Esther thinks she has it made. No one knows her real identity; she has servants at her beck and call; she is the favored wife of the king. But just when it seems like the world is at her fingertips, something unexpected happens that threatens to end it all. Listen to "Defining Moments" to discover what it is.
Have you ever been afraid to tell someone you were a Christian? Has the fear of losing that friend or that job or that credibility ever outweighed your desire to identify with Christ? In this message we'll watch as Mordecai is faced with a similar crisis of faith. How will he respond? Join pastor and author Stephen Davey now to find out.
Have you ever been afraid to tell someone you were a Christian? Has the fear of losing that friend or that job or that credibility ever outweighed your desire to identify with Christ? In this message we'll watch as Mordecai is faced with a similar crisis of faith. How will he respond? Join pastor and author Stephen Davey now to find out.
Esther is the epitome of a prodigal saint. She abandons God to compete for the fleeting pleasures of fame and fortune . . . and she wins, too. But in this message "The Contest and the Crown," Stephen reminds us what she loses in the process.
On the surface, Esther's life is a real Cinderella story. But as Stephen takes us behind the trappings of her new-found royalty, we'll discover that things aren't nearly as good as they seem. Join him now his message "The Curtain Rises" to discover what's really been going on behind the scenes.
Sometimes when we make heroes out of the human characters in biblical stories, we forget who the real hero of the Bible is. So before we even get past the introduction of this study of Esther, Stephen makes sure we have our eyes focused laterally rather than horizontally. As we'll discover in today's message, the real King of Persia isn't seated in the palace . . . He's seated just above the royal throne.
Everything about the Old Testament temple hailed God's holiness. The sacrifices. The lampstands. The priestly attire. The incense. Everything was set apart for His glory. So what about you?
In Extravagant Grace, Part 3 (Philippians 4:6–7), Stephen Davey teaches believers how to conquer anxiety through prayer and trust in God. He compares worry to a deadly anaconda that strangles faith, urging Christians to “be anxious for nothing.” Instead of allowing fear to consume them, they are to replace worry with prayer—bringing every concern to God with gratitude. Davey explains that worry pulls believers apart, while thankful prayer realigns their hearts toward God’s power and presence. The result is a supernatural peace that “guards hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,” a peace flowing directly from God’s own character. This peace doesn’t come from understanding circumstances but from trusting the God who controls them all. Through continual, thankful prayer, believers display the extravagant grace of God by living free from fear and full of peace.
In Extravagant Grace, Part 2 (Philippians 4:4–5), Stephen Davey teaches that believers are called to display grace in a disappointed and self-centered world through two qualities—a resolution to be joyful and a reputation for gentleness. Joy, he explains, is not dependent on circumstances but flows from the Holy Spirit, the gospel, and trust in God’s sovereignty—even in suffering. Gentleness, often misunderstood as weakness, is strength under control—a willingness to yield, be courteous, and respond to hostility with grace. Using vivid examples from history, culture, and personal experience, Davey challenges believers to demonstrate joy and gentleness as living testimonies of Christ’s presence. Because “the Lord is near,” Christians can embody supernatural calm and kindness, showing a frustrated world the reality of God’s transforming grace.
In his sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:1–14, Stephen Davey explains how Solomon shifts from raising life’s troubling questions to offering God-given wisdom for living well. Davey highlights four truths Solomon teaches: contemplate your mortality, because facing death cultivates serious thinking and a life of purpose rather than pretense; choose wise companions, since the rebuke of the godly is far more valuable than the shallow laughter of fools; cultivate godly character, resisting the pull of anger, corruption, impatience, and nostalgic fantasies about “the good old days”; and consider your Creator with humility, recognizing that God ordains both prosperity and adversity, the straight paths and the crooked ones, to deepen trust in Him. Davey concludes that Solomon’s inspired counsel urges believers to live with sober perspective, intentional relationships, steadfast integrity, and humble dependence on the God who shapes every season of life.
Stephen Davey’s sermon “Reconcilable Differences” (Philippians 4:2–3) explains that real church and family life are messy, which is exactly where extravagant grace must be practiced. Using humorous and honest stories, he shows that grace is more than a doctrine we receive from God—it’s a costly, deliberate way of stooping low in attitude and action toward difficult people. Paul’s appeal to Euodia and Syntyche models gracious confrontation: he names them, refuses to take sides, reminds them of their shared labor in the gospel, and urges them to “live in harmony in the Lord,” enlisting a trusted “true companion” to help them reconcile. Stephen Davey draws out principles that disagreements are inevitable, even mature believers don’t always disagree agreeably, and small conflicts—if unchecked—can damage an entire church. Instead of taking sides, spiritually mature believers should step in to untangle issues and protect the unity of the body, remembering that everyone’s name is written in the book of life. He concludes with the example of a Christian bus driver whose daily, practical kindness creates a community of grace, urging believers to let that same grace characterize their relationships in the church.
In Father Abraham, Part I (Romans 4:1–3), Stephen Davey introduces Abraham as Paul’s prime example of justification by faith, not works. He explains that Abraham lived 2,000 years before Paul, proving that salvation by faith is not new but has always been God’s plan. Abraham, the forefather of Israel and “friend of God,” was revered for righteousness, yet Scripture reveals his flaws—fear, deceit, and unbelief—showing that his justification came by faith alone. Davey warns against relying on human reasoning or cultural religion, urging believers to ask, “What does the Bible say?” Like Abraham, sinners are declared righteous not by merit but by trusting God’s promise of redemption through Christ. God credited righteousness to Abraham’s account by grace, illustrating the same salvation available to every believer today.
