Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 38:1-8, 18-22, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson “God’s Conviction,” for 7/27/25

Posted on 2025/07/19 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 38:1-8, 18-22, “God’s Conviction,” scheduled for Sunday, July 27, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

(If you don’t use anything else in this overview, let me encourage you to move ahead and look at the story of President Chester Arthur from Point III, which is a perfect illustration of the meaning of the Hebrew word for “confess” or “repent” in :18, one of the most important concepts in this Psalm. If I didn’t use anything else, I would use that story — though of course I hope there will be some other things here that you can use as well!)

INTRODUCTION:
???DISCUSSION QUESTION???
Can anyone share a memory of the first time you felt badly about a sin?
(For example, for me that would be when I was about 4 years old, and our family was visiting our grandparents in California. Grandma and Grandpa gave my sister and me each a big animal balloon. I can’t remember what mine was, but hers was a big red bear, and I was jealous of it; I wanted her balloon instead of mine; and in my jealousy I ended up popping it with a fork! Of course I got in trouble, and it pretty much ruined Christmas Eve. I felt badly about it — and still do to this day to be honest! But that is what happens when we sin: God convicts us of our sin.)

You/your group can share some instances like that from your own experiences, and then you can transition to the lesson by saying something like: “In today’s lesson from Psalm 38 we learn about God’s Conviction of sin in David’s life, and in ours as well.”

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 105, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Faithfulness” for July 20, 2025.

Posted on 2025/07/12 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 105:1-11, 42-45 for Sunday, July 20, 2025, with the title, “God’s Faithfulness.” A video overview of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

Mark Twain’s book A Tramp Abroad tells the story of his tour of central Europe in the 1870s. In it he writes of the beauty of Heidelberg Castle (Germany): “There is a saying that if a stranger will pass over the drawbridge and walk across the court to the castle front without saying anything, he can make a wish and it will be fulfilled. But they say that the truth of this thing has never had a chance to be proved, for the reason that before any stranger can walk from the drawbridge to the appointed place, the beauty of the palace front will extort an exclamation of delight from him.” (p. 363)

You might point out that if man-made creations like Heidelberg Castle call forth such expressions of praise, how much more does our God, the Creator of all, deserve every kind of praise we can give Him — and that’s what Psalm 105 talks about!

— And/or another way to open today’s lesson would be to ask your class to write a brief definition of what they think “praise” is — then have a few volunteers share. Or you could just ask them to call out what they think “praise” means.

Then you can transition to the lesson by saying: in today’s lesson from Psalm 105, we’ll see some ways the Bible instructs us to praise God — and why!

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“Deepening Your Spiritual Life Through the Psalms”

Posted on 2025/07/07 by Shawn Thomas

(Shared at Trinity Baptist Church, Norman, Sunday night, July 6, 2025)

Many of you know that while I was serving at the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, last August, my wife Cheryl experienced a devastating stroke which left her unable to use her left side. Cheryl & I are very grateful for your pastors, who have encouraged us, and for the prayers this whole church has prayed for us as we’ve gone through this time, and we are so thankful to be back at Trinity. Some of you know us from when we were here ten years ago, from 2013-2015, when I had an illness which had caused me to step down from the pastorate for a couple of years, and this church ministered to us in such a great way then as well. Trinity truly is our home church, and we are so thankful to be back here with you all! 

While Cheryl was in the hospital that first week after her stroke, she told one of the doctors: I am so shocked and so disappointed this happened. She said, I was walking 3 miles every morning; why did that not prevent me from getting a stroke? The doctor told her: “The kind of stroke you had should have either killed you, or left you in a coma. Your walking saved your life.” Cheryl immediately called all her walking friends, and said, “Don’t stop!”  

But upon further reflection, Cheryl later said: “The doctor said my walking saved my life, but God’s word saved me from the darkness” of those horrific months after her stroke. And when she says “God’s word” much of what she is referring to is specifically the Book of Psalms. 

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 18:16-29, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Deliverance” for 7/13/25.

Posted on 2025/07/05 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 18;16-29, “God’s Deliverance,” scheduled for Sunday, July 13, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO

???DISCUSSION QUESTION??? 

Can anyone share a time when God brought you through something extremely difficult, and you celebrated when He did?

(In 2015, I had been out of ministry for two years with an illness, but the Lord had raised me back up, and called me back to serve as a full-time pastor again. We celebrated because it was like we were “coming out of the wilderness” again in a sense, and I was very thankful to God for it. He’d delivered us out of that two-year time of trial.)

You/your group can share similar times like that, then say something like: In today’s lesson, King David celebrates how God brought him through a difficult time, in this 18th Psalm.

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 110:1-7, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: “God’s Messiah,” for 7/06/25

Posted on 2025/06/28 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 110:1-7, “God’s Messiah,” for Sunday, July 6, 2025. A video version of this lesson is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

One way to begin the lesson this week would be by asking the 

??? DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“Do you have a favorite mystery: perhaps a favorite mystery writer, or mystery tv series — or even a mystery from history of science?”

(A lot of people do have favorite mysteries: my wife Cheryl loves the Agatha Christie mysteries; I enjoy watching some of the BBC mysteries with her. 

If you want to share some famous mysteries of history/science, according to an AI search, they would include:

— The disappearance of Amelia Earhart

— The identity of Jack the Ripper

— The Bermuda Triangle

— The Mystery of Stonehenge, and others.)

Then = “Today we are going to look at Psalm 110, at what was at one time a great mystery in the Bible, but which Jesus and the New Testament, show us the conclusive answer to!”

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 132:1-14, 17-18, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Promise” for 6/29/25

Posted on 2025/06/21 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 132, for Sunday June 29, 2025, with the title, “God’s Promises.” A video version of this overview is available at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? Can you share a time someone made a promise that was important to you???

(Most of us can share something here: my dad once made a promise to me as a boy, to take me to an OU game — which he later surprised me and did; that meant a lot to me. Some might share about their wedding vows, etc.)

Then you can say: In this morning’s lesson we’re going to look at a great promise God made to us as His people, in Psalm 132. 

ALTERNATE INTRO (or use this ILLUSTRATION later in the lesson):

During a crucial vote in Congress during President Abraham Lincoln’s administration:  “Lincoln walked over to (Assistant Secretary R.H. Dana’s) office, said, ‘Dana, I am very anxious about this vote. It has got to be taken next week. The time is very short … There are three [members of Congress] that you can deal with better than anybody else, perhaps, as you know them all.’ … ‘What will they be likely to want?’ asked Dana. The President said, ‘… It makes no difference what they want. Here is the alternative, that we carry this vote, or be compelled to raise another million … men, and fight no one knows how long. … ’Well sir, what shall I say to these gentlemen?’ ‘I don’t know, but whatever promise you make to them I will perform.’ … So the extra votes needed to pass the Nevada bill through the House were gotten.” (Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years and the War Years, p. 497)

President Lincoln made a big promise that day: “Whatever promise you make to them, I will perform.” This morning in Psalm 132, we see that our Heavenly Father also made some big promises — and as we know, whatever promise He makes, He WILL certainly perform! Today’s lesson reminds us of that.

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 96:1-13, “God’s Reign,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for June 22, 2025

Posted on 2025/06/14 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 96:1-13, for Sunday, June 22, 2025, with the title ‘God’s Reign.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? What’s your favorite worship song/hymn???

(There are so many fantastic worship songs, it’s hard to say I have one. One of my favorite new songs is “All My Hope Is In Jesus,” by the Gettys; one of my favorite hymns is “O Worship the King, all glorious above …”.

You/your group can share your, and then transition to today’s lesson by saying something like: our Psalm for today opens with a 3-fold command to “Sing … sing … sing” to the Lord!

ALTERNATE INTRODUCTION:
After Constantine had made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 300s A.D., he died, and his nephew Julian became emperor — but Julian “reversed course” and tried to re-establish paganism. “The church historians of that period tell us that the psalm commonly sung by Christians during the reign of Julian was the 96th.” I think we will see today why they might have chosen Psalm 96 during this time, as it points to how God is the King and Judge of the whole earth! 

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 19:1-11, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Glory,” for June 15, 2025

Posted on 2025/06/07 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 19:1-11, for Sunday, June 15, 2025, with the title “God’s Glory.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

DISCUSSION QUESTION:
??? Can you share a time when you were in awe of something you saw in God’s creation, and you just praised Him for it ???

(Standing in front of the Grand Canyon was one of the most awe-inspiring moment to me. It’s just glorious. When Theodore Roosevelt saw it, he said: “I don’t exactly know what words to use in describing it. It is beautiful and terrible and unearthly.” 

(Edmund Morris, Theodore Rex, p. 225)

But also, honestly, every morning I look out my office window during my quiet time, and see the flourishing elm tree in our front yard, and the grass blowing in the Oklahoma wind, and the Robin hopping in our yard after some worms, and the house finch and others flying up to the feeder; virtually every morning I start off the day, just thanking God for the beauty and glory I see in His creation.)

You/your group can share your own experiences of God’s creation drawing you to Him, and then you can transition into the lesson, saying something like: In today’s lesson, Psalm 19 shows us how the Bible does specifically teach that God’s Creation does indeed point us to the glory of God.

OR: you could open with this QUOTE from John Adams:

“I find my imagination … roaming in the Milky Way, among the nebulae, those mighty orbs, and stupendous orbits of suns, planets, satellites, and comets, which compose the incomprehendable universe; and if I do not sink into nothing in my own estimation, I feel an irresistible impulse to fall on my knees, in adoration of the power that moves, the wisdom that directs, and the benevolence that sanctifies this wonderful whole.”    (David McCullough, John Adams, p. 630) 

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 119:1-16, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Truth, for June 8, 2025

Posted on 2025/05/31 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 119:1-8, “God’s Truth,” schedule for Sunday, June 8, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION

— In John Ker’s: The Psalms in History, he tells of John Ruskin, a British writer and lecturer of the 19th century, who wrote:

“It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me most to learn, and which was to my child’s mind most repulsive, the 119th Psalm, has now become, of all, the most precious to me …”. (p. 144)

— OR: Pass out pieces of paper and ask each group member to  write an acrostic using the word “BIBLE.” A simple example:


Blessed 

Is the 

Brother who

Learns to do

Every word of scripture!

You/your group can write and share your acrostics for BIBLE.

— OR you could share a famous acrostic, like the old Nat King Cole acrostic song, “LOVE”:

“L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see

V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than even more than anyone that you adore can”

Whichever way you introduce the lesson, then you can say: “This morning we’re going to look at one of the most famous acrostics in all history: Psalm 119, and most importantly, how these verses challenge us to apply God’s word our lives.

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 1:1-6, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Wisdom,” for June 1, 2025.

Posted on 2025/05/24 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 1:1-6, “God’s Wisdom,” for Sunday, June 1, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? Does anyone have a favorite Psalm, verse in Psalms, or a treasured experience with Psalms???

(You and many of your members likely do. God has used Psalms so powerfully in my life, many times. A recent experience was when my wife Cheryl had her stroke the last day of August, and we were in the hospital room for a week straight; we never left. I slept on the couch there every night. Wasn’t much of a time or place for a “daily Bible reading” or quiet time.  But I had just finished memorizing Psalms 116 and 118 earlier last year, so each morning when I woke up, or if I woke up in the middle of the night, I would quote those Psalms, and in that worst of all times in our lives, God used His word in those Psalms to keep me so close to Him in that time. Cheryl did the same thing. We relied on Psalms we had memorized. Her testimony was: “The doctors saved my life; God’s word saved me from the darkness” of that time.

You/your class members can share some of your favorite Psalms/experiences.


ILLUSTRATIONS: (you may use these for alternate introductions,  or at some point later in the lesson)

Augustine lived about 300 A.D., and his classic autobiography, Confessions, he writes in Book IX, Chapter 8, how his heart was “inflamed by (Psalms) with love for You (God). He spoke of his enemies, the Manichees (Followers of Mani, 3rd century, who considered himself the last prophet) who taught that there is not one omnipotent God, but there is an everlasting conflict between light and darkness going on. Augustine used to be a Manichean, but he came to know Christ. So now, he says I wish the Manichees could have seen my face, and heard my voice, as I read Psalm 4, and could have experienced what that Psalm did for me.The Psalms just worked so powerfully in Augustine’s life.

OR:

C.S. Lewis, in his Reflections on the Psalms, wrote: “A man can’t be always defending the truth, there must be a time to feed on it.”  Alister McGrath in his biography of Lewis referred to Lewis’ claim that apologetics were “very wearing.” He needed not only to defend the scriptures, but to feed on them — we ALL do!  And the Psalms is one of the very best places in God’s word to feed each day!  

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