Sermons by Tim Stephens (Page 3)
Tim Stephens is the senior pastor of Fairview Baptist Church, Calgary, Alberta. Tim grew up on a farm in Eastern Ontario, graduated with a Computer Engineering degree from Queen’s University, a Masters of Divinity degree from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching from The Masters Seminary. He is happily married to Raquel and they have been blessed with nine children.
Devoted to Destruction: God’s Sovereign Hand in Judgment
In this sermon we consider Israel’s encounters with Edom, Moab, Ammon, and the Amorite kings Sihon and Og, seeing God’s sovereign control over nations, his judgment against sin, and lessons for believers today. This sermon considers the shocking (to us) destruction of entire peoples, down to the last man, woman, and child. It confronts the objections head-on and considers this historical event in light of the sovereignty of God and the cross of Christ. Through this, we learn to fear…
Courage to Obey: Trusting God for the Promise
In this sermon, Moses recounts the pivotal moment at Kadesh-Barnea, where the Israelites, poised to enter the Promised Land, faltered due to fear and unbelief, choosing human counsel over God’s command. Despite God’s promises, presence, and past faithfulness, the people’s lack of courage and trust led to rebellion, resulting in a 40-year wilderness wandering as divine judgment. Our generation must learn the necessity of courage rooted in faith, guarding against cowardice and humanism, and remembering God’s enduring love, presence, power,…
God’s Order for Blessing: Hierarchy, Responsibility, and Righteous Rule
This sermon, based on Deuteronomy 1:9–18, explores God’s design for societal order through hierarchy, individual responsibility, and righteous leadership. Moses faced the burdens of leading a vast, blessed, yet sinful Israel, and God’s solution was to appoint wise, discerning, and experienced men to govern impartially, using his standards. We learn here that blessings come with responsibilities, sinners sin, and true order requires a biblical theocracy where God rules over all institutions. We are called to embrace personal accountability, support God-ordained…
God’s Timeless Word for a New Generation
This sermon introduces a series on the book of Deuteronomy, Moses’ final sermons to Israel, delivering God’s instructions for a new generation on the cusp of entering the promised land. It reminds us that Deuteronomy is God’s authoritative, inspired word, not merely a legal code but pastoral teaching aimed at guiding God’s covenant people. The sermon provides seven reasons for studying Deuteronomy: it is God’s word, challenges misconceptions about the law, is commended by Jesus, teaches about covenants, fosters Christian…
Ordered for Godliness: The Call to Self-Control
In this sermon, we explore the biblical mandate for a well-ordered church, as outlined in Titus 1:5-9 and 2:1-12, with a focus on the call to self-control. Godly leaders must model and teach holiness, integrity, and discipline, qualities that all believers are called to emulate. Self-control, a repeated virtue in Titus, is defined as the mind governing actions and emotions in accordance with God’s truth, enabling believers to live upright lives that adorn the gospel, prevent reproach, and honor God.…
The Glorious Vision: God’s Presence and New Creation
This sermon explores the final vision of the Book of Revelation, depicting the ultimate hope of God’s redeemed people in a restored creation. It highlights the river of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, symbolizing God as the source of all life, and the tree of life, representing abundant sustenance and healing for the nations. The vision portrays a new creation where the curse of sin is lifted, and God dwells intimately with his people. The…
Behold the Throne: God’s Glory in Creation, Salvation, and Judgment
This sermon delves into the book of Revelation to unveil a vivid portrait of God as the Holy, Sovereign Creator, the loving Savior of his people, and the righteous Judge of all the earth. Through key passages, it highlights God’s transcendent holiness, his redemptive work through Jesus Christ, and his just judgment against sin, offering comfort and exhortation to believers facing trials. The sermon calls us to respond with humility, reconciliation, awe, righteous living, and faithful endurance, urging us to…
Eternal King, Endless Praise
We delve into the apostle Paul’s doxologies in 1 Timothy 1:17 and 6:15-16, where he erupts in praise for God’s sovereign kingship, immortality, invisibility, and holiness. Exploring these divine attributes, we uncover their profound practicality for Christian living, as they ignite gratitude, fuel delight, evoke worship, provide purpose, galvanize endurance, drive obedience, and reset perspective. By meditating on the greatness of the eternal King, we are equipped to live vibrant, God-honoring lives that reflect his glory and grace. Passage: 1…
Boasting in the Lord: True Happiness and Success
This sermon, drawn from Jeremiah 9:23-26, challenges the pursuit of happiness and success through worldly wisdom, strength, and wealth, as the people of ancient Israel did by imitating idolatrous nations. Instead, God calls us to boast in understanding and knowing him””his steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. While Israel faced judgment for their idolatry and pride, we are urged to avoid their folly by recognizing God as the ultimate Judge and Redeemer. True joy comes not from earthly achievements but from…
A Call to Worship the Living God
In this sermon, part of the series “The Living and True God,” Psalm 145 is explored as a earnest call to worship God for his divine attributes and mighty works. The Psalm, with its rich vocabulary of praise, emphasizes God as the worthy recipient of adoration. It reveals God’s God’s greatness, seen in his everlasting kingdom and reminds us of God’s goodness in his love for his people and all creation. This psalm calls us to overcome ignorance and pride,…
The Name of the Lord: Greatness, Goodness, and Justice
This sermon explores God’s self-disclosure to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7, where he proclaims his name and character, emphasizing his greatness, goodness, and justice. God’s greatness is seen in his self-existence and supreme sovereignty as “The LORD, the LORD,” unmatched in authority and power. His goodness is revealed through attributes like compassion, grace, patience, steadfast love, faithfulness, and forgiveness, inviting believers to draw near and imitate these qualities. Yet, his justice ensures that the guilty who do not repent face consequences,…
I AM: Knowing the Living and True God
The greatest problem facing society, families, and the church today is a lack of knowledge of God. This sermon, like the Bible, presupposes God’s existence and focuses on revealing who he is, particularly through his personal name, YHWH, translated as “I AM” in Exodus 3:14. This name signifies God as the self-existent, sovereign, unchanging, and covenant-keeping Lord, fully revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the “I AM” incarnate. There is transformative power in knowing God, which brings eternal life, holiness,…