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Life Guidance for Sinners · Pastor John Piper's answers

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  Speaker 1: Well, if I see and feel sin within me, surely
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  Speaker 1: God will not lead me or care for me right wrong,
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  Speaker 1: dead wrong. And we have proof in Psalm twenty five,
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  Speaker 1: an incredible psalm for life, and we read it today
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  Speaker 1: in our navigator's Bible reading plan. And the psalm is
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  Speaker 1: on the mind of Isabelle, confusing her a bit. She
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  Speaker 1: looks at her own life, she sees her own sin
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  Speaker 1: very clearly, and for that sin inside of her, for
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  Speaker 1: that corruption she sees and feels inside, she feels disqualified.
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  Speaker 1: Surely God cannot guide my life. Surely he won't guide
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  Speaker 1: my life, not while I am wrestling with sin inside
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  Speaker 1: of me. That along comes David in Psalm twenty five
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  Speaker 1: and gloriously destroys her whole basis for making such an
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  Speaker 1: assum about God. Here's Isabel's question from her home in Raleigh,
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  Speaker 1: North Carolina. Pastor John, Hello, and thank you for taking
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  Speaker 1: my question. Considering David's confession of sin throughout Psalm twenty five,
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  Speaker 1: how does acknowledging our ongoing sinfulness help us find God's
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  Speaker 1: guidance more effectively rather than making us feel more disqualified
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  Speaker 1: for His guidance. I see my sin and assume that
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  Speaker 1: God isn't going to help me out in life. Because
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  Speaker 1: of it, I feel so unworthy to be led by him,
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  Speaker 1: because it can see my sin so clearly. But this
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  Speaker 1: psalm doesn't seem to see that as a hindrance to
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  Speaker 1: being led. That we are sinners.
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  Speaker 2: It is utterly crucial that we settle it biblically once
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  Speaker 2: for all. None of us as Christians will ever be
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  Speaker 2: completely free from our own sinfulness what Paul calls indwelling
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  Speaker 2: sin in Romans seven. None of us will be free
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  Speaker 2: of our sinfulness before we die or before Jesus comes.
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  Speaker 2: Perfectionism in this age is deadly. It will turn us
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  Speaker 2: into liars who say we have no sin, or it
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  Speaker 2: will turn us into people of hopelessness with suicidal despair.
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  Speaker 2: That is simply impossible to be a Christian. So I
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  Speaker 2: think I should begin by making as clear as I
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  Speaker 2: can a biblical case that all Christians deal with indwelling
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  Speaker 2: sin until the day we die or Christ returns. And
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  Speaker 2: I know this is dangerous to do, just like it's
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  Speaker 2: dangerous not to do it, because some people will take
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  Speaker 2: this as a license to sin. It's not, and that'll
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  Speaker 2: be clear in just a moment. So here are some
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  Speaker 2: of the biblical passages that you can go to to
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  Speaker 2: ponder the terrible reality that we will not be free
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  Speaker 2: of our own indwelling sin until Jesus comes back or
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  Speaker 2: until we die Tewo. Corinthians seven nine to ten. Paul
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  Speaker 2: speaks of Christians repenting of sin, which restores them to
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  Speaker 2: fellowship in fee John one point eight. John says, if
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  Speaker 2: we Christians say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.
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  Speaker 2: In Galatians six', One paul urges us to restore Fellow
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  Speaker 2: christians who are caught in Sin james five nineteen and.
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  Speaker 2: Twenty james says that if we bring back A christian
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  Speaker 2: from his sinful, wandering we'll save his soul from. Death
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  Speaker 2: jesus says In matthew eighteen fifteen that our brother might
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  Speaker 2: sin against us and repent several times in the, day
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  Speaker 2: and we must forgive. Him and of course he tells
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  Speaker 2: us to pray, regularly probably, daily forgive us our, debts
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  Speaker 2: as we also have forgiven our Debtors matthew six. Twelve
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  Speaker 2: so how are we As christians supposed to respond to
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  Speaker 2: this remaining corruption in our? Souls if denial is wrong
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  Speaker 2: and despair is, wrong what are we supposed to, feel
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  Speaker 2: what are we supposed to? Do here's the way the
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  Speaker 2: Apostle paul tells us to. Respond In colossians three, five he,
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  Speaker 2: says put to, death, therefore what is earthly in? You sexual, immorality, impurity, passion, evil, desire.
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  Speaker 2: Coveteousness In romans six, twelve he, says let not. Sin,
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  Speaker 2: therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its.
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  Speaker 2: Passions now, others don't let sin be. King don't let
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  Speaker 2: it have dominion in your. Life and most, importantly In
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  Speaker 2: romans eight, thirteen he, says if by the spirit you
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  Speaker 2: put to death the deeds of the, body you will.
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  Speaker 2: Live for all who are led by The spirit Of
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  Speaker 2: god are the sons Of, god which means the evidence
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  Speaker 2: for being a son Of god is to be led
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  Speaker 2: by The spirit into making war on our. Sin so,
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  Speaker 2: paradoxically the very battle that could discourage us becomes a
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  Speaker 2: means of assurance that we are Real. Christians Real christians
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  Speaker 2: hate their. Sin this is why the teaching against perfectionism
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  Speaker 2: is not a license to. Sin it's a warning that
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  Speaker 2: True christians never make peace with our. Sin we hate,
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  Speaker 2: It we cry out With paul In romans seven twenty,
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  Speaker 2: four wretched man THAT i, am who will deliver me
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  Speaker 2: from this body of. Death that cry is not the
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  Speaker 2: cry of, Despair it is the cry of. Dependence the
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  Speaker 2: next verse is thanks be To god Through Jesus, christ Our.
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  Speaker 2: Lord so When, isabel who asked this, question, SAYS i
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  Speaker 2: feel so unworthy to be led By god BECAUSE i
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  Speaker 2: see my sin so, clearly my word To isabel is
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  Speaker 2: that this sense of unworthiness is paradoxically an evidence that
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  Speaker 2: she is a good candidate For god's, guidance which brings
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  Speaker 2: us now To psalm twenty. Five isabel points out That david,
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  Speaker 2: repeatedly and he's at least four times in This, psalm
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  Speaker 2: calls it to him to his own, sinfulness even as
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  Speaker 2: he prays confidently That god will give him the guidance
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  Speaker 2: that he. Needs And isabel is asking why doesn't the
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  Speaker 2: confession of sin make him feel disqualified to be guided
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  Speaker 2: By god rather than hopeful that he will be guided By,
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  Speaker 2: god which it. Does in verse, seven he, says remember
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  Speaker 2: not the sins of my youth or my. Transgressions In
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  Speaker 2: verse eight he, says good and upright is The. Lord
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  Speaker 2: therefore he instructs sinners in the. Way verse, eleven he,
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  Speaker 2: says for your, Namesake Oh, lord pardon my, guilt for
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  Speaker 2: it is. Great verse, eighteen he, says consider my, affliction
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  Speaker 2: in my, trouble and forgive all my. Sins good. Grief,
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  Speaker 2: david why are you belaboring your? Sins and he probably
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  Speaker 2: says For, Isabelle i'm doing it for Isabel this is
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  Speaker 2: the way he speaks when what he really wants From,
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  Speaker 2: god his. Guidance make me to know your, WAYS O,
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  Speaker 2: lord teach me your, Paths lead me in your, truth
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  Speaker 2: and teach, me for you are The god of my.
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  Speaker 2: Salvation for YOU i wait all day. Long why Does
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  Speaker 2: david feel confident that he can hope for guidance From
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  Speaker 2: god even though he is a? Sinner AND i think
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  Speaker 2: he would say verse, fifteen my eyes are ever toward The.
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  Speaker 2: Lord he is not looking in the mirror for hope of.
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  Speaker 2: Worthiness he is looking To. God and what is he
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  Speaker 2: hoping to see when he looks To? God verse, Sixteen
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  Speaker 2: turn to me and be gracious to. Me hear the
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  Speaker 2: voice of my please for. Mercy that's verse. Two david
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  Speaker 2: knows he deserves. Nothing he is appealing to. Grace he's
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  Speaker 2: appealing to, mercy and then he appeals To god's own
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  Speaker 2: zeal for his glory for your, Namesake Oh, lord pardon my,
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  Speaker 2: guilt for it is. Great he doesn't minimize his, guilt
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  Speaker 2: he calls it. Great this is the way justified sinners.
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  Speaker 2: Talk it's, PARADOXICAL i, know and it's. Amazing it's. Wonderful
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  Speaker 2: the brokenness that we feel for sin does not make
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  Speaker 2: us despair Of god's, guidance because it throws us Onto his,
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  Speaker 2: mercy which is our only. Hope SO i Encourage isabelle
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  Speaker 2: and all of us to be broken hearted because of our,
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  Speaker 2: sin and bold because Of god's. Grace that's What micah
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  Speaker 2: seven nine captures so, well this broken hearted. Boldness as
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  Speaker 2: we wait for The lord's. Guidance it, SAYS i will
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  Speaker 2: bear the indignation of The lord BECAUSE i have sinned
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  Speaker 2: against him until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for.
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  Speaker 2: Me isn't that? Amazing? Yeah for, me not against. Me
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  Speaker 2: he will bring me out to the. LIGHT i shall
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  Speaker 2: look upon his. Vindication so we are mortified because of our,
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  Speaker 2: sin and we are justified because Of god's. Grace and
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  Speaker 2: therefore we say With david In psalm twenty, five verse.
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  Speaker 2: Eight good and upright is The. Lord therefore he instructs
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  Speaker 2: sinners in the.
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  Speaker 1: Way, yeah. Glorious the very battle that could discourage us
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  Speaker 1: becomes a means of assurance that we are Real, Christians,
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  Speaker 1: yeah genuine. Believers we hate our. Sin we pursue mortification
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  Speaker 1: by the spirit pent when, needed and therefore we find
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  Speaker 1: assurance independence On christ's mercy rather than assurance in our
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  Speaker 1: own personal perfection to such a. One god loves to.
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  Speaker 1: Lead that is. AMAZING i love this. Song thank, You
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  Speaker 1: Pastor john for walking us through. It thank you for
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  Speaker 1: joining us. Today have a question to Ask Pastor. John
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  Speaker 1: find a link to email us and find our complete episode,
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  Speaker 1: archive all at the same. Place Askpastor john dot, com,
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  Speaker 1: well do you despair over a family member or friend
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  Speaker 1: that you love whose heart feels too resistant to The
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  Speaker 1: gospel to ever be. Saved, well there's no degree of
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  Speaker 1: human hardness that can stand Against god's sovereign freedom to.
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  Speaker 1: Save that glorious truth is next Time i'm A Tony.
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  Speaker 1: Ranky we'll see you back here On. Thursday