Have you ever had a 16 year-old for a child? They're tough to manage aren't they?! You don't want them wrecking the house but you also don't want them wrecking your car! It's a hard life. In 2 Chronicles 34 we come to an incredible story that is really very hard fo us to believe -- especially those of us with teenagers. A 16 year-old boy is on the throne in Jerusalem, and He is proving to be one of the godliest leaders Israel has ever seen. Let's join Stephen as he introduces us to this boy-wonder.
Stephen and Scott discuss questions phoned in by listeners. Please note that there is NO transcript available for this program. Due to recording issues, this program is a repeat of QA14, which aired in December of 2014.
There are many fascinating stories of prodigals in the Bible, but the story we find in 2 Chronicles is especially fascinating. Why? Because this prodigal is a King. What made him run away? Find out now.
In this message Hezekiah asks God to grant him a wish and God accepts. But what happens next in Hezekiah's life is a warning to all of us. If the moral of this story could be summed up in a single phrase, it would be this: be careful what you wish for!
When you get saved it doesn't mean your troubles will be end. It most likely means your troubles will begin! That's not a great sales pitch for following God, but understanding that helps us to not harbor unreasonable expectations. God never promised to keep us away from the Goliaths in our lives . . . but He did promise to give us strength in our stand against them.
A new king is seated on the throne in Judah. He comes from a line of men who gave no regard to God or His law. It looks to be the same old, same old. But is it possible for a man who grew up in a pagan home with unbelieving parents to love God? Is it possible that this King will finally turn the nation back to the Savior? It would be a surprising conversion, for sure . . . but God is full of surprises!
The most amazing thing about the Gospel isn't that God saves sinners . . . It's that He saves the worst sinners. Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. Is that you today?
If Barnabas had taken a personality test, he would probably have been tagged an ENFJ: Extroverted intuitive Feeling Judging. Stephen calls him a 'bridge builder.' He was there to give Saul the support he needed in his early Christian experience and helped set him on his way to spiritual greatness. In this message Stephen tells us that we can be a bridge builder, too.
God sent Ananias on a mission to find Saul -- the merciless persecutor of the Church. But Ananias didn't know that Saul was a changed man. He didn't know that instead of meeting a blood-thirsty, religious zealot he would meet a blind, humble, newborn Christian. Jesus had forgiven Saul for his crimes . . . would Ananias?
That God would save anyone is amazing, but that He would save someone like Paul is particularly remarkable. In fact, Paul's conversion might be the greatest reversal in human history. How God would change him from the Church's greatest persecutor to the Church's greatest preacher is a mystery that Paul never quite understood . But it's also a gift he never quite got over!
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 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.
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.
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.
