Loved by Christ; Loving the Brethren

Love One Another...Actually

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?

Children of God, Children of the Devil

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.

Hope-Fueled Holiness

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?

Abide in Him

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.

Do Not Love the World

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.