Jesus’ authority isn’t just a doctrine to admire — it’s the difference between fear and trust, death and life, exclusion and welcome. In this episode, we see that the same Jesus who teaches with authority also heals with compassion, commands creation, confronts evil, and forgives sin.

Across these stories, the question keeps getting sharper: if Jesus has authority over sickness, storms, demons, and death, what kind of king is he — and what does that mean for the way we respond to him?

The answer is both stunning and deeply personal.

Jesus has the authority to heal what’s broken, forgive what’s sinful, and calm what’s out of control. He is not the kind of ruler who crushes the weak; he is the kind who draws near, touches the unclean, welcomes outsiders, and gives life where there was none.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6-7 cut through shallow religion and expose the difference between looking Christian and truly following Christ. This episode walks through the Sermon on the Mount to show that real Christianity is not performative, self-protective, or built on public approval, but shaped by trust in a loving heavenly Father and built on the words of Jesus.

[00:00:00] - The shocking warning of Matthew 7:21–23
[00:02:15] - Two ways to live: the world’s way vs. God’s way
[00:05:53] - Secret righteousness in giving, prayer, and fasting
[00:10:52] - The Lord’s Prayer as a model, not a mantra
[00:13:30] - Hallowing God’s name and seeking his kingdom first
[00:16:43] - Forgiveness as an expression of grace received
[00:23:06] - Treasures in heaven and the danger of earthly focus
[00:29:47] - Serving God versus serving money
[00:32:30] - Why Jesus says not to worry
[00:39:42] - Do not judge: dealing with hypocrisy and self-examination
[00:49:00] - Ask, seek, knock, and the goodness of the Father
[00:50:38] - The whole law and the prophets
[00:53:20] - The narrow gate and the only way to life
[00:54:36] - False prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and fruit inspection
[00:58:00] - Hearing and doing: the wise builder and the rock
[01:02:45] - Jesus teaches with authority, not like the scribes

Jesus confronts the difference between looking righteous and actually living with a transformed heart. In this episode, the sermon on the mount begins with a radical picture of kingdom life—one where humility, mercy, purity, peacemaking, and even persecution become signs of blessing.

This teaching flips the world’s values upside down. The people Jesus calls “blessed” are not the ones who look strongest, most impressive, or most religious. They’re the ones who know their need, hunger for God’s ways, and live in a way that reveals the family resemblance of their heavenly Father.

If you’ve ever wondered what real righteousness looks like in everyday life, this passage shows that it's a deep, powerful love, modelled on the love of God.

Jesus’ arrival changes everything: it exposes the time we’re living in, calls for repentance, and reveals the true King who brings both salvation and judgment. In this episode, the message of repentance and the kingdom of heaven runs all the way from John the Baptist to Jesus in the wilderness and into the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.

We also see why understanding the time matters so much. John’s warning isn’t abstract—it’s urgent because God’s promised King is near. And when Jesus appears, the question becomes personal: how will you respond to the time?

Hope can seem like a fragile thing - very precious but easily broken. When the faithful God gives hope, though, it never disappoints. As Matthew opens his historical account of Jesus' life. he shows how, time and time again, God's promises in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus Christ. Join Dave as he explores Matthew 1-2, and discover the true hope that can never be destroyed.

Find out more about Dave and the show at faithfulgod.net.

Show your thanks and support for Dave and help other people hear Stories of a Faithful God by signing up for the monthly prayer letter and by becoming a regular financial supporter here.

To ask a question, make a comment, give encouragement or invite Dave to speak, you can make contact here.

If you have or know kids, be sure to check out Dave's other podcast, Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Do ever feel like sin can not be overcome? As we read the beginning of Genesis, it can certainly feel like that. Even Noah and his family, the fresh hope of the world after the flood, can't escape its clutches. Things come to a head in the establishment of a great city in opposition to God - Babel. God makes a promise, however, that changes the course of world history. It ultimately leads to salvation from sin and the victory of God. Join Dave as he explores how Genesis 9-12 plays out in the rest of the Bible.

Find out more about Dave and the show at faithfulgod.net.

Show your thanks and support for Dave and help other people hear Stories of a Faithful God by signing up for the monthly prayer letter and by becoming a regular financial supporter here.

To ask a question, make a comment, give encouragement or invite Dave to speak, you can make contact here.

If you have or know kids, be sure to check out Dave's other podcast, Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

How serious is sin? To many people, the idea of sin and its consequences are laughable. To God, though, they are deadly serious. As the early world became more and more evil, God was grieved that he had made humans. He would not wait any longer to bring justice on the people who'd turned against their creator. And yet how will he display his love of salvation at the same time, and what will that ultimately cost him? Discover how, in the end, it's God who pays the ultimate price to bring justice and mercy as Dave explores the story of the great flood.

Find out more about Dave and the show at faithfulgod.net.

Show your thanks and support for Dave and help other people hear Stories of a Faithful God by signing up for the monthly prayer letter and by becoming a regular financial supporter here.

To ask a question, make a comment, give encouragement or invite Dave to speak, you can make contact here.

If you have or know kids, be sure to check out Dave's other podcast, Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Independence is usually seen as a good thing, but what happens when we try to be independent of the God who gave us life? In this episode focusing on Genesis 3-5, we consider how the world moved from a perfect creation to a place of pain and suffering, and the astounding hope God offers despite our rejection of him.

Find out more about Dave and the show at faithfulgod.net.

Show your thanks and support for Dave and help other people hear Stories of a Faithful God by signing up for the monthly prayer letter and by becoming a regular financial supporter here.

To ask a question, make a comment, give encouragement or invite Dave to speak, you can make contact here.

If you have or know kids, be sure to check out Dave's other podcast, Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Do you want to know who you are, why you're valuable, and what your purpose is? Those questions can only be understood be understanding the God who made humans in his image. In this episode, Dave explores the wonderful account of God creating the world in Genesis 1 and 2, and the specific dignity and role he gives to humanity. Explore how these events are a shadow pointing us to an even more wonderful new creation that Christ will bring.

See a short video exploring the life God's made here.

Find out more about Dave and the show at faithfulgod.net.

Show your thanks and support for Dave and help other people hear Stories of a Faithful God by signing up for the monthly prayer letter and by becoming a regular financial supporter here.

To ask a question, make a comment, give encouragement or invite Dave to speak, you can make contact here.

If you have or know kids, be sure to check out Dave's other podcast, Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

How do we understand the first few chapters of Genesis? What are the principles we should use to listen carefully to a part of the Bible that many Christians disagree on? Is the Bible really giving a starkly different account of the beginning of the world to the one generally accepted by Western culture? In this episode, Dave asks these questions and more in preparation for the upcoming series on Genesis. His aim is to read God's word on God's terms, and to cut through some of the debates and disagreements.

Find out more about Dave and the show at faithfulgod.net.

Show your thanks and support for Dave and help other people hear Stories of a Faithful God by signing up for the monthly prayer letter and by becoming a regular financial supporter here.

To ask a question, make a comment, give encouragement or invite Dave to speak, you can make contact here.

If you have or know kids, be sure to check out Dave's other podcast, Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.