As Jesus continues holding court in the Temple during His final week on earth, He has humiliated the religious leaders yet again, calling them out for rejecting the prophets. And so, the Pharisees and the Herodians join forces to challenge Jesus with perhaps the toughest question He was ever asked during His earthly ministry. And Jesus' response not only gives us several practical principles to apply today, it is one of the most profound political statements in human history.
After Jesus finished clearing the immoral commercialism and greed taking place in the Temple, He sat down to teach. A crowd formed quickly to hear what He had to say, and so did the religious leaders, who wanted to challenge Him with questions. Jesus was ready for their challenge, and had a question, a story, and a prophecy of His own. The point of Jesus' teaching still resonates with us today.
As Jesus enters Jerusalem for the final time, He understands the significance of this moment in the context of biblical prophecy. He knows that the prophet Daniel had been pointing to that very day as the moment when the Messiah would arrive. Yet the Jewish religious leaders offered Jesus no fanfare; it seemed like no one was looking for the Messiah at that moment. And so, Jesus wept. And the question for us today is, Will Jesus celebrate or weep over our eternal fate?
As we enter the final week of Jesus' life, Stephen Davey sets the foundation for this particular part of our study by laying out a timeline for the Passion Week that is sure to surprise and challenge you. We then focus in specifically on Palm Sunday, using three scenes that reveal the two different responses people had to Jesus during His earthly ministry. These are the same two responses people have today; make sure your response is one of acceptance and not refusal.
What epitaph would you have inscribed on the Apostle Paul's tombstone? What words can suffice to sum up a life so wholly spent on bringing glory to Jesus Christ?
Paul's main desire in life was to reach Gentiles for Christ. He endured hardships, stonings, shipwrecks, and other setbacks just to preach the gospel on Rome. What's holding you back from reaching your neighbors and friends?
Everyone needs the Lord. And no one is beyond saving. From an evil dictator to your annoying next-door neighbor . . . are you praying for your enemies?
There is something incredibly moving about the faithful testimony of someone who is in the process of being shipwrecked. When faith is shaken and rocked, that's when it is most definitely proven.
The deception of being religious is that it can cause you to believe you are right with God when you really aren't. It can give you the appearance of godliness without giving you a genuine relationship with God.
The proverb of today's culture is, Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after! But postponing discipleship is not a good idea. Seek God today when He can be found. Tomorrow might be too late.
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.
