“Following Jesus” (Matthew 4:18-22 sermon)

Posted on 2017/05/15 by Shawn Thomas

Our passage for today describes how Jesus saw Peter & Andrew, and James & John, with their boats and nets and relatives, that He said to them, “Follow Me.” And they got up, left everything, and followed Him.
What would YOU do today, if Jesus Christ came to your office — or to your home — or stood before you in this church — and said, “Follow Me”? Let me tell you: HE IS! Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The War Against Gender

Posted on 2017/05/15 by Shawn Thomas

Last week Emma Watson won an award for best actor for her role in the new musical “Beauty and the Beast”. It was not “Best Actress”; just “best actor”, because these were the first “non-gender specific” awards given — it’s not going to be “best actor” or “best actress” any more; just “best actor” — because they don’t want to encourage “gender.” And this is going to be the new trend.

I saw where someone on Twitter asked “WHY … WHY is that such a big deal?” WHY is gender so bad? What is so wrong with being a man or a woman? Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Using People

Posted on 2017/05/11 by Shawn Thomas

“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.'” (John 8:3-4)

One of the many shortfalls of the scribes & Pharisees was the lack of any genuine concern for this woman and her situation. They were just “using her” as a “test case” in order to trap Jesus (:6 says “they were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him.”)  Their real concern was not for the righteousness of the Law, and certainly not for this woman’s soul.

May God in His grace preserve us from that same kind of attitude towards people. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Witness of His Words

Posted on 2017/05/10 by Shawn Thomas

“The officers answered, ‘Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.'” (John 7:46)

These officers (basically the Temple police) were no trained theologians, yet they could recognize what is plain to everyone. No one — ever — has spoken like Jesus did. And His words are such a powerful witness for who He really was — and is! Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jesus’ Word & Salvation

Posted on 2017/05/09 by Shawn Thomas

“As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.” (John 8:30)

The Bible tells us that when Jesus spoke the words He did in John 8, that “many came to believe in Him.” Sure, there was controversy, as this chapter relates. The Jewish religious leaders opposed Jesus because of His word. But “many” DID believe, as they listened to the things He said.

Is this not just what Romans 10:17 teaches us: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”?  When Jesus’ words are proclaimed, faith arises in hearts, and people will believe and be saved.

This should instruct our ministries today. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Scriptures: Life & Light” (Matthew 4:12-17 sermon)

Posted on 2017/05/08 by Shawn Thomas

My wife Cheryl & I will have been married for 35 years on May 28th. (She has already informed me that we are not going to be here that Sunday — so I am informing you! 🙂 As you can imagine, with all those years together, she has a lot of stories to tell on me. One of her favorites is the time when we were living in Tulsa, and the control pad on our garage door opener wasn’t working. So we got out the directions to the control, and we were both looking at it, and I noticed that the directions were printed in several languages. So I started reading the directions in French, which I’d had in high school. As I read, I was really pleased at how well my French pronunciation sounded, even though I didn’t know what all of the words actually meant, and didn’t know what it was telling us to do. In the mean time, while I was reading, Cheryl, having read the directions in English, FIXED the control pad! (This will save Cheryl from telling each of you this story personally — we’ll just get it out there for everyone now!).

But those directions were not for “reading pretty out loud”; they were supposed to guide our actions. Unfortunately that little episode can be a parable of how many Christians are NOT using the word of God as we should. The scriptures were given to us by God to guide and direct our lives, and to point us to His saving light in Jesus Christ — but too many of us aren’t really using it the way that God meant us to. God’s word should serve both as the model for our lives, and as the guide to the Light we need to save us. And we see both of those things in our text for today in Matthew 4:12-17: Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Miss The Holiness In His Grace

Posted on 2017/05/08 by Shawn Thomas

“And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.'” (John 8:11)

Jesus’ response to the woman caught in adultery was an amazing display of His mercy and grace, and the story has touched the hearts of millions who have heard or read it. But we must not miss the last sentence He spoke to her: His consequent admonition that she sin no more. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Are You Teaching?

Posted on 2017/05/02 by Shawn Thomas

“So Jesus answered them and said, ‘My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.'” (John 7:16)

Jesus did not “take credit”, in a sense, for His teaching; He said it wasn’t “His” but rather that of His Father who sent Him.  If you are a preacher or teacher of God’s word today, you should be able to say the same thing: Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“A Time To Wait, and A Time To Act” (Matthew 4:12-17 sermon)

Posted on 2017/05/01 by Shawn Thomas

Ecclesiastes 3 says:

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven:
A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.
… a time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.”

One of the most beneficial skills we can learn in life is to tell what time it is; NOT the chronological time of the clock on the wall, but understanding God’s time; what He is doing in our lives, our family, our church, and in the world in which we live. In Matthew 3 we find that Jesus, at crucial junctures in His life, knew God’s timing. He knew both when to wait, and when to act. We can learn a lot from His example: Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Does The World Hate You?

Posted on 2017/05/01 by Shawn Thomas

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” (John 7:7)

Jesus told His unbelieving brothers here that the world “hated” Him. Why? Specifically, He said, because He told them that their deeds were evil. They didn’t like what He was telling them, and so they hated Him.

This gives rise to a good question: Does the world hate YOU? If not, why not? Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment