Pastor Jared Richard opened his sermon with the story of 19th century missionary John G. Paton, who faced tremendous persecution and personal loss while ministering to cannibalistic tribes in the New Hebrides Islands. This illustration set up the central question: "What happens when you obey God and things go terribly wrong?" Drawing from Exodus 4-7, Pastor Richard showed how Moses experienced this same dilemma when his initial success with the Israelites was met with fierce resistance from Pharaoh, who made their slavery even harsher. The sermon outlined three key lessons from Moses' experience. First, difficulty often follows faithfulness because we're engaged in spiritual warfare against powers opposed to God's kingdom. Second, difficulty always refines God's servants - God uses these moments to build our trust and dependence on Him rather than allowing circumstances to define us. Third, difficulty leads us back to God's promises, as seen in Exodus 6:1-8 where God reassures Moses of His presence and power. Pastor Richard emphasized that God's "I will" statements in this passage show that the work of deliverance depends on God's power, not our adequacy. The sermon concluded with Paton's eventual success when he returned to the islands, leading to widespread conversion, and an invitation to the Lord's Supper as a reminder of God's promises to sustain us through hardship. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Take a moment to fill out our digital connection card here: https://www.bayleaf.org/connect We hope you enjoy this programming and please let us know if there is anything we can do to be of service to you. ONE CHURCH. TWO LOCATIONS. ONE MISSION. Bay Leaf at Falls Lake: 12200 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614 Bay Leaf at 540: 10921 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613 SERVICE TIMES Come join us on Sundays at Bay Leaf at Falls Lake (8:30 AM or 11:00 AM) or at Bay Leaf at 540 (10:00 AM) CONTACT www.bayleaf.org (919) 847-4477 #BayLeafLife #Worship #Inspiration