Austin Life Church

As we’ve talked about God’s design for topics such as identity, purpose, gender, sexuality, marriage, singles, and so on, it may feel a bit overwhelming. Do we have any certain hope when it's all said and done? 

Sex is everywhere. Everything has been sexualized in our culture. Either overly negative. Or, overly positive. But what is God’s design for sex? What does the Bible say of sex? God’s design for sex is to be a good and pleasurable expression of and reminder of covenant love between husband and wife. 

Most people dream of their wedding day from the time they were little. The majority of people will get married one day. But in America, nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce. So what do we really think of marriage? Better yet, what does God think? What is God’s design for marriage? 

God is the one who designed us for romantic and sexual relationships. But are all romantic and sexual relationships good? What does God and His Word say about same sex relationships?

Standalone message on Psalm 1.

Most people have romantic and sexual desires. Most people have, or have had, romantic and/or sexual relationships. But are ALL romantic & sexual desires and relationships honoring to God? Do ALL romantic & sexual desires and relationships fit within God’s design? Before we ever get into specifics, we must start with God’s design for every romantic and sexual desire or relationship: Holines...

Does God have a purpose in singleness? If marriage is good, and I want to be married, why am I not? Singleness is obviously very common . Many people are single. Why is God’s design for those who are single?

What is God’s design for gender. Our biological sex is either male or female. But gender is not sex. Gender is an internal personality that externally expresses our sex. Gender has a myriad of expressions. But what does God say about it?

Paul’s gospel is intentionally organized to show that Jesus is God and that we can have life in him. In this gospel, we learn through the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus’s appearance to his disciples after his resurrection, that Jesus invites us to be a part of a Heavenly Potluck. He is the bread and will always provide for us. He also guides us to join with him in providing for those around us. He...

What is God’s design for gender? Or should we say, our sex? Either way, God cares, and He has a good design for us. What is it? 

The reason we believe we are here on this earth gives us the lens for how we interpret all of life. So what is God’s Design for our life? Who does He say we are? Why does He say we are here? 

Every Easter, as Christians we celebrate that Jesus is alive. But why does that matter? Has it become commonplace for us today? Why does the resurrection matter to us today?

We all believe in someone or something to tell us what is true, what is right, how to live our lives. What we believe to be our ultimate authority tells us how to live among and with others, how to identify, how to be a sexual being. What or who do you believe in to be your authority?

There is perhaps no more relevant, pressing, controversial, and challenging conversation than around our design as humans, our sexuality, our relationships. We want to spend the next several weeks asking what is God’s Design for us? But first, let’s talk about why we are talking about this, and how we will talk about this.

We grow up and we fall down, but God is leading the way showing us everything we need to learn.

As humans, we imitate who or what we like, appreciate, value. It is in our nature. Sure, we create some original things along the way. But we never really stop imitating either. Much of how we live flows downstream of who or what we imitate. John writes a short, but powerful letter to Gaius, encouraging him to continue imitating what is good, and not evil. For that which is good is from God.

2 John is a continuation of John’s theme of love. This letter focuses specifically and the protective love of God. This is, to love all, but protect the message of Christ as Savior from those whose aim is to derail the kingdom of God.

John’s aim for us is to know Jesus and the eternal life we have with Him. So often we waste all that Jesus came for us to have. We don’t live in the fullness of Him. May we know Him and live in the fullness of life!

We will all exist for eternity. The question is, will we enjoy eternal life, or eternal death? The testimony of God is that we can enjoy eternal life in Jesus. But why Jesus? How do we know we can trust Him? We’re glad you asked!

The perfect love of God is both perfecting love in us, and driving fear out of us. Fear has no place in the presence of love. In Jesus, we have nothing to fear, and are free to receive and give love as Jesus does.

God loves you. He has given his love to you and me without condition, and without end. But the purpose of God’s love is not to end on you and me. It is to be received, and then given back out. This is how the world will see and know God.

Let us be a people who love one another. But why? Because God is love and He has loved us by sending His Son Jesus that we might have life.

John is again talking about love, reminding us that love is more than just talk, but is action. As Christians, we are to actively love as Jesus loves.

As is true on any journey, there will always be obstacles, distractions, even objections to you reaching your goal. The same is true in our journey to have real, and increasing fellowship with God. We must stay the course. Which means we must keep our eyes on truth, and not be bumped off course by false messages and teachers.

In our pursuit of increasing fellowship with God, John instructs us to not love the world, or the things in it. Love for the world will pull us away from loving God, and thus hinder our fellowship with Him. Instead, love God, and do His will.