Bay Leaf Baptist Church Weekly Sermons

Bay Leaf Baptist Church
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Biblical teaching from Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC — a multi-campus church passionate about gospel-centered preaching, disciple-making, and mission. Tune in weekly for sermons that explore God’s Word and encourage you to follow Jesus in everyday life. Whether you’re part of our Falls Lake or 540 campus—or listening from afar—you’ll find truth, hope, and practical application from Scripture.

  1. 5d ago

    7-5/26 // Finding True Contentment // Exodus 20:17 // Why Is Contentment Found in Christ Alone?

    Pastor Billy Driver opens by pointing to a sobering reality: we live in a world that spends over a trillion dollars a year convincing us that contentment is just one more purchase away. Drawing from Exodus 20:17, he defines covetousness as an illicit desire for what God has not given us — a heart that is dissatisfied with God's provision and seeks satisfaction somewhere other than Him. Paul reinforces this in Colossians 3:5, calling covetousness a form of idolatry, warning that it places people and possessions on the throne of the heart where God alone belongs. Pastor Billy then traces the Marks of a covetous heart — it doubts God, envies others, and breeds sin — walking through examples ranging from the fall in Genesis to David's sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. Against this, he sets four characteristics of a contented heart: it trusts God, gives thanks, loves others, and lives generously. Drawing from Philippians 4:11-13, he reminds the congregation that contentment is not natural — it is learned through dependence on Christ in every circumstance. He closes with a challenge rooted in the Gospel. The law exposes our guilt, but it cannot change our hearts. Only Christ can do that. The secret of contentment, Pastor Billy urges, is not to suppress desire, but to replace covetous desires with a desire for God Himself — the great exchange made possible through faith in 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 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

    36 min

  2. Jun 30

    6-28-26 // A Faithful Witness // Exodus 20:16 // Because God Tells the Truth, So Should We

    Pastor Jared Richard opens with the sobering story of Naboth from 1 Kings 21, an innocent man stoned to death because two worthless scoundrels bore false witness against him at the orchestration of the wicked Queen Jezebel. That story, Pastor Jared argues, perfectly illustrates why God gives the ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." The commandment is not merely a rule about courtroom behavior — it flows directly from the character of God Himself. Because God is a God of truth and a God of justice, His people are called to be a truth-telling people who faithfully represent Him to the world. From that theological foundation, Pastor Jared lays out three Biblical expectations for the people of God. First, we are to speak the truth and refuse to lie, in all its many forms — from grand deceptions to half-truths, flattery, and gossip. Second, we are to speak life-giving words, refusing to demean, slander, or defame those made in the image of God, because as Ephesians 4:29 instructs, only words that build up and give grace should come from our mouths. Third, and most importantly, we are to be faithful witnesses to the gospel, because a compromised tongue compromises our witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. Pastor Jared closes by pointing the congregation to the gospel. Just as Naboth was condemned by false witnesses, so was Jesus — and Matthew 26:59 tells us the chief priests and council actively sought false witnesses to secure His death. But that act of injustice was woven into God's redemptive plan. Jesus was condemned by false witnesses so that commandment-breaking people like us could be forgiven, freed from condemnation, and transformed into faithful witnesses of the truth that sets us free. 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

    41 min

  3. Jun 23

    6-21-26 // The Great Transformation // Exodus 20:15 // How Does Jesus Change Broken Sinners?

    Pastor Patrick Austin opens by pointing out that while we live in a $16 billion home security Market — a world full of people desperate to protect their stuff — we are also surrounded by people who are perfectly comfortable taking what doesn't belong to them. But before we point the finger at the burglar or the carjacker, Pastor Patrick brings us back to the garden, where Adam and Eve stole the very first fruit, setting in motion a pattern of sin that runs through every human heart. Theft, he reminds us, goes far deeper than an outward action. It shows up in cheating, in wasted time at work, in gambling, in the pornography industry that fuels modern-day slavery, and at the root of every sin we commit. When we steal, we are essentially telling God, "You have failed to provide for me" — the same lie the enemy whispered to Adam and Eve in the garden. But the eighth commandment doesn't just expose the problem — it points us to the solution. Through the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, Pastor Patrick shows us a man who had everything the world said he needed and was still empty, still seeking. And Jesus, rather than wagging His finger at this broken, despised thief, walks straight to his tree, calls him by name, and says, "I must stay at your house today." Jesus pursues broken thieves. He takes their place on the cross — literally crucified between two robbers — and He transforms them. Zacchaeus walked away from that encounter giving half his goods to the poor and repaying fourfold everyone he had wronged. That is the evidence of a transformed life: greed gives way to faithful stewardship and generous giving. 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

    29 min

  4. Jun 15

    6-14-26 // Protecting the Gift of Marriage // Exodus 20:14 // Jesus Brings the Unfaithful Home

    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

    39 min

  5. Jun 9

    6-7-26 // The Easiest Commandment? // Exodus 20:13 // Do We Truly Value Human Life?

    Preaching from Exodus 20:13, Pastor Jared Richard opens the sixth commandment — "You shall not murder" — and immediately pushes past the comfortable assumption that most of us are safe from its conviction. While many may not have committed physical murder, Pastor Jared argues that we live in a culture that has grown increasingly comfortable with the destruction of human life. From the rapid legalization of medically assisted suicide to abortion, to the casual glorification of violence in entertainment, we have built a culture of death that stands in direct opposition to God's heart. The commandment, rightly understood, is not merely a prohibition against killing — it is a call to value every human life as God values it, because life is His gift, human beings bear His image, and every person exists to worship Him. Pastor Jared then turns to the heart of the matter, following Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:21-24, where Christ makes clear that murderous anger, contempt, and hatred toward a neighbor carry the same moral weight before God as the physical act of murder. This is what John Calvin called "murder of the heart," and by this standard, none of us escape the conviction of the sixth commandment. Yet the sermon does not end in condemnation — it ends in the Gospel. Jesus, the most innocent life ever taken, was murdered unjustly so that murderers of every kind — actual and of the heart — could be forgiven and set free. Pastor Jared calls the church to rest in that forgiveness, to be reconciled to one another, and to rise up as a countercultural people who champion the gift of human life in a world desperate for it. 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

    42 min

  6. Jun 2

    5-31-26 // Honor Your Father and Mother // Exodus 20:12 // How Do We Honor Our Parents?

    On Graduate Sunday, Pastor Jared Richard opened Exodus 20:12 to walk the entire congregation — not just the seniors — through the fifth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." He was careful to note that "honor" carries far more weight than simple obedience. Drawing from the Hebrew word meaning heavy or weighty — the same word used to describe the glory of God — Pastor Jared showed that to honor our parents is to take seriously the God-given authority and position they hold in our lives. Following John Calvin's framework, he identified three Marks of true honor: reverence, obedience, and gratitude. He also traced how this honor looks different at each stage of life, from the young child obeying in the home, to the teenager seeking counsel, to the adult caring for aging parents — pointing to Matthew 15 where Jesus himself condemned those who neglected their parents in old age. Pastor Jared pressed the congregation toward the gospel as the only real answer to our failure to keep this commandment. He reminded the church that Adam was a rebellious son, Israel was a rebellious son, and we are rebellious sons and daughters. But Jesus was the faithful Son — perfectly honoring his heavenly Father all the way to the cross and perfectly honoring his earthly mother even while dying. It is only by being united to Christ, the one who kept the law we have broken, that we can be forgiven as rebellious children and empowered to become faithful sons and daughters — both to God and to our parents. 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

    45 min

  7. May 26

    5-24-26 // God's Gracious Gift // Exodus 20:8-11 // Why Did God Give Us a Day of Rest?

    Pastor Patrick Austin opens with a warm and relatable childhood memory — sneaking a peek at the Sunday sports section before church — to introduce what he calls one of the most misunderstood and most neglected of the Ten Commandments: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). Rather than offering a checklist of what is and isn't allowed on Sundays, Pastor Patrick reframes the entire conversation. God has graciously given us a day of rest, he argues, not as a burden to bear, but as a gift designed for our good and for His glory. In a world addicted to busyness, productivity, and the constant buzz of notifications, we have drifted far from God's good design of work and rest — and in doing so, we are missing out on something far greater than a day off. At the heart of the sermon, Pastor Patrick walks through three ways this day of rest functions as a gracious gift. First, it positions us rightly before God, reminding us weekly that He is the Creator, the Provider, and our Savior — and we are not. Second, it points us to the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ, who in Matthew 11:28-30 extends an open invitation to cease striving and find true rest in Him. Third, drawing from Hebrews 4, it prepares us for the eternal rest that is still to come — a rest that no promised land, no vacation, and no Sunday afternoon nap can fully satisfy. The weekly rhythm of rest is a foretaste of heaven itself. Pastor Patrick closes with practical and pastoral wisdom for how believers at Bay Leaf Baptist Church can honor the Lord's Day — by gathering faithfully for worship, showing mercy to others as Jesus did, working diligently during the week, and resting well on Sundays. With refreshing honesty, he shares his own struggle as a self-described control freak who had to learn — sometimes painfully — that his rest is not found in his work or his striving, but in Christ and in Christ alone. 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

    38 min

  8. May 19

    5-17-26 // The Name Above Every Name // Exodus 20:7 // Why Must We Honor God’s Holy Name?

    In this message from Exodus 20:7, Pastor Jared Richard continues Bay Leaf Baptist Church's series through the Ten Commandments by turning the congregation's attention to the Third Commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." Using a word association exercise with names like Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and Adolf Hitler, Pastor Jared establishes that names are far more than titles — they represent the full weight of a person's life and character. Because God's name, Yahweh, is a revealed, personal, and representative name that encapsulates all of who He is, it carries a holiness that demands our deepest reverence. As Exodus 3:15 declares, "This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." Pastor Jared then walks through the many ways God's people misuse His name, going well beyond the obvious offense of profanity. Drawing from the Old Testament, he identifies three ancient patterns of misuse — sorcery, false prophecy, and false oaths — and shows how each has a modern equivalent. The prosperity gospel, for instance, mirrors ancient sorcery by invoking God's name as a tool to claim health and wealth, effectively turning the relationship between God and man into a transaction. False prophecy lives on whenever someone attaches "God said" to their own spiritual intuition or personal agenda, and false oaths persist whenever we use God's name to prop up promises we have no intention of keeping. Ultimately, Pastor Jared anchors the sermon in the gospel. Every person in the room has broken this commandment and stands guilty before God. But Jesus, who declared in John 12:28 that His aim in going to the cross was to glorify the Father's name, perfectly honored what we have profaned. He was condemned for blasphemy so that blasphemers could be forgiven. Because of Christ, we are now free to hallow God's name as we were created to — calling upon it in worship, prayer, and lives of genuine integrity that reflect the Lord we claim. 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

    38 min
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About

Biblical teaching from Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC — a multi-campus church passionate about gospel-centered preaching, disciple-making, and mission. Tune in weekly for sermons that explore God’s Word and encourage you to follow Jesus in everyday life. Whether you’re part of our Falls Lake or 540 campus—or listening from afar—you’ll find truth, hope, and practical application from Scripture.

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