Livestream Preaching Times for Wednesday, August 26, 2026

5:30 AM

“Prepare Your Mind for Action”

(1 Peter 1:13)

10:00 AM

“Walk in Him”

(Colossians 2:6)

2:00 PM

“He Carried Our Sorrows”

(Isaiah 53:4)

4:00 PM

“Your Election By God”
(1 Thessalonians 1:4)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#35 DEDICATED TO CHRIST 8-25-26

The Passover is one of the most important events in the Old Testament because it teaches us that God remembers His people, judges sin, keeps His promises, and provides a way of salvation. Israel was enslaved in Egypt, and God was preparing to deliver them. He instructed each household to take a lamb, sacrifice it, and place its blood upon the doorposts. When judgment came through the land, the houses marked by the blood were spared (Exodus 12:12-13).

But the Passover is much bigger than the story of Israel leaving Egypt.

The Passover points us to Jesus.

That is one of the great principles for reading the Bible. Jesus is the point. The Old Testament is not merely a collection of ancient stories about ancient people. It is the unfolding story of God’s redemptive purpose that ultimately leads us to Christ. Jesus told the religious leaders, “You search the Scriptures, for you think that in them you have eternal life. And these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).

The Scriptures testify of Christ.

The Passover testifies of Christ.

The lamb testifies of Christ.

The blood testifies of Christ.

The deliverance from Egypt points forward to the greater deliverance that would come through Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist looked at Jesus and declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The lamb in Egypt could preserve a person’s physical life for a night, but Jesus came to deal with the greatest problem humanity has ever faced. Sin.

That distinction is important.

We often think our greatest problems are physical problems. We worry about sickness, poverty, persecution, loneliness, disappointment, and suffering. Those things are real, and God cares about them. But none of them is our ultimate problem. Our greatest problem is sin because sin separates us from God and places us under judgment.

That is why Jesus came.

God was doing something far greater in the Passover than simply getting Israel out of Egypt. He was teaching His people about Himself and preparing the world for the coming Redeemer. The exodus was a real historical event, but it also pointed beyond itself. It was part of the great story of redemption that would culminate in Jesus Christ.

The blood on the doorposts points us toward the blood of Christ.

The lamb points us toward the Lamb of God.

The deliverance from slavery points us toward deliverance from sin.

The Passover points us toward Calvary.

And when we understand that, we begin to understand what it means to be dedicated to Christ.

TRUSTING GOD WHEN WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND

There are things God does that we will never completely understand.

There are things about God that He has not revealed to us. There are things about His providence, His judgment, His timing, and His purposes that remain beyond our ability to comprehend.

And that is okay.

We do not have to understand everything God does in order to trust Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). That is not a suggestion for the easy days. It is especially important when we encounter something we do not understand.

Faith means trusting God when we cannot see everything He sees.

We know what He has revealed. We do not know everything He knows.

We see a moment. He sees eternity.

We see circumstances. He sees the whole story.

We see the present. He sees the beginning and the end.

Our responsibility is not to sit in judgment upon God. Our responsibility is to trust Him.

Sometimes people approach difficult passages of Scripture as though God must stand before the human court and explain Himself. But God is not on trial before us. He is the Creator, and we are the creation.

That does not mean we cannot ask questions. It means that we approach our questions with humility.

We should never forget how little we know.

We are limited creatures trying to understand an infinite God. We possess only a fraction of the knowledge necessary to understand every circumstance of history. God possesses perfect knowledge.

That should produce humility.

When we read about the judgments God brought upon Egypt, we should remember that we are reading about a world of sin, rebellion, oppression, and divine judgment. Pharaoh had hardened his heart against God and refused His repeated commands to release God’s people (Exodus 5:1-2; 8:15; 9:12). We should be very careful about passing judgment on God when we have not even begun to comprehend everything involved.

God does not need us to defend Him.

But we do need to defend our own hearts against unbelief.

The devil would love to turn difficult questions into reasons to distrust God. He would love to make us believe that because we cannot understand something, God must be wrong.

Do not fall into that trap.

You can trust God without understanding God.

In fact, there will be many moments in your life when that is exactly what faith requires.

CHRIST IS THE CENTER OF THE SCRIPTURES

The Passover was not ultimately about how impressive Israel was. It was about how faithful God was.

Israel was helpless.

God was powerful.

Israel needed deliverance.

God provided deliverance.

And God did it according to His own purpose.

That same pattern reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. We were helpless because of sin, and God provided salvation through His Son.

The Gospel is not fundamentally a story about what humanity accomplished for God.

It is the story of what God accomplished for humanity through Christ.

Jesus is the hero of Scripture.

He is the center of redemption.

He is the Lamb.

He is the Savior.

He is the Lord.

He is the One through whom God has reconciled Jew and Gentile into one body through the cross (Ephesians 2:13-18).

That means that when we read the Old Testament, we should be looking for Christ. We should read it with our eyes open to God’s redemptive purpose.

When we read about Noah, we should think about salvation.

When we read about Abraham, we should think about faith.

When we read about Moses, we should think about deliverance.

When we read about the Passover lamb, we should think about Jesus.

When we read about the sacrifices, we should think about Calvary.

When we read the prophets, we should look for the promises concerning Christ.

The Bible is not ultimately about us.

The Bible is about Him.

And when we see Him more clearly, we will love Him more deeply.

FROM SAVED TO DEDICATED

Jesus did not merely die to rescue us from condemnation. He died so that we could belong to Him.

“Christ died for us” is the foundation of Christianity (Romans 5:8).

But that truth leads somewhere.

If He gave Himself for us, then we should give ourselves to Him.

Paul described this response in Romans 12:1 when he urged Christians to present their bodies as living sacrifices to God. Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice for us. We offer ourselves in grateful devotion to Him.

There are two crosses in the Christian life.

There is the cross where Jesus died for us.

And there is the cross He tells us to take up as we follow Him.

Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

He gave Himself for us.

We give ourselves to Him.

He surrendered His will to the Father’s will.

We surrender our will to His will.

He loved us enough to die for us.

We love Him enough to live for Him.

That is dedication to Christ.

JESUS IS SAVIOR AND LORD

It is easy to say that Jesus is Lord.

It is much more meaningful to live as though He is Lord.

Jesus asked a penetrating question: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

That question deserves our attention.

What does it mean to call Jesus Lord if we refuse to listen to Him?

He is not merely our Savior.

He is our Teacher.

He is our Lord.

Jesus said, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am” (John 13:13).

Then He demonstrated what His teaching meant by washing His disciples’ feet.

He served.

And He told His followers to serve.

The Christian life is therefore not complicated to understand. Jesus teaches, and we listen. Jesus commands, and we obey. Jesus leads, and we follow.

There will be times when obedience is difficult.

There will be times when our flesh wants something different.

There will be times when following Jesus costs us something.

But it is never wrong to obey Him.

There is no mistake in anything Jesus teaches.

There is no error in His wisdom.

There is no flaw in His character.

He knows what is best because He knows us completely and loves us perfectly.

LOVE PRODUCES OBEDIENCE

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

That is remarkably simple.

Love produces obedience.

We do not obey Jesus because He is cruelly demanding our submission. We obey Him because we have discovered that He loves us.

The cross settles that question forever.

God demonstrated His love by sending His Son.

Jesus demonstrated His love by giving His life.

And our obedience becomes the response of a heart that has been conquered by that love.

John wrote, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

That is the proper order.

He loved us first.

He served us first.

He gave Himself first.

Now we respond by loving, serving, and obeying Him.

We cannot judge Jesus by the failures of religious people. People are imperfect. Churches are imperfect. Religious leaders are imperfect. Christians are imperfect.

Jesus is not.

If you want to know the real Jesus, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Watch Him.

Listen to Him.

Study His words.

Observe His compassion.

Look at His holiness.

Look at His patience.

Look at His courage.

Look at His willingness to serve.

And ultimately, look at the cross.

There you see the love of God displayed in its clearest form.

A LIFE DEDICATED TO CHRIST

The Christian life is a life pointed toward Jesus.

We think about Him.

We learn about Him.

We obey Him.

We imitate Him.

We serve Him.

We love Him.

And we keep moving toward Him.

Paul said, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). That means that Jesus is not merely a part of our lives. He is to influence everything about our lives.

Our families.

Our work.

Our conversations.

Our decisions.

Our relationships.

Our ambitions.

Our use of time.

Our treatment of other people.

Everything belongs under the Lordship of Christ.

The world needs Christians who are genuinely dedicated to Jesus.

Not merely people who wear His name.

Not merely people who attend religious services.

Not merely people who speak religious language.

People who actually follow Him.

People who obey Him.

People who serve others because He served them.

People who forgive because He taught them to forgive.

People who love because He first loved them.

People who sacrifice because He sacrificed Himself.

People who live differently because they belong to Him.

Faith is not merely believing something about Jesus.

Faith leads us to Jesus.

And when we truly come to Jesus, faith leads us to obedience.

Paul described the gospel as bringing the nations to “the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26).

That is what dedication looks like.

Jesus is our Savior.

Jesus is our Lord.

Jesus is our Teacher.

Jesus is our Lamb.

Jesus is our life.

The Passover points us to Him.

The Scriptures point us to Him.

The cross points us to Him.

And our entire lives should point toward Him.

He gave Himself for us. Now let us give ourselves to Him.

That is dedication to Christ.

BDD

#34 IN THE BEGINNING, GOD 8-25-26

The Bible begins with three words that settle the greatest question of human existence: “In the beginning God.” Before there was a universe, God was. Before there was a sun to shine, God was. Before there was an earth beneath our feet, God was. Before there was a human mind capable of asking where we came from, God was. The world did not begin with chance. It began with God.

Genesis does not present creation as an accident slowly developing without purpose or direction. It presents the deliberate work of a sovereign Creator. Again and again, God speaks, and creation responds. Light appears. The heavens are formed. The seas are gathered. The earth brings forth vegetation. The sun, moon, and stars are appointed. The animals are created. And finally, God creates man in His own image (Genesis 1:3-27). Six times Genesis records the passing of an evening and a morning, identifying the successive days of God’s creative work (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31).

The question of creation ultimately brings us to the question of origins. We can trace things backward as far as human investigation will allow, but eventually we arrive at the beginning. Where did matter come from? Where did life come from? Where did the order of the universe come from? Where did the human mind, conscience, personality, and capacity for worship come from? We can propose theories about processes, but eventually we must answer the question of who stands at the beginning.

The Bible’s answer is beautifully simple: God.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God did not discover the universe. He created it. He did not inherit life. He is the source of life. He did not merely observe the development of humanity. He formed humanity according to His own purpose.

That is why the biblical doctrine of creation is so important. If we remove the Creator from the beginning, we eventually lose the foundation for understanding the purpose of everything that follows. If we are merely the product of chance, then life has no ultimate purpose. If humanity is merely the accidental result of natural processes, then there is no higher reason for human dignity, morality, love, sacrifice, or worship.

But Genesis tells us something far greater. We were made on purpose.

Man was not simply another creature. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Then the Bible says, “So God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). We possess a unique dignity because our Creator gave us a unique identity. We were made to know God, to love God, to worship God, and to live for the glory of God.

And when anyone wonders what Jesus believed about the beginning, we do not have to guess.

Jesus Himself went back to Genesis.

When questioned about marriage, Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’?” (Matthew 19:4). Notice the words of our Lord. “At the beginning.” He went back to the beginning of humanity and identified God as the One who made them. He spoke of man and woman as God’s creation.

The Christ who stood before the religious leaders was the One who had been there in the beginning. John tells us that “all things were made through Him” and that without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3). The One who walked the dusty roads of Galilee was the One through whom the universe itself came into existence.

Think about that.

The One who healed the sick created the human body. The One who calmed the sea created the oceans. The One who spoke of the birds of the air created them. The One who looked upon humanity with compassion was the One who had created humanity in the image of God.

The Bible begins with God because everything begins with God.

Your life began with God. Your purpose begins with God. Your dignity comes from God. Your hope is found in God. And when this life is finished, your eternal destiny will ultimately be determined by your relationship with God.

You are not an accident.

You are not meaningless.

You were created by God, made in His image, and placed in this world for His purposes. The heavens declare His glory. Creation displays His wisdom. Humanity bears His image. And above it all stands the Creator who was there before the beginning and who will remain when everything we know has passed away.

“In the beginning God.”

Those words are not merely the opening sentence of the Bible. They are the foundation of everything.

And if God was there in the beginning, then we can trust Him with everything that comes after.

_______________

Father, thank You for being the Creator of heaven and earth and the giver of life. Help us never to forget that we are here by Your purpose and for Your glory. Strengthen our faith in Your Word and help us see Your wisdom and power throughout Your creation. Since You were there in the beginning, teach us to trust You with our present and our future. May our lives honor the God who created us, loves us, and calls us to Himself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

#33 THE VEIL WAS TORN 8-25-26

For centuries, a veil stood between God and man. In the temple, the veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies. Behind that veil was the manifest presence of God. No ordinary man could enter there. Even the high priest could enter only once a year, and he entered alone, carrying the blood of sacrifice for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:2, 14-17, 33-34; Hebrews 9:7).

The veil was a picture of separation. God was holy, and man was sinful. God dwelt behind the veil, while sinful humanity remained outside. The veil proclaimed a sobering truth: sin had created a barrier between the Creator and His creation.

But then Jesus came.

At Calvary, the Son of God offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. When Jesus died, something happened in the temple that heaven wanted every generation to remember. The veil was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51).

Notice the direction. It was torn from top to bottom.

Man did not tear the veil. God did.

That is the gospel in a single picture. We could never remove the barrier between ourselves and God by our own goodness, religion, morality, or merit. We could not climb our way into God’s presence. We could not work our way into His favor. We could not make ourselves righteous enough to stand before Him. God did for us at Calvary what we could never do for ourselves (Romans 8:3-4).

The torn veil means that the way into God’s presence has been opened through Jesus Christ. What was once restricted has now been made available. What was once distant has been brought near. Because of Christ, we do not have to stand outside the presence of God. We can come boldly before His throne of grace, knowing that we will find mercy and grace when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16).

Think about that. The sinner can come into the presence of the Holy God because of the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God.

The torn veil does not tell us that God became less holy. It tells us that Christ became the perfect sacrifice. God did not lower His standard of righteousness. He satisfied His righteous demands through the blood of His Son. Jesus opened the way.

The veil was torn because Jesus was wounded. The barrier was removed because Christ bore our sin. The way was opened because the Savior died.

So when you feel unworthy to approach God, remember the veil. When you are conscious of your failures, remember the cross. When Satan tells you that you must remain far away from God, remember that the veil has been torn.

God opened the way.

We do not come boldly because we are worthy. We come boldly because He is worthy. We do not approach God because of what we have done. We approach Him because of what Jesus has done.

The veil was torn from top to bottom. Heaven opened the way.

And because Jesus died, we can come home.

_______________

Father, thank You for opening the way into Your presence through Jesus Christ. Help us never to forget that we stand before You not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness and sacrifice of Your Son. Give us boldness to approach Your throne, humility to receive Your mercy, and faith to trust completely in what Christ accomplished at Calvary. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

#32 PLEASING CHRIST INSTEAD OF PEOPLE 8-25-26

One of the greatest spiritual dangers in life is becoming more concerned about pleasing people than pleasing God. We naturally want to be accepted, appreciated, and approved. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be loved, but it is dangerous to allow the opinions of people to become more important to us than the approval of God. Paul asked, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men?” Then he gave the answer: “For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). Paul understood that a life surrendered to Christ cannot be governed by the desire for human approval.

THE DANGER OF PLEASING PEOPLE

Paul begins by asking, “Do I seek to please men?” (Galatians 1:10). When pleasing people becomes our goal, truth becomes negotiable. We begin asking, “What will they think?” instead of asking, “What does God say?” We become tempted to soften truth, silence conviction, and compromise obedience because we are afraid of rejection. The approval of people can become a prison when we allow their opinions to control our decisions. People change, opinions change, and cultures change, but the Word of God remains forever (Isaiah 40:8). We must never exchange the eternal truth of God for the temporary applause of men.

THE DILEMMA OF PLEASING PEOPLE

He continues, “For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). There comes a time when we must choose whose servant we will be. You cannot have two masters. If our highest ambition is to make everyone happy with us, eventually we will be faced with a choice between human approval and divine obedience. Jesus warned that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Faithfulness to Christ will sometimes make us unpopular. Doing what is right will sometimes cost us friendships, applause, opportunities, and acceptance. But it is better to lose the approval of men and have the approval of God than to gain the approval of men and lose our fellowship with Christ.

THE DELIGHT OF PLEASING CHRIST

Paul’s greatest desire was not applause from men but approval from God. He asked, “For do I now persuade men, or God?” (Galatians 1:10). There is tremendous freedom in living for an audience of One. When Christ is the One we are trying to please, we can love people without being controlled by their opinions, speak truth without being paralyzed by their rejection, and serve without demanding recognition. Jesus Himself said, “I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). That ought to become the desire of every Christian. Not, “Do people like me?” Not, “Did everybody approve of me?” But, “Did I please my Lord?”

The person who lives to please people will eventually become disappointed, because people can never be satisfied. But the person who lives to please Christ has found a higher calling. We are not called to live for applause. We are called to live for Christ. We are not called to chase approval. We are called to pursue faithfulness. And when the day comes when we stand before Him, the only approval that will ultimately matter is His.

_______________

Father, help me to live for Your approval rather than the applause of people. Give me courage to stand for truth when it is unpopular, humility to serve when no one notices, and faithfulness to obey You when obedience is costly. Keep me from becoming controlled by the opinions of others. Teach me to love people without living for their approval, and help me make pleasing Christ the greatest desire of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

#31 THE BURDEN, THE BRETHREN, AND THE BLESSING 8-25-26

There is a beautiful principle of leadership found in both the days of Moses and the days of the apostles. Moses discovered that the work God had given him was too great for one man to carry alone. Centuries later, the apostles faced a similar situation in the early church. The circumstances were different, but the principle was the same. God’s work is not designed for one person to do everything.

Moses said to Israel, “I am not able to bear you by myself” (Deuteronomy 1:9). The nation had grown, the responsibilities had multiplied, and the burden had become too great. Moses needed faithful men who could share the responsibility of leading and judging the people. They were to be wise, understanding, experienced, and respected men who would help him carry the load (Deuteronomy 1:13–17).

The apostles faced a similar challenge in Acts 6. The church was growing rapidly, but with growth came needs. Some widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The apostles understood that the problem needed to be addressed, but they also understood that abandoning the ministry of prayer and the word of God was not the answer. They told the church to seek out seven men who were of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom (Acts 6:2–3).

Notice the wisdom of both Moses and the apostles. They did not ignore the problem, and they did not try to do everything themselves. They recognized the need, identified qualified people, delegated responsibility, and continued doing the work God had specifically entrusted to them.

This teaches us something important about Christian service. Delegation is not weakness. It is wisdom. There are people who believe they must personally carry every burden, solve every problem, visit every person, teach every class, answer every question, and accomplish every task. But God never intended His people to function that way. The body of Christ has many members, and every member has a purpose (Romans 12:4–8).

The answer to a great burden is not always to work harder. Sometimes the answer is to share the burden with faithful brethren. Moses needed men who could help him. The apostles needed men who could serve the congregation. And the church today needs faithful men and women who are willing to step forward and say, “Give me something I can do for the kingdom.”

And look at what happened when the burden was properly shared. In Acts 6, “the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly” (Acts 6:7). The apostles continued preaching, the congregation received needed care, qualified servants were raised up, and the kingdom advanced.

That is the blessing of every member doing his or her part. When the burden is shared, the work expands. When faithful people serve, the church grows. When everyone uses what God has given them, the kingdom moves forward.

Moses could not do everything. The apostles could not do everything. And neither can we. But together, under the lordship of Christ, we can accomplish far more than any one person could ever accomplish alone.

The question is not, “Why isn’t somebody doing this?” The better question is, “What can I do?” There is a place for you in the work of God. There is a burden you can help carry. There is a person you can encourage. There is a soul you can reach. There is a work you can do.

The burden is great. The brethren are needed. And when God’s people faithfully serve together, the blessing is greater than we could ever imagine.

________________

Father, give us wisdom to recognize the burdens that need to be shared and humility to allow others to serve. Raise up faithful men and women who are willing to work for Your kingdom. Help each of us discover our place in Your work and faithfully fulfill it. May Your Word spread, may Your church grow, and may Christ be glorified through everything we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Tuesday, August 25, 2026

5:30 AM

“Pleasing People”

(Galatians 1:10)

10:00 AM

“The Thief on the Cross”

(Luke 23:39-43)

2:00 PM

“Think On These Things”

(Philippians 4:8)

4:00 PM

“Do Not Worry”
(Matthew 6:25)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#30 THE DEFEAT OF DEATH 8-24-26

Death has always been the great enemy of humanity. We can build great cities, discover remarkable things, accumulate wealth, and accomplish incredible achievements, but eventually death comes for us all. But Christianity begins with the glorious announcement that death has been defeatedd. Jesus Christ defeated death. He entered our world, took upon Himself our humanity, lived in perfect holiness, died upon the cross, rose from the grave, and opened the way to eternal life.

HE BECAME HUMAN

The Son of God became the Son of Man. Jesus did not save us from a distance. He entered our condition. He experienced hunger, thirst, weariness, temptation, sorrow, rejection, suffering, and ultimately death. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

Because He became human, He could stand where we stand. He could experience what we experience. He could suffer what we suffer. The One who created life stepped into the world of death so that He could conquer the enemy that held humanity captive.

HE LIVED HOLY

Jesus did not merely become human. He became human without becoming sinful. He lived the holy life we could never live. He was tempted in every way we are, yet He remained without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

He was perfectly obedient to the Father. His hands were clean. His heart was pure. His words were true. His life was righteous. Death had no rightful claim upon Him because He had committed no sin.

Yet the sinless One willingly went to the cross for sinners. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

HE GAVE US HOPE

The grave could not hold Jesus. On the third day, He rose again. The resurrection transformed death from a hopeless ending into a conquered enemy. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Our hope is not based upon wishful thinking. Our hope rests upon an empty tomb. Because Jesus lives, death is not the end for those who belong to Him. The resurrection assures us that the One who conquered death can also give life to those who trust Him.

When we stand beside the grave of someone we love, we grieve, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope. When we think about our own mortality, we may recognize the seriousness of death, but we do not have to live in terror of it. Christ has gone before us.

HE TAKES US TO HEAVEN

Jesus did not rise from the dead simply to demonstrate His power over the grave. He rose to bring His people into eternal fellowship with God. He promised, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

The Savior who came down from heaven is the Savior who takes His people home. The One who entered our world will bring us into His world. The One who walked through death has opened the way to life everlasting.

Death may close our eyes here, but it cannot destroy our future with Christ. The grave may receive the body, but it cannot possess the soul of one who belongs to Jesus. Our destination is not the grave. Our destination is home.

He became human so He could stand with us. He lived holy so He could be our perfect Savior. He died and rose again so He could give us hope. And He will take us to heaven so that we may be with Him forever.

He entered death, defeated death, and opened the door beyond death.

That is the victory of Jesus Christ.

________________

Lord Jesus, thank You for becoming human and entering our world of suffering and death. Thank You for living a holy and perfect life, dying for our sins, and rising victorious from the grave. Give us confidence when we face death and hope when we stand at the graves of those we love. Help us live faithfully until the day You take us home to be with You forever. Amen.

BDD

#29 THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST 8-24-26

The love of Jesus Christ is the greatest love the world has ever known. It is a love that does not remain distant, passive, or uncertain. His love reaches toward us, rescues us, strengthens us, transforms us, and holds us securely. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Before we ever sought Christ, Christ sought us.

HIS LOVE SEEKS US

Jesus’ love seeks us when we are lost, wandering, broken, and far from God. He does not wait for us to find our way back to Him. He comes looking for us.

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Like the shepherd who searched for the one lost sheep, Jesus pursues every heart that has wandered from Him. His love sees us even when others overlook us. His love calls us even when we feel unworthy to answer.

We may run from Him, but His love continues to reach for us. We may hide in shame, but His love knows where we are. We may believe we are too far gone, but His love reminds us that no distance is greater than His grace.

HIS LOVE SAVES US

The love of Jesus is not merely comforting; it is saving. Sin separated us from God, but Christ gave Himself to bring us back. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

At the cross, Jesus took our guilt, bore our judgment, and opened the way to forgiveness. We are not saved by our goodness, our efforts, or our religious accomplishments. We are saved by grace through faith in the One who loved us enough to lay down His life for us.

His love does not excuse our sin; it delivers us from sin. His love does not leave us condemned; it gives us new life. His love does not merely make us feel better; it makes us new.

HIS LOVE SUSTAINS US

The love that saves us is the same love that sustains us. Jesus does not rescue us and then abandon us to walk alone. He remains with us through every trial, weakness, disappointment, and uncertainty.

Paul declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Christ strengthens us when our own strength is gone. His love carries us when we cannot carry ourselves. His presence gives us courage when fear surrounds us and hope when circumstances seem hopeless.

We may face trouble, but we are not forsaken. We may become weary, but His grace is sufficient. We may stumble, but His hand is able to lift us again. The love of Jesus is faithful in every season.

HIS LOVE SANCTIFIES US

Jesus’ love does more than forgive our past; it transforms our present. His love sanctifies us, setting us apart for God and shaping us into the likeness of Christ.

“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her” (Ephesians 5:25–26). The love of Jesus changes what we desire, how we think, how we speak, and how we live. It teaches us to turn away from sin and to pursue holiness.

We do not obey Christ in order to earn His love. We obey because His love has already captured our hearts. His love makes us want to become more like Him. It produces humility, compassion, purity, patience, forgiveness, and obedience within us.

The closer we walk with Jesus, the more His character should be seen in our lives.

HIS LOVE SECURES US

The love of Jesus gives us eternal security. Our salvation does not rest upon the strength of our grip on Him, but upon the strength of His grip on us. He said, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

Nothing can separate those who belong to Christ from His love. Paul declared that neither death nor life, angels nor principalities, things present nor things to come, nor any other created thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39).

His love secures us when our feelings change, when our circumstances shake, and when our faith feels weak. We are held by a Savior who is faithful, powerful, and unchanging.

His love seeks us. His love saves us. His love sustains us. His love sanctifies us. His love secures us.

That is the love of Jesus Christ. It finds us in our lostness, rescues us from our sin, carries us through our struggles, transforms us into His likeness, and keeps us safely in His hands.

Receive His love today. Rest in His grace. Walk in His presence. Let the love that saved you become the love that shapes you.

_______________

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me with an everlasting love. Thank You for seeking me when I was lost, saving me from my sin, sustaining me in every trial, sanctifying me through Your grace, and securing me in Your hands. Help me to rest in Your love and reflect Your love to others. May my life be a testimony of the transforming power of Your love. Amen.

BDD

#28 MOVING TOWARD CHRIST 8-24-26

The Christian life is a life of movement. We are never meant to remain where we started. We are moving toward Christ, becoming more like Christ, and learning to live with Christ at the center of everything. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The closer we come to Christ, the more Christ should be seen in us.

INTERNALIZING CHRIST

Before Christ can be reflected through our lives, Christ must be received into our hearts. His Word must move from the pages of Scripture into the principles of our lives. We do not merely read what Jesus said. We allow His words to become part of who we are. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).

Internalizing Christ means allowing His truth to shape our thinking, His presence to shape our attitudes, His love to shape our hearts, and His commands to shape our conduct. We stop asking merely, “What does the Bible say?” and begin asking, “How should what the Bible says change me?” Truth becomes character when it is internalized.

IDENTIFYING WITH CHRIST

Once Christ’s truth is dwelling within us, we begin to identify ourselves with Him. We no longer want our identity to be built primarily upon our occupation, reputation, possessions, accomplishments, or failures. Our deepest identity is found in belonging to Jesus.

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). To identify with Christ means that His people become our people, His mission becomes our mission, and His kingdom becomes our priority. We want to be known as someone who belongs to Jesus.

This identification also means accepting the cost of following Him. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). We cannot truly identify with Christ while refusing to follow Christ.

IMITATING CHRIST

Finally, what we internalize and identify with should become what we imitate. Paul told the Corinthians, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Christianity is not merely believing certain things about Jesus. It is learning to walk as Jesus walked.

We imitate His compassion toward the hurting. We imitate His humility toward others. We imitate His patience with people. We imitate His courage in confronting sin. We imitate His obedience to the Father. We imitate His willingness to serve rather than be served.

The goal is not simply to know more about Christ. The goal is to become more like Christ.

Internalizing gives us His truth. Identifying gives us His identity. Imitating gives us His character.

That is what it means to move toward Christ. We take His Word into our hearts, we take our place with Him, and then we take His character into the world.

The closer we get to Jesus, the less people should see merely what we used to be and the more they should see Christ living through us.

Move toward Christ today. Internalize His Word. Identify with His cross. Imitate His life.

_______________

Lord Jesus, draw me closer to You. Let Your Word dwell deeply within me. Let my identity be found in You, and let my life increasingly resemble Yours. Teach me to think as You think, love as You love, serve as You serve, and walk as You walked. May people see less of me and more of You. Amen.

BDD

#27 LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS

We often hear the familiar phrase, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Those words describe noble desires. We want to live. We want to be free. We want the opportunity to pursue what we believe will make our lives meaningful. But for the Christian, there is something greater than the pursuit of happiness. There is a higher pursuit. It is the pursuit of holiness.

God gives us life, but He does not give us life merely so we can spend it pursuing our own pleasures. He gives us life so that we might know Him, serve Him, and glorify Him. Our lives are not accidents, and they are not ultimately our own. We were created by God and for God. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).

Then there is liberty. The world often defines liberty as the freedom to do whatever we want. The Bible gives us a better definition. True liberty is not freedom from God. It is freedom to live for God. Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Sin promises freedom but produces slavery. Christ calls us out of slavery and into the freedom of obedience.

Christian liberty does not mean, “I can do whatever I please.” It means, “I am no longer controlled by whatever pleases me.” There is tremendous freedom in that. When Christ breaks the chains of sin, we are no longer slaves to our appetites, our anger, our pride, our lusts, or the approval of other people. We are free to become what God created us to be.

And that brings us to holiness. “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Holiness is not merely avoiding certain sins. Holiness is belonging completely to God. It is allowing Him to shape our thoughts, our words, our desires, our relationships, and our conduct. It is becoming increasingly like Christ.

The pursuit of holiness is different from the pursuit of happiness. Happiness says, “What will make me feel good?” Holiness asks, “What will make me more like Jesus?” Happiness may come and go with circumstances. Holiness produces a joy that circumstances cannot take away. Happiness can be pursued selfishly. Holiness teaches us to surrender ourselves to God.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings God gives us. But happiness was never meant to be the highest goal of life. If happiness becomes our god, we will sacrifice almost anything to obtain it. But when holiness becomes our pursuit, we discover something far better. We discover that the greatest life is not the life in which we get everything we want. It is the life in which we become everything God wants us to be.

So pursue life, but pursue eternal life. Cherish liberty, but pursue the liberty Christ gives. And pursue happiness when God graciously gives it, but never make it your highest goal. Above everything else, pursue holiness.

Because the greatest life is a life surrendered to God. The greatest liberty is freedom from the dominion of sin. And the greatest pursuit is not happiness, wealth, success, or recognition.

It is holiness.

________________

Father, thank You for the gift of life and the freedom You give through Jesus Christ. Deliver me from the slavery of sin and teach me to use my freedom to serve You. Turn my heart away from merely pursuing happiness and make holiness the great pursuit of my life. Make me more like Jesus every day. In His name, Amen.

BDD

#26 LOVE NEVER FAILS 8-24-26

There are many things in life that appear permanent but are not. Knowledge changes. Abilities diminish. Circumstances shift. Talents come and go. Even things that seem incredibly important today may be forgotten tomorrow. But Paul gives us something that stands above them all: “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

The greatness of love is not merely that it feels good. The greatness of love is that it endures. Love keeps going when circumstances change. Love remains when emotions fade. Love forgives when it has been wounded. Love serves when nobody applauds. Love gives when there is nothing to gain in return. That kind of love is not merely human affection. It reflects the character of God.

Paul deliberately places love alongside the spiritual gifts. Prophecies would fail. Tongues would cease. Knowledge would vanish away. These things had their purpose, but they were never meant to last forever. The gifts were temporary instruments. Love was the enduring reality. The Corinthians were fascinated with spiritual gifts, but Paul was teaching them that they were focusing on what would pass away while neglecting what would remain.

That is a lesson we desperately need today. We can become impressed with knowledge and forget love. We can become concerned with ability and forget character. We can become fascinated with what a person can do and overlook how that person treats others. But heaven does not measure greatness merely by what we accomplish. Love matters because love reveals what is happening in the heart.

Think about how different our lives would be if we truly believed that love never fails. We would be slower to hold grudges. We would be quicker to forgive. We would speak more gently. We would serve more faithfully. We would stop keeping score of every offense. We would understand that loving someone is never wasted, even when that love is not immediately returned.

And there is something even greater. Love never fails because God never fails. The love God has demonstrated toward us is not dependent upon our perfection. He loved us when we were sinners. He sent His Son for us when we did not deserve it. Christ bore our sin, carried our shame, and gave Himself for our redemption. The cross is the greatest declaration that love does not give up.

One day many of the things we consider important will disappear. Our possessions will be gone. Our accomplishments will be forgotten. Our earthly abilities will end. But what is done in love will never be meaningless. Love is greater than talent, greater than knowledge, and greater than reputation.

So whatever else you get right in this life, get love right. Love God. Love your family. Love your neighbor. Love the difficult person. Love the hurting person. Love the person who cannot give you anything in return. Because when everything else has passed away, love will still be standing.

Love never fails.

_______________

Father, teach me to love as You have loved me. Keep me from becoming so concerned with knowledge, ability, success, or recognition that I forget the greatest commandment. Make my heart patient, kind, forgiving, humble, and compassionate. Let my life become a testimony that Your love truly never fails. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Monday, August 24, 2026

5:30 AM

“Glorifying God”

(1 Corinthians 6:20)

10:00 AM

“The Fulfillment of the Law”

(Matthew 5:17)

2:00 PM

“Love Never Fails”

(1 Corinthians 13:8)

5:00 PM

“Do Not Worry”
(Matthew 6:25)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#25 WHEN REBELLION RETURNS 8-23-26

It is heartbreaking watching a generation tear down what another generation sacrificed to build. Hezekiah had done what was right in the sight of the Lord. He removed the high places, broke down the idols, and called Judah back to the worship of the true God. He had inherited a nation that had wandered, and he worked to bring it home. But righteousness in one generation does not guarantee righteousness in the next.

When Jehoahaz became king, the direction changed. The idols that Hezekiah had destroyed were brought back. The things that had been removed were restored. The nation began walking down the very road from which it had once been rescued. What one generation had fought to remove, another generation willingly embraced.

That ought to frighten us. Every generation must choose whether it will walk with God. We cannot live forever on the faith of our fathers. We cannot inherit obedience. We cannot inherit holiness. We cannot inherit a relationship with God simply because someone before us knew the Lord.

A church can have a great history and still have a terrible future. A family can have godly parents and ungodly children. A nation can experience revival and later return to rebellion. The fact that God blessed us yesterday does not mean we can reject Him today and expect the same blessing tomorrow.

The tragedy of Judah was not merely that they had wicked rulers. There was an overall spirit of rebellion among the people. Leadership matters, but the heart of a people matters too. When rebellion becomes normal, destruction eventually follows. Sin always promises freedom, but it eventually produces bondage. Idolatry promises satisfaction, but it leaves the soul empty. Rebellion promises independence from God, but it ultimately brings ruin.

There is also a warning here about rebuilding what God has helped us tear down. Sometimes God delivers us from something, and then we return to it. He breaks a habit, and we rebuild it. He removes an idol, and we put another one in its place. He brings us out of darkness, and we become comfortable walking toward the darkness again. We must never romanticize the things from which God has delivered us.

The answer is not simply to admire the faithfulness of those who came before us. We must become faithful ourselves. We must seek the Lord for ourselves, obey His Word for ourselves, and teach the next generation to know Him. Joshua understood this when he declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

The question is not what your parents did. It is not what your grandparents believed. It is not what your church accomplished twenty years ago. The question is this: What will you do with God today?

Let us not rebuild the idols that previous generations tore down. Let us not return to the sins from which God has called us. Let us stand faithfully where He has placed us, and let us leave behind a faith worth following.

____________________

Father, keep us from the spirit of rebellion that forgets Your goodness and returns to the things You have delivered us from. Give us courage to tear down every idol, strength to remain faithful, and wisdom to teach the generation coming behind us. May we not merely inherit a godly heritage, but become faithful servants of You ourselves. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

#24 GOD HAS THE RIGHT TO DEMAND 8-23-26

God has the right to demand our allegiance because He is the One who made us. We did not create ourselves. We did not give ourselves life. We did not form our own bodies, breathe our own breath, or determine the circumstances of our existence. We are creatures, and He is the Creator. The One who made us has every right to tell us how we are to live. “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3).

God has the right to demand because He created us. A manufacturer has the right to establish the purpose for which something was designed. An author has the right to determine the meaning of his story. A builder has the right to establish the purpose of the house he constructs. And God has the right to direct the lives of the people He created. You belong to Him because you came from Him. “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

God also has the right to demand because He cares for us. His authority is not cold or cruel. The commands of God come from the heart of a Father who loves His children. He does not demand our obedience because He wants to diminish us. He calls us to obedience because He knows what is best for us. Every command of God carries the concern of God. His restrictions are often protections. His corrections are expressions of love. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens” (Hebrews 12:6).

God has the right to demand because He controls all things. We may imagine that we are independent, but we live every moment beneath the providence of God. He gives us breath. He gives us life. He sustains the world in which we live. The sun rises because He permits it to rise. We awaken because He has given us another day. “He upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). We are not autonomous creatures wandering through a universe that belongs to nobody. We are living in a world that belongs to God.

Therefore, God has every right to demand our allegiance. He has every right to demand our obedience. He has every right to demand our worship. He has every right to say, “Follow Me.” He has every right to say, “Forsake sin.” He has every right to say, “Love Me with all your heart.” He has every right to claim first place in our lives because He is not merely another voice competing for our attention. He is our Maker.

And here is what makes His demand so beautiful. The God who has the right to demand everything from us has already given everything for us. He did not merely create us and leave us alone. He came looking for us in our sin. He gave His Son for our redemption. Christ bore our shame, carried our sin, endured our death, and opened the way for us to come home to God. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

So when God asks for your allegiance, remember who is asking. Your Creator is asking. Your Sustainer is asking. Your Redeemer is asking. The One who gave you life is asking you to give your life back to Him.

God has the right to demand.

But even more wonderfully, God has given us every reason to willingly surrender.

________________

Father, You are our Creator, our Sustainer, and our Redeemer. Forgive us for the times we have acted as though our lives belong to us. Teach us to recognize Your authority and gladly submit to Your will. Give us hearts that do not merely obey Your commands but love the One who gives them. May our lives belong completely to You because You have given everything for us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

BDD

#23 HE CHANGES THINGS 8-23-26

There are some things in life that we cannot change. We cannot change yesterday. We cannot undo words that have already been spoken or decisions that have already been made. We cannot control every circumstance, every person, or every tomorrow.

But there is One who changes things.

When Jesus enters a life, things change. When prayer reaches heaven, things change. When a burden is placed in the hands of God, things change. The circumstances may not immediately change, but the person standing in the circumstances can change.

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

There are two things we must learn when life becomes too heavy for us to carry.

CALLING ON THE LORD

The first response of faith is to call.

“Call upon Me, and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3).

Prayer is not a religious exercise for people who have nothing else to do. Prayer is the cry of people who know they need somebody greater than themselves.

When Peter began to sink beneath the waves, he did not deliver a sermon. He did not develop a five-step survival plan. He cried, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30).

And Jesus reached down.

Sometimes your prayer does not need to be long. Sometimes all you have is, “Lord, help me.” Sometimes the strongest prayer you will ever pray is simply the admission that you cannot handle this without Him.

Call on Him when you are afraid.

Call on Him when you are confused.

Call on Him when you are tempted.

Call on Him when you are hurting.

Call on Him when you have failed.

Call on Him when you do not know what to do next.

The Lord is not irritated by the cry of His children. He invites it.

FALLING ON THE LORD

But there is something deeper than calling on the Lord. We must also fall on the Lord.

Calling is asking Him to help us. Falling is trusting Him enough to let Him carry us.

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).

There comes a moment when you have to stop trying to hold everything together yourself.

Fall on His promises.

Fall on His mercy.

Fall on His wisdom.

Fall on His strength.

Fall on His grace.

You do not have to understand everything to trust Him with everything.

A child who falls into his father’s arms does not first demand an explanation of how strong his father’s arms are. He simply trusts the father to catch him.

That is faith.

And sometimes God allows us to come to the end of ourselves because that is where we finally discover the sufficiency of Him.

Paul learned this when he heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

HE CHANGES THINGS

When we call on the Lord, we discover that He is not distant.

When we fall on the Lord, we discover that He is strong enough to hold us.

And when we trust the Lord, we discover that He can change things in ways we never could.

Sometimes He changes the circumstance.

Sometimes He changes the situation.

Sometimes He changes the people involved.

And sometimes He changes us.

But He never wastes our prayers.

So call on Him.

Then fall on Him.

And when you have called and when you have fallen, keep trusting Him.

Because the God who changed water into wine, darkness into light, death into life, and a cross into the doorway of redemption is still the God who changes things.

__________________

Lord, teach us to call upon You before we run to ourselves. When our strength is gone, teach us to fall upon You. Change what needs to be changed, but more than that, change us. Give us faith to trust Your wisdom, patience to wait upon Your timing, and confidence to know that nothing is beyond Your power. Amen.

BDD

#22 SELF-HELP WILL NOT SAVE YOU 8-23-26

We live in a world that constantly tells us to help ourselves. Believe in yourself. Improve yourself. Fix yourself. Become a better version of yourself. Take control of your life and make something of yourself.

There is certainly nothing wrong with discipline, responsibility, hard work, or trying to improve. But the Gospel begins where self-help ends. Christianity does not begin with the announcement, “You can save yourself.” It begins with the realization that you cannot.

The Gospel is not a ladder by which fallen humanity climbs up to God. It is God coming down to us in Jesus Christ.

THE SAVIOR’S CONCERN

When Jesus looked upon hurting people, He did not see inconveniences. He saw souls.

Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the multitudes, “He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

That is the heart of our Savior.

Jesus saw the blind and cared. He saw the leper and cared. He saw the hungry and cared. He saw the grieving and cared. He saw the sinner and cared.

And He still cares.

Sometimes we imagine that our failures make Christ less interested in us. We think we need to clean ourselves up before we can come to Him. But Jesus came precisely because we could not clean ourselves up. “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

The Savior’s concern is not merely that you become a more successful person. His concern is that you become reconciled to God.

THE SAVIOR’S COMPASSION

Jesus did not merely observe human suffering. He entered it.

He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). He touched the leper whom others would not touch (Mark 1:41). He welcomed those whom respectable people wanted to push away. He stopped for the blind man when the crowd wanted him to be quiet.

The compassion of Christ is not sentimental weakness. It is love that moves toward misery.

At the cross, we see compassion in its fullest expression. Jesus did not merely feel sorry for sinners. He bore their sins. “He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).

That is something self-help can never accomplish.

A motivational speech may make you feel better about yourself. A new routine may make you more disciplined. A positive attitude may change your outlook. But none of these things can remove one sin from your record before a holy God.

Only Jesus can do that.

THE SAVIOR’S CARE

Peter tells us, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Notice the simplicity of it.

He cares for you.

Not merely for the successful you. Not merely for the strong you. Not merely for the version of you that has everything together.

He cares for you as you are.

The world often values people according to what they can produce. Jesus values people because they are made in the image of God and because He loves them.

When you are tired, He cares.

When you are discouraged, He cares.

When you have failed, He cares.

When nobody else understands, He cares.

And because He cares, He calls us to bring our burdens to Him instead of carrying them alone.

THE SAVIOR’S CAUSE

Jesus did not come merely to make our earthly lives more comfortable. He came for a greater cause.

He came to seek the lost. He came to call sinners to repentance. He came to reveal the Father. He came to bear the cross. He came to defeat death. He came to establish His kingdom.

And now He calls us to join His cause.

The Christian life is not ultimately about self-improvement. It is about surrender.

It is not, “How can I make myself great?”

It is, “How can I make Christ known?”

Paul could say, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). His life was no longer centered on himself. Christ had become the center, the purpose, and the passion of his existence.

That is the cure for the tyranny of self.

Self-help says, “Look within.”

The Gospel says, “Look to Christ.”

Self-help says, “Save yourself.”

The Gospel says, “Trust the Savior.”

Self-help says, “Make yourself great.”

The Gospel says, “Make much of Jesus.”

The world tells us to find ourselves. Jesus tells us to lose ourselves for His sake (Matthew 16:25).

And strangely enough, when we stop living for ourselves and begin living for Christ, we finally discover what life was meant to be.

_______________

Lord Jesus, forgive us for thinking we can save ourselves. Thank You for seeing us in our weakness, loving us in our brokenness, caring for us in our burdens, and coming to save us when we could not save ourselves. Teach us to stop making ourselves the center of our lives. Let Christ be our concern, our compassion, our care, and our cause. Amen.

BDD

#21 WHAT DO YOU SEEK? 8-23-26

The first disciples came to Jesus with questions, curiosity, and perhaps a little uncertainty. John records that when Jesus saw them following Him, He turned and asked a question that reaches far beyond those first disciples. He asks every generation of disciples the same thing: “What do you seek?” (John 1:38).

Notice that Jesus did not first ask them what they knew. He did not ask what they had accomplished. He asked what they wanted. He was getting to the heart of discipleship because what we seek reveals what we love. A man may say many things with his lips, but his pursuit tells the truth about his heart.

The disciples answered, “Rabbi, where are You staying?” Jesus said, “Come and see” (John 1:38-39). They were not merely looking for information about Jesus. They wanted to be where Jesus was. They wanted His presence. And that is where true discipleship begins.

WE SHOULD SEEK HIS PRESENCE

The greatest blessing of Christianity is not merely what Christ gives us. It is Christ Himself. These disciples wanted to know where He was, and Jesus invited them to come and see. The Christian life is not simply learning facts about Jesus from a distance. It is walking with Him.

Moses understood this when he said, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). Moses would rather wander with God than arrive somewhere without Him. Heaven would not be heaven if Christ were not there.

Sometimes we seek God’s blessings more than we seek God. We seek answers, but not the Answer. We seek His hand, but not His face. We seek His gifts, but not the Giver. Yet David said, “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1). The deepest hunger of the redeemed heart is not for something God possesses. It is for God Himself.

Seek His presence when you pray. Seek His presence when you worship. Seek His presence when you hurt. Seek His presence when you rejoice. Seek Him until the greatest desire of your heart is simply to be near Him.

WE SHOULD SEEK HIS POWER

The disciples did not merely want to know where Jesus lived. They wanted to know who He was. As they stayed with Him, they began to discover His power.

Jesus changes people. He took fishermen and made them fishers of men. He took ordinary men and filled their lives with extraordinary purpose. He took Simon and gave him a new name and a new calling. Andrew met Jesus and immediately went looking for his brother Simon, saying, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).

When we truly encounter Christ, we do not remain content with the life we had before.

The power of Christ is not merely power to perform miracles. It is power to overcome sin. Power to endure suffering. Power to forgive. Power to love enemies. Power to resist temptation. Power to preach the truth. Power to live faithfully when nobody is watching.

Paul prayed that believers would know “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). We need more than human determination. We need divine strength.

The question is not whether we have enough strength within ourselves. We do not. The question is whether we are willing to abide in the One who does.

WE SHOULD SEEK HIS PERFECTION

The disciples came to Jesus because there was something about Him they had never seen before. He was not merely another teacher. He was the One who could say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Christ is the perfect revelation of God and the perfect example of what humanity was created to be. In Him there is no corruption, no deceit, no selfish ambition, no moral defect. He is altogether lovely.

That means we should not merely seek to become better people. We should seek to become more like Jesus.

Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The goal of discipleship is not simply to know more Scripture, attend more services, or accumulate more religious knowledge. The goal is transformation into the likeness of Christ.

We look at His humility and become humble. We look at His compassion and become compassionate. We look at His purity and desire holiness. We look at His obedience and learn submission. We look at His cross and learn sacrificial love.

The more clearly we see Jesus, the more clearly we see ourselves. And the more clearly we see ourselves, the more deeply we understand how desperately we need Him.

The question Jesus asked those first disciples still hangs in the air today: “What do you seek?”

If we seek the world, the world will never satisfy us. If we seek possessions, possessions will eventually possess us. If we seek applause, applause will eventually fade. If we seek our own glory, we will discover how empty human glory really is.

But if we seek Christ, we find what our souls were made for.

Seek His presence because He is where we belong.

Seek His power because we cannot live the Christian life in our own strength.

Seek His perfection because He is the image into which God is transforming us.

The disciples heard Jesus say, “Come and see,” and they went. That is still His invitation. Come closer. Come follow. Come learn. Come abide. Come and see who He is.

And once we have truly seen Him, may everything else become secondary.

________________

Lord Jesus, teach us to seek You above everything else. Give us a hunger for Your presence, a dependence upon Your power, and a desire to become like You in holiness, humility, love, and obedience. Keep us from being satisfied with religion without relationship, knowledge without transformation, or blessings without the Blesser. Turn our hearts toward You until our greatest desire is simply to be where You are. Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Sunday, August 23, 2026

8:00 AM

“Crucified With Him”
(Romans 6:6)

5:00 PM

“To Him Be Glory”
(Ephesians 3:21)

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#20 LIFE IN CHRIST 8-22-26

The Christian life is more than believing the right things. Faith is meant to become a way of life. What we believe about Christ ought to change the way we walk, the way we work, and the way we worship. Faith is not merely something we possess. It is something we live. When Christ becomes the center of our lives, our faith begins to walk, our lives begin to bear fruit, and our hearts begin to worship.

THE WALK OF FAITH

Paul said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith means trusting God even when we cannot see the whole road ahead.

Abraham is one of the great examples of this kind of faith. God told him to leave his country and his family and go to a land that God would show him. Abraham went, “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). That is faith. Faith does not require us to know everything. Faith requires us to trust the One who does.

There will be days when you do not understand what God is doing. Walk anyway. There will be times when the road seems uncertain. Walk anyway. There will be moments when you cannot see how everything will work out. Walk anyway.

Faith says, “I may not know where He is leading me, but I know who is leading me.”

The Christian life is a walk. We take one step at a time, trusting the Lord who walks beside us.

THE WORK OF FRUIT

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8).

A living faith will eventually become visible in the life it produces. Fruit does not make a tree alive. Fruit reveals that the tree is alive. In the same way, our works do not replace faith, but genuine faith produces a changed life.

Paul described the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

That is the kind of fruit God wants to see growing in us.

He wants our faith to make us kinder. He wants our love to make us more patient. He wants His grace to make us more forgiving. He wants His mercy toward us to make us merciful toward others.

And fruit is not produced overnight. A tree grows slowly. So does spiritual maturity. There are things God is still working on in every one of us. But if Christ is truly at work within us, there ought to be evidence.

The question is not simply, “Do I believe?”

The question is, “What is my faith producing?”

THE WORSHIP OF FELLOWSHIP

Christianity was never intended to be lived in isolation. We were created for fellowship with God and with one another.

“Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). That is the heart of Christianity. We are brought near to God through Christ.

Worship is more than what happens when people gather together on Sunday. Worship is the response of a heart that has encountered the goodness of God. We worship because He is worthy. We worship because He has saved us. We worship because He has forgiven us. We worship because He has given us Himself.

And fellowship is part of that worship. We encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, pray for one another, forgive one another, and rejoice with one another (Galatians 6:2; Romans 12:15).

God’s people gathering together with one heart and one purpose is a lovely thing. We sing together. We pray together. We study together. We remember Christ together. We serve together. We do life together.

Faith walks.
Faith works.
Faith worships.

And when those three things come together, Christianity becomes more than a doctrine we defend. It becomes a life we live.

Walk by faith. Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Worship God in the fellowship of His people.

That is a life worth living.

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Father, help me to walk by faith when I cannot see the way ahead. Let my faith produce fruit that glorifies You and blesses those around me. Teach me to treasure fellowship with You and with Your people. May my entire life become an offering of worship to You. Help me to walk faithfully, work fruitfully, and worship wholeheartedly until the day I see You face to face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD