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No Room · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he
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  Speaker 1: became poor, so that by his poverty he could make
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  Speaker 1: you rich. 2 Corinthians 8.9 Dear Lord Jesus, You displayed
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  Speaker 1: ultimate humility by leaving the glory of heaven to dwell
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  Speaker 1: among us. Although all power, glory, and praise was due
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  Speaker 1: to you, you humbled yourself, and died on a cross,
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  Speaker 1: so that we might experience freedom and the riches of
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  Speaker 1: your glorious grace. During this Christmas season, when gifts and
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  Speaker 1: glamour are on full display, inspire us to walk in humility.
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  Speaker 1: May we model your mindset of unconditional love, sacrifice, and
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  Speaker 1: lowliness for the sake of others. When pride seeks to
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  Speaker 1: grip our hearts and drag us down, correct us with
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  Speaker 1: your Spirit and push us forward toward righteousness. We pray
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  Speaker 1: these things in Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: The city of Bethlehem lay just ahead, its walls glowing
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  Speaker 3: with the amber hue of a thousand lanterns. Mary and
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  Speaker 3: Joseph felt both relief and a growing tension. With each step,
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  Speaker 3: a new sensation grew within Mary, a tightening, a quickening,
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  Speaker 3: that told her time was of the essence. Joseph, she whispered,
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  Speaker 3: her voice catching with both wonder and fear. He's coming.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph's face lost its color.
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  Speaker 3: His gaze met hers. We're almost there. He gripped the
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  Speaker 3: reins of the donkey and led them down the final
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  Speaker 3: switchbacks leading down to the city gates. Campsites laced the
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  Speaker 3: vacant area surrounding the city. The census had uprooted everyone.
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  Speaker 3: Roman soldiers marched in and out of the gates in
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  Speaker 3: groups of ten to twenty. It seemed like they were
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  Speaker 3: searching for something or someone. Their presence made Joseph nervous.
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  Speaker 4: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 4: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
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  Speaker 4: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
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  Speaker 4: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
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  Speaker 4: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
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  Speaker 4: the Bible points to Jesus. and how his living word,
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  Speaker 4: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
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  Speaker 4: to get a copy of the Jesus book, simply go
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
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  Speaker 4: you for your support. It's Christmas Eve, and our nativity
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  Speaker 4: story is ramping up to the glorious arrival of Christ.
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  Speaker 4: Mary and Joseph have endured ridicule, robbery, and storms to
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  Speaker 4: arrive at Bethlehem. Now, just as the city comes into view,
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  Speaker 4: Mary's experiencing the pangs of childbirth. Joseph and Mary require
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  Speaker 4: some hospitality. Will they find it? This episode will explore
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  Speaker 4: themes of hospitality and compassion for those in need. Mary
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  Speaker 4: and Joseph are vulnerable and at the mercy of the
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  Speaker 4: people around them. If they don't find shelter soon, Mary
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  Speaker 4: will have to give birth on the streets. Hospitality and
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  Speaker 4: compassion reflect the character of Christ. Our faith is shown
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  Speaker 4: in how we treat people who are vulnerable and in need.
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  Speaker 4: The Nativity story illustrates that God's providence will always come through,
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  Speaker 4: even when we feel lost and without help. His providence
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  Speaker 4: doesn't always look like parted seas or fire from heaven.
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  Speaker 4: Sometimes it's a small act of generosity from a stranger. Afterward,
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  Speaker 4: we'll come together to unpack these timeless Christmas themes.
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  Speaker 3: The streets of Bethlehem were a chaotic smattering of voices, noises,
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  Speaker 3: and scents. The city was alive everywhere they looked, with
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  Speaker 3: travelers and traders gathered for the census. It became apparent
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  Speaker 3: that finding a quiet space in the city would be
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  Speaker 3: a nearly impossible task. Mary winced in pain, her breaths
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  Speaker 3: becoming more labored.
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  Speaker 1: Joseph, we need to find somewhere to rest.
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  Speaker 2: I think he's coming soon.
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  Speaker 3: I have distant relatives here, Joseph said, trying to hold
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  Speaker 3: back his panic.
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  Speaker 2: This way!
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  Speaker 3: They quickened their pace towards the group of homes tucked
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  Speaker 3: away on the city's outskirts. A vast and open pasture
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  Speaker 3: was behind the property, the very same hills where David
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  Speaker 3: once strummed his harp beside his grazing sheep. Joseph knocked
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  Speaker 3: on the door.
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  Speaker 2: Jephthah! he said frantically. It's Joseph!
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  Speaker 1: Please!
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  Speaker 3: Please!
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  Speaker 2: Open the door. An older portly man opened the door.
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  Speaker 3: Behind him were dozens of Joseph's distant relatives from far
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  Speaker 3: and wide.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph, he said with a furrowed brow. I was wondering
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  Speaker 2: if I'd see you here. There's no room for you. Jephthah, please.
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  Speaker 2: My wife, she is with child. I know your wife
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  Speaker 2: is pregnant, Joseph. We all know.
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  Speaker 3: The man sneered.
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  Speaker 2: We all heard about the woman you married. It's a
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  Speaker 2: disgrace to your father, my cousin.
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  Speaker 3: I won't condone it by letting you remain here another minute.
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  Speaker 3: With those final insults, he slammed the door in Joseph's face.
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  Speaker 3: Joseph paused for a long while, words of anger and
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  Speaker 3: frustration dangling on his lips. He looked back at Mary.
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  Speaker 3: She was in pain, straining for each breath. They needed
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  Speaker 3: a safe place now. Time was slipping through their fingers
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  Speaker 3: like grains of sand. Mary's contractions grew more insistent, her
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  Speaker 3: pain a constant reminder of their urgent need. Joseph, driven
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  Speaker 3: by a blend of fear and determination, knocked on door
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  Speaker 3: after door.
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  Speaker 2: Can anybody help us? he shouted. Please, my wife is
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  Speaker 2: in labor.
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  Speaker 3: His pleas were met with nothing but awkward apologies or
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  Speaker 3: cold rejections. The night grew darker, and their hope waned.
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  Speaker 3: A flickering candle in the relentless wind. But then, as
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  Speaker 3: if guided by a hand unseen, they found themselves before
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  Speaker 3: an inn, its warm glow a beacon in the dark night.
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  Speaker 3: Joseph urgently picked Mary up and hurried down the lane
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  Speaker 3: to the inn. Please, help us! Someone, please! We beg
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  Speaker 3: for mercy! He shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. Joseph's
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  Speaker 3: forehead met the heavy wooden door of the inn with
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  Speaker 3: a thud, all the while keeping Mary secure in his embrace.
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  Speaker 2: No response came.
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  Speaker 3: Laughter and the clinking of glasses echoed from within. He
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  Speaker 3: raised his voice, bellowing, Silence was the only reply. With
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  Speaker 3: Mary tenderly held in his arms... Joseph reeled back and
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  Speaker 3: delivered a powerful kick to the door. It burst open,
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  Speaker 3: yet still failed to catch the attention of anyone inside.
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  Speaker 3: Only then did he understand.
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  Speaker 2: Why his call had gone unanswered.
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  Speaker 3: The inn was overflowing with patrons, so parked that there
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  Speaker 3: was hardly room to move, let.
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  Speaker 2: Alone notice a cry from outside.
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  Speaker 3: Joseph's eyes found the innkeeper busy clearing cups in a corner.' Innkeeper! Innkeeper!'
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  Speaker 3: he yelled, finally catching his attention. The innkeeper was a
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  Speaker 3: disheveled man, his grey hair unkempt, his round face flushed
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  Speaker 3: from the heat. We're filled to capacity, sir, as you
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  Speaker 3: can plainly see. His voice trailed off as his eyes
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  Speaker 3: met the tear-streaked face of the pregnant Mary. Show compassion
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  Speaker 3: upon us.
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  Speaker 2: Mary exhaled.
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  Speaker 3: The innkeeper's face creased with worry as he ran his
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  Speaker 3: fingers through his beard.
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  Speaker 5: His voice filled with sorrow. I wish I had more
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  Speaker 5: to offer, but we have no space. Certainly not a.
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  Speaker 3: Proper place for your particular needs. His eyes flickered down
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  Speaker 3: the hill behind the inn. But there might be a
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  Speaker 3: spot I can show you. Hurry, follow me. Joseph helped
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  Speaker 3: Mary onto the donkey, and they found the innkeeper down
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  Speaker 3: a narrow, twisting path to a cave-like enclosure in the
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  Speaker 3: hillside where the animals were kept. The sun was sinking
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  Speaker 3: and Mary's agony intensified. The innkeeper hung a lantern, casting
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  Speaker 3: a soft glow.
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  Speaker 2: Over the stable.
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  Speaker 3: Mary's cries grew louder, her pain more acute, the birth
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  Speaker 3: drawing near. I regret that this is all I can provide,
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  Speaker 3: the innkeeper said, his voice low. Joseph simply nodded his thanks,
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  Speaker 3: his focus solely on Mary. Mary looked around. After the
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  Speaker 3: journey she had just endured, she was about to give
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  Speaker 3: birth in a stable carved from a hill. This was
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  Speaker 3: the stage for a moment of divine significance. Amidst the
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  Speaker 3: hay and the gentle lowing of animals, Mary prepared herself.
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  Speaker 3: In the cool evening air, she whispered softly to the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: I am your servant.
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  Speaker 3: In that moment, the veil between the worldly and the
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  Speaker 3: divine was paper-thin. Outside, the world continued its restless dance,
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  Speaker 3: but time seemed to pause within the stable's walls. Above
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  Speaker 3: the stable, unnoticed by the city's throng, a star shone
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  Speaker 3: with a brilliance that seemed to pierce the very fabric
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  Speaker 3: of the night. Its light, a herald of a new era.
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  Speaker 2: Cast a gentle glow over the stable. where the child
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  Speaker 2: of promise was about to be born.
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  Speaker 4: Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem was filled with obstacles.
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  Speaker 4: You'd think that arriving in Bethlehem would be the easiest part.
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  Speaker 4: But just as they reached their destination, tension rose. Doors
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  Speaker 4: were shut in their faces around every corner. Even Joseph's
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  Speaker 4: family rejected him. There's a theological precedent for including Joseph's
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  Speaker 4: family in this story. Luke chapter 2 tells us simply
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  Speaker 4: that there was no room in the inn. But that
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  Speaker 4: could be taken to mean several things. Some scholars believe
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  Speaker 4: it was an all-encompassing term. They were refused hospitality. In
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  Speaker 4: Christ's day, hospitality to visitors among the Jews was essential.
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  Speaker 4: based on biblical examples and law. In Deuteronomy 10, verse 19,
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  Speaker 4: God told Israel to love the stranger. And Leviticus 19,
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  Speaker 4: verse 33 states, If a stranger dwells with you in
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  Speaker 4: your land, you shall not mistreat him. Denial of hospitality
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  Speaker 4: was shown throughout Scripture as an outrage, unless it was
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  Speaker 4: established as a sign of disowning that family member. Even
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  Speaker 4: from the very start of his life, Jesus had nowhere
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  Speaker 4: to lay his hand. This situation was not by chance,
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  Speaker 4: but rather a symbolic representation of his complete identification with
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  Speaker 4: the oppressed, vulnerable, the rejected, underprivileged, and the poor. When
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  Speaker 4: God took human form, he sought none of the worldly comforts, luxuries,
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  Speaker 4: or protections many hold dear. God knew that throughout time,
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  Speaker 4: lonely and homeless people from all corners of the globe
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  Speaker 4: would gaze at the stars shivering in the cold and cry, God,
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  Speaker 4: you can't possibly understand what I'm experiencing. To this, Jesus
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  Speaker 4: can respond with truth and compassion. Actually, I know exactly
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  Speaker 4: what you're enduring. The rejection by the people of Bethlehem
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  Speaker 4: serves as a painful reminder that judgment and scorn can
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  Speaker 4: cause us to close our doors to those in desperate need.
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  Speaker 4: May we never fall into the same trap. Hebrews chapter
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  Speaker 4: 13 verse 2 tells us not to forget to show
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  Speaker 4: hospitality to strangers for some have unwittingly hosted angels. God
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  Speaker 4: is at work in the margins of compassion and generosity.
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  Speaker 4: There is no way to predict the ripple effects of
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  Speaker 4: your kindness. For Mary and Joseph, one act of kindness
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  Speaker 4: is all they needed to usher in the Son of God.
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  Speaker 4: the compassionate innkeeper shines a light on the loving character
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  Speaker 4: of Christ. Though he had no room, he did what
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  Speaker 4: he could to provide a place for the Savior to
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  Speaker 4: be born. His actions reflect Christ's teaching in Matthew 25,
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  Speaker 4: verses 35-40, where Jesus says, I was a stranger, and
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  Speaker 4: you welcomed me. Despite their dire circumstances, God's hand was
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  Speaker 4: evident throughout their journey. The stable was Humble though it was,
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  Speaker 4: became a holy place. Here, Jesus Christ, the King of kings,
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  Speaker 4: was born in simplicity and humility. Tomorrow's Christmas, and no
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  Speaker 4: doubt many of you will reflect on why Jesus came
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  Speaker 4: in the way he did. Why was he born in
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  Speaker 4: a stable? Why was he born into a family with
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  Speaker 4: little resources and status? It's simple. God chose the path
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  Speaker 4: of humility. so we might have hope in any circumstance.
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  Speaker 4: We do not have a God that doesn't sympathize with
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  Speaker 4: our struggles and needs. As it says in Hebrews 4,
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  Speaker 4: verse 15, For we do not have a high priest
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  Speaker 4: who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one
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  Speaker 4: who in every respect has been tempted as we are,
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  Speaker 4: yet without sin. Jesus knew what it was like to
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  Speaker 4: come from nothing, to suffer, to work. Some of you
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  Speaker 4: may feel alone, rejected, and misunderstood, like Mary and Joseph.
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  Speaker 4: Know that Jesus understands you. He loves you, and he's
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  Speaker 4: provided a place for you to call home, the kingdom
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  Speaker 4: of God. Join us for our next episode as we
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  Speaker 4: behold the glory of Christ's birth in the most humble
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  Speaker 4: of circumstances, the Son of God will be born. I'm
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  Speaker 4: excited to unwrap the glorious gift of Christmas with you.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 4: And before we go, I wanted to let you know
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  Speaker 4: that the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach
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  Speaker 4: of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each
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  Speaker 4: week through the support of listeners like you. Your support
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: today is so important that we want to thank you
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: for your gift by giving you a copy of my
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: book called The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful
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  Speaker 4: guide that shows how every book in the Bible points
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  Speaker 4: to Christ and how you can better read and understand
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: the Bible and how God's Word transforms our lives. So
• 15:27
  Speaker 4: to get your copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
• 15:30
  Speaker 4: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: you for your support.