Uncommonly Rare … Undeniably Real
In this message, Stephen Davey highlights three uncommon expressions of true love that are as rare and precious as a Double Eagle coin: uncommon courtesy, uncommon concern, and uncommon control. Paul writes that love “does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked.” Davey explains that uncommon courtesy means love behaves with tact, purity, and consideration—never rude or insensitive. In a culture (and church) often marked by selfishness and indecency, believers are called to treat others with Christlike grace and politeness. Uncommon concern reflects love that does not insist on its own way. True love pursues the good of others rather than personal comfort or advantage. Davey contrasts selfishness—the world’s natural law—with the supernatural humility of Christ, who modeled self-sacrifice for others. Finally, uncommon control shows that love refuses to be provoked or easily angered. Instead of reacting with irritation or retaliation, it remains steady under insult and inconvenience. This kind of restraint is not mere self-control but Spirit-control—the evidence of being mastered by Christ. True love, Davey concludes, is not theoretical—it’s practiced daily through courtesy, concern, and control. Though rare, it is the undeniable mark of those who reflect the heart of Christ in a selfish world.
Refusing to be Pig-headed People
In this sermon, Stephen Davey explores Paul’s teaching on what love does not do, describing three negative qualities that true love rejects—envy, boasting, and arrogance. Davey begins with a humorous origin of the term “pig-headed,” comparing it to the prideful and self-centered attitude Paul warns against. He explains that jealousy—wanting what others have or resenting their blessings—is destructive and rooted in discontentment with God’s provision. Boasting, he says, is the opposite extreme, where a person parades their achievements to elevate themselves above others. And arrogance—an inflated sense of superiority—blinds people to truth and holiness, as seen in the Corinthians’ tolerance of sin. Davey calls believers to reject these “pig-headed” attitudes and instead practice humility, contentment, and gratitude—the true expressions of agape love. He reminds the church that God opposes pride but uses those who become “nothing” before Him, like missionary William Carey, whose humility magnified God’s greatness. True love, Davey concludes, refuses to compete, boast, or exalt self; it chooses to serve others with surrendered humility to Christ.
Surprised by the Appearances of Love
In this message, Stephen Davey begins Paul’s description of true love, emphasizing that love is not merely a feeling but an action—fifteen present-tense verbs that describe what love does and does not do. The first two—“love is patient” and “love is kind”—are surprising because they describe love at work in difficult circumstances and with difficult people. Love exercises patience (makrothumeō), meaning it has a long fuse and endures wrongs without retaliation. It’s not about patience with things, but with people—especially the irritating, disappointing, or unloving. Davey contrasts worldly sayings like “Don’t get mad—get even” with Christ’s command to endure suffering without revenge. True patience reflects divine strength—the fruit of the Spirit that bears long with others, as God does with us. Love demonstrates kindness, the active counterpart to patience. It not only endures injury but responds to it with generosity and grace. Paul’s command to “heap coals of fire” on one’s enemy means to show such kindness that it rekindles warmth in cold hearts. Kindness is not passive tolerance—it’s practical, sacrificial goodness, even toward enemies. Davey concludes that patience and kindness cannot exist apart from the Holy Spirit or apart from suffering. Each requires difficult people and hard circumstances to develop. Love, therefore, is not about pleasant emotion but costly obedience—Godlike behavior that surprises the world with undeserved patience and unexpected kindness.
7-1=0
In this continuation of Paul’s teaching on love, Stephen Davey exposes how even the most impressive spiritual gifts and acts of service are worthless without genuine, Christlike love (agape). The Corinthian believers, once enslaved to selfish passions, were now bringing their self-centered habits into the church—seeking attention, power, and recognition. Paul dismantles their pride through “divine mathematics”: seven spiritual achievements minus love equals zero (7–1=0). Eloquence, knowledge, prophecy, faith, generosity, and even martyrdom—all are empty if not motivated by love. True love, unlike the world’s versions of affection (storge), friendship (philia), or passion (eros), is selfless, sacrificial, and steadfast. It serves rather than seeks, gives rather than gains. The lesson concludes with a challenge for believers to measure every word, deed, and offering by the standard of love, for only what is done in love carries eternal value.
Will True Love Please Stand Up
In this lesson introducing 1 Corinthians 13, Stephen Davey contrasts the moral corruption of Corinth with the radical call of Christian love. The city, saturated with immorality and self-indulgence, mirrors modern culture’s confusion about love. Paul’s message to believers living in such a world was that faith without love amounts to nothing—“you accomplish nothing, you are nothing, and you profit nothing.” The sermon explains that the Corinthians, once enslaved to sin, were now called to practice holiness through persistent, daily obedience. Davey explores four Greek words for love—storge (natural affection), philia (friendship), eros (sensual desire), and agape (selfless, willful devotion)—emphasizing that only agape captures the essence of God’s love. This divine love seeks the good of others regardless of attraction, worthiness, or return. The world’s counterfeit loves are fleeting and self-serving, but true love—agape—is enduring, sacrificial, and God-centered. Paul’s call in 1 Corinthians 13 is a challenge for believers to practice this kind of love continually, reflecting Christ in a loveless world.
The Other Side of the Gospel
In this final message of Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill (Acts 17:30–34), he presents the sobering side of the gospel: the coming judgment of God. After revealing the Creator’s power and sovereignty, Paul declares that this same God commands all people everywhere to repent because a fixed day of judgment is coming. That judgment will be executed by the risen Christ, the appointed Judge of all humanity. Paul explains that God’s patience in the past was mercy, not indifference, and that His justice will one day be displayed in full righteousness. The reactions mirror every generation—some ridiculed the message, others procrastinated, and a few believed and were saved, including Dionysius and Damaris. The lesson challenges believers to proclaim the whole gospel—not only God’s love and grace, but also His holiness and wrath—knowing that eternity hangs in the balance. God’s mercy delays judgment, but His justice guarantees it, and only those who turn to Christ in faith will escape eternal separation from Him.
Adam and Eve - For Real!
In this message from Acts 17:25–29, Paul proclaims to the Athenians that God is both the Creator of humanity and the Controller of history. Humanity did not evolve from lower life forms but was created from “one man,” Adam, through whom every nation descends. Rejecting evolutionary and theistic reinterpretations, the lesson defends a literal Adam and Eve as essential to understanding sin, redemption, and the gospel—since through Adam’s fall came sin and through Christ, the “last Adam,” comes salvation. Paul’s teaching directly confronts human pride, cultural superiority, and the illusion of human self-sufficiency, declaring that all people share one Creator, one ancestry, and one need for redemption. Furthermore, God not only made all nations but also determined their times and boundaries, showing His complete sovereignty over history. Humanity’s purpose is not to define God through reason or science but to seek and worship Him, for He alone reveals life’s true meaning.
In The Beginning
In this lesson from Acts 17:24, Paul introduces the Athenians to the “Unknown God” by proclaiming Him as the Creator of all things. Using vivid illustrations like Mount Rushmore and the complexity of DNA, the message demonstrates that design demands a Designer—intention, planning, and forethought cannot come from chance or time. History’s greatest minds, from Copernicus to Newton, recognized divine order in creation, and Paul echoes this truth: the cosmos reveals a Sovereign Creator who needs nothing from humanity because He made everything for us. The lesson contrasts the futility of evolutionary explanations with the majesty of divine creation, reminding believers that every discovery points back to God’s wisdom and artistry. It concludes with a call to worship—the same God who holds galaxies in motion also holds our lives in His hands, guiding them according to His perfect plan and design.
Setting Aside Superstition
In this lesson, Paul addresses the Athenians at the Areopagus, a city overflowing with idols, temples, and anxious superstition. Though outwardly religious and intellectually curious, Athens was inwardly insecure, trying to cover every possibility—even building altars to an “Unknown God.” Paul uses this as a brilliant starting point, not to mock them but to respectfully affirm their devotion while revealing the truth they lacked. He declares that the God they worship in ignorance is in fact the Creator of all things, sovereign over life and death, and not another idol made by human hands. Superstition, whether ancient or modern, reflects humanity’s longing for the supernatural but also its confusion apart from God’s Word. Paul redirects their searching hearts toward the one true God, who has revealed Himself fully through Jesus Christ. The lesson reminds believers today to gently yet boldly replace cultural superstition and spiritual anxiety with the clarity of the gospel, pointing people from the unknown to the One who can be known.
Divine Appointments
In this lesson from Acts 17:16–21, Paul arrives in Athens, a city overflowing with idols, philosophy, and intellectual pride. Surrounded by temples and statues, Paul’s spirit is stirred—not only by the people’s religious hunger but also by their emptiness. Instead of shrinking back, he sees this as a divine opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Athens was both intuitively religious—crammed with gods of every kind—and intellectually curious, eager to debate new ideas without necessarily embracing them. Paul engaged Jews in the synagogue and philosophers in the marketplace, boldly presenting Jesus and the resurrection. The Epicureans dismissed life as meaningless pursuit of pleasure, while the Stoics pursued apathetic detachment; both worldviews mirror philosophies still alive today. Yet Paul revealed a radically different message: a God who loves, sacrifices, and raises the dead. This moment, leading him to the Areopagus on Mars Hill, was no accident—it was a divine appointment orchestrated by God. The lesson challenges believers to see their everyday encounters as God-arranged opportunities to introduce others to the living Christ.