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Christmas · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold,
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  Speaker 1: the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall
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  Speaker 1: call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7.14 Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, God
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  Speaker 1: with us. We thank you for coming down in human likeness,
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  Speaker 1: for fulfilling prophecies, and for providing us with a relationship
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  Speaker 1: that transcends our understanding. Help us to grasp the depth
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  Speaker 1: of your love and the significance of your birth. May
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  Speaker 1: our lives reflect the humility and purity you demonstrated as
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  Speaker 1: a child. And may we embrace the new beginning you offer.
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  Speaker 2: Stars blanketed the night sky like white paint scattered across
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  Speaker 2: a dark canvas. Ruling among the candescent lights was a
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  Speaker 2: new star fixed above Bethlehem. It shone brighter than the others,
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  Speaker 2: its radiance mimicking that of the moon. The silvery gleams
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  Speaker 2: trickled downward like a stream from a mountain. Under the
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  Speaker 2: lights was the stable carved in the hill behind the inn.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph made a space for Mary to give birth. Time
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  Speaker 2: was of the essence. He frantically swept and laid out
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  Speaker 2: some blankets the innkeeper had given him. He turned to
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  Speaker 2: his wife, whose back was against the stone walls. Joseph
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  Speaker 2: sighed and shook his head. I'm sorry, Mary.
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  Speaker 1: This will have to do.
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  Speaker 2: Mary held her lower back and belly and inched her
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  Speaker 2: way towards him. I'm ready, she sighed. She winced in pain.
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  Speaker 2: and had Joseph help her onto the blankets. Everything smelled
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  Speaker 2: like hay and soot, and the breeze wafting in from
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  Speaker 2: the outside carried with it the scent of sheep dung.
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  Speaker 2: Mary couldn't help but chuckle. She leaned back and wondered
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  Speaker 2: why the Lord was working in this way. She had
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  Speaker 2: so many questions, but the sudden contractions drowned out her thoughts. Oh,
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  Speaker 2: he's coming, Joseph.
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  Speaker 3: He's coming.
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  Speaker 2: Mary clenched her fists. And with quiet determination, began to push.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgraham.org slash stress. That's jackgraham.org
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: slash stress. Christmas isn't just about the birth of a
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  Speaker 3: child in Bethlehem. It's the awe-inspiring story of God coming
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  Speaker 3: down on the likeness of man. A theme heralded in
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  Speaker 3: the title Emmanuel, which means God with us. Do you
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  Speaker 3: ever pause to consider what thrills God? Looking at the
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  Speaker 3: entirety of Scripture reveals that God finds joy in being
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  Speaker 3: among his people. He was in the garden with Adam
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  Speaker 3: and Eve. He followed Abraham's family. He dwelled with the
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  Speaker 3: Hebrews in the tabernacle. Then he dwelled in the temple
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  Speaker 3: among the people of Israel. The incarnation of Christ is
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  Speaker 3: the ultimate fulfillment of God's joyous pursuit of humanity. Let
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  Speaker 3: this episode remind everyone that God wants to be with you.
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  Speaker 3: He wants to transform your life, to fill you with
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  Speaker 3: His Spirit, and to guide you daily toward His kingdom.
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  Speaker 3: This episode will give us an intimate glimpse into the
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  Speaker 3: birth of Christ. Mary and Joseph behold the newborn King
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  Speaker 3: and experience awe, confusion, wonder, and excitement. The birth of
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  Speaker 3: Christ invites us into all these feelings. It's a truly
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  Speaker 3: baffling thing that the God of all creation would humble
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  Speaker 3: himself in the likeness of a helpless baby. Without further ado,
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  Speaker 3: let's listen to this cinematic retelling of the birth of Christ. Afterward,
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  Speaker 3: we'll reflect on the joys of Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: The stable was dark, only slightly lit by the oil
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  Speaker 2: lamp hanging over Mary and Joseph. Mary's quiet and determined
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  Speaker 2: breaths echoed through the stable. Beads of sweat like pearls
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  Speaker 2: descended down her brow.
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  Speaker 4: Is this a blessing or a curse?
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  Speaker 1: She murmured to herself.
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  Speaker 2: However, she knew it was a blessing. She knew what
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  Speaker 2: awaited her on the other side of her anguish. God
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  Speaker 2: had foretold this day, and she was determined to step
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  Speaker 2: into the promised hope. At her side was Joseph, reassuring
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  Speaker 2: and steady. Hour after hour... Mary strained. Finally, her shrieks
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  Speaker 2: of distress were replaced with the tender whimpers of her
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  Speaker 2: newborn son. Joseph wrapped him in his arms and wiped
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  Speaker 2: him with woven wool. He stared into the child's eyes.
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  Speaker 2: There was nothing different about him. There were no lights
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  Speaker 2: radiating from his eyes or humming of heavenly hosts behind him.
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  Speaker 2: He was a baby, crying and taking in the newness
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  Speaker 2: of life.
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  Speaker 1: But.
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  Speaker 2: As Joseph cradled him in his arms, he knew without
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  Speaker 2: a doubt this child was exceptional, chosen, blessed. All the turmoil, danger,
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  Speaker 2: and chaos he had to endure was worth it for
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  Speaker 2: the sake of this treasure he held in his hands.
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  Speaker 2: We already know his name.
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  Speaker 1: He said to Mary.
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  Speaker 2: Mary reached for her son and cradled him in her arms.
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  Speaker 2: She stroked his face. His name will be Jesus, she whispered.
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  Speaker 4: The Lord saves.
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  Speaker 2: Mary pressed Jesus against her chest and cried joyfully. He
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  Speaker 2: was the fulfillment of God's promise to humanity, the good
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  Speaker 2: shepherd of Israel, the savior of the world. But at
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  Speaker 2: that moment, under the chilly night sky, he was Mary's baby.
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  Speaker 2: A heart fluttered at the sound of his whimpers. Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: she whispered again. Joseph crouched beside Mary, and the two
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  Speaker 2: stared at the child with dirty eyes. It was a
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  Speaker 2: baffling thing to behold. God himself, the maker of the stars,
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  Speaker 2: the masters of the sea, was with them, among them.
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  Speaker 2: The prophecy told by Isaiah rang in their minds like
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  Speaker 2: wedding bells. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold,
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  Speaker 2: a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. and shall
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  Speaker 2: call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. God
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  Speaker 2: was with them in the flesh, voice whimpering and eyes
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  Speaker 2: adjusting to the dim lights of the oil lamp. A
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  Speaker 2: small gust of wind blew through the cave, and he shivered.
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  Speaker 2: The maker of the wind shivered as it blew. Mary
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  Speaker 2: could barely wrap her mind around it, and perhaps never
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  Speaker 2: truly would. until it was time to behold his power
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  Speaker 2: over sin and death. Joseph took Jesus from Mary and
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  Speaker 2: swaddled him tightly in the tattered remains of the blankets
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  Speaker 2: Mary used to save his life. He placed him in
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  Speaker 2: the manger, where the donkey fed, the same donkey that
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  Speaker 2: carried Mary from Nazareth. Joseph, perhaps from exhaustion, felt his
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  Speaker 2: mind wander. He looked at the craftsmanship of the manger
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  Speaker 2: and couldn't help but critique it. That's when he realized,
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  Speaker 2: perhaps for the first time, that he would raise this
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  Speaker 2: child to be a craftsman like him. He was going
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  Speaker 2: to raise the Son of God to be.
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  Speaker 3: a carpenter?
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  Speaker 1: What are you doing, Lord?
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  Speaker 2: Joseph wondered. He stepped back and watched the boy gently
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  Speaker 2: fall asleep to the low humming of Mary's voice. The
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  Speaker 2: cave filled with the warmth of her melody. There, in
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  Speaker 2: a stable tucked in a mountain, Mary sang the same
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  Speaker 2: song of redemption she had in the beginning. A song
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  Speaker 2: of salvation... Redemption and hope. Undying and unrelenting hope.
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  Speaker 4: He has shown his strength with his mighty arm. Scattered
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  Speaker 4: the proud and humbled the heart. He has shown his
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  Speaker 4: strength with his mighty arm. Scattered the proud, humbled the heart.
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  Speaker 4: He toppled the mighty from their thrones and lifted the
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  Speaker 4: humble and set them apart. For now all generations will
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  Speaker 4: call me blessed. For the mighty one has done great
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  Speaker 4: things for me. Holy, holy, holy is his name.
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  Speaker 3: On that first Christmas, the Messiah was born under a
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  Speaker 3: canopy of stars and surrounded by livestock. Jesus' birth fulfilled
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  Speaker 3: God's promise to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
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  Speaker 3: He promised there that One day, a son of Eve
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  Speaker 3: would be born to crush the work of Eve That
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  Speaker 3: promised son arrived, not on a chariot or in a palace,
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  Speaker 3: but in a stable. His humble arrival tells us that
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  Speaker 3: God doesn't care for pomp and circumstance, but humility and passion.
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  Speaker 3: The circumstances of Jesus' birth were foretold in numerous Old
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  Speaker 3: Testament prophecies, signifying that God's redemptive plan was unfolding exactly
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  Speaker 3: as He had intended. Isaiah 7, verse 14 said, Therefore
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: the Lord will give you a sign. The virgin will
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  Speaker 3: conceive and give birth to a son and call him Emmanuel.
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  Speaker 3: This prophecy, given centuries before Jesus' birth, pointed to the
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  Speaker 3: unique circumstances of his arrival and his divine nature. The
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  Speaker 3: birth of Christ was not a random occurrence. It was
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  Speaker 3: a carefully orchestrated divine plan that fulfilled specific prophecies, providing
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  Speaker 3: evidence of his Messiahship. The title Emmanuel carries profound significance.
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  Speaker 3: It means God with us. That title symbolizes the intimate
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  Speaker 3: relationship between God and humanity, made possible through the Incarnation.
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  Speaker 3: God did not remain distant or detached from human suffering
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  Speaker 3: and sin. He came down to live among us. In
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  Speaker 3: Philippians 2, verses 6 and 7, we see that Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: being in very nature God, did not consider equality with
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  Speaker 3: God something to be used to His own advantage. Rather,
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  Speaker 3: He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of
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  Speaker 3: a servant, being made in human likeness. Jesus' arrival as
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  Speaker 3: a vulnerable child demonstrates a profound humility and an invitation
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  Speaker 3: to approach God with childlike faith. It also represents a
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  Speaker 3: new beginning and the hope for redemption and renewal. The
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  Speaker 3: Nativity story is not merely a historical account. It's a
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  Speaker 3: story filled with mystery. drama, and profound theological truths. This
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  Speaker 3: story illustrates God's profound love and willingness to enter our messy,
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  Speaker 3: broken world. But why did Jesus have to come as
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  Speaker 3: a child? Theologically, this has profound implications. By coming as
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  Speaker 3: a child, God made himself approachable and relatable. He began
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  Speaker 3: life on earth in the most humble and vulnerable state,
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  Speaker 3: indicating his willingness to identify with the human condition. Jesus'
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  Speaker 3: birth as a child also symbolizes innocence and purity, qualities
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  Speaker 3: necessary for the one who would take away the sins
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  Speaker 3: of the world. Lastly, the birth of a child represents
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  Speaker 3: new life and hope. In Jesus, we see the promise
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  Speaker 3: of a new creation, a fresh start for humanity, reconciled
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  Speaker 3: to God. May this Christmas season be a time to
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  Speaker 3: reflect on the profound truth that God is with us.
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  Speaker 3: He's not distant or aloof, but intimately involved in our lives,
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  Speaker 3: offering hope, redemption, and a relationship that begins now and
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  Speaker 3: lasts for eternity. Our story is not yet over. God
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  Speaker 3: has orchestrated visitors to come and behold Jesus. And behind
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  Speaker 3: the scenes, a plot will be made to find and
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  Speaker 3: kill the newborn Messiah. Continue this epic Christmas tale with
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  Speaker 3: us for the rest of December and behold God's sovereign power.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.