Teacher’s Overview: Numbers 9:15-23 “The Journey” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 9/07/25

Posted on 2025/08/30 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teacher and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Numbers 9:15-23, with the title, “The Journey,” for Sunday, September 7th, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:

In 1519 Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Seville, Spain on what would become a three-year trip around the world — the very first to circumnavigate the globe. Magellan and all his crew knew the dangers that were involved — especially in those days before cell phones, GPS, and sophisticated weather reporting! In fact, Laurence Bergreen relates in his book, Over the Edge of the World, that Magellan left behind a will, to be carried out in the event of his death on the journey — which in fact did take place. Although the expedition circled the globe, Magellan himself would not survive. 

This is somewhat similar to the story of Moses and the people of Israel traveling to the Promised Land, isn’t it? Although Israel finally made it to the Promised Land at the end of the journey, Moses himself, like Magellan, died along the way. 

??? DISCUSSION QUESTION???

Can you share about a journey you took that you felt tested your faith/courage? (Maybe it involved a scary plane ride, a mission trip to an unfamiliar country, or some other kind of journey that tested you in some way?)

Today we come to the Book of Numbers, which tells the story of Israel’s journey from the wilderness to the Promised Land. (It very much tested their faith and obedience, and they often failed — just like we do! — which points out our need of a Savior).

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 42:1-11, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “God’s Presence,” for 8/31/25.

Posted on 2025/08/23 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 4:1-11, with the title “God’s Presence,” for Sunday, August 31, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“Can you recall a specific time when you were really, really thirsty — perhaps more thirsty than you have ever been?”

(You/your group can share your own instances — or also consider opening with the story I use in Point I about John Lloyd Stevens and his men who suffered for two days without water, traveling from Egypt to Mt. Sinai)

This morning we are going to look at the greatest thirst that Man has: our thirst for GOD, from Psalm 42!

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 5:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “God’s Righteousness,” for 8/24/25

Posted on 2025/08/16 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 5:1-12, with the title, “God’s Righteousness,” for Sunday, August 24, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

Former Navy Seal and University of Texas Chancellor Admiral William McRaven wrote a great little book called Make Your Bed. Its first chapter tells how as a Navy Seal, the first thing he did when he rolled out of bed in the morning, was to immediately make his bed. He said his drill instructor always made sure he could bounce a quarter off of his bed. He wrote: “It was my first task of the day, and doing it right was important. It demonstrated my discipline. It showed my attention to detail, and at the end of the day it would be a reminder that I had done something well …”. (pp. 3-6)

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“What’s your “first task of the day” — something you like to do first thing every morning?”

(Some might say: make coffee, or exercise, or read the newspaper or watch the weather, and so on.)

We see in Psalm 5 for today what David’s early morning priority was: to spend time in prayer with God!

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Teacher’s Preview of Psalm 139, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for Aug. 17, 2025, “God’s Greatness”

Posted on 2025/08/09 by Shawn Thomas

A lesson overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 139, for Sunday, August 17, 2025, with the title, “God’s Greatness.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

(From the 1982 BBC series “The Barchester Chronicles”)

Mr. Harding, an Anglican minister in Barchester England, finishes playing for his daughter Eleanor and her sister in law Mary, a new anthem he has composed for his cello. 

Eleanor: “That’s beautiful.”

Harding: “It’s a new anthem.”

Mary: “To celebrate something special?”

Harding: “Yes.”

(long pause)

Eleanor: “Mary obviously hopes you will tell her what the music is going to celebrate, Father!”

Harding: “God. Everything I write celebrates God: I know of no other compelling reason to make music.”

One might say that like Mr. Harding, all of the Psalms we are studying celebrate God, in one sense or another. That is certainly true of our Psalm for today, Psalm 139. In several important ways, it conveys to us the message of “God’s Greatness.”

AND/OR INTRODUCTION:

??? You might ask your group: “What is your favorite quality of God”???

(Of course there are countless qualities they might mention: His holiness, love, faithfulness, provision, etc.)

Then after everyone has shared you can say: “In this morning’s lesson we are going to look at three specific qualities of God, that demonstrate His greatness, from Psalm 139 …”.

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Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 23, “God’s Care,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for August 10, 2025

Posted on 2025/08/02 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 23, for Sunday, August 10, 2025, with the title, “God’s Care.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

Early in my pastorate at Beggs, Oklahoma I went to church one day and said to a group of our folks in the foyer: “Wow, that view from the hill is so amazing!” They said, “What view?” I said, “The view from the top of the hill, just past the parsonage. When you crest that hill, there is the most amazing view of the whole valley!” They shrugged like they didn’t know what I was talking about. The fact is, every one of those people had been on that hill probably thousands of times, and seen that view, but I guess they had seen it so often, they just took it for granted. 

??? What is something that is so familiar to us that we might be tempted to take it for granted???

(Scenery we get used to, like that one in Beggs. Our health — until we lose it!  Same thing with our material blessings. Or the freedoms we experience in America …

You/your group can share any number of things. Then make the transition: This morning we are going to look at a Scripture that many of us are so familiar with, that we often take it for granted — but we shouldn’t, because its message is so powerful and needed: Psalm 23!

(You might also consider using the Discussion Question for Point I as an alternate Introduction to the lesson. See below)

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An Overview for Teachers of Psalm 32:1-11, “God’s Forgiveness,” Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 8/03/25

Posted on 2025/07/26 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for August 3, 2025, Psalm 32:1-11, “God’s Forgiveness.” Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text outline & highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

You could open (or close!) this week’s lesson with this story:

“’Irresistible’ is the very word an Iranian student used when telling (John R.W. Stott) of his conversion to Christ. Brought up to read the Koran, say his prayers and lead a good life, he nevertheless knew that he was separated from God by his sins. When Christian friends brought him to church and encouraged him to read the Bible, he learnt that Jesus Christ had died for his forgiveness. ‘For me the offer was irresistible and heaven-sent,’ he said, and he cried to God to have mercy on him through Christ. Almost immediately ‘the burden of my past life was lifted. I felt as if a huge weight … had gone. With the relief and sense of lightness came incredible joy. At last it had happened. I was free of my past. I knew that God had forgiven me, and I felt clean. I wanted to shout, and tell everybody. It was through the cross that the character of God came clearly into focus for him, and that he found Islam’s missing dimension, ‘the intimate fatherhood of God and the deep assurance of sins forgiven’.”

(John R.W. Stott, The Cross of Christ, p. 42)

Then share how in today’s lesson in Psalm 32, we see how OUR sins too can be forgiven, if we will confess them to the Lord.

ALTERNATE INTRODUCTION (or use elsewhere in the lesson):

Psalm 32 was the favorite of Augustine of Hippo Regis, whom many call “St. Augustine”. Augustine had lived a very sinful, profligate life before he came to Christ as an adult, famously through the tearful prayers of his mother Monica. He wrote of the message of Psalm 32: 

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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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