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I am bringing you a series of heart -to -heart

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talks on the Great Christian Pledge, or as is

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better known, the Apostles' Creed. And I do pray

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with all of my heart that these heart -to -heart

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talks will prove a real blessing to you and will

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make God the Father. will make Jesus Christ,

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the Father's only begotten Son, more real to

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you than he has ever been before. As I continue

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in this my second in this series of Heart to

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Heart Talks, I want to, first of all, again,

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give you the Apostles' Creed as literally millions.

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Repeat it. every Lord's Day morning. I believe

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in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and

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earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our

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Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born

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of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

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was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended

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into hell. The third day he arose again from

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the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth

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on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

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From thence he shall come to judge the quick

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and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the

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Holy Catholic Church. the communion of saints,

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the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of

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the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. And

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in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. It has

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been correctly said. that the New Testament is

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held together not through literary excellence,

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nor in its historic precision, but the one consistent

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character of Jesus portrayed by the writers.

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As he held men by his fascinating duty while

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in the flesh, so he holds Men today, those who

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know the Savior intimately, those who know this

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glorious presence, his power, his person, share

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the attitude of the writers of the creed in taking

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him out of the man class and putting him in the

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God class. I remember something. that as he came

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and walked among men on this earth, came in flesh,

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he was as much God as though he were not man,

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and as much man as though he were not God. The

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preexistence of Christ prior to his incarnation

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is a fact accepted by all who worship him as

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Lord and Master. Now, the testimony of Scripture

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is very explicit on this subject. John said,

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was

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with God, and the Word was God. The same was

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in the beginning with God. Our Lord was with

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God even before the foundation of the world.

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The language used here indicates conscious, personal

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existence, distinct from God, but inseparably

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associated with him. Let me give it again. God

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in substance, essence, and all the essential

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qualities of deity. No man hath seen God at any

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time. The only begotten Son, which is in the

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bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. That's

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the word. That's the scripture. I give it again.

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No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten

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Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he

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hath declared him. As a member of the eternal

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Trinity, our Lord shared the exertions of creation.

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He was there. He was present. the time of the

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creation we find that all three persons of the

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trinity were present at the time of the creation

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the father the son the holy spirit thus paul's

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letter to the colossians describes him as the

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image of the invisible god the firstborn of every

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creature now the term firstborn means the first

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begotten implying Priority. Superlative dignity.

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The writer of the Hebrews says, The worlds were

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made by the Son of God. Literally translated,

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worlds means ages, including all things and persons

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belonging to them. The universe, including all

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space and periods of time. Things material and

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things spiritual. This is the exalted being who...

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stooped low, fashioned for himself a human body,

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and then, beloved, dwelt among us, dwelt among

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men. He was not an ordinary man. The Old Testament

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records speak of his preexistence. Read it. There

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in the second psalm, in the seventh verse, the

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psalmist calls him the Son of God. 16th chapter

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of Genesis. It's there. Begin with that seventh

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verse. The word describes him as the angel of

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the Lord. And again there are references over

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and over referring to him as Jehovah. In Daniel,

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the book tells us that the story of the three

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boys thrown into the fiery furnace and a fourth

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appearing with them, designated as the Son of

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God. This event took place about the year 600

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B .C. and over and over there are Old Testament

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quotations which refer to preexistent manifestations

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of the Christ reproduced in the New Testament.

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An established person. His preexistence established

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as a fact. He was with God, active with God the

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Father at the time of the creation of the world.

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Continue. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

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born of the Virgin Mary? Look at the glorious

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prophecy in Isaiah. The Lord himself shall give

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you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and

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bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

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Now go a little further, that glorious, that

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marvelous annunciation. And the angel said unto

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her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor

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with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in

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thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call

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his name Jesus. The Holy Ghost shall come upon

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thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow

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thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall

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be born of thee shall be called the Son of...

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And then look at that marvelous fulfillment in

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the second chapter of Luke. For unto you is born

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this day in the city of David a Savior, which

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is Christ the Lord. Consider something just a

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moment. Prior to this discipleship, Luke was

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a physician. He practiced medicine according

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to the regulations of Roman law. He would have

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been the very last man of his day to be conceived

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by false claims. Know that. And it was Luke who

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was speaking. It was Luke the physician. It was

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Luke the doctor who said, For unto you is born

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this day in the city of David a Savior, which

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is Christ the Lord. He practiced medicine. Believe

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me, he would have been the very last man to be

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deceived by false claims. The record of events

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in Judea contained in his gospel reads like a

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birth certificate, substantiating the claims

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made for the virgin birth. Matthew's report is

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equally clear and satisfying. Both writers, both

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Luke... and Matthew knew Mary personally and

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were therefore within reach of original sources

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of information. No, they were not fooled. They

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were not deceived. On a certain occasion, the

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birth of Christ was a subject of discussion between

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himself and a group of religious leaders. The

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conversation is recorded in the 8th chapter of

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John. Our Lord's claim to supernatural birth

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is stated in the words, I proceeded forth and

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came from God. Jesus made a very definite statement.

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He said with his own lips, I came from God. and

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his words provoked ridicule and anger on a part

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of those to whom he spoke. They hurled a terrible

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insult at his mother. They said, We are not born

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of fornication. They sought to imply that he

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was thus born. Oh, how Christ must have resented

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the slur. That they should have had your... to

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blacken the name of the fairest among women.

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It's not difficult to imagine his fingers twitching,

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his cheeks flushing, and words taking the form

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of barbed arrows. And his answer was quick. His

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answer was sharp. As he turned to them and said,

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Ye are of your father, the devil. Consider something

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that's very marvelous and very precious. Immediately

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after the annunciation, Mary sought out her closest

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kin. The word says that she arose and went into

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the hill country with haste into a city of Judah.

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The hill country was a mountainous track running

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along the middle of Judea from north to south.

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and the city was probably Hebron. She entered

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the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.

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Her behavior reflected a purity of soul which

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the enemies of Christ have never, never been

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able to deface. And she greeted Elizabeth with

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this glorious shout. My soul doth magnify the

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Lord. Had Mary been guilty of the charges named

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above, she would not have sought the association

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of close friends and relatives. She would have

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been sorrowful. She would have been crestfallen.

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She would have desired seclusion. But instead,

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her general deportment and ecstasy of spirit

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is therefore psychological in support of the

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virgin birth. It's impossible to level our Lord

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down to human proportions. In the argument with

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the religionist who falsely accused his mother,

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he uttered this challenge. Which of you convinces

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me of sin? He's the only person ever to live.

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on this earth entirely immune to sin. His bitterest

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enemies never proved that he committed a single

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sin in the days of his flesh. Only God could

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live a sinless life in a sin -filled world. The

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miraculous life of Christ is an unanswerable

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argument for his miraculous birth. The announcement

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in the 22nd Psalm is this. A seed shall serve

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him. Referred to the preparation of a human body

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in which the infinite would be housed for 33

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years. A seed shall serve him. This seed conceived

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by the Holy Ghost. contained all the potentialities

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of deity which became manifest in the most sublime

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life ever known on this earth. Beloved, here's

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something. The eternal sun incarnate was and

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is very God. complete and perfect in essence,

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in qualities, attributes, love, will, and purpose.

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He assumed the limitations like those of man,

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physical and spiritual, in order to consummate

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the plan of human redemption. He demonstrated

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power over sin, over disease, over death, and

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the elements of nature. as much man as though

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he were not God, as much God as though he were

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not man. He is this hour. He was very God. He

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fulfilled Old Testament prophecies proclaiming

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this deity. He referred to his pre -existence

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by saying, Before the world was, I am. Wonderful

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is my Savior. Wondrous the peace in my soul since

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I at the fountain of cleansing was redeemed.

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and fully made whole. Wondrous the joy he bestoweth

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since I from my guilt am free, but the wonder

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of wonders forever is the love of my Savior for

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me. Wonderful is his power who holdeth the earth

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in his hands. Angels in heaven adore him and

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bow at his holy commands. Wonderful is his glory,

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great is his majesty, but, beloved, the wonder

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of wonders forever is the love of my Savior for

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me. Do you know him like? that it's the most

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wonderful thing in the world, this salvation

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which he made possible to us.