,
49:12
Speaker 2: this Loving caring armenian, father asked are you going to help?
49:17
Speaker 2: Me now the police came, and said, you're angry, you're distraught.
49:23
Speaker 2: It's over you're. Endangering others, go home we'll, handle it
49:29
Speaker 2: to which he replied with the same are you going
49:32
Speaker 2: to help?
49:32
Speaker 7: Me?
49:32
Speaker 2: Now no what helped him courageously he proceeded alone because
49:41
Speaker 2: he needed to know, for himself is my boy alive
49:46
Speaker 2: or is? He dead he dug for, eight hours, twelve hours,
49:55
Speaker 2: twenty four thirty, six hours and then in the thirty
50:01
Speaker 2: eight hour he pulled back a boulder and he heard his.
50:07
Speaker 2: Son's voice he screamed his, son's name armand and he heard,
50:15
Speaker 2: my dad It's. ME dad i told the other kids not.
50:20
Speaker 2: TO worry i told him that if you, were alive
50:24
Speaker 2: you would, save me and when you, saved me they'd.
50:27
Speaker 2: Be saved, you promised no, matter what you'd always be there.
50:34
Speaker 2: For me you, Did. It dad what's going on in?
50:38
Speaker 2: Their son how? Is it the, Father, asked well there
50:41
Speaker 2: are fourteen of us left alive out of. Thirty three,
50:46
Speaker 2: We're scared, we're, hungry thirsty thankful. You're here when the,
50:52
Speaker 2: building collapsed it made a wedge like, a triangle and that.
50:59
Speaker 2: Saved us come, on, Out, son, No, no dad let
51:05
Speaker 2: the other kids, out FIRST because I know i know you'll,
51:08
Speaker 2: get me no. MATTER what i know you'll be there.
51:11
Speaker 2: For me you. Promised me that is the power of.
51:16
Speaker 2: A promise i read THAT and, i thought there is One.
51:22
Speaker 2: Great dad thirty eight hours of digging determined to find
51:28
Speaker 2: that son based on, one thing a promise he. Had
51:32
Speaker 2: made AND then i thought About, our god Our, faithful
51:38
Speaker 2: god and you thought much of what you had been
51:43
Speaker 2: doing or, have done would. Be forgotten that verse we
51:47
Speaker 2: just Read in hebrews, chapter six verse ten says he will.
51:53
Speaker 2: NOT forget i remember when our children were. Growing up
52:00
Speaker 2: those were, magical words and we learn to be careful
52:04
Speaker 2: before we, use THEM like, i promise we're going to,
52:09
Speaker 2: do so and so do. You promise that's the way
52:11
Speaker 2: they would hold us, to it just having us say
52:14
Speaker 2: it was, one thing but when we nailed it down with,
52:17
Speaker 2: a promise that put it into ink and to be
52:21
Speaker 2: remembered from. Then on that's the way it is with The.
52:24
Speaker 2: Living god he makes a promise about a baby, being
52:29
Speaker 2: born seven hundred years, may pass and that virgin will
52:33
Speaker 2: conceive Exactly as. God said he makes a promise about
52:39
Speaker 2: a kingdom when his son. Will rule the government will
52:44
Speaker 2: be on. His shoulders his name will be, a wonderful
52:47
Speaker 2: Magnificent Counselor, mighty God. Everlasting. Father principice it will occur
52:55
Speaker 2: in the little Town, of bethlehem exactly as. He promised
53:00
Speaker 2: it's exactly where. It was remember the promise. To you
53:05
Speaker 2: god is. Not unjust he has told you he will
53:11
Speaker 2: take care. Of you he has promised he will meet.
53:14
Speaker 2: Your needs he has told you that all things work
53:19
Speaker 2: together for good to those Who love god and are
53:23
Speaker 2: the called according to. His purpose you can hold him,
53:26
Speaker 2: to it just as armand could hold his dad to
53:32
Speaker 2: being there. For him, a treacherous. Treacherous Day as, christmas approaches.
53:40
Speaker 2: Remember this it is a perfect season of the year
53:46
Speaker 2: to remind Us all god keeps. His promises never forget
53:54
Speaker 2: it When the christmas, card comes beautiful Picture, of bethleem
54:00
Speaker 2: don't let my sermon Ruin this christmas card. For you
54:04
Speaker 2: you'll probably forget it like you do. Other sermons so.
54:08
Speaker 2: That's okay now let's bow. Our heads shall we? Do
54:10
Speaker 2: that just for. A moment i want you to sit
54:13
Speaker 2: quietly Before. THE lord i have no idea what you're.
54:18
Speaker 2: GOING through i have the feeling some of you are
54:24
Speaker 2: going through some of the toughest days of, recent days
54:29
Speaker 2: if not of. Your life if you're, not careful even
54:36
Speaker 2: at this time of, the year you'll be consumed. With
54:40
Speaker 2: doubt you'll want to throw a pity party on how
54:48
Speaker 2: tough things are as if you were all on, your
54:51
Speaker 2: own when in fact. You're, Not remember god is not
54:55
Speaker 2: unjust to forget what he. Has promised he will. Not
55:02
Speaker 2: forget he will reward you for your, faithful work though
55:09
Speaker 2: it is obscure and not even known by. Most people
55:16
Speaker 2: he will. Never Forget and i'll tell you, Another promise
55:20
Speaker 2: he will never forget that if you Trust in His
55:22
Speaker 2: son jesus as Your own lord, and savior he promises
55:28
Speaker 2: he will give you, eternal life forgiveness, of sins the hope,
55:35
Speaker 2: of eternity the assurance that you will never Lose what
55:41
Speaker 2: he has provided. For you that's yours. To claim what
55:47
Speaker 2: a shame to walk Into the christmas season and not
55:50
Speaker 2: know for Sure the savior who, was born but a
55:54
Speaker 2: perfect time to, trust him to thank him for coming into.
56:01
Speaker 2: Your life do that, right now, Will? You lord as
56:11
Speaker 2: we return to the familiar sounds and sights of, The
56:15
Speaker 2: season thank you for the reminder of. Your faithfulness you
56:25
Speaker 2: do all, things well but you especially do your. Promises
56:29
Speaker 2: well not one. Is forgotten you will make good. On
56:34
Speaker 2: everyone in the dark hours of, the night when we
56:39
Speaker 2: are sleepless, and restless remind us that you understand you're
56:47
Speaker 2: taking note of, our faithfulness and you will. Reward accordingly
56:54
Speaker 2: thank you in advance. For that for those who have
56:58
Speaker 2: today trusted in your Son, as savior give. You thanks
57:05
Speaker 2: bring them an inner peace that have never, known before
57:09
Speaker 2: a relief now that their hearts are right.
57:13
Speaker 5: With you.
57:15
Speaker 2: Bring encouragement fill their lives with this sense of peace
57:21
Speaker 2: we've mentioned. This morning may this be for them the
57:26
Speaker 2: most glorious Of all christmases they've. Ever, Known, now lord
57:32
Speaker 2: as we, are dismissed may we be reminded through our
57:36
Speaker 2: week that you are, at work ever aware of where
57:41
Speaker 2: we are and what, we're doing taking note of with
57:46
Speaker 2: plans to reward us for serving. You faithfully these things
57:53
Speaker 2: we claim and, with gratitude in the Name of Jesus
57:58
Speaker 2: the savior who came born in the little Town. Of
58:03
Speaker 2: bethlehem Everyone. Said amen.
58:11
Speaker 7: The Preceding message god Keeps his promises was copyrighted in
58:15
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58:19
Speaker 7: copyrighted in twenty Seventeen BY.
58:21
Speaker 2: Charles, R.
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Speaker 7: Swindall inc all rights are. Reserved worldwide duplication of copyrighted
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Speaker 7: Message Charles. Rswindall inc is Grateful To Stonebrier community church
58:37
Speaker 7: for permission to use their twenty sixteen Performance Of Mary Did?
58:41
Speaker 7: You know Featuring Soloist. David gashan Words By, mark lowry
58:45
Speaker 7: Music By, buddy green arranged and Orchestrated By. Paul thompson
58:50
Speaker 7: copyrighted in nineteen ninety One By word Music And rufus
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