Tag Archives: joy

Teacher’s Overview of Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Worship the King,” for 12/21/25

Posted on 2025/12/13 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for for teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible series. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Worship the King", Augustine of Hippo, Bethlehem, Bible study, Christmas, Christmas lesson, Christmas message, Christmas Sunday School, Explore the Bible, genuine worship, giving, giving as worship, Herod the Great, Herod's pig than his son, hidden agendas in church, humility, humility in worship, hypocrisy, hypocrites, hypocritical worship, joy, Lifeway, Macrobius, magi, Matthew 2, Matthew 2:1-12, Micah 5:2, missing heaven by 18", motives, obedience, obedience and worship, politics and church, prophecy of Christ, proskuneo, selling in church, shawnethomas, signs of genuine worship, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, the star of Bethlehem, visit of the magi, wise men, worship | 3 Comments

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: ??? … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged A holy life is a Christian's best act of worship, Abraham Lincoln promise, ark of the covenant, David, Explore the Bible, God, God's glory, God's promise, gospel, He will dwell among them, heaven, Jesus, John 14:6, joy, Lifeway, Nicholas Nicholy, priests, promise, promises, Psalm 132, Psalms, Psalms of Ascent, Revelation 21, Shawn E. Thomas, singing, What kind of advertisement am I?, worship, you are my home | 4 Comments

“A Song In The Night” (Habakkuk 3 sermon)

Posted on 2023/11/27 by Shawn Thomas

In the early 1820’s, John Keats, the English poet, went outside one evening for the specific purpose of sitting under a tree and listening to the song of a nightingale, the bird renowned for singing its song at night. Several … Continue reading →

Posted in Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages | Tagged adversity, Anne of Green Gables, Charles Spurgeon, David Psalm 22, Ephesians 1 every spiritual blessing, glory God, God, God holy, God judge, God relationship, God song, Habakkuk, Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk song, heaven, Henry V, how to be saved, Jesus, Job, John Keats Nightingale, joy, Psalm 4, rejoicing, salvation, Samuel Rutherford, Song in the Night, spiritual blessings, Spurgeon song in the night, Thanksgiving | 2 Comments

“Rejoice In The Lord” (Philippians 3:1 sermon)

Posted on 2021/07/25 by Shawn Thomas

John Newton, the former slave ship captain who later became a Christian, is best-known for writing the hymn, “Amazing Grace.” But he was also a pastor for about 20 years after his conversion, and he had an extensive counseling ministry … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons | Tagged "happy game", fellowship, Fred Tubb and Jo, golf, happy in a pirson, John Newton, joy, joy in Philippians, Lifeway Through the Bible series overview, meaning of rejoice, more than when their grain and new wine abound, Philippians 3:1, Pollyanna attitude, Psalm 4:7, rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, salvation, Shawn Thomas, unhappy in a palace, www.shawnethomas.com | Leave a comment

“Dying, Yet Being Renewed” (II Corinthians 4:16 sermon)

Posted on 2020/07/13 by Shawn Thomas

Writing at age 75, mystery writer Agatha Christie observed: “With every year that passes, something has to be crossed off (my) list of pleasures. Long walks are off, and alas, bathing in the sea; fillet steaks and apples and raw … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, adoption, Agatha Christie, age, aging, aging process, Bible, body, body soul spirit, breath of life, Colossians 3:10, consecration, consequences of sin, COVID-19, daily Bible reading, daily quiet time, Death, decay, devotions, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, dying, Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 4:18, eso, exo, exoskeleton, Facebook Live prayer meeting, Genesis 17, God, growing old, Holy Spirit, human life, human nature, I Thessalonians 5:23, II Corinthians 4:16, II Corinthians 4:16 sermon, II Corinthians 5:17, Ingrid Newkirk PETA founder, inner, inner man, Isaiah 59:2, Jesus Christ, joy, joy in the Lord, Live Stream worship, living soul, Luke 12:33 moth, new creation, new creature, new man, new self, outer man, pain is a holy angel, patience with others, patience with self, process of sanctification, regeneration, renewing mind, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 8:28, salvation, sanctification, sin, soul, spirit, word of God, Zoom | Leave a comment

“The People of Joy & Gladness” (Luke 1:14 sermon)

Posted on 2020/05/04 by Shawn Thomas

H.L. Mencken was an American writer and commentator in the mid-1900’s, and he is famous, among other things, for his quip that “Puritanism (is) the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” That’s the picture that many people have … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Adam & Eve, angel Gabriel, Bible Reading, church, coronavirus, COVID-19, daily quiet time, daily worship time, devotions, eternity, false gods, forbidden fruit, forgiveness, George Muller, gladness, God sun, H.L. Mencken Puritanism, Habakkuk 3:16-19, heaven, idols, J.I. Packer Puritans, Jesus, John Newton Amazing Grace, joy, joy and gladness, joy in circumstances, Luke 1 sermon, Luke 1:14, Luke 1:19, marriage, Paradise, people of God, presence of God, presence of the Lord, Psalm 118:24, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 31:7, Psalm 4:7, Psalm 84:11, rejoice and be glad, relationships, repentance, salvation, sin, sin and creation, sun, walk with God, walking with God, wife idol, worship, worship forever, Zacharias and Elizabeth, Zacharias sermon | Leave a comment

“The People of Joy” (Philippians 1:1-2 sermon)

Posted on 2020/02/10 by Shawn Thomas

A few weeks ago I mentioned Hudson Taylor, who began a great mission work in China in the 1800’s. While he was there, the work was difficult, and funds were getting low, but he reported to one of his friends … Continue reading →

Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged "I Give Up" discipleship class, "The Pursuit of Holiness" discipleship class, Apostle Paul, bondservants, bondservants of Christ, church at Philippi, conditions of the gospel, deacons, Ephesians 1, Ephesians 2:8-9, faith, forgiveness, Galatians 5:13, gladness, God's will, grace, hagioi, hagios, happiness, happiness and holiness, happy, holiness, holy, Holy Spirit, Hudson Taylor, I Corinthians 6:19-20, in Christ Jesus, introduction to Philippians, joy, Lordship, Lordship of Christ, Luke 6:46, Martin Lloyd-Jones Philippians, Matthew 20:27, Matthew 8:9, Matthew Henry happy holy, my will, overseers, people of joy, Philippi, Philippians, Philippians 1 sermon, Philippians 1:1-2, Philippians sermon, Psalm 4:7, saints, salvation, salvation by grace, sin, slaves, slaves of Christ, spiritual blessing Ephesians 1, surrender, temptation, Thomas Brooks happiness holiness, Thy will, Thy will be done | Leave a comment

“You’re Not From Around Here” (I Peter 2:11-12 sermon)

Posted on 2019/08/12 by Shawn Thomas

Our daughter Libby grew up in Oklahoma and Louisiana, but since she has been married and in the ministry, she has lived in some different parts of the country, where they talk differently, and do things differently. She and Josh … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged "Show me now", abstain, abstinence, body temple, care, children's choir, Christian "hate speech", Christian behavior, Christian life, Christian living, discipleship, Eliza Doolittle, enemies, evangelism, family, grace, holier than thou, holiness, homosexuality, hypocrites, I Corinthians 6:12, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I John 2:3-4, I Peter 2:11-12, I Peter sermon, imitation, joy, legalism, libertine, libertines, libertinism, lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle witness, living in a fishbowl, love, lust, marriage, My Fair Lady, persecution of Christians, repent, repentance, responsibility, salvation, sanctification, Show me!, witness, worldly lusts, You're not from around here | Leave a comment

“Tried By Fire” (I Peter 1:6-7 sermon)

Posted on 2019/05/06 by Shawn Thomas

Theodore Roosevelt was a man of very unique character: he gloried in facing obstacles and overcoming them. He would take his guests out on a 20-mile hike – and much to their dismay, the tougher the course, the better he … Continue reading →

Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Christianity in America, confess Jesus, confession, dark year, difficulties, distress, facing death, faith, faith proof, Garden of Gethsemane, Hawaii, I Peter 1:6-7 sermon, I Peter sermon, illness, John Calvin, John Calvin blocks of wood, joy, joy in trials, maturity, perseverance, professions of faith, real faith, refined by fire, rejoice, reward for trials, rewards, run tee shirts, salvation, saved, saving faith, temptations, Theodore Roosevelt, trials, tried by fire, various trials | Leave a comment

“Worshiping God Anyway” (Habakkuk 3:16-19 sermon)

Posted on 2018/09/04 by Shawn Thomas

On November 5th of last year, a killer shot 46 people people who had gathered to worship at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, just southeast of San Antonio. The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, and his wife were out … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, Acts 16, commitment, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Facebook, faith, gospel, Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk 3:16-19, heaven, hinds feet, hinds feet meaning, II Corinthians 4:16, Job, joy, joy in God, judgment, pain, pain holy angel, Paul and Silas, prosperity gospel, Psalm 147:10-11, Psalm 2:2, Romans 8, salvation, Sutherland Springs shooting, word faith, word faith teaching, worship | 1 Comment