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The Birth of John the Baptist · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for
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  Speaker 1: thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear
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  Speaker 1: thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
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  Speaker 1: Luke 1.13 Lord, when I am praying for things to
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  Speaker 1: come forth in my life, I will not look at
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  Speaker 1: my circumstances to determine whether or not it will come
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  Speaker 1: into fruition. I will not laugh in disbelief like Zacharias.
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  Speaker 1: You will not have to silence my lips because of unbelief. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: I will take the posture of Mary when the angel
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  Speaker 1: of the Lord appeared to her and proclaimed that she
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  Speaker 1: would give birth to Jesus the Messiah and accept your
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  Speaker 1: word as truth with no questions asked. Thank you in
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  Speaker 1: advance for setting people in my life like John the
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  Speaker 1: Baptist who will help pave the way for your calling
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  Speaker 1: in my life. as you deposit the seed of purpose
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  Speaker 1: in me, like Mary and Elizabeth. Surround me with others
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  Speaker 1: whose purposes will leap within them as we join in
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  Speaker 1: fellowship and build each other up. I stand in anticipation
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  Speaker 1: because I know that whatever dream you're birthing inside me
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  Speaker 1: will echo in the halls of eternity. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: The birth of John the Baptist.
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  Speaker 2: Four hundred years had passed since the Lord last spoke
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  Speaker 2: to his people through prophets. For four hundred years they
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  Speaker 2: filled the synagogues and temples with teachings and sacrifices, longing
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  Speaker 2: for the presence of God to be felt once more.
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  Speaker 2: Rome had taken over, and the people longed for a savior.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, we will see a new story set
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  Speaker 2: in motion, a story of a hero unlike any other
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  Speaker 2: we have seen before. And it all starts with a baby,
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  Speaker 2: inspired by the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgraham.org slash stress. That's jackram.org
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: slash stress. In our last episode, we heard how Nehemiah
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  Speaker 3: returned to Judah and undertook the rebuilding of the walls,
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  Speaker 3: ushering in a new era of peace and safety. And yet,
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  Speaker 3: that too was to be short-lived. Sin still held in
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  Speaker 3: people's hearts with an unrelenting grip. The Messiah, the promised one,
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  Speaker 3: was ultimately the only solution to sin and evil in
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  Speaker 3: the world. to our brokenness and rebellion. So now, let's
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  Speaker 3: turn the page from the Old Testament to the New Testament,
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  Speaker 3: and we'll fast forward 400 years into the future. Israel
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  Speaker 3: had turned from God, but in a different way. It
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  Speaker 3: was a period of religion, but also self-righteousness and legalism.
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  Speaker 3: The Pharisees and priests and other religious leaders held sway
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  Speaker 3: over the people, oppressing them with rules and rituals. Though
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  Speaker 3: there remained a form of religion, people's hearts were very
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  Speaker 3: far from God. It is into this context, into this
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  Speaker 3: culture and world, that God would come down as the Messiah,
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  Speaker 3: the Savior, the promised Deliverer of His people. So, let's
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  Speaker 3: begin with the New Testament now and today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Hundreds of years after the exiles returned to Israel, the
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  Speaker 2: Jews had rebuilt their culture. The age of education, religion,
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  Speaker 2: and government had emerged, but not without cost. The Roman
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  Speaker 2: Empire had conquered almost all the known world, and Caesar's
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  Speaker 2: grip on the nation of Israel was hard and cruel.
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  Speaker 2: The Jewish people remained faithful to the practices of the temple,
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  Speaker 2: and the priests and Pharisees grew more rigid in their
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  Speaker 2: religious dogma. The nation was pining for a Messiah. Religious
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  Speaker 2: oppression from within and military oppression from without left God's
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  Speaker 2: people longing for a Savior. This is where the story
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  Speaker 2: of God's rescue mission continues. This is where the true
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  Speaker 2: hero emerges. In the time of King Herod, there was
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  Speaker 2: a Jewish priest by the name of Zechariah. He and
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  Speaker 2: his wife Elizabeth were loved among the people. Their righteousness
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  Speaker 2: and love for God was well known. However, they lacked children,
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  Speaker 2: for Elizabeth was barren. As their years increased, so did
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  Speaker 2: their love for God and one another. Although the pain
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  Speaker 2: of being childless never left. One day Zechariah was serving
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  Speaker 2: God in the temple. It was his turn to enter
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  Speaker 2: into the sanctuary of God to burn incense. While he
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  Speaker 2: stepped into the Holy of Holies, a bright light emerged
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  Speaker 2: from the smoke. Zechariah fell in fear as he stared
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  Speaker 2: at the angel stepping out before him. His knees trembled
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  Speaker 2: as he gazed upon the magnificent creature. Do not be afraid, Zechariah.
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  Speaker 2: The angel said, God has heard your cries for a child.
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  Speaker 2: Elizabeth will give you a son, and he will be
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  Speaker 2: the messenger proclaiming the new age of the Lord. He
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  Speaker 2: will be filled with God's Spirit and a mighty voice
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  Speaker 2: for liberation. Zechariah stumbled to his feet and opened his hands.
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  Speaker 2: How could this be?
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  Speaker 1: He asked.
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  Speaker 2: I am an old man, and my wife is well
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  Speaker 2: along in years. This is impossible. As Zechariah was speaking,
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  Speaker 2: a rush of light shot forth toward Zechariah. He fell
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  Speaker 2: to the floor, covering his ears and eyes.' I am Gabriel!'
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  Speaker 2: the angel shouted.' It is I who stand in the
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  Speaker 2: very presence of the Lord. He has sent me to
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  Speaker 2: give you good news, but you stand here as if
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  Speaker 2: God is unable to fulfill his promises.' Zechariah cowered in
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  Speaker 2: fear at the angel's voice. Never had he heard something
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  Speaker 2: so gentle, yet so terrifying. It was almost too much
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  Speaker 2: to bear.' Since you have not believed my words, you
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  Speaker 2: will be unable to speak until the birth of your son.
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  Speaker 2: This will teach you to truly meditate on just how
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  Speaker 2: blessed the Lord has made you. And at that instant,
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  Speaker 2: Gabriel vanished. Zechariah emerged silent and was unable to communicate
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  Speaker 2: what had just happened to him. Yet God's will was
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  Speaker 2: revealed shortly after, as Elizabeth became pregnant with a son.
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  Speaker 2: Six months had passed, and the cousin of Elizabeth was
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  Speaker 2: gathering water at the well in Nazareth. Mary was a
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  Speaker 2: young woman filled with hope for the future. She was
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  Speaker 2: engaged to a man named Joseph, a local carpenter, descendant
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  Speaker 2: of David, and a well-respected man of God. Mary drew
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  Speaker 2: the water from the well, humming a sweet tune in
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  Speaker 2: the morning sun. She carried the water back to the goats,
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  Speaker 2: wiped her hands, and entered into her home. As she
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  Speaker 2: entered her home, she saw the angel Gabriel sitting near
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  Speaker 2: her window. Mary gasped and fell back towards the wall.
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  Speaker 2: Gabriel smiled.' Greetings, O favored woman of God,' he said warmly.
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  Speaker 2: Mary was speechless. The angel's presence disturbed her, and she
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  Speaker 2: darted her eyes towards the door to run.' Do not
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  Speaker 2: be afraid,' Gabriel exclaimed.' You have found favor with God.'
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  Speaker 2: Mary's heart was beating fast. She was only a girl
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  Speaker 2: and could not imagine what use God would have of her.
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  Speaker 2: Gabriel bent down closely to her.' You will conceive a son.
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  Speaker 2: His name will be Jesus.' He will be the promised
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  Speaker 2: son of David, the Messiah, the son of the living God,
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  Speaker 2: the king to bring peace upon all the nations. Mary's
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  Speaker 2: eyes began to water as the angel spoke. His kingdom
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  Speaker 2: will reign forever. At his name every knee shall bow
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  Speaker 2: and every broken heart made whole. Mary wiped her eyes
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  Speaker 2: and looked up at the angel. How could this be?
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  Speaker 2: I am a virgin and I am not yet married
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  Speaker 2: to Joseph. Gabriel gave a warm grin to the girl.
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  Speaker 2: The same Holy Spirit that hovered over the waters of
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  Speaker 2: the earth will come upon you. The power of the
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  Speaker 2: Most High God will be with you. The baby will
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  Speaker 2: be born holy and will be the Son of God himself.
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  Speaker 2: Gabriel stood to his feet and began to exit. He
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  Speaker 2: turned to Mary and said, Much has been set in motion,
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  Speaker 2: O favored one. Even your cousin Elizabeth has become pregnant
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  Speaker 2: in her old age. You may go and see her
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  Speaker 2: for yourself. The word of God will never fail. And
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  Speaker 2: with those words, the angel disappeared. Mary's heart felt as
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  Speaker 2: though it was about to beat right out of her chest.
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  Speaker 2: She whispered a prayer to the Lord. I am your servant.
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  Speaker 2: Then she sang to him and went to go visit
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  Speaker 2: her cousin Elizabeth. Mary traveled across the hills into the
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  Speaker 2: town of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Elizabeth was tending to the
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  Speaker 2: garden when she saw Mary arrive on a small carriage.
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  Speaker 2: The two met one another when all of a sudden
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  Speaker 2: Elizabeth felt a jolt in her womb. Then another, then another.
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  Speaker 2: Elizabeth laughed and tears of joy streamed down her face. Mary,
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  Speaker 2: she said, you are with child. Mary stepped back, amazed
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  Speaker 2: that Elizabeth knew so early. How did you know, she asked.
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  Speaker 2: My child, it is an honor that the mother of
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  Speaker 2: the Lord himself should visit me. When you came close,
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  Speaker 2: the baby in my womb leaped for joy. He is
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  Speaker 2: kicking now, filled with the delight of God's Spirit. The
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  Speaker 2: two women praised God together, although Mary was still nervous
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  Speaker 2: about what Joseph and her family would think of her pregnancy.
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  Speaker 2: Would they believe her? Would they judge her? Would Joseph
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  Speaker 2: still love her? All these questions filled her mind, but
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  Speaker 2: the Lord was steadfast towards Mary. He gave her a
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  Speaker 2: quiet resolve. Three months had passed, and the night had
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  Speaker 2: covered the small village outside Nazareth. Painful cries could be
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  Speaker 2: heard from the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Mary watched
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  Speaker 2: as her brave cousin endured the pain of childbirth at
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  Speaker 2: an old age. She wailed throughout the night, persevering through
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  Speaker 2: the agony. Mary could not help but think of her
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  Speaker 2: own inevitable pain. The screaming ceased and was replaced with
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  Speaker 2: the quiet cries of the newborn infant. Elizabeth held her
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  Speaker 2: baby boy in her arms. Tears streamed down her face
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  Speaker 2: as she looked upon her miracle child. We should name
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  Speaker 2: him Zechariah, after his father, she whispered. Then, after nine
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  Speaker 2: months of silence, a deep voice could be heard from
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  Speaker 2: the corner of the room. No, Zechariah said. Elizabeth gasped,
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  Speaker 2: as did Mary and the others with them. Zechariah smiled
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  Speaker 2: and held up his boy. His name will be John,
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  Speaker 2: he said. Zechariah laughed and cried. You, my little son...
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  Speaker 2: will be a prophet of the Most High. You will
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  Speaker 2: prepare the way of the Lord. You will point people
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  Speaker 2: towards their salvation. You will show them the way. The
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  Speaker 2: morning light of heaven is breaking on us this day.
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  Speaker 2: So John grew strong and grew in the favor of
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  Speaker 2: God and attention of man. And Mary returned home to
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  Speaker 2: face her family.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, Israel is being ruled by two different forces.
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  Speaker 3: First and foremost, they were under the rule of the
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  Speaker 3: Roman Empire, the new world superpower. Though Israel has some
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  Speaker 3: degree of self-governance in their own land, they are not
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  Speaker 3: fully free, and they are oppressed by foreign rulers. But
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  Speaker 3: there is another force that is crushing the people in
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  Speaker 3: a different way. The rituals and temple practices were still
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  Speaker 3: being observed, but the religious leaders, the leaders of the
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  Speaker 3: religious order, were oppressing the people with countless rules and
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  Speaker 3: legalistic teaching. Though it appeared to be zeal for God,
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  Speaker 3: it was an attempt to earn righteousness by behavior, and
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  Speaker 3: it was, of course, futile. The people needed a perfect sacrifice,
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  Speaker 3: someone to rescue from sin, to bring them back to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. They needed God himself, as they always had.
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  Speaker 3: And what we begin seeing now is God setting in
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  Speaker 3: motion his plan of redemption in Jesus Christ. But before
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  Speaker 3: the Messiah would come, one who announced his arrival would
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  Speaker 3: also come, a man who had been foretold by the
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  Speaker 3: prophets Isaiah and Malachi, a voice who would cry out
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  Speaker 3: for the people to prepare a way for the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: And so in our reading, we learn of a priest
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  Speaker 3: named Zechariah whose wife was named Elizabeth. Like others before them,
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  Speaker 3: they had waited for years and years for a child.
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  Speaker 3: But in old age, they were still childless. But they
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  Speaker 3: were righteous. and found grace, favor in the eyes of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. So God sent an angel, Gabriel, to tell
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  Speaker 3: Zechariah and Elizabeth that they would have a child. And
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  Speaker 3: this child would proclaim a new era of freedom and faith.
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  Speaker 3: Zechariah laughed at the news, not believing they could bear
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  Speaker 3: children at their age. So he was made mute until
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  Speaker 3: the child came. And just as promised, Elizabeth became pregnant.
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  Speaker 3: We then heard how six months after Elizabeth conceived, her
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  Speaker 3: younger cousin Mary was visited by the same angel. Mary
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  Speaker 3: was engaged to be wed to a carpenter named Joseph.
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  Speaker 3: She was a virgin, a righteous young woman. So the
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  Speaker 3: news the angel brought her was both incredible, miraculous, and terrifying.
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  Speaker 3: Gabriel was quick to tell her that he brought good
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  Speaker 3: news from God, that she had found favor with the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: and had been chosen for this responsibility that would change
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  Speaker 3: history forever. Though she had no union with a man physically,
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  Speaker 3: Mary was going to conceive a child. His name would
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  Speaker 3: be Jesus, the son of David, God's promised Messiah. As
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  Speaker 3: you can only imagine, Mary could not comprehend how this
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  Speaker 3: is possible. Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come
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  Speaker 3: upon her and that God would be with her. God's Spirit,
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  Speaker 3: the one who had been there from the very beginning,
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  Speaker 3: hovering over the waters at creation, the one who had
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  Speaker 3: been with Israel in the pillar of fire and smoke.
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  Speaker 3: He would be with Mary. She would conceive a child.
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  Speaker 3: Gabriel then spoke of the miracle of the virgin conception.
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  Speaker 3: In Luke 1.37, we read, Nothing is impossible with God.
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  Speaker 3: I love the way the New Living Translation puts it,
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  Speaker 3: For the word of God will never fail. God keeps
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  Speaker 3: his promises. So Mary submitted herself faithfully to the Lord
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  Speaker 3: and His will, saying that she was His servant. When
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  Speaker 3: Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the baby Elizabeth
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  Speaker 3: was carrying leapt in her womb because the baby knew,
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  Speaker 3: alive in the womb of Elizabeth, knew that he was
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  Speaker 3: in the presence of the Lord. Both of these pregnancies
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  Speaker 3: were not just unlikely, they were miraculous. But as the
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  Speaker 3: angel said, with God there is no impossible. This is
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  Speaker 3: the glorious impossible. When Elizabeth finally gave birth, everyone wanted
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  Speaker 3: to name the child after his father. But Elizabeth protested
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  Speaker 3: and said it should be John, to everyone's confusion. Zechariah
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  Speaker 3: was still speechless, but he knew that she was right.
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  Speaker 3: So he called for something to write on and scribbled down,
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  Speaker 3: His name will be John. And immediately he was able
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  Speaker 3: to speak and began praising God. John said, grew into
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  Speaker 3: a strong and righteous man with a powerful voice, the
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  Speaker 3: very voice that God had promised to proclaim the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of God and the announcement of his glorious Messiah. Dear
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  Speaker 3: God of the impossible, we know that there is no
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  Speaker 3: miracle that you cannot perform, and we thank you for
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  Speaker 3: the miracle of Jesus, the miracle of the story of Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: and we praise you that your word never fails. that
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  Speaker 3: we can always trust you to fulfill what you have promised.
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  Speaker 3: And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. Before
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: we go, I want to let you know about a
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is that
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: it will help you conquer the daily tasks and pressures
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download your
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.