Bay Leaf Baptist Church Weekly Sermons

Preaching through Exodus 20:4-6 on Mother's Day, Pastor Jared Richard makes the case that the Second Commandment is far more relevant to parenting than it might first appear. While the First Commandment addresses the who of worship — worship the right God — the Second Commandment addresses the how — worship the right God in the right way. God's generational language within the command makes His intention unmistakably clear: faithful worship is meant to be passed down from one generation to the next. As Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reminds us, parents are commissioned to imprint God's commands on their own hearts and then impress them upon the hearts of their children. That, Pastor Jared argues, is the number one calling of every mom and dad.

Pastor Jared then walks through three lies that idolatry tells about God — that He can be limited, that He can be managed, and that He can be accessed on our own terms rather than His. Using the golden calf of Exodus 32 as a vivid illustration, he shows how even well-intentioned worship can become deeply offensive to God when it distorts who He is. He applies this to the modern church as well, warning against picking and choosing which attributes of God we're comfortable with, and even cautioning that worship music itself can become idolatrous when we treat it as the mediator of God's presence rather than Jesus.

The sermon closes with the Gospel promise embedded in the commandment itself. The curse falls upon those who hate God to the third and fourth generation, but the blessing falls upon the faithful for a thousand generations — an exponentially greater promise. Pastor Jared points to Jesus as the only one who ever worshiped the Father in complete faithfulness, and through His death and resurrection, His faithful worship is applied to all who repent and believe. The call to parents is clear: love the Lord your God with everything you have, and love Him so visibly and so joyfully that your children want what you have.

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ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

Pastor Jared Richard opens by grounding the Ten Commandments in the framework Jesus gives in Matthew 22:37-40 — that all of the law hangs on loving God and loving your neighbor. With that lens in place, Pastor Jared turns to Exodus 20 and makes clear that the commandments are not a God-given checklist to earn His acceptance. Rather, they are expressions of love — a loving response to a God who has already acted to save His people. The first four commandments teach us to love God, and the last six teach us to love our neighbor, together showing what it means to live as the people of God in a broken world.

The heart of the sermon focuses on the First Commandment and four key questions surrounding it: why God is worthy of worship, how He demands to be worshiped, why His people struggle to give it, and what happens when they fail. God's worthiness flows from who He is — the great I AM, the Lord Almighty, and the personal covenant God who brought His people out of Egypt. He demands exclusive worship, describing Himself in Exodus 34:14 as a jealous God, not out of sinful jealousy, but because He alone deserves it and because it is genuinely good for His people to give it. Yet like Israel who built a golden calf in Exodus 32, God's people then and now are prone to replacing Him with more manageable idols — careers, relationships, security, and success — whenever fear or impatience sets in.

Pastor Jared closes with the Gospel as the only resolution to this dilemma. The penalty for broken worship is death, as seen throughout the Old Testament, and none of us have loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind as He deserves. But Jesus is the only one who perfectly obeyed the First Commandment, and He took our penalty of death upon Himself. As Romans 8 reminds us, "There is therefore now no condemnation" for those who are in Christ. Jesus not only frees us from the penalty of false worship — He gives us new hearts for true worship, restoring us to the life of undivided devotion to God we were created for.

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Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

In Exodus 19, Pastor Jared Richard unpacks what he calls the "proposal of God" — a breathtaking invitation for God's rescued people to enter into covenant relationship with Him and become His treasured possession. Just as God reminded Israel in Exodus 19:4, "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself," the foundation of this relationship is not human effort but divine grace. Salvation came before the law, and obedience was never meant to earn God's favor — it was meant to express love in response to the love already freely given.

Yet the second half of the chapter reveals a sobering problem. Even after consecrating themselves and washing their garments, the people still could not draw near to the mountain of God's glory without risking death. The holiness gap between God and His people was real, and no amount of preparation could fully close it. This tension, Pastor Jared argues, is not just Israel's problem — it is ours as well.

The answer to that problem is not found at Sinai but at Calvary. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the law, perfectly revealed the Father's glory, and perfectly covers the holiness gap through His grace. As John 1:16-17 declares, "From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Because of Christ, there are no longer any limits to the intimacy we can have with the Father. The invitation to draw near still stands — and in Jesus, we finally can.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

In his sermon from Exodus 17-18, Dr. Jamie Dee reminded the congregation that God is always faithful to His people and His promises, even when circumstances seem overwhelming. Drawing from Israel's surprise attack by the Amalekites after their Exodus from Egypt, Dr. Dee highlighted the strange but powerful moment when Moses held up his staff and Israel prevailed in battle, but when his arms grew weary, they began to lose until Aaron and Hur supported his arms.

Dr. Dee used this passage along with Jethro's advice to Moses about delegation to teach four essential truths about shepherds and spiritual leaders. First, shepherds need people to hold up their arms through prayer, encouragement, and support, as pastoral ministry involves unique stresses and constant pouring out. Second, shepherds need help maintaining focus on their primary calling to pray for people, preach God's Word, and disciple believers. Third, shepherds need other leaders to share the ministry load, as Moses appointed able men who feared God to judge smaller matters. Finally, shepherds must remain teachable and open to wisdom, as even Moses humbly received counsel from his father-in-law. Dr. Dee concluded by challenging listeners to answer God's call to ministry, noting that 25% of churches in the South cannot find pastors, and encouraged everyone to take courage in God's faithfulness regardless of life's challenges.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

Pastor Jared Richard drew from the image in Jeremiah 18 of God as a potter working with clay to frame his message on Exodus 15-17. He explained that after delivering Israel from Egypt, God led them into the wilderness not to punish them, but to continue His shaping work - getting Egypt out of them, not just getting them out of Egypt. The wilderness serves as God's workshop where He reveals and reshapes the flaws in our hearts.

Through three scenes - the bitter water at Marah, the hunger in the wilderness of Sin, and the thirst at Rephidim - Pastor Richard showed how the wilderness revealed Israel's spiritual condition: bitterness, doubt, grumbling, and lack of trust in God's provision. Yet in each situation, God responded with mercy and provision, using these moments to teach His people dependence on Him. The pastor emphasized that Jesus is the true and faithful Israel who succeeded in the wilderness where the people failed, being tempted in the same ways but remaining obedient.

For believers today, Pastor Richard encouraged three responses to our own wilderness moments: trusting God completely to meet our needs, listening carefully to His Word rather than relying on our own expectations, and receiving His gifts with contentment. He shared from his own difficult pastoral experience during COVID to illustrate how God uses wilderness seasons to shape us into better vessels for His use, even when we don't enjoy the process.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

On Easter Sunday, Pastor Jared Richard delivered a powerful message to Bayleaf Church using Exodus 14 and the story of Israel crossing the Red Sea to illustrate the meaning of salvation through Christ's resurrection. He explained that many people celebrate Easter without fully understanding what it means to be "saved," so he used this Old Testament narrative as a divinely orchestrated picture to help answer that question. The central theme was that "God has allowed us to cross over by passing through" - meaning we've been saved from the power of sin by crossing over, and saved from the penalty of sin by passing through death in Christ.

Pastor Jared drew parallels between Israel's situation and our spiritual condition. Just as the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt under Pharaoh's cruel power, we were enslaved to sin, death, and Satan. Just as Israel needed to get not only out of Egypt but beyond Pharaoh's reach, we needed deliverance from both sin's power and its penalty. The Red Sea represented the waters of judgment and death that Israel had to pass through to be truly free. Similarly, Jesus served as our greater mediator who didn't just part the waters like Moses, but willingly entered into God's judgment and death as our substitute, then rose victorious, bringing us through to the other side. Pastor Jared concluded by calling people to either receive this salvation through repentance and faith, or to rejoice in the freedom they already possess in Christ, emphasizing that there's no middle ground - we're either in spiritual Egypt or we're not.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

Pastor Jared Richard began this Palm Sunday message by asking the crucial question: "Why does the story of Jesus lead to a cross?" To answer this, he took the congregation back to Exodus 12 and the night of the Passover in Egypt. He explained how God's judgment was coming upon all of Egypt, including the Israelites, because when the holy God comes personally to judge, everyone stands condemned. However, God provided a way of escape through the blood of a spotless lamb applied to the doorposts of Hebrew homes. When God saw the blood, He would pass over that household, sparing the firstborn because the lamb had died as a substitute.

Pastor Richard connected this directly to the Gospel, declaring that Jesus is the true Passover lamb whose blood covers believers from God's judgment. Just as there were only two kinds of houses in Egypt that night—those Marked by blood and those that weren't—when God comes in final judgment, only the blood will matter. But the blood doesn't just cover us; it claims us. Those saved by Christ's blood belong entirely to God and should live lives that reflect this ownership. Pastor Richard challenged the congregation to examine whether their homes, families, and lives look like they belong to God, emphasizing that believers are not just saved from judgment but saved for God's glory.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

In his sermon from Exodus 7-11, Pastor Jared Richard addressed the most important question every human will face: "Who is the Lord?" This question, first asked by Pharaoh in Exodus 5:2, becomes the driving force of the entire book of Exodus as God acts to reveal Himself through the ten plagues. Pastor Richard explained that these plagues were not merely displays of power, but intentional Revelations of God's glory that challenged Egypt's false gods while demonstrating both His supreme power and remarkable mercy.

Pastor Richard showed how God's power is revealed as greater than any other power, unique and singular, and far-reaching over all creation. The plagues systematically exposed the weakness of Egypt's pantheon of gods, proving there is no God like the Lord in all the earth. Yet woven throughout the judgment was God's mercy - seen in the progression from mild to severe plagues (giving opportunities for repentance), the precision that protected Israel while judging Egypt, and the provision that blessed God's people even in the midst of judgment. However, Pharaoh's response serves as a tragic warning. Despite multiple opportunities to repent, Pharaoh's heart became increasingly hardened through repeated resistance to God's word. Pastor Richard warned that the more we resist God's word, the harder our hearts become, and that superficial sorrow over sin is not the same as true repentance. He concluded by pointing to the greater Revelation of God's power and mercy in the gospel of Jesus Christ, calling for complete surrender rather than half-hearted responses to God's grace.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

Pastor Jared Richard opened his sermon with the story of 19th century missionary John G. Paton, who faced tremendous persecution and personal loss while ministering to cannibalistic tribes in the New Hebrides Islands. This illustration set up the central question: "What happens when you obey God and things go terribly wrong?" Drawing from Exodus 4-7, Pastor Richard showed how Moses experienced this same dilemma when his initial success with the Israelites was met with fierce resistance from Pharaoh, who made their slavery even harsher.

The sermon outlined three key lessons from Moses' experience. First, difficulty often follows faithfulness because we're engaged in spiritual warfare against powers opposed to God's kingdom. Second, difficulty always refines God's servants - God uses these moments to build our trust and dependence on Him rather than allowing circumstances to define us. Third, difficulty leads us back to God's promises, as seen in Exodus 6:1-8 where God reassures Moses of His presence and power. Pastor Richard emphasized that God's "I will" statements in this passage show that the work of deliverance depends on God's power, not our adequacy. The sermon concluded with Paton's eventual success when he returned to the islands, leading to widespread conversion, and an invitation to the Lord's Supper as a reminder of God's promises to sustain us through hardship.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.

Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES

Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT

www.bayleaf.org

(919) 847-4477

#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

 

Dr. Allan Moseley delivered a message from Exodus 3 and 4 focusing on God's call of Moses and how it demonstrates that God can use us in His redemption plan when we obey Him. The sermon centered on two major truths: first, that God sees our suffering and has a plan to rescue us, as evidenced by God's declaration in Exodus 3:7-8 that He had seen the affliction of His people in Egypt and had come down to deliver them. Second, God overcomes our inadequacies to use us for His good purpose, despite our feelings of unworthiness or inability.

Dr. Moseley systematically examined Moses' six objections to God's call: "Who am I?" (feeling unqualified), not knowing God well enough, fear that people wouldn't believe him, inability to speak well, wanting God to send someone else, and concern for his family. To each excuse, God provided patient answers and assurance of His presence and power. Dr. Moseley emphasized that God delights in choosing unlikely people—shepherds, fishermen, teenagers from small towns—to accomplish His greatest work, so that no human being might boast in God's presence (1 Corinthians 1). The message concluded by contrasting Moses as an imperfect human deliverer with Jesus as the perfect, eternal deliverer who came not just to redeem Israel, but to be "the Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14).

 

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect

We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you.

ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION.
Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614

Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613

SERVICE TIMES
Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM)

CONTACT
www.bayleaf.org
(919) 847-4477
#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration