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as the mountains surround Jerusalem so
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the Lord surrounds his people both now
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and forevermore amen
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God's word for our further consideration
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this morning for the words of our first
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lesson from Ezekiel and the words that
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Lord speaks through Ezekiel here
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condemned both kings and priests and
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prophets anyone who had any any sort of
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leadership in Israel because while it's
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true that Kings were tasked with secular
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authority in Israel they also had
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authority in the spiritual realm and
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were to be leaders in that area as well
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as Moses told them in Deuteronomy as he
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spoke concerning any future king they
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might have he says when he takes the
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throne of his kingdom he is to write for
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himself on a scroll a copy of this law
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taken from that of the priests who are
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Levites it is to be with him and he is
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to read it all the days of his life so
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that he may learn to revere the Lord his
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God and follow carefully all the words
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of this law and turn'd neither to the
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right nor the left and yet although the
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King had such authority that didn't
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excuse the priests and prophets from
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doing their jobs faithfully either
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unfortunately across the board there
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were all too few who served as God
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desire and their job review before us
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this morning in Ezekiel is far from
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glowing at the expense of those they had
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been sent to serve they looked out for
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only their own interests served their
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own stomachs
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thus we find the Lord talking about them
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as
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fat and strong sheep in Israel yet while
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he deals with the abusers he promises to
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rescue and restore the abused to all who
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were taken advantage of to those who had
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been left to fend for themselves
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spiritually and had to pay the price one
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way or the other whether they were
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faithful or went along with those
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faithless leaders to these God promises
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a new Shepherd a true Shepherd his
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servant David he will tend them he will
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bring them to good pasture and be their
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Prince through him the Lord promises
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healing and strength and this Shepherd
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David is none other than Christ our
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Savior therefore put your hope and trust
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in him for as the one appointed by God
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to be your shepherd he is the only one
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worthy of such things and the psalmist
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aptly warns us not to put our trust in
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mortal men even though they be Prince's
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because they cannot say how sad that
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Israel had to learn this lesson the hard
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way
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time after time they were misled by both
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Kings and false prophets even the
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priests as we read elsewhere in Ezekiel
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had abandoned worship of the true God
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and in the very temple consecrated for
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the name above all other names they had
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begun to worship the gods of the nations
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around them as a result punishment came
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Swift and they suffered the punish the
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the ultimate punishment of exile when we
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read about these things as we do this
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morning in Ezekiel
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do we take it to heart while Paul
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reminds us that those who bring the word
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to us are well worthy of honor and
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support passages like these show us that
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there is still a clear limit to that
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honor and support the people of Israel
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they wanted to be like the nations
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around them that's why they asked for a
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king not knowing just how poor their
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spiritual life would become as they
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indeed did become just like those other
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nations and instead of seeing their
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leaders as servants who were to lead
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them to and keep them with the true God
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they saw their leaders as the end of the
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line leaders were the ones to be
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followed no matter where they went
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and what was their reward God says they
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were shoved by these leaders side and
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shoulder and knocked down with their
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horns
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that's the care the Lord describes taken
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advantage of and abused and we open
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ourselves to the same type of
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mistreatment when we blindly follow
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those who are meant only to lead us to
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the one shepherd and point us to him by
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God's grace it doesn't always turn out
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so poorly for by God's grace there are
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faithful Shepherds who continue to point
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to Christ yet if they are not those
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sheep that blindly follow should not
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think that God will excuse them simply
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because their leader was wicked and
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faithless for just as the kings of
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Israel and the priests were to know the
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book of the law backward and forward so
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was every Israelite it was the privilege
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and responsibility given by God that
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parents were to teach their children
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talk about these commands of the Lord
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morning day and night at home or on the
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road whether you're going to bed or
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getting up and such instruction requires
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that the teacher know his material that
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is how we are to guard ourselves against
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faithless leaders to equip ourselves to
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know when certain leaders are no longer
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worthy of being followed to know when
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the leaders themselves might need a
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little leading and correction and that's
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when it can get difficult because a
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leader who does not want to take
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correction may do as we see described
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here using the side and shoulder and
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horns to knock down and maintain
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Authority and keep it his way rather
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than gods but listen to the Lord's own
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comfort should you find yourself in such
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a circumstance I will examine my flock
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and rescue them
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I will Shepherd them I will pasture them
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in good pasture there they will lie down
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in good grazing land and they will
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pasture on rich pasture I myself will
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Shepherd my flock and I myself will let
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them lie down I will seek the lost I
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will bring back the strays I will bind
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up the injured I will strengthen the
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weak and this God has done through his
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one Shepherd Christ a Shepherd unlike
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any other for Christ did not blindly
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follow the spiritually corrupt leaders
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of his day neither did he faithless Lee
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mislead those who followed him
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no zeal for the Lord's house and his
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teaching consumed our great Shepherd
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that is the king you see doing battle
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for you in the gospel lesson the king
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whose righteousness is neither matched
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nor surpassed whose righteousness is
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yours through faith this is the King we
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see going and being knocked around
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willingly beaten for proclaiming God's
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truth crucified for declaring himself to
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be what God had appointed him to be this
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is Christ for you your Great King taking
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your punishment so that you and live and
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even after he rose in victory and all
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things are subjected to his feet he does
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not sit back and take it easy
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he continues to shepherd still he comes
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and teaches us through his word still he
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comes in baptism and the Lord's Supper
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and heals and strengthens his flock it
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is with these means of grace that he
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pastures us with rich pasture
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strengthening the weak and binding up
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the injured so come to these pastures
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lie down and be at rest be at peace and
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seek shepherds who are faithful go to
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them as a group of Greeks once came to
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the disciples of Jesus and say sir we
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would like to see Jesus and if ever the
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one who is Christ under Shepherd on your
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behalf begins to stray
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go go to him fearing neither shoulder
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nor horn and remind him of his task
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remind him of the one whom he serves and
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say to him again sir we would like to
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see Jesus and pray that God not only
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give but also sustain such faithful
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under shepherds in his church for in
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Christ we have the best the only
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Shepherd the only King we need and it is
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my joy and privilege to say with John
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the Baptist that he must become greater
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I must become less for Christ alone has
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redeemed you
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and therefore he alone is worthy to rule
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as king of kings and Lord of lords now
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and forever amen please stand
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and the peace of God which transcends
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all understanding will guard and keep
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your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
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amen
