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 25:31-46, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Active Faith" for May 17, 2026
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 24:36-51, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Alert" for May 10, 2026
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "Ambassadors For Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- Joshua 3:5 Sermon: "Preparing For God To Work"
- "The Church With An Open Door" (Revelation 3:7-13 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
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- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020)
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
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- Uncategorized
- worship
Tag Archives: heaven
“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
6 Comments
There’s Always A Tobiah
Things were going great for Nehemiah; he had told the king about how Jerusalem was in ruins, had prayed and made his request, and the king granted him all that he wanted. Then Nehemiah headed towards the holy city, accompanied … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Christian life, enemies, heaven, Nehemiah 2:10, rest, Sanballat, Tobiah, war
2 Comments
“The Disciplines of Disciples” I Timothy 4:7-10 Sermon
(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley 8-17-14) I had the opportunity a few days ago to go up to the high school during their summer band practice, and I must say that I was impressed with the quality of what … Continue reading
All You Have To Do To Get To Heaven
Psalm 15 opens by asking the question everybody wants answered: “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent; who may dwell on Your holy hill?” In other words, how can we get to heaven, to be where God is — … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, heaven, II Corinthians 5:21, Jesus, Matthew 5:48, Psalm 15:1-2, righteousness, salvation, works
1 Comment
Think About Things Above
Colossians 3:2 commands us: “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” “Set your mind” here is the Greek word “phroneo”, which refers to “the inward parts around the heart” (Thayer) and … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Colossians 3:2, heaven, Jesus, mind, thinking, thoughts
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Entering By Grace
Psalm 5:7 says, “But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house …”. This little half-verse is packed with significance regarding our salvation:
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged chesed, grace, heaven, house of the Lord, lovingkindness, mercy, Psalm 5:7, salvation
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Notes & Quotes: Jonathan Edwards’ Sermon: “Praise, One of the Chief Employments of Heaven”
SOURCE: The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. II, p. 913-917 OCCASION: a Thanksgiving sermon, presented Nov. 7, 1734. TEXT: Revelation 14:2 “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a … Continue reading
Glorious Saints
In I Samuel 28, the medium at En-dor brings Samuel up from the dead for Saul. Verse 12 says she cried out with a loud voice, and Saul asks her what she saw. She responds: “I see a divine being … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged "The Weight of Glory", afterlife, C.S. Lewis, glory, heaven, heavenly body, I Samuel 28:13
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Blessings of a Relationship With God
Psalm 73:23-24 says: “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. WIth Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” “Nevertheless” refers back to the description earlier in the Psalm … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged blessings of salvation, counsel, glory, heaven, Psalm 73:23-24, Romans 10:13, salvation, security
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“The Gospel of Glory” (II Thessalonians 2:14)
Years ago, when our older kids were very small, I took our son David to Falls Creek with me for the week — he was 3 or 4 years old. We had a great week, as we got to hang … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged C.S. Lewis and pleasure, cathedral of Milan, Dante, doxa, eternal torment, Exodus 33:18-20, Exodus 34:7-8, Falls Creek, glory, glory of God, heaven, hell, II Thessalonians 2:14, John Sailhamer, kabod, Mark Twain, no hope, radiance, Romans 3:23, Samuel Rutherford, shekinah glory, The Innocents Abroad
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shawnethomas 