Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Three Wise Men

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The Three Wise Men · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And when they were come into the house, they saw
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  Speaker 1: the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down
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  Speaker 1: and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures,
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  Speaker 1: they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
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  Speaker 1: Matthew 2.11 Father, as you begin to move through my life,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that, like in the story in Matthew,
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  Speaker 1: you are sending signs and signals that to wise men
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  Speaker 1: and women who are called to bring gifts and resources
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  Speaker 1: into my life to help establish my purpose. I thank
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  Speaker 1: you that, as they come, there will be continued confirmation
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  Speaker 1: that your provision and your protection will never run out
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  Speaker 1: on the journey of my destiny. When others seek to
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  Speaker 1: destroy me, like Herod, I declare that you will supernaturally
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  Speaker 1: give me the indicators of when it's time to leave
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  Speaker 1: the place or relationships that I'm currently with. I declare
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  Speaker 1: that no harm will come to me or those I love.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that safety is all around me. I am
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  Speaker 1: protected and covered by your love. And I am forever
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  Speaker 1: grateful to be your child, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Three Wise Men In our last story, we witnessed
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  Speaker 2: the humble birth of our hero, Jesus. Mary and Joseph
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  Speaker 2: traveled to Bethlehem for the census, and Mary began to
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  Speaker 2: go into labor. There was no room for them anywhere
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  Speaker 2: in town, so Mary was forced to give birth in
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  Speaker 2: a stable. Her labor pain brought forth the greatest hero
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  Speaker 2: the world will ever know, the only Son of Man,
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  Speaker 2: the Messiah. The Christ child was visited by shepherds, and
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  Speaker 2: a man of God named Simeon prophesied that he would
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  Speaker 2: be the light of the new world. Now we see
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  Speaker 2: Jesus being honored by wise men and endangered by a king.
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  Speaker 2: He is adorned with gifts and threatened with death, inspired
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  Speaker 2: by the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important. that we
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: you for your support. In our previous episode, we heard
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  Speaker 3: how Jesus was born in Bethlehem, how he was visited
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  Speaker 3: by shepherds, the first to receive the news of his
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  Speaker 3: birth besides the parents themselves, Mary and Joseph, and how
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  Speaker 3: they went away telling others all that they had seen
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  Speaker 3: and experienced at the manger, and they worshiped God. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear of visitors from afar who arrived many months
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  Speaker 3: after Jesus' birth. looking for the one they had heard
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  Speaker 3: foretold and whose star they had seen rising in the
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  Speaker 3: night sky to guide them to the King of Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Their presence will incite paranoia and fear in King Herod,
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  Speaker 3: and Joseph will flee with Mary and Jesus into Egypt. So,
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  Speaker 3: let's hear this exciting adventure in God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The desert sand was cold underneath the evening sky. A
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  Speaker 2: caravan of camels walked in formation underneath the eastern stars.
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  Speaker 2: Riding on the camels were three wise men from the south.
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  Speaker 2: They were scholars and astronomers that had tracked the stars
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  Speaker 2: closely for any abnormalities. When they discovered that there was
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  Speaker 2: a new bright star resting over Judea, they wasted no
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  Speaker 2: time in packing their things and leaving. The wise men
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  Speaker 2: rode for weeks, traveling by night in order to follow
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  Speaker 2: the strange stars. Old scrolls and prophecies spoke of this star.
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  Speaker 2: This star was a sign, a sign of the new
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  Speaker 2: king of Israel, a sign of the Messiah. As they
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  Speaker 2: drew closer to Judea, they began to hear whispers in
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  Speaker 2: the streets. Apparently, a few lowly shepherds rambled on about
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  Speaker 2: their encounter with angels and witnessed the newborn king of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: The wise men knew they were on the right track.
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  Speaker 2: If it was a king that was born, truly the
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  Speaker 2: current king would know of his whereabouts. So the men
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  Speaker 2: traveled to the palace of Herod. The wise men were
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  Speaker 2: very wealthy, so Herod welcomed them into his courts with
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  Speaker 2: open arms. How may I serve you? he asked cordially.
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  Speaker 2: Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
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  Speaker 3: They asked.
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  Speaker 2: We have followed his star and have come to worship him.
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  Speaker 2: King Herod winced at their words. He had heard rumors
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  Speaker 2: from the shepherds about a newborn baby. However, Herod was
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  Speaker 2: the king of the Jews, and he would not allow
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  Speaker 2: for a child to cause any sort of chaos. He
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  Speaker 2: hid his silent rage from the wise men and called
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  Speaker 2: for one of the priests. Where is the Messiah supposed
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  Speaker 2: to be born? Herod asked. That would be Bethlehem, my lord,
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  Speaker 2: the birthplace of David, he responded. Herod smiled and pulled
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  Speaker 2: the wise men in close. My friends, this is a
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  Speaker 2: most joyous occasion. Go to Bethlehem. There you should find
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  Speaker 2: the child, and when you find him, please send word
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  Speaker 2: back to me. Herod gave a slithering smile. I would
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  Speaker 2: love to worship him as well. The wise men departed
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  Speaker 2: for Bethlehem. Herod watched them leave. As the door closed,
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  Speaker 2: his smile turned quickly into a scowl. He would not
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  Speaker 2: let any child, Messiah or not, threaten his power. Mary
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  Speaker 2: was tending to the baby while Joseph tended to the fire.
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  Speaker 2: They had found themselves a nice home to stay in
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  Speaker 2: while Mary recovered and nursed the child. The air was
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  Speaker 2: cool outside, but their home was filled with warmth and love.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph kissed Mary's forehead and then bent down to kiss Jesus' nose.
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  Speaker 2: The baby cooed and the couple smiled down at him.
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  Speaker 2: As the family shared a moment of tenderness, they heard
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  Speaker 2: a knock at the door. Joseph got up to answer
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  Speaker 2: and saw the three wise men draped in expensive robes
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  Speaker 2: standing outside. We have come to see the king, one
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  Speaker 2: of them said. So Joseph let them inside. They saw
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  Speaker 2: him resting in the arms of his mother and bowed.
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  Speaker 2: Mary watched as these men of power and knowledge worshipped
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  Speaker 2: at the feet of her child. Her and Joseph were
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  Speaker 2: beginning to realize just how special this moment was. The
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  Speaker 2: men brought in a small chest. In it were three gifts, gold, frankincense,
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  Speaker 2: and myrrh. Unbeknownst to the wise men, these gifts would
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  Speaker 2: represent the royalty, divinity, and death of Christ. In these
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  Speaker 2: presents were hidden secrets to the life and death of
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  Speaker 2: God's chosen king. After giving the gifts, the men said
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  Speaker 2: goodbye and returned to their home. They did not tell
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  Speaker 2: Herod where the baby was, for the Lord had revealed
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  Speaker 2: to them his cruel intentions. Meanwhile, Herod stood in paranoia.
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  Speaker 2: The heart of the ancient pharaoh came upon him, and
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  Speaker 2: he came up with a truly cruel plan.' Captain!' he yelled.
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  Speaker 2: The captain of the city guards came to the throne
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  Speaker 2: at attention. Herod stood up. His eyes were red with rage.
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  Speaker 2: An ancient evil boiled out of his heart.' I want
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  Speaker 2: the head of every boy under the age of two.
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  Speaker 2: Spare no one!' So the guards spread across the nearby
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  Speaker 2: cities in Judea, ripping babies out of their mothers' arms.
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  Speaker 2: The streets ran red with infant blood, and the Lord
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  Speaker 2: wept over Herod's cruelty. Joseph awoke in the middle of
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  Speaker 2: the night from a nightmare. Sweat dripped down his head
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  Speaker 2: and back. He looked quickly at his wife beside him
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  Speaker 2: and a child resting in her arms. Joseph was panting.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord had appeared to him in a dream, telling
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  Speaker 2: him to flee with his family to Egypt. Joseph got
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  Speaker 2: up from the bed and looked out the window. Screams
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  Speaker 2: could be heard in the distance. The sound of crying
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  Speaker 2: infants and wailing mothers echoed from miles away. Joseph knew
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  Speaker 2: that this is what he was called to do, protect
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  Speaker 2: Mary and protect the child. He gathered up all their
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  Speaker 2: belongings and loaded them onto the donkey. Then, gently, Joseph
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  Speaker 2: picked up his wife and the infant in his arms.
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  Speaker 2: He rested them softly on the donkey and then led
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  Speaker 2: them away to Egypt. There they found refuge until Herod
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  Speaker 2: met his bitter end.
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  Speaker 3: This is a very exciting passage of Scripture. A caravan
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  Speaker 3: of men is traveling from the east following a star
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  Speaker 3: that they had seen rising in the night sky. They
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  Speaker 3: knew there was great significance to this sign, this star
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  Speaker 3: in the heavens, that a king had been born in Judea.
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  Speaker 3: The men from the east were most likely from Babylon,
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  Speaker 3: and they represent the lasting impact of God's people, specifically
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  Speaker 3: the prophet Daniel. Now the former conquerors were traveling across
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  Speaker 3: the desert to Judea to pay honor to the promised Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: It is also a reminder that Jesus came not only
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  Speaker 3: for the Jews, but for people all over the world.
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  Speaker 3: As they entered Judea, they sought out the Jewish ruler
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  Speaker 3: to ask about this special child, this king that was
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  Speaker 3: to be born. They did not know that King Herod
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  Speaker 3: was not looking for or interested in another king. In fact,
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  Speaker 3: he was a paranoid ruler who gripped his power with
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  Speaker 3: white knuckles as someone who feared losing it. The wise
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  Speaker 3: men asked, where is this child, the Messiah, the one
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  Speaker 3: born king of the Jews? Herod asked his priests, who
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  Speaker 3: looked in the scriptures, to show him that the prophecies
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  Speaker 3: told of Bethlehem, the city of David, as the birthplace
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  Speaker 3: of the Messiah. So he sent the wise men there,
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  Speaker 3: asking them to find the baby and return to tell
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  Speaker 3: him where he was so that he too could worship.
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  Speaker 3: Of course, this was never Herod's intention. He wanted to
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  Speaker 3: stop the threat to his power. This was an evil
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  Speaker 3: king who would later murder his own sons so he
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  Speaker 3: would stop at nothing to protect his throne. The travelers
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  Speaker 3: entered into Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They
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  Speaker 3: bowed before the child and lavished gifts upon him, gifts
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  Speaker 3: of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These treasures were are deeply symbolic.
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  Speaker 3: The gulls spoke to Christ's royalty, the frankincense signaled the
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  Speaker 3: divinity of the child, and the myrrh foreshadowed the Messiah's death.
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  Speaker 3: Imagine how strangely surreal this visit must have been for
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  Speaker 3: Mary and Joseph. They knew that their child was special, yes, supernatural,
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  Speaker 3: the Son of God, but his arrival had not been
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  Speaker 3: marked with grandiosity but, much to the contrary, with humility.
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  Speaker 3: But now these nobles from far, far away had come
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  Speaker 3: to bow before their child, hailing him as king. These
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  Speaker 3: mysterious men from afar departed in awe of what they
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  Speaker 3: had seen. But they didn't return to Herod because God
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  Speaker 3: warned them in a dream. Instead, they took another route home.
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  Speaker 3: When Herod discovered their trickery, he was enraged, so he
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  Speaker 3: ordered the death of all the small children among the
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  Speaker 3: Jewish people. Just as the Pharaoh had ordered the slaughter
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  Speaker 3: of Hebrew babies in the time of Moses, Herod ordered
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  Speaker 3: his guards to kill every male child under two in
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  Speaker 3: the region. It was a time of great sorrow and
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  Speaker 3: fear and lamentation brought about by an evil man's failure
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  Speaker 3: to recognize the new king. He, of course, is rejecting
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  Speaker 3: the Savior, the only one that could bring hope to
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  Speaker 3: him and to the rest of the world. But just
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  Speaker 3: as God had rescued Moses, he stepped in to protect
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  Speaker 3: his only son, warning Joseph in a dream. Joseph knew
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  Speaker 3: he had to get out with his family, far from there.
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  Speaker 3: So in fact, he journeyed to Egypt where he stayed
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  Speaker 3: until it was safe to return home with Jesus the Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: This was all in fulfillment to God's word, which as
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  Speaker 3: we've seen, never fails. In Matthew 2.15, we read how
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  Speaker 3: this was prophesied by Hosea. This was to fulfill what
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  Speaker 3: the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt
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  Speaker 3: I call my son. When they returned, Jesus was now
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  Speaker 3: a young boy, and as we'll hear the next time,
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  Speaker 3: his wisdom and understanding was already astounding to those who
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  Speaker 3: heard him speak. Dear God, we thank you for your word,
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  Speaker 3: for your hand of protection and provision for Joseph, Mary,
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  Speaker 3: and Jesus. We thank you for always bringing about your
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  Speaker 3: perfect plan of salvation. Thank you for sending your Son,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ, into our world to be our
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  Speaker 3: Savior forever and ever. Amen. Thank you for listening to
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  Speaker 3: today's Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go,
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: I wanted to let you know that the Bible in
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: can only come to you each week through the support
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: of listeners like you. Your support today is so important.
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: that we want to thank you for your gift by
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: giving you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: This book is a powerful guide that shows how every
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: book in the Bible points to Christ and how you
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: can better read and understand the Bible and how God's
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: Word transforms our lives. So to get your copy of
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: The Jesus Book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.