WEBVTT
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the
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fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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The lectionary before us this morning brings a familiar text in Lent,
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the encounter of Nicodemus with Jesus during the night.
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It's interesting, as you read sermons about this text, you see how
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many preachers criticize Nicodemus or make assumptions why or for why
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he came to see Jesus during the night.
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Some of them would say, being a Pharisee, he should be a ruler of the
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Jews.
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He should know his scripture better.
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He came during the night because he was afraid how the other Pharisees
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would perceive him coming to see Jesus.
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He came in the darkness because he didn't want to lose his status
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in town.
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Of course, I start to wonder, being a Pharisee, Nicodemus probably
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was frustrated trying to fulfill his own list of good works things
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that he had to do.
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And he tried the best way he could, but he couldn't do it.
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So he heard about this new rabbi in town and he says, I will talk to
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him.
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Maybe he can give me some tips how I can make good work of
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righteousness.
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As my dear friend Dr.
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Scholz says, if we are not for Nicodemus, we will not have John 3:16 in
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the Bible, and almost the whole chapter three for that matter.
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So if you look to the text, he approached Jesus and he says, rabbi, we
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know that you are a teacher that comes from God, for no one can do
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these signs that you do unless God is with you.
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Nicodemus was paying attention.
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He was listening to the conversation around town.
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People were talking about Jesus.
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Did you see?
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Did you hear about the sign that he did
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in Cana, he transformed water and wine?
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Then in Passover, did you see what he did in the temple?
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He threw away all the money changers.
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And he said, do not make my Father's house a house of trades trade.
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Nicodemus was impressed by Jesus teachings and signs.
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And he told him, you must come from God, because nobody
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can do what you do except God is with Him.
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But Jesus, Jesus is not impressed with Nicodemus at all.
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Jesus didn't say, you're right, you're wrong, or even he didn't say,
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spot on, Nicodemus
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you got it.
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Thank you.
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But Jesus said what he need to tell him.
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Because if you look to the context, you see that Jesus knew people
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very well.
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No one needed to tell him about the human nature.
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Jesus himself knew what was in man's heart.
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So Jesus says to him, Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born
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again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
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Of course, Nicodemus is confused because he just told Jesus he was
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impressed by his signs, his teachings.
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And now Jesus tells him that he needs to be born again.
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Nicodemus is a very well educated man.
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He knows how people are born.
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And he says, I'm a growing man.
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There's no way I can be born again.
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What are you talking about?
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And Jesus patiently keeps talking to him.
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I tell you the truth.
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No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the
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Spirit.
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Nicodemus flesh gives birth to flesh, and the Spirit gives birth to
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the Spirit.
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Do you still wonder why this text is in the Lent season, folks?
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Lent reminds us that you are dust, and to dust you will return.
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Yes, we don't like to talk about this topic, especially when you have
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a lot of young seminarians we think going to live forever.
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We don't like to talk about death at all.
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We avoid that topic.
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But we know that sooner or later, we all, all of us, we will die.
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And Lent doesn't sugarcoat the reality.
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It just tells us right at your face
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at my face.
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And Jesus, he talks not only to Nicodemus, but he's talking to all of
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us.
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Nicodemus, you are human.
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You are flesh.
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You only understand things from this world, from below.
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But spiritual things come from above, and you need to be born from
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above, not from below.
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What Jesus is trying to tell Nicodemus is that in God's kingdom, we
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cannot figure out things by ourselves.
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Because in God's kingdom, we don't earn things.
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Instead, they are given to us.
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This is why Jesus tells Nicodemus, you need to be born from above.
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It is a gift.
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In terms of God's kingdom, we need to be born from above.
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But the thing is, we want to be born from below.
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We want to pull ourselves by our bootstraps.
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We want to think there is a way for us to go up.
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But our works of righteousness our good deeds.
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Doesn't matter what we do, doesn't matter our knowledge, our
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expertise, experience.
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Like Nicodemus, we are flesh and we are dust.
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Nicodemus, let me give you an example.
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Can you control the wind?
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Can you tell the wind, blow here, blow there, stop, come back again.
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Can you do that, Nicodemus?
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Can you control the wind?
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No.
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The wind has a mind of its own.
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It blows where it wants and comes and goes.
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And you cannot control the wind at all.
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So it is with the ones born from the Spirit.
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And we all need that wind, the blow, the breath of life from the Holy
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Spirit, the wind that comes and goes.
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And you don't see it.
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You just see the results.
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Man, last night was winding, wasn't it?
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How do you know?
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Do you see the wind?
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No, I didn't see the wind.
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But sure enough, Sunday in the morning I saw the results of the wind.
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I saw bent trees, house without roofs, things upside down.
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We cannot see the Holy Spirit work in our hearts.
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But when he comes, he penetrates our hearts with the message of the
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Law.
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He bends us, he puts us in our knees and brings us to repentance.
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And then he moves us by the power of the Gospel and changing us inside
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out, making us new. Moving from death to life. After the breath of the
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Spirit
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in our lives, we are born again from above and we just can see the
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results.
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If you are in Christ, you're a new creation.
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The old is gone and
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the new has come.
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No, Nicodemus, you cannot go to God.
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You cannot earn God's grace and love.
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He comes to you.
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He loves you.
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And then Jesus gives the Gospel in a nutshell that we all memorize
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when there are little kids.
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Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo
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que dio a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel
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que en él cree no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna.
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You know what I'm talking about, don't you?
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God loved and God gave.
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This is the message of Lent.
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And as Moses lift up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of
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Men, must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal
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life.
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We are only the second week of Lent.
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There's much more to come.
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And soon we will see Jesus crucified on the cross.
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Because God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but to save the
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world.
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As you know, the windows in our chapel, they're based on the Te Deum
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Laudamus.
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We praise you, O God.
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In my right, you see the crucified Jesus.
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In the chancel you see the risen Christ.
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And to my left, you see the exaltation of Jesus.
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On November 2, Dr.
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David Schmitt when he preached about the dedication and blessing of
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the windows. He brought to our attention that the eyes of all the
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characters that you see in the windows, they're either looking up,
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looking down, looking to your left, looking to the right, but none of
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them are looking straight at you except one.
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Jesus.
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And when Nicodemus came to talk to Jesus on that night, Jesus was
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looking straight at Nicodemus was dark, but he could see clearly his
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heart.
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And he tells me that he needs to be born again.
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Because he is flesh, he is dust, and he will die.
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But then Jesus continues to talk to Nicodemus and he says, you need
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to be born by the Spirit.
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Now, I want you to look again to this picture of Jesus, the risen
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Christ.
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Do you see anything besides Jesus there?
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You see a lot of things, right?
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Can you see his left hand, what he is doing?
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He's just giving a little touch.
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And the feathers of the Holy Spirit and you see what the Holy Spirit is
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doing.
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He has a big eye and he is staring at you.
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He's looking at you.
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And as he did with Nicodemus, he does with us.
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He brings Nicodemus to his knees and he brings him the word of God in
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salvation, he is born from above and he is born again.
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And if you look to the water of baptism, it's really what Luther says
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in the small catechism, isn't it?
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We are born from above and we are born again and again and again
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because God, he loved and God gave Jesus for you.
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Amen.
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And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
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your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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Amen.