Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin

In Romans 11, Paul wraps up his counter-argument to the concern that maybe the resistance of Israel to the gospel is proof that the gospel isn't the power of God for salvation. Already, he has demonstrated that just being a physical descendant of Abraham isn't enough and that God had always intended for the gospel to go to the gentiles and that God can even use a temporary hardening of Israel for his own purposes. But now, he tells us that the story of Israel isn't over yet. At various times in their history, it looked like Israel was abandoned and forgotten but God was always faithful to rescue and redeem—and that will happen again! This is more than a chapter about Israel. This is a promise that we ourselves need to claim when our friends and family seem far from God or when we can't understand what God is doing in our lives: the story isn't over yet!

Guest Preacher Rev. Chris Fisher delivers a sermon over Romans 9

Reformed Christians are known for their love of deep Bible study, mining the riches of God's Word. There is no mine deeper than Romans 9-11, the section of the letter we are now entering. But we must also be careful not to miss the forest for the trees. Paul isn't writing a systematic theology designed to answer all our theological questions. He is a pastor, writing to a church about the power of God's gospel. And like any good pastor, Paul anticipates an objection—a concern: if the gospel is the power of God for salvation, then what happened to God's ancient people Israel? Did the gospel not work for them? Has God failed? Suddenly, the deep theological questions become intensely personal: can God be trusted? Are his promises sure? Will the gospel work for me? Join us this Sunday as we begin our study of Romans 9-11.

Amidst the weight of suffering, we are all prone to believe lies that plague our souls and pull us away from the grace and glory of God. This Sunday we will explore three lies that Romans 8 directly counters, so that we might know the truth of God's love for us, be full of the joy of Christ, and walk in the glory of God's grace.

This Sunday, we taking a short break from our sermon series in the book of Romans to celebrate our life together as a church. As part of our fall ministry launch, we'll consider the Apostle Peter's list of gifts that build up the body of Christ and glorify God. As those who have been loved to life by the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given gifts to bless the world and those around us. Let's celebrate together what the Lord is doing in our midst and encourage one another in our service.

As Christians, we have much to learn from criminals as we are all guilty before God of breaking his law. As a result, we face three challenges: the condemnation of the law, the corruption of our past lifestyles, and the relational alienation that comes from sin. Yet God, in his mercy, has given us his spirit that liberates us from condemnation (8:1), enables us to live Spirit-led lives (8:5-11), and assures us of our adoption and union with Christ (8:12-16), that we might share the glory of Christ and abide in eternal fellowship with him (8:17). This Sunday we will explore the spirit's work in salvation and celebrate the freedom we have in Christ to love, know and worship our Redeemer and King.

Romans 7 is one of those chapters that will either make or break your Christian life. Depending on your interpretation, it is either an extremely encouraging chapter because you can see your own life mirrored in the life of the Apostle Paul or it is a discouraging chapter that leads you to question whether you have been saved at all. In some of the most personal language he uses in his letters, Paul describes the normal Christian life. It's not always pretty or victorious, but it is always centered on the person and work of Jesus for us.

At the end of Romans 5, Paul said something that probably infuriated his Jewish readers and confounds religious people to this day: where sin increases, grace abounds all the more. Many people think the main benefit of religion (any religion) is to make bad people better, but Paul says Christianity is ultimately about bad people getting what they don't deserve: grace! So, now in chapter 6, Paul addresses two potential points of confusion. As we saw last week, he first addressed the absurd conclusion that some people had about his teaching about grace and the gospel. This week, we're continuing his argument with a second point of potential confusion: that without the law, believers will inevitably lead sinful lives. Paul answers that objection by saying there are only two ways to live and we must choose which master will determine the course of our lives.

As humans, we cannot help but make excuses for ourselves. After all, we're only human, right? This Sunday we will examine the first of two excuses Paul addresses in Romans 6: “Should we sin so that grace may abound all the more?” The immediate answer is absolutely not, but the reason Paul provides is far deeper than we would expect: if you're making excuses for sin, you have forgotten your union in Christ. This Sunday we will explore three pictures Paul uses to describe our union with Christ as we remember and savor our identity in him.

In this profound passage, the Apostle Paul answers one of life's most important questions: What is wrong with us and the world we live in? Paul's answer is both sobering and hopeful. Our problem is found in Adam, but our solution is found in Jesus Christ. Join us as we consider our miserable condition in Adam and the superabundant grace that is ours through union with Christ.

Does God's justification of sinners make any practical difference to daily life? Is it simply a doctrine to be believed or is it a doctrine that makes a difference—both to our status and in our experience of God? This week, we turn to the first half of Romans 5 and see the difference justification makes. In some of the most joy-filled verses of Paul's letter, he lays out several ways that justification matters in the life of a Christian today, demonstrating that sound doctrine makes a difference in real life.

This week we continue our series in the book of Romans and examine Paul's discussion of Abraham's faith. For any group, the values of our forebears informs our collective identity. Paul targets Abraham's faith (Gen. 15:6), as the example of justification, to remind the church at Rome that justification by faith is not a new idea; rather, it has been the foundation of salvation from the earliest stages of the Lord's salvific ministry. In focusing on verses 17-25, we will examine the nature of Abraham's faith, and seek to understand how justification by faith functions throughout the covenant of grace.

The power of the Apostle Paul's rhetoric and logic is on clear display in the second half of Romans 3. After definitively proving that all humanity is unrighteous, under sin, and subject to God's wrath, he turns the tables and announces the good news: righteousness can only come through faith in Jesus Christ! With this set of verses, he concludes his long and devastating indictment of Jews and Gentiles alike. And with this set of verses, he begins what Martin Luther called, "the chief point, and the very central place of the epistle, and of the whole Bible.” Join us this Sunday in our continuing study of Paul's epistle to the Romans.

After showing the Gentiles their need for God's righteousness, Paul turns to his fellow Jews. Because the Jews were boasting in their outward conformity to God's will, Paul reminds them of their failure to obey the law and corrects their misunderstanding about circumcision. Paul wants the Jews to recognize they need God's righteousness just like the Gentiles. Although Paul's critiques target first-century Jews in this passage, we must recognize that we too are prone to boast in outward conformity to God's will without inward obedience. But, as we will see, our hope is not in what we do, but in what God has done for us.

Paul's great thesis in this letter is found in Romans 1:16-17. He confidently declares that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed and by that same gospel, the righteous shall live by faith. But who are the righteous? Last week, we saw how all of us are guilty of the various sins against which God's wrath is being and will be revealed. In this week's text, we are confronted with a confusing and potentially contradictory underlying theological principle: God judges according to works and on the last day, we shall all (both Jews and Gentiles) give an account to God of our works: blessings for those who have kept the law and curses for those who have violated it. How do these two great truths go together? How can salvation be by faith and by works? The ascent up Mount Romans is steep this week but the vista is worth the effort!

On June 26, 2003, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that criminalized same-sex intimacy. That decision set the stage for another decision 12 years later that legalized gay marriage. These legal decisions merely codified what a majority of Americans still today accept and celebrate. But at the end of Romans 1, Paul uses same sex intimacy as an example of the whole hearted rebellion against God that takes root in the human heart. Christians may be tempted to stand in judgment of people that sin differently than we do. In our text this week, Paul doesn't stop with same sex sin, he also includes sins with which many of us are familiar; he even includes a sin that he will later identify in the epistle as his primary sin struggle. Join us this week as we explore the nature of sin: we need to understand the bad news in order to glory in the good news of the gospel.

This week, we begin a new sermon series in Paul's epistle to the Romans. He's writing to a church he's never visited but his letter will become one of the most important books in the New Testament, helping us understand early Christian doctrine, conflict between Jews and Gentiles, and the life that God calls us to lead as his disciples. We'll begin with a discussion of Paul's understanding of the gospel, righteousness, and faith. These foundational terms are necessary to understand for the rest of the letter to make any sense. As we begin grappling with the important ideas Paul shares, we will be changed and shaped more and more by the power of God.

In the church calendar the first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday, a day set aside to remember and reflect upon the nature and character of God. This Sunday we will explore the privilege of knowing God as a tri-une being, and discuss three implications of God's nature for his followers today.

Message from Rev. Titus Bagby on May 24, 2026

As we conclude our celebration of Easter, we turn our attention to the ascension of Christ to the Father's right hand in glory. Our text this Sundays tells us that Jesus, as the victorious King who is enthroned in power and majesty, gives gifts to his church. What are the gifts? The better question is, who are the gifts and why does our King give them to us? When we grasp that, we'll better understand Jesus' heart for his church and the purpose each one of us is given as members of Christ's body.

When we confess our belief using the Apostles' Creed, we say we believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Is that reality purely future? Or is it closer than we think? This Sunday, we'll hear from the Apostle Paul about resurrection in the present tense from 1 Corinthians 15: what does it look like for us to live “in Christ,” the one who was dead but now is alive and at work renewing all things?

Every soldier or statesman knows that after a hard fought victory, the real work begins. Whether you are rebuilding a nation after war or forming a more perfect union, the battle gives way to construction. What is God constructing after his victorious battle against sin and death? What does the new creation look like? The first step in any rebuilding process is to lay a cornerstone. Join us this Sunday as we see how Jesus is the cornerstone of the new creation—a work that includes even you and me.

Message from Rev. Danny Morgan on April 26, 2026

As we continue our celebration of Easter, we turn to the well-known story of Jesus' appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Along the way, Jesus leads them through a survey of the Old Testament showing how all of Scripture points to him! By the end of the journey, the disciples have been moved from sadness to joy. This Sunday, we'll listen in on the greatest small group Bible study ever, praying that God will also teach us and encourage our hearts with the story of Jesus' suffering and glory.

What happened to the disciples after Jesus was raised from the dead? We continue the story of the first Easter this week and find the disciples hiding in a locked room, afraid—afraid of the Jews but even more unsettled by the news of Jesus' resurrection. The disciples' reaction (especially Thomas's reaction) is illustrative for you and me: what will it take for us to believe God's promises, to trust God's Word, to follow Jesus as his disciples? Join us this week as we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

This Sunday is Easter and we will finally conclude our study in the Gospel of Mark with Mark's account of the Resurrection of our Lord. We began our study on January 8, 2023, and have returned to it each spring. I trust that these four years of study about the life and work of Jesus have not just informed your mind but have also enlarged your heart, helping you worship and follow Jesus as his disciple. In our last sermon of the series, we'll see that the earliest disciples found faith as hard as we sometimes do. But Jesus went before them, preparing them for their sacred calling to be his witnesses to the world. He goes before you and me too, preparing us for the callings on our life that we will fulfill until he comes again to restore all things.

In the church calendar, today is both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, a day where we remember both Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his redeeming suffering on the cross. The tension between these two images of Jesus—hailed as King by the crowds but mocked as King by Pilate and others—is instructive for us. It makes us confront our own expectations of King Jesus: what does he look like? What does his kingdom look like?

The pace of Mark's storytelling—already fast compared to the other Gospel writers—spicing up. Jesus is taken from the Garden of Gethsemane to the home of the High Priest for a hasty trial before the Jewish religious leaders. Peter, meanwhile, has followed at a distance and is trapped by accusations that he was one of Jesus' disciples. Both Jesus and Peter undergo a trial of sorts, both are condemned, but only one is innocent. Join us this Sunday as we study Mark 14:53-72 and draw closer and closer to the cross.

In January 2020, a small group from Redeemer visited Israel. One of the most moving places for me to visit was the Garden of Gethsemane. The area lies at the foot of the Mount of Olives. You can look across a small valley to the ancient city of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount is clearly visible. It was there on the night before Jesus died that his disciples heard something extraordinary: they heard Jesus ask to be relieved of his divine mission. I say they heard because it was customary then to pray out loud. The reports of Jesus' prayer that are passed down to us in the Gospels are eye witness accounts. Peter, Andrew, and John heard Jesus wrestling with God in the face of impending doom. This week, we traverse that same holy ground and wrestle ourselves with Jesus' agony in the face of great trial. As we do, we are brought to our knees in wonder and love for a Savior who knowingly drank the cup of God's wrath for us.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he established the Lord's Supper (communion) as a sign of the New Covenant for his people. He intended his church to celebrate this meal until he partakes of it with us after his return. This Sunday we will explore our theology of the table, focusing on its background, the nature of its gift, and the calling of its participants.

It's important to remember that the Gospels are both the inerrant word of God and a carefully constructed narrative full of dramatic contrasts. Nowhere is this more evident than in Mark 14 and the contrast between Judas the disciple and Mary the sister of Jesus' friend Lazarus. They are both totally devoted to…different things! This sermon we'll explore the differences between them, the difference it makes to their relationship with Jesus, and the example each are to us as Jesus' disciples today.

Our text this Sunday, Mark 13 (and the parallel texts in Matthew 24 and Luke 21), is among some of the most difficult to understand in the Bible. Jesus appears to mix predictions of things that would occur during the lifetime of the disciples with things that would only occur at the very end of human history. Although we won't have time to unravel all of the exegetical complexities of Mark 13 this week, we should be able to know and understand enough to stay awake, to be ready for our Lord's Second Coming, and to live lives of faithful expectation.

We return to the book of Mark and conclude Mark 12- where Jesus's authority has been systematically challenged by the leaders of this day. In doing so, we will see how from v. 28-44, Jesus is shown to be the Lord of the law, the Confounder of the Wise and the Judge of True Virtue.

Message from Rev. Dr. Richard Lints on February 8, 2026

For the prominence of its place in Christian theology, heaven remains a mystery. Glimpses of it can be mined in the Scripture. Our songs are filled with longings for it. We confess our belief in it. But what it actually is and what it will be like are frustratingly elusive. It's especially hard when death intrudes. Whether we bury a loved one too early or whether we finally succumb to the ravages of old age, we want to know what lies on the other side of the final breath. This week, Jesus takes on yet another delegation of Jewish religious leaders asking disingenuous questions designed to frustrate and humiliate him. But his answer gives us some of the clearest and most hopeful information we have about the next life and our being known in it.

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Many of us are familiar with these words from Mark 12. They are one of the few places in the New Testament where Jesus or the apostles directly speak to political matters. Together, these passages provide Christians with the beginning of a political theology to help guide our understanding of life between Jesus' Resurrection and his Second Coming. But not everyone agrees about the details! This Sunday, we'll lay a foundation for understanding our relationship to human government, while also pointing ourselves forward to the day when King Jesus will rule and reign directly over all.

Message from Rev. Danny Morgan on January 18, 2026

This week, we return (for the final time, Lord willing) to our annual springtime study of the Gospel of Mark. Since 2023, we have spent most weeks of the Epiphany and Lenten seasons studying the person and work of Jesus Christ as reported by Mark. This year, we'll focus on Jesus' last week of ministry: between his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and his Resurrection. To start things off, we join Jesus the day after his Triumphal Entry. He is going back to the Temple to clean house but along the way he curses a fig tree. What is the connection between an out of season fig tree, a disordered Temple, and you and me?

Have you heard this joke? “My New Year's resolution is to stop making New Year's resolutions!” I feel that; I don't think I've ever faithfully kept a New Year's resolution. But 2026 may be different, it should be different, and it can be different if we resolve to remember what Paul tells us is true about us in Ephesians 1. Before we resolve to do anything, let's resolve to remember what God has done for us. And may that knowledge lead to joy, comfort, and assurance that will last not just one year but for all our years.

As we begin the Christmas season and conclude 2025, we remember the way of the manger- where Christ in his glory, willingly enters into the humble form of a baby. The way of the manger reminds us that despite the successes and abilities given us by the LORD, the way of weakness is the way of strength. Paul reminds us of these truths as he boasted of his weakness, inviting both the Corinthian church and our church today to reflect upon the true nature of strength- that when we are weak, we are strong, and when we are strong in our own minds, we are actually weak. This Sunday we will explore these truths in light of Paul's words, the incarnation, and the work of Christ in us today as we consider practicing the way of the manger this coming year.

Message from Rev. Danny Morgan on December 21, 2025

The world is filled with the sound of Christmas. Our friends and neighbors are likely to hear the gospel message in the carols and hymns that fight for space between the silly songs that cloud our airwaves. They may even hum or sing along to words they don't completely understand. In a sense, they are following the command of Psalm 146:1, “Praise the Lord!” But how do we move from ignorant praise to real trust in the God that does more than we can ask or think, whose reign is forever? This Sunday, we'll consider the role Jesus played—and will play again—in the restoration of all things, even you and me.

When times are tough some leaders try to mask the difficulties by filling the air with hype—unrealistic expectations of future success, joy and exuberance disconnected from real life, excitement meant to dull the senses. Much of our modern celebration of Christmas unfortunately plays into this hype. But hype can't be sustained, eventually is wears thin and falls short, leaving us in an even worse place than before. This second week of Advent, we turn away from the hype of our culture toward the hope of the Gospel message that was first preached to Israel in the Old Testament. Join us this Sunday as we look at Romans 15 and Paul's confidence that you and I can abound in hope.