Austin Life Church

We all face battles of fear, anxiety, worry. We all look for a new day, a fresh start, a rescue from current situations. So did David. But more than this, we all need an eternal and spiritual rescue. Our answer to all things is the LORD, who is our light & salvation, the stronghold to our lives.

The word holy is tough to fully comprehend. It describes something or someone that is completely unique and set apart from the rest. According to the Bible, the LORD is holy, set apart from all else. And because this is who the LORD is, our lives should respond in worship.

Psalm 32 gives us insight into the ways a sinful heart wrestles before a perfect and holy God. Even in our mess, He is faithful to pursue us in our brokenness and gracious to heal us when we approach him with authenticity.

The command in Psalm 103 is to bless the LORD, with everything within us. But why? We bless the LORD for who He is, and for what He has done.

We are a people who praise. We praise what we love and what we think is good. Which is why we are called to praise the LORD. Because He is God and He is good, He is worthy of our unreserved praise.

In this world, we will face trials. The earth will give way beneath our feet. But, we do not have to fear. Why? Because the LORD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We can rest regardless of circumstance in who He is!

We all experience unrest. There is a longing, a searching for more to fill and satisfy our lives. But most of what we chase after leaves us wanting more. It may satisfy for a bit, but only a bit. David writes in Psalm 23 where the answer lies to for rest in our souls. There is Hope for each of us to be fully satisfied.

As a church family, it's important for us all to know and remember where we are going, how we are going to get there, and what our role is when it comes to leading people to life in Jesus.

Since God is both powerful and patient, we can move forward in face of fear.

We are in a war. Every day. Every moment. There is a spiritual battle waging war all around us. And The Lord calls us to stand firm against any and all schemes of the devil. How? By putting on the armor of God!

The Bible is incredibly clear that our relationships with one another matter. As wives & husbands, children & parents, employees & employers. But no matter what relational context we find ourselves in, we are all called to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul continues to teach the church that in response to the new life given through Jesus, we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. It only makes sense that as we receive new life, we live it out! Paul makes three points of how we are to walk as followers of Jesus: Walk in love. Walk in light. Walk in wisdom.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:17-32 to put off our old selves and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. When accusations come our way from the enemy, we need to replace them with the truth of God's Word. We need to remember we are changed and have a new identity in Christ because of what He has done for us.

We need hope. Without hope, we lose the power in life to keep moving. The light goes out, and we soon follow. But that is not the good news of Easter. The good news of Easter is that in the resurrection of Jesus we can be born again to a living hope, a hope that will never disappoint and never fade.

God’s design for us is to be shaped into the image of Jesus. More and more we are to look like Christ. This is what we are called to as a response to the Gospel. However, we all need one another playing our role in order to best grow up into Christ. Everyone has a part to play in the church!

We all grow weary. Faith is hard. If we are going to follow after Jesus and not lose heart, we will need help. The good news is that we can ask our Father, who gives according to the riches of His glory, to strengthen us for the race He has set before us.

We all love a good suspense story. Moments that we just didn’t see coming. This is what happened when Christ came, and what Paul is focusing our attention to yet again in Ephesians 3. But not only that Christ came, but that in so doing He offered an invitation to anyone and everyone to come as they are in faith, let Him be Lord, and to be united in one family with all who follow Jesus. But it does...

Hostility between one another continues to persist. However, for those who are in Christ, we must realize that we have been brought near by grace alone, and the hostility of Christ’s death has removed any place for hostility to remain among the church. We must pursue harmony in diversity according to God’s design for the church.

The climax of a movie always comes at the moment of greatest despair, when the hero enters to save the day. In our stories, the climax of life is when God in mercy and love stepped into to give life to those who were spiritually dead.

Paul prays diligently to The Lord asking Him to show us who He is - the hope He has called us to, the riches of His inheritance in us, and the immeasurable greatness of His power. What Paul knows it that when we truly see God and His work for us, that everything will change. May He cause us to see and know Him!

The riches of God’s grace are immense, far greater than we can ever fathom. In Christ, we are recipients of those riches, to receive redemption, and inheritance, and the Holy Spirit.

Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians with a call to praise God. Why do we praise God? Because in Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

For each of us, there are things that matter most to us that we chase after. But there is only one thing that in this life that truly matters - knowing Jesus. Paul encourages us to Press On after Jesus, the one who first pressed on after us.

Spiritual maturity is God’s work in ours, but that doesn’t mean that it is opposed to making every effort at maturity. The biblical principle of sowing and reaping allows us to make every effort toward spiritual maturity as we live out the Christian life while trusting that God is going to work in us.

After you've been born again, God’s highest priority for your life is your spiritual maturity. Looking at Hebrews 5, we see both a helpful definition of spiritual maturity, and three main diagnoses to help us understand where we might be persisting in immaturity. God is committed to finishing the work He has started in us!