Bay Leaf Baptist Church Weekly Sermons

Pastor Jared Richard opens by challenging the common assumption that the Ten Commandments are merely a list of prohibitions. While the "don'ts" are real and important, every prohibition is ultimately protecting a gracious gift from God. In the case of the seventh commandment — "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14) — the gift being protected is marriage. Drawing from Genesis 2:24-25, Pastor Jared shows that God designed marriage for human flourishing, because it is not good for man to be alone. But marriage is also a gift for us, not just to us — it is a living, breathing picture of God's covenant faithfulness to His people. As Isaiah 54:5 declares, "Your Maker is your husband," and Paul deepens this in Ephesians 5, showing that the oneness of husband and wife is a mystery pointing to the union of Christ and His Church. Against that backdrop of beauty, adultery is exposed as a profound tragedy. Using the story of Hosea and his unfaithful wife Gomer, Pastor Jared illustrates how adultery destroys human flourishing and lies about covenant faithfulness. Jesus intensifies the commandment in Matthew 5:27-28, making clear that lust in the heart is adultery before God — meaning the real problem is not just giving our hearts to another person, but failing to give our hearts fully to God. Yet the sermon does not leave us in condemnation. Just as Hosea pursued Gomer and bought her back from bondage, God sent a greater Hosea in Jesus Christ, who paid the price to redeem even the most unfaithful soul. The answer to our unfaithfulness is never merely a stronger resolve — it is always Jesus, the faithful Bridegroom who will never fail His people. 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 delivered a timely message from Genesis 11:1-9 as Bay Leaf Baptist Church celebrates God's provision for their building project on Creedmoor Road. The Tower of Babel story reveals humanity's attempt to build a city and tower to make a name for themselves and avoid being scattered across the earth, directly disobeying God's command to fill the earth. Pastor Richard explained that while the unity and technological advancement displayed at Babel was impressive, the heart behind the project was flawed - it was motivated by human pride and the desire for security apart from God. The pastor drew important parallels to the church's building project, asking the crucial question: "Are we building for his name or our name?" He warned that it's entirely possible to build a church building while simultaneously building the Tower of Babel in our hearts. The sermon emphasized that we don't need to build towers to reach heaven because heaven already came down in Jesus Christ. Pastor Richard connected this to the gospel, showing how God's judgment at Babel was actually merciful - scattering humanity to prevent collective rebellion while ultimately pointing toward the true unity that comes through worship of Jesus Christ. He concluded by challenging the congregation to ensure all their works, including the Creedmoor Road project, are done for God's glory rather than their own, as only what is done for His glory will truly last. 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 TIMESCome 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) CONTACTwww.bayleaf.org(919) 847-4477#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

In this sermon on Genesis 3, Pastor Jared Richard addresses the fundamental question of why our world feels broken despite God creating it "very good." He explains that the problem isn't something happening around us, but something that happened within us - sin entered the world when Adam and Eve listened to the wrong voice in the garden. Pastor Richard breaks down Genesis 3 into two scenes. The first scene (verses 1-7) reveals Satan's scheme to destroy through his question "Did God really say?" The serpent works to make Eve doubt God's goodness, distort God's created order, and diminish God's glory. Adam fails in his role as leader and protector, staying silent while his wife is deceived. The second scene (verses 8-21) shows God's gracious response to human rebellion. Rather than destroying Adam and Eve in judgment, God pursues them in their hiding, asking "Where are you?" - not because He doesn't know, but to give them opportunity for confession and repentance. The sermon emphasizes that God's plan for restoration involves three key elements: He continues to pursue us in our sin, He will crush the head of our enemy (referencing Genesis 3:15 as the first gospel promise), and He covers our shame. Pastor Richard connects this directly to the gospel, showing how Jesus is the promised offspring who would crush Satan's head, and how God clothes us in Christ's righteousness just as He clothed Adam and Eve. The message calls listeners to stop hiding and blaming, and instead trust in God's goodness and His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. 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 TIMESCome 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) CONTACTwww.bayleaf.org(919) 847-4477#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

In this sermon from Genesis 1-2, Pastor Jared Richard explored God's original design for human flourishing through the rhythm of work and rest. He demonstrated how God himself worked in creation—making, designing, and cultivating—then rested on the seventh day, not from exhaustion but to enjoy and reflect on his completed work. As image bearers of God, humans were created to follow this same pattern, with work being an act of sub-creation that reflects God's creative nature, and rest being a time to gain perspective and enjoy God's greater work. However, sin has broken this beautiful rhythm. We either reject God in our work by finding our identity and worth in our jobs, or we rebel against God in our rest by either working obsessively (thinking we're indispensable) or being lazy (avoiding our calling to work). Pastor Jared explained that this physical problem with work and rest is actually a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. The solution comes through the gospel: Jesus' finished work on the cross provides the spiritual rest we need, allowing us to work from a place of rest rather than working to earn rest. When we find our identity and rest in Christ's completed work, our physical work can become an act of worship that brings glory to God and advances his kingdom. 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 TIMESCome 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) CONTACTwww.bayleaf.org(919) 847-4477#BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration

Pastor Jared Richard began 2026 with a new sermon series on Genesis, starting with Genesis 1:1–5 and 1:26-31. He set the context by imagining the Israelites in the wilderness after the Exodus, questioning who this God was who had rescued them from Egypt. Richard argued that Genesis 1 was written primarily to answer “who” questions about God rather than “how” questions about the mechanics of creation, though he acknowledged that those questions still have importance. The pastor identified four key attributes of God revealed in Genesis 1. First, God is eternal. He has no beginning and exists before all creation. Second, God is singular. He is one God with no equals or competitors, though Richard noted the early hints of the Trinity in the text. Third, God is Creator who made everything powerfully by speaking, purposefully with intentional design, and personally with intimate involvement in the process. Fourth, God is good. He makes good things, enjoys His creation, and invites us to share in that enjoyment. Richard emphasized that understanding these attributes of God helps believers rest in His faithfulness and promises, knowing that nothing can stop His plans for salvation and new creation. 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