Check out this brief challenge from Dr. Billy Graham: Do you see dead men walking?
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Theme: Focus on Souls, the Real Need
Text: Matthew 9:10-12; Matthew 23:23; John
11: 33-35;
and John 14:6; Acts 26:18
Scripture reading: Please open your bibles and turn to I Corinthians chapter 5. I’ll be
reading from verses 17 through 21:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new
has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave
us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting
their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation.
20 Therefore, owe are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through
us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God.
Play :54 second You Tube clip: ‘I
See Dead People’
Opening: Cole Sear, played by Haley
Joel Osment in the movie The Sixth Sense confides to Malcolm
Crowe played by Bruce Willis that he sees “ dead people... walking around like regular
people.. they don’t know they’re dead.”
Cole Sear: I see dead people.
Malcolm Crowe: In your dreams? [Cole shakes his
head no]
Malcolm Crowe: While you're awake? [Cole nods]
Malcolm Crowe: Dead people like, in graves? In
coffins?
Cole Sear: Walking around like regular
people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They
don't know they're dead.
Malcolm Crowe: How often do you see them?
Cole Sear: All the time. They're everywhere.
As you may know, the
movie The Sixth Sense is about a little boy who sees ghosts and is able to help Bruce Willis
with some unfinished business in his life. It’s pure fiction.
But, having the ability to see spiritually dead people
all around you is very much a fact but
it need not be a sad reality if you are a believer. You can do something
about it. So, here’s my question
Do you see people ‘dead without Christ’ walking
around you?
► They could be your neighbors, your friends,
your family – perhaps even you this
morning.
► They are the ones who may be religious, but
haven’t trusted Christ for forgiveness
► They may be moral, but they don’t have the
Holy Spirit within them
► They may believe in Heaven, but are unsure
as to how they will get there.
► They may be pro-life, pro-family,
pro-chastity but without Christ, they don’t have eternal life or even the
earthly life intended for them by God.
► They need transformation, not ‘reformation’,
and you, if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, have the message that can change
‘dead people’ into people ‘alive in Christ’.
“ Lost people
matter to God (and, I might add, they should matter to us as well.) He
wants them found (and I might add, so should we. )
Our goal at the Gateway and here at Great Shepherd is spiritual
transformation, not just lifestyle reformation. Our message is delivered in
love and not condemnation.
As believers, we are all commanded to share our faith
to reach a lost world, beginning with those around us – our immediate family,
our neighbors, our co-workers, in our school.
We are to be ambassadors for Christ,
beseeching the world to be reconciled to God.
We see them in three
passages from the gospel of Matthew and one powerful verse from the Book of
Acts.
I.
II.
(Matthew 23:23)
III.
IV.
The purpose - to see eyes
opened (Acts 26:18)
I.
The principle that the local church is a hospital for
sick people and not a museum for the display of outward spirituality (Matthew
9:10-12)
A
hospital – cares for people for an extended period of
time, often at great cost.
The
key to a Bible believing church is the uniqueness of the message,
transformation through Christ and not reformation through a change of behavior.
Although
the local church often has many committees that offer various programs (youth,
music, fellowship) the key to a vibrant
church is an outward focus that
seeks the transformation not the reformation of the world we live in.
A
museum is an institution that cares for
(conserves) a collection
of artifacts and other objects of scientific,
artistic,
cultural,
or historical
importance and makes them available for public viewing.
● A museum is often very concerned about
lighting, display and appearance. Some
churches today are primarily focused on the music, the lighting, the drama and the
timing rather than the life-changing message of the Word of God. That, I
believe, is an inward focus.
● A museum often allows little ‘hands on’
of what it displays. Some churches
today have packed services but little interpersonal contact; perhaps because
this is what many believers want, but not what they need.
● A museum often places different values
upon its various display items. Some
churches today still differentiate between the paid professionals (the
preacher, the musician) rather than simply using the various gifts given to the
church by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Body of Christ.
The goal of a
believers work is not to show off ones spirituality, but to personally grow
spiritually.
There should be an
outward focus that desires to see “change
in the heart” in others which will lead to a change in their lifestyle, not an inward focus that promotes or
perpetuates an unrealistic image of what Christianity should look like.
Look, if you would, at Matthew: 9:10-12: ‘While Jesus was having dinner at
Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with Him and
His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, ‘Why does
your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?
On hearing
this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But
go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice. ‘For I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
What’s
most important? Am I striving to make my point when I speak
with or interact with others or am I using biblical principles to lead others
to right action? A good place to take personal inventory may be on our Facebook
posts, the focus of our emails, or the subject of our telephone conversations,
text messages or tweets.
In these posts and conversations, do I put down the
often evident evil around me or do I focus on lifting up the answer to that
evil – repentance and obedience to Gods Word which leads to holy living?
We don’t need to
complain about the problem, but we
may need to focus more our words and our actions on the clear Biblical
solution rather than on the problem.
This is our challenge, but if we ‘see dead people all
around us’ we have enough motivation to at
least try to refocus.
Let’s
remember, the local church is a hospital for sick people and not
a museum for the display of outward spirituality
Secondly,
to biblically approach our mission as ambassadors for Christ we absolutely must
also understand
II.
The problem of being right but not acting
righteously?
(Matthew 23:23)
Matthew 23:23 “Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected
the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you
ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
These religious leaders had a focus problem – they
followed the law but forgot about the need for ‘justice and mercy and faithfulness.’
Here’s a recent email posted
on a conservative church website:
“ So many evangelical Christians
seem to invest an inordinate amount of time ‘defending’ things they consider
sacred.
Almost always, ‘defending’ becomes synonymous with ‘bashing the opponent’
or’ picking out their flaws’. Jesus, as so often was his custom, did not
focus his energies on ‘defending’ the reputation of God.
More than anything, Jesus
gave his life to Reflecting the heart of God –showing what it was like
to live a holy life like His Father. He was incarnational – God in the flesh –
and that’s what stunned people.. and made the presence of God known to them.”
Are they hearing our ‘talk’
but not seeing ‘our walk’?
■ I believe
homosexuality is a sin, but I also
believe that the homosexual is a worthy person, made in God’s image, who is
trapped into this sin (although it is
by his or her choosing) and needs to know the power of Christ, who alone can
free him or her.
■ I believe abortion for
any reason, is child-killing, but I also believe the women who get them and
the abortionist who does them are worthy people, made in God’s image, who need
to be shown the opportunity to repent.
■ I believe a
Christian dating or marrying a non-Christian is a sin against God and the
defrauding or ripping off of the unsaved person, but I also believe that those who do this are also
worthy people made in God’s image who deserve to have a clear warning from
Scripture within the context of a loving approach from me.
■ I believe
taking the Bible out of schools,
teaching evolution and attacking marriage are examples of some of the evils of
the day, but I also believe that how I share my biblical viewpoint is critical to
God’s Word getting a hearing on the most important matter – the lostness of the
soul without Christ.
It’s not about CNN versus
Fox News, republicans or democrats, Clinton or Trump, white or black – it’s
about sin, not skin, not politics, not our favorite cable news program.
n Angry Christians rail against sin, but often show a
lack of love for those made in His image.
n They paint with a broad brush. They label everything
a conspiracy. They attack the person and not the sin.
n They try to legislate morality (which I don’t
disagree with) but they often do it with an angry approach which seems soaked
in self-righteousness, proclaiming themselves end-time prophets instead of
end-time evangelists.
n Angry Christians turn me off because I know from
James 1:20 that the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
n ‘Angry Christianity’ is not appealing but revealing.
It reveals a reactionary attitude rather than a revolutionary attitude.
1.
We can challenge ‘angry Christians’ to repent and see that
ALL men need a Savior, and that Savior has already been provided.
2.
We can pray for angry Christians
3.
We can remind angry Christians that
Godly fear (reverence) is a God- given deterrent to sinful action.
4. We can encourage angry Christians to remember where they
came from: I Corinthians 6:8-11 ‘9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God?
Be
not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate by choice, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And
such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Let’s remember that leading
people to Christ allows them to experience a personal relationship with
God, which leads them to right living. Are you seeking to be right, or to act
righteously before God.
Have you seen that
being right may not necessarily mean that you are acting righteously?
You have to make a choice
between the two if you are to serve Him with a reverent heart.
► ‘The fear or reverence of
the Lord prolongs life.’ (Proverbs 10:27 )
► ‘In the fear of the Lord
there is strong confidence. And his children will have refuge.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. That one may avoid the
snares of death.’ (Proverbs 14:26-27 )
► ’..let us.. perfect
holiness out of reverence for God.’ (2 Corinthians 7:1)
► ‘..worship God acceptably
with reverence and awe.’ (Heb. 12:28 )
Johann Christoph Arnold has said this ‘Without reverence, God is pushed aside,
and our lower nature comes to the fore, our bitter, cynical self-will. Then we
forget that all life is sacred.’
I might add to this.. then we forget to see dead people all
around us acting like regular people’ but spiritually dead without Christ.
The principle, the problem, thirdly..
To biblically approach our mission as ambassadors for Christ
we absolutely must have
III.
The passion for Biblical love that leads to a passion to
see dead people made alive (Matthew
7:13-14, Luke 13:24, John 1:4, John 3:15-18, John 10:7-9; John 11: 25, 33-35 , John
14:6, Acts 4:12, and Romans 5:2)
Our Lord Jesus, while walking this earth, revealed a compassionate heart
that led Him to passionate responses to human need, the greatest of these being
the need of the souls. We too must seek a passion for Biblical love, which
expresses itself in the passion to see dead people made alive
Again and
again we see the exclusiveness of the message of the Cross in the gospels, the
Book of Acts and the Book of Romans. He alone is the Door of Hope and the
Gateway to Eternal Life.
► In Matthew
7:13-14 Jesus cautions people to “Enter
by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads
to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the
gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it
are few.”
Exclusive? yes.. yet the only door or gateway that leads to life. At Gateway Pregnancy
Center we are mindful that He alone is the gateway
to eternal life and to the life that God has planned for those He created.
► Luke 13:24
Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many,
I
tell you, will seek to enter and will
not be able.
► John 1:4 – in him was life and the life was the light of men.
► John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John
MacArthur reminds us in his excellent commentary that “Jesus
is the only way to God because Jesus is the truth of God and the life of
God. This exclusive and seemingly
intolerant statement is supported again and again in the New Testament.”
► John
3:15 - whoever believes in Him
may have eternal life.
Exclusive? Yes. Yet free to all without works – only by Grace. Right
after the verse that even unbelievers often know by heart
► John 3:16
– “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
eternal life.” we
read this in verses 17 and 18:
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only Son
of God.
Did
you get that? People are already dead and destined for hell
because of their sin. God, in His love wants that to change.
Billy Graham
once said this, ‘You’re a walking
dead person under the sentence of death and the only way that you can have that
sentence lifted is to come to Christ.’
So
that means that those who don’t
trust Christ for salvation are lost? YES.
It seems so unfair that a loving God
would send them to hell. He doesn’t.
Their own rejection of His forgiveness
determines their lostness.
Do you see dead people, walking around like regular people,
not knowing they're dead?
Will they hear from you that He only
asks that man trusts in Him alone?
This is the reason that the central
focus of the pregnancy center ministry as well as any biblical local church
should be the message of salvation only
through the finished work of Christ.. not reformation, not just being sorry,
not trying harder – but surrendering the will to the God who made us so
that we might have the closest and most intimate relationship with Him while
we’re here on earth.
► In John 10:7-9 Jesus calls
Himself the door: ‘So Jesus again said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who came before me are
thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters
by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’
► John 11:25 Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection
and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live..’
Exclusive? yes.. yet eternal life only
through the resurrection - the only hope for the dead.
► John 14:6 - Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me.
Exclusive? yes.. yet no man can know the way to heaven, know
the truth about God or know the life intended for them apart from trusting in
the finished work of Christ.
► Acts 4:12, we are again
reminded that Jesus is the ONLY way ‘there is salvation in no
one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’
Exclusive? yes.. yet being the only Name by which we must be
saved.
(1) This exclusive message needs to be pre-eminent in our
approach to unsaved people, along with seeing them as dead people, walking around
like regular people, not knowing they're dead?
a) He reaches down to
us because we are unable to reach up to Him
b) He is the only one
who has risen from the dead and is alive today
c) He is the only one
that offers all this for free, by Grace, and not works
(Ephesians 2:8 and 9)
(2) This exclusive message has a purpose, fulfilled only in
Jesus
Someone has said: ‘Men send themselves into the world with
their own message and are proclaimed gods, but the One true God sent His only Son to lead us to Himself.’
(3) This exclusive message speaks of a plan
Romans
5:2 - ‘Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this
grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.’
Exclusive? yes.. yet the only way
through Him we can be connected to God through faith into grace with complete
surety – and this should make us rejoice!
Illustration: Dean’s radical prostate cancer surgery in August 2013.
● Three doctors. All said the same thing. Remove the entire prostate, the
vesicles and half of the nerves.
● What if I didn’t like the exclusiveness of the remedy?
● What if I chose another option? I do have choice you know? Yes,
I could’ve chosen another option and in a year according to my doctor I
wouldn’t be back here at Great Shepherd.
(Now, you folks are really nice, but no offense, heaven will be
better).. but perhaps not yet. There’s more work to do.
* For any of the three doctors to not present
radical surgery as the only real option would mean they were unfaithful to
their calling as doctors
* For you and I not to present Christ as
the only option to sin when the stakes are so high (eternal separation from
God) would make us unfaithful to our calling as His ambassadors.
The principle, the problem, the passion
for Biblical love that leads to a passion to see dead people made alive
Finally, and most importantly,
to biblically approach our mission as ambassadors for Christ we absolutely
must understand
IV.
God’s purpose, which is to see eyes opened
(Acts 26:18) - - Please turn
to this verse
In Acts 26:18, the Apostle Paul relates the challenge
given to him on the Damascus Road. It’s a challenge for you and I as well, if
we are true believers “..to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and
from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'
Paul continues in verse 20 to explain how
true repentance looks in the life of the believer:
“..that they should repent and turn to
God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.’ In other words, acting like what they say they wish to be – holy
before God.
Repentance is a change of the heart, the
mind and the will. The proof of repentance is (1) turning from sin (2) turning to God, and (3) performing deeds
appropriate to the new life.
The truth
is that probably 8-10% of American church goers are truly born-again, This is
sad, but worse yet, women and men,
trapped by certain sins (personal or public), often shunned by Christians, or
the targets of those trying to reform them, go into a Christ-less eternity.
Attendance, membership or even involvement in the local church doesn’t
get us to heaven but trusting Christ can.
Romans
10:13-14: ‘ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher?’
Do you see dead people all around you? Are you trying to get them to attend
your church service or to trust in your Savior?
Often we focus on certain sins, abortion, homosexuality or racism
being a few of them, rather than on man’s key problem, separation from God. These
are matters needing repentance not reformation.
Transformation will occur only as people are exposed to the gospel, not
to loathing or condemnation of their actions.
Eyes that are opened by the gospel allow for a reconnection to the God
who made us and to His truths for living.
Why is it
so hard for believers to understand this? Perhaps it’s because satan has
blinded us into thinking that our current sin-soaked climate is anything
else but what it should be – an opportunity to bring the message of eternal
life to people often aware that there’s something missing.
Gateway and the local church have a mission; they are not simply a movement.
The mission is transformation, not reformation.
Yes.. 55 million preborn babies have been killed through legalized
abortion in the past 40 years
Yes.. America is drowning in a sea filled with choice, tolerance, racism,
sexual sin and a lack of true compassion
Yes, our cities are filled with guns and our suburbs with racism and our
government with infighting and self-interest.
But, I’m also convinced that thousands of men and women have gone into a
Christ-less eternity because our focus has often been on saving the baby,
protesting the sinful lifestyle or condemning the obvious evil behavior rather
than on sharing the message of salvation which alone frees a man or a woman to
be what God intended them to be.
Abortion is not the issue. Homosexuality is not the issue. Racism is not
the issue. Sin and our disconnection with God and the truths of His Word is the
problem.
One of television’s most
popular series today is The Walking Dead.
Wikepedia describes it as an American horror/drama
television series based on the comic book series of the same name.
The series star awakens from a coma to find the world dominated by flesh-eating
"walkers", resembling zombies. He sets out to
find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way. The title of
the series (The Walking Dead ) refers to the survivors, and not the zombies.
Have you ever thought of those who haven’t trusted
Christ as ‘the walking dead’? They are dead spiritually, yet alive physically
on this earth. Do they really matter? Do
they really matter to you?
Do you
see the open door. Do you recognize the ‘window of opportunity’?
Paul and Barnabas, in Acts 14:27, when they had arrived in
Antioch, “..gathered the church together.. reporting ‘all things that God had
done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
The Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 16:9 states that “a wide door
for effective service has opened to” him.”
We read in Revelation 3:8 that God has “..placed before you
an open door that no one can shut. God knows we have little strength, yet He
also knows that we can keep His word and not deny His name because He
has given us the Holy Spirit.
So, how can we take advantage of this “Open Door”?
By realizing not only that local
church is a hospital, not a museum and it’s purpose is to see eyes opened and
lives transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Yes, it’s great that often
the local pregnancy center has this as it’s missions goal, but we need the
local church to have this focus as well.
I’ve thought recently that
one reason we have few volunteering and following through with a commitment to
Gateway is that many of our local churches do not have as their primary focus
the teaching of the Word and sharing of our faith.
If someone asked you how
they could come to a saving knowledge of Christ, would you know how to answer
them?
If not, how can we possibly
be ready to ‘sanctify ( or, set apart) the Lord God in our hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asks us a
reason of the hope that is in us ‘ 1 Peter 3:15.
Perhaps if we focus on the last few
words of the verse - with meekness and
fear- we will then prepare our hearts
to meet this challenge with meekness
towards the lost and fear or reverence
towards the One that wishes to find them.
Only as we have a healthy respect for
the immense responsibility we have as Christ’s ambassadors on earth will we as
believers be motivated to reach out to the dead people all around us.
Maybe you and I need to see what God
has done in our life, to focus and appreciate it more – then, we’ll be able to
see the open doors around us and to take advantage of them.
Two final questions:
Question # 1 – Have YOU trusted Christ for eternal
life?
Perhaps
this morning, you need to pray a prayer like this..
Question # 2 – Are you living for Christ RIGHT NOW?
Closing illustration: Sent
in the power of the Spirit
Rev.
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger
writes this:
Jesus sent his followers into the
world to replicate his own mission of making disciples. We who follow Jesus are
to make more followers of Jesus.
It’s easy to accept our charge to do
the ministry of Jesus without really thinking about what we’re doing. “OK,” we
might say, “That’s just fine. We’re to do the ministry of Jesus. Great!” But
when we stop and think about it, we have accepted an astounding and
overwhelming mission, one that is seemingly impossible.
If we take seriously our sending by
Jesus to do his work, our hearts should pound and our knees should knock. How,
in heaven’s name, are we to do what he did? Given our manifest human
limitations, not to mention our sinfulness, how can we do the works of the
divine Son of God?
Doing the ministry of Jesus, Dr. Roberts continues, is a bit like climbing Mt. Everest. This mountaineering
adventure is so demanding that it almost exceeds human capabilities.
The vast majority of people who attempt to climb Everest
never make it to the top.
The physical challenges associated
with scaling this peak include miles of
strenuous hiking, thousands of feet of climbing, negotiating glaciers and
treacherous ice fields, and fighting the
most extreme weather conditions on earth.
Perhaps most difficult of all is the
lack of oxygen near the summit of
the mountain’s 29,028 feet. This region
is called “the Death Zone”.
If you and I were flown to the
summit of Everest right now, we would pass
out in a few minutes, and die shortly thereafter. There simply isn’t enough
oxygen there to keep our bodies working.
Most climbers must use bottled oxygen to survive the ordeals
of climbing Everest, though an increasing number of people climb without it.
How is this possible?
Through the wonder of acclimatization the human body is able to
adapt to extreme oxygen deprivation. If you take enough time at high
altitude, your body will adjust to the limitations of the air.
So, climbers of Everest hike to base camp at “only” 17,000 feet.
There they must wait for several weeks, making only short forays to higher
altitudes.
If they wait patiently, eventually their cardiovascular
systems will be empowered for the challenge ahead. But waiting is the
key. If they rush ahead, the climbers will fail, and most probably die.
Even bottled oxygen won’t help them.
In a similar vein, the risen Jesus instructed his first followers to
wait before beginning their mission of spreading the good news:
And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father
promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you
with power from heaven (Luke 24:49).
No matter how enthusiastic the first
disciples might have been, no matter that they had spent three years with Jesus
and had conversed with him after his resurrection, they were not yet ready for the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and
physical challenges of proclaiming the good news of Christ to all nations.
They had to wait in Jerusalem until
their preparation for ministry was complete.
Yet, unlike climbers being
acclimatized on Mt. Everest, the disciples were not waiting for some natural
process to ready them for their assignment. They needed “power from heaven” and nothing less.
Dr. Roberts concludes with two sobering words:
(1)
Without God’s own power,
given through the Holy Spirit, no one can successfully do God’s work on earth.
(2)
But don’t despair!
If you have put your trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you have already
received the Holy Spirit.
Unlike
the first disciples in Jerusalem, you do not have to wait for anything.
We have
been empowered. We have been sent. We are ready to go.
Let’s focus on the real need – to trust Jesus, to grow in Him and to go to a world
filled with spiritually dead people, walking all around us and not even knowing
they are dead.
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