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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 seven fourteen. Lord Jesus, Emmanuel

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Speaker 1: God with us. We thank you for coming down in

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Speaker 1: human likeness, for fulfilling prophecies, and for providing us with

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Speaker 1: a relationship that transcends our understanding. Help us to grasp

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Speaker 1: the depth of your love and the significance of your birth.

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Speaker 1: May our lives reflect the humility and purity you demonstrate

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Speaker 1: it as a child. Then may we embrace the new

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Speaker 1: beginning you offer amen.

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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, this will

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Speaker 2: have to do. Mary held her lower back and belly

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Speaker 2: and inched her way towards him. I'm ready, she sighed.

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Speaker 2: She winced in pain and had Joseph help her onto

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Speaker 2: the blankets. Everything smelled like hay and soot, and the

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Speaker 2: breeze wafting in from the outside carried with it the

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Speaker 2: scent of sheep done. Mary couldn't help but chuckle. She

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Speaker 2: leaned back and wondered why the Lord was working in

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Speaker 2: this way. She had so many questions, but the sudden

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Speaker 2: contractions drowned out her thoughts.

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Speaker 3: Oh, he's coming, Joseph, He's coming.

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Speaker 2: Mary clenched her fists and with quiet determination, began to push.

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Speaker 4: Hello.

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Speaker 5: I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in

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Speaker 5: a Year podcast. But before we began, I want to

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Speaker 5: let you know about a unique ebook that's yours to

37
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Speaker 5: download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress,

38
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Speaker 5: and my prayer is that it will help you conquer

39
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Speaker 5: the daily task and pressures and burdens that bring stress

40
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Speaker 5: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free

41
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Speaker 5: from Stress today by visiting Jack Graham dot org slash stress.

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Speaker 5: That's Jack Graham dot org slash stress. Christmas isn't just

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Speaker 5: about the birth of a child in Bethlehem. It's the

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Speaker 5: awe inspiring story of God coming down on the likeness

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Speaker 5: of Man, a theme heralded in the title Immanuel, which

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Speaker 5: means God with us. Do you ever pause to consider

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Speaker 5: what thrills God? Looking at the entirety of scripture reveals

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Speaker 5: that God finds joy in being among his people. He

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Speaker 5: was in the garden with Adam and Eve. He followed

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Speaker 5: Abraham's family. He dwelled with the Hebrews and the Tabernacle.

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Speaker 5: Then he dwelled in the temple among the people of Israel.

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Speaker 5: The incarnation of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God's

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Speaker 5: joyous pursuit of humanity. Let this episode remind everyone that

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Speaker 5: God wants to be with you. He wants to transform

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Speaker 5: your life, to fill you with His spirit, and to

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Speaker 5: guide you daily toward His kingdom. This episode will give

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Speaker 5: us an intimate glimpse into the birth of Christ. Mary

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Speaker 5: and Joseph behold the newborn King and experience awe, confusion, wonder,

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Speaker 5: and excitement. The birth of Christ invites us into all

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Speaker 5: these feelings. It's a truly.

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Speaker 4: Baffling thing that the God of all creation would humble

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Speaker 4: himself in the likeness of a helpless baby. Without further ado,

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Speaker 4: Let's listen to this cinematic retelling of the birth of Christ.

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Speaker 4: Afterward 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 echo through the stable. Beads of sweat like pearls

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Speaker 2: descended down her brow. Is this a blessing or a

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Speaker 2: cur she murmured to herself. However, she knew it was

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Speaker 2: a blessing. She knew what awaited her on the other

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Speaker 2: side of her anguish God had foretold this day, and

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Speaker 2: she was determined to step into the promised hope. At

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Speaker 2: her side was Joseph, reassuring and steady. Hour after hour,

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Speaker 2: Mary strained. Finally, her shrieks of distress were replaced with

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Speaker 2: the tender whimpers of her mooding son. Joseph wrapped him

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Speaker 2: in his arms and wiped him with woven wool. He

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Speaker 2: stared into the child's eyes. There was nothing different about him.

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Speaker 2: There were no lights radiating from his eyes or humming

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Speaker 2: of heavenly house behind him. He was a baby, crying

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Speaker 2: and taking in the newness of life. But as Joseph

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Speaker 2: cradled him in his arms, he knew without a doubt

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Speaker 2: this child was exceptional, chosen, blessed. All the turmoil, danger,

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Speaker 2: and chaos he had to jaw 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, he said to Mary. Mary

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Speaker 2: 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 2: The Lord says. Mary pressed Jesus against her chest and

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Speaker 2: cried joyfully. He was the fulfillment of God's promise to humanity,

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Speaker 2: the good Shepherd of Israel, the savior of the world.

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Speaker 2: But at that moment, under the chilly night sky, he

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Speaker 2: was Mary's baby. Her heart fluttered at the sound of

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Speaker 2: his whimpers. Jesus, she whispered again, welcome. Joseph crouched beside Mary,

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Speaker 2: and the two stared at the child with dirting eyes.

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Speaker 2: It was a baffling thing to behold God himself, the

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Speaker 2: maker of the stars, the masters of the sea, was

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Speaker 2: with them among them the prophecy told by Isaiah, raying

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Speaker 2: in their minds like wedding bells. Therefore, the Lord himself

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Speaker 2: shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive

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Speaker 2: and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,

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Speaker 2: which means God with us. God was with them in

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Speaker 2: the flesh, voice whimpering, and eyes adjusting to the dim

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Speaker 2: lights of the oil lamp. A small gust of wind

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Speaker 2: blew through the cave, and he shivered. The maker of

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Speaker 2: the wind shivered as it blew. Mary could barely wrap

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Speaker 2: her mind around it, and perhaps never truly would until

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Speaker 2: it was time to behold his power over sin and death.

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Speaker 2: Joseph took Jesus from Mary and swadowed him tightly in

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Speaker 2: the tattered remains of the blankets Mary used to save

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Speaker 2: his life. He placed him in the manger where the

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Speaker 2: donkey fed, the same donkey that carried Mary from Nazareth. Joseph,

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Speaker 2: perhaps from exhaustion, felt his mind wander. He looked at

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Speaker 2: the craftsmanship of the manger and couldn't help but critique it.

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Speaker 2: That's when he realized, perhaps for the first time, that

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Speaker 2: he would raise this child to be a craftsman like

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Speaker 2: him he was going to raise the Son of God

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Speaker 2: to be a carpenter. What are you doing, Lord Joseph, wondered.

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Speaker 2: He stepped back and watched the boy gently fall asleep.

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Speaker 2: To the low humming of Mary's voice, the cave filled

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Speaker 2: with the warmth of her melody. There in a stable,

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Speaker 2: tucked in a mountain, Mary sang the same song of

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Speaker 2: redemption she had in the beginning, a song of salvation, redemption,

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Speaker 2: and hope, undying and unrelenting hope.

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Speaker 3: He has shown his strength with his mighty arm, scattered

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Speaker 3: the proud and humbled behind. He has shown his strength

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Speaker 3: with his mighty arm, scattered the proud, humbled the heart.

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Speaker 3: He toppled the mighty from the rooms, and lifted the

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Speaker 3: humble and set them apart. Now all generations were calmly plicity,

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Speaker 3: for the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy,

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Speaker 3: holy holies, his Man, his mercies, those who believe.

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Speaker 4: On that First Christmas, the Messiah was born under a

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Speaker 4: canopy of stars and surrounded by livestock. Jesus' birth fulfilled

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Speaker 4: God's promise to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

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Speaker 4: He promised there that one day a son of Eve

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Speaker 4: would be born to crush the work of Evi. That

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Speaker 4: promised son arrived not on a chariot or in a palace,

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Speaker 4: but in his stable. His humble arrival tells us that

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Speaker 4: God doesn't care for pomp and circumstance, but humility and passion.

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Speaker 4: The circumstances of Jesus' birth were foretold in numerous Old

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Speaker 4: Testament prophecies, signifying that God's redemptive plan was unfolding exactly

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Speaker 4: as he had intended. Isaiah chapter seven, verse fourteen said, Therefore,

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Speaker 4: the Lord will give you a sign. The virgin will

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Speaker 4: conceive and give birth to a son, and call him Immanuel.

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Speaker 4: This prophecy, given centuries before Jesus' birth, pointed to the

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Speaker 4: unique circumstances of his arrival and his divine nature. The

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Speaker 4: birth of Christ was not a random occurrence. It was

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Speaker 4: a carefully orchestrated Divine plan that fulfilled specific properpheses, providing

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Speaker 4: evidence of his messiahship. The title Immanuel carries profound significance.

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Speaker 4: It means God with us. That title symbolizes the intimate

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Speaker 4: relationship between God and humanity made possible through the incarnation.

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Speaker 4: God did not remain distant or detached from human suffering

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Speaker 4: and sin, he came down to live among us. In

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Speaker 4: Philippians Chapter two, verses six and seven, we see that Jesus,

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Speaker 4: being in very nature God, did not consider equality with

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Speaker 4: God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather,

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Speaker 4: he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of

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Speaker 4: a servant. Being made in human likeness, Jesus's arrival as

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Speaker 4: a vulnerable child demonstrates a profound humility and an invitation

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Speaker 4: to approach God with childlike faith. It also represents a

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Speaker 4: new beginning and the hope for redemption and renewal. The

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Speaker 4: Nativity story is not merely a historical account. It's a

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Speaker 4: story filled with mystery, drama, and profound theological truths. This

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Speaker 4: story illustrates God's profound love and willingness to enter our messy,

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Speaker 4: broken world. But why did Jesus have to come as

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Speaker 4: a child. Theologically, this has profound implications. By coming as

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Speaker 4: a child, God made himself approachable and relatable. He began

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Speaker 4: life on earth in the most humble and vulnerable state,

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Speaker 4: indicating his willingness to identify with the human condition. Jesus'

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Speaker 4: birth as a child also symbolizes innocence and purity, qualities

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Speaker 4: necessary for the one who would take away the sins

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Speaker 4: of the world. Lastly, the birth of a child represents

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Speaker 4: new life and hope. In Jesus, we see the promise

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Speaker 4: of a new creation, the fresh start for humanity. Reconcile

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Speaker 4: to God. May this Christmas season be a time to

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Speaker 4: reflect on the profound truth that God is with us.

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Speaker 4: He's not distant or aloof, but intimately involved in our lives,

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Speaker 4: offering hope, redemption, and a relationship that begins now and

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Speaker 4: lasts for eternity. Our story is not yet over. God

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Speaker 4: has orchestrated visitors to come and behold Jesus, and behind

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Speaker 4: the scenes, the plot will be made to find and

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Speaker 4: kill the newborn Messiah. Continue this epic Christmas tale with

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Speaker 4: us for the rest of December, and behold God's sovereign power.

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Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible inny Year podas cast.

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Speaker 4: Before we go, I want to let you know about

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Speaker 4: a unique ebook that's yours to download absolutely free today.

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00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,839
Speaker 4: It's called Breaking Free from Stress, and my prayer is

187
00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,240
Speaker 4: that it will help you conquer the daily task and

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00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:18,240
Speaker 4: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download

189
00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,800
Speaker 4: your free copy of Breaking Free from stress today by

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00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:27,440
Speaker 4: visiting jaggraham dot org slash stress. That's jagraham dot org

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Speaker 4: slash stress