Closing Thought: Beloved, assurance is not presumption, and doubt is not always humility. God gives assurance for the accused heart, not by telling us to ignore sin, but by calling us to bring our hearts before Him. So, when your heart condemns you, do not make your heart the highest court. If there is sin, confess it; if there is false accusation, reject it; and in both cases, bring your heart before the God who is greater than your heart, rest in Christ who answers every accusation, walk in His commands, love the brethren, and trust the Spirit whom He has given.

While crosswalking outside the Scott County Courthouse and Jail, in Davenport (IA), Tony had a lengthy conversation with a young man named Ty. Along the way, Tony explained to Ty what every false religion has in common and it's as old as Satan deception of Eve in the garden.

Closing Thought: Beloved, God puts great emphasis on loving the brethren because love is one of the clearest pieces of evidence that we have passed from death to life. Christ laid down His life for us and showed us what love truly is. So let us not love selectively, or in word and talk only. Let us love one another… actually: in deed and in truth, laying down our lives in ordinary, costly, Christlike ways. Amen?

Closing Thought: Beloved, sin is lawlessness, and the devil has been sinning from the beginning; but the Son of God appeared to take away sins, destroy the works of the devil, and make sinners children of God. So do not make peace with the sin Christ came to destroy, or cling to what He came to deliver you from. If you have been born of God, let the family resemblance be seen: practice righteousness, love the brethren, and say with the heart of a child of God, "I have plenty; all I need is Christ." But if your heart still says, "I want more and more of what my flesh, my eyes, and my pride want," then hear the call of the gospel: turn from your sin, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and become a child of God.

Closing Thought: Beloved, because we have been born of the righteous God and made His beloved children, we practice righteousness now, we endure and embrace the world's misunderstanding, we hope in Christ's return, and we pursue purity until we are made like Him. Amen?

Closing Thought: Beloved, it is the last hour. Deceivers are real. Lies about Christ are deadly. But you do not need a newer gospel, a deeper secret, or a more impressive Christ. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. Confess the Son. Trust the Spirit's anointing. Abide in Him now, so that when He appears, you may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame.

Beloved, the world is passing away. Its pleasures are passing away. Its pride is passing away. Its applause is passing away. Its lusts are passing away. But the one who does the will of God abides forever. So, do not give your heart to what is dying. Give yourself to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit, and live for what will never pass away.

Closing Thought: Beloved, the path of spiritual growth is beautiful: all God's children stand on the same foundation, that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. From there, grace matures in different ways — the child rejoices in sonship, the young man grows strong in truth, and the father ripens in the wisdom of deeply knowing God Himself. So do not settle into complacency but press on in grace. And yet remember this as well: growth will not look the same in every believer. Some will always retain something of a more childlike warmth and simplicity of faith, and that is no defect. The goal is not to lose that childlike trust, but to see it deepened, steadied, and matured in Christ.

Closing Thought: Beloved, John writes so that we may have assurance, but also to remind us that such assurance can never be divorced from love for God's people. The true light is already shining, and where Christ truly rules, His love will increasingly be given through His people to His people.