EOur Baptism, Christ’s Death And Resurrection And Our Lives In Him
Romans 6.1-7
I love how the LORD has us here in this passage, as we journey through the Bible, a week after we celebrated Jesus’ Resurrection. As we have journeyed through His Word for decades now He has been faithful to have us where we are in our journey. It is a testimony to the faithfulness of God. His Word speaks into our lives, our hearts and souls and minds.
The more I study the Word of God the more I see how connected it is, how it is a masterpiece. In these verses events in Christ’s life and our journey come together and are related. The Bible is in harmony with living the Life of following Jesus. That is why when we read it, we find ourselves saying, “yes.” That is why it hated by those who are enemies of the cross of Christ.
II Corinthians 1.20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
Philippians 3.18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
So this morning we look at the connections between Our Baptism, Christ’s Death And Resurrection And Our Lives In Him.
1. Our Baptism was an act of being totally identified with Him in His Death. v.3
Under the water, synonymous with Christ being buried.
We were immersed with the water. We were immersed into His death. The old life was drowned out. Water symbolized the grave.
v.2 we died to sin
Water also symbolizes cleansing.
I Corinthians 6.11 But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Now, when you are born again, that which is born of the flesh is flesh. If you are born again by the Spirit of God, the new life that you now have is spirit, soul, and body. So now the spirit is the dominant feature and the new life is spiritual life, the old life was a fleshly life. The new life is a spiritual life. A spirit in union with God's Spirit. So a spirit in union with God's Spirit, my thoughts, my consciousness now is upon God and the things of God and how I might please Him by walking in the spirit. These are the things that dominate my conscious state. God's love for me, God's grace for me, God's goodness for me, these things dominate my conscious state. No longer dominated by my fleshly desires or fleshly needs.
Ephesians 5.25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, 27 and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of His body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
We need to be in the Word of God regularly. We need it to change us. We need to hear it and read it and study it.
Christ washes us His Church through His Word.
His Word is an agent in our being born again.
Faith in it.
Living and Active.
Given by His Spirit
I Peter 1.22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again,not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
We all need to come to the place where God’s Word is supreme in our lives.
We need to grow in the knowledge of it
We need to hide it in our heart to keep from sinning.
Truly allowing the Word of God to dwell in us puts His Love in our hearts.
Colossians 3. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Proverbs 3.1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
3
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
We are in such a battle today. One of the battles we face is the Word of God being challenged as not being unique. Other religions are put on the same level as Christ’s teaching, there is a combining of teachings known as syncretism. This is relatively new. Someone I know very well named Confucios, Buddah, Mohammed and Jesus. I could not help myself. I said, “Only one of their graves are empty.” Then I grabbed the picture taken of the kids in Haiti in the school and said that it is the followers of Jesus who give to these kids so they have hope. In fact go anywhere in the world and you will find hospitals and schools and the Church of Jesus Christ, with all her faults and shortcomings giving freely, helping villages and whole nations.
The Word of God stands. Jesus is building His church.
This ancient rite that the church has practiced since its inception continues to be practiced today. Our Baptism is like His death.
2. Our Coming Out of The Water was like His Resurrection. v.4
Newness of life now!
As I come up out of the water, it's like being resurrected--like Jesus resurrected coming out of the grave. That new resurrected life of Christ.
Lazarus was raised from the dead... in Bethany.
Jesus was Resurrected in Jerusalem. Lazarus died again. He will rise again at the Resurrection.
Jesus is alive forever. He is the Resurrection and the Life. Death has been defeated by Him and in us!
As we come out of the water we are symbolizing Jesus’ Resurrection.
3. The Resurrection of Jesus is Ours in the Future as well as now. v.5-7
The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead
Romans 8.11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
He will come again.
The dead in Christ will rise first. Resurrection
Then we who are alive... Translation.
v.6 powerless= put out of business
As Christians our biggest problem is with our flesh. For our flesh is still seeking to make its demands on us. Our flesh will still bring us under its control and power. As a Christian there is a warfare that is going on in me, for the flesh is warring against my spirit and my spirit is warring against my flesh and these two are contrary to each other.
There is this battle going on for the control of my mind, the control of my life. My flesh still wants to sit on the throne of my life and the spirit wants to sit on the throne of my life and there is a battle waging raging, actually, over the control of my life itself, the flesh and the spirit. I don't always do the things that I would as we sang this morning. Then I shall be what I would be, and I shall be what I should be, things that are now nor could be soon shall be our own. The battle will be over one of these days and my spirit leaves this old body of flesh. I am still living in the body, that is my big problem. If I weren't living in this body any longer then I would have no problems. But I am still living in the body, and as long as I am living in this body it is going to struggle for supremacy, and thus, I must keep my body under. You remember Paul the apostle said, "I beat myself to keep my body under."
It is a struggle. It is a fight. My body wants control again. It wants to sit on the throne. I have to keep my body under. The way to do that is to reckon that old self to be dead. It is a reckoning process. "Lord, that is a part of the old life dominated by my flesh. I reckon that to be dead. That flare up, Lord, that belongs to the old life, that bitterness that belongs to the old life, that anger that belongs to the old life, that is dead." Thank God that it is dead. I don't have to live under that domination anymore. That was crucified with Christ and I am now living a new life in the resurrected Lord. So the old man was crucified with Him. But the body of sin might be put out of business, that I shouldn't serve sin any longer.
Resurrections happen in our lives as we serve Jesus.
Take Joseph... His life was over. He was sold as a slave by his brothers, lied to his father, then put in prison in another country.
Then God raised him up and out and placed him in a position of power to serve.
Baptism, Jesus’ Death and Resurrection and our lives in Him.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Sunday, April 21, 2019
I serve a risen Savior
I Serve A Risen Saviour!
John 20.1-20
From the pit of despair to being overjoyed!
You talk about a roller coaster of emotions! Arguing who was going to be the greatest, even the mother of James and John putting in a word for her son’s’ positions in the kingdom, the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday.
Then the arrest in the Garden of Gethsamene, the crucifixion the next morning, hiding for fear of the Jews over the weekend. Then this! He is alive!
It is hard to capture the full gambit of emotions those 11 disciples and the women had that day. Mary went to the Tomb thinking He was dead. She was looking for His dead body. The disciples were in between shock and despair and not knowing what to do.
Out of the tomb He came with grace and majesty, He is alive!!!
Hymn #289 Christ the LORD is Risen Today
1. The Resurrection Is A Fact.
The Tomb in Jerusalem is empty! Jesus is alive!
Q
We take it by faith with a great blessing. Jesus told His Disciples that.
John 20.24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” In other words, “I am not taking your word. I need to see for myself and I need to touch Him.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
What we take by faith, the early followers of Jesus took by seeing, by fact.
Some apologetics have reasoned out the ridiculous proposal by the Jewish Leaders to the Roman Guard.
Matthew 28.11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
First the disciples were in hiding for fear of the Jews.
There was no way they would even think about being seen, no less risk their lives to perpetuate a fraud.
It was the feast of Passover and unleavened bread. They would never touch a dead body. Peter maintained this until Acts 10.
They were emotionally exhausted.
They would have had to face the Roman Guard with the seal.
Peter denied him three times out of fear. He would not venture out a few hours later.
There is no reasonable way this could have been done.
An empty tomb is there to prove my Savior lives. But that is not all!
Hymn#299 He Lives!
2. The Resurrection Is A Daily Reality.
He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His Own.
We walk in His Spirit, the Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead
Romans 8.11
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Power
Eternity
Focus
Walking with Jesus the newness of life and in the power of His resurrection does not exempt us from deep problems in life. Many times these problems are painful beyond description as we join in the sharinga in the fellowship of His suffering.
Paul, the apostle wrote to the Philippians 3.10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Deep problems, complicated life issues, unspeakable pain come to us as we travel on our journey. The best gift we can receive from others is for them to just listen. How I appreciate and love my listening friends!
While I try and be there as a pastor and as a friend to those who need someone, I know I fall short at times.
Jesus is the best listener ever! He is there today.
Because He Lives
Hymn# 292
3. The Resurrection Is Our Future Hope.
Our Blessed Hope.
Titus 2.11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.
Our future and those who have died believing
I Thessalonians 4.13 Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. 15 According to the LORD’s Own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the LORD Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will be with the LORD forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Our Longing
II Timothy 4.8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. NIV
in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. NASB
Our Welcome into our Eternal Home
II Peter 1.11
and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
New Living Translation
Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Berean Bible
a lavish reception
Contemporary English Version
a glorious welcome
Weymouth
a triumphant admission
Message
Way wide open
When We All Get To Heaven
Hymn# 123
I
John 20.1-20
From the pit of despair to being overjoyed!
You talk about a roller coaster of emotions! Arguing who was going to be the greatest, even the mother of James and John putting in a word for her son’s’ positions in the kingdom, the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday.
Then the arrest in the Garden of Gethsamene, the crucifixion the next morning, hiding for fear of the Jews over the weekend. Then this! He is alive!
It is hard to capture the full gambit of emotions those 11 disciples and the women had that day. Mary went to the Tomb thinking He was dead. She was looking for His dead body. The disciples were in between shock and despair and not knowing what to do.
Out of the tomb He came with grace and majesty, He is alive!!!
Hymn #289 Christ the LORD is Risen Today
1. The Resurrection Is A Fact.
The Tomb in Jerusalem is empty! Jesus is alive!
Q
We take it by faith with a great blessing. Jesus told His Disciples that.
John 20.24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” In other words, “I am not taking your word. I need to see for myself and I need to touch Him.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
What we take by faith, the early followers of Jesus took by seeing, by fact.
Some apologetics have reasoned out the ridiculous proposal by the Jewish Leaders to the Roman Guard.
Matthew 28.11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
First the disciples were in hiding for fear of the Jews.
There was no way they would even think about being seen, no less risk their lives to perpetuate a fraud.
It was the feast of Passover and unleavened bread. They would never touch a dead body. Peter maintained this until Acts 10.
They were emotionally exhausted.
They would have had to face the Roman Guard with the seal.
Peter denied him three times out of fear. He would not venture out a few hours later.
There is no reasonable way this could have been done.
An empty tomb is there to prove my Savior lives. But that is not all!
Hymn#299 He Lives!
2. The Resurrection Is A Daily Reality.
He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His Own.
We walk in His Spirit, the Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead
Romans 8.11
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Power
Eternity
Focus
Walking with Jesus the newness of life and in the power of His resurrection does not exempt us from deep problems in life. Many times these problems are painful beyond description as we join in the sharinga in the fellowship of His suffering.
Paul, the apostle wrote to the Philippians 3.10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Deep problems, complicated life issues, unspeakable pain come to us as we travel on our journey. The best gift we can receive from others is for them to just listen. How I appreciate and love my listening friends!
While I try and be there as a pastor and as a friend to those who need someone, I know I fall short at times.
Jesus is the best listener ever! He is there today.
Because He Lives
Hymn# 292
3. The Resurrection Is Our Future Hope.
Our Blessed Hope.
Titus 2.11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.
Our future and those who have died believing
I Thessalonians 4.13 Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. 15 According to the LORD’s Own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the LORD Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will be with the LORD forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Our Longing
II Timothy 4.8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. NIV
in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. NASB
Our Welcome into our Eternal Home
II Peter 1.11
and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
New Living Translation
Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Berean Bible
a lavish reception
Contemporary English Version
a glorious welcome
Weymouth
a triumphant admission
Message
Way wide open
When We All Get To Heaven
Hymn# 123
I
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Is there an advantage and growing up in a Christian home?
Is There An Advantage Growing Up In A Christian Home?
Romans 3.1-26
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
Translate that to our setting. Is there an advantage in growing up in a Christian Home?
Much in every way!
1. They have been entrusted with the very Words of God.
Train up a child...
Proverbs 22.6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Dedicate
Start him off on the right track
Prayer
Seeing it in action
Dad
Nanny
Mom before we would leave for school.
Mealtimes
My girls as well.
A few months ago we had a sleepover ar Poppa’s. I heard them pray. I remembered praying with their Mom at nighttime, my parents praying with me.
Stealing, lying, cheating things that are abhorrent.
My Dad was a man of integrity in all his business dealings.
Remember a friend got a wrong quote on a vehicle, a nice used vehicle he was buying and went and bragged about it. He even said that the young salesman would probably lose his job for it. He said it smiling. Remember thinking that my Dad would never do that!
When my daughter worked in Nationwide’s Office in Huntington a well dressed pastor came in, with an expensive vehicle he wanted to insure. Problem was his wife had three accidents. My daughter tried to explain to him that as long as they were husband and wife New York State Law was that she had to be included on any auto policy. They went back and forth as he tried to get her to commit insurance fraud. She told me when he left I said, “My Dad would never do that! Not my Dad!”
Entrusted= to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
To have a moral and religious reference.
The blessing of the Christian Community. Not perfect, but I know I was loved.
People cared about me, they cared about my soul.
Arnie Finch, Sunday School Teacher, Board Member, Catcher on our church softball team.
Inter generational
The right kind of heroes.
Harold Post
Paul mentioned to Timothy “how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 3.15. He remembered what a blessing it was for Timothy to have a family history rich in faith. “I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you” 2 Timothy 1.5.
2. The law makes us conscious of sin. -v.20
If you have been entrusted with the very words of God then you will be constantly aware of wrong doing.
My heart goes out to those who have the entrusted Word of God in their hearts because they know what is right. They may reject it but they know.
3. Pray for the Prodigals!
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”
Pray! Pray! Pray!
Pray they will be awakened, that they will return to the LORD.
Pray as we approach Easter they will not just remember the new clothes or chocolates but that the Holy Spirit, The Hound of Heaven, will woo them. Pray that in the night God will speak to their hearts.
Read Luke 15. Ask God for the Prodigals in your life.
Romans 3.1-26
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
Translate that to our setting. Is there an advantage in growing up in a Christian Home?
Much in every way!
1. They have been entrusted with the very Words of God.
Train up a child...
Proverbs 22.6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Dedicate
Start him off on the right track
Prayer
Seeing it in action
Dad
Nanny
Mom before we would leave for school.
Mealtimes
My girls as well.
A few months ago we had a sleepover ar Poppa’s. I heard them pray. I remembered praying with their Mom at nighttime, my parents praying with me.
Stealing, lying, cheating things that are abhorrent.
My Dad was a man of integrity in all his business dealings.
Remember a friend got a wrong quote on a vehicle, a nice used vehicle he was buying and went and bragged about it. He even said that the young salesman would probably lose his job for it. He said it smiling. Remember thinking that my Dad would never do that!
When my daughter worked in Nationwide’s Office in Huntington a well dressed pastor came in, with an expensive vehicle he wanted to insure. Problem was his wife had three accidents. My daughter tried to explain to him that as long as they were husband and wife New York State Law was that she had to be included on any auto policy. They went back and forth as he tried to get her to commit insurance fraud. She told me when he left I said, “My Dad would never do that! Not my Dad!”
Entrusted= to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
To have a moral and religious reference.
The blessing of the Christian Community. Not perfect, but I know I was loved.
People cared about me, they cared about my soul.
Arnie Finch, Sunday School Teacher, Board Member, Catcher on our church softball team.
Inter generational
The right kind of heroes.
Harold Post
Paul mentioned to Timothy “how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 3.15. He remembered what a blessing it was for Timothy to have a family history rich in faith. “I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you” 2 Timothy 1.5.
2. The law makes us conscious of sin. -v.20
If you have been entrusted with the very words of God then you will be constantly aware of wrong doing.
My heart goes out to those who have the entrusted Word of God in their hearts because they know what is right. They may reject it but they know.
3. Pray for the Prodigals!
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”
Pray! Pray! Pray!
Pray they will be awakened, that they will return to the LORD.
Pray as we approach Easter they will not just remember the new clothes or chocolates but that the Holy Spirit, The Hound of Heaven, will woo them. Pray that in the night God will speak to their hearts.
Read Luke 15. Ask God for the Prodigals in your life.
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