A Southern Baptist pastor for almost 35 years, I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, and post my weekly sermons on this site, as well as a brief overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson.
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Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview: Lifeway "Explore the Bible" John 14:16-29 "Peace I Leave"
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Gerasene Demoniac" (Mark 5:1-20 sermon)
- "Following Jesus" (Matthew 4:18-22 sermon)
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- “Four Ways To Worship God” (Psalm 9:1-2 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
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- "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
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- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
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Tag Archives: commitment
Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: John 12:20-33, “If It Dies”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 12:20-33, “If It Dies,” for Sunday, March 12, 2023. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRODUCTION: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "The Joel Osteen Sermon That Changed Oprah's Life", Blaise Pascal quote, born to die, chief end of man, commitment, evangelism, Explore the Bible, follow Jesus, glorify God, glory, God, God's Purpose, I Corinthians 10:31, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 12 teaching help, John 12:20-33 Sunday School lesson overview, Lifeway, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson John 12, missions, seeds, some said it thundered, Sunday school lesson help John 12, teacher's help John 12 Sunday school lesson, Tim Challies Joel Ostend sermon, we would see Jesus, Westminster Catechism, witness
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“Jesus ‘Calls’ His Resurrection” (Mark 8:31-38 sermon, Easter 2022)
Jesus “called” the Resurrection, didn’t He? I say that because it’s one thing to “accidentally” happen do something, and another thing entirely to do it on purpose, and “call it” in advance. For example, we watched the “Final Four” NCAA … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged butterfly chrysalis, Christian commitment, commitment, cross of Christ, death of Jesus, Easter sermon, EPCOT butterfly display, George Whitefield, I give You my soul as a blank, Isaiah 53, lessons in suffering, Mark 8:31-38, resurrection of Jesus, Romans 14, suffering, suffering of Christ, the cross, the sword in the stone, Thomas Kidd George Whitefield
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“When Yahweh Is Your God” (Genesis 28:10-22 sermon)
A few years ago a pastor I know from Oklahoma was in New York City riding in a cab. He saw a little statue on the driver’s dashboard, and he asked the man, who was from India, about it. The … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged Anthony Flew atheist, Anthony Flew testimony, Christian commitment, church buildings, commitment, commitment to Christ, commitment to worship, corporate worship, daily Bible reading, discipleship, E.W. Starling Woodrow Wilson, Genesis 28 sermon, giving, Hebrews 10:25, I AM, idolatry, idols, John Dean Warren G. Harding, LORD is Yahweh, personal worship, Prince Charles II of England, salvation, tithe, tithe and the Law, tithe as a mark of Lordship, tithe Genesis 28, tithing, worship, Yahweh
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“Brother, Worker, Soldier” (Philippians 2:19-30 message)
Those of you who are on social media know that often a person will put on their home page a brief description of themselves, often with just a series of words, saying something like, “Christian, mother of 3, blogger”, or … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged adoption into family of God, battle stations, brother, brother in Christ, brother worker soldier, church, commitment, commitment level in church, difference in worker and soldier, discipleship, Epaphroditus, Ephesians 2:12-13, fellow soldier, fellow worker, gifts for service, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit gift, I Corinthians 12:7, Meggie Hixson Kigoma Tanzania, Philippians 2:19-30 sermon, Romans 8:15, sacrifice, salvation, service, soldier, Timothy, total commitment, war, worker
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“Defective Discipleship” (Matthew 26:58 sermon)
Several times in recent weeks I have mentioned Martin Luther, the German Reformer of the 1500’s. After he brought the authority of the Bible, and salvation by grace through faith, back to the forefront of Christianity, he was not satisfied … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Archie Leach, baptism, baptism and discipleship, Cary Grant military, Christian finances, commitment, discipleship, distant discipleship, evangelism, following at a distance, forgiveness, grace, limited discipleship, Lordship, Luke 6:46, Luke 9:23, Martin Luther, Martin Luther discipleship, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 26:58, Matthew 26:58 sermon, Matthew 27:48-49, ministry, real discipleship, spectator discipleship, witnessing, worship, worship participation, worship service criticism
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“The Ark Of Our Salvation” (I Peter 3:18-22 sermon)
In 1913 there was a great flood in Brazoria County. The three rivers: the Brazos, the Colorado, and the San Bernard, all virtually became one, and the entire countryside was flooded. The streets of Angleton were covered in 3 to … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged 1913 flood Brazoria County, Angleton levee, ark, ark of salvation, Augustine, baptism, baptism saves you, baptism symbol, Billy Graham apologize to Sodom, blood, Brenton Tarrant good boy, children in the ark, children's salvation, commitment, dad responsibility, decision, depravity, depravity of man, disobedience, evangelism, evil, family, father, flood, Genesis 19:14, Genesis 4:10, Genesis 6:5, God's judgment, good at heart, grace, guilt, Hurricane Harvey, hurricane preparedness, I Peter 3 sermon, I Peter 3:18-22, I Peter 3:21, II Peter 3:9, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgment, lot, Martin Luther, mom responsibility, mother, now is the acceptable time, patience of God, persecution, Psalm 103:9, responsibility, resurrection of Jesus Christ, Roe v. Wade, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, salvation, salvation by grace, sin, sin nature, thoughts, today is the day of salvation, Where did Christ go in the spirit, witness
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“The Gift That Is An Insult” (I Kings 9:10-14)
In “Henry V”, one of my very favorite plays or movies, Shakespeare tells of how when King Henry V of England was considering invading France, the French ambassador came to him with a “treasure,” saying that the Dauphin (or Prince … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged alabaster vial, cabul, commitment, corporate worship, dedication, discipleship, Endor, Galilee, Genesis 4, gift, gifts, giving, hard work, Hebrews 11:16, Henry V, I Kings 9:10-14, II Samuel 23, James 1:17, Jerusalem, King Hiram, Magdala, Malachi 1, Mark Twain, marriage, mission trips, missions, palace, personal worship, President John F. Kennedy, sacrifice, Shakespeare, Solomon, Sunday School, Temple, The Innocents Abroad, Tiberias, tithe, we choose to go to the moon, widow's mite, work, worship
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“Worshiping God Anyway” (Habakkuk 3:16-19 sermon)
On November 5th of last year, a killer shot 46 people people who had gathered to worship at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, just southeast of San Antonio. The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, and his wife were out … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged abortion, Acts 16, commitment, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Facebook, faith, gospel, Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk 3:16-19, heaven, hinds feet, hinds feet meaning, II Corinthians 4:16, Job, joy, joy in God, judgment, pain, pain holy angel, Paul and Silas, prosperity gospel, Psalm 147:10-11, Psalm 2:2, Romans 8, salvation, Sutherland Springs shooting, word faith, word faith teaching, worship
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“What The Centurion Can Teach Us” (Acts 10 sermon)
Well I learned something new this week: Cheryl & I had dinner with Chris & Gina Bailey, and she made the best homemade eggrolls. I asked her what was in them, and one of the ingredients she mentioned was “white … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons
Tagged Acts 10, Acts 10 sermon, American flag symbol, baptism, baptism point of no return, baptism symbol, Baptist, commitment, Cornelius, Ephesians 1:13, faith, heaven, Holy Spirit, hymn To God Be The Glory, Muslims and Christian baptism, Nik Ripken, racism, Romans 3, salvation, sexuality, sin, subway, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives, the vilest offender who truly believes, universalism
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