Jesus washed men's feet. He touched lepers. He ate with tax collectors. He walked from place to place without material possessions. He was the Lord over all, yet became a servant to all. Are you following His example?
All our possessions are made of matter, which God created. All our talents and strengths come from our DNA, which God designed. Everything that sustains us from food, to air, to relationships, is a gift from God. Are you living in light of that today?
The only thing more baffling than the pride of man is the humility of God. Philippians 2:5-8 is a passage we will spend all eternity wrapping our minds around.
Paul is under house arrest. He is isolated from his friends. Church leaders in Rome have abandoned him. Yet, strangely, he isn't longing for freedom or praying for comforts. His sole desire is to see the Church of God being unified in humility.
Has the Gospel lost its power in the world today? It seems like we're always hearing things on the news about the rise of Islam in the East or the rise of secularism in the West. It's almost as if the salt of the Gospel has lost its savor. But as Stephen reminds us in this sermon, the issue isn't whether the Gospel is still changing the world.
When Paul says in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, did you know that the Greek word he uses for 'power' in that passage is translated 'dynamite' in English?! Paul is saying that the Gospel isn't just power . . . its explosive power! And he watched it explode in the lives of thousands of men and women throughout his ministry. So if you're feeling weak or ineffective today in your own outreach, this is a message you don't want to miss.
What made Paul's ministry so unique? Was it the numerous adventures he endured such as shipwrecks, snakebites, and escapes from prison? Was it the many miracles he performed? Was it the varied visions and revelations he received directly from God? No. It was his passion for the Gospel that set him apart. To Paul, all these things were worthless compared to the incomparable value of knowing Christ. He never forgot that he was only a messenger . . .and he was carrying the most powerful message in the world.
Paul preached contentment in the midst of difficulty. He modeled the kind of faith that sees every obstacle as an opportunity. But he was also human. Like you and me, Paul had hopes and dreams that, at this point in his story, were unfulfilled. As we witness this great apostle deal openly with his most trying disappointment, Stephen helps us confront and deal with our own.
In his sermon on Romans 5:9–11, Stephen Davey explains that assurance is a perfect gift from God, giving believers safety, certainty, and enjoyment in their salvation. Paul teaches that Christians are saved from God’s wrath, saved by Christ’s death and resurrection, and saved for joyful worship and fellowship with God. Davey emphasizes that salvation is secure because it rests not on human effort but on Christ’s finished work and His ongoing intercession. Just as Christ’s death reconciled believers while they were enemies, His living presence guarantees their future salvation. Davey concludes that true assurance fuels joyful praise, confident obedience, and grateful living before the God who has redeemed and preserved His people.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey recounts how Katharina Luther’s courageous escape from a convent and marriage to Martin Luther helped reshape the church’s view of marriage during the Reformation. Transformed by the truth of justification by faith alone in Romans 1:17, she entered a union that modeled commitment over compatibility, humility over self-interest, and ministry partnership over isolation. Despite public slander, hardship, and relentless labor, Katharina managed their home, finances, hospitality, and farm, enabling Luther’s preaching and teaching ministry to flourish. Their marriage demonstrated that the home could serve as a living testimony of the gospel and an extension of ministry. Davey concludes that Katharina’s quiet perseverance and sacrificial faithfulness became a revolutionary legacy of light for generations to follow.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey recounts how God sustained William Cowper through lifelong battles with severe depression and despair while using him to leave a lasting legacy of gospel truth. Though Cowper repeatedly wrestled with feelings of abandonment and even attempted suicide, God anchored his soul in the doctrine of Christ’s propitiation, especially through Romans 3:24–25. Davey explains that Cowper’s suffering did not signal God’s rejection but became the soil from which some of the church’s richest hymns of grace were written. Through faithful friends, Scripture, service, and God’s providence, Cowper continued to testify of salvation by grace alone. Davey concludes that powerful faith does not eliminate suffering, but it carries believers safely through it, proving that God’s mercy shines brightest in the darkest valleys.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey traces how God used Hudson Taylor’s deep trust in the finished work of Christ to shape a life of radical faith, humility, and endurance. Converted as a teenager through meditating on Jesus’ words “It is finished,” Taylor learned early to rely on God alone for provision, direction, and strength. Davey highlights Taylor’s willingness to suffer loss, poverty, misunderstanding, and criticism in order to reach China’s interior with the gospel. By identifying with Chinese culture and trusting God through relentless trials, Taylor helped establish hundreds of mission stations and the China Inland Mission, which transformed an entire nation for Christ. Davey concludes that Taylor’s enduring legacy was not strategy or success, but childlike faith in an illustrious Master who accomplishes His work through willing, surrendered servants.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey traces how God used Amy Carmichael’s strong will, suffering, and obedience to build a lasting legacy of eternal impact. From childhood determination to missionary service in India, Amy chose costly sacrifice over comfort, guided by her life verse about building with gold, silver, and precious stones. God redirected her ministry to rescue children trapped in temple prostitution, leading her to found the Dohnavur Fellowship, where hundreds of children found physical safety and spiritual life. Though misunderstood, criticized, and bedridden for her final twenty years, Amy continued to serve through writing and prayer. Davey concludes that God values the quality of faithful obedience over public success, and a life surrendered to Christ will shine long after it ends.
