Category Archives: Sermons

Healer of the Hurting | Bible Gleanings | May 17-18, 2025

May 16, 2025 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

Word spread like wildfire at dawn’s first light. Everyone woke up a little earlier that morning, as people sprinted from village to village to herald the good news: Jesus had arrived on their shore. The Scripture says, “And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well” (Mark 6:54-56).

The sea bank, tranquil only moments before, immediately became a makeshift hospital, as every kind of sick person was brought to Jesus for healing. Certainly, Christ and the disciples were exhausted from a long night on the raging sea, but the Lord’s compassion for the hurting could not be exhausted. The same God-Man who walked on water now walked among the needy, with hands outstretched to heal the broken.

It was a remarkable sight. The blind began to see. The lame walked. The mute spoke. The crippled ran. Jesus turned no one away during this massive healing crusade.

However, more remarkable is that Jesus was silent through it all. Yet through His actions, He preached a sermon more powerful than words could express, namely, Jesus can be sought anywhere, anytime, by anyone in need. Christ is the Healer of the hurting, whose arms of grace are open to anyone willing to fall into them when they are afflicted. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or what burdens you are carrying—Jesus stands ready to receive you. And we would do well to gather up our sorrow and suffering, dragging them into the presence of Christ, so that He can give us what we need.

To clarify, Jesus is not a divine bellhop we can abuse to fetch anything we want. But like the needy multitude, we should run to Jesus with our needs, believing that He knows what is best for us, and that He will provide precisely what we need in His time. Lay your burdens, heartaches, and fears at His feet. And whether He relieves you of such afflictions or sustains you through them, His message is the same: He is there for you—anytime and at any place—and He will not turn you away.

This column is from 40 Days with Jesus, my 40-day devotional on Christ’s life, teachings, and miracles, available for purchase on Amazon:

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Following Jesus | Bible Gleanings | April 26-27, 2025

April 25, 2025 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

Amid the noise of splashing water and the smell of squirming fish, Peter and Andrew heard a voice which arrested their attention—it was the voice of Jesus, who issued an invitation that would transform their lives forever: “Follow Me” (Mark 1:17a). Christ did not call these fishermen to follow traditions or adhere to a set of teachings. He did not invite them to attend synagogue services. He ordered these men to follow Him—to say what He said, do what He did, think what He thought, and go where He went. And anyone who heeds this same two-word heavenly summons will have both their life and eternity changed forevermore.

And when Christ urges you to follow Him, He expects nothing less than wholehearted obedience and absolute adherence to Him. When you follow Jesus, you don’t get to blaze your own trail, follow your own rules, or live any way you please. Followers of Christ walk the narrow road that leads to life, obey His commands in Scripture, and make it their aim to please Him. Following Jesus as Lord and Master even entails daily self-denial and sacrifice, as Jesus told all His would-be followers that they must say no to themselves and yes to any cross He gave them to carry: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Thus, those who wish to follow Christ at all must follow Him above all.

Those who “follow” Jesus only when it is convenient with a what’s-in-it-for-me attitude aren’t authentic followers. All throughout His life, Jesus was surrounded by large crowds of “fans” who flocked to Him only when He worked miracles and provided free meals of fish and loaves (Matt. 4:25; 8:1; Mark 3:7; 5:24; John 6:1-14). However, when they realized that following Jesus was costly, requiring surrender and submission, they followed Him no longer. As John recounted, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). Therefore, the questions we must continually ask ourselves are, Which am I? Am I a fan among the crowd, or a follower carrying a cross?

This column is from my newest book, 40 Days with Jesus, which is a forty-day daily devotional on the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus. This book is available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Sorrow for Sin | Bible Gleanings | March 8-9, 2025

March 7, 2025 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

David was too sick to his stomach to eat and slept on the ground in mourning clothes when Nathan the prophet confronted him about the gravity of his murder, lying, and adultery (2 Sam. 12:7-17). Upon discovering that they only had forty days to get their act together and turn to the Lord, the Ninevites wiped the smiles from their faces and donned frowns of repentance (Jonah 3:1-10). Ezra tore his clothes, ripped out his hair, and sat in the dirt for an entire day when learning about the Israelites’ insensible iniquity (Ezra 9:3-4). A torrent of tears spilled from the eyes of the sinful woman who interrupted Jesus’ dinner with Simon the Pharisee—enough tears to wash Jesus’ feet, as a matter of fact (Luke 7:37-38). After denying Christ thrice, despite swearing to never do so, a regretful and repentant Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62).

Every child of God should shed tears of remorse and repentance when realizing the seriousness of their sins against God. And this is the meaning of Jesus’ command to His disciples then and now to be marked as, “those who mourn” (Matt. 5:4a). Certainly, while the Lord cares about all legitimate mourning (Psalm 56:8), Jesus is speaking having a broken heart for the sin which breaks God’s heart. Christ’s command is repeated in James 4:9, where the apostle exhorted, “Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.”

The Corinthian Christians also felt this holy grief. That is why Paul commended it in 2 Corinthians 7, where he wrote, “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Cor. 7:9-10). Therefore, believers must weep when they sin against God, taking a page out of Ezra’s confessional prayer: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6; cf. Lam. 5:15-16).

Fortunately, the Lord consoles the contrite: “they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4b). God comforts those who experience godly sorrow—never before they do, but always afterwards. Those who continually mourn over sin will be continually restored and reassured by the “God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). And this comfort will be fully realized when believers see the Lord face-to-face in eternity, in a place where sin is barred from entering: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

This above column is from my book, 40 Days with Jesus, which is a forty-day daily devotional focusing on the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus. This book is available in paperback and hardcover on Amazon:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

The Foot-Washer | Bible Gleanings | February 1-2, 2025

January 31, 2025 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

Confusion permeated the room. The air was heavy with a sense of mystery. This particular evening just felt different. Jesus stood up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin without saying a word. And puzzled glances were on every face as the Creator stooped low to wash the dirty feet of His disciples as a slave-servant.

The Lord washed His followers’ feet with carpentry-calloused hands, and then He got to Peter, who naturally objected to the notion of His Savior bringing shame upon Himself by performing the task of a slave. He protested, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” (John 13:6b, emphasis mine). What was Jesus doing? Did He consume too much wine? Had someone stolen Jesus’ identity to impersonate Him and make Him a laughing stock?

Suddenly, Christ broke the silence, explaining why He had stooped to such a low level, although He was the Lord of glory: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). The Savior demonstrated supreme humility, doing what only slaves did, in order to give all of His disciples a model of others-focused service to follow. Jesus was essentially saying, “Do for each other what I’ve done for you: serve like a slave.”

This is specifically what Paul the apostle meant when he commanded all Christians, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5).

According to Paul, if the exalted Christ temporarily set aside His divine rights and glory for the salvation of unworthy sinners, then believers can certainly put the needs of others before their own. And if Jesus washed the feet of sinners, then His saints can surely wash each other’s feet through burden-bearing, need-meeting, prayer-uplifting, encouragement-giving, reproof-issuing, and any form of loving service that puts others first.

The devotional column above is from my newest book, 40 Days with Jesus, which is a forty-day daily devotional focusing on the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus. This book is available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

The Trouble with Tattle-Taling | Bible Gleanings – May 25-26, 2024

May 24, 2024 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

Many aptly describe it as, “the season of the snitch.” Tattle-taling was at an all time high during the coronavirus pandemic. It was a time of social surveillance and “corona-shaming,” when blabbermouths and gossip-mongers dished the dirt on their own neighbors and coworkers who did not abide by strict health department guidelines. In February of 2021, the New York Times ran a story which suitably summarized the situation: “Snitching offered people a way to feel as if they were doing something good, at the expense of anyone who seemed to be doing something wrong.” The article concluded that blowing the whistle is part of the “ecosystem” of our society and is built into us as human beings. Therefore, the pandemic simply exposed who we really are: squealers who like to spill the beans on others so the beans aren’t spilled about us.

Those well-versed in the Bible should not be surprised to hear this, since the Lord Jesus warned us about our tendency to be tattle-talers long before the pandemic occurred. Christ once cautioned, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:1-5).

It is written within our spiritual DNA to focus on the speck in our brother’s eye rather than the plank in our own. Our sinful heart shouts for joy when we hold up a mirror to others, and it shrieks in fear when we look in the mirror ourselves. And you can thank your first parents for this. When Adam and Eve sinned in Eden, they blamed everyone but themselves—Adam pointed his finger at God and Eve pointed hers at Satan (Gen. 3:12-13). Thus, like the first sinners, we judge others and dwell on their deficiencies in order to vainly put ourselves in the clear.

Fortunately, if you know Jesus, God is purging you of tattle-taling and replacing it with a love that covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). And naturally, such sin-covering love uncovers a multitude of good and fixates upon what others are doing well (Phil. 4:8). As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:6a, such Christlike love “rejoiceth not in iniquity.” In other words, this kind of love “doesn’t keep score of the sins of others” (1 Cor. 13:6a, MSG). Tattle-taling is not a Christian virtue—it is an unholy vice. That’s the word on the street, anyway.

Sermons

Sermon: Four Fundamentals for Moving Forward (Philippians 1:1-2)

April 29, 2024 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church located in the little town of Bandana, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. He is also a published author and writing contributor for Kentucky Today, a publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Farewell and Thank You | Bible Gleanings – April 6-7, 2024

April 5, 2024 Brandon G. B. Leave a comment

American author Tom Peters once aptly quipped, “If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.” And it is with bittersweetness that I announce that the Lord has opened a new window for us in Bandana, Kentucky, and we have opened the shades. The saints of Bandana Baptist Church have extended the invitation to me to serve as their pastor, and the Lord has confirmed to us that this is His will. We trusted in the Lord and He made our paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6). They are a beacon of gospel light in Ballard County, and we could not be more thrilled to shine the light of God in Christ alongside them.

Unfortunately, this means that my columns in the Murray Ledger & Times will cease next week, as we have moved out of the area. Sharing the gospel and biblical truth through these columns has been an overwhelming joy for the last six years. I am so thankful for you and the hundreds of readers in Calloway and Marshall counties. Thank you for your kind letters over the years and for the funding that several of you have generously provided. The weekend column will not go away entirely, however, as Bro. Kim Reeder, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Murray, will be taking it over for the time being. I encourage you to read his biblically-based and thought-provoking columns—you will not be disappointed.

Also, I will still be publishing books and devotional entries. Kentucky Today, a Kentucky Baptist publication, will be picking up my devotional columns. They will be available each weekend at www.kentuckytoday.com. Additionally, future devotional columns and entries will be shared on the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/biblegleanings), and my blog (www.brandonsdesk.com).

Finally, Bible Gleanings: Volume III (containing the last nine months’ worth of columns and ones forthcoming) will be published and available for purchase on Amazon by Christmas of this year. Dozens of other books will be available on Amazon throughout this year as well; just type in my name on Amazon.com.

“And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word: