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)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 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
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
Categories
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- "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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Tag Archives: Ephesians 6:17
“On The Alert” (I Peter 5:8-11 sermon)
Following the death of General Qasem Soleimani last week in Iraq, U.S. citizens and military in the Middle East were put on the alert: Iran had promised to avenge Soleimani’s death; everyone needed to beware of revenge attacks that could … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged accuser, adversary, battle, Christian warfare, demons, devil, doubt, enemy, Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 6, Ephesians 6:17, faith, false prophets, false teachers, Genesis 3, God, God good, He who is not for me is against me, I John 4:1, I Peter 5, I Peter 5:8-11 sermon, II Corinthians 10:3-5, II Corinthians 2:11, Job 1, knowledge, lie, life is a battle, Martin Luther, Martin Luther Anfechtungen, Martin Luther devil, Matthew 4 Jesus temptation, on the alert, prince of the power of the air, Psalm 119:68, Psalm 91:11-12, Qasem Soleimani death, resist devil, Revelation 12:12, Romans 10:17, Satan, Satan accuser, speculations, spiritual armor, spiritual battle, spiritual umbrella, spiritual warfare, spiritual weapons, stand firm, sword of the Spirit, taking every thought captive, temptation, testimony, thoughts, truth, word of God, You are good and do good, Zechariah 3
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Jesus’ Word & Salvation
“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 … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry, Uncategorized
Tagged Bible, Ephesians 6:17, evangelism, God's word, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John 8:30, ministry, preaching, Romans 10:17, salvation, scripture, teaching, word, word of God
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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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Read The Word: Public Reading of Scripture
In II Kings 23, King Josiah led a revival in Judah when God’s word was rediscovered in the Temple. The book of the Law was read aloud to him by Shaphan the scribe (22:10) and it had a profound effect … Continue reading
The Sword of the Word
Psalm 149:6 says of the people of God: “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” What did this mean to the original readers? It was their privilege, like ours, to … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Ephesians 6:17, judgments of the Lord, Psalm 119, Psalm 149, sword, word of God
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The Sword of the Word
Psalm 149:6 says of the people of God: “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” What did this mean to the original readers? It was their privilege, like ours, to … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Ephesians 6:17, judgments of the Lord, Psalm 119, Psalm 149, sword, word of God
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Defenseless?
In I Samuel 13, the Philistines sent groups of raiders against Saul and the people of Israel. But Israel was in an extremely weak position. Verses 19-23 tell us, “Now, no blacksmith could be found in all the land of … Continue reading
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