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Speaker 1: Let us pray it was meet that we should make

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Speaker 1: merry and be glad for this. My brother was dead

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Speaker 1: and is alive again, and was lost and is found

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Speaker 1: Luke fifteen thirty two. Lord, your grace and your forgiveness

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Speaker 1: never ceases to amaze me. Then no other story displays

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Speaker 1: this more than the one that you shared about the

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Speaker 1: prodigal son in Matthew eighteen twelve through fourteen. Through the

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Speaker 1: reading of this text, I mesmerized by how even with

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Speaker 1: the foolish decisions that were made, the father never left

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Speaker 1: his position of searching. May this bring comfort to my

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Speaker 1: soul in knowing that no matter what mistakes I make,

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Speaker 1: that you are always there searching for me. When I

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Speaker 1: feel like I have blown and squandered my inheritance, I

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Speaker 1: praise you because you have more in store for me.

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Speaker 1: As I come to you with a humble and broken heart,

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Speaker 1: when others seek to keep me in the pig pen

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Speaker 1: of life, I praise you that you will clothe me

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Speaker 1: with honor. You'll restore power back to me through your

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Speaker 1: ring of authority, and you will seat me at the

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Speaker 1: table of greatness again. All that you have is mine.

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Speaker 1: So I will make sure not to be jealous when

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Speaker 1: I see others get restored back to their place of

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Speaker 1: opulence and abundance. Because what is yours Father is also mine,

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Speaker 1: because I too am a child of God. I was lost,

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Speaker 1: but through your love, Jesus, But through your love Jesus,

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Speaker 1: I am found in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for

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Speaker 1: praying with us today. Continue your time with God by

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Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by Bible

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Speaker 1: in a Year dot.

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Speaker 2: Com The Prodigal Son. In our last story, we learned

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Speaker 2: about the true meaning of kindness from the story of

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Speaker 2: the good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to teach that

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Speaker 2: goodness does not always come from the perfect people, rather

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Speaker 2: those that we may least expect. Now, Jesus is questioned

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Speaker 2: by the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners.

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Speaker 2: Jesus confronts them with another story, a story that reveals

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Speaker 2: the true heart of God inspired by the Gospels.

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Speaker 3: I'm so glad you've joined us on the Bible in

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Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,

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Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love

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Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you

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Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day, from the moment

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Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits

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Speaker 3: the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention,

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Speaker 3: but it's in the midst of all this crush and

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Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and

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Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help

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Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,

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Speaker 3: life changing Word by sending you my free daily email

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Speaker 3: devotional PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign

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Speaker 3: up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham dot org. In our last episode, we heard

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Speaker 3: the parable the story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus

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Speaker 3: used to teach a very important lesson about how we

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Speaker 3: are to love people, what a neighbor looks like, and

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Speaker 3: that our neighbor is anyone who has a need. It

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Speaker 3: was a great challenge for us to share the love

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Speaker 3: of Christ with every person that we meet. Today, we'll

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Speaker 3: hear another powerful story from Jesus that shows the merciful

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Speaker 3: heart of God and his willingness and desire to forgive

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Speaker 3: and share his love with all who seek him. It's

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Speaker 3: the story of a loving father and two sons who

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Speaker 3: are both lost, but in very different ways. Let's listen

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Speaker 3: now to this powerful story from Jesus.

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Speaker 2: Jesus was sitting at a table enjoying a meal with

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Speaker 2: many of his new friends. They went out, the type

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Speaker 2: of people one would expect a religious man to dine with.

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Speaker 2: Tax collectors, dirty fishermen, and prostitutes sat at the table

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Speaker 2: sharing bread with the son of God. It was a

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Speaker 2: sight that disgusted the Pharisees. They reviled him and scoffed

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Speaker 2: at his willingness to fraternize with the undesirables of the city. Look,

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Speaker 2: they pointed and spat this man eats with sinners. What

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Speaker 2: type of man of God is this? A small crowd

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Speaker 2: was watching as the Pharisees mock Jesus openly. They were

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Speaker 2: waiting for Jesus's response. Jesus wiped the crumbs off his hands,

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Speaker 2: took a sip of water, and stood to his feet.

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Speaker 2: He walked closer to the Pharisees, showing them that their

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Speaker 2: religious elitism had no effect on him. Jesus paced the courtyard,

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Speaker 2: projecting his voice for all to hear as he told

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Speaker 2: another story There was once a wealthy man who had

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Speaker 2: two sons. The older son worked the fields silently and

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Speaker 2: with diligence. However, the younger son was unruly and independent.

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Speaker 2: One morning, before the rooster crowed and the sun rose,

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Speaker 2: the younger brother stumbled into his father's house after a

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Speaker 2: night of parties. He was a shameful sight and held

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Speaker 2: no sense of respect for his father. He slept in

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Speaker 2: until midday and rolled out of his bed while his

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Speaker 2: brother tilled the fields. Grumpy and entitled, the younger brother

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Speaker 2: went to his father with his chest puffed up in

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Speaker 2: his nose high in the air. He demanded his father

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Speaker 2: give him his inheritance. I do not want to wait

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Speaker 2: until you die, the son complained, Give me my half

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Speaker 2: of the inheritance now, so that I might do what

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Speaker 2: I wish. The father did as the younger son requested

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Speaker 2: and divided his wealth with a broken heart. He gave

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Speaker 2: his son property in gold and watched him walk away

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Speaker 2: without so much as a thank you. The younger son

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Speaker 2: gathered everything and took his wealth into the far country.

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Speaker 2: He slithered around the cities, drowning himself in wine, women,

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Speaker 2: and reckless substances. What he did not spend on prostitutes

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Speaker 2: and revelry. He gambled. Weeks had passed, and his unearned

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Speaker 2: wealth was eventually dried up. He owed a great deal

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Speaker 2: of money to bad people and had contracted sickness from

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Speaker 2: his promiscuous habits. Soon a great famine fell across the

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Speaker 2: land and everyone was in great need. The friends he

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Speaker 2: had made and his wealth were nowhere to be seen,

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Speaker 2: and the young son descended into total poverty. The younger

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Speaker 2: son scoured the countryside looking for any work that would

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Speaker 2: fill his belly and his new addictions. The only job

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Speaker 2: he could find was tending to a farmer's pigs. Days

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Speaker 2: had passed and the Sun still had very little money

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Speaker 2: to pay for food. What little money he made he

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Speaker 2: gave to pay off his gambling debts. His stomach rumbled

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Speaker 2: as he watched the pigs feast on slop and garbage.

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Speaker 2: The smell of rotten onions and fermented figs filled the air. Dung,

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Speaker 2: dirty rain water, and pigs eliva dripped into the feeding troth,

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Speaker 2: but the Sun could not take his eyes off it.

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Speaker 2: He was starving, desperate, and ashamed. The young man walked

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Speaker 2: beside the pigs, fell to his knees and began to

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Speaker 2: eat the brown slop with the pigs. The rancid smell

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Speaker 2: was almost unbearable. His mouth was filled with dung, rotten vegetables,

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Speaker 2: and spoiled meat. As the young man brought his face

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Speaker 2: to his hand filled with garbage, he considered the state

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Speaker 2: of his life. Even my father's hired servants get fresh bread.

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Speaker 2: Yet I am here and hunger. He thought to himself.

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Speaker 2: If I go to him and beg for his forgiveness,

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Speaker 2: maybe he will make me a slave. At least then

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Speaker 2: I will have a warm bed and fresh bread. So

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Speaker 2: the younger son traveled through the countryside back to his father.

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Speaker 2: His head was held low and his feet dragged in

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Speaker 2: the dust. A few tears streamed down the son's eyes.

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Speaker 2: He could picture the angry look of his father. Surely

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Speaker 2: he would be too ashamed of me to take me back,

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Speaker 2: the son thought to himself. Yet the younger son kept walking.

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Speaker 2: His options were limited, and his belly was empty. It

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Speaker 2: was late afternoon and the sun had turned the father's

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Speaker 2: fields of bright gold. He sat above his terrace, admiring

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Speaker 2: the way the breeze made the grain dance. He watched

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Speaker 2: his elder son tending to the works. Then a small

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Speaker 2: speck appeared in the distance. The father peered closely towards

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Speaker 2: the hills to see a figure hobbling towards the property.

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Speaker 2: As the figure drew closer, the father could see that

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Speaker 2: it was his younger son. He had returned. The father

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Speaker 2: tied up his robes and ran out of his home.

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Speaker 2: He ran with fire and vigor. The son could see

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Speaker 2: his father in the distance, running towards him. Afraid that

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Speaker 2: his father would attack him, the young son braced himself,

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Speaker 2: but instead of a strike to the jaw, he received

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Speaker 2: a warm embrace. The father cried on his son's shoulders.

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Speaker 2: Laughs came from his belly. His tears streamed down his

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Speaker 2: bearded face. You have come home, the father shouted with glee,

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Speaker 2: My son, you have returned to me. The son fell

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Speaker 2: to his knees. He was so ashamed he could not

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Speaker 2: stand to look at his father. My father, please forgive me,

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Speaker 2: the younger son said, I am not worthy to be

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Speaker 2: called your son. His face fell into the dust as

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Speaker 2: he wept. The father knelt down into the dust with

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Speaker 2: him and picked him up by the shoulders. He called

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Speaker 2: for his servants and said, get me my best robe

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Speaker 2: and put it on my son, put a ring on

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Speaker 2: his hand and shoes on his feet. Then kill the

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Speaker 2: fattest calf we have for tonight we will hold a

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Speaker 2: feast in his honor. The servants left immediately. The son

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Speaker 2: was stunned and confused. The father smiled from cheek to

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Speaker 2: cheek and said, my son, you were once lost, but

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Speaker 2: now you are found. This is why we celebrate. So

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Speaker 2: the younger son was washed and given fine clothes. There

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Speaker 2: was a great feast and party held in his honor.

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Speaker 2: The younger son was humbled and laughed silently as he

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Speaker 2: watched his family dance and sing, although not everyone was

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Speaker 2: happy to see him return. The older brother came in

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Speaker 2: from the field to see his father dancing and rejoicing.

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Speaker 2: He saw that the fattest calf had been cooked and

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Speaker 2: the finest robe placed on his brother's shoulders. The older

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Speaker 2: son stewed in anger. He felt underappreciated and angry. He

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Speaker 2: stormed off to be alone in the fields. The sun

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Speaker 2: was setting and the older brother could hear the music

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Speaker 2: in the distance. He hated his brother. He hated that

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Speaker 2: he stole half his his father's wealth while he toiled

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Speaker 2: in the fields. Yet his brother received the celebration. The

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Speaker 2: wind blew gently, and a few tears fell down the

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Speaker 2: older brother's face. His father could see him sitting and

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Speaker 2: sat beside him. What upsets you, my son, he asked.

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Speaker 2: The older son shook his head and gave a sorrowful laugh.

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Speaker 2: He did his best to hold back tears.

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Speaker 1: As he spoke.

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Speaker 2: For years, I have served you and worked hard for

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Speaker 2: your favor. I never disobeyed you, and you have never

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Speaker 2: given me so much as a goat for me and

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Speaker 2: my friends to celebrate. Yet when your son comes home

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Speaker 2: after squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattest

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Speaker 2: calf and adorn him with rings and robes. The father

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Speaker 2: was silent for a moment. In sighed, he put his

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Speaker 2: arm around his oldest son. Son, you are always with me.

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Speaker 2: Everything I have is yours. You may take of whatever

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Speaker 2: is mine and enjoy it. But your brother was once.

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Speaker 1: Dead, but now is alive.

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Speaker 2: He was lost and now he is found. This is

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Speaker 2: worth celebrating. After saying these things, Jesus sat back down

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Speaker 2: with his friends, and the Pharisees left in a fury.

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Speaker 2: Jesus revealed a special part of God's heart that day,

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Speaker 2: that no child is too far gone to experience his

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Speaker 2: love and favor. No matter how far one goes, the

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Speaker 2: father will run to embrace his lost child. As a

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Speaker 2: shepherd will leave ninety nine of his sheep to go

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Speaker 2: after one lost one, so Jesus will go to any

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Speaker 2: length to find the ones he loves.

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Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, let's give a little background

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Speaker 3: once again. The Pharisees are grumbling and complaining about the

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Speaker 3: kind of people that Jesus is hanging out with. They

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Speaker 3: expected him to shun all the undesirables, tax collectors, sinners,

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Speaker 3: outcast fringe people, just as they did with sinners they

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Speaker 3: believe was beneath the man of God. So if Jesus

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Speaker 3: was really a righteous man, they concluded, he would not

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Speaker 3: associate with bad people. As always, Jesus knew their thoughts,

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Speaker 3: and so he told them more stories parables to illustrate

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Speaker 3: what it means to be lost and found. He spoke

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Speaker 3: of a shepherd who left his flock to find one

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Speaker 3: lung sheep that had gone astray, and the joy of

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Speaker 3: finding a lost coin, even when it was just one

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Speaker 3: of many. He was setting up the grand finale, a

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Speaker 3: story about a father and his two sons. It's a

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Speaker 3: story that many have heard. It's the story of the

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Speaker 3: prodigal son. We call it the story of the prodigal son,

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Speaker 3: but if you pay close attention, it's really not about

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Speaker 3: the son so much as it is about the loving

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Speaker 3: father who never gives up in waiting for longing for

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Speaker 3: his children to come home. We hear that this father

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Speaker 3: had two sons, one who was obedient to all all

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Speaker 3: the rules and expectations, but another who wanted to live

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Speaker 3: for himself. The older son, the elder brother, worked hard

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Speaker 3: waiting for one day to receive an inheritance that he

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Speaker 3: felt was out to him. But the younger son, he

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Speaker 3: did not have patience. He wanted it all now. He

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Speaker 3: in effect said, Dad, I don't care if you live

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Speaker 3: or die. Give me what's coming to me now. And

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Speaker 3: he asked for his cut, and then he left town.

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Speaker 3: Imagine the heartbreak of his father, totally rejected and abandoned

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Speaker 3: by his son. Buddy would not force him to stay,

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Speaker 3: and as the son demanded, he gave him his share

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Speaker 3: of the estate. Of course, this was a terrible decision

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Speaker 3: for this young man. It looked like a lot of

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Speaker 3: fun at first, to go and live it up in

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Speaker 3: a place called the far country. But his way of life,

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Speaker 3: all the partying, all the drinking, all the womanizing, it

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Speaker 3: finally caught up with him and he went to the bottom.

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Speaker 3: You know, sin is like that. It can seem pleasurable

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Speaker 3: at first. In fact, the Bible says there is pleasure

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Speaker 3: in sin for a season. But you know sin will

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Speaker 3: take you farther than you want to go, and keep

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Speaker 3: you longer than you want to stay, and cost you

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Speaker 3: far more than you want to pay. We think, if

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Speaker 3: there are no rules, then we can really live it up.

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Speaker 3: But when there are no rules, when we throw our

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Speaker 3: lives away, there is such loss. And that's what this

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Speaker 3: young man experienced. He found out for himself what an

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Speaker 3: uncontrolled life is really like. It was truly prodigal. But

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Speaker 3: though he turned away from his father, in his heart

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Speaker 3: of hearts, when he came to the end of himself,

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Speaker 3: he knew that there was one hope, and only one hope,

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Speaker 3: and that was to return to the father, to go

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Speaker 3: back home to humble himself. He came to himself and

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Speaker 3: he owned his own sin, and he's repentant in heart,

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Speaker 3: and he wants to go home. When I read this story,

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Speaker 3: I'm reminded of the grace and the heart of God

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Speaker 3: to receive us when we truly confess our sins and

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Speaker 3: seek God's love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Did you notice

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Speaker 3: in this story, as the son began his way back

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Speaker 3: home to his father, that his father wasn't surprised. He

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Speaker 3: had not given up or shut out his son permanently. No,

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Speaker 3: Apparently this man was looking for his child for it

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Speaker 3: says in Luke fifteen and verse twenty. But while he

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Speaker 3: was still a long way off, his father saw him

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Speaker 3: and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

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Speaker 3: What a beautiful story while he was still a long

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Speaker 3: way off. It reminds me of the scripture that says

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Speaker 3: that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

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Speaker 3: You see, God loves you very much, and he's waiting

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Speaker 3: for you to come to him. It's so inspirational to

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Speaker 3: see that the father didn't wait and watch for his

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Speaker 3: son to come to him. He ran to his son.

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Speaker 3: In this culture, this was not the action of a

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Speaker 3: dignified man, But this loving father could care less about appearances.

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Speaker 3: He was rushing to restore his son. He was running

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Speaker 3: to show forgiveness the young man confessed his sin his unworthiness,

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Speaker 3: but he didn't have to say anything more. The father

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Speaker 3: clothed him with his robe and made him part of

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Speaker 3: the family again. This story could have ended with a

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Speaker 3: very happy reunion for everyone, But as we noted, there

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Speaker 3: were two sons in this household, and with all the

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Speaker 3: rejoicing and feasting for the prodigal son who came back,

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Speaker 3: the older son is now bitter. He had no interest

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Speaker 3: in welcoming his brother back into the family. Instead, he

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Speaker 3: was pouting and pitying himself, complaining, after all he'd done

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Speaker 3: for his father, how could he receive this young son back?

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Speaker 3: Where was his reward? As the Pharisees listened to this story,

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Speaker 3: I'm sure they were nodding their heads in agreement with

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Speaker 3: the son's anger. They too had done everything right. Why

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Speaker 3: should they welcome terrible sinners into the family of God.

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Speaker 3: The sad reality is this son, the elder brother, just

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Speaker 3: like the Pharisees, was just as lost as the younger son.

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Speaker 3: The younger son was lost way far away from the house,

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Speaker 3: but this young man was lost inside the house. Both

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Speaker 3: had the father all along, both had an opportunity for

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Speaker 3: a relationship, but they both missed the joy and the

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Speaker 3: abundance that the Father could give them. In telling this story,

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Speaker 3: Jesus was demonstrating how much God is always loving us

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Speaker 3: as a caring, compassionate father. He rejoices with those who

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Speaker 3: return to him and repent of their sins and receive

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Speaker 3: his grace. And he's reminding all of us that it

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Speaker 3: is never too late for a new beginning. It's not

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Speaker 3: too late for a new beginning for you today. And

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Speaker 3: if you find yourself far from God, this is the

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Speaker 3: time to come home to him. Jesus loves you, He

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Speaker 3: died for you, he rose again, and he will give

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Speaker 3: you a home and a hope in heaven if you

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Speaker 3: will trust in him. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank

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Speaker 3: you for your love and grace. We know that you

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Speaker 3: are a father who cares for your children, and so

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Speaker 3: we come to you. We trust in you, and we

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Speaker 3: believe that when we return from our sins, that you

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Speaker 3: will welcome us into your family through our faith in

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Speaker 3: Jesus Christ. And then, no matter how far we have

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Speaker 3: walked away, that it's never too late to start over

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Speaker 3: in Jesus's name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's Bible.

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Speaker 3: In a year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas,

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Speaker 3: and before we go, I want you to know that

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Speaker 3: I would love to send you my daily devotional to

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Speaker 3: give you fresh encouragement every single day. So visit Jack

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Speaker 3: Graham dot org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today

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Speaker 3: devotional that's at graham dot org