About Don & Sermons
Don has a Th.M and Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary and is a licensed and ordained Minister of the Gospel. He also has a B.S. Degree in Computer Science from Stephen F. Austin State University.
All sermons were recorded at Preston Ridge Baptist Church, Frisco, TX (Senior Pastor: Gerald Griffin).
If you’re ever in the Frisco, Plano, McKinney area of Texas, please visit. Information and directions can be found at: www.prestonridge.org.
Song
Jesus, Ever Worthy,
“Jesus, Ever Worthy,” an original song written by Donald E. Soula in March, 2013. The finished product was the result of a collaboration with professional recording artist Chris Machen, who wrote the powerful music to go with the lyrics that he and Don refined together. With sign language interpretation by Tiffany Soula, this is the debut performance at Preston Ridge Baptist Church in Frisco, TX.
Song Lyrics
Scripture Devtional
The PDF file below contains a verse-by-verse list of the Scriptures that support the lyrics of this song. Together with the song, this study is a powerful devotional which lets you enter into an even deeper level of worship of Jesus Christ.
Sermons
| Sermon Title | Main Scriptures | Sermon Synopsis |
Fill-In Sermon Notes (PDF) |
Play Sermon (or right-click and |
| ************************************************* Newest Sermon ****************************************** | ||||
| “Jesus, Greater Than Angels” | Hebrews 1:3-2:1; Psalm 2, 2 Samuel 7 |
What did Jesus become that He never was before, and that no angel could ever become? What title was He given that He never held, and that no angel could ever hold? Jesus is not just superior to angels because of something He’s always been—namely, fully God. Jesus is also much better than the angels because of something He became and a title He received as a result. Hear the answers to those questions and learn how they show that Jesus is the Centerpiece, the One through whom all of God’s future plans for us will come to their promised fulfillment. (first delivered December 13, 2015) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?” | Various from: Genesis, Job, John, Romans, and Revelation | “Why does God allow pain and suffering?” When people ask this question, what they really want to know is: How can a good, all-powerful God, who supposedly loves us and cares about us, not fix this problem? Does He even exist? If so, why won’t He do something about it? Find out the answers to those questions and more; whatever you’re going through, you never need to lose heart. (first delivered Septermber 27, 2015) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “The Promise of Rest” | Matthew 11:28; Exodus 33:14; Hebrews 4:1 |
When Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,” He wasn’t making a new promise, offering to give you inner peace, or help you deal with the hectic and wearying pace of modern life. Instead, He was restating one of the biggest, most important, epic-in-its-scope promises in the entire Bible, and He was identifying Himself as the One who will one day bring it to its ultimate fulfilment. (first delivered August 16, 2015) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “The Road From Heaven” |
Matt 21:6-9; Matt 22:41-46; Psalm 110:1,5; Heb 1:2-3; and many more! |
The divinity of Jesus. He became man, but He was always God. The Bible makes this clear in its |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “Seeds, Soils and a Sower” |
Mark 4 | God loves showering His grace on people and He wants everyone to live a life of purpose–one that is useful and fruitful in making Him and His gracicous character known to the world. In two parables, Jesus explains that while God’s grace is free, there are challenges that we will face, and becoming all that God wants us to become may come at a personal cost. This sermon will examine Jesus’ parables in order to identify the foes and obstacles that will keep you from living a fruitful life that is pleasing to God, and it will help you to refocus on what’s most important so that you can overcome them all. (first delivered: July 6, 2014) | Sermon Notes (Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 has blanks filled in) |
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| “Life or Death: Your Choice” |
Proverbs 1-9 | Did you know that you make life or death decisions every day? In this unique look at Proverbs, you’ll get a picture of the first nine chapters that will provide the foundation, key characters and definitions you’ll need for understanding the entire Book of Proverbs. I can assure you that Proverbs is way more profound than just some general principles, practical advice or a series of nifty one-liners from God like “don’t spit into the wind or you’ll get wet.” It’s a book about life and death. (first delivered: Nov 24, 2013) |
(Page 1 blank pictures. Pages 2-10 complete the picture as the sermon makes mention of each item) |
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| “Fix Your Hope On Him” |
Mark 5:21-43 | When life gets rough, or you’re facing difficult challenges, motivational sayings like: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up,” and others like those are designed to provide hope that you can make it through tough times. But what happens when you’re at the end of your rope and you can’t hang on any longer. What’s left when all hope is lost? This encouraging sermon supplies the answer to that question and much, much more. (first delivered: Sep 22, 2013) | n/a | PLAY |
| “Friendship with God” |
James 2:18-20 | “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” This challenge to James, by “someone” in James 2:18, is often misunderstood and leads to confusion about the role that “works” should play in the life of believers. This sermon shows both James’ response to the challenge and the practical ways that you can show God how highly you value your friendship with Him. (first delivered: Jun 9, 2013) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “Choice of a Lifetime” |
Joshua 24:14-15 | Each person makes a choice every day to either serve themselves and their own desires, or God and His desires. Joshua was a man who, not only devoted his whole life to serving the LORD, but challenged those around him to do the same. Who are you serving each day? This sermon will challenge you to make the choice of a lifetime. Oh, and to borrow a lyric from an old song: “if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” (first delivered: Jul 15, 2012) |
(Page 1 with blanks
to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 has blanks filled in. Pages 3-4 have pictures referenced at the end of the sermon.) |
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“When a Plan Comes Together” |
Jeremiah 29:11; Daniel 9; Ezra 1 |
When God makes plans, and when God makes promises to people, His plans always succeed, and nothing can stop Him from fulfilling His promises. This sermon takes one of the most popular verses of our time, and shows you what it looks in action, as God’s plan comes together in ways that will leave you in awe of the awesome, all-knowing, unstoppable, promise-keeping God we serve. (first delivered: Jan 29, 2012) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “Appointment with the Cardiologist” |
Matt 5; Lev 19; Exod 20; Deut 10:17-18 |
Speaking about Israel’s religious leaders in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” This certainly shocked His listeners. If they weren’t good enough to spend eternity with God, what hope do regular people have? Then, when he mentioned two of the 10 Commandments and added “but I say to you…,” He seemed to make the requirements for getting into the Kingdom even harder. This sermon gets to the heart of Jesus’ message to explain what God truly requires from everyone in order for them to gain entrance into His Kingdom and to live a life that is pleasing to Him. (first delivered: Oct 23, 2011) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “Nahum’s Right Parenthesis” |
Nahum 1-2; Jonah 1, 4; Exodus 33-34 |
Certain books in the Bible, like the Book of Genesis, the Gospels, or the Book of Revelation, are very popular, and their stories are well known by most people. The Book of Nahum, however, not so much. This sermon seeks to change that because, properly understood, the Book of Nahum will make you want to leap from your chair and worship the awesome God we serve, and at the same time it will speak to your innermost being in a way which provides comfort beyond measure. (first delivered: Apr 10, 2011) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “The Bottom Line on How to Live Life” |
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 |
If there is one subject about which there is no shortage of people willing to offer advice, but about which, no one can seem to agree, it’s the subject of how you should live your life. These days, every time you turn around there’s another so-called expert, talk-show host, or best-selling author with all sorts of advice on how you should live your life, or how you can live your best life, your happiest life, or your most fulfilling life. This sermon cuts through all of the competing voices and bad advice and gets down to the simple, straightforward, bottom-line Biblical answer to the question: “How am I to live my life?” (first delivered: Nov 21, 2010) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “To Whom Shall We Go?” |
John 6:68-69 | When other people began abandoning Jesus because of the difficult things He saying, He turned to His closest twelve disciples and asked them, “Do you also want to go away?” The Apostle Peter answers Jesus with one of the most profoundly important statements made by anyone, ever. This sermon delves deeply into his reply and its direct application to our lives today. (first delivered: Jul 18, 2010) |
(Page 1 with blanks to complete while listening to the sermon; Page 2 |
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| “The Path to Greatness” |
Mark 8-10; Psalm 2; Isaiah 53 |
Given the opportunity, everyone would like to live a great life. It would be wonderful to achieve greatness and reap the rewards which come with that. The questions that must be answered are: “Whose teaching about the path to greatness are you following?” and “What level of greatness will you achieve by following the path you’ve chosen?” This sermon examines Jesus’ three lessons to His disciples on this very subject. (first delivered: Mar 21, 2010) |
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| “Apples From Apple Seeds” |
Galatians 6:7 and more |
“You reap what you sow.” For many, this means “what goes around, comes around” and/or is not much different than karma. But is that what Paul meant in Galatians? This sermon examines this phrase along with “Walk by the Spirit” and “Fruit of the Spirit” to see just what Paul had in mind. (first delivered: Mar 22, 2009) |
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| “When God Closes One Door“ |
Acts
Job, John 10 |
“When God closes one door, He always opens another,” or does He? Often well-meaning people share statements like this with others going through difficulties in life in order to encourage them to press on. But is this a true statement or is it a myth? Is there any sure way to know who’s closing and opening the doors in your life? Listen to find out whether this idea is a Biblical fact or religious sounding fiction. (first delivered: Apr 13, 2008) | Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “Who Did You Expect?” |
Matt
Isaiah 26, 35, 61 |
John the Baptist was in prison and he sent messengers to Jesus to ask, “are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Was John suddenly having a crisis of faith, or is there something else at work here? What happens to your faith when God doesn’t seem to be acting how, or when, you expect Him to act? (first delivered: Dec 30, 2007) | Sermon Notes |
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| “Learning from Experience“ |
Psalm 32 |
A wise person learns from the mistakes of others. This sermon looks at a Psalm written by King David with the hope that you can learn from his experience and experience God’s forgiving character of compassion. (first delivered: Jun 17, 2007) |
Sermon Notes |
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| “Who is This Man?“ |
Mark
Psalm 107 |
Would you recognize someone who was truly special if they looked and dressed like everyone else and you found them in an ordinary place? What if a man stepped into your fishing boat who had the power to calm a storm by the power of just His word? What impact would that have on your life? (first delivered: Jun 10, 2007) | Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “A Man of High Regard“ |
Acts
Philippians 2 |
Believers are told to hold men like him in “high regard,” but amazingly few people have ever even heard of him. What names immediately come to your mind? And why should he be held in high regard? (first delivered: Mar 18, 2007) | Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “Vomit and Fools“ |
Proverbs
2 Peter 1-2 |
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” What does this Proverb really mean, and why did Peter need to provide this warning to his readers? This sermon examines the dangers of setting God’s revelation aside in favor of human reasoning, and provides the necessary steps to avoid this potential pitfall on the way toward becoming more Christ-like. (first delivered: Feb11, 2007) | n/a |
“Pastor Gerald obviously isn’t here this morning. He’s
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| “Confronted with Compassion“ |
Jonah
Luke 15 |
Do you have the same heart of compassion toward others that God the Father has? Do you truly understand how much God the Father loves you? Do you understand how much God loves that person with whom you’ve just “agreed to disagree”? This sermon examines our response to seeing God’s heart of compassion in action. (first delivered: Dec 3, 2006) |
Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “A Lesson in Loyalty“ |
Acts 4; Psalm 2 |
This sermon shows the importance of remaining loyal to Christ regardless of any possible persecution that may result from identifying with Him. In addition, it explains the importance of recognizing that the resurrected Lord will return in the future to judge the world but there is still time to enter into a relationship with Him. (first delivered: Jun 25, 2006) |
Sermon Notes |
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| “A Man on a Mission“ |
Num
Josh 14-15 |
This sermon takes a look at the life of Caleb and his persevering faithfulness toward his mission of pleasing God during all his days on the earth. The key question: “Is what I am doing, or about to do, getting me closer to my objective of hearing from Jesus, well done my good and faithful servant?” (first delivered: Mar 19, 2006) | n/a | PLAY |
| “More than Tax Advice“ |
Mark 12:13-17 |
“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Was Jesus just giving advice for paying taxes and obeying the government, or something more? This sermon dives deeply into what it means to give your life to God, so that through you He can show others what He’s like. (first delivered: Feb 19, 2006) | Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “Faith for the Road Ahead“ |
Habakkuk
Hebrews 11 |
One of the biggest challenges for Christians is to trust God and His Word regardless of the circumstances that come up in our lives. We must remember how God has been faithful in our lives in the past, rest in the assurance of His promises for your future, and live each day faithfully according to His Word. (first delivered: Jul 3, 2005) | Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “A Man with the Right Motivation“ |
Ruth 1-2 |
This sermon takes a look at the life and godly character of Boaz and his response to a poor, foreign widow who just happens to wander into his fields looking for food. The question to be answered: Do you go through life motivated by a desire for food, or money, or recognition, or do you just stare up at God, like Boaz, with such awe and love and admiration that your only thought each day is, I want to be just like Him? (first delivered: Jun 12, 2005) |
Sermon Notes |
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| “Surviving a Snake Bite“ |
Num
John 3:14-15 |
One of the most important stories in the Old Testament; the story of the deadly snakes. While many people can recite John 3:16 from memory, do you know the story of the deadly snakes and the reason why it’s referenced in the two verses just prior to the well-known John 3:16? (first delivered: Nov 28, 2004) |
Sermon Notes |
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| “A Kingdom Sure to Come“ |
2
Mark; Zech |
Are you remaining faithful in your sure expectation that Christ is going to return to earth one day and set up His kingdom? Are you living in a way which demonstrates that this is your life’s focus, or have you found yourself enticed and overwhelmed by the here and now? This sermon encourages you to remember that the kingdom is sure to come. (first delivered: Jul 4, 2004) |
Sermon Notes | PLAY |
| “God’s Plan for After the Passion“ |
Psalm 110 |
This sermon lets you in on a “private” conversation between God the Father and God the Son to help you understand the plan for after the passion of the Christ. A detailed exposition of Psalm 110. (first delivered: Mar 14, 2004) | n/a | PLAY |