I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 22:15-22, 34-40, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Honor" for 5/03/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 21:23-32, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Authority," for 4/26/26.
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Gift That Is An Insult" (I Kings 9:10-14)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
Categories
- "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12)
- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
- "This Is My Story" sermon series
- Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA
- Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
- COVID-19 crisis assorted messages
- Current Events
- Devotions/Bible Studies
- Discipleship
- Discovering FBCA Membership class lessons
- Doctrine/Theology
- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
- Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons
- Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages
- History
- Home & Family Life
- I Peter sermons
- India Mission Trip 2011
- Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King
- John 3:16 sermon series
- Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series
- Luke 2 Christmas series
- Matthew sermons
- Ministry
- missions
- Music
- Philippians sermons
- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
- Psalms studies and messages
- Revelation sermon series
- Reviews
- Sermon Illustrations
- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020)
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Author Archives: Shawn Thomas
Finishing His Work In You
Scripture records two responses of Job to God’s appearance to him in the whirlwind. After God first spoke, Job answers in 40:3-5. But God was not finished. He continued to ask Job questions and reveal His glory through His creation, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged God's purpose, Job 40:3-5, Job 42:6, maturity, Philippians 1:6, repentance, trials
2 Comments
God Doesn’t “Owe” You Anything!
Many people spend their lives trying to get God to “owe” them salvation, or blessing, or answered prayer, etc. But in Job 41:11 we find God stating an important principle: He doesn’t owe anyone anything! “Who has given to Me, … Continue reading
“The Christian Race” (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
(Preached at FBC Pauls Valley 2-15-15) Although I have run for exercise for much of my adult life, I have never been very fast. When we lived in Tulsa back in the 1990’s (when I was in my 30’s) I … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Christian race, endurance, Hebrews 12:1-2, Jesus, perseverance, race of faith, sin
12 Comments
A More Glorious Creator
Job 41:1-10 contains an interesting but somewhat enigmatic description of “Leviathan” in God’s response to Job. Some have taken pains to understand the details regarding this “Leviathan”, but :10 sheds light on the real point of the passage:
God’s Unchanging Love
Psalm 25:6 says: “Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old.” The Hebrew word for “compassion” here can mean “feelings of love, loving sensation, mercy, compassion.” “Lovingkindness” is the almost undefinable word “chesed”; … Continue reading
Are You Instructing God?
Job 40:7 is one of those places where we see that God has a sense of humor. When He finally addresses Job out of the whirlwind, He says to him, “I will ask you, and you instruct Me.” If this … Continue reading
A Pleasant Trip to the Ridge
Last weekend, Cheryl, Michael & I drove to Morganton, North Carolina, where I was called to serve as Senior Pastor at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church. It was a very emotional time for us, as it ended a three-year odyssey through … Continue reading
Seeking God’s Path
Psalm 25:4 shows us several important things about seeking God’s will for our lives: “Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.” — First, it teaches us that our prayers are not to be that God would … Continue reading
Older Is Not Always Wiser
You have to be careful when you are quoting Job’s friends! Just because their words are recorded in scripture does not mean that what they said is good, or correct. But in Job 32:9 the younger “friend” Elihu made a … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged chronological age, Hebrews 5:12, Job 32:9, spiritual age, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity
1 Comment
A Mixture of Error
Rarely does even a heretic get everything wrong. Usually the problem with a false teacher is that they have mixed SOME truth together with error. Elihu, the 4th and youngest of Job’s “friends”, is an example of this:
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged discernment, false teachers, heresy, Job 36, Job 37, prosperity gospel, theology
2 Comments
shawnethomas 