So we've talked about salvation, we've talked about sanctification, we've talked about repentance, but have you guys ever thought about the concept of assurance of salvation? Knowing that you are saved without a doubt. Anyone struggle with that at all? I guess just you and I. I saw this when I was kind of reading up on some commentators and other preachers. There was one who went out and just kind of took a survey of like, how do you feel about your assurance of salvation? And you would think, you would expect or want to see everyone kind of say, yeah, 100%, or 0%, right? But there's a lot in between. 40%, 75%, which troubles me, right? I mean, because that means you're not assured. You can't be 75% sure. You're either 100% or you're 0%. Well, the Bible lets us know that we can be. And we can actually kind of look at our lives, and we can be confident that once saved, always saved. And we should enjoy that salvation. And enjoy the fact that once God saves us, we are saved. So let me just kind of... I don't want to read this straight through, but there's some really... I'm going to read it and then we'll just kind of bounce back and forth. Please, questions or comments or throw things at me. involved. So let me start off in prayer and then we'll dive into this. Dear Heavenly Father, what a blessing it is to know that you provide us with assurance. We are to be confident in knowing that you are our God, you saved us, and we can rest and enjoy walking this Christian life. Yes, there's tensions, there are trials, there are temptations, there are doubts, but Lord, in the end, may this lesson bring a peace of mind knowing that we are saved and that we can push forward walking this fantastic life that you have put before us. Thank you for this time today and we also look forward to celebrating this Easter weekend. It's in your son's name we pray these things. Amen. So I'm just going to read a little bit here. There is a bluntness in the gospel. There's no ambiguity. The truth is the truth. On the other hand, false religion is kind of ambiguous. Maybe you're saved, maybe you're not. You've got to be good, you've got to be bad. You've got to follow these rules. Maybe you'll be saved. Islam is like that. Catholicism is like that. There's a lot of work religions out there, work-based religions. But for the Gospel, it's very straightforward. The Gospel tells us the truth, plain spoken and straightforward. unmistakable. So we know the Christian gospel. I'm just going to do this. It goes like this. Every human being is a sinner because every human being possesses a corrupt nature. We rebel against God willingly. We delight in our sins. All sinners are under judgment. The sentence comes from God, upon all mankind, all are destined for punishment in hell, and this is where it starts. The gospel identifies who we are before God, and the only way to reconcile is through Christ. So you know all that. But God gives a way out of this condition. We know God loves the world. He provides deliverance Through faith and belief in Christ These are clear and again, there's no mistaking the truth of the gospel Isn't it great I mean Believe in Christ and you will be saved There's not a lot of rules, there's not a jumping through hoops. It's pretty much, there is no room for anything you can do, right? And we understand that God sovereignly picks us, or picks those whom he's gonna save. But this is where a little bit of the tension comes in, right? How can I be certain that I have truly believed and received this great salvation? So this is not the question, does Christ have the power to save? We know he does, but sometimes doubt creeps in, right? I'm kind of wondering, you know, I believe I was saved, but now I'm not so sure. Doubt creeps in, and it's a question that hits everyone, that everyone asks at some point in time. There's some Christians that ask that their whole lives. And they really rob themselves of the joy of being in the Christian life. Sometimes their minds get so sensitive. We'll talk a little bit about more of that later. But sometimes your minds are so sensitive that every little thing can trigger doubt. And it's not a healthy way to be. So how can I be certain that I have believed in Christ and have been saved? As Christians, there are times when we struggle with this assurance of our salvation. One of the things you, again, we are all confronted with is this lack of salvation, lack of assurance of salvation. We don't doubt that we are sinful. We don't doubt that God loves and provides a sacrifice in Christ. We don't doubt that Christ has the power to save. But sometimes we doubt that we are saved. So what steals a believer's assurance? So I'm going to go through a number of things. But what things trip you guys up? What steals your assurance? Anybody want to contribute anything? I know for me, if a habitual sin that I just can't seem to overcome Gets me to wonder sometimes. Let me run through a few of these, see if you can relate to some of these. We lack impact and results in service. Lack of impact and results in service. So maybe you don't feel, we're talking about being on time. Point number two on assurance of faith. So one of the things that steals a believer's assurance is lack of service, or lack of impact of service, or we can't really find what our gifts are. How can I minister? Or maybe I don't really feel like ministering. Or I want to do ministry A, but there's no openings there. Or I sense that I can evangelize, but I just I don't see anyone coming to Christ. I mean, these are things that can creep in and kind of rattle our assurance of salvation, right? I've been transformed, I have power, but I look at my life and I just don't see the impact. Secondly, disobedience. Disobedience can really rattle our assurance of salvation. You fail to obey the Word of God, you get caught up in transgressions or sins, sins that you thought were conquered once but now come up somewhere else. And this could push you into that area of doubt, where you're like, am I really, genuinely a believer? Have I really been saved? A third point that really steals our assurance is inconsistency. Sometimes you're like, you are on fire. You've been through this amazing trial and you've persevered. God has kept you focused in the Word and your trust in Him has been magnified. You were maybe you were resilient to compromising on your principles. And there's like, you know, weeks, months, or maybe just a day where things really, you really sense that assurance of self. I really am, I really sense or see God's hand in his providence in how I live, how I act, how I relate to one another. But then like the next week you just fall apart and something just completely opposite happens. And you're just like thrown for a loop and like, wow, what just happened? So inconsistency can also steal that joy, that knowledge of assurance. I just have two more. The fourth one, Presence of habitual indwelling sin. Here you are, you've been a believer for a while, and yet you're still struggling with the same exact sins that's been like pounding you year after year. Sometimes there's victory and then you think, oh, I'm done, that sin has been conquered. And then all of a sudden, boom, it just creeps up again. And then you're like dumbfounded, like how does this happen? that could also steal that assurance. And then the fifth one, I had mentioned this a little earlier, is just a very sensitive conscience. There are some people who are just more sensitive to others, they tend to be wired, I guess, more introspective, they're more fearful. Perhaps sins, or maybe they're not even sins, seem to be magnified. where they almost paralyzed people. And I remember when I first became a believer, all of a sudden I was amazed at, like, everything was sinful. I couldn't even, like, I was afraid to even look at people because I was just so mindful of trying to prevent from sinning and looking where I shouldn't be looking. So some people are just very, very super, super sensitive to the point that it robs them of that assurance of salvation. And then I kind of worked out a couple of little things. Neglect of worship, you come now and then, you're not really plugged into a fellowship, you're not really plugged into serving. not around fellow believers, kind of isolated. This can also kind of waver and shift our assurance. It can really make us ask that question, am I really saved? Am I really saved? But you are not alone. Let's look at a couple biblical examples of of Peter. In Luke 22, 60-62, this is when Peter denies Christ. Here's Peter, the great Peter. Everyone loves Peter. He's passionate. He will do anything for Christ. Christ tells him, you will deny me, not just once, not just twice, not just But three times, and Peter's adamant, no, no, I would never do that, right? I mean, how could Peter do that? He's been walking with God over his entire ministry. But let's put ourselves in Peter's shoes. So I'm going to start verse 60 again, Luke 22. And this is Peter saying, man, I do not know what you are talking about. And this is when he is to his third denial of Christ. And immediately while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. Put yourself in that position. My assurance of salvation would be shaken. I flat out denied Christ, not just once, but three times. Flat out, just, I do not know him. Anyone concerned about whether Peter was saved or not? I think he was saved, right? I mean, he goes out and he weeps bitterly. How about Paul? Paul, who wrote what, like 13 books? 13. 13 sounds correct. 2 Corinthians 12, 7-10. This is talking about Paul's thorn in the flesh. So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me. To keep me from becoming conceited, three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave. But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. How about when Paul speaks in Romans 7, 18-25, For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that it is in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I, but sin that dwells in me. I'm going to continue in verse 21. So I find it to be the law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand, for I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind. making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death." You're not going to be perfect in this life. And here is Paul, again, a writer of 13 books of the New Testament, crying out, I am a wretched man who will deliver me from this body of death. And yet Paul still basked in the assurance of salvation. He knew he would be with his Lord. Did Paul live an easy life without temptation, without struggles? No. No. Probably more so than us. Probably hardships more than we've experienced. And yet Paul retains that assurance of salvation. Nowhere does he deny that he's not saved. And he's always looking forward to being finally with Christ. Peter. So the reason I'm bringing these out is just kind of examples. So when you get beaten up and doubt starts to creep in, look at these guys. Certainly, if doubt could creep into anyone. Here's a couple of examples. that if we were in their place, we may also possibly kind of doubt our salvation. Yet once saved, always saved, right? Peter in Matthew 16, 22 to 23. This is kind of harsh. Put yourself in Peter's place here. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. This is Peter talking to Christ, saying, far be it from you, Lord, this shall never happen to you. Can you imagine giving God a commandment? But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me. Can you imagine? God calling you Satan? That's pretty hardcore. That might make me doubt if I'm really saving or not, wouldn't it? Can you imagine Christ saying, get behind me, Satan? I may start to doubt my salvation a little bit too, right? But that's not the case, right? But this still brings us back to the question of, OK, so we know assurance. We know that we should embrace, well, the Bible talks about assurance of salvation. We should live in the joy of knowing that we are saved. But it's still attention, right? It's still a little bit of a, hey, Josh, come on in. We're talking about assurance of salvation. So what is the answer? How can I know what can strengthen my assurance of salvation? And I'm going to bring you here and let you know that the indwelling works of the Holy Spirit in our life reminds us of our assurance of salvation. How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives so that we can Be assured of our salvation. Well, first off, does an unbeliever, is an unbeliever indwelled with the Holy Spirit? That's kind of an easy question. Maybe, sometimes, occasionally. Yeah. When you were saved, you were indwelled with the Holy Spirit. So, the Spirit is with you. So, other, is there, in our lives, Is there any evidence of the Holy Spirit indwelling us? That's kind of a vague question, I know. Well, the person who does not have the Holy Spirit would not understand the Word of God. I think people tend to think convictions have to be this grandiose, very strong, very almost transcendent, supernatural force coming out of you. But we have convictions from the smallest things to the biggest things that occur in our lives. And that ultimately helps us to propel and take action for whatever it is. I can clearly say, this is a very cheesy example. But before I was saved, back in the early stages of middle school, I always fought with my younger brother over the stupidest things. And I had no guilt, no remorse whatsoever. And I always thought, like, oh, I am the most righteous brother of all time. How dare you think I'm, like, flawed in any way, but then, you know, post-salvation. Like, every time, like, you've got to have this bitter conviction about, like, oh, you are in the wrong. Like, you are not king of the world. So there's, like, that very big difference in regards to that. Yep. Yep. There's a mindset, definitely. There's a definite mind change. And just to bring home the fact that, yes, the Holy Spirit is with you in Ephesians. I have one to four. Ephesians 1 to 4, but I didn't put the chapter down. No, I did. Ephesians 1, verse 14. I'm going to start at 13. In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory. You are given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is with you all the way to the end. The Holy Spirit doesn't disinjuel you for a little bit. God doesn't say, oh, Jeff, you messed up. I'm taking the Holy Spirit back with you. You are sealed. Sealed means complete. You can't break the seal. You are sealed once and once and for all. Spirit of promise took up residence in your heart and that is what this verse is saying. The Spirit was given to you as a pledge of our inheritance. 1 John 2 27 the Holy Spirit is the anointing that teaches us all things when I was an unbeliever the Bible made no sense to me I mean there were some good things in there I understood you know thou shalt not kill But I didn't understand how the Old Testament related to the New Testament, and a lot of it just didn't make sense. But today, not only does it make sense, I like to read it, too. Very different mindset regarding the Word of God. And with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, These things in God's Word now impact me such that my life changes, whereas before it never did. So there's a desire, the Holy Spirit leads us into desiring to be impacted by God's Word. The Holy Spirit leads us. You've been led by the Holy Spirit. You don't know it when it's happening. You know, you can't feel it. It's not like the Holy Spirit grabs your arm and starts to drag you out of sin. But what's interesting is retrospect. When you look back on your life, do you see examples of where the Holy Spirit has actually led you either to something good or maybe something out of something that was really bad? So when I was living in California, Oakland, you have like, oh, this would be a great picture. This was kind of like San Francisco, and there's this bridge that goes right here to Oakland. And then there's this another elevated highway for maybe a mile or so. I used to work way out here. Back in 1989, I was leaving work. I came over this elevated highway to Oakland. And I was like right about here on the San Francisco Bridge. And we had that massive earthquake. Oh, actually, I think I was like right here. This was the toll booth. And I had just crossed. And I had just passed. And I had just paid the toll. And this whole thing collapsed. And then this whole thing collapsed. I was right in between. Five seconds later, I would have been right about here. Or if I left maybe a little bit too early, I would have been somewhere right in here. And the state of California still owes me a buck, because I paid the toll. Providence. God's providence for sure. I didn't really think about it until like after I got out of there, but God's providence is real. Losing my job. I got laid off once. Still had to pay the mortgage. Still had to, you know, pay bills. Could have been very easy just to give up and crumble, but God's providence persevered me through. So trials are another I would rather not learn God's providence that way, but boy, it sure does resonate. It sure does strengthen your assurance of salvation. So you've gone through trials of life, difficulties of life, but yet, for some reason, if you're a believer, there is a sense of peace and comfort. Tragedy that hits unbelievers, I mean, they're shaken. They're shaken to the core. So there's a real visible difference between those indwelled and those not indwelled. And we should rest in assurance of our salvation because we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. We're doing assurance of salvation. So yes, we've experienced his instruction, his leading, his comfort, and his feeling. We've even experienced his conviction. Conviction is another way that we can be assured of our salvation. I know that kind of seems awkward. Why would being convicted, that sense of conviction, kind of solidify or ratify or Why would that give me, why should that, it seems counterintuitive, why would conviction of sin support or uphold confidence in my assurance of salvation? And I always like to look back and forth. As a Christian, how would I act? As an unbeliever, how would I act? So that's kind of a good way that I kind of deal with that issue of doubting my salvation. I used to never care about being convicted of sin. I don't even know if I really was convicted. Only way I would be convicted was because I was caught. I was more sorry about being caught than I was actually sorry about how I've rebelled against God. So a different, again, just like you mentioned, a mindset. And yet sometimes conviction of sin unfortunately rattles a believer. It really should be the opposite. We should be convicted of our sin, right? Because if we say we have no sin, then it got out to be a liar, right? So it's kind of this ongoing tension, right? But as believers, we now recognize our sin and our desire is to no longer throw that upon our Savior, right? Just like Paul, whatever that thorn in the flesh was for Paul. Whether it be a sin or just harassment, there's a lot of commentary on what could have been. But it was something that continually kept Paul from being conceited and it kept him in a state of humbleness. But it never rattled his assurance of salvation. So let's look at some biblical examples that might discourage our belief in our salvation. I'm actually going to get through this. I had like nine pages. I was like, oh, this is not going to be good. And we had mentioned this earlier regarding Paul, Romans 7, 21 to 25. I'm just going to read this again because I think it's really important for us to see that the Apostles wrestled with the same kind of situations and trials and possibly even doubts that we do today. And I look at some of these Apostles, whether it be Paul or Peter, and think, wow, they were walking alongside God right there for three years. How can Peter turn around and deny Christ? But he did, three times, right? So here back again in Romans 7, 21 to 25, this is Paul, so I find it. To be a law of that which I want to do right, yet evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God and my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." Do we not all experience that? Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? I think that's where the difference is between a believer and a non-believer. The unbeliever would be, well, not that bad. I don't need to be delivered from anything. And if I don't get caught, well, I'm going to continue doing what my body tells me to do. But Paul recognizes where the deliverance comes from. It comes from God. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's where our salvation rests upon. Not ourselves, but on Christ. Again, we talked about, look at some of the Psalms. Again, I'll mention Psalm 51, just that sorrow, that sorrowness that led to repentance in David's life. David did some pretty horrific things. If I were in his shoes, my assurance of salvation could be rattled, right? I'm like, wow, how could he commit adultery and then go out and kill Sheba's husband? I mean, it doesn't even make sense. And yet God did not turn his back on David. There were consequences, but in the end, God made a promise and he fulfilled his promise. Here's one on the Holy Spirit. Listen to 1 Corinthians 12 3. No one, no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. So it's you saying Jesus is Lord in Romans 10. It's the Holy Spirit saying Jesus is Lord in 1 Corinthians 12. It is the Holy Spirit empowering our faith. The Holy Spirit truly is that key element that gives us glimmers that should give us confidence in our assurance of salvation. Now, we can't go around and say who is saved and who's not. But the same, you know, I can't say, you know, Mrs. Fine is saved or not. I think she is. I'm pretty sure she is. But you yourself are the best person to evaluate your life. It's good that we wrestle with that a little bit. It keeps us alert. But if you see instances of, I love to come to worship. The Bible makes sense. I see God's providence in my life. I see sanctification. I truly desire to repent. There's a change of mind, a change of heart, although we will never do it perfectly. As we see the Spirit kind of continually working on our sanctification, making us, drawing us closer towards Christ, enjoy that assurance of salvation. Be assured. So I have about a page left of just some personal observations Perspectives to evaluate our assurance and please I've got a list here. I'm sure it's not exhaustive But if anyone has some input I would love to hear how rather than me just lecture Love to have you guys chime in You go to a great church You go to a great church the word is preached There's classes there's There's things going on during the week, there are fellowships, there are small groups, ministries, all kinds of stuff. Really good teaching, really good fellowship. I don't advise you to go to a poorly taught church, but if you ever have, if you've ever stepped into a questionable church, it's interesting. I've gone to some really bad churches, and yet it seems like the folks there have a greater assurance of salvation than I do. And yet the Word is definitely not being taught there. A lot of people walk around claiming to be Christians. I'm not that sure. So we're kind of like in a bubble a little bit. So it's easy when you're getting just pounded all the time with great teaching. It's easy to kind of start doubting your faith, right? And you see these, you know, super Christians walking around you all the time, which is actually, comes back to my first announcement this morning. There's a lot of folks who really want to come alongside you guys and mentor and be parts of your life. So again, I'm going to throw my little advertisement in here. And maybe someone's going to come by and just kind of peek in. There are some older folks, younger folks, who really would love and just would love to pour their lives into all of us. Again, it doesn't have to be a formal thing, but I want you guys to think about it if that's something you're interested in. Because there are a lot of really great Christians out here. but they will also be the first to say they're not perfect. But if you go to a poorly taught church, it seems like everyone is perfect and everyone is assured of their salvation. But when it's shallow preaching, you're not going to get that conviction that really keeps you on your toes. A poor church lacks a call for righteous living. So when you're in a good church, it can kind of feel like, kind of drive you into yourselves. It's kind of a good thing, bad thing. It makes us struggle with recognizing and looking at our salvation, and yet at the same time, you know you're in the right place, because you're hearing the Word of God, and you keep coming back. Why do you keep coming back? Why do you keep coming back to get pounded sermon after sermon? Oh, there he is. Ricardo. Mr. Whitaker. We're talking about assurance of salvation. Some other little observations or just some of my own little perspectives on evaluating assurance of salvation. Our conscience focuses on guilt and conviction, and unfortunately doesn't leave a lot of room for knowing that alongside that conviction of sin, you got to look at the other side of the coin, which is God's forgiveness, His grace, and His mercy. God didn't come to save perfect Christians. He came to save perfect sinners. So should we be surprised that there still lingers sin in our lives? We shouldn't. But sometimes, we get a little too, we kind of look a little too deep into ourselves. And we allow that assurance of selfishness to be robbed. We need to remember that yes, I'm a sinful creature. But that's exactly who Christ died for, a sinful creature who needed his forgiveness, his grace and his mercy. Sometimes a lack of understanding that salvation is completely a divine and sovereign action. God totally doesn't. Sometimes in my own life when I'm like, I'm gonna beat this sin, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna I'm going to discipline my body. I'm doing push-ups in the morning, every morning. But it's really God that does the saving, right? I'm glad I can't save myself because I would fail miserably. So be assured that it's God who does the saving. It's not us who does the saving. Yes, we are propelled by the Holy Spirit. We desire to be righteous. But don't let your failings and shortcomings rob you of knowing that you are assured of salvation. If you see that trend in your life, you see sanctification in your life. You desire the Word of God. The Word of God makes sense. You've seen the hand of God in your life. You've been under trials and tribulations and yet you've persevered and you recognize it's not of my own strength but of God. Be assured of your salvation. Lack of assurance may arise from not knowing the exact moment of salvation. Does anyone know the exact moment of salvation? Anybody know exactly? You kind of do, right? No? So, I mean, there are some folks who know exactly the place and the time and the date. A lot of us don't. It's especially hard if you grow up at the church. I mean, you're always surrounded with good teaching and great examples and one day you just kind of find yourself out there being baptized. And there's some of us kind of in the middle, you know, like I know somewhere in California I was saved. I don't really know when. And to be honest, the date and the time doesn't really matter. What matters is the life that follows. That should be the assurance of your salvation. Temptation, the pull of our unredeemed flesh, just like we just heard from Paul, we saw how Peter wept as he denied Christ three times. There is our unredeemed flesh. Paul definitely knew that. I know that. Read Romans 7 and 8 to look at temptation in our unredeemed flesh. Now we will not totally be put to war until we're in the presence of God. So this is an ongoing battle of temptation and it could rob us again of our assurance of salvation. Disobedience. This is probably the most common reason to doubt that assurance of salvation. Trials and cares of the world. I have to go to work today. So I'm going to miss Easter service. But I have to go. So there's things in the world that try to pull us out and try to keep us from coming and rob us of our time. Does that shake my assurance of salvation? No. No. If I don't go in, my whole project starts back like three months, so I have to go in. A true believer will encounter life's difficulties, but perseverance and unswerving commitment to Christ is proof of our salvation. And probably the last kind of observation or perspective that I'd like to address when it comes to assurance of salvation is, Satan himself. Satan whispers in our ears, how can you be a pardoned person accepted by God? Look what you did today. You're going to do the same thing again next week. Are you sure you're saved? And the tendency is to listen to this deception which typically results in despondency, repeating the sin again, I have no power over sin. It can really draw you into that despondent feeling of weakness and fear. And it can rattle your assurance of salvation. And that's exactly what Satan wants to do. He wants you to doubt. He is the great deceiver. So don't listen to that. You are assured of your salvation. As a believer in Christ, you are saved. And enjoy knowing that you've been separated from the world. Okay, this is my last scripture I wanted to to leave us with. 1 John 5, 13-14. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have towards Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He will hear us. If you struggle with assurance of salvation, ask God. to bring that into your heart. What a great opportunity. We have the ability to pray alongside the Holy Spirit who is indwelt within us. To pray to God. And this is a very legitimate thing to ask for. God, give me assurance of salvation. Or, at the very least, if I'm not saved, let me know. Bring someone into my life to be accountable to or to share the gospel. Make my salvation known. Make it be assured. I want to be confident in knowing that you are my Lord. God wants you to know and to be confident in your salvation. If you entrust your life to Christ, you will be saved. It sounds too simple. But on our own effort, it is impossible. Yet, not through the works of Christ. It is complete, and it is done. And rest in that knowledge. Grow in your sanctification. Dive into ministry. Worship with intensity. Feed your thinking with the Word of God. Repent. When you fall down, get back up. And strive again towards the prize of Christ. A true Christian will be beaten up. He will fall. but they'll get right back up again. And that should give us that assurance that we are believers because that's the Christian life. And at the same time, there's joy in knowing that we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit and God will not let us go. There's freedom in knowing Christ and being a son. inheriting a place with God, no longer being at odds with Him, but being in fellowship with Him once again, and for eternity. So we should rest in that assurance. So how can we battle against whether we're truly saved or not. How can we really be confident in that assurance? Get involved. If you have doubts, reach out. You have a whole body of believers here, again, willing to really come alongside each and every one of you, to guide you, to pray for you, to share struggles. If you think The struggles that you have are only your own. You're wrong. And you've got a great wealth of people here who have probably experienced everything, if not more, hardships and tribulations and stumbles and continue to stumble. But there's a lot of folks who get right back up. And again, coming back to my kind of little advertisement this morning is, We're going to really develop a kind of a mentorship where people will come alongside each of us. It doesn't have to be formal, it's still being kind of developed. But myself and Mr. Whittaker have kind of been scoping around the church, and there really are a lot of folks from a lot of different walks of life who would love to come alongside and fight this battle alongside us. And again, I'm really kind of excited. I wish I was in college. I wish I was a college kid again. Because I would love to have had someone to come alongside me. Because our tendency is to isolate and that's when we lose that joy. Assurance of salvation should be called maybe the joy of salvation. No longer do you have to worry about Instead, get on with the ministry that's before us. Any questions or comments? Everyone has full assurance. I remember Pastor Leak, a few years ago, preached on this, on assurance of salvation. And he preached from What I found was kind of an unlikely passage. I think it was 1 John 1. And he said, one of the more overlooked evidences of salvation was love. And I think he summarized 1 John 1 as essentially, by this we know that we belong to the Lord if we keep this commandment, which is to love one another as he loved us. And I just remember like the, One thing he said in the sermon was, you know, joy is not something that you get, like the joy of your salvation. It's not something you get intellectually, necessarily. You go and you pour into the church and you start to love your brothers and sisters in the body. And as you're serving and doing the work and just doing that faithfully, joy kind of sneaks up on you after a while. And that really stuck with me from this time. Joy is kind of distinguishing joy and just being happy. Joy is like this settling peace. Happiness kind of comes and goes, but joy just kind of lasts forever, right? It's more on solid ground than happiness, right? I mean, the world can be happy at times, go to the bars on a Friday night, there's plenty of happy people. But do they have joy? That really distinguishes an unbeliever from a believer. Joy is like contentment, right? Unsettled contentment. Well, good. Let me close us in prayer.