“Real Faith Seeks Wisdom” (James 1:5 sermon)

Posted on 2024/04/29 by Shawn Thomas

Sometimes when a pastor preaches verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible, he might come to a passage which he’s really not sure will apply to anyone in the congregation that day.  I can assure you that the scripture we are studying this morning is NOT one of those! We are looking at James 1:5, which talks about asking God for wisdom in trials, and I have NO doubt that this will apply to many of us here today! We all need God’s wisdom. As we talked about last week, many of us are in the midst of some trials, and we need the wisdom God has to give us. We need His wisdom for all kinds of things in our lives. The good news is, He promises here to give us the wisdom we need, if we’ll ask for it! Let’s see what verse 5 tells us about finding God’s wisdom in our trials.

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Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 39:7-21, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for May 5, 2024.

Posted on 2024/04/27 by Shawn Thomas

A lesson overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 39:7-21 with the title “Accused,” for Sunday, Mary 5, 2024. (I might use an alternate title: “He Is With Me”!) A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:  Richard Jewell was a security guard who was working in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He came across a suspicious backpack in the Olympic Park, where thousands of people had gathered. He gave the backpack to police, and began helping to clear the area. Soon after, 3 pipe bombs inside the backpack detonated, killing two people and injuring over 100. After the explosion, the media interviewed Jewell and he got a lot of attention for saving so many lives. (I remember watching this on the news.) Because he got so much media attention, the FBI began to suspect Jewell had purposefully planted the bomb so that he would come across as a hero. He went through an infamous “trial by media”, but after many months he was finally exonerated. Another man admitted to planting the bombs, and Richard Jewell ended up suing several media outlets for libel and slander. 

Being falsely accused is one of the most difficult things to deal with in life. 

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“What Tested Faith Looks Like” (James 1:2-4 sermon)

Posted on 2024/04/22 by Shawn Thomas

John & Abigail Adams are one of my favorite couples from history. He was, of course, the 2nd President of the United States, and they were both Christians. He was away from home a lot, either serving in Congress or on diplomatic missions, so they wrote a lot of letters back & forth, which have been preserved in a book, called My Dearest Friend, which is the way they would always address each other in their letters: “My Dearest Friend.” Once Abigail wrote to John about some difficulties they were facing at home, but then she added:  “I hate to complain. No one is without difficulties, whether high or low in life, and every person knows best where their own shoe pinches.”  (David McCullough, John Adams, p. 423) 

There’s a lot of truth to what she said, isn’t there? NO ONE is without difficulties. (And that’s a great expression: “every person knows best where their own shoe pinches”!) We ALL have difficulties. Who doesn’t?  We could scan down the list of all the members and families in our church today, and see that many of us are going through various trials. Some of us would say today, “Count ME in that number; I am going through the fire right now too!” We ALL do at various times. If we’re not “going through the fire” right now — we will be soon! We all go through trials in life.

That’s why I believe the message we are looking at today is an important one for many of us, because ALL of us have either been through a trial, are in one now, or WILL be in one soon! When James wrote the first words of instruction in his book, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,” he was writing to people like US! The first-century Christians James addressed in his book were facing suffering; there’s evidence of that all through this book. Much of the Book of James deals with how God’s people, those who have genuine faith, are to respond to the trials that we face. They show us “What Tested Faith Looks Like”:

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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 37, “Dreamer” for April 28, 2024.

Posted on 2024/04/20 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 37:5-8, 18-28, for Sunday, April. 28, 2024 with the title, “Dreamer.”

A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: Pass out a slip of paper to each member with this statement: “Family can be ___________” and let each person fill in the blank for themselves, and then share the answers. I’m pretty sure in our class we are going to get some entertaining answers! 

OR, if you’d rather share a story:  In 1976, as Jimmy Carter ran for President, the press began to meet his family. “Jimmy’s colorful relatives … offered an appealing contrast to the straitlaced candidate. Billy patented a line for the press, one that he often delivered while swilling alcohol: “My mother went into the Peace Corps when she was sixty-eight, my one sister is a motorcycle freak, my other sister is a Holy Roller evangelist, and my brother is running for president. I’m the only sane one in the family.”  (Jonathan Alter, His Very Best, p. 217)

Family can be one of the greatest sources of blessing that we enjoy — but conversely, they can also be one of the greatest sources of pain that experience as well.

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“What James’ Faith Looked Like” (James 1:1 sermon)

Posted on 2024/04/15 by Shawn Thomas

This summer the Olympics will return to Paris France. It’s always fun to see how our American athletes do — and usually somebody from our country wins, and shares their Christian testimony. In 2008 a young man by the name of David Boudia was on the U.S. Olympic team; he did NOT win, and afterwards he went to college at Purdue. He immersed himself in the party scene there, and did everything he could to pursue pleasure, and his own personal glory. But like so many, he found it all proved to be hollow. And when it did, his diving coach was there to lead him to faith in Jesus as His Lord & Savior. As a result David Boudia was a different man at the London games in 2012, and he won the gold medal. He was interviewed by NBC’s Al Michaels, and Boudia summarized his life in a few brief words. He said: “My faith is the most important thing in my life, and this is what’s brought me through this (sic) 2012 Games.”         

James does a very similar thing here in the very first verse of his book: in just a few words he tells us a lot about himself and his priorities:

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Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 35:1-15, “Renewed” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for April 21, 2024

Posted on 2024/04/13 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders of Genesis 35:1-15, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for Sunday April 21, 2024, with the title, “Renewed.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

Another title for this session might be something like: “The blessings of obedience.”  So you might open the lesson with an illustration about obedience like this one by former presidential advisor J.K. Galbraith:

“One day long after the great 1964 victory over Goldwater, I arrived home from an exceptionally long day at the university. We had an evening engagement. I asked Emily Gloria Wilson … for forty years our loyal housekeeper with a strong commitment to our children, to hold off any telephone calls; I needed rest. Shortly thereafter L.B.J. called. As was often his custom, he was on the line himself. 

“Lyndon Johnson here. Get me Ken Galbraith. I want to talk to him.” 

“He’s resting, Mr. President.”

“Well, get him up. I need to talk to him.” 

“No, I’m sorry, I can’t. I work for him, not for you, Mr. President.” 

Later, when I was awake and heard the details, I was not amused. I promptly called back to make amends. L.B.J. came on the line; it was pure Johnson: “Who is that woman who works for you? I want her down here in the White House.”

(John Kenneth Galbraith, Name-Dropping, pp. 149-150) 

President Johnson valued someone who knew how to obey.

GOD is looking today for people who will be obedient to Him as well — and He has a lot of blessings for the person who will. In our lesson for today, God asks Jacob to obey Him — and promises him some great blessings as a result.

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“What Real Faith Looks Like” (Introduction to the Book of James)

Posted on 2024/04/08 by Shawn Thomas

Some time ago I was visiting with a pastor in another state, and he was talking about how there are well over 30 churches in just their small community.  He said, “You know how it is here; everyone says they are a Christian.” I told him I know exactly how it is; in a lot of places in America — in the South especially — virtually everyone you run into says they are a member of a church, and thinks they’re going to heaven. But the problem is, in many cases, they really don’t have saving faith.

Remember Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who DOES the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  In other words, there will be a lot of people who think they have saving faith, but really don’t. How can you know if you have genuine, Biblical, saving faith, or not? 

The book that we’ll begin to study today give us a lot of answers to that question. The Book of James shows us what REAL faith looks like. Now I can tell you right off the top that there are some things that genuine, saving faith does NOT look like:

— it does NOT look like the person who supposedly makes a “decision” for Jesus at some point in their life, gets baptized, but then lives like they never met Jesus, with morals and standards just like the world around them.

– it does NOT look like the “religious” person who reads their Bible and goes to church every week, while they gossip about people, play up to those who have money, but totally ignore the elderly, widows, orphans, or the poor! 

Real, Biblical faith, James tells us, is an entirely different thing. In Chapter 2, James writes: “If a man says he has faith, but he has no works, will that faith save him?” The answer, of course, is “no”!  If you have genuine, saving faith in Jesus, you will have works that demonstrate that your faith is real. What does real, saving faith, look like? Do YOU have it? A lot of people in America today are deceived – are you one of them?  This book will show you. 

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Genesis 32:22-32 Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for 4/14/23, “Wrestled”

Posted on 2024/04/06 by Shawn Thomas

(A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 32:22-32, “Wrestled,” for Sunday, April 14, 2024. Includes a sample lesson introduction, outline, text highlights, illustrations, questions for your class, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:  My former pastor, Bill Elliff, said that one of his favorite games to play with his preschool daughters was for them to sit in his lap and try to pry a penny out of his hand. He said they would work and pry so hard to get it out. He said, I could have opened my hand at any moment and let them get it — but, he made the point: I enjoyed spending the time with them sitting with me, so he’d let it go on for a while, until he let them get it.

Bill’s story reminds me of our scripture passage for today, from Genesis 32, where Jacob wrestled with the Lord. If you’ve got a good wrestling story you might open this lesson with that, but most of us probably don’t. I think Bill’s story is a pretty good illustration of what God was doing with Jacob in Genesis 32 when He wrestled with Jacob. Was Jacob really getting the best of God there? No. Like Pastor Elliff, the Lord could have ended that match any moment He wanted to. But He was doing something in Jacob’s life through that wrestling — and sometimes He does the same in us as well, as we see in our lesson for today.  

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“Suffering Servant/Glorious King: Exalted!” (Isaiah 53:12 sermon)

Posted on 2024/04/01 by Shawn Thomas

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the first-ever trans-Atlantic flight, taking off from the United States, and landing in Paris, France. It was a huge event in the history of mankind, and it was celebrated all over the world. After he landed and was congratulated in Paris, they took Lindbergh to nearby Belgium, where a group of celebrities greeted him, and the Burgomaster welcomed Lindbergh. He said, ‘In this City Hall, where I have had the honor to receive so many great and illustrious men, I am proud to salute a real hero … your victory is the victory of humanity. In your glory there is glory for all men.’”  (A. Scott Berg, Lindbergh, p. 146)

That city official was right when he spoke of Charles Lindbergh — it was an amazing feat at that time, flying across the Atlantic in a small plane. But it is better said of what the REAL Hero of mankind did: Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross to pay for our sins — and proved it by rising again on the 3rd day. It can truly be said of Him, that “HIS victory is the victory of humanity; in HIS glory, there is glory for all men” — because as we shall see this morning, what Jesus did, He did for US; and the glorious reward He received, He will share with us — with all who will serve Him in this life!

This very last verse of Isaiah 53, :12, says: “Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong; because He poured out His soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.”

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Teacher’s Overview: Genesis 30:25-34, 41-43, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: “Blessed” for April 7, 2024

Posted on 2024/03/30 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 30, “Blessed,” for Sunday, April 7, 2024.

A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:  In her delightful autobiography, mystery writer Agatha Christie wrote about the time her brother came back home to England from Africa:  

“He brought with him a native servant, Shebani.  Anxious to show (him) the glories of London, my brother hired a car and, sitting in it with Shebani, drove all round London. He displayed to him Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Guildhall, Hyde Park, and so on. Finaly when they had arrived home, to said to Shebani, ‘What did you think of London?’ Shebani rolled his eyes up. ‘It is wonderful, Bwana, a wonderful place. Never did I think I would see anything like it.’ My brother nodded a satisfied head. ‘And what impressed you the most?’ he said. The answer came without a moment’s thought. ‘Oh Bwana, shops full of meat. Such wonderful shops. Meat hanging in great joints all over and nobody steals them, nobody rushes and pushes their way there and snatches. No they pass by them in an orderly fashion. How rich, how great a country must be to have all this meat hanging in shops open to the streets. Yes, indeed, England is a wonderful place. London a wonderful city.”  (Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, p. 64)

Isn’t it interesting that what that man thought was the most wonderful thing about a city, many of us might just overlook, or take for granted!  And it’s because God has blessed most of us with so much!

And/or in addition to that story, you might ask your group:

??? What is a blessing that you are especially thankful to God for today???

And when you’re finished sharing, then introduce today’s lesson from Genesis 30, on how God blessed His servant Jacob — and how He blesses us today too!

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