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 Joshua 3:14-4:9, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Remembering God's Works" for June 21, 2026.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 2:4-21, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Amazing Grace," for June 14, 2026.
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Gift That Is An Insult" (I Kings 9:10-14)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 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
Jehovah Jireh My Provider
“Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.’’ (Genesis 22:14) ”The Lord will provide” Abraham said. In Hebrew this is … Continue reading
“Reckoned Righteous” (Genesis 15:6 sermon)
One of the great blessings of reading through the Bible together this year is that in the course of the year we will come across all of the greatest verses in the Bible at one point or another. Our verse … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons
Tagged Abraham, Abram, Acts 10 Peter and Cornelius, Al Mohler, Augustine Confessions, Augustine of Hippo, commitment, cross of Christ, deserve, faith, forgiveness, Genesis 12, Genesis 15:6, Genesis 15:6 sermon, Genesis 17, Genesis 20, heaven, holier than thou, Holy Spirit, II Corinthians 5:21, imputed righteousness, Isaiah 53:4, Job 19:15, justification, Martin Luther King, MasterLife, paralzyed man Matthew 9, R.C. Sproul Jr. content of His character, reckoned, righteous, righteousness, Romans 3:10-12, Romans 4 and Genesis 15:6, salvation, sin, Spurgeon, thief on the cross, tzedek
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The Silence of Jesus
“But He did not answer her a word.” (Matthew 15:23a) Most of us can relate to this episode of the silence of Jesus. Like the Canaanite woman here in Matthew 15 we have experienced times when something is bothering us … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged faith, humility, Matthew 15:21-28, persistence, prayer, silence of Jesus
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So They Say You’re “Judging”?
“But they said, ‘Stand aside.’ Furthermore, they said, ‘This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.’ So they pressed hard against Lot and came near … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged compromise, don't judge, Genesis 19, judge not, judging, Sodom
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Closer to Sodom or Heaven?
“Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty, walk before Me, and be blameless.’” (Genesis 17:1) Notice something important in God’s charge to Abram.
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology
Tagged Genesis 17:1, holiness, Matthew 5:48, Romans 12:1, sanctification, Sodom
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Living In A Tent
“Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.” (Genesis 18:1) So Abraham literally lived in a “tent.” When angel asked him in :9, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology
Tagged Abraham, commitment, discipleship, doctrine, faith, false teaching, Genesis 18, glory, hardship, heaven, Hebrews 11:, persecution, perseverance, prosperity gospel, reward, sacrifice, tents, theology, Your Best Life Now
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“What Is Man?”
“Men go to gape at mountain peaks, at the boundless tides of the sea, the broad sweep of rivers, the encircling ocean and the motions of the stars: and yet they leave themselves unnoticed; they do not marvel at themselves.” … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermons
Tagged accountability, anthropology, Bible, brevity of life, C.S. Lewis, Calvinism, choice, choices, commitment, creation, decision, depravity of man, doctrine of man, free will, freedom to choose, Genesis 1:26, Genesis 3, Hebrews 9:27, Herman Melville Moby Dick, humankind, II Corinthians 5:10, II Corinthians 6:2, image of God, Imago Dei, Isaiah 40:6-7, Job 14, Job 14:4, judgment, judgment seat of Christ, life, man, mankind, Moby Dick blacksmith anvil, original sin, Proverbs 20:9, Psalm 103:15, Psalm 90:5, salvation, seed of woman, sin, sin nature, temptation, theology of man, time
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Laughter and the Faithfulness of God
“Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’” (Genesis 18:12) Now it was Sarah’s turn to laugh at the promise of God! Abraham had done the same thing in … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged faith, faithfulness, Genesis 17:17, Genesis 18:12, God, II Timothy 2:13, Isaac, laugh, laughter
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Are You An Idolater?
A few years ago, I saw a picture in the newspaper of the home of a business owner, who was an immigrant from another country. It struck me because there was an idol beside him in the picture. It was … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship
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