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.
-
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)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- "Blessed Is She Who Believed" (Luke 1:45 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 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: eternal life
“Blessed Assurance”? (Matthew 7:21-23 sermon)
Do you think that you are going to heaven? If you do, you’re in good company. An ABC news poll indicated that 89% of Americans believed in heaven, and 85% of them think that THEY are going there. And it … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons
Tagged assurance, assurance of salvation, Blessed Assurance, charismatic gifts, consecration, Corrie Ten Boom, eternal life, false hope, fruit of salvation, grace, heaven, Hinduism, holiness, Islam, Lordship, Muslim dervishes, obedience, profession of faith, salvation, works salvation
2 Comments
What Is Eternal Life?
It is most helpful whenever God defines terms for us in scripture. Hebrews 1:14 is an example of that, as it gives us a Biblical definition of angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for … Continue reading
If You Loved Me You’d Rejoice!
“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) Here … Continue reading
Going to The Father
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged comfort, Death, death of loved one, eternal life, facing death, father, heaven, Heavenly Father, John 13:1
Leave a comment
He IS The Resurrection!
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) These words of Jesus are … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged eternal life, eternal security, faith, John 11:25-26, salvation
Leave a comment
“The Scriptures: Life & Light” (Matthew 4:12-17 sermon)
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Bible, Bible literacy, Bible Reading, conversion, daily Bible reading, Dikkon Eberhart, discipleship, eternal life, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Matthew 4:12-17 sermon, Netflix, obedience, salvation, scripture, scripture application, scripture memory, The Time Mom Met Hitler book, word of God
Leave a comment
The Love Relationship
“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” (John 3:35) Mahatma Gandhi, typical of the Eastern religious perspective, described God as a “force.” But we see no such impersonal description of God in scripture. Here … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged eternal life, force, John 17:26, John 17:3, John 3:35, love, Mahatma Gandhi, relationship, salvation, Trinity, Triune God
Leave a comment
We Are Aliens
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who are chosen” (I Peter 1:1) Peter wrote to the Christians who were scattered throughout what is now the nation … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged aliens, citizenship, eternal life, heaven, I Peter 1:1
Leave a comment
“Eternal Life” (John 3:16 sermon)
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the Chinese Qin Dynasty — and he wanted to be the last. He wanted to live forever. In Imperial China at that time, they believed in certain “elixirs of life” which might … Continue reading
shawnethomas 