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 Preview of Matthew 10:16-20, 26-34, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 2/01/26, "Loyalty Tested"
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 9:10-19, 23-26, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson "Mercy Extended" for 1/25/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 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: forgiveness
“Who God Says He Is” (Exodus 34:6-8 sermon)
Years ago, in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer wrote: “What you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you.” What do you think about when you think about God? And … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermons
Tagged "The love of God" song, A.W. Tozer what you think about when you think about God, Al Mohler, Bulgaria missions, chesed, compassion God, Dave Ramsey better than I deserve, doctrine of God, Exodus 34:6-8 sermon, forgiveness, God, grace of God, grace to others, gracious, heaven, Jebel Musa, Jesus final revelation, living by grace, love has a long fuse, lovingkindness, Marinne Williamson, new age, Prodigal Son, relationship with God, response to God, revelation, salvation by grace, surprises in heaven, theology, Yahweh, YHWH
1 Comment
The Lord’s Supper: The Sacrifice Remembered (Matthew 26:26-29 sermon)
One of the newer monuments in Washington D.C. is one commemorating our soldiers who fought and won the Second World War. Among other elements, the memorial contains panels with bronze engravings of scenes from the war: soldiers loading artillery pieces, … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged Acts 3:19, Christian children rebel, communion, food choice, forgiveness, God compassion, God judge, hoi polloi, I John 2:2, I Timothy 2:6, Isaiah 53:12, James Dobson, judge paid for crime, Lord's Supper symbol, many, Matthew 26:26-29 sermon, personal response, polloi, Romans 10:13, salvation, World War II monument
Leave a comment
“The Character of Christ: Merciful (Matthew 5:7 sermon)
Several years ago, a man and his wife were traveling on the Interstate in Florida, when their car broke down, with the next exit 40 miles away. There had been a rash of highway robberies there recently, so no one … Continue reading
Posted in Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA, Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged Beatitudes, Biblical definition of mercy, blessed are the merciful, But God, character, character of Christ, compassion, Dane Ortlund, do something, Ephesians 2 mercy, feel compassion, Florida highway robbery, forgiveness, God rich in mercy, Good Samaritan, Jesus example, John Hay Abraham Lincoln mercy, Luke 7:13-15, Mark 10:21, Mark 6:34, Matthew 14:14, Matthew 18, Matthew 5:7, Matthew 9:36, mercy, notice, Prodigal Son, Samaritan and mercy, see feel compassion do, see the need, Sherlock Holmes, you give them something to eat
Leave a comment
“Trust & Obey” (Matthew 5:5 sermon)
Conrad Richter wrote an amazing trilogy back in the 1940’s and 50’s about the settling of Ohio by the American Pioneers, from the perspective of a pioneer woman by the name of Sayward Wheeler. The story progresses through: The Trees, … Continue reading
Posted in Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Battle of Gettysburg, Beatitudes, Beatitudes and prayer, Bill Day Murrah bombing testimony, bitterness, Blessed are the gentle, Blessed are the meek, character of Christ, Christian witness and meekness, circumstances, conformed to the image of Christ, Conrad Richter trilogy, definition of angels, definition of faith, definition of meekness, Disciple's personality, forgiveness, fret not because of evildoers, fruit of spirit is gentleness, Galatians 5:22-23, gentle, giveaway sign of not trusting God, God's goal for our lives, hymn Trust & Obey, II Samuel 16 David meekness, Jesus example of Beatitudes, Jesus example of meekness, Jesus yoke, judgmnet, leave it in God's hands, Matthew 5:5, meek, meekness, meekness and salvation, meekness in the Christian life, Moses meekness, nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross I cling, Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam, ox taking the yoke, praeis meaning, progression in Beatitudes, Psalm 37, Psalm 37:3, Robert E. Lee, Robert E. Lee example of meekness, Romans 8:28-29, salvation, Sayward's ox, scriptural definitions, take His yoke upon you, take your hands off the situation, tame horse, The Fields, The Meekness Psalm, Timothy McVeigh Murrah Bombing, trust and salvation, trust in God, trust in the Lord and do good, witness
Leave a comment
“The Model Prayer: Receiving & Giving Forgiveness” (Matthew 6:12 sermon)
In 2012 a book was published with the title: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. It became a New York Times Bestseller, and was regarded by many as a “pretty cool” book on prayer; how a lot of our … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons, The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020), Uncategorized
Tagged C.S. Lewis, confessing sin, confession, daily prayer, daily quiet time, devotions, forgive the inexcusable, forgiveness, giving forgiveness, granting forgiveness, Help Thanks Wow, I John 1:9, Jerry Bridges, Jesus, Lord's Prayer, marriage, Matthew 18, Matthew 6:12 sermon, meaning of forgiveness, model prayer, morning prayer, no condemnation, Parable of the Two Debtors, prayer, prayer outline, prayer relationship, preach the gospel to yourself, Psalm 66:18, relationship with God, repentance, Romans 8:1, salvation, sin, sin debt, sinners prayer, song "The Lord's Prayer", Tim Keller
Leave a comment
“His Grace Prevails” (Psalm 117 sermon)
Last Sunday we spent some time looking at Psalm 101:3, which gives us an important commitment towards holiness: “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Advocate with the Father, all nations, all people, chesed, David and Bathsheba, David heaven, Derek Kidner, Ephesians 2 dead in sin, Ephesians 2 grace, Exodus 34:6-7, forgiveness, God’s grace, grace, grace that is greater than all our sin, hesed, His Grace Prevails, His lovingkindness is everlasting, His mercy endures forever, I John 2 sin, II Samuel 9:3, John Bunyan Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners, John Bunyan testimony, John Mark McMillan if grace is an ocean, John Newton Amazing Grace, love, lovingkindness, Martin Luther chesed grace, Mephibosheth, mercy, Peter grace, Psalm 107, Psalm 117, Psalm 117:2, Psalm 51 grace, racial prejudice, Revelation 7:9, temptation, the chesed of YHWH, Whoever will call, why should I let you into My heaven?
6 Comments
“No Worthless Thing” (Psalm 101:3 sermon)
On this Father’s Day, we can remember one of the great “Father/Son” teams in American history, John Adams, and his son, John Quincy Adams, both of whom served as President of the United States. When he was only ten years … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Abigail Adams, belial, Bible sword, billboards, books, Cary Grant Phillis Brooks, commercials, commitment to holiness, Daspe survey pornography, David and Bathsheba, Eve saw, family, Fathers Day, forgiveness, God, grace, grace of God, heaven, holiness, horses peripheral vision, I John 2:16, internet, internet pornography, internet search, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, lead us not into temptation, Love Later Brand Hatch Hajela, lust of the eyes, marriage, Matthew 4 temptation, model prayer, moral thread in books, No Worthless Thing, Philippians 4:8, pornography, pornography addiction, Psalm 101, Psalm 101:3, pursuit of holiness, reading, relationship with God, salvation, sanctification, Satan, scripture memory, sons of belial, surfing the internet, television, temptation, the lamp of the body is the eye, trap, tv watching, warning, word of God
7 Comments
shawnethomas 