Tag Archives: decisions

Teacher’s Overview of Deuteronomy 30:11-20, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Fully Committed,” for 11/23/25.

Posted on 2025/11/15 by Shawn Thomas

Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, outline and highlights from the text, 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: ???DISCUSSION QUESTION??? … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Fully Committed", ABC salvation, ABCs of salvation, application, Bible, Bible lesson, Bible study, choices, choose life, decisions, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 30, Deuteronomy 30:11-20, discussion questions, Eusebius, Eusebius Church History, Explore the Bible, Glass Wax commercial, gospel, Great Commandment, illustrations for Sunday School, Jesus, Lifeway, love God, Marinus the centurion, Moses, Nathan Finn Jonathan Edwards, Romans 10, salvation, scripture, Shawn Thomas, shawnethomas.com, so easy a child can do it, Sunday School, Sunday school class, Sunday School teacher, the word is near you, word of God | 11 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 15:7-9, 22-31, “The Gospel” for 9/22/24

Posted on 2024/09/14 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 15:7-9, 22-31, for Sunday, September 22, 2024 with the title, “The Gospel.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged 9/22/24, Abraham Lincoln pardon, Acts, Acts 15, Acts 15:7-9, Barnabas, Bible, Bible study, church, cleansing heart, decisions, Explore the Bible, faith, First Missionary Journey, forgiveness, Galatians, good news, gospel inclusive, gospel of grace, grace, hearing and believing, I John 1:9, Jerusalem Conference, Jesus, John Kennedy, Lifeway, nature of the gospel, no distinction, Paul, Psalm 51:7, salvation, Sunday School, the gospel, wash away sin | 8 Comments

“Putting God First” Matthew 6:33 (2024 New Year Message)

Posted on 2024/01/08 by Shawn Thomas

President Lyndon Johnson’s wife Lady Bird once gave a speech to wives of congressmen. She told them she had once asked Lyndon what he felt were the three most significant priorities in his career, and he named what he felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged calendar, chief end of man, commitment, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, decision-making, decisions, discipleship, Exodus 20:2, first, first commandment, garden of Eden, Gibeonites, giving, glorify God and enjoy Him, Hebrews 10:25, Jesus Lord, Jesus operating system, Jonathan Edwards heaven, Joshua 9, Katherine Graham's Washington, Lady Bird Johnson, Lord's Day, Lordship, Lyndon Johnson, Mark 1:35, Matthew 6:33, morning priority, New Year, no Bible no newspaper, prayer time, priorities, Proverbs 3:9, Psalm 5:3, putting God first, rich young ruler, Sabbath, salvatiion, schedule, sin, spiritual warning light, Sunday worship, Ten Commandments, tenth, tithe, Westminster Confession, worship | Leave a comment

“The Model Prayer: Thy Will Be Done” (Matthew 6:10 sermon)

Posted on 2020/10/05 by Shawn Thomas

What would you pray in the following situation: A few years back a pastor had for a friend of his who at the point of death. He was praying fervently that God would spare this friend’s life. In fact he … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons, The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020), Uncategorized | Tagged 3rd petition of the Model Prayer, C.S. Lewis Great Divorce Thy will, Chuck Quarles Sermon on the Mount, daily decisions, daily Gethsemane, daily prayers, decisions, false gospel, false teachers, garden of Eden, Garden of Gethsemane, George Muller, George Muller morning prayer work, God's will, Greg Laurie, Henry Blackaby Experiencing God, how to pray, Jesus only way, John 14:6, John 7:17, John Newton Amazing Grace, John Newton God's will, Lord's Prayer, make me willing, Matthew 26, Matthew 26:42, Matthew 6:10 sermon, model prayer, morning devotions, morning prayer time, name it claim it, prayer, praying for God's will, Praying For Others, praying the Model Prayer, Praying Thy will be done, prosperity gospel, Psalm 103:19, quiet time, Rosaria Butterfield Openness Unhindered, Thy will be done, your vision, Your will be done | 1 Comment

“What Are You Living For?” (I Peter 4:1-6 sermon)

Posted on 2019/11/18 by Shawn Thomas

Sir Winston Churchill had an amazing career as an English politician, Prime Minister and world leader – he is consistently listed by historians as one of the top 2 or 3 most important people of the 20th century. But reading … Continue reading →

Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged ark of salvation, Bible, Biblical values, Christian suffering, decisions, devotions, drink, dysautonomia, eat drink and be merry, feel like doing, feelings, food, gospel, heaven, holiness, homosexuality, I Corinthians 6:9-11, I John 2:16, I Peter 4:1-6 sermon, I Peter suffering, idolatry, Israel Babylonian Captivity, Jesus Christ, Jesus does not leave you as you are, John 5:14, John 8 woman, John 9 bling man, judgment, just as we are, lust, lusts of men, lusts of the world, morality, morning quiet time, motivation, POTS, Psalm 119:67, purification of suffering, purificaton, purpose, repent, repentance, salvation, Same sex marriage, sanctification, scripture, sin, sin and suffering, suffer, suffering, suffering purifies, time, will of God, Winston Churchill, wrong side of eternity, wrong side of history | 3 Comments

“The Growing Christian Life” (I Peter 1:22 sermon)

Posted on 2019/06/24 by Shawn Thomas

I have noticed that a lot of time and effort is spent around here by people trying to make things grow. They are trying to grow grass in their yard; or tomatoes or flowers in their garden, or fruit trees … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged adoption, adoption challenges, adoption gospel, agape love, anger, Aristides behold how they love one another, baby growth, behold how they love one another, born again, conversion, decisions, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, gospel, gospel and truth, grow in love, growing Christian life, growth, Hadrian Aristides, how to grow, I John 4:8, I Peter, I Peter 1:22, I Peter 1:22 sermon, I Timothy 1:5, John 13:34-35, love, love the goal, mature Christian, mind will emotions, obedience to the truth, obey, obey the gospel, outreach, philadelphia love, purify, reprogramming, salvation, sanctification, soul, spiritual growth, truth, witness of love | Leave a comment

“Neglecting God” (Zephaniah 1:1-6 sermon)

Posted on 2018/09/10 by Shawn Thomas

You never know what your kids are going to do with the things they hear you say. We had not been at our church in Tulsa Oklahoma very long when we pulled up to a convenience store, and Cheryl saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged "The Twelve", Choose whom you will serve, church attendance, compromise, daily Bible reading, decisions, devotional time, evangelism, family, family time, Gibeonites, gratitude, Great Commandment, greatest sin, heaven, idolatry, James 4:17, John 17:3, Joshua 24, Luke 17 ten lepers, marriage, marriage commitment, Minor Prophets, neglecting God, neglecting your family, Old Testament prophets, pray without ceasing, quiet time, relationship with God, Romans 15:13, salvation, seeking God, singing, sins of commission, sins of omission, thanking God, Thanksgiving, time with family, time with God, worship, Zephaniah, Zephaniah 1:1-6, Zephaniah 1:6 | Leave a comment

Bonhoeffer: The Blessing of Morning Prayer

Posted on 2017/02/10 by Shawn Thomas

“The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of courage at work, disorganization and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized | Tagged courage, decisions, devotional time, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, morning prayer, prayer, Psalms, Psalms The Prayer Book of the Bible, quiet time, spiritual disciplines, work | 4 Comments

What Drives Your Decisions?

Posted on 2016/12/20 by Shawn Thomas

“So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” (I Peter 4:2) What drives your life? What factors are involved in determining the decisions … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged decision making, decisions, God's will, I John 2:16, I Peter 4:2, lusts | Leave a comment

“First” (2016 New Years message)

Posted on 2016/01/04 by Shawn Thomas

A friend of mine in Louisiana who is a runner sent me a hilarious video some time ago. It was about a guy whose life was all about running. It just dominated his day. He would get up early in … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Bible Reading, decision making, decisions, devotions, giving, God first, Matthew 6:33, New Year, priorities, priority, running, Sabbath, Sunday worship, worship | Leave a comment