Author Archives: Shawn Thomas

About Shawn Thomas

My blog, shawnethomas.com, features the text of my sermons, book reviews, family life experiences -- as well as a brief overview of the Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for Southern Baptist Sunday School teachers.

“Coming To Worship Jesus” (Luke 21:38 sermon)

Posted on 2023/08/21 by Shawn Thomas

Charles Spurgeon once told a story about how Caesar Augustus was invited to a feast in his honor; but the attendance was so poor, and the feast was so mediocre, that he arose in the midst of it and lamented: … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged beauty of holiness, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon Caesar Augustus, church, church attendance, clergymen, consider Him, day of preparation, discipleship, family, Hebrews 10:25, holiness, humility, II Samuel 24:24, Isaiah 66:2, Jesus, Jesus glory, Jesus return, John 19:42, Luke 21:28, pastors, Philippians 2, preparation, preparation for worship, pride, Psalm 96:9, Sabbath, sacrifice, sacrifice that cost me nothing, salvation, sleep, Sunday, Sunday morning worship is a Saturday night decision, Sunday sabbath, Sunday worship, worship, worship Jesus, worship sacrifice | 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

“Will Your Work Perish, or Last?” (John 6:27 sermon)

Posted on 2023/08/14 by Shawn Thomas

Every so often the U.S. economy will have a recession, or a depression — or even what they call a “Crash,” like what happened in 1929. One of the worst in our history was in 1873, when banks and businesses … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged 168 hours a week, 5 loves and 2 fish, baptism, Billy Graham, bread, call to ministry, Christian vocation, crash, depression, don't waste your life, Dwight Eisenhower, economic crisis, economy, endure, eternal, eternal investment, eternal life, eternal security, feeding the 5000, fellowship hall, fish, giving, I Corinthians 3:12-15, invest time, Jesus foundation, Jim Eliot, John 6:27, John Piper, ministry, missions, money, perish, priorities, recession, salvation, saved, saved yet so as through fire, service, sinners prayer, soul, stewardship, temporary, that man is no fool, This Is My Story, time, tithe, vocation, work, works | 2 Comments

Teachers’ Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: Jeremiah 50:11-20, 33-34, “Just”

Posted on 2023/08/12 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible lesson of Jeremiah 50, for Sunday, August 20, 2023, with the title, “Just.” (A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "The Rest of the Story", Babylon, Explore the Bible, idolatry, Jeremiah 50:11-20, Lifeway, Paul Harvey, responsibility of man, sovereignty and responsibility, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help | 24 Comments

“Honest to God” (Psalm 10:1 sermon)

Posted on 2023/08/07 by Shawn Thomas

Back when Harry Truman was President of the United States just after World War II, Dean Acheson was the Secretary of State. Someone later asked Acheson what kind of relationship he had with the President, and he said, among other … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged angry with God, David McCullough Truman, Dean Acheson, fair weather friend, God is sufficient, Harry Truman, honest to God, hypocrisy, Jonah anger with God, prayer, Psalm 10 sermon, Psalm 22:1, Psalm complaint, questions of Job, salvation, talk to God about anything, Tom Elliff prayer | 1 Comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: Jeremiah 42:7-22, “Trustworthy”

Posted on 2023/08/05 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Jeremiah 42:71-22 for Sunday, August 13, 2023, with the title, “Trustworthy.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged arrogance, direction, Explore the Bible, Ferdinand Magellan death, God's will, Jeremiah 42, Jeremiah 42 Sunday school lesson, Jeremiah 42:7-22, John 4 whatever He says to you do it, Lifeway, obedience, prayer, pride, Proverbs 14:12, rich young ruler, seeking God, Sunday school lesson help Jeremiah 42, Sunday school teacher help, time to seek God, tithe, tithing | 7 Comments

“Saved By The Gospel” (I Corinthians 15:1-5 sermon)

Posted on 2023/07/31 by Shawn Thomas

The word “gospel” gets used in a lot of different conversations: — Someone told me this week that one of their family members was in a “gospel music” group. — You could say of a minister: “he’s a gospel preacher.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged baptism, being saved, Bernard Ollivier, Christ died for our sins, conditional promise, evangelism, evangelistic message, fruit, fruit of salvtion, good news, gospel, gospel in a nutshell, gospel meaning, gospel message, gospel test, heaven, how to go to heaven, I Corinthians 15:1-5, I Peter 2:24, if, if saved always saved, J.I. Packer, James 2:19, Jesus, Jesus death, John 1:12, Jonathan Edwards, Louis Zamperini, making a decision for Jesus, Martin Luther personal pronouns, Muslim salvation, once saved always saved, Parable of the Soils, perseverance, perseverance of the saints, personal salvation, profession of faith, receiving Jesus, Romans 1:4, salvation, saved, sinner's prayer, Sinners in the hands of an angry God, skydiver saved, sozo, substitutionary atonement, test of salvation, the cross, Unbroken book, Unbroken movie | 2 Comments

Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: Jeremiah 36:19-31, “Speaks”

Posted on 2023/07/29 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for Sunday, August 6, 2023, Jeremiah 36:19-31, with the title: “Speaks.” (A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Baruch, Bible, Bic Benedict, Explore the Bible, father son, Giant Bic and Jordy, God's word, humility, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 36:19-31, Jeremiah lesson, Jeremiah Sunday school lesson, Josiah vs Jehoiakim, judgment, King Jehoiakim, King Josiah, Lifeway, repentance, right side of history, scroll, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help, Voltaire, Voltaire and the Bible, wrong side of history | 13 Comments

“Jesus’ Example of Baptism” (Matthew 3:13-17 sermon)

Posted on 2023/07/24 by Shawn Thomas

Adoniram Judson was born in 1788, and grew up in Massachusetts when the United States was still a new country. He graduated valedictorian of his class at Brown University, and wrote 2 books, one on grammar, and one on math. … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship | Tagged Adoniram Judson, baptism, baptism by immersion, baptism obedience, baptism sprinkling, baptism symbol, baptizo, bapto, first American missionary, gospel, humility, immersion, Jesus baptism, Jesus is Lord, Lordship, Matthew 3, Matthew 3 baptism, missions, salvation, thief on the cross baptism, Trinity, Triune God, wedding ring symbol | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson: Jeremiah 35:5-19, “Worthy”

Posted on 2023/07/22 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Jeremiah 35:5-19, with the title “Worthy,” for Sunday, July 30th, 2023. (A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at; … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged children obedience, Donna Reed show, Explore the Bible, General MacArthur obedience, George H.W. Bush, I Samuel 15, if we obey God we must disobey ourselves, Jeremiah 35, Jeremiah 35 "Worthy", Jeremiah 35 lesson help, Jeremiah 35 Sunday school lesson, Jon Meacham Destiny and Power, Jonadab, Keith Green to obey, Lifeway, Luke 6:46, Melville Moby Dick, obedience, President Ford, Rechab, Rechabites obedience, to obey is better than sacrifice, why do you call Me Lord Lord, William Manchester American Caesar | 3 Comments