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The First Miracle · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water
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  Speaker 1: that was made wine, and knew not whence it was,
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  Speaker 1: but the servants which drew the water knew, the governor
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  Speaker 1: of the feast called the bridegroom. John 2.9 Dear Heavenly Father,
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  Speaker 1: give me the boldness, like the men in today's reading,
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  Speaker 1: to leave my comfort and all I know to follow
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  Speaker 1: the plan and purposes of God. As I focus on Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: I will be led by His Spirit. I will not
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  Speaker 1: allow anyone around me to place doubt in my heart
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  Speaker 1: that you are the Messiah, the Chosen One, to change
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  Speaker 1: my life, Jesus. Like your life, Jesus, people may doubt
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  Speaker 1: who you've called me to be because of how and
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  Speaker 1: where I was raised. But I will ignore the doubters
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  Speaker 1: because great things come from obscure places. Quicken my heart
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  Speaker 1: so that I will know the time and place to
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  Speaker 1: use the gifts you've given me. Bless me with divine
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  Speaker 1: obedience so I may walk in the wake of your
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  Speaker 1: miracles and point people to your saving grace. I declare
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  Speaker 1: that this is the season of miracles. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: this is the season of new beginnings. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: The First.
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  Speaker 2: Miracle In our last story, the heavens were opened up
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  Speaker 2: as John baptized Jesus. The signaling of Jesus' earthly ministry
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  Speaker 2: had begun, and all of history was about to be
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  Speaker 2: shaped forever. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
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  Speaker 2: where he was tempted by Satan. Yet Jesus came out
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  Speaker 2: victorious and proved his power over sin and temptation. Now
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  Speaker 2: we look at Jesus' ministry taking flight. He calls men
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  Speaker 2: to his side and shows them why he is worthy
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  Speaker 2: of following. He attends a wedding with his disciples and
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  Speaker 2: mother and shows that even the Son of God obeys
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  Speaker 2: his mother when asked. Inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
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  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries. and can only come
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
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  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
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  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
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  Speaker 3: you for your support. The last time we were together,
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  Speaker 3: we heard how John the Baptist prepared the way for
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  Speaker 3: Jesus and how he baptized Christ in the presence of
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  Speaker 3: a multitude of people. We heard God speak and declare
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  Speaker 3: that Jesus is his son. Following that incredible event, supernatural indeed,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus went into the wilderness where he endured and overcame temptations.
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  Speaker 3: And now he is ready to begin his earthly ministry. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear about the men Jesus called to walk with
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  Speaker 3: him for his time on earth. These 12 men from
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  Speaker 3: different backgrounds, none of them obvious choices, but all called
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  Speaker 3: by God. Then we'll see as Jesus performs the first
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  Speaker 3: of many miracles at the wedding, the wedding feast at Cana.
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  Speaker 3: So let's listen to God's word.
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  Speaker 2: John was sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
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  Speaker 2: The gentle waves rose with grace. Behind him were two
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  Speaker 2: of his followers. They spoke of the Lord, his coming,
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  Speaker 2: and the future of mankind. As they were speaking, John
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  Speaker 2: caught a glimpse of Jesus passing by. John nudged both
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  Speaker 2: of his disciples and said, You see that man over there?
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  Speaker 2: The two of them looked at Jesus and nodded. That
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  Speaker 2: is the Lamb of God, the reason I am here.
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  Speaker 2: John's heart skipped a few beats in his chest, and
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  Speaker 2: his throat began to choke up with tears. He is
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  Speaker 2: the one you should follow. The disciples looked at John intensely,
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  Speaker 2: seeing that he truly believed that man to be the Messiah.
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  Speaker 2: So they left John's side and began to follow Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus was walking by the shore, feeling the soft breeze
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  Speaker 2: on his face. He watched the fishermen tend to their
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  Speaker 2: nets and boats methodically. Jesus could hear the slight shift
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  Speaker 2: of sand behind him. He looked back and saw two
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  Speaker 2: men following him. He smiled. What are you seeking, my friends?
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  Speaker 2: he asked. The two men stopped, a little embarrassed that
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  Speaker 2: they did not just introduce themselves to Jesus in the
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  Speaker 2: first place. We wish to remain with you, they said.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus nodded warmly and they followed him. The one who
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  Speaker 2: remained with Jesus was Andrew. He listened to Jesus speak.
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  Speaker 2: His words were like fire flowing from the earth. Andrew
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  Speaker 2: eventually brought Jesus to his brother Simon, a fisherman who
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  Speaker 2: was tending to his boat. Simon, he said, we have
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  Speaker 2: found him. We have found the Messiah. Simon was a
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  Speaker 2: loud and boisterous fellow. He had a fighter's spirit and
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  Speaker 2: a sailor's tongue. He looked at Jesus, sizing him up
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  Speaker 2: to judge whether he was a man worth following. He
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  Speaker 2: was not quite sure yet. Jesus looked at Simon. He
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  Speaker 2: could see all of who he was, inside and out.
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  Speaker 2: He could see the pain in his heart and the
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  Speaker 2: fire in his belly. Jesus laughed and smiled. Ah, Simon,
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  Speaker 2: son of John, you will no longer be called Simon.
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  Speaker 2: Now you will be called Peter the Rock. Curious as
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  Speaker 2: to what Jesus meant, Peter followed him. The next day,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus decided to go further into the city of Galilee.
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  Speaker 2: Crowds of people came in and out of the gates.
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  Speaker 2: As John continued to preach of Jesus' importance, many of
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  Speaker 2: his followers began to follow Jesus. The sea of faces
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  Speaker 2: rose like waves, but Jesus was intent on finding his
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  Speaker 2: chosen men. He saw a man named Philip walking by
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  Speaker 2: the road. Philip, Jesus shouted. Philip was alarmed and looked over.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus held his shoulders, looked him in the eyes, and said,
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  Speaker 2: Follow me, Philip. The reason Philip followed is still unknown.
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  Speaker 2: Perhaps it was the way Jesus spoke his name. Perhaps
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  Speaker 2: it was the way he looked him in the eye.
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  Speaker 2: Whatever it was, it made Philip undoubtedly devoted. Later that day,
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  Speaker 2: Philip grabbed his friend Nathanael and said, We have found him,
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  Speaker 2: the one whom Moses spoke of, the Messiah. He is
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  Speaker 2: Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael scoffed. His laughter came from his belly. Nazareth,
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  Speaker 2: he asked. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? That
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  Speaker 2: place is a dump filled with unsavory people. Philip shrugged.
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  Speaker 2: Come and see for yourself, he said. So the two
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  Speaker 2: of them walked to where Jesus was sitting. As he
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  Speaker 2: was approaching, Jesus sat up and said, Ah, Nathanael, a
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  Speaker 2: true Israelite, a man in whom there is no corruption.
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  Speaker 2: Nathanael's eyes widened. How do you know who I am,
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  Speaker 2: he asked. Jesus walked closer. It was just the two
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  Speaker 2: of them. I know who you are, Nathaniel. Even before
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  Speaker 2: Philip called you, I was with you under the fig tree.
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  Speaker 2: I heard you. Nathaniel's heart broke like a dam when
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  Speaker 2: he heard those words. That was a secret time he
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  Speaker 2: had between him and the Lord. Underneath the fig tree
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  Speaker 2: is where he bore his soul to God. If Jesus
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  Speaker 2: had heard him, it could only mean one thing. He
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  Speaker 2: was God himself. Nathaniel fell to his knees. Truly, you
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  Speaker 2: are the Son of God. he said, putting his hands
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  Speaker 2: over his face. Jesus gave a gentle laugh and said,
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  Speaker 2: You say all this because I saw you under the
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  Speaker 2: fig tree? He helped him up to his feet. Trust me, Nathaniel,
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  Speaker 2: you will see greater things than that. You will see
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  Speaker 2: heaven opened and the blessings of God poured out. A
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  Speaker 2: few days later, Jesus and some of his followers were
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  Speaker 2: attending a wedding in Cana. Hundreds of people were in attendance,
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  Speaker 2: including Jesus' mother, Mary. Music Food and wine flowed as
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  Speaker 2: people enjoyed the union of their friends. It was a
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  Speaker 2: joyous occasion until the hosts ran out of wine too early.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus was sitting at a table with a few of
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  Speaker 2: his followers when he saw his mother approaching. They are
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  Speaker 2: out of wine, Mary whispered to Jesus. Jesus smiled at
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  Speaker 2: his mother. He loved her deeply and knew exactly why
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  Speaker 2: she had come to him with this matter. You know
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  Speaker 2: my hour has not yet come, Jesus said. Mary paid
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  Speaker 2: no attention to her son's answer. As only a mother could,
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  Speaker 2: she gathered a few of the servants and brought them
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  Speaker 2: to Jesus. Do what my son tells you to do.
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  Speaker 2: She gave Jesus a look and then left to go
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  Speaker 2: reassure the hosts that there would be more wine soon.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus chuckled and gestured to the servants, Fill up the
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  Speaker 2: six stone water jars to the top with water. So
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  Speaker 2: the servants brought the massive jars to the wells. They
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  Speaker 2: filled them to the brim and brought them back to Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Then he gestured for the water to be brought to
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  Speaker 2: the hosts. Go and pour the water into their cups.
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  Speaker 2: The servants were confused at Jesus' orders, but did not
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  Speaker 2: question him. They carried the jugs of water to the
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  Speaker 2: host and poured it into his cup. Out from the
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  Speaker 2: jugs came new wine. The host had no clue that
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  Speaker 2: the jars were once filled with water, but the servants did.
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  Speaker 2: They looked back at Jesus smiling. The disciples who were
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  Speaker 2: beside him awed at the miracle. All were surprised and amazed,
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  Speaker 2: all except Mary.
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  Speaker 3: Today we learn how John the Baptist sees Jesus once
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  Speaker 3: again and once more proclaim that the Lord is the
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  Speaker 3: Lamb of God and that his disciples and all others
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  Speaker 3: should follow him. And so two men left John the Baptist,
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  Speaker 3: and they began to follow Jesus. One of them was Andrew,
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  Speaker 3: who soon called his brother Simon. Simon was no shrinking violet,
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  Speaker 3: and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Jesus knew
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  Speaker 3: Simon inside and out from the moment they met, and
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  Speaker 3: he knew that he would serve a very special purpose.
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  Speaker 3: So Jesus gave him a new name. Simon's name is
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  Speaker 3: now The Rock, or Peter. It was an aspirational name,
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  Speaker 3: as Simon still had much to learn and to grow
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  Speaker 3: before he would become the stable, steady rock, the great apostle.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus went to Galilee, and as John continued to point
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  Speaker 3: people to the true Messiah, more and more people began
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  Speaker 3: to follow Jesus. But not all followers were to be disciples.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus went about hand-picking the men, selecting them who would
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  Speaker 3: be his inner circle, the ones who would model their
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  Speaker 3: lives after Jesus, their rabbi. You might think that Jesus
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  Speaker 3: would have picked the best and the brightest on earth,
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  Speaker 3: the most learned theological minds, someone from the priestly caste,
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  Speaker 3: those who knew the law inside and out. But that's
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  Speaker 3: not what Jesus did. The men he picked were the
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  Speaker 3: least likely of candidates in so many ways. Certainly from
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  Speaker 3: a human perspective, you wouldn't have chosen these men. But
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  Speaker 3: God's ways are much higher than our ways. He saw
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  Speaker 3: in them, as he sees in us, potential. What others
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  Speaker 3: don't see, God sees. But more importantly, when God worked
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  Speaker 3: through them despite their flaws and weaknesses, he was glorified.
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  Speaker 3: It's the same with us today. Not many mighty or
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  Speaker 3: not many noble are called according to the scripture. And
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  Speaker 3: God's power, the presence of Jesus, is made perfect in
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  Speaker 3: our weakness. Our failures become a platform for Jesus to work.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus knew exactly how to speak to each man that
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  Speaker 3: he called. And they all saw something in Jesus that
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  Speaker 3: was different, something amazing, something special, a man worth following,
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  Speaker 3: so that they dropped what they were doing, their careers,
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  Speaker 3: their future, and they gave it all to Jesus. Listen
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  Speaker 3: to what Nathanael, one of these men chosen by Christ,
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  Speaker 3: says in John 1 49. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you
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  Speaker 3: are the son of God. You are the king of Israel.
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  Speaker 3: This was just the beginning. Not all of these men
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  Speaker 3: could comprehend at this point who Jesus was and is,
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  Speaker 3: but Nathanael, he knew. This was the beginning of their journey,
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  Speaker 3: and as Jesus said to Nathanael, they would witness much
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  Speaker 3: greater things still. We then heard that Jesus and his
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  Speaker 3: disciple and his mother attended a wedding feast in Cana.
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  Speaker 3: Someone had planned poorly for the feast because they ran
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  Speaker 3: out of refreshments, they ran out of wine. It would
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  Speaker 3: be a huge disappointment and embarrassment if they ran out
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  Speaker 3: of the wine. Mary, who from the beginning, from conception,
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  Speaker 3: knew that Jesus was the chosen Messiah of God, that
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  Speaker 3: he was filled with the power of God, went to
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  Speaker 3: her son and asked him for help. Jesus had not
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  Speaker 3: intended to perform a miracle that day, but he loved
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  Speaker 3: it and he honored his mother. And so he fulfilled
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  Speaker 3: her request. He asked the servant to bring jars and
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  Speaker 3: fill them with water, huge jars. Then the jars were
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  Speaker 3: taken to the host to pour into cups, and amazingly,
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  Speaker 3: when they poured out of the jars, what flowed was
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  Speaker 3: the best wine, far better than the guests had been
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  Speaker 3: served earlier. The servants were amazed. Everyone celebrated. The disciples
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  Speaker 3: who witnessed the miracle began to see what Jesus could do.
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  Speaker 3: They began to believe more and more, and they began
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  Speaker 3: following Christ closer and closer. They know now that he
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  Speaker 3: is the one that the Father has sent, to be
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  Speaker 3: the Savior of the world, and more miracles, greater miracles,
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  Speaker 3: were yet to come. Dear God, thank you for Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for the power of his presence in our lives.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you that even in the simple things, like a
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  Speaker 3: wedding feast, that you bring joy and laughter and happiness
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  Speaker 3: and celebration. We thank you, Jesus, for your joy, and
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  Speaker 3: we thank you that we can live in the abundance
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  Speaker 3: of your life every single day, and we pray this
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  Speaker 3: in your name. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go, I
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  Speaker 3: wanted to let you know that the Bible in a
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  Speaker 3: Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: only come to you each week through the support of
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: listeners like you. Your support today is so important that
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: we want to thank you for your gift by giving
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
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  Speaker 3: This book is a powerful guide that shows how every
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: book in the Bible points to Christ and how you
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: can better read and understand the Bible and how God's
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: Word transforms our lives. So to get your copy of
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: the Jesus book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.