If we know Jesus Christ by faith and are growing in our understanding of who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing, we cannot help but humbly acknowledge that He must increase and we must decrease. John the Baptist provides us a wonderful example of such humility.
The moving force behind Jesus' coming into the world was God's love for the world. Ultimately, Jesus demonstrated that love by dying as the Substitute for sinners, but He also displayed it by taking time to carefully explain the way of salvation to individuals like Nicodemus.
Jesus is not the one-dimensional preacher of love and peace many people like to envision. Yes, He is loving and compassionate, but He is also angered by evil because He is holy and ultimately concerned about the truth. That concern is evident in this study in the Gospel of John.
Christlike ministry is directed by God and His Word and involves co-laborers in communicating the gospel message. This is the pattern of Jesus' earthly ministry from the very beginning.
There is no fast and easy route to serving the Lord. Every experience, every day, is preparing us to follow and serve God tomorrow. The challenges and even the temptations are God's means of teaching us, strengthening us, and preparing us. This is the path Jesus Himself followed.
Meeting religious expectations and observing spiritual rites cannot substitute for a personal relationship with the Lord. This is John the Baptist's message. Unless there is true confession of sin and evidence of genuine repentance, you simply do not know God.
Jesus Christ is not only Lord and Savior. He is also our perfect example. He is our model for how to relate to God and to people. The twelve-year-old Jesus offers some relationship lessons for both adults and children.
The plan of God was to announce in Israel and elsewhere the birth of the King of the Jews and to protect Him and His family and provide for them. None of that could be thwarted by the schemes of evil Herod--or by any other power in the universe.
Joseph and Mary had a unique, divinely ordained role in God's plan, just as we all do. Their experience demonstrates that God is faithful to honor those who are faithful to Him and to encourage them through the testimony of other believers.
God's work encompasses all of creation and history. That means He is working in the lives of obscure individuals as well as in the lives of the rich, famous, and powerful. His great work in bringing Jesus into the world as our Savior at just the right time is evidence of that.
Psalm 51 records David’s heartfelt confession after his sin with Bathsheba, and Stephen Davey explains it as a model of genuine repentance. He begins with David’s petition—a plea for mercy based on God’s steadfast love. Aware of the weight of his guilt, David asks God to blot out his transgressions, wash away his iniquity, and cleanse him from sin. The second step is admission: David accepts full responsibility, refusing to blame others and acknowledging his fallen nature. His sin, he admits, flows from the sinful heart of humanity inherited from Adam. Next comes restoration: David pleads, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” recognizing that only divine power can renew what sin has corrupted. Finally, his resolution is to teach others from his failure—to lead sinners back to God through honesty and repentance. Davey concludes that true confession involves humble honesty, complete dependence on God’s mercy, and a transformed resolve to live transparently before Him, proving that no sin is too great for God’s restoring grace.
Psalms 42–44 open the second book of Psalms, where Stephen Davey explains that God invites believers to pour out their hearts to Him with complete honesty. The sons of Korah—descendants of a rebel who chose faithfulness—wrote of spiritual dryness and discouragement: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Davey notes that even when God seems silent, He is never absent. These psalms teach believers to trust and wait for the Lord, declaring, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” In Psalm 44, this personal trust expands to national suffering as Israel endures consequences for sin yet clings to God’s covenant faithfulness. Paul later cites this psalm to remind believers that suffering is not abandonment but evidence of spiritual maturity. Through these lessons, Davey encourages believers to be honest with God, steadfast in hope, and confident that even in dry seasons, God remains their salvation and strength.
In The Voice of Creation (Psalm 19:1–8a), Stephen Davey contrasts Carl Sagan’s hopeless view of a silent universe with David’s joyful proclamation that creation declares the glory of God. Davey explains that the heavens continually reveal God’s signature, wisdom, and grace—a universal testimony to His power and creativity. The beauty, complexity, and order of nature point unmistakably to a Designer, but this general revelation alone cannot save; it must be joined with the special revelation of God’s Word. David moves from calling God El (Creator) to Yahweh (personal Redeemer), showing that Scripture revives the soul, makes the simple wise, and causes the heart to rejoice. Davey concludes that while creation proves God’s existence, His Word reveals His character and plan of redemption. Believers, therefore, should worship the Creator revealed both in the world around us and in the inspired Word that leads us back to Him.
This lesson from Deuteronomy 16–26 emphasizes God's righteousness as the standard for all of life. Moses reviews the importance of righteous leadership—judges, kings, priests, and prophets—who are called to uphold justice and truth. God's laws are revisited to guide Israel in holy living, covering areas like inheritance, morality, and societal order. These commands act like protective boundaries, showing how a righteous person should live. Finally, Israel’s worship is tied to gratitude and public acknowledgment of God's faithfulness. The lesson encourages believers to live righteously, not just privately but visibly, so the world sees God's wisdom and character through them.
In Psalm 56, Stephen Davey portrays David as “flying in the dark,” surrounded by danger and fear but learning to trust God’s Word as his instrument panel. Hiding in Gath—the hometown of Goliath—David faced overwhelming threats, yet confessed, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Davey emphasizes that faith and fear often coexist; trusting God doesn’t remove fear but steadies the heart in it. He draws three principles from the psalm: God’s Word is always relevant and reliable in trouble, God Himself is fully aware of every step and sleepless night, and God is compassionate, collecting every tear in His bottle. Davey explains that just as ancient people kept tear bottles to express sorrow, God lovingly keeps record of every believer’s tears—proof that no pain is unnoticed. He concludes that one day, God will empty those bottles forever, wiping away every tear. Until then, believers can rest in His presence, knowing He sees, cares, and sustains them through every trial.
