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 17:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Glory," for 3/22/26
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind" (John 9 sermon)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 15:1-11+, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for March 8, 2026, "Real Devotion"
- "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)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "Christ's Suffering/Our Salvation" (I Peter 3:18 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
Category Archives: Sermons
“The Growing Christian Life” (I Peter 1:22 sermon)
I have noticed that a lot of time and effort is spent around here by people trying to make things grow. They are trying to grow grass in their yard; or tomatoes or flowers in their garden, or fruit trees … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged adoption, adoption challenges, adoption gospel, agape love, anger, Aristides behold how they love one another, baby growth, behold how they love one another, born again, conversion, decisions, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, gospel, gospel and truth, grow in love, growing Christian life, growth, Hadrian Aristides, how to grow, I John 4:8, I Peter, I Peter 1:22, I Peter 1:22 sermon, I Timothy 1:5, John 13:34-35, love, love the goal, mature Christian, mind will emotions, obedience to the truth, obey, obey the gospel, outreach, philadelphia love, purify, reprogramming, salvation, sanctification, soul, spiritual growth, truth, witness of love
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“The Blood-Bought Life” (I Peter 1:17-21 sermon)
There is a man in Australia, James Harrison, whose blood is precious. Harrison has an antibody in his blood which is given to mothers whose systems would attack their unborn babies. When they discovered the antibody in his system, about … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged American Caesar, Bataan, blood, blood bought life, blood of Christ, blood of Jesus, Calvin Fairbank, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, Christians aren't perfect just forgiven, church, conduct yourselves in fear, Douglas MacArthur, George Pickett, Gettysburg, gold, good works, I Peter, I Peter 1:17-21, in an hour you'll be in hell or glory, James Harrison Australia blood, John 8:34, John Piper Don't Waste Your Life, live differently, precious blood, price of slave, Psalm 49:7-8, ransom, redeemed, redemption, religion, religious, salvation, saved, seashells, set free, silver, sin, slave bought to set free, slavery, slaves of sin, sober, submarine, take life seriously, What can wash away my sin?, William Manchester, worth its weight in gold, worth their weight in gold
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“The Call To Holiness” (I Peter 1:14-16)
Duncan Campbell was a Scottish minister who lived in the mid-1900’s. He was involved in an amazing revival in the Hebrides Islands in the northwest of Scotland. Years ago he said, “Holiness — a demonstration of godly living — is … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged adultery immorality, Be killing sin or it will be killing you, business, business ethics, C.S. Lewis, cathedral, compromise, cross, cross of Christ, daily repentance, drug use, drunkenness, Duncan Campbell, holiness, holiness of God, holy, Holy God, holy holy holy, holy life, Holy One, Holy Spirit, I am holy, I Peter 1:14-16, I Peter sermon, II Corinthians 5:17, imputed righteousness, Isaiah 6, Ivory soap 99 and 44/100 percent pure, Job, John Owen, justification, Leviticus 11:44, Matthew 5:48, moral life, Pamela Brooks, Paula Mutina agency, pornography, repent, repentance, revival, salvation, sanctification, sexuality, snake, standard of holiness, trisagion, vocation, Yahweh, you shall be holy
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“The Faith That Saves” (I Peter 1:8-9 sermon)
II Timothy 1:5 has one of the great Mothers Day verses. It says: “For I am mindful of the sincere FAITH within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 4:12, affections, doubt, Ephesians 1:13, faith, Hebrews 1:11, I Corinthians 15, I John 5:12, I Peter, I Peter 1:8-9, II Timothy 1:5, Jack Tillery, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 14:6, John 20, John Piper affections, John Piper Think, love, love God, love Jesus, Mothers Day, not seen, object of faith, prosperity gospel, resurrection of Jesus, salvation, saves, saving faith, sight, soul, Thomas, transplant, unseen, unseen love, Your Best Life Now
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“Tried By Fire” (I Peter 1:6-7 sermon)
Theodore Roosevelt was a man of very unique character: he gloried in facing obstacles and overcoming them. He would take his guests out on a 20-mile hike – and much to their dismay, the tougher the course, the better he … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Christianity in America, confess Jesus, confession, dark year, difficulties, distress, facing death, faith, faith proof, Garden of Gethsemane, Hawaii, I Peter 1:6-7 sermon, I Peter sermon, illness, John Calvin, John Calvin blocks of wood, joy, joy in trials, maturity, perseverance, professions of faith, real faith, refined by fire, rejoice, reward for trials, rewards, run tee shirts, salvation, saved, saving faith, temptations, Theodore Roosevelt, trials, tried by fire, various trials
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“Great Expectations” (I Peter 1:4-5 sermon)
One of Charles Dickens’ greatest novels bears the title: Great Expectations. “Great Expectations” didn’t just mean that great things were expected of the young man Pip, whom the story was about. To have “expectations” in old England meant that you … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 20:32, Ephesians 1:14, eternal reward, eternal security, false teachers, father, FDIC, giving, glory, government debt, Great Expectations Charles Dickens, health and wealth gospel, heaven, Hebrews 9:15, I Peter, I Peter 1:4-5 sermon, II TImothy 1:12, imperishable, inheritance, John 10:28-29, kingdom of God, kingdom work, materialism, once saved always saved, prosperity preachers, reward, rewards, Romans 8:38, salvation, security, service, Social Security crisis, stephanos, theology, time, tithing, U.S. Government, victor's crown, wasting time, Your Best Life Now
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“A Living Hope” (I Peter 1:3 sermon)
(Preached at First Baptist Church, Angleton, TX Easter 2019) One of my privileges as a pastor over the last 35 years of ministry, has been to be able to hear the last words and testimonies of my church members who … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Abraham Lincoln pardon, birth, But God, choice, church, David Koresh, David Koresh burial, Easter sermon, Edward Jenner, Ephesians 2:1, eternal life, faith, Gamaliel, God's mercy, hope, I Peter, I Peter 1:3, I Peter sermon, immunization, James Phipps, Jesus, Jesus Christ resurrection, John 3, just God, living hope, merciful God, mercy, new birth, pastor, Resurrection Day sermon, resurrection life, Romans 3:26, smallpox, smallpox vaccine, vaccine, you must be born again
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“Red Letters”
I recently watched David Crowder’s testimony about writing the popular song, “Red Letters.” He said when he was a little boy, he was sitting in a church service with his grandmother, and he was fiddling with the envelopes or whatever … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged blood of Jesus, David Crowder, Jesus, Jesus death, Life on the Mississippi, Louis Klposch, Luke 22:20, Mark Twain, red letter Bible, Red Letters, Red Letters song, Romans 3:23, salvation, steamboat accident, substitutionary atonement, What can wash away my sin?
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