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 20:1-16, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Grace," for 4/19, 2026
- “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.
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 19:16-30, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Eternal Life" for 4/12/26
- Joshua 3:5 Sermon: "Preparing For God To Work"
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Lifeway's Explore the Bible lesson of Acts 17:22-34, "Believe" for Sunday Oct. 13, 2024
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
“Enemies of the Cross” (Philippians 3:18 sermon)
A few weeks ago, this July, a large cross that stood at the top of Mt. Tzouhalem (zoo-HAY-lem), a popular lookout spot on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, was cut down overnight, and removed from the area. No one … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged American religion, baptism and salvation, Buddhism, Christian Smith and Melinda Denton, cross at Tzouhalem, cross of Christ, deeds deny him, Enemies of the Cross, evangelism, examine yourself, faith alone, Galatians, Hudson Taylor, I Corinthians 1 baptism, II Corinthians 13:5, Islam, It is finished, judaizers, Just and the Justifier, justification, justification by faith alone, lifestyle witness, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Muslims, Muslims and Jesus, My Father Bertrand Russell by Katharine Tait, not living for the cross, paid in full, Philippians 3:18, Philippians 3:18 sermon, Romans 3:26, salvation, salvation by the cross, test yourself, tetelestai, the cross, The Missing Ingredient, Titus 1:16, witness
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“Which World Are You Living For?” (Philippians 3:18-21 sermon)
Bill Borden was the heir to the Borden milk fortune. When he graduated from Yale, he was offered multiple well-paying positions on boards of directors of major corporations, and he had, materially speaking, everything that a man could want. But … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged aging, apollumi, appetite, best days ahead of us, best days behind us, Bill Borden, Bill Borden waste, body, business, businessman, Christian and citizenship, citizenship in heaven, consequences of sin, desires, destruction, end is destruction, eternity, feels good, gay lesbian agenda, gay pride parades, glory, glory in their shame, gospel, heaven, heaven our home, hell, homosexual practice sin, homosexuality, homosexuality watershed issue, I Peter 1:4 inheritance, Jesus King, John Newton, Judges every man did what was right in his own eyes, judgment, living for heaven, living for this world, Lordship, Mark Twain The Innocents Abroad, money, Paul Roman citizenship, Philippians 3:18-21 sermon, pride, Robert Caro Lyndon Johnson, salvation, set their minds on earthly thling, St. Charles Borromeo tomb, temporal values, their god is their belly, Which World Are You Living For?
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“A Christian Example” (Philippians 3:17 sermon)
“The morning of August 14, 1821, 200 West Point cadets … who were touring New England, marched out from Boston to parade past the house of John Adams, who had been President of the United States 20 years before. Flags … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged being an example, discipleship, example, following examples, following Jesus' example, George Washington example to his men, John Adams and George Washington example, John Donne no man is an Island, learning from each other, mentor, parents example, Philippians 3:17 sermon, salvation, salvation by faith, spiritual gifts, Sunday school teachers example, what if everyone in church did what I did, what kind of example are you?, What Would Jesus Do?, what you do affects others
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“Three Christian Attitudes” (Philippians 3:12-15 sermon)
A week after he returned to Washington from his famous speech at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln was sick. It was actually a mild form of smallpox, so like a lot of people today with COVID, most people were being very careful … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Alexander the Great, ambition, attitude, attitude of forgetfulness, Christian ambition, Christian attitudes, church, David McCullough The Wright Brothers, don't settle, football short term memory, forget what lies behind, forgetting what lies behind, humility, never satisfied, none of us has arrived, Orville Wright Comte de Lambert, Philippians, Philippians 3:12-15 sermon, press on, pride, quarterback short term memory, reaching forward, salvation by faith, Steve Mariucci quote
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“4 Things That Won’t Save You (and 1 That Will!)” (Philippians 3:4-11 sermon)
In ancient times, they believed that when you were sick, they needed to get the “bad blood” out of you, so they would employ certain treatments they thought would accomplish that. One (which is so gross to many of us … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged 4 things that won't save you, Allah weigh good deeds and bad, baptism, Baptist rituals, bleeding as medicine, blood of Jesus, circumcision, deeds, do your best, heritage, intentions, Islam 5 pillars, Islam scales, J. Edwin Orr testimony, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ alone saves, Jewish heritage, John 14:6, justification, leeches as treatment, Lord's Supper, lost ark, Luke 18 Pharisee and tax collector, Nabeel Qureshi testimony, Only Jesus saves, Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde deathbed conversion?, Philippians 3:4-11 sermon, Philippians sermon, repentance and faith, rituals, Romans 10:2, Romans 3:20, salvation, salvation intercessory prayers, Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, self-justification, sincerely wrong, sincerity, witness, works, works salvation, works won't save, zeal, zeal not in accordance with knowledge
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“True Religion” (Philippians 3:2-3)
There are some things on this earth, that it just doesn’t really matter that much what you believe about them. It’s just not that important. For example, you may believe that pecans are God’s gift to humanity. But I myself … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged altar call, assurance, baptism and salvation, Bethan Lloyd-Jones testimony, by grace you are saved, Dr. Johnson apprehension of death, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Ephesians 2:8, false prophets, false religion, fear of death, Galatians 2:16, glory in Christ Jesus, go down to the front, go to church, heart in worship, how to be saved, I John 4:1, Jesus Jesus Jesus, Jewish false teachers, live a good life, love God with all your heart, many false prophets, Matthew 24:11, Matthew 7:13-14, no confidence in the flesh, Philippians 3:2-3, religion, Robert Caro Lyndon Johnson, Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Lyndon Johnson, salvation, salvation by grace, salvation not by works, the gate is small, True Religion, true religion is Jesus, works salvation, worship, worship in the Spirit of God
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“Rejoice In The Lord” (Philippians 3:1 sermon)
John Newton, the former slave ship captain who later became a Christian, is best-known for writing the hymn, “Amazing Grace.” But he was also a pastor for about 20 years after his conversion, and he had an extensive counseling ministry … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged "happy game", fellowship, Fred Tubb and Jo, golf, happy in a pirson, John Newton, joy, joy in Philippians, Lifeway Through the Bible series overview, meaning of rejoice, more than when their grain and new wine abound, Philippians 3:1, Pollyanna attitude, Psalm 4:7, rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, salvation, Shawn Thomas, unhappy in a palace, www.shawnethomas.com
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“Brother, Worker, Soldier” (Philippians 2:19-30 message)
Those of you who are on social media know that often a person will put on their home page a brief description of themselves, often with just a series of words, saying something like, “Christian, mother of 3, blogger”, or … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged adoption into family of God, battle stations, brother, brother in Christ, brother worker soldier, church, commitment, commitment level in church, difference in worker and soldier, discipleship, Epaphroditus, Ephesians 2:12-13, fellow soldier, fellow worker, gifts for service, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit gift, I Corinthians 12:7, Meggie Hixson Kigoma Tanzania, Philippians 2:19-30 sermon, Romans 8:15, sacrifice, salvation, service, soldier, Timothy, total commitment, war, worker
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“God’s Providence in America” (Sunday, July 4, 2021)
For the last several years, I have made a personal “tradition” of reading David McCullough’s book, 1776 on the 4th of July. (Hey, you choose your holiday fun and I’ll choose mine!) The book is a marvelous retelling of that … Continue reading
Posted in History, Sermons
Tagged "the outcome seemed little short of a miracle", 4th of July sermon, abortion, America, America God's chosen people, David McCullough 1776, Genesis 22, George Washington, God will "see to", God will provide, God's providence in America, I Timothy 2 pray for authorities, II Chronicles 7:14, immorality, Independence Day sermon, Isaiah 46, Lottie Moon, Lottie Moon offering, miracle vs. providence, mission trips, missions, perversion, providence, Providence of God, Psalm 103:19, Psalm 67, Romans 8:28, slavery, Southern Baptist missions
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“The Drink Offering” (Philippians 2:16-18 sermon)
Early in his presidency, George Washington was stricken with a serious illness, from which he was slow to recover. Historian Ron Chernow writes: “Washington conceded that his job might have contributed to his ailment and might even kill him, but … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged C.T. Studd, Christian life sacrifice, drink offering, George Washington sacrifice, invest your life, just one life will soon be past, ministry, missions, Nate Saint, nursery, Philippians 2:16-18 sermon, sacrifice, service, waste your life
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