WEBVTT
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This program is made
possible by the giving
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of the God called partners
of Renner Ministries.
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Get ready for a teaching
that feeds your spirit
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and your mind, where the
word is the anchor in
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uncertain times
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and doctrine doesn't bend to culture.
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We keep it simple,
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but dive deep revealing a
truth that strengthens us,
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a love that emboldens,
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and a mission that touches the world.
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Let's join Rick
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Renner.
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Hey, welcome to the program.
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This is Rick Renner
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and my friends, we're about
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to begin a brand new series
called Christmas, The Rest
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of the Story.
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And we have prepared 15 programs that are just so full
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of information.
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They're nearly like small documentaries.
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You're going to learn
so much about Christmas
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that you've never heard before.
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And today I'm gonna do a brand new teaching called - A
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Miraculous Place in Bethlehem.
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That's why we have the illustration of Bethlehem behind me.
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Ah, this program is just
going to be so rich today,
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but we're offering you
the brand new series,
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which is called Christmas,
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The Rest of the Story, it's 15 parts.
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The subtitle says, Amazing Insights about Christmas You've
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Never Heard Before, and it comes with a big study guide.
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And right now we're also
offering you my book,
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also called Christmas, the Rest of the Story.
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I put two years of work
into writing this book
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and hired a fabulous illustrator.
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Every single page of this book
is marvelously illustrated.
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It is a feast of color.
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You will be amazed when you
get your copy of this book.
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But hey, you can order all of
these things by going online
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or by giving us a call right now.
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But remember that we want to pray for you.
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Perhaps you have something
on your heart, you wish
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that somebody would get
into agreement with you.
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Well, here we are. We're waiting
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to get into agreement with you.
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So if you'll call us
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or send us an email, the
moment we hear from you,
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we're gonna release our faith
and Jesus is going to respond.
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But hey, before we get started, I want you to watch this
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and then I'll be right back.
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Do you think you know the Christmas Story: a babe
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and a manger, 3 wise men
and a few lowly shepherds?
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But did you know that's just part
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of the story? In Rick Renner's
timeless new book, Christmas,
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The Rest of the Story, Rick uncovers the stunning details
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of the nativity story
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you've never heard like -
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How many wise men there could have been:
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How far they would've traveled:
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and why Herod was troubled at the news at the
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birth of a new king.
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When I was growing up, I
heard the same Christmas story
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year after year,
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and I loved it. But when I got older,
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I found treasures in the Christmas story
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that no one had shared with me.
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That's what is in this book,
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and I wrote it to share with you
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and for you to share
with those whom you love.
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When you call or go online
right now to order this book
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for just $45,
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you'll receive the timeless
story of Christmas
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now, beautifully told in this landmark Christmas keepsake.
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Through his detailed watercolor illustration, Christmas
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The Rest of the Story, invites families
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to explore the true meaning
of Christmas as they interact
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with the story across the stunning hand-drawn pages.
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Bound in a hardcover large format book,
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you'll create a family
tradition that will last
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for generations. Great as a gift
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or for enhancing your own traditions.
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Order the book today, Christmas, The Rest of the Story,
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for just $45.
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Call now or go to renner.org to order.
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Don't miss this special Christmas offer!
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Today I'm gonna tell you about a miraculous place
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in Bethlehem.
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And today there is a church there which is called the Church
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of the Nativity.
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If you've ever been to Israel,
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you have probably visited
the Church of the Nativity.
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It is a church building
which is built right on top
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of the location where Jesus was born nearly 2000 years ago.
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And it was to that very place
that Jesus was born: that is
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where Jesus was placed in a manger:
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that is where the shepherds
came to worship him.
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And it's very different from
what most people imagine
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because most of what we imagine about the birth of Jesus is
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what we have learned from greeting cards, not from the Bible
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and not from history.
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Over the years we've all
grown up seeing the beautiful
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greeting cards of Jesus in
a barn, in a wooden manger.
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But this simply does not
match what history tells us.
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The place where Jesus was
born was actually in a cave.
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That's right. And the earliest
record about this comes from
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Justin Martyr, the great Christian apologist.
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And Justin Martyr was born
about 30 miles from Bethlehem
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and that's where he grew up.
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So all of his growing up years,
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he heard local stories about the place where Jesus was born.
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And I want you to hear
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what Justin Martyr wrote
in the year 150 AD.
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When the Christ childwas born in Bethlehem,
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since Joseph could not find
a lodging in that village,
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he took up his quarters in a
certain cave near the village,
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and while they were there,
Mary brought forth the Christ
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and placed him in a manger.
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But in addition to these
words from Justin Martyr,
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we also have the words of Origen,
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who was the great Christian theologian,
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and in the year 248 AD, Origen
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wrote these words - There is
shown at Bethlehem the cave
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where he Christ was born
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and the manger in the cave
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where he was wrapped in swaddling clothes.
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And this site is greatly talked
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of in surrounding places.
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According to Origen, Jesus
was born in a cave outside
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of Bethlehem.
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And it's amazing to me that
he said in the year 248 AD,
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which is nearly 250 years
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after the birth of Jesus,
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people were still talking about this place
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and they would regularly
go there to see the manger
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where he was laid.
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Well, most of us have
been raised to believe
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that Jesus was born in a wooden barn
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and that he was placed in a wooden manger.
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But if Jesus was placed in a
wooden manger 250 years later,
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it would not have been there.
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And if it had been there,
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it would've been fallen into a shambles.
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But people went there
regularly to see the manger
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where Christ was born.
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And the reason they could still see it is
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because it was made of stone.
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You see, all around the city of Bethlehem, there were caves.
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I have been in many of those caves,
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and in fact, I've even filmed TV programs in them.
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Those caves were used as barns.
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There was no need to build a
physical barn made out of wood
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because the caves were
perfectly adapted for barns.
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And the shepherds would take
a piece of rock from the cave,
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usually a part of the cave itself,
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and they would hollow it out
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and they would make a feeding
trout, which was the manger
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where the local animals would feed.
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So the manger was made of stone.
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And that explains why 250 years later in the year
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248 AD, Origen says people were still coming there
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to see the manger where Christ was laid.
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And indeed, if you study
the writings of Josephus,
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who is the greatest Jewish historian to ever live, he wrote
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There were many, many caves around the city of Bethlehem
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that shepherds used as barns.
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And not only did shepherds use
them, but travelers use them.
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If the local ends were full, that is
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where the travelers would go to sleep because they were warm
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and they were dry places, very convenient
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for sleeping through the night.
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These caves are all around
the city of Bethlehem.
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And according to the
words of Justin Martin
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and Origen, these two
early Christian writers,
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Jesus was born in that cave.
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I've been in many of those caves
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and you can really see
they are ideal places
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to be used as barns.
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But if you look at the
very earliest illustrations
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of the nativity, all of
them show that the birth
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of Jesus took place in a cave.
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But the Emperor Constantine had a mother whose name was
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Helena, and she converted to Christ.
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And when she converted to Christ, she was an avid follower
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of Jesus and the Emperor Constantine opened
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to her all the resources
of the Imperial Treasury.
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And when he did, she took
advantage of those resources
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and traveled to what was
then called Palestine.
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Today we call it Israel.
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And she began to research
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and document all the
significant places related
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to Jesus in the land of Palestine.
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She documented where Jesus
was born; she documented
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where Jesus was buried.
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She documented so many events where he was baptized,
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where he worked miracles, and
she was able to document it
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because it really wasn't so long
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after the time that
Jesus lived on the earth
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and she was able to interview many people
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who had descended from believers in the 1st Century.
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And with a lot of scientific research,
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she really documented these
places, including the Church
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of the Holy Nativity, where
Jesus was born in a cave.
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And with resources
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provided by her son, the Emperor Constantine,
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in the year 326,
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the first official church
was built over the cave in
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Bethlehem where Christ was born.
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It was a wooden facility.
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But then later the emperor Justinian said - Hey,
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we wanna build something
more momentous than this.
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And in the year 520,
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they officially consecrated
the new cathedral,
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which is the cathedral
that is still there today.
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And now more than 1500 years later,
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that cathedral still stands.
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And if you've ever been to
Bethlehem, you've been to
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that very cathedral which
was built by the decree
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of the Emperor Justinian.
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And people have been worshiping there for 1500 years.
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And in fact, it is the longest continuous site
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of worship in the history of Christianity.
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Today, when people visit the Church
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of the Nativity in Bethlehem,
it's very difficult for them
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to imagine that's the
place where Jesus was born.
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Because for 1500 years it's
been highly embellished
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and religiously decorated.
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But if you go down the steps
into the grotto, which lies
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below the cathedral, a
place which is very dark,
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it looks very dismal
because for 1500 years,
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candles have been burning there
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and the soot of the candles
has darkened the cave.
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But that really is the
place where Jesus was born.
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And today there's a star
made of bronze in the marble
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to indicate the very spot
where the birth took place.
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That really is the cave where Mary gave birth
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to the Son of God.
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But hey, what all do we
know about the holy Family?
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In addition to what we know from Matthew, Mark, Luke,
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and John, there is a treasure trove
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of information about
Jesus and the holy family
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and all the members of
Jesus extended family.
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And you will find just
from the scriptures alone,
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the Bible tells us
about 14 various members
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of Jesus family.
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Well, there was no event
more significant than the
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birth of Jesus.
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So it makes sense that
early Christian writers
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who were very intelligent,
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they chronicled everything
they could about Jesus,
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about the Holy family
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and about their extended family members.
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For example, we know who was the name
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of Jesus grandfather on Joseph's side
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and on Mary's side. We
know about Jesus relatives
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00:11:59.650 --> 00:12:01.300
who were named Zacharias
256
00:12:01.300 --> 00:12:04.600
and Elizabeth, they gave
birth to a son who was known
257
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as John the Baptist.
258
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That is just amazing that
this was all in one family.
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00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:11.590
But in addition to that,
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the Bible tells us in Matthew 13:55,
261
00:12:16.030 --> 00:12:18.430
that Jesus was the first born.
262
00:12:18.430 --> 00:12:21.220
And after him, other brothers were born.
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00:12:21.220 --> 00:12:25.240
For example: Matthew 13:55 says,
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Is this not the carpenter's son?
265
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Is not his mother called Mary.
266
00:12:29.470 --> 00:12:33.880
Now listen to this, and his
brothers, James and Joseph
267
00:12:33.880 --> 00:12:35.860
and Simon and Jude.
268
00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:38.830
So according to Matthew 13:55,
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00:12:38.830 --> 00:12:40.840
Jesus was the firstborn.
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00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:43.660
He was the only one born of a virgin.
271
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But after he was virgin born,
Mary gave birth to other boys.
272
00:12:47.680 --> 00:12:51.100
And again, the oldest of
them was James, then Joseph,
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00:12:51.100 --> 00:12:52.810
then Simeon, then Judah
274
00:12:52.810 --> 00:12:55.720
and two of them wrote books
of the New Testament: the book
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00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:57.850
of James and the book of Jude.
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00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:01.840
But when you read Matthew 13:56, it says,
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and his sisters, are they not all with us?
278
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So according to Matthew 13:56,
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Jesus also had sisters.
280
00:13:11.260 --> 00:13:13.540
And guess what? In Greek it is plural,
281
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which means there were at least two.
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So after Jesus was born, Mary
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00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:22.540
and Joseph gave birth to 6-more kids: James,
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00:13:22.540 --> 00:13:27.400
Joseph, Simeon, Jude, and at least 2 girls.
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And the Bible tells us about this.
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00:13:30.130 --> 00:13:32.260
And we find that when we look at scripture
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that God regularly calls families. If you want your family
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00:13:37.180 --> 00:13:39.370
to be used by God, just throw up your arms
289
00:13:39.370 --> 00:13:40.900
and say, Lord, here I am,
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00:13:40.900 --> 00:13:44.260
because God delights in using families.
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00:13:44.260 --> 00:13:46.960
For example, if you look at
the Old Testament, you find
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00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:49.840
that God called Noah, God called his wife,
293
00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.630
God called his sons and their wives.
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00:13:52.630 --> 00:13:54.460
If you look at the story of Abraham
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00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:56.830
and Sarah, God called them together.
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00:13:56.830 --> 00:13:59.380
It was a couple who were called by God,
297
00:13:59.380 --> 00:14:01.300
or if you look at the examples of Isaac
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00:14:01.300 --> 00:14:02.560
and Rebecca, both of them,
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00:14:02.560 --> 00:14:05.140
and their entire lineage was called by God.
300
00:14:05.140 --> 00:14:09.220
Or how about Jacob and his 12 sons; or how about Moses
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00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:10.360
and his brother Aaron
302
00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:14.260
and their sister Miriam: 2 prophets in one family.
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00:14:14.260 --> 00:14:15.850
Or we come to the New Testament
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00:14:15.850 --> 00:14:18.070
and we see this example of Mary and Joseph
305
00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:21.220
and their entire family,
which was called by God
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00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:23.080
to do something very special.
307
00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:25.600
Or how about Zachariah, Elizabeth
308
00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.250
and their son, John the Baptist?
309
00:14:27.250 --> 00:14:28.420
Or how about James
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00:14:28.420 --> 00:14:31.360
and John, who in the
testament are called the sons
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00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.760
of Zebedee, two brothers that were called?
312
00:14:33.760 --> 00:14:34.840
Or how about Peter
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00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:36.550
and Andrew, two more brothers
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00:14:36.550 --> 00:14:38.530
that were called into the ministry,
315
00:14:38.530 --> 00:14:40.330
or how about the Apostle Paul
316
00:14:40.330 --> 00:14:43.090
who records in the New Testament that multiple members
317
00:14:43.090 --> 00:14:45.910
of his family were called into the ministry.
318
00:14:45.910 --> 00:14:49.240
Or how about the example of Barnabas?
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00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:50.380
Barnabas was called,
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00:14:50.380 --> 00:14:52.700
and he had a sister whose name was Mary.
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00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:55.100
Mary had a big apartment in the city of Jerusalem
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where Jesus and the disciples regularly met.
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00:14:57.740 --> 00:14:59.540
That is where communion took place.
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00:14:59.540 --> 00:15:01.040
That's where Pentecost took place.
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00:15:01.040 --> 00:15:03.500
So many things happened in that apartment.
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00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:06.950
And she had a son whose name was John Mark,
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00:15:06.950 --> 00:15:10.460
the same John Mark that we
read about in the book of Acts
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00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:14.180
who later became the secretary
to the apostle Peter.
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00:15:14.180 --> 00:15:17.810
And when Peter dictated his gospel, Mark wrote it.
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00:15:17.810 --> 00:15:20.180
That's why it's called the Gospel of Mark.
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00:15:20.180 --> 00:15:21.650
It's actually the gospel of Peter,
332
00:15:21.650 --> 00:15:24.740
but Mark wrote it, so we
call it the Gospel of Mark.
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00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:29.480
But my friends God calls
families. He really does.
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00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:33.140
I look at my family; my
family is called of God.
335
00:15:33.140 --> 00:15:35.750
Your family may not be
called into the ministry,
336
00:15:35.750 --> 00:15:38.480
but God wants to call your entire family
337
00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:40.490
to do something special.
338
00:15:40.490 --> 00:15:43.160
You may say, well, every member of my family is not saved.
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00:15:43.160 --> 00:15:45.860
Well, there's a verse that you can claim.
340
00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:50.420
Acts 16:31 says, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
341
00:15:50.420 --> 00:15:54.710
and thou shalt be saved and all thy house.
342
00:15:54.710 --> 00:15:57.110
It does not mean that when you get saved,
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00:15:57.110 --> 00:15:59.480
everybody else is automatically saved.
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00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:04.430
But hey, household salvation
has to begin with somebody.
345
00:16:04.430 --> 00:16:06.350
It has to begin with somebody.
346
00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:09.350
I think of Abraham; he was the 1st in his family
347
00:16:09.350 --> 00:16:11.300
to meet the God of glory.
348
00:16:11.300 --> 00:16:13.160
But after that, faith begin
349
00:16:13.160 --> 00:16:16.010
to be passed from one
generation to another.
350
00:16:16.010 --> 00:16:18.560
And if you'll believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ,
351
00:16:18.560 --> 00:16:21.320
eventually all your house will be saved
352
00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:26.120
and God will extend his call to your entire family.
353
00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:28.310
Say - Amen.
354
00:16:28.310 --> 00:16:30.800
But when we come to the story
355
00:16:30.800 --> 00:16:34.760
of the nativity in the New
Testament, our primary source
356
00:16:34.760 --> 00:16:39.140
for the story is Mary herself.
357
00:16:39.140 --> 00:16:41.720
Mary took notes, she chronicled
358
00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:43.670
and journaled all of these events.
359
00:16:43.670 --> 00:16:45.470
You say, Rick, how do you know that?
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00:16:45.470 --> 00:16:49.820
Because of Luke 2:19, which says,
361
00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:51.800
But Mary kept all these things
362
00:16:51.800 --> 00:16:54.080
and pondered them in her heart.
363
00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:56.750
The word kept, in the original Greek, means
364
00:16:56.750 --> 00:17:00.290
to keep within oneself
in order to closely guard
365
00:17:00.290 --> 00:17:04.100
or to accurately and carefully preserve.
366
00:17:04.100 --> 00:17:07.880
The word ponder means to lay in order like a person
367
00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:12.230
who carefully and meticulously
chronicles a story.
368
00:17:12.230 --> 00:17:14.960
Mary was so impacted by the events
369
00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:18.050
that she saw happening all around her in regard to this boy
370
00:17:18.050 --> 00:17:21.710
that she just gave birth to,
that she recorded every bit
371
00:17:21.710 --> 00:17:23.480
of it on paper.
372
00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:25.940
She kept it chronicled in her heart.
373
00:17:25.940 --> 00:17:29.570
And in fact, she kept the story
in such perfect order in her
374
00:17:29.570 --> 00:17:32.900
heart that when she was in her
latter life, she was visited
375
00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:36.140
by apostles and gospel writers who interviewed her
376
00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:40.130
so they might really write the
information down accurately
377
00:17:40.130 --> 00:17:42.680
and precisely as she had chronicled it
378
00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:44.960
and journaled it inside her heart.
379
00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:46.970
She kept it within herself.
380
00:17:46.970 --> 00:17:50.370
And I want to ask you - Are
you keeping in your memory the
381
00:17:50.370 --> 00:17:52.800
things that God has done for you?
382
00:17:52.800 --> 00:17:55.080
What if Mary had not chronicled these events
383
00:17:55.080 --> 00:17:56.280
and we had missed it
384
00:17:56.280 --> 00:17:59.490
because she wasn't careful
to preserve it, but she did.
385
00:17:59.490 --> 00:18:04.230
She kept it in her heart so she could pass it on to others.
386
00:18:04.230 --> 00:18:07.590
And in the same way, dear friend, Jesus has done
387
00:18:07.590 --> 00:18:10.110
so many wonderful things in your life.
388
00:18:10.110 --> 00:18:12.540
Are you remembering what he's done?
389
00:18:12.540 --> 00:18:15.750
Have you chronicled in your heart so that you can pass it on
390
00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:17.790
to others and tell others what Jesus wants
391
00:18:17.790 --> 00:18:20.040
to do in their life as well?
392
00:18:20.040 --> 00:18:22.020
Mary kept all these things
393
00:18:22.020 --> 00:18:24.570
and she pondered them in her heart.
394
00:18:24.570 --> 00:18:27.780
And years later, she
conveyed all of these details
395
00:18:27.780 --> 00:18:30.570
and all of this information
to gospel writers
396
00:18:30.570 --> 00:18:34.710
who then took the information
and wrote it down precisely
397
00:18:34.710 --> 00:18:35.760
and accurately.
398
00:18:35.760 --> 00:18:38.640
And that is why we have
the story in Matthew,
399
00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.020
Mark, Luke, and John.
400
00:18:40.020 --> 00:18:42.660
But what is so interesting
is that when you come
401
00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:44.250
to the gospel of Luke,
402
00:18:44.250 --> 00:18:46.590
there's only certain
elements of the story.
403
00:18:46.590 --> 00:18:49.500
For example, Luke tells us about Mary,
404
00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:52.200
and Joseph: tells us about the angels
405
00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:53.520
that appeared to the shepherds.
406
00:18:53.520 --> 00:18:55.170
It tells us about the shepherds coming
407
00:18:55.170 --> 00:18:59.100
to worship Jesus in the
cave, which was at Bethlehem.
408
00:18:59.100 --> 00:19:01.470
But if you just stop
with the story of Luke,
409
00:19:01.470 --> 00:19:05.940
you read nothing about
the Magi - nothing at all.
410
00:19:05.940 --> 00:19:09.750
Only Matthew tells us about
the Magi. You know why?
411
00:19:09.750 --> 00:19:12.870
Because the Magi showed up 2-years later,
412
00:19:12.870 --> 00:19:14.790
and you're going to discover
413
00:19:14.790 --> 00:19:17.460
that when Luke finishes his part of the story,
414
00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:19.050
the holy family packed up,
415
00:19:19.050 --> 00:19:20.910
they left Bethlehem and they went back
416
00:19:20.910 --> 00:19:22.620
to their house in Nazareth.
417
00:19:22.620 --> 00:19:25.470
And it was two years later
418
00:19:25.470 --> 00:19:28.530
that the Magi showed up
in Jerusalem saying, Hey,
419
00:19:28.530 --> 00:19:30.690
where is he that's born king of the Jews
420
00:19:30.690 --> 00:19:32.550
for we've seen his star in the east
421
00:19:32.550 --> 00:19:35.400
and we've come to worship him.
422
00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:38.550
So if all you do is read what Luke wrote,
423
00:19:38.550 --> 00:19:42.000
you don't have the complete story. To get the whole story,
424
00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:43.200
you have to read Luke,
425
00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:44.940
then you gotta go over to Matthew
426
00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:46.860
who tells the rest of the story.
427
00:19:46.860 --> 00:19:49.470
But again, they got
all of these facts, all
428
00:19:49.470 --> 00:19:53.340
of these details right from
the mouth of Mary herself
429
00:19:53.340 --> 00:19:56.880
who kept all these things in
her heart and pondered them,
430
00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:59.970
or she chronicled them like a journal.
431
00:19:59.970 --> 00:20:03.210
And my friends, that's
what you need to do too.
432
00:20:03.210 --> 00:20:04.320
But today in Bethlehem,
433
00:20:04.320 --> 00:20:08.190
there really is a church called the Church of the Nativity.
434
00:20:08.190 --> 00:20:11.010
It's amazing. What an amazing place.
435
00:20:11.010 --> 00:20:13.530
I've been there many, many
times. I love to go there.
436
00:20:13.530 --> 00:20:16.860
Just the antiquity of that place to think
437
00:20:16.860 --> 00:20:20.070
that it was the Emperor
Justinian who ordered it
438
00:20:20.070 --> 00:20:22.710
to be constructed, and it
was officially consecrated
439
00:20:22.710 --> 00:20:25.860
and dedicated in the year 520 AD.
440
00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:31.880
And now for more than 1500
years, people have been going
441
00:20:32.040 --> 00:20:36.510
to that special holy place
in Jerusalem to remember
442
00:20:36.510 --> 00:20:40.590
what took place there
nearly 2000 years ago.
443
00:20:40.590 --> 00:20:43.740
And when you descend the
stairs into the grotto
444
00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:47.380
or into the cave, which is
below the central cathedral,
445
00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:49.720
you really enter into the cave
446
00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:54.640
where Jesus was brought into
the world 2000 years ago,
447
00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:57.100
born of a virgin, miraculously.
448
00:20:57.100 --> 00:21:01.660
And there on the floor inset
in the stone, in the granite,
449
00:21:01.660 --> 00:21:05.950
in the marble is the bronze
star, which shows the place
450
00:21:05.950 --> 00:21:09.400
where Jesus was born that holy day.
451
00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:13.540
And if you look to the side,
you really will see a manger
452
00:21:13.540 --> 00:21:16.450
that is carved of stone
that is still visible
453
00:21:16.450 --> 00:21:17.980
to this very day.
454
00:21:17.980 --> 00:21:21.730
That is what Justin Martyr
and Origen referred to.
455
00:21:21.730 --> 00:21:24.250
He said, it's still there.
People go there to see it.
456
00:21:24.250 --> 00:21:25.660
It's still greatly talked of,
457
00:21:25.660 --> 00:21:29.680
which means Jesus was not
born in a wooden barn.
458
00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:33.250
Jesus was not placed into a wooden manger.
459
00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:37.030
Jesus was placed into
a stone carved manger,
460
00:21:37.030 --> 00:21:39.520
which was typical of all of the caves
461
00:21:39.520 --> 00:21:42.850
that surrounded Bethlehem
back in those days.
462
00:21:42.850 --> 00:21:47.500
And because Mary and Joseph
could find no room in the inn,
463
00:21:47.500 --> 00:21:49.180
but Mary was greatly with child
464
00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:53.080
and about to give birth, they
retreated into the back of one
465
00:21:53.080 --> 00:21:56.860
of the caves that was used by
shepherds for their livestock.
466
00:21:56.860 --> 00:22:00.940
And in the back of that
cave, Mary gave birth
467
00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:03.640
to the son of God.
468
00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:06.160
Wow, we're just getting started,
469
00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:07.510
but when we come back tomorrow,
470
00:22:07.510 --> 00:22:09.520
we're gonna pick up right here.
471
00:22:09.520 --> 00:22:11.140
But I'll be back in just a moment
472
00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:14.200
and I want to pray for you. This week,
473
00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:17.650
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480
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Is there more to the story about the birth
481
00:22:34.630 --> 00:22:36.940
of our savior than what you've been told. In this
482
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series, Christmas,
483
00:22:37.990 --> 00:22:40.960
The Rest of the Story, Rick Renner dives deep into the parts
484
00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:43.720
of the Christmas story that
most people have never heard.
485
00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.750
Rick says, I've studied
this story for decades
486
00:22:46.750 --> 00:22:49.900
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no one ever shared with me.
487
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In this series, we explore the Bible, history,
488
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489
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so we can really understand all the events
490
00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:59.950
that took place surrounding
the birth of Jesus.
491
00:22:59.950 --> 00:23:03.220
Rick answers questions like - Why did God choose Mary?
492
00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:05.140
Was Joseph really a carpenter?
493
00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:08.110
Why was Herod so troubled by Jesus' birth?
494
00:23:08.110 --> 00:23:09.460
Who were the Magi
495
00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:12.160
and what was the estimated value of their gifts?
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now.
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Hey, this is Rick Renner,
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and right now I'm standing
in the reception area
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of the Tulsa Ministry headquarters,
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and this building is just so wonderful.
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You know, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 10:21, The lips
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of the righteous feed many.
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And I know that is our assignment.
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God has called us to feed many
people the trusted teaching
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of the Bible.
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And together with you
and all of our partners,
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we really are taking the trusted teaching of the word of God
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to the very ends of the earth.
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Right now, we've paid off
about 82% of this facility,
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and that is just wonderful.
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But now we need to knock
it out of the ballpark.
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We need to finish this
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because when we're finished
paying off this facility,
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that frees up finances
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so we can take the teaching of the Bible
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to more places across the face of the Earth
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where people are crying out for someone
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to feed them the word of God.
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And my friends, we can
only do it with your help.
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So thank you if you're
already a part of the team.
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And if not yet part of the
team, please join us as a part
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of the Giving Team to
pay off this facility
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so we can be finished with it
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and use these funds to
take the gospel further
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to other places across the world.
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Well, today we have
covered a lot of material.
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We've been looking at that
miraculous place in Bethlehem
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where Jesus was born
nearly 2000 years ago.
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And tomorrow we're going
to ask the question
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and answer the question - Why did God choose Mary?
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There were many girls that
could have given birth
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to the son of God.
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So why did God choose Mary?
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There's going to be so much for us
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to learn in tomorrow's program,
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but please remember
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that we're offering you
the brand new series called
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00:25:46.130 --> 00:25:49.550
Christmas, The Rest of the
Story. The subtitle says,
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00:25:49.550 --> 00:25:54.020 line:15%
Amazing Insights about Christmas you've never heard
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00:25:54.020 --> 00:25:57.260
before, and it comes with a huge study guide
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00:25:57.260 --> 00:25:59.420
so you can read all of
it while you're seeing
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00:25:59.420 --> 00:26:00.800
it or hearing it.
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00:26:00.800 --> 00:26:03.230
And right now, we're also
offering you my book that I'm
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so excited about.
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00:26:04.370 --> 00:26:06.740
Please go online or call us and get it.
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And it's called, Christmas -
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The Rest of the Story - nearly 300 pages
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that are fully illustrated.
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It is full color.
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It will walk you right into the story
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of the nativity like you've
never heard it before.
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And my friends, this is a gift
you're going to want to share
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with your family and with your friends.
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So you ought to order a
couple of them right now.
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But what a privilege
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that I can bring you this
teaching about the nativity
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and about the birth of Jesus,
the most momentous event
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that ever occurred in
history until the cross
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and the cross was even more significant.
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But hey, if you need
prayer, reach out to us.
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Ask us to pray with you,
and we'll pray with you.
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Send us an email, give us a call.
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And the moment we hear from you,
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we're gonna put our faith
together with yours for Jesus
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to do something spectacular,
and he really will.
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But let me pray for you right now.
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Father, I thank you in the name of Jesus
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for all the wonderful things
you've done in our lives.
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Help us to remember it, to chronicle it, to never forget it,
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so we can share all your
wondrous works in our lives
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with other people like Mary did
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with the gospel writers
in Jesus' name a amen.
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I'll see you tomorrow. But remember
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Ecclesiastes 8:4,
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it says, "Where the word of a king is, there is power."
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If you've never received Jesus as your Savior
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and Lord, now is the time for
you to experience a new life
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Jesus has to give you.
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Pray this prayer with me right now - Lord,
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I repent of my sin and receive you as my Savior
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and Lord. Wash away my sin
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and make me completely new.
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I thank you that my sin is removed
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and Satan no longer has any
right to lay claim on me.
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I faithfully promise that
I will serve you as my Lord
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for the rest of my life -
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Amen.
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Thank you for joining Rick Renner today.
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For more information about Renner Ministries
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and product resources, visit renner.org.
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This program was made possible by the giving
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of the God called Partners of Renner Ministries.