Paul tells us in Romans 3 that we were lost, helpless and hopeless apart from Christ, but now, through Christ, we have been found! No wonder they call the Gospel the "Good News!" Let's join Stephen again in this study to discover anew just how amazing God's grace really is.
Puppy love manifests itself in Valentine's Day cards, friendship rings, and nice dinners. Mature love manifests itself in 12-hour work days, hospital rooms, and nursing homes. One lasts for a moment; the other lasts for a lifetime.
What is it that captivates your interest? What is it that captures your emotions? According to the apostle Paul, the answer to this question will reveal whether or not you really love God.
When asked by His disciples how often they should forgive others, Christ answered, "seventy times seven." In this message Stephen shows us why living by this divine equation can save a broken marriage, a struggling church, and--more importantly--a dying world.
Uncommon courtesy; uncommon concern; uncommon control; these are all aspects of the most uncommon thing in the whole world: true love. Unlike other valuable possessions, true love is never hidden away in a safe or a lock-box or a vault. Instead it is constantly spending itself on others. Join Stephen in this message as he shows us why.
Paul has already described what true love is and now it is time for him to describe what true love isn't. In a word, true love is not 'pig-headed' . . . only people are.
Paul has been roaming around the city with a divine camera, secretly taking snapshots of 'true love' in action. Are there any pictures of you in his scrapbook?
What do you get when you subtract 1 from 7? 6 right? Well, not always. This simple equation may work in arithmetic but not in Christianity. God says that if you take good attributes such as faith, hope, prophecy, spiritual discernment, worship, mercy, and service, and subtract love from them, you end up with nothing. This is the divine equation and it always comes out the same: anything minus love equals zero.
Lyrics from a popular '60s song read, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love; it's the only thing that there's just too little of." To those who listen to the melody, this might be just a pretty love song. But to those who listen to the words, this is a cry of desperation. Join Stephen in this message as he shows us why there is so little love in the world today.
The judgment of God isn't an easy topic to discuss. Our sense of self-autonomy ignores it. Our sense of self-righteousness evades it. Our sense of self-worth condemns it. But the apostle Paul reminds his Athenian audience, and us, that the supremacy of God's grace is only understood through the severity of His justice.
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 12:1–8, Stephen Davey explains Solomon’s urgent call to “remember your Creator” while young, because ignoring God early in life leads to confusion in youth, misery in old age, and regret at death. Solomon describes aging with vivid imagery—failing eyesight, shaking hands, trembling legs, sleepless nights, fading voices, and diminishing desire—reminding listeners that physical strength inevitably declines. Davey emphasizes that these poetic pictures are not meant to discourage but to motivate believers to build a foundation of trust and obedience long before the hardships of aging arrive. Solomon then depicts death as sudden and certain, when the body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God for judgment. Davey concludes that life is fleeting, but remembering your Creator—walking with Him now—prepares you for every season of life and for the final awakening after death.
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.
