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
- Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: "Struggle," for 10/11/26
- Romans 8:14-27 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview, "Indwelt," for October 18, 2026
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Romans 6:1-14, Overview of Lifeway's Explore the Bible lesson, "Freedom," for October 4, 2026.
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- “The Narrow Way To Heaven” (Matthew 7:13-14 sermon)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 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
“The Hope” (Easter Sermon 2018)
A young man came into our church in Oklahoma City one Sunday morning, and he was in despair. His marriage, and really his whole life, had fallen apart, and he came to church in despair for help, and he said … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Acts 20:21, Acts 26, Acts 26:19-23, deeds of repentance, despair, Easter, Easter sermon, Ephesians 1 resurrection power, eternal life, hope, I Corinthians 6:9-10, Isaiah 53, Jesus resurrection, John Merrill football coach, power, promise, repent, repentance, repentance and faith, repenters, repenters and Christians, resurrection, Romania, sin, Stefan Berci, Tim Keller
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Jesus At Our Side
“The Lord stood at his side.” (Acts 23:11) Why isn’t this one of the best-loved and most quoted verses in the Book of Acts? It is amazing and wonderful, that the living Lord Jesus would appear to Paul in his … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 23:11, Ephesians 1:13, God with us, God's presence, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Spirit of God, Spirit of Jesus
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“I Commend You To God”
“And now I commend you to God …” (Acts 20:32) Paul didn’t utter these words casually, or irresponsibly. He had just said in :32 that “day and night for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 20:32, children, disciples, discipleship, prayer, students, training, trust
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“Just As The Lord Had Commanded”
“Just as the LORD had commanded Moses” is the theme of Exodus 39 & 40. Nothing “new” was commanded here; rather the focus was on how Moses actually DID everything that God had commanded him. Notice how these same words, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged Bible, commandments, Exodus 39, Exodus 40, God's word, obedience
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It’s Only Temporary
“He made two golden rings for it under its moldings on its two sides — on opposite sides — as holders for poles with which to carry it.” (Exodus 37:27) It wasn’t permanent. That’s what stands out here. As you … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged buildings, Exodus 37, faith, golden rings, material, Matthew 24, poles, tabernacle, Temple, temporary
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“The Sacrifice That Satisfies God” (Leviticus 1:1-4 sermon)
Our little grandbaby girls are learning to read! But before they can actually understand the great concepts they can learn from reading, they must first master the “A-B-C’s.” The “A-B-C’s are the building blocks of reading, and all those big … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged A Tale of Two Cities, blood, foreshadowing, forgiveness, In Christ Alone, Isaiah 53, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus only way, John 14:6, John the Baptist, lamb, Leviticus 1:1-4, male without defect, Passover Lamb, prophecy, sacrifice, salvation, satisfaction, substitution, substitutionary atonement, Sydney Carton, The Man With The Golden Arm, theological ABC’s, wrath of God was satisfied
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When “Worship” Misses The Mark
“He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” (Exodus 32:4) … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged Bible, church, church standards, creativity, Exodus 32:4, idolatry, regulative principle, worship
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The Problem of Impatience
“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain …” (Exodus 32:1) One of the biggest problems that afflicts God’s people is IMPATIENCE. We want instant results. This is certainly true in our “microwave era”, … Continue reading
Paul’s “Theology 101”
The Apostle Paul preached at Mars Hill has been criticized by some for not being directly based upon the Old Testament scriptures. But upon further inspection it is an amazing compendium of knowledge about the One True God. Notice what … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Doctrine/Theology
Tagged "Sovereignty of God", Acts 17:23-31, Apostle Paul, doctrine of God, God, God judge, God mercy, God the Father, holiness of God, immanence, omnipotence of God, Omnipotent, Providence of God, sufficiency of God, teaching, theology, theology 101, theology of God, transcendence
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“Meeting With God” (Exodus 29:42-45 sermon)
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? I was talking to Barbara Riddle the other day, after Billy Graham had passed away, and she was telling me that some years ago Ruth Graham was at the same hospital … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged adultery, assurance of salvation, Bible Reading, Billy Graham, Christianity, consecration, Exodus 29:42-45, fellowship, forgiveness, God, good deeds, heaven, holiness, homosexualiity, I John 1:5-6, I John 2:3, I Samuel 3:9, Jesus, John MacArthur Laverne & Shirley, Joy Behar and Mike Pence mental illness, language, mercy, note-taking, pornography, prayer, religion, revelation, salvation, Universal Studios, worship
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