THE DIVINE SUMMONS 8-16-26

A summons is an official order to appear. When a court sends one, you do not ignore it without facing heavy consequences (Romans 13:1-2). But when God summons us through the Gospel, He is not looking to tear us down. In His incredible mercy, His call is a royal invitation to freedom, life, and peace (John 3:17; Romans 8:1).

Throughout the Bible, God speaks directly to real people and calls them to action—telling Abram to leave his homeland (Genesis 12:1-3), telling Moses to stand before Pharaoh (Exodus 3:4-10), and telling everyday fishermen to drop their nets and follow Jesus (Matthew 4:18-20).

When God calls, we are expected to listen and obey (Acts 17:30-31).

The amazing thing about the Gospel is that God was never under any obligation to save a single one of us. He owes us nothing. Just because someone exercises faith does not mean God is suddenly in their debt. Faith is not a good work that earns a reward or merits salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:4-5).

God is completely sovereign, meaning He sits on the throne and makes the rules. In His absolute freedom, God determined His own plan for salvation: He predestined that anyone who chooses to trust in His Son will be saved (John 3:16; John 6:40). He did not have to set it up this way, but in His grace, He chose to.

At the exact same time, God deeply respects the will He gave us. He built us with the genuine ability to make choices, protecting our human autonomy rather than treating us like pre-programmed robots (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15).

He extends a genuine invitation to every searching heart, but He leaves the decision in our hands. His summons demands a personal response: turning away from our sin and putting our trust entirely in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21).

When you hear the Gospel, you are hearing the King of the universe calling you by name. He gives us the real power to choose, but He is the one who graciously offers the gift. Heaven’s door is wide open, and the invitation is simple: whoever wants to come may come and take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

Salvation is entirely God's gracious setup from start to finish, and what He demands is that we hear His call, choose His Son, and obey (Hebrews 5:9).

BDD

DAY OF THE LOCUSTS 8-16-26

There is a day spoken of in the book of Joel that we would do well to remember. It was called the day of the locusts. The land had been devastated. The crops were destroyed. The trees were stripped bare. Joel said, "For a nation has come up against My land, strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion” (Joel 1:6). It was a day of destruction and a warning from God.

The day of the locusts reminds us that sin destroys. Sin will take what we have and leave us with nothing. It will strip the joy from our lives, damage our families and destroy our fellowship with God. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Sin always takes more than it gives.

The day of the locusts reminds us that God's people need to wake up. Joel said, "Awake, you drunkards, and weep” (Joel 1:5). There is a danger of becoming spiritually asleep while the world around us is dying in sin. We can become comfortable, careless and indifferent. We need to wake up and realize that we are living in eternity's shadow.

The day of the locusts reminds us that God wants us to return to Him. "Now, therefore, says the Lord, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning" (Joel 2:12). God did not tell them to pretend everything was all right. He told them to return. "So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful" (Joel 2:13).

The day of the locusts also reminds us that God can restore what sin has destroyed. "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). What a wonderful God we serve. We may have wasted years. We may have made terrible mistakes. We may have brought destruction into our own lives through sin. But God is still merciful. He still calls us home.

The day of the locusts was a day of judgment, but it was also a day of opportunity. God was giving His people an opportunity to repent and return to Him. "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). We should never mistake God's patience for God's approval.

God is still calling sinners today. He calls us to trust in Jesus (John 8:24). Therefore, we should not wait.

The locusts came. They destroyed. But God called His people to return. That is still the message we need today. Sin destroys, but God restores. Judgment is real, but mercy is available. The question is simple. Will we continue in our sin, or will we return to the Lord?

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Sunday, August 16, 2026

8:30 AM

“Seek First the Kingdom”
(Matthew 6:33)

2:00 PM

“Worship in Spirit and Truth”
(John 4:24)

5:00 pm

“Exalting the Name of the Lord”
(Malachi 1:14)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

JESUS OUR MISSION 8-15-26

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

The Christian life is not merely about being saved from something. It is about being saved for something. We have been called to know Christ, follow Christ, and make Christ known. Jesus is not simply a part of our lives. He is our mission.

The church can become distracted by many things. Buildings, programs, traditions, personalities, arguments, politics, and even religious activity can occupy our attention. But none of these things is the great commission. Our commission is to make disciples. Our message is Christ. Our mission is Christ.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21) Those words ought to change the way we look at every ordinary day. We are sent people. We are not merely sitting people. We are not spectators watching Christianity happen around us. We have been entrusted with a message that must be carried into a world that desperately needs it.

Paul understood this. His life could be summed up in one consuming purpose. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Christ was not simply what Paul preached. Christ was the reason he lived. His ambitions, sacrifices, travels, sufferings, and labors were all brought under the lordship of Jesus.

Our mission begins with our own relationship with Christ. We cannot effectively call others to follow someone we refuse to follow ourselves. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) Before we can tell the world about the Savior, we must be willing to surrender ourselves to the Savior.

Then we must take His message to others. The Gospel is not ours to rewrite. It is not ours to soften until it becomes comfortable. It is not ours to hide because some may reject it. Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation.” (Romans 1:16) We are responsible for faithfully proclaiming the message. God is responsible for the results.

And our mission is not limited to a pulpit. Jesus sent His disciples into the world. That means the mission travels with us. It goes to our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our conversations, our friendships, and our communities. Every person we encounter is someone made in the image of God and someone who needs to hear about Christ.

There will always be reasons to wait. We will never have perfect circumstances. We will never know everything. We will never feel completely prepared. But Jesus did not say, “Go when you feel ready.” He said, “Go.” (Matthew 28:19)

The world does not need more Christians who are merely impressed by Jesus. It needs Christians who are surrendered to Jesus. It needs men and women who will carry His name, proclaim His truth, demonstrate His love, and refuse to be ashamed of His gospel.

Jesus is our message.

Jesus is our Master.

Jesus is our motive.

And Jesus is our mission.

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PRAYER

Lord Jesus, make us faithful servants of Your mission. Keep us from becoming distracted by things that do not matter eternally. Give us courage to speak Your truth, compassion to reach people, humility to serve them, and faithfulness to keep going when the work becomes difficult. Let our lives point people to You. Amen.

BDD

THE BIBLE AND THE BLESSING OF SLEEP 8-15-26

Sleep is one of God’s ordinary gifts that we often take for granted. Every night, whether we realize it or not, we surrender our control. We close our eyes, lay down our burdens, and become temporarily helpless.

Sleep is a quiet reminder that we are creatures, not God. The world continues turning while we rest. Our responsibilities remain, but we are not required to carry them every moment.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. For so He gives His beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:1-2)

The Bible does not present sleep as laziness. There is certainly a warning against slothfulness and an admonition to work diligently. “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep” can describe the habits of the sluggard. (Proverbs 6:10)

The Bible praises honest labor, diligence, and responsibility. But it also teaches that there is a proper time to cease from labor. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds and rested. “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31)

Sleep therefore teaches us something about human limitations. We cannot work endlessly. We cannot solve every problem. We cannot answer every question. We cannot control every circumstance. There comes a time when we must lay down the work and trust God with what remains.

David understood something about this. He could say, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep. For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

Notice the connection. His peace was not ultimately produced by favorable circumstances. His security rested in God. A person who believes that everything depends upon himself will find it difficult to rest. But faith knows when to put the burden down.

There is also a spiritual lesson here. Physical sleep is temporary, but God frequently uses sleep as a figure for death. Jesus spoke of Lazarus as having “fallen asleep,” and then plainly explained that Lazarus had died. (John 11:11-14) Paul likewise spoke of Christians who had “fallen asleep in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:18) For the child of God, death is not the end. It is temporary in view of the resurrection.

That truth gives the Christian a different perspective on both sleep and death. Every night we close our eyes without knowing exactly what tomorrow will bring. But the believer can rest because God remains faithful.

And should death come before another morning, the Christian’s hope does not perish. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14)

Sleep is therefore more than a biological necessity. It is a daily lesson in providence, humility, trust, and hope. We work because God has given us work to do. We rest because God has given us permission to rest. We wake because His mercies are still present. “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

So tonight, when you lay your head upon the pillow, remember what sleep is saying. You are not God. You do not have to control everything. You do not have to solve everything tonight.

There is a God who neither slumbers nor sleeps. (Psalm 121:4) Trust Him with what you cannot carry.

Rest is not always a sign that nothing needs to be done. Sometimes rest is an expression of faith that God can take care of what you must leave undone.

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PRAYER
Father, teach us to work faithfully when it is time to work and rest peacefully when it is time to rest. Help us surrender our fears, burdens, and unanswered questions to You. Give us the confidence to sleep in peace because our lives are in Your hands, and keep our hearts fixed upon the resurrection hope we have in Jesus Christ. Amen.

BDD

THE TENT OF MEETING 8-15-26

“And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory.” (Exodus 29:43)

There was a tent in the wilderness called the Tent of Meeting. It was not merely a place where Israel gathered. It was the appointed place where God met with His people. In the middle of a wilderness, surrounded by sand, uncertainty, enemies, and wandering, God made a dwelling place among them.

What a picture of grace.

God wanted to be near His people.

The wilderness was not their permanent home, but the presence of God traveled with them. They did not have to find God. God had chosen to dwell among them. The cloud by day and the fire by night reminded Israel that they were never abandoned. The greatest blessing of the journey was not the manna, the water, or even the promised land.

It was the presence of God.

The Tent of Meeting also teaches us that meeting with God is not something to be treated casually. Moses would enter the tabernacle, and the LORD would speak with him. “So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11) There was communion. There was fellowship. There was conversation between God and His servant.

And then we come to Christ. The glory of the Tent of Meeting was pointing beyond itself. John tells us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” (John 1:14) The eternal Son of God came into our wilderness and lived among us. God did not merely give Israel a tent. He gave us His Son.

That changes everything. The greatest privilege of the Christian life is not simply receiving God’s blessings. It is knowing God. We can become so occupied with what God gives that we forget God Himself. We can want the promised land while neglecting the presence of the Promiser.

There is also a warning here. Israel had the Tent of Meeting, but that did not mean every Israelite truly walked with God. We can have churches, Bibles, sermons, songs, ministries, and religious activity and still live at a distance from God. Religious surroundings cannot substitute for genuine fellowship with Him.

The Tent of Meeting teaches us that God desires communion with His people. He is not merely a doctrine to be defended or a name to be spoken. He is the living God who calls us into fellowship through Jesus Christ. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

Do not merely pass through the wilderness carrying your religion. Meet with God. Seek His presence. Walk with Him. Talk with Him. Listen to His Word. Make fellowship with Him more valuable than everything else the wilderness can offer.

The wilderness may be difficult. The road may be long. The circumstances may change. But if God is with you, you are never truly alone.

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PRAYER

Father, teach us to value Your presence above every blessing You give. Keep us from becoming satisfied with religion while neglecting fellowship with You.

Draw us closer to Christ, and let our lives become places where Your presence is honored. In the wilderness and in the promised land, help us walk with You.

Amen.

BDD

THE VALLEY OF DECISION 8-15-26

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:14)

There is a valley mentioned in the Bible that ought to make every heart stop and every soul think. It is called the valley of decision. It is a place of crisis. A place where things cannot remain undecided forever. A place where the claims of God demand a response.

We live in a generation that loves postponement. People will think about God later. They will obey later. They will repent later. They will settle things with eternity later. But there is a danger in constantly saying later.

Every decision we make about God is moving us somewhere. Silence is a decision. Delay is a decision. Indifference is a decision.

The valley of decision reminds us that eternity is not a theory. It is coming. The day of the LORD is near. There will be a day when every argument will be finished, every excuse will be silenced, and every person will stand before God. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

But there is another sense in which every one of us lives in a valley of decision every day. We are constantly deciding whom we will trust, whom we will follow, and what we will do with what God has revealed to us.

Joshua stood before Israel and said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15) Elijah stood before Israel and demanded, “How long will you falter between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21)

God does not call us to perpetual hesitation. He calls us to faith. He calls us to repentance. He calls us to obedience. He calls us to Christ.

And Christ Himself is the great dividing line. We can admire Him and still refuse Him. We can talk about Him and still reject Him. We can believe facts about Him and still refuse to surrender ourselves to Him. But eventually every person must answer the question Jesus asked His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

The tragedy is that some people will spend their entire lives standing in the valley and never make the right decision. They will hear sermons, read Scriptures, watch others come to Christ, and feel conviction, but they will keep saying tomorrow. Yet tomorrow is not promised. “Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

The valley of decision is not merely a place of judgment. It is also a place of mercy. God is still calling. Christ is still being preached. The gospel is still being offered. The door of salvation is still open. If you are standing in that valley today, do not waste the moment God has given you.

Decide. Not merely what you believe about religion. Decide what you will do with Jesus Christ. Decide whom you will serve. Decide whether you will continue wandering or finally come home.

The valley of decision will not remain forever. The day of the LORD is coming. And when that day comes, the greatest decision you ever made will already have been made.

____________

PRAYER
Lord, bring us out of hesitation and into obedience. Give us courage to make the right decisions while there is still time. Keep us from delaying what You have commanded us to do. Turn our hearts completely toward Christ, and help us live every day knowing that eternity is near. Amen.

BDD

CALVINISM’S “GOD” 8-15-26

Calvinism claims to exalt the sovereignty of God. And certainly, God is sovereign. He rules. He reigns. Nothing threatens His throne. But the question is not whether God is sovereign. The question is whether the God Calvinism describes is the God revealed in the Bible.

And the answer is no. Calvinism is not the gospel.

The Calvinistic system presents a God who, before the foundation of the world, unconditionally chooses some individuals to be saved. Those He chooses cannot finally resist His grace. Those He does not choose cannot finally come to Him.

Christ, in this system, did not die equally for all people, but specifically and effectively for the elect. Grace is irresistible. Salvation is determined before a person is born, before he believes, before he sins, and apart from anything he will ever do.

But that raises a serious question. What does that do to the character of God?

The God of Scripture does not delight in the destruction of the wicked. He says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 18:23). He calls upon all people to repent. He desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they would not come to Him (Matthew 23:37).

That is not the picture of a God secretly withholding the possibility of salvation from multitudes because He never intended them to have it.

The God revealed in Jesus Christ loves the world (John 3:16). Christ tasted death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9). The gospel is to be preached to every creature (Mark 16:15). The invitation is broad enough for whoever will come. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

Whoever desires.

That sounds very different from a system in which a man may desire Christ but has never been given the ability to desire Him, because God did not elect him.

Calvinism often answers that God’s glory is displayed in both mercy and wrath. There is truth in that statement. God is glorified in judgment. But the bible never asks us to believe that God must first determine a person’s eternal destruction in order to display His glory. God is glorified when sinners repent. He is glorified when prodigals come home. He is glorified when hardened hearts become tender and rebellious people surrender to Christ.

The sovereignty of God does not eliminate the responsibility of man. The Bible can say that God is sovereign and still command men to repent. It can say that salvation is by grace and still say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). It can say that no one can come to Christ apart from God’s drawing and still proclaim an invitation to everyone (John 6:44; John 12:32). Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are both biblical truths. We do not have to destroy one to preserve the other.

Calvinism must be rejected because its system does not reflect the heart of the God revealed in Jesus Christ. God did not create people whom He never intended to save, withheld from them the grace necessary to respond, and then condemned them for failing to receive what He had eternally determined they could never receive.

That is childish. That is not the gospel.

The Gospel shows a God who loves sinners. A God who seeks the lost. A God who calls the rebellious. A God who waits for the prodigal. A God who sent His Son for the world. A God who says, “Come.”

God is sovereign.

God is holy.

God is just.

God is gracious.

And above everything else, God is love (1 John 4:8).

We do not need to make God less loving in order to make Him sovereign. We simply need to let God’s word speak for itself.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Saturday, August 15, 2026

9:00 AM

“He Must Increase”
(John 3:30)

2:00 PM

“Grace and Truth”
(John 1:17)

4:00 PM

“All Spiritual Blessings”
(Ephesians 1:3)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

THE UNSEEN REALITY 8-14-26

A person who refuses to believe in anything beyond this world still spends his life believing in invisible things.

We believe in love, though we cannot put love under a microscope. We believe in reason, though reason has no physical shape. We believe in justice, though justice cannot be weighed on a scale. We believe in beauty, though beauty cannot be measured with a ruler. Some of the most meaningful realities in human existence cannot be seen with the physical eye.

So the question is not whether we believe in unseen realities.

We do.

The real question is this: Which unseen reality best explains the world we experience?

We live in a visible world that points beyond itself. We see order, but order suggests a source of order. We see reason, but reason suggests something greater than irrational matter. We recognize moral obligation, yet morality cannot be reduced to chemistry and biology. We experience love, beauty, conscience, and meaning. These things may not be visible, but their effects are unmistakably real.

The Bible takes us beyond the visible and points us to the eternal. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). God is not another physical object inside the universe. He is Spirit. He is the unseen Reality behind all visible reality.

That means faith is not believing in something because there is no evidence. Faith is trusting the God who cannot be seen because His presence and work are revealed in what can be seen. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen” (Romans 1:20). The invisible God has made Himself known through His creation, His Word, and ultimately through His Son.

John tells us that “no one has seen God at any time,” yet immediately points us to Christ, who has made Him known (John 1:18). The invisible became visible in Jesus. The eternal entered time. The unseen God revealed Himself in human flesh.

We should never be embarrassed to believe in what we cannot see. Every person already lives by faith in realities he cannot see. The issue is not whether we will believe in the unseen. The issue is what we will believe about the unseen.

There is an unseen world. There is an eternal God. There is a spiritual reality greater than the material world around us. And one day, what is now unseen will become fully known.

Until then, we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

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PRAYER

Father, teach us not to live as though the visible world is all that exists. Give us faith to recognize Your invisible hand, trust Your unseen purposes, and worship You in spirit and truth. Fix our eyes upon Christ, until faith becomes sight. Amen.

BDD

WHERE’S THE BODY? 8-14-26

There is a simple question sitting right in the middle of the resurrection story.

Where’s the body?

The enemies of Jesus had every reason to produce it. The religious leaders hated Him. They wanted Him dead. They had pushed for His crucifixion. They knew exactly where He had been buried. They had watched the tomb being sealed. They even secured the tomb with a guard (Matthew 27:62-66). If Jesus’ body was still there, all they had to do was produce it.

But they never did.

That matters, doesn’t it.

Peter stood in Jerusalem and preached that Jesus had been raised from the dead (Acts 2:22-32). He was preaching in the very city where Jesus had been crucified and buried. If the body was still lying in Joseph’s tomb, the simplest answer would have been to bring it out.

The resurrection movement could have been crushed immediately.

But nobody produced the body.

Instead, the religious leaders said that the disciples had stolen it (Matthew 28:11-15). Think about that for a moment. Their explanation actually assumes the tomb was empty. They did not say, “The body is still in the tomb.” They said, in effect, “The disciples took it.”

But that explanation has problems of its own.

The disciples had nothing to gain by stealing Jesus’ body and pretending He had risen. They were frightened, confused, and scattered after His death. They were not standing outside the tomb waiting for an opportunity to create a religious movement. They were mourning. Yet shortly afterward, they were publicly proclaiming that Jesus was alive.

And then there were the grave clothes.

John tells us that Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen clothes lying there, with the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head folded separately (John 20:6-7). Whatever happened in that tomb, the evidence did not look like someone had hurriedly snatched a corpse and run away. The body was gone, but the burial clothes remained.

So again the question comes.

Where’s the body?

Maybe the disciples stole it.

But then where is the evidence?

Maybe the authorities moved it.

Then why did they never produce it when the apostles began preaching the resurrection?

Maybe the disciples went to the wrong tomb.

Then why didn’t Joseph of Arimathea, the owner of the tomb, identify the correct location? Why didn’t the authorities simply take everyone to the right grave and show them the body?

Maybe Jesus did not really die.

But Jesus had been scourged, crucified, and pierced. The Roman soldiers were experienced executioners. John records that blood and water came from His side when it was pierced with a spear (John 19:33-34). The idea that Jesus merely fainted and later escaped the tomb does not explain the condition in which He would have had to appear to His disciples.

Every alternative explanation eventually runs into the same wall.

Where’s the body?

The Christian faith does not rest merely on the fact that an empty tomb was discovered. The apostles also testified that they had seen the risen Christ. Paul later summarized the early Christian proclamation by saying that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised the third day, and that He appeared to Peter, the twelve, more than five hundred brethren, James, all the apostles, and finally Paul himself (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

The empty tomb by itself demands an explanation.

The appearances demand an explanation.

The transformation of the disciples demands an explanation.

The beginning of the resurrection proclamation in Jerusalem demands an explanation.

And standing behind all of it is that stubborn question that no enemy of Christianity has ever been able to answer by producing a corpse:

Where’s the body?

The tomb was empty because Jesus was alive.

That is the Christian message.

Not that the disciples had a beautiful memory.

Not that Jesus’ teaching lived on.

Not that His cause survived His death.

He Himself rose.

The One who was crucified was the One who walked out of the grave.

And because He lives, the resurrection is not merely something we believe happened to Jesus. It is the foundation of the hope that one day death itself will not have the final word over those who belong to Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

So ask the question.

Where’s the body?

The answer is found in the words of the angel:

“He is not here; for He is risen.” (Matthew 28:6)

___________

PRAYER

Father, thank You that Jesus did not remain in the grave. Thank You that our faith is centered upon a risen Savior.

Give us courage to believe, wisdom to answer, and boldness to proclaim the resurrection.

When doubt comes, remind us of the empty tomb. When fear comes, remind us that death has been conquered. And when we face our own mortality, remind us that because Christ lives, we have hope beyond the grave.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

CHRIST LEARNED OBEDIENCE 8-14-26

Jesus learned. The One who created the mind of man entered this world as a child and allowed Himself to pass through the ordinary stages of human growth. He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).

He did not merely appear as a man. He truly became man, experiencing the limitations, weaknesses, and developmental process of human life, yet without sin.

Jesus never had to learn obedience because He had been disobedient. There was never a moment when rebellion had to be corrected in Him. There was never a failure that required repentance.

His learning was not the learning of a sinner who discovers obedience through his mistakes. It was the learning of a Son who continually matured in His devotion to the Father’s will.

Hebrews tells us that He “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). What a profound statement. Obedience was not merely something Jesus understood. It was something He experienced.

He knew the Father’s will perfectly, but He walked that will through suffering, rejection, loneliness, temptation, and finally the cross. His obedience was not theoretical. It was tested in the hardest circumstances imaginable.

And perhaps there is a lesson here for us. We often want spiritual maturity without the process that produces it. We want strength without struggle. We want patience without waiting. We want faith without trials. We want obedience when obedience is convenient. But God often teaches us through the very circumstances we would choose to escape.

Jesus shows us that maturity is not simply knowing more. It is becoming increasingly surrendered to the will of God. He grew in wisdom, but He also walked deeper into obedience. He moved from the quiet home in Nazareth toward the wilderness, from the wilderness toward ministry, from ministry toward Gethsemane, and from Gethsemane toward Calvary. At every step He could say, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Think about that. The sinless Son of God willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s will. If Jesus embraced obedience so completely, how much more should we? We cannot claim to be growing spiritually while continually resisting what God has commanded.

Spiritual growth is seen when our hearts become increasingly willing to say, “Lord, whatever You desire, that is what I desire.”

Jesus learned obedience through suffering, and He became the perfect example of surrendered sonship. He teaches us that obedience is not merely doing what God says when we understand it. Sometimes obedience means trusting God when we do not understand. Sometimes it means continuing when the road is painful. Sometimes it means surrendering something we desperately want because we want God’s will more.

The goal of Christian maturity is not simply to know more about Christ. It is to become more like Christ. And one of the clearest marks of Christ was His complete submission to the Father.

May our knowledge become obedience, our obedience become maturity, and our maturity become a life that continually says, “Father, Your will be done.”

___________

PRAYER

Father, teach us the obedience of Jesus. Give us hearts that do not merely know Your will but gladly surrender to it. When obedience is difficult, give us strength. When the path is painful, give us faith. When we cannot understand, help us trust. Make us more like Your Son, until our greatest desire is not our own will, but Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

THE SUPPOSED DISCREPANCY IN THE FOUR RESURRECTION ACCOUNTS 8-14-26

One of the objections often raised against the reliability of the New Testament is the claim that the four Gospel writers cannot agree about the resurrection of Jesus. One says there was one angel. Another mentions two. One records Mary Magdalene. Another speaks of several women. One account seems to have the women tell the disciples. Another says they were afraid and told no one.

To some, these appear to be contradictions. But a closer look reveals something very different. The accounts are not contradictory. They are selective, complementary accounts of the same extraordinary morning.

The first thing we must remember is that none of the Gospel writers claims to give us every detail. John openly says that Jesus did many other things which were not written in his book (John 20:30). Luke says that he carefully investigated the events and wrote them in an orderly account (Luke 1:1-4). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not four men attempting to repeat the exact same sentence. They are four witnesses giving us different perspectives of the same event.

Consider the angels. Matthew tells us that an angel descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat upon it (Matthew 28:2). Mark speaks of a young man sitting on the right side inside the tomb (Mark 16:5). Luke records two men standing by them in shining garments (Luke 24:4). John tells us that Mary saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus had lain (John 20:12). Is that a contradiction? Not necessarily.

If there were two angels present, there was certainly one. If one Gospel writer chooses to emphasize the angel who spoke, that does not mean the other angel was absent. In fact, Luke’s account of two actually helps us understand why Matthew and Mark could mention only one.

The same principle applies to the women. Matthew names Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (Matthew 28:1). Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome (Mark 16:1). Luke speaks of Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women (Luke 24:10). John concentrates almost entirely on Mary Magdalene’s encounter (John 20:1-18).

These accounts do not require us to believe that only the women named in each account were present. John himself says that Mary came to the tomb and then ran to tell Peter and John, saying, “We do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:2). Her use of “we” is significant. She was not necessarily alone.

Then there is the question of whether the women told anyone. Mark 16:8 says they went out quickly and fled from the tomb because trembling and astonishment had seized them, and “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” That statement makes sense in the immediate context. They did not stop on the road and begin announcing the resurrection to everyone they met. They were terrified.

But the Gospel itself goes on to tell us that Mary Magdalene later reported the news to the disciples (Mark 16:9-11). Luke likewise says the women returned from the tomb and told the apostles (Luke 24:9). The natural reading is not that they never told anyone. It is that their initial reaction was fear and silence.

We should also remember that the resurrection accounts contain movement. The women came to the tomb. They discovered the stone removed. They encountered the angelic messengers. They were told that Jesus had risen. They went to report to the disciples. Mary Magdalene encountered Jesus. Peter and John came to the tomb. Jesus later appeared to the disciples.

Paul summarizes many of these appearances in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. There is no reason to force every detail into one frozen moment. The resurrection morning was not a photograph. It was a sequence of events.

And perhaps that is one of the strongest reasons the differences should not trouble us. If four witnesses gave exactly the same account, word for word, we might reasonably wonder whether they had simply copied one another. But when independent witnesses describe the same event from different perspectives, differences in selection and emphasis are expected.

The essential testimony remains unchanged: Jesus died. He was buried. The tomb was found empty. His followers encountered Him alive. His disciples proclaimed His resurrection even though doing so brought them suffering and persecution.

The resurrection does not stand or fall on whether Matthew mentioned every woman Mark mentioned, or whether John described every angel Luke described. The heart of the testimony is remarkably consistent. The tomb was empty because the One who had been crucified was no longer there. The stone had been rolled away. The grave clothes remained. The body was gone. And the disciples eventually saw the risen Christ.

What some call contradictions are often simply the marks of multiple witnesses telling the truth from different perspectives. The Gospel writers do not give us four competing resurrection stories. They give us four windows looking into the same empty tomb. Each window shows something the others emphasize less. Together they give us a fuller picture.

The message of the resurrection is therefore not weakened by the differences in the accounts. It is strengthened by the fact that beneath every difference stands the same glorious announcement: “He is risen; He is not here” (Mark 16:6).

The grave could not hold Him.

Death could not conquer Him.

The stone could not stop Him.

And the testimony of four Gospel witnesses still stands.

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PRAYER

Father, thank You for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Help us not to be shaken by objections that disappear when Your Word is carefully examined. Give us confidence in the truth, wisdom to answer those who question it, and faith to proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. May the empty tomb never become merely a doctrine to us, but may it remain the foundation of our hope, our salvation, and our life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

CHRIST IS ALL 8-14-26

The Christian life is amazingly simple when we understand this truth: Christ is all. We are often tempted to think that we need Christ plus something else. Christ plus possessions. Christ plus recognition. Christ plus success. Christ plus the approval of others. But the more we walk with Him, the more we discover that what our hearts truly need is found in Him. “Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

Christ is our salvation. We were unable to save ourselves, but He came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. He bore our sins, died our death, and opened the way for us to be reconciled to God. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). We do not boast in ourselves. We boast in Christ.

Christ is our strength. There are days when our own strength disappears. There are burdens we cannot carry and battles we cannot win by ourselves. Yet Christ remains faithful. Paul learned to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). What we lack in ourselves, we find in Him.

Christ is our peace. The world can change in a moment, circumstances can turn against us, and people can disappoint us, but Christ remains the same. He does not promise a life without trouble, but He gives us peace in the midst of trouble. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you” (John 14:27). His peace does not depend upon everything around us being peaceful.

Christ is our hope. We may lose earthly things. We may face sickness, sorrow, disappointment, and even death. But the Christian does not face these things without hope. Our hope is not built upon this world. Our hope is Christ Himself. Paul said, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Christ is also our purpose. Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). That is more than a statement about what Paul believed. It was the direction of his entire life. Christ was his reason for living, his reason for serving, and his reason for enduring. When Christ becomes our purpose, life is no longer centered around what we can gain, but around what we can give for Him.

The greatest danger is not that we will lose Christ. It is that we will become so distracted by lesser things that we fail to recognize how much we already have in Him. We chase what cannot satisfy while Christ stands before us offering everything our souls truly need. He is better than riches, greater than recognition, stronger than our weakness, and more enduring than anything this world can offer.

So today, come back to the simplicity of the Gospel. Christ is all. When you are weak, He is your strength. When you are troubled, He is your peace. When you are lost, He is your salvation. When you cannot see tomorrow, He is your hope. When you do not know what to do, He is your way. And when this earthly journey is finished, He will still be enough.

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PRAYER

Lord Jesus, teach me to stop looking for in this world what can only be found in You. Be my salvation, my strength, my peace, my hope, and my purpose. Help me to live each day knowing that You are sufficient for every need and faithful in every circumstance. May I decrease so that You may increase, and may my whole life testify that Christ is all. Amen.

BDD

THE DAYSPRING FROM ON HIGH 8-14-26

There is a beautiful name given to Christ in the opening chapter of Luke: “Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us” (Luke 1:78).

The word Dayspring speaks of the dawn, the rising of a new day, the breaking of darkness by the coming of light. After generations of waiting, God did not leave His people in the darkness. He sent the light.

The world was dark when Christ came. Sin had brought darkness into the hearts of men. Humanity could not save itself. The Law could reveal sin, but it could not remove it. The prophets could announce the coming of the Messiah, but they could not be the Messiah.

Then, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son (Galatians 4:4). The Dayspring came from on high.

Notice where the Dayspring came from.

From on high.

Salvation did not originate with man. It came from God. We did not climb our way up to heaven. Heaven came down to us. We did not discover God through human wisdom. God revealed Himself to us in His Son. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is heaven’s answer to earth’s darkness.

The Dayspring brings light. “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light” (Matthew 4:16). Christ exposes what sin tries to hide, but He does more than expose darkness. He gives us a way out of it.

His truth gives direction to the confused. His grace gives hope to the guilty. His presence gives comfort to the broken.

Where Christ is received, darkness does not win.

The Dayspring also brings hope. Dawn is proof that the night will not last forever. There may be times when the believer feels surrounded by darkness, but God has promised that His light will shine.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The coming of Christ was the great dawn of redemption, and those who belong to Him have the assurance that darkness, death, and sorrow will ultimately give way to the glory of God.

Finally, the Dayspring brings peace. Zacharias connected the coming of Christ with guiding “our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). Jesus does not merely show us the way. He is the way (John 14:6). Through Him, sinners can be reconciled to God, hearts can be made new, and lives can be redirected toward righteousness.

Perhaps you are walking through a dark valley today.

Remember the Dayspring.

Darkness may surround you, but it cannot overcome the light of Christ.

The night may seem long, but the morning is coming.

Look to Jesus.

Trust His Word.

Walk in His light.

The God who sent the Dayspring from on high has not forgotten His people.

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PRAYER

Father, thank You for sending the Dayspring from on high. When darkness surrounds me, remind me that Your light is greater than my circumstances. Lead my feet in the way of peace.

Help me walk in the light of Christ, trust His promises, and never lose hope in Your presence. Let His light shine through my life so that others may see Him.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Friday, August 14, 2026

5:30 AM

“Beside Still Waters”
(Psalm 23:2)

10:00 AM

“The World Knew Him Not”
(John 1:10)

2:00 PM

“Christ Died for All”
(Hebrews 2:9)

5:00 pm

“A Debased Mind”
(Romans 1:28)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

LIFE IN THE GOSPEL 8-13-26

The Gospel does more than tell us how to be saved. It tells us what salvation means, how the saved should live, and where the saved are going. God has delivered us from sin, called us to faithful service, and promised us a glorious destiny. Salvation is not merely about where we will be someday. It changes who we are today.

THE DELIVERANCE OF SINNERS

The greatest problem facing humanity is not poverty, sickness, loneliness, or even death. It is sin. Sin separates us from God and leaves us unable to save ourselves. But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ came to deliver sinners.

Paul wrote that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Through His death and resurrection, Christ provides forgiveness and reconciliation with God. We are not saved because we have earned salvation. We are saved because God, in His grace, has provided salvation through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Gospel calls sinners to believe in Christ, repent of their sins, and respond to Him in obedient faith (Acts 2:38; Acts 16:31). The chains of sin can be broken. The guilt of sin can be forgiven. The sinner who comes to Christ can become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

THE DUTY OF SAINTS

Those who have been delivered from sin have a responsibility to live for Christ. Grace does not give us permission to continue living as we please. Paul asks, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” His answer is emphatic: “Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1-2).

The Christian has been called to serve. We are to love God, love others, proclaim the Gospel, help those who are hurting, and live as lights in a dark world (Matthew 5:14-16). We are not saved merely to sit. We are saved to serve.

Every Christian has a place in the work of God. Some preach. Some teach. Some encourage. Some give. Some serve quietly where few people ever see them. But every faithful servant matters to God (1 Corinthians 15:58).

THE DESTINY OF THE SAVED

The Christian life does not end at the grave. Jesus promised that those who belong to Him have the hope of eternal life (John 3:16; John 14:1-3).

Our destiny is not determined by the temporary circumstances of this life. There may be suffering, disappointment, persecution, sickness, and sorrow along the way. But these things are not the final word. God has prepared something greater for those who remain faithful to Him.

John saw the ultimate victory of God’s people and heard the promise that God would dwell with them. Death, sorrow, crying, and pain would be no more (Revelation 21:3-4).

So remember the three great truths of the Gospel:

The Deliverance of Sinners — Christ saves us from sin.

The Duty of Saints — Christ calls us to serve Him.

The Destiny of the Saved — Christ gives us the hope of eternal life.

We have been delivered for a purpose, called to a duty, and promised a destiny. Therefore, let us never take our salvation for granted. Let us live faithfully, serve gladly, and keep our eyes fixed upon the hope that God has set before us.

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PRAYER: Father, thank You for the deliverance You have provided through Jesus Christ. Help me to live faithfully as one who has been saved. Give me a servant’s heart, a willing spirit, and a steadfast faith. Help me keep my eyes upon the destiny You have promised and remain faithful until the end. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

THE NAKED MAN WHO RAN AWAY

There is a strange little detail in the story of Jesus’ arrest that is easy to overlook. As Jesus was taken away, Mark tells us that a young man followed Him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. When the crowd seized him, he left the linen cloth behind and fled away naked (Mark 14:51-52). Mark gives us only two verses, but those two verses leave us with a powerful picture of what fear can do to a person.

HE FOLLOWED JESUS

The young man was following Jesus. He was close enough to be present when the soldiers came to arrest Him. Perhaps he intended to see what would happen. Perhaps he wanted to remain near the Lord. Whatever his reason, he was there when Jesus was taken.

But being near Jesus is not the same thing as being willing to suffer for Jesus. There is a difference between following Christ when the road is easy and following Him when the road leads toward suffering. Many people are willing to walk with Jesus until walking with Him becomes costly.

HE RAN FROM JESUS

When the young man was seized, fear overcame him. He left his linen cloth in their hands and ran away naked (Mark 14:52). He had been following Jesus, but suddenly he was more concerned about saving himself than remaining with his Lord.

What a picture of human weakness. Fear can make us abandon what we once intended to do. We may say that we will stand, but when pressure comes, our courage can disappear quickly.

Peter had just declared that even if everyone else abandoned Jesus, he would not (Mark 14:29-31). And yet within hours, Peter denied knowing Him. The young man ran. Peter denied. The disciples scattered. Jesus stood alone.

JESUS DID NOT RUN

There is an important contrast in the story. The young man ran away, but Jesus did not.

Jesus knew exactly what awaited Him. He knew the betrayal, the false accusations, the beating, the cross, and the suffering that were coming. Yet He willingly surrendered Himself to those who came to arrest Him.

The disciples were afraid because they were looking at what they might lose. Jesus was willing to suffer because He was looking at what He came to accomplish.

That is the difference between human courage and divine commitment. Jesus did not go to the cross because it was easy. He went because He loved us.

The naked man reminds us of our weakness. Jesus reminds us of His faithfulness.

We may run when we should stand. We may become afraid when we should trust. We may fail when we intended to be faithful. But our failures do not change the faithfulness of Christ.

The story of the naked man is only two verses long, but perhaps that is enough. Mark leaves him running into the darkness while Jesus continues toward the cross. One ran away from suffering. The other ran toward it.

And Jesus went toward the cross for people just like us.

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PRAYER

Father, give me courage to follow Jesus when following Him becomes difficult. When fear tells me to run, give me faith to stand. When I am weak, remind me that Jesus was faithful when everyone else failed. Help me never to be ashamed of Christ, but to remain faithful to Him wherever He leads me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL 8-13-26

From the beginning, humanity has been confronted with the difference between good and evil. In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed, but He also gave them a command. They were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). God was teaching them that there is a difference between knowing what is right and choosing what is right.

KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL

After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened, and they became aware of their nakedness (Genesis 3:6-7). Sin brought a new awareness into their lives. They now knew evil, not merely as something God had forbidden, but as something they had personally experienced.

There is nothing wrong with knowing that evil exists. The Bible repeatedly teaches us to recognize the difference between good and evil (Isaiah 5:20; Hebrews 5:14). The danger comes when we stop calling evil evil and begin calling it good. Our culture can change its opinions, but God’s standard does not change.

CHOOSING GOOD

Knowledge by itself is not enough. We can know what is right and still choose what is wrong. Adam and Eve knew God’s command, but they chose to disobey it. Knowledge without obedience can leave us with greater responsibility rather than greater righteousness (Luke 12:47-48).

God calls us to turn away from evil and pursue what is good. We are to hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). The Christian life is not simply learning more about the Bible. It is allowing the truth of God’s Word to shape our choices, our attitudes, our relationships, and our lives.

WISDOM TO DISCERN

We live in a world where good and evil are often confused. What God calls sin may be celebrated, and what God calls righteousness may be mocked. That is why we need God’s Word. His truth teaches us to discern between right and wrong.

The writer of Hebrews says that mature believers have their senses trained to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14). Notice the word trained. Discernment grows as we continually expose ourselves to God’s truth and practice obeying it.

The answer is not to become fascinated with evil. The answer is to become so familiar with God’s goodness that we recognize evil when we encounter it. Paul tells us to be wise concerning what is good and simple concerning evil (Romans 16:19).

We do not have to taste every evil thing to know that it is bitter. We do not have to walk into darkness to appreciate the light. God’s Word has already shown us the difference.

The knowledge of good and evil should lead us to a greater love for what is good, a greater hatred for what is evil, and a greater dependence upon the God who is perfectly good.

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PRAYER

Father, give me wisdom to recognize good and evil. Help me never to call evil good or good evil. Train my heart through Your Word so that I will love what You love, reject what You reject, and walk faithfully in Your truth. May my knowledge of good lead me to obedience, holiness, and a deeper relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

SAMSON: STRENGTH, WEAKNESS, AND THE END 8-13-26

Samson was a man of extraordinary strength, but his greatest battle was not with the Philistines. His greatest battle was with himself.

God gave Samson tremendous ability and a special calling, but Samson did not always possess the discipline necessary to use that strength faithfully. God can give a person great strength while that person still struggles with great weakness.

HIS STRENGTH

Samson’s strength was remarkable. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he performed mighty deeds that no ordinary man could accomplish (Judges 14:6). He tore a lion apart with his bare hands, carried away the gates of Gaza, and defeated large numbers of Philistines (Judges 14:5-6; 16:3; 15:14-16).

But Samson’s strength was never really about Samson. His strength came from God. His calling was to begin delivering Israel from the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5). The lesson is important. Whatever strength we possess ultimately comes from God. We must never confuse God’s gifts with our own greatness.

HIS WEAKNESS

For all his physical strength, Samson had tremendous spiritual weakness. He could defeat a lion, but he struggled to control his desires. He could break ropes, but he struggled to break free from temptation. He could conquer his enemies, but he repeatedly allowed his appetites to control him.

Samson’s relationship with Delilah eventually became the instrument of his downfall. She continually pressured him to reveal the secret of his strength, and eventually he told her everything that was in his heart. His hair was cut, the Lord departed from him, and the Philistines captured him (Judges 16:15-21).

Samson teaches us that a person can be strong in one area and dangerously weak in another. Physical strength cannot compensate for spiritual weakness. Talent cannot replace character. Ability cannot replace obedience. We must guard the areas of our lives where temptation continually seeks to gain control.

HIS END

The end of Samson’s life is both tragic and triumphant. The Philistines blinded him and placed him in prison, but his hair began to grow again (Judges 16:21-22). Then Samson prayed, asking God to remember him and strengthen him one more time (Judges 16:28).

God answered his prayer. Samson pushed against the pillars supporting the building where the Philistine rulers had gathered, and the structure collapsed upon them. Samson killed more Philistines at his death than he had killed during his life (Judges 16:29-30).

Samson’s story is not simply about a strong man who became weak. It is about a weak man who finally recognized where his strength truly came from. His life contained failure, consequences, repentance, and ultimately an act of faith.

There is a warning here for all of us. Never become so confident in your strength that you forget your dependence upon God. The strongest person is not the one who never struggles. The strongest person is the one who knows where his strength comes from.

Samson’s story began with God’s purpose, was marked by human weakness, and ended with God’s strength. That is why his life still speaks to us today: our failures do not have to be the final chapter when we turn our hearts back toward God.

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PRAYER: Father, help me never to trust in my own strength. Give me strength where I am weak, wisdom where I am foolish, and discipline where I am tempted. Help me learn from Samson’s failures and remember that every good gift and every strength I possess comes from You. When I fall, help me turn back to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD