How long does it
take to be saved?
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John Carter was
going to give the answers
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to this powerful
question at the Manila programs.
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Now, because of
a global pandemic,
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John Carter now teaches
from his studio in Los Angeles.
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This important presentation
is about the three prodigals,
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the Pharisees, and how
and why God loves bad people.
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Here is John Carter.
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Hi, friend. I'm John Carter.
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Welcome back to the
second part of the program,
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"How long does it
take to be saved?"
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Do you want to be
saved? This program is for you.
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A special greeting today
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to our great friends
in the city of Manila.
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Now, we should have
been in Manila right now,
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but it came along
this virus COVID-19,
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and so in lieu of that
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we're going to send you
this message with our blessings
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and our best wishes,
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all of our friends in
the great city of Manila.
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So the topic is part two,
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"How long does it
take to be saved?"
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And then we're
going to talk today
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about the three prodigals.
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Three prodigals? Absolutely.
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What does the
word prodigal mean?
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Would you like to
know what it means?
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A prodigal is a person
who is extravagant, abundant,
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generous over and beyond.
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And today, we're
going to tell you
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that there are not just,
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well, there's not
just one prodigal,
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but the Bible tells me really,
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there are three prodigals,
that is the topic today.
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We're going to pick it
up from the first segment.
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We're going to
repeat a little bit.
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Going to come now to
Luke Chapter 15 and verse...
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Let me see verse, verse 11.
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Here it is, "A certain man
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had two sons."
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One of those boys
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is the traditional prodigal son,
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and then the next
verse, I think it is.
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Let me see verse...
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Where it is?
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Verse 12, here it is, verse 12.
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Luke 15:12, "The
younger of them,"
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we call him the prodigal,
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"younger of them
said to his father,
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'Father, give me.'"
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Hey, that's the
cry of the lost soul.
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Give me, hey, I want more.
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I need more.
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What do you want? More.
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Give me, "'Give me the portion
of goods that falls to me.'
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So he divided to
them his livelihood.'"
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This young guy
is such a prodigal
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that he can't wait
until the old man is dead.
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But he wants his share
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of the
inheritance and he wants it,
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you know when? I want it now.
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Give me and give me now.
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He is a prodigal.
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And then if you notice,
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please, verses 13 and 14.
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It says, "Not many days after,
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the younger son
gathered all together,
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journeyed to a far country."
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And, my friend,
I got news for you,
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when you get away from
God, you go to a far country.
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You may think
it's going to be great,
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but it's not.
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It's a far country."
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And there wasted
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his possessions
with prodigal living."
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What's this word prodigal mean?
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You listening to me?
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It means extravagant,
abundant over and beyond.
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So he just spends
and spends and spends.
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Verse 14, I think
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is the next verse I'm
supposed to be reading.
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"But when he had spent
all, there arose a severe famine
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in that land, he
began to be in want."
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What a silly boy!
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Starts with, give
me, give me, give me.
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And after a while
he leaves everything,
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he goes, goes
away from the father.
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He's a nodal boy.
He knows everything.
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He thinks his
father is just an old fool.
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But with the old man
with the white hair, no.
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And so, he just
leaves the father's house,
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the warmth and the security
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and he goes
into a distant place,
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and it's not as
good as he thought
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it was going to be.
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But for a while,
it is super good.
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And if you can believe the
words of the elder brother,
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he wasted his money,
not only on food and wine,
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but he spent it on
prostitutes and harlots.
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So you don't have to have a
lot of sympathy for this boy
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because he is a waster.
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But the good news of the gospel
is this man receives sinners.
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God loves the prodigal son.
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He loves you. And He loves me.
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Because God's love toward us
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isn't based on
our righteousness,
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it is based upon His grace,
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His goodness, His mercy.
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And God doesn't say give
me, God is the God of giving.
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And so off He goes.
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There he goes, he
wastes all his money
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and the elder
brother said he spent a bit
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of that money
also on prostitutes.
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Verse 15, let me see, verse 15,
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then he went,
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joined himself to
citizen of that country.
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This is not too good for him,
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and he sent him into his fields.
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You'll see why it's not too good
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to feed swine.
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And he would gladly fill
his stomach with the pods
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that the swine ate.
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But no one gave him anything.
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Hey, it's not so good, is it?
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When you get away
from the father's house,
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my brother, my
sister, it's not so good.
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The stomach is empty,
and the soul is empty.
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So here is a young
guy, he's the prodigal boy.
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He takes his father's money,
and he goes into a far land,
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and he spends his money.
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So, you know,
there's nothing to stop him.
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He has no reservations,
he has no restrictions.
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So he spends and he spends,
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and he spends,
like you and like me
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on many occasions.
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When we get away
from the father's house,
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we think we're smart.
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So this boy
spends all his money,
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and then he's got nothing
left and he's very empty inside.
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Hear what I'm saying.
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When you get away
from the father's house,
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you can be very
hungry in your belly,
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and you can be very
hungry in your soul.
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And this boy is
hungry in his soul.
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And he goes, and he
joins himself to a man
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who sends him
out into the field.
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And the man says
to this Jewish boy,
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"Get out there,
boy, and feed the pigs."
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What
humiliation for a Jewish boy
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out in the field and
he's feeding the pigs.
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He gets so hungry
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that he wants to
eat the pig feed,
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the swill and the garbage,
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but nobody gives
to this boy anything
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because he doesn't deserve it.
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But who does deserve it?
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Look at verse... Can
I see if I can find it?
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Verse 17, here it is.
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Verse 17, "But
when he came to himself,
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he said, 'How
many of my father's
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hired servants have bread enough
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and to spare,
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and I perish with hunger!'"
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When he came to himself,
you know what that is called?
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That is, my friend,
the Great Awakening.
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There is a Holy Spirit.
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You listening to me.
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And the Holy Spirit comes
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and talks to the
boy down in the pigpen.
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And the boy comes to himself,
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you and I will never be saved
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and get back to
the father's house
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until we have our
spiritual awakening
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and we come to ourselves.
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I want to ask you today,
have you come to yourself?
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Because, my friend,
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if you haven't come to yourself,
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you're never going to get
back to the father's house.
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And perhaps you
don't even realize that
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you're down in the pigpen.
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But when we're
down in the pigpen,
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and things look as
bad as they can be,
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I've got good news
for every one of us.
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When we are down in the pigpen,
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we have a father,
and that father loves us
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in spite of our stupidity.
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Now I'm going to read
on a little bit further,
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verses 18 and
19, verses 18 and 19.
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He says, "I will
arise and go to my father,"
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hey, that's the best
decision you can make.
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"I will arise
and go to my father
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and will say to him,
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'Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you,
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and I am no longer
worthy to be called your son.
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Make me like one of
your hired servants.'"
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You know what? You
know what that's called?
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That's called repentance.
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Now, repentance
doesn't come easy
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to our sinful human hearts.
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And sometimes before we repent,
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we've got to get
down into the pigpen.
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And when we're
down in the pigpen,
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and we realize how
far down we've come,
00:10:05.07\00:10:07.67
and we realize
00:10:07.70\00:10:09.04
how good the
father's house is and was.
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Then if we open our
hearts to the Spirit of God,
00:10:14.38\00:10:17.31
we come to ourselves.
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That's the hardest thing
that can ever happen to us
00:10:20.65\00:10:23.15
is to come to ourselves.
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And so, okay, he says,
"I'm going to go back."
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And then you come to verse 20.
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Verse 20, want you to notice,
00:10:34.60\00:10:36.93
verse 20,
because this is amazing.
00:10:36.97\00:10:40.64
"And he arose," from pigpen,
00:10:40.67\00:10:43.54
"and came to his father.
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But when he was
still a great way off,
00:10:46.78\00:10:48.71
his father saw him."
00:10:48.74\00:10:50.25
Hey, the father's
looking down the road.
00:10:50.28\00:10:53.38
"His father saw
him, had compassion
00:10:53.42\00:10:55.35
and ran and fell on
his neck and kissed him."
00:10:55.38\00:10:59.45
In the Middle
East that's one thing
00:10:59.49\00:11:01.16
all men don't do.
00:11:01.19\00:11:03.49
They're too
dignified to want to run.
00:11:03.53\00:11:07.40
They walk slowly.
00:11:07.43\00:11:12.23
And they walk with dignity.
00:11:12.27\00:11:17.31
But this old man
so loves his son,
00:11:17.34\00:11:20.98
he puts aside his dignity.
00:11:21.01\00:11:24.51
He's been looking
down the road for that boy
00:11:24.55\00:11:27.42
and he's been
looking down the road
00:11:27.45\00:11:29.48
for a long, long time.
00:11:29.52\00:11:31.15
God's been looking
down the road for you,
00:11:31.19\00:11:33.52
brother, and sister.
00:11:33.56\00:11:36.32
You may be down in the pigpen,
you may have turned to go back,
00:11:36.36\00:11:40.00
and God is
looking down the road.
00:11:40.03\00:11:42.90
Because the Pharisee
was right when he said,
00:11:42.93\00:11:45.87
"This man receives sinners."
00:11:45.90\00:11:47.60
This is why Jesus
is telling this story
00:11:47.64\00:11:50.01
to show that the
Pharisees on this one occasion
00:11:50.04\00:11:53.41
had finally got it right.
00:11:53.44\00:11:55.08
This man receives sinners.
00:11:55.11\00:11:58.71
This is called the gospel.
00:11:58.75\00:12:03.59
The God doesn't
treat us as we deserve,
00:12:03.62\00:12:07.46
because God is
gracious and God is merciful.
00:12:07.49\00:12:12.99
So the father is
looking down the road.
00:12:13.03\00:12:16.97
And you look at now verse,
what do we got up to, verse 21?
00:12:17.00\00:12:22.54
"And the son said to him,
00:12:22.57\00:12:25.31
'Father, I have sinned
00:12:25.34\00:12:26.94
against heaven
and in your sight,
00:12:26.98\00:12:29.51
and am no longer worthy
to be called your son.'"
00:12:29.54\00:12:35.42
The father doesn't
let him finish the speech.
00:12:35.45\00:12:38.79
Verse 22-24,
00:12:38.82\00:12:42.69
it's almost too hard to believe,
00:12:42.72\00:12:45.33
verses 22 to 24.
00:12:45.36\00:12:48.33
"But the father
said to his servants,
00:12:48.36\00:12:52.37
'Bring out the best
robe and put it on him,
00:12:52.40\00:12:55.64
put a ring on his
hand," a ring, yes,
00:12:55.67\00:12:59.57
"and sandals on his feet.
00:12:59.61\00:13:01.14
And bring the
fatted calf and kill it.
00:13:01.18\00:13:04.95
And let us eat and be
merry, for this my son was dead
00:13:04.98\00:13:08.95
and is alive again,
he was lost and is found.
00:13:08.98\00:13:11.75
'And they began to be merry.'"
00:13:11.79\00:13:13.66
Listen, I told you
there are three prodigals.
00:13:13.69\00:13:17.13
You want to know who
the second prodigal is?
00:13:17.16\00:13:20.66
You get it?
00:13:20.70\00:13:22.03
What does the
word prodigal mean?
00:13:22.06\00:13:23.40
Extravagant, abundant,
generous over and beyond.
00:13:23.43\00:13:27.07
Well, the second
prodigal is the father
00:13:31.27\00:13:35.38
who represents God.
00:13:35.41\00:13:38.95
Over and beyond,
he is extravagant.
00:13:38.98\00:13:42.48
He goes over and over
00:13:42.52\00:13:44.69
and over and over again.
00:13:44.72\00:13:49.96
So the father
doesn't let this young guy
00:13:49.99\00:13:52.89
get through this speech.
00:13:52.93\00:13:54.73
But he says,
Welcome home, my boy.
00:13:54.76\00:13:58.67
He gets a robe
and he puts it on him
00:13:58.70\00:14:00.47
and the robe
covers up the filth.
00:14:00.50\00:14:04.14
That's God's gift to forgiveness
00:14:04.17\00:14:06.21
and grace, righteousness.
00:14:06.24\00:14:08.44
It's a gift we can't earn it.
00:14:08.48\00:14:10.45
That's where the
Pharisees got it wrong.
00:14:10.48\00:14:12.25
The Pharisees thought
they could make up the robe,
00:14:12.28\00:14:14.52
you can't make it up.
00:14:14.55\00:14:18.05
So he puts his robe on him.
00:14:18.09\00:14:20.79
He puts a ring on his finger.
00:14:20.82\00:14:24.49
The father is not a Pharisee,
00:14:27.56\00:14:30.93
and so the father
puts a ring on his finger.
00:14:30.97\00:14:35.84
The ring of sonship,
are you getting this?
00:14:35.87\00:14:40.08
Pharisees couldn't get this
00:14:40.11\00:14:41.74
because their
hearts were too cold.
00:14:41.78\00:14:44.01
And the Pharisees
00:14:44.05\00:14:45.38
were the super
religionist always,
00:14:45.41\00:14:47.68
always, always putting it on,
00:14:47.72\00:14:51.25
always going to
the house of worship,
00:14:51.29\00:14:54.56
but they never had
it in their hearts.
00:14:54.59\00:14:56.29
They were as cold as an iceberg.
00:14:56.32\00:15:00.33
And sandals on his feet.
00:15:00.36\00:15:02.46
Then he says, "We're
going to have a party."
00:15:02.50\00:15:06.80
Amazing thing Jesus
spoke so often about parties.
00:15:06.84\00:15:09.50
People say, "No, no, we
don't like these parties.
00:15:09.54\00:15:11.97
You got to be
terribly solemn all the time.
00:15:12.01\00:15:14.48
True religion
and true Christianity
00:15:14.51\00:15:16.34
is being solemn,
00:15:16.38\00:15:17.71
and looking as though
you're in pain all the time.
00:15:17.75\00:15:21.52
But the word gospel
simply means good news.
00:15:21.55\00:15:25.05
It is the good
news that even though
00:15:25.09\00:15:27.59
I have been down in the pigpen,
00:15:27.62\00:15:31.36
there's a father
00:15:31.39\00:15:33.80
who's the greatest
prodigal of them all.
00:15:33.83\00:15:37.43
And he puts on a party
00:15:37.47\00:15:39.63
and they are
singing and there's music
00:15:39.67\00:15:42.27
and they're joyful
00:15:42.30\00:15:44.27
which is the
symbol of the gospel.
00:15:44.31\00:15:48.11
The Pharisee could
never get the gospel.
00:15:48.14\00:15:50.48
He always was such a
long faced, sour person.
00:15:50.51\00:15:55.25
Always quoting tradition,
00:15:55.28\00:15:57.89
the defender of orthodoxy,
00:15:57.92\00:16:02.12
a spiritual pain in the neck.
00:16:02.16\00:16:06.43
And so glad to be here
00:16:06.46\00:16:08.96
because he thought
the more sour he was,
00:16:09.00\00:16:11.80
the more he was
acceptable to God
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.27
because he thought
God was like he was,
00:16:14.30\00:16:16.57
but God is not
like the Pharisee.
00:16:16.60\00:16:19.77
God is the father who is warm,
00:16:19.81\00:16:22.51
and sunny, and
loving, and forgiving.
00:16:22.54\00:16:26.85
Number of great
truths we've got to learn.
00:16:30.35\00:16:33.72
Man is far worse than
he ever feared to think,
00:16:33.76\00:16:37.93
but God is far better
than He ever did to hope.
00:16:41.36\00:16:45.97
Because God is the prodigal.
00:16:49.27\00:16:54.01
How long does it
take to be saved?
00:16:54.04\00:16:57.45
When you come to yourself
and you return to the father,
00:16:57.48\00:17:00.98
and the robe covers your
sins, you can be saved now.
00:17:01.02\00:17:05.05
You say, "No, I
don't believe any of this."
00:17:05.09\00:17:06.89
But John Carter's preaching,
00:17:06.92\00:17:08.26
just don't
believe any of this stuff,
00:17:08.29\00:17:09.62
it's all here.
00:17:09.66\00:17:10.99
Well, it's what Jesus taught.
00:17:11.03\00:17:12.89
This is what
the Pharisees hated.
00:17:12.93\00:17:15.40
Don't believe the
doctrine of the Pharisee,
00:17:15.43\00:17:17.20
don't be a Pharisee.
00:17:17.23\00:17:20.40
So you can be saved now.
00:17:20.44\00:17:22.67
You can have
the robe on you now.
00:17:22.70\00:17:25.47
You can be forgiven now.
00:17:25.51\00:17:27.58
You can be justified now.
00:17:27.61\00:17:30.55
And you can rejoice now,
00:17:30.58\00:17:32.88
and you can praise the
Lord, and you can do it now.
00:17:32.91\00:17:36.02
How long does it
take to be saved?
00:17:36.05\00:17:38.59
As long as it
takes to come to yourself
00:17:38.62\00:17:41.92
and to come back
to the father's house.
00:17:41.96\00:17:47.16
Okay, let me say it again,
00:17:47.20\00:17:50.47
prodigal, prodigal.
00:17:50.50\00:17:52.80
What does it mean?
00:17:52.83\00:17:54.90
Well, it means extravagant.
00:17:54.94\00:17:58.31
And I told you,
there's a third prodigal,
00:17:58.34\00:18:00.08
didn't I tell you that?
00:18:00.11\00:18:02.04
Let me bring him forth.
00:18:02.08\00:18:03.41
Now he's not a
very nice character
00:18:03.45\00:18:04.98
but we got to look at him
00:18:05.01\00:18:07.12
because some of us have to live,
00:18:07.15\00:18:08.95
you know, around
people like this.
00:18:08.98\00:18:10.69
Luke 15:25-28,
00:18:10.72\00:18:16.32
"Now his older
brother was in the field.
00:18:16.36\00:18:22.00
As he came and
drew near to the house,
00:18:22.03\00:18:24.43
he heard music and dancing."
00:18:24.47\00:18:27.34
Our scoundrel.
00:18:27.37\00:18:30.01
"So he called
one of the servants
00:18:30.04\00:18:31.57
and asked what
these things meant.
00:18:31.61\00:18:33.41
And he said to him,
'Your brother has come,
00:18:33.44\00:18:36.54
and because he
has received him safe
00:18:36.58\00:18:38.55
and sound, your father
has killed the fatted calf.'
00:18:38.58\00:18:43.22
But he was angry
and would not go in.
00:18:43.25\00:18:47.82
Therefore his father came
out and pleaded with him.'"
00:18:47.86\00:18:53.23
There's the third
prodigal, that's the Pharisee.
00:18:53.26\00:18:57.87
Prodigal, yeah.
00:18:57.90\00:19:00.17
He's extravagant in
his self-righteousness,
00:19:00.20\00:19:03.07
in his meanness,
00:19:03.10\00:19:04.67
in his legalism,
in his criticism.
00:19:04.71\00:19:09.04
There are some people
00:19:09.08\00:19:10.41
who think the
more critical they are,
00:19:10.45\00:19:12.41
the more pious they are.
00:19:12.45\00:19:13.95
I've got news for you.
00:19:13.98\00:19:16.25
The more critical
people get the further
00:19:16.28\00:19:18.75
they get from God.
00:19:18.79\00:19:22.49
But here is this guy
and he's standing out there.
00:19:22.52\00:19:27.03
He's got a long face.
00:19:27.06\00:19:30.87
And he's full of criticism
because the prodigal son,
00:19:30.90\00:19:35.57
his brother has come home.
00:19:35.60\00:19:39.11
And you know, the elder brother
00:19:39.14\00:19:42.41
represents the Pharisees.
00:19:42.44\00:19:45.71
People who are
always down on other people,
00:19:45.75\00:19:47.58
the super religious.
00:19:47.62\00:19:49.28
And the Pharisees are not dead,
00:19:49.32\00:19:51.22
there are plenty of Pharisees
00:19:51.25\00:19:52.85
alive today in the church.
00:19:52.89\00:19:58.76
But a Pharisee cannot be saved,
until he comes to himself,
00:19:58.79\00:20:04.60
and knows that he's
been in a pigpen too.
00:20:04.63\00:20:09.97
He needs to know that
the father loves him also.
00:20:10.01\00:20:14.11
Now verses 29 and onwards.
00:20:14.14\00:20:17.71
29 and onwards.
00:20:17.75\00:20:20.55
"So he answered and
said to his father,"
00:20:20.58\00:20:25.49
that's the elder
brother, 'Lo, these many years
00:20:25.52\00:20:29.56
I have been serving you,'
00:20:29.59\00:20:31.09
the Greeks say slaving,
00:20:31.13\00:20:34.10
'I never transgressed
your commandments at any time,'
00:20:34.13\00:20:37.00
I believe in
sinless perfectionism,
00:20:37.03\00:20:39.93
'and yet you never
gave me a young goat,
00:20:39.97\00:20:43.14
that I might make
merry with my friends.
00:20:43.17\00:20:47.81
But as soon as
this son of yours,'
00:20:47.84\00:20:50.05
not my brother's come,
00:20:50.08\00:20:52.21
'who has devoured your
livelihood with harlots."'
00:20:52.25\00:20:55.15
I don't know if it's true
00:20:55.18\00:20:56.52
because the
Pharisees were big liars.
00:20:56.55\00:20:59.99
Okay he says this boy devoured
your livelihood with harlot,
00:21:00.02\00:21:04.33
"'You killed the
fatted calf for him.'
00:21:04.36\00:21:07.43
And he said to him, 'Son,
00:21:07.46\00:21:09.73
you are always with me,
00:21:09.76\00:21:12.03
all that I have is yours.'"
00:21:12.07\00:21:14.70
We don't know
00:21:18.37\00:21:19.71
whether the elder
brother ever repented.
00:21:19.74\00:21:24.11
He had some real
spiritual problems.
00:21:24.15\00:21:26.21
And, of course,
he was very blind.
00:21:26.25\00:21:28.85
He was spiritually blind.
00:21:28.88\00:21:31.09
He said, all these years,
I've been working for you.
00:21:31.12\00:21:37.06
All these years,
I've been slaving for you.
00:21:37.09\00:21:39.26
I've never broken
any of your commandments.
00:21:39.29\00:21:42.46
I am a righteous man
00:21:42.50\00:21:44.07
because I keep
your commandments.
00:21:44.10\00:21:47.40
And my standing with
you depends upon the fact
00:21:47.44\00:21:51.17
that I have earned your respect,
00:21:51.21\00:21:53.64
because I have obtained
by your grace to perfection.
00:21:53.68\00:21:58.18
I've always kept
your commandments.
00:21:58.21\00:22:00.68
But when the son of yours comes.
00:22:00.72\00:22:05.39
So the elder brother
is the third prodigal.
00:22:05.42\00:22:10.46
Cold, heartless, loveless,
00:22:10.49\00:22:12.89
judgmental,
graceless, unforgiving.
00:22:12.93\00:22:16.50
Have you ever
met people like that?
00:22:16.53\00:22:19.67
I ask you.
00:22:19.70\00:22:24.67
Then I think
00:22:24.71\00:22:26.04
there's another couple of verses
00:22:26.07\00:22:27.41
we ought to look
at, verses 31 and 32,
00:22:27.44\00:22:32.41
"He said to him, 'Son,
you are always with me,'
00:22:32.45\00:22:35.35
how kind, 'all
that I have is yours,'
00:22:35.38\00:22:38.09
Mr. Pharisee, 'it was
right that we should make merry
00:22:38.12\00:22:41.92
and be glad for
your brother was dead
00:22:41.96\00:22:45.16
and is alive again, and
was lost and is found.'"
00:22:45.19\00:22:48.83
Almost too hard to believe
00:22:52.73\00:22:55.40
but the father
loves the Pharisee.
00:22:55.44\00:22:59.04
So let's have a recap.
00:22:59.07\00:23:00.41
There are three prodigals.
00:23:00.44\00:23:01.78
Remember the word
means extravagant.
00:23:01.81\00:23:05.61
The youngest son is a prodigal,
he's a prodigal in sin.
00:23:05.65\00:23:10.19
Number two, the older brother
00:23:10.22\00:23:11.75
is a prodigal in
coldness and self-righteousness.
00:23:11.79\00:23:16.86
And the old father
00:23:16.89\00:23:19.19
is a prodigal in grace and love.
00:23:19.23\00:23:24.20
What a
wonderful, wonderful story,
00:23:24.23\00:23:26.40
the story of the old father.
00:23:26.43\00:23:30.21
There's a great text in the Book
00:23:30.24\00:23:31.57
of Romans Chapter 3.
00:23:31.61\00:23:34.38
Oh, let me look
at this. Here it is.
00:23:34.41\00:23:36.64
Here's the great
painting by Rembrandt.
00:23:36.68\00:23:39.15
The Return of the Prodigal,
00:23:39.18\00:23:40.72
here is the old father
who represents God behold it.
00:23:40.75\00:23:45.49
Here is the elder brother,
00:23:45.52\00:23:49.22
the supercilious,
hardhearted Pharisee,
00:23:49.26\00:23:52.53
the legalist,
but the great text,
00:23:52.56\00:23:56.97
what is it? There it is."
00:23:57.00\00:23:59.17
Where sin did abound,
grace did much more abound."
00:23:59.20\00:24:05.11
The good news,
my friend, is this
00:24:05.14\00:24:06.94
and it's from my
heart to your heart.
00:24:06.98\00:24:11.05
If you come to the
father, turn to the father,
00:24:11.08\00:24:14.68
the father will run
down the road to meet you.
00:24:14.72\00:24:18.09
I learned this when I was a boy
00:24:18.12\00:24:20.39
growing up in Brisbane.
00:24:20.42\00:24:22.39
"Sinners, Jesus will receive,
00:24:22.42\00:24:26.39
sound this word of grace to all,
00:24:26.43\00:24:30.00
who the heavenly pathway leave,
00:24:30.03\00:24:33.70
all who linger, all who fall,
00:24:33.74\00:24:38.47
sing it o'er and o'er again,
00:24:38.51\00:24:40.31
Christ receiveth sinful men,
00:24:40.34\00:24:44.05
make the
message clear and plain,
00:24:44.08\00:24:46.95
Christ receiveth sinful men."
00:24:46.98\00:24:49.68
He will receive you today.
00:24:49.72\00:24:55.12
Like the man who came
to the meetings in Manila.
00:24:55.16\00:24:58.09
He came with a
knife, seeking out a man
00:24:58.13\00:25:00.80
who was coming to my meetings,
00:25:00.83\00:25:02.76
and he was
going to stab that man
00:25:02.80\00:25:04.40
and kill him in the meeting.
00:25:04.43\00:25:06.40
But as he heard this
sermon being preached,
00:25:06.43\00:25:09.97
the Spirit of God
reached out to that man
00:25:10.01\00:25:12.57
in the Filipino
International Convention Center,
00:25:12.61\00:25:15.81
and he came to himself.
00:25:15.84\00:25:18.41
He came to Christ, he was saved.
00:25:18.45\00:25:24.35
So how long does
it take to be saved?
00:25:24.39\00:25:28.06
How long does it
take to come to yourself?
00:25:28.09\00:25:30.09
How long does it come?
00:25:30.13\00:25:32.73
How long does it
take to turn around
00:25:32.76\00:25:36.06
and come to the father's house?
00:25:36.10\00:25:39.63
So the message today is this.
00:25:39.67\00:25:42.87
Jesus loves you.
00:25:42.90\00:25:48.04
Jesus died for you.
00:25:48.08\00:25:50.31
And there is a father
00:25:50.35\00:25:53.82
looking down the road waiting,
00:25:53.85\00:25:57.82
my brother, my
sister, to welcome you home.
00:25:57.85\00:26:03.79
That old father
00:26:03.83\00:26:06.96
represents God.
00:26:07.00\00:26:10.57
And he is the greatest
00:26:10.60\00:26:13.54
prodigal of them all,
00:26:13.57\00:26:17.07
where sin did abound,
00:26:17.11\00:26:20.18
grace did much more abound.
00:26:20.21\00:26:25.95
Time, it takes only a
minute to have eternal life.
00:26:25.98\00:26:29.98
How can you get
saved in a minute?
00:26:30.02\00:26:31.69
It's simple.
00:26:31.72\00:26:33.05
First, believe that
Jesus was the Son of God.
00:26:33.09\00:26:35.72
Second, accept His
free gift of eternal life,
00:26:35.76\00:26:38.79
and then you're saved.
00:26:38.83\00:26:40.70
It's not hard. It
doesn't take any time.
00:26:40.73\00:26:43.40
You can be saved
in a minute right now.
00:26:43.43\00:26:46.53
Pray with me, Lord God, I
realize that I am a sinner.
00:26:46.57\00:26:50.67
My sin has
separated me from You.
00:26:50.71\00:26:53.07
I accept that Your Son
Jesus Christ died for me.
00:26:53.11\00:26:55.98
I ask Jesus into my heart.
00:26:56.01\00:26:58.15
If you prayed this
prayer, you are saved.
00:26:58.18\00:27:00.98
The next thing to
do is tell someone,
00:27:01.02\00:27:03.72
fellowship with
other followers of Jesus.
00:27:03.75\00:27:06.35
Get baptized. Read
your Bible and pray.
00:27:06.39\00:27:10.06
Choices, we make
them every day, all day.
00:27:10.09\00:27:13.70
The most important choice
you will make in your life
00:27:13.73\00:27:16.46
is whether to
choose eternal life
00:27:16.50\00:27:18.53
or let it pass you by.
00:27:18.57\00:27:20.37
If you'd like more
information about your new life,
00:27:20.40\00:27:22.80
call the number
and visit our website.
00:27:22.84\00:27:27.84
God has blessed us all.
00:27:27.88\00:27:30.21
Those blessings
can be passed down
00:27:30.25\00:27:32.15
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00:27:32.18\00:27:36.28
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00:27:40.36\00:27:43.79
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00:27:43.83\00:27:47.43
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00:27:47.46\00:27:48.80
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00:28:09.88\00:28:13.66
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00:28:13.69\00:28:17.76
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00:28:17.79\00:28:21.90
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