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 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 5:13-20, 43-48, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "True Righteousness," for 12/28/25.
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- "Blessed Is She Who Believed" (Luke 1:45 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 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
Tag Archives: assurance
“This Is My Story” Series Introduction
Just this week, the pastor who married Cheryl & I, Bill Elliff, who is now pastoring in Arkansas, shared a testimony about a man who came to their church 4 & 1/2 years ago, looking for a handout. One of … Continue reading
Tests of Salvation
Are you really saved? Several passages of scripture offer us tests of salvation; indicators of whether one has genuinely been converted. One of those texts is Romans Chapter 8. Multiple verses in the chapter describe the person for whom “There … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged assurance, II Corinthians 13:5, Romans 8, salvation, test of salvation
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“He Will Save His People From Their Sins” (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
(Preached at Mt. Home Baptist, Morganton, NC, and FBC Pauls Valley, OK, December 2014) C.S. Lewis wrote of an interesting experience that his brother had one Christmas season. He said Warnie was riding on a big English double-decker bus one … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged assurance, C.S. Lewis, Christmas, Death, glorification, heaven, Imagine, John Lennon, Joni Earickson Tada, justification, Matthew 1:21 sermon, salvation, sanctification, soteriology
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Promise Breakers
In I Kings 8:25 Solomon prayed: “Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of … Continue reading
An Oft-Unwanted Token of God’s Love
The many of us who sometimes question God’s love during times of difficulty or trial would do well to remember Hebrews 12:6, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged assurance, children of God, difficulties, discipline, Hebrews 12:5-6, John 9, sons of God, trials
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If Saved Will Persevere
Many Christians (especially Baptists) are fond of claiming “once saved always saved”, and there is truth in that statement. Those who are genuinely saved will indeed never lose it. But many misinterpret that teaching to mean that anyone who makes … Continue reading
“What Real Faith Looks Like: Perseverance” (James 1:12)
In 1998, I ran the Tulsa Run road race with Paul, David & Libby, our three oldest kids. Cheryl took a picture of the four of us at my favorite time of a race: when it was OVER! After the Tulsa run … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged A.T. Robertson, acid test, Apelles, approved, assurance, authenticity of gold, crown of life, crown of righteousness, diadem, dokimos, games, Genesis 29, genuine faith, I Corinthians 13:7, I Peter 1:6-7, II Timothy 4:7-8, Jacob, James 1:12 sermon, Josephus, kingly crown, love, Matthew 13, nitric acid, once saved always saved, Parable of the Sower, perserverance, perseverance of love, possession of faith, profession of faith, proof of your faith, Rachel, Romans 16:10, salvation prayer, stamp of authenticity, stephanos, tested faith, tests, tests for gold, trials, Tulsa Run, victor's crown, What Real Faith Looks Like
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shawnethomas 