Tag Archives: trials

“The Real ‘Root of All Evil'” (Habakkuk 2:4 sermon)

Posted on 2023/10/16 by Shawn Thomas

There is a verse of the Bible that is often misquoted; probably all of us here have heard it: “Money is the root of all evil.” Have you ever heard that? Do you know that it is misquoted? I Timothy … Continue reading →

Posted in Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages, Sermons | Tagged Adam and Eve, Afshin Ziafat, American Christianity, attitude, Christianity in America, church, faith, fall of man, garden of Eden, gospel, grace, Habakkuk 2:4, Habakkuk sermon, holier than thou, Job, Lucifer, pride, proud one, questioning God, Romans 4:2, root of all evil, salvation, salvation by grace, salvation testiimony, Satan, sin, sin of pride, trials | Leave a comment

“The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days” (Habakkuk 2:1-3 sermon)

Posted on 2023/10/02 by Shawn Thomas

After my dad passed away, I got a couple of his Ernest Hemingway books which he liked to read. In one of those books Hemingway wrote: “You know what a classic is, don’t you? A book that everyone mentions and … Continue reading →

Posted in Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages, Sermons | Tagged Bible, Bible promise, Bible Reading, classic book, conscience, counsel, devotions, Ernest Hemingway, God's word, Habakkuk, how to be saved, how to walk with God, II Timothy 3:16, input, Isaiah 55:10, Jeremiah 29:13, Jesus, judgment, morning devotions, prayer, Psalm 19, salvation, same-sex marriage, scripture, scripture reading, sin, theodicy, trials, word of God | Leave a comment

“The God Who Reigns in Evil Days” (Habakkuk 1:12 sermon)

Posted on 2023/09/25 by Shawn Thomas

Years ago someone I knew had lost a loved one in a tragedy, and a friend of theirs asked them: “How do you manage to still look to God in a time like this?” They said, “In a time like … Continue reading →

Posted in Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages, Sermons | Tagged America judgment, Assyria, Babylon, business ethics, Charles Spurgeon, Christian businessman, Cyrus, eternal, ethics, faith, faith in trials, father love, father trust, from everlasting, God, God holiness, God love, God sovereign, gossip, Habakkuk, Habakkuk 1:12, Habakkuk 1:13, holiness, holiness of God, holy, I Peter 4:17, immorality, judgment, Matthew Henry, perseverance, pornography, Psalm 90:2, salvation, sex, shaken, sin, slander, sovereign, trials, trust | 1 Comment

“Faith Under Trial: Living in a Nation Under Condemnation” (Habakkuk 1:1-13 sermon)

Posted on 2023/09/18 by Shawn Thomas

In David Platt’s book Radical, he writes about how on a mission trip he visited with a group of believers in Southeast Asia. He said they had to disguise themselves to meet, and come in one or two at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages, Sermons | Tagged abortiion, America judgment, C.S. Lewis unanswered prayer, causal Christian, commitment, David Platt Radical, faith, gay marriage, Habakkuk sermon, Habukkuk, hate speech, immorality, injustice, judgment, justice, modesty, name it claim it, persecution, pledge under God, prayer, Psalm 11, Psalm 11 when the foundations are destroyed, trials, unanswered prayer, when the foundations are destroyed | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” Lamentations 3:19-33 “Good”

Posted on 2023/08/19 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Lamentations 3:19-33 for Sunday, August 27, 2023, with the title, “Good.” (A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: A few months into the American Revolution in … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Augustine of Hippo, chesed, child of such tears, compassion, David McCullough, depression, Explore the Bible, faithfulness, God, God judge, God's love, grace, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, hope, II Corinthians 10:5, II Timothy 2:13, inheritance, Jehovah, Jeremiah, Jerusalem, Lamentations 3:19-33, Lifeway, Lord, love, lovingkindness, Martin Luther, Monica Augustine, portion, priests, Psalm 103, Psalm 16, Psalm 2:2, Psalm 42, seek God, seeking God, Shawn Thomas, SS teacher help, St. Augustine, Sunday school lesson, taking thoughts captive, The Lord is my portion, tob, trials, Yahweh | 16 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson: John 11:32-46, “I AM The Resurrection”

Posted on 2023/02/18 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 11:32-46, for Sunday, February 26, 2023, wit the title, “I Am The Resurrection.” (A video version of this overview is available … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Do you believe this, Explore the Bible teacher help, faith, funeral story, he whom You love, Jesus Deity, Jesus humanity, Jesus I am the resurrection, Jesus love, Jesus power, Jesus wept, John 11 Sunday school lesson help, John 11 teaching outline, Lazarus Mary Martha, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson John 11, Lifeway John 11 teacher help, questioning God, questions for God, resurrection, salvation, the one Jesus loved, theodicy, trials, trust in God | 7 Comments

“Standing Firm in Difficult Days” (Philippians 4:1-3)

Posted on 2021/09/20 by Shawn Thomas

So: this year we’ve had COVID, and a devastating winter storm, and now the eye of a hurricane pass right over us. Add to that all of the personal and family trials we’ve each had, and I know some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons | Tagged be on the team, Christian fellowship, Christian service, Christian unity, church, church attendance, church divisions, COVID, COVID and church attendance, do not grow weary, Euodia and Syntyche, fellow workers, Galatians 6:9 do not grow weary, gifts, Jesus John 17 unity, ministry, Olympic rowing, perseverance, Philippians 4:1-3 sermon, service, stand firm, Standing Frim, storm, sunathelo, sunergoi, trials, unity in service, unity in worship, video services vs. in person, you can't get a hug on tv | 2 Comments

“God’s Goal For Your Life” (Matthew 5:3-12 sermon)

Posted on 2021/01/11 by Shawn Thomas

I’ve heard a number of people talk about their goals for this New Year in 2021: goals for health and diet and exercise. Our daughter Libby asked me the other night what my goal was for how many books I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA, Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged 8 qualities of the Beatitudes, aiming at wrong target, Baptist B's, Beatitudes, Billy Graham Secret of Happiness, character of Christ, Christian character, conformed to the image of Hi Son, Ephesians 4:13, Francis Chan Crazy Love, God's Goal for your life, God's goals, humility, I John 3:2, image of Christ, image of His Son, Jesus and the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12, mercy, New Year goal, numerical goals, picture of Jesus in Beatitudes, portrait of Christ, poverty in spirit, purpose of trials, Romans 8:28-29, spiritual goals, spiritual success, succeeding at things that don't really matter, success, trials | 3 Comments

“The Refiner’s Fire” (Malachi 3:1-4 sermon)

Posted on 2020/04/20 by Shawn Thomas

Ruth Bell Graham was the wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham. Billy had of course garnered so much world-wide attention, having been seen on tv, and having written so many books, and so on — but after some years, … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Babylonian Captivity, Billy Graham, Bishop Moule no situation so chaotic, Brass Bell Milwaukee, busy-ness, C.S. Lewis, circumstances, coronavirus crisis, COVID-19, daily Bible reading, devotional time, devotions, Ephesians 1:11, finances, financial crisis, fuller's soap, Genesis Joseph, God, God's purpose, growing through trials, Hebrews 13:5, holiness, holy, II Corinthians 12 Apostle Paul, It's My Turn Graham, Italy doctor COVID-19 atheist, Malachi 3:1-4 sermon, money, normal, offerings in righteousness, pandemic, Peter Acts 2 sermon, predestined plan and purpose of God, purification, purpose, refiner's fire, relationships, rest, Romans 8:28, Ruth Bell Graham, sacrifice of praise, sanctification, schedule, sickness, Thanksgiving, thorn in the flesh, time, trials, worship | 1 Comment

“Faith In Crisis” (Psalm 74 sermon)

Posted on 2020/04/06 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 74 “Faith in Crisis” (COVID crisis Sunday #4, 4/05/20) The verses we find here in Psalm 74 are not going to make many “verse-of-the-day” Bible calendars: “O God, why have You rejected us forever?” “The enemy has damaged everything … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Current Events, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged A. Scott Berg Lindbergh, Asaph, Babylonian Captivity idolatry, C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters, Charles Lindbergh 1927 flight, commitment, commitment to Jesus, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 crisis, COVID-19 prayers, crisis, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily worship, Daniel 4:17-18, devotional time, faith in crisis, forsaken, girl praying, girl praying for Lindbergh, ICU doctor St. John's Tulsa, intercession, Jeremiah 7:4, Jesus is King, Jesus is Lord, Job 13:15, obedience, perseverance, prayer, Psalm 22:3, Psalm 74, questioning God, Romans 10:9, salvation, seeking God, The Temple of the Lord, theodicy, trials, Tulsa World, Why have you rejected us?, Yet, yet You are my King from of old, Yours also is the night | 5 Comments