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The First Miracle - The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. When the ruler of the feast had
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  Speaker 1: tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not
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  Speaker 1: whence it was, but the servants which drew the water knew,
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  Speaker 1: the governor of the feast called the bridegroom. John 2.9
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  Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, give me the boldness, like the men
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  Speaker 1: in today's reading, to leave my comfort and all I
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  Speaker 1: know to follow the plan and purposes of God. As
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  Speaker 1: I focus on Jesus, I will be led by His Spirit.
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  Speaker 1: I will not allow anyone around me to place doubt
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  Speaker 1: in my heart that you are the Messiah, the Chosen One,
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  Speaker 1: to change my life, Jesus. Like your life, Jesus, people
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  Speaker 1: may doubt who you've called me to be because of
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  Speaker 1: how and where I was raised. But I will ignore
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  Speaker 1: the doubters because great things come from obscure places. Quicken
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  Speaker 1: my heart so that I will know the time and
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  Speaker 1: place to use the gifts you've given me. Bless me
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  Speaker 1: with divine obedience so I may walk in the wake
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  Speaker 1: of your miracles and point people to your saving grace.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that this is the season of miracles. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that this is the season of new beginnings. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: The First.
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  Speaker 3: Miracle In our last story, the heavens were opened up
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  Speaker 3: as John baptized Jesus. The signaling of Jesus' earthly ministry
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  Speaker 3: had begun, and all of history was about to be
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  Speaker 3: shaped forever. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
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  Speaker 3: where he was tempted by Satan. Yet Jesus came out
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  Speaker 3: victorious and proved his power over sin and temptation. Now
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  Speaker 3: we look at Jesus' ministry taking flight. He calls men
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  Speaker 3: to his side and shows them why he is worthy
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  Speaker 3: of following. He attends a wedding with his disciples and
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  Speaker 3: mother and shows that even the Son of God obeys
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  Speaker 3: his mother when asked. Inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 2: The last time we were together, we heard how John
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  Speaker 2: the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus and how he
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  Speaker 2: baptized Christ in the presence of a multitude of people.
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  Speaker 2: We heard God speak and declare that Jesus is his son.
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  Speaker 2: Following that incredible event, supernatural indeed, Jesus went into the
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  Speaker 2: wilderness where he endured and overcame temptation. And now he
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  Speaker 2: is ready to begin his earthly ministry. Today, we'll hear
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  Speaker 2: about the men Jesus called to walk with him for
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  Speaker 2: his time on earth. These 12 men from different backgrounds,
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  Speaker 2: none of them obvious choices, but all called by God.
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  Speaker 2: Then we'll see as Jesus performs the first of many
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  Speaker 2: miracles at the wedding, the wedding feast at Cana. So
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  Speaker 2: let's listen to God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: John was sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
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  Speaker 3: The gentle waves rose with grace. Behind him were two
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  Speaker 3: of his followers. They spoke of the Lord, His coming,
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  Speaker 3: and the future of mankind. As they were speaking, John
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  Speaker 3: caught a glimpse of Jesus passing by. John nudged both
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  Speaker 3: of his disciples and said, You see that man over there?
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  Speaker 3: The two of them looked at Jesus and nodded. That
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  Speaker 3: is the Lamb of God, the reason I am here.
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  Speaker 3: John's heart skipped a few beats in his chest, and
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  Speaker 3: his throat began to choke up with tears. He is
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  Speaker 3: the one you should follow. The disciples looked at John intensely,
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  Speaker 3: seeing that he truly believed that man to be the Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: So they left John's side and began to follow Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus was walking by the shore, feeling the soft breeze
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  Speaker 3: on his face. He watched the fishermen tend to their
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  Speaker 3: nets and boats methodically. Jesus could hear the slight shift
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  Speaker 3: of sand behind him. He looked back and saw two
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  Speaker 3: men following him. He smiled. What are you seeking, my friends?
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  Speaker 3: he asked. The two men stopped, a little embarrassed that
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  Speaker 3: they did not just introduce themselves to Jesus in the
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  Speaker 3: first place. We wish to remain with you, they said.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus nodded warmly and they followed him. The one who
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  Speaker 3: remained with Jesus was Andrew. He listened to Jesus speak.
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  Speaker 3: His words were like fire flowing from the earth. Andrew
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  Speaker 3: eventually brought Jesus to his brother Simon, a fisherman who
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  Speaker 3: was tending to his boat. Simon, he said, we have
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  Speaker 3: found him. We have found the Messiah. Simon was a
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  Speaker 3: loud and boisterous fellow. He had a fighter's spirit and
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  Speaker 3: a sailor's tongue. He looked at Jesus, sizing him up
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  Speaker 3: to judge whether he was a man worth following. He
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  Speaker 3: was not quite sure yet. Jesus looked at Simon. He
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  Speaker 3: could see all of who he was, inside and out.
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  Speaker 3: He could see the pain in his heart and the
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  Speaker 3: fire in his belly. Jesus laughed and smiled. Ah, Simon,
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  Speaker 3: son of John, you will no longer be called Simon.
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  Speaker 3: Now you will be called Peter the Rock. Curious as
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  Speaker 3: to what Jesus meant, Peter followed him. The next day
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  Speaker 3: Jesus decided to go further into the city of Galilee.
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  Speaker 3: Crowds of people came in and out of the gates.
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  Speaker 3: As John continued to preach of Jesus' importance, many of
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  Speaker 3: his followers began to follow Jesus. The sea of faces
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  Speaker 3: rose like waves, but Jesus was intent on finding his
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  Speaker 3: chosen men. He saw a man named Philip walking by
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  Speaker 3: the road. Philip, Jesus shouted. Philip was alarmed and looked over.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus held his shoulders, looked him in the eyes, and said,
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  Speaker 3: Follow me, Philip. The reason Philip followed is still unknown.
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  Speaker 3: Perhaps it was the way Jesus spoke his name. Perhaps
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  Speaker 3: it was the way he looked him in the eye.
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  Speaker 3: Whatever it was, It made Philip undoubtedly devoted. Later that day,
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  Speaker 3: Philip grabbed his friend Nathanael and said, We have found him,
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  Speaker 3: the one whom Moses spoke of, the Messiah. He is
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  Speaker 3: Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael scoffed. His laughter came from his belly. Nazareth,
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  Speaker 3: he asked. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? That
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  Speaker 3: place is a dump filled with unsavory people. Philip shrugged.
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  Speaker 3: Come and see for yourself, he said. So the two
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  Speaker 3: of them walked to where Jesus was sitting. As he
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  Speaker 3: was approaching, Jesus sat up and said, Ah, Nathanael, a
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  Speaker 3: true Israelite, a man in whom there is no corruption.
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  Speaker 3: Nathanael's eyes widened. How do you know who I am?
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  Speaker 2: He asked.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus walked closer. It was just the two of them.
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  Speaker 3: I know who you are, Nathanael. Even before Philip called you,
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  Speaker 3: I was with you under the fig tree. I heard you.
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  Speaker 3: Nathaniel's heart broke like a dam when he heard those words.
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  Speaker 3: That was a secret time he had between him and
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. Underneath the fig tree is where he bore
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  Speaker 3: his soul to God. If Jesus had heard him, it
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  Speaker 3: could only mean one thing. He was God himself. Nathaniel
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  Speaker 3: fell to his knees. Truly, you are the Son of God,
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  Speaker 3: he said, putting his hands over his face. Jesus gave
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  Speaker 3: a gentle laugh and said, You say all this because
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  Speaker 3: I saw you under the fig tree? He helped him
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  Speaker 3: up to his feet. Trust me, Nathaniel, you will see
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  Speaker 3: greater things than that. You will see heaven opened and
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  Speaker 3: the blessings of God poured out. A few days later,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus and some of his followers were attending a wedding
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  Speaker 3: in Cana. Hundreds of people were in attendance, including Jesus' mother, Mary. Music, food,
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  Speaker 3: and wine flowed as people enjoyed the union of their friends.
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  Speaker 3: It was a joyous occasion. until the hosts ran out
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  Speaker 3: of wine too early. Jesus was sitting at a table
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  Speaker 3: with a few of his followers when he saw his
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  Speaker 3: mother approaching.' They are out of wine,' Mary whispered to Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus smiled at his mother. He loved her deeply and
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  Speaker 3: knew exactly why she had come to him with this matter.'
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  Speaker 3: You know my hour has not yet come,' Jesus said.
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  Speaker 3: Mary paid no attention to her son's answer. As only
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  Speaker 3: a mother could, she gathered a few of the servants
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  Speaker 3: and brought them to Jesus. Do what my son tells
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  Speaker 3: you to do. She gave Jesus a look and then
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  Speaker 3: left to go reassure the hosts that there would be
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  Speaker 3: more wine soon. Jesus chuckled and gestured to the servants,
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  Speaker 3: Fill up the six stone water jars to the top
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  Speaker 3: with water. So the servants brought the massive jars to
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  Speaker 3: the well. They filled them to the brim and brought
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  Speaker 3: them back to Jesus. Then he gestured for the water
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  Speaker 3: to be brought to the hosts. Go and pour the
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  Speaker 3: water into their cups. The servants were confused at Jesus' orders,
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  Speaker 3: but did not question him. They carried the jugs of
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  Speaker 3: water to the host and poured it into his cup.
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  Speaker 3: Out from the jugs came new wine. The host had
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  Speaker 3: no clue that the jars were once filled with water,
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  Speaker 3: but the servants did. They looked back at Jesus smiling.
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  Speaker 3: The disciples who were beside him awed at the miracle.
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  Speaker 3: All were surprised and amazed, all except Mary.
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  Speaker 2: Today we learn how John the Baptist sees Jesus once
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  Speaker 2: again and once more proclaim that the Lord is the
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  Speaker 2: Lamb of God and that his disciples and all others
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  Speaker 2: should follow him. And so two men left John the Baptist,
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  Speaker 2: and they began to follow Jesus. One of them was Andrew,
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  Speaker 2: who soon called his brother Simon. Simon was no shrinking violet,
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  Speaker 2: and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Jesus knew
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  Speaker 2: Simon inside and out from the moment they met, and
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  Speaker 2: he knew that he would serve a very special purpose.
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  Speaker 2: So Jesus gave him a new name. Simon's name is
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  Speaker 2: now The Rock, or Peter. It was an aspirational name,
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  Speaker 2: as Simon still had much to learn and to grow
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  Speaker 2: before he would become the stable, steady rock, the great apostle.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus went to Galilee, and as John continued to point
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  Speaker 2: people to the true Messiah, more and more people began
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  Speaker 2: to follow Jesus. But not all followers were to be disciples.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus went about handpicking the men, selecting them who would
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  Speaker 2: be his inner circle, the ones who would model their
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  Speaker 2: lives after Jesus, their rabbi. You might think that Jesus
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  Speaker 2: would have picked the best and the brightest on earth,
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  Speaker 2: the most learned theological minds, someone from the priestly caste,
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  Speaker 2: those who knew the law inside and out. But that's
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  Speaker 2: not what Jesus did. The men he picked were the
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  Speaker 2: least likely of candidates in so many ways. Certainly from
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  Speaker 2: a human perspective, you wouldn't have chosen these men. But
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  Speaker 2: God's ways are much higher than our ways. He saw
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  Speaker 2: in them, as he sees in us, potential. What others
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  Speaker 2: don't see, God sees. But more importantly, when God worked
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  Speaker 2: through them despite their flaws and weaknesses, he was glorified.
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  Speaker 2: It's the same with us today. Not many mighty or
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  Speaker 2: not many noble are called according to the scriptures. And
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  Speaker 2: God's power, the presence of Jesus, is made perfect in
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  Speaker 2: our weakness. Our failures become a platform for Jesus to work.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus knew exactly how to speak to each man that
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  Speaker 2: he called. And they all saw something in Jesus that
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  Speaker 2: was different, something amazing, something special, a man worth following,
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  Speaker 2: so that they dropped what they were doing, their careers,
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  Speaker 2: their future, and they gave it all to Jesus. Listen
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  Speaker 2: to what Nathanael, one of these men chosen by Christ,
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  Speaker 2: says in John 1 49. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you
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  Speaker 2: are the son of God. You are the king of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: This was just the beginning. Not all of these men
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  Speaker 2: could comprehend at this point who Jesus was and is,
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  Speaker 2: but Nathanael, he knew. This was the beginning of their journey.
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  Speaker 2: And as Jesus said to Nathanael, they would witness much
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  Speaker 2: greater things still. We then heard that Jesus and his
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  Speaker 2: disciple and his mother attended a wedding feast in Cana.
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  Speaker 2: Someone had planned poorly for the feast because they ran
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  Speaker 2: out of refreshments. They ran out of wine. It would
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  Speaker 2: be a huge disappointment and embarrassment if they ran out
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  Speaker 2: of the wine. Mary, who from the beginning, from conception,
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  Speaker 2: knew that Jesus was the chosen Messiah of God, that
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  Speaker 2: he was filled with the power of God, went to
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  Speaker 2: her son and asked him for help. Jesus had not
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  Speaker 2: intended to perform a miracle that day, but he loved
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  Speaker 2: it and he honored his mother. And so he fulfilled
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  Speaker 2: her request. He asked the servant to bring jars and
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  Speaker 2: fill them with water, huge jars. Then the jars were
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  Speaker 2: taken to the host to pour into cups. And amazingly,
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  Speaker 2: when they poured out of the jars, what flowed was
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  Speaker 2: the best wine, far better than the guests had been
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  Speaker 2: served earlier. The servants were amazed. Everyone celebrated. The disciples
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  Speaker 2: who witnessed the miracle began to see what Jesus could do.
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  Speaker 2: They began to believe more and more, and they began
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  Speaker 2: following Christ closer and closer. They know now that he
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  Speaker 2: is the one that the Father has sent to be
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  Speaker 2: the Savior of the world, and more miracles, greater miracles,
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  Speaker 2: were yet to come. Dear God, thank you for Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for the power of his presence in our lives.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you that even in the simple things, like a
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  Speaker 2: wedding feast, that you bring joy and laughter and happiness
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  Speaker 2: and celebration. We thank you, Jesus, for your joy. And
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  Speaker 2: we thank you that we can live in the abundance
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  Speaker 2: of your life every single day. And we pray this
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  Speaker 2: in your name. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 2: Bible in a Year. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 2: You can download the Pray.com app and make Bible study
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  Speaker 2: and prayer the priority of your life. And if you
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  Speaker 2: appreciate this podcast, please share it with someone else. I
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  Speaker 2: also want to encourage you to go to jackgraham.org. That's jackgraham.org,
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  Speaker 2: for we have resources that are free and available for
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  Speaker 2: you so that you may know Christ and grow in Him.
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  Speaker 2: God bless you.