Sermon
Ep 372 | Reconciliation - Zach Elliott 9-6-20
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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It's so good to be here with you all this morning.
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I on behalf of my family. I'd like to say that we are so
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happy to be able to be here with family friends.
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Those I haven't seen in a very long time, You may count it your
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constitutional right? To gather here to worship, which
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it is in this country. But it's much more than that.
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It's much more than just a constitutional ride.
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It is a privilege of ours to be able to be here to be able to
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gather together as Brothers and Sisters in Christ and worship
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our Lord. Worship.
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Our God. Our God truly has given us so
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many gifts, so many things to be thankful for in our lives every
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single day. But this morning, I'd like to
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talk to you about one gift. One thing that we hear of word
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that we're familiar with its simple.
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But on the other hand, it can be very complicated and can turn
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into a study, that takes an entire lifetime and and really
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beyond that, something that we might never truly fully
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comprehend. And that is the topic of
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reconciliation. We know that reconciliation is
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good. We're happy.
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When Children are reconciled to their parents when husbands are
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reconciled to their wives when brothers and sisters, come
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together and reconcile with each other, for the first time in
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years. Every time we hear something
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like that, that's great. We're very happy to hear that
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people reconcile with each other.
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And how much better it is in reconciliation with God.
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That's a big word, six syllables.
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But as we entered as I just said, it's it's some kind of a
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simple idea. That relationship between man
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and God is even bigger than the word sick.
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Second Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 18, and 19 tells us and
2 Corinthians 5 chapter mention
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all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by
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Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of
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reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ.
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Reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
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trespasses unto them. It has committed unto us, the
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word of reconciliation and we'll do our best this morning to try
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and explain this huge topic. This big thing in a tiny
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nutshell will simplify it as best as we possibly can, and I
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hope the Lord willing, you can take something away from this or
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be strengthened by it. Reconciliation means to restore
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Harmony between two parties. Your according to Webster's
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Dictionary, the renewal of a friendship.
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So first of all, the word reconciliation itself, we
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learned that all men and women were at one time.
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Time at peace with God to be reconciled means that at one
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time, there was a good relationship there.
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But that relationship at some point or another has fallen as
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Fallen apart. Well, when was this, when were
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men and women at peace with God, when were we able to be in that
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relationship? What has to be a time of
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Innocence? There has to be a time of
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innocence in our lives and that would be perhaps in our
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childhood and Mark chapter 10 and verse 14 and 15.
Mark 10 chapter mention
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It says, but when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said
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unto them suffer, the little children to come unto me and
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forbid them. Not for of such is the kingdom
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of God, verily. I say unto you whosoever shall
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not receive the kingdom of God as a little child.
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He shall not enter Are there in now?
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There are many. In fact, I believe the majority
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of those who consider themselves to be Protestant believers.
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They believe in something called total hereditary depravity but
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we are not depraved as children. We were innocent according to
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the Lord Jesus, I know that sometimes my daughter can cause
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me some grief and some trouble, but I know that she's sweet.
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And innocent. She doesn't mean any ill will
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buy anything that she does yet. But at one time that word
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reconciliation tells us that while we were innocent.
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It also tells us that there was a time when we decided to do
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wrong while we were innocent at one time.
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We once also chose to do wrong in our wrongdoing, took away our
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innocence. It took away, our good standing
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relationship with God. The Father, we were no longer in
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harmony with him. Romans chapter 3.
Romans 3 chapter mention
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And verse 23, says that all have sinned and fallen short of the
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glory of God, Isaiah chapter, 59, and verse 2, says that
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iniquities or sins, our sins separate.
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Us. They separate Mankind from God.
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It was of our own choosing that is to say it was our own doing.
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It's our fault. It's not God's fault.
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It's on us. As a true holy and righteous
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being God, literally cannot have a relationship with sin or with
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one who does sing, but God wants that he so eagerly earnestly
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wants to have a relationship with all Sinners with us with
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you. And with me, And because of
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that, we're so thankful that even though we disobeyed him,
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even though we turn our back on him and disobeyed his will, we
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are thankful that God took the necessary step to restore our
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relationship with him to wash our sins away, making it
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possible to be reconciled to him.
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And that's probably the most important thing that I want to
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point out this morning to you. Is that this Is God's gift.
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The reconciliation we did nothing to deserve it.
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God didn't have to give it to us if he didn't want to.
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It is a it is completely a gift. From God.
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Paul wrote in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 20 through 23, and
Colossians 1 chapter mention
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having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to
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reconcile, all things unto himself by him.
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I say, whether they be things in Earth or things in heaven, and
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you, that were some time, alienated at that were
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sometimes, alienated and enemies in your mind by Wicked Works yet
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now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through
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death, to present you, holy and unblameable and Unruh provable
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in his sight. If you continue in the faith,
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grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
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Gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every
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creature, which is under heaven. Where for I, Paul am made a
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minister on. That is why we are here this
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morning, that's why we we've gathered here.
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It is our blessed privilege. It is a gift to be able to stand
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together as the Lord's Church. A reconciled body to God in
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peace and harmony with him to worship.
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And to praise the one who has made our Salvation from sin
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possible. John chapter 3 and verse 16 is a
John 3 chapter mention
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well-known verse that we cling to and that we we love because
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of the truth that is found there in for God.
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So loved the world. He gave his only begotten.
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Son, that whosoever believes in Him.
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Should not perish. But have everlasting life.
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It was Jesus, it was Jesus shedding of blood.
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It was Jesus. Brutal death on the cross that
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made reconciliation with God possible.
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We'll take our last reading this morning from Ephesians chapter 2
Ephesians 2 chapter mention
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and verse 16 through 22, where the Apostle wrote and that he
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might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having
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slain the enmity, thereby and came and preached.
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Peace to you which were afar off or Gentiles and to them that
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were nigh or Jews for through him.
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We both have access by one Spirit unto the The father.
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Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but
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fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God and
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are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets.
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Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Cornerstone in whom all
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the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an Holy
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Temple in the Lord in whom ye also are builded together.
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Foreign habitation of God through the spirit, that one
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body that Paul wrote of is the church.
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The body is the Church of Christ, which is United, it is
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United, both Jew, and Gentile to God as one people.
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As Christians. And all who came in that one
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body, the church, they all came in the same way.
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They were all reconciled to God by God's plan.
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By the gospel Plan of Salvation, the way taught in the holy word
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of God. But perhaps you were here and
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you are not a Christian, perhaps you have not received that great
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gift of God, you have not been reconciled to him and if you
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have not, then you are living in sin.
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Why don't you choose to be reconciled to God?
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Then you have heard. The word is Romans chapter 10
Romans 10 chapter mention
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and verse 17 says. So, then faith comes by hearing
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and hearing by the word of God. Now, you must believe is Jesus
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said in John, chapter 8, and verse 24.
John 8 chapter mention
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I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins.
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If you believe not that, I am he ye shall die in your sins.
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Then you need to repent of your past sins acts, Jack chapter 17
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and verse 30 says, and the times of this ignorance, God winked
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at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
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Then we confess then you confess and believe, Jesus is the son of
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God just as the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 and verse 37.
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And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart,
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thou mayest Mayest. And he answered and said, I
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believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
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And then, according to the scripture, you must be immersed
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in water. Baptized for the remission of
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your sins. Mark chapter 16 and verse 16
Mark 16 chapter mention
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says he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he
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that believeth not shall be damned or perhaps you were
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already a Christian. Perhaps, you have been
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reconciled to God, but you have sinned in some way and you want
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to make that relationship right again.
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You want to be in peace in, good standing with god.
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Well, the Bible says that it, if you come forward, confess your
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sins will pray with you and for you.
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And God is just and willing to forgive We thank you for
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