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
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "Inviting Jesus Into Your Home" (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 sermon)
- "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
Category Archives: Sermons
Passing On What Was Delivered To Us (Lord’s Supper Message, I Corinthians 11:23-26)
Several years ago there was a couple who was driving on a remote stretch of highway in Florida, where there had been a number of crimes committed in recent days. Unfortunately the couple had car trouble and got stranded, and … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged communion, evangelism, forgiveness, giving, I Corinthians 11:23-26, Lord's Supper, ministry, teaching, tradition
3 Comments
“The Worst Trade Ever” (Matthew 4:10 sermon)
With baseball season starting this week, I was reading an article on the worst trades in baseball history. There were a number of contenders, but I have to agree with the one they identified as the worst: On December 26, … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Babe Ruth trade, Boehmians, Deuteronomy 6:13, Dikkon Eberhart, discipleship, free love, God is your soul mate, immorality, John 17:24, John Calvin idol factory, love, Matthew 4:10 sermon, Psalm 147:1, Psalm 149, relationship, reward, Shawn Johnson, soul mate, suicide, temptation, The Time Mom Met Hitler Frost Came To Dinner and I Heard The Greatest Story Ever Told, worship
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“Fasting For Spiritual Breakthrough” (Matthew 4:2 sermon)
On May of 1776, in the throes of the conflict of the birth of our country, General George Washington sent this order to his army: “The Continental Congress having ordered, Friday the 17th. Instant to be observed as a day … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged apostles, Apostolic Constitutions, discipleship, Early Church, Esther, evangelism, fasting, fasting challenge, George Washington, intercession, intercessory prayer, Jesus, John 4, Matthew 4:2 sermon, Matthew 6, Moses, Nehemiah, prayer, prayer and fasting, rules for fasting, salvation, Samaritan woman, Shepherd of Hermas, Tertullian
5 Comments
“Weary, Yet Pursuing: Obeying God When You Are Tired” (John 4:6-7 sermon)
During the Civil War, the 20th Massachusetts regiment found themselves in combat day after day after day for almost 2 solid months. And it wore them down physically, emotionally, in every way. At the end of June 1864, Captain H.L. … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Civil War, discipleship, evangelism, exhaustion, Jesus, John 4:6-7, Judges 8:4, obedience, prayer, priorities, schedule, time management, tired, weary, weary yet pursuing
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“Winning vs. Temptation: Jesus’ Example in Spiritual Warfare” (Matthew 4:1-11 sermon)
This last Saturday (March 18, 2017) an intruder kicked open the door of a house in Redding, California — but he picked the wrong home to invade. A California Highway Patrol Officer lived at that house, and he shot the … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged baby dedication, baseball, battle of the mind, Bible, Ephesians 6:10, Ephesians 6:17, family, God's word, goodness of God, home invasion, I Timothy 4:8, II Corinthians 10:5, Jesus example, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 4:1-11 sermon, protection, Proverbs 24:10, Psalm 119:68, scripture, scripture memory, self-defense, spiritual warfare, sports, sword of the Spirit, taking every thought captive, temptation, trials
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“Into The Wilderness”: The Principle of Spiritual Testing (Matthew 4:1 sermon)
Those of us who have children know that parenting can be a very “up and down” experience. Cheryl & I have talked about this a number of times. It’s like you never get to “sit on your laurels” — even … Continue reading
“Unfathomable Treasure: Our Triune God” (Matthew 3:16-17 sermon)
Do you know that no one really knows WHAT electricity is? Look it up; they don’t. They know theories about how it works; they know how to avoid being killed by it; they know how to harness it to use … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged A.W. Tozer The Knowledge of the Holy, Deity of Christ, Deuteronomy 6:4, doctrine, doctrine of God, doctrine of trinity, Ephesians 2:18, eternity, George W. Bush, God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit, Great Commission, Gregory Nazianzen, heaven, I Peter 1:2, illustrations of Trinity, Islam, Jesus Christ, John 17:5, John 1:1, Matthew 3:16-17 sermon, modalism, modalism and Matthew 3, monotheism, Mormonism, prayer, salvation, theology, Trinitarian Christians, Trinitarian faith, Trinity, Triune God
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“Fulfilling All Righteousness: Jesus’ Example of Baptism” (Matt. 3:13-17 sermon)
Adoniram Judson was born in 1788, and grew up in Massachusetts as the United States was in its infancy. He graduated as the valedictorian of his class at Brown University, and after graduation wrote 2 books, one on grammar, and … Continue reading
“No In Between: The Sifting of Our Souls” (Matthew 3:12 sermon)
I saw a very interesting chart the other day that listed dozens of media outlets by how conservative or liberal they were: on the left of the chart were the most wacko liberal news outlets, and on the right, the … Continue reading
“The Spirit We Need” (Matthew 3:11 message)
One day last week, a woman posted a comment on my blog on the internet. She wrote: “Shawn, I was looking at your work “being poured out as a drink offering”. I am a Christian who have received the baptism … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged baptism in the Holy Spirit, baptism in the spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 5:18, gifts of the Spirit, God the Holy Spirit, healing, holiness, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 12:13, I Corinthians 12:7, I Corinthians 6:19, II Corinthians 13:5, John 14:16-17, Joni Earickson Tada cancer testimony, Matthew 3:11 sermon, power, power of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:9, salvation, speaking in tongues, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of God, spiritual gifts
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