Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 1 to 25 of 4339 results

1. Character Approved: Stand Up or Stand Out?

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... compassion, welcoming the stranger, or accepting the outcast. But we do have twenty centuries of tradition telling us it is our character to do these things. The cultural ideal of what is “the best” will always be changing. It was best to be ... , on the trays of a hut, in the flooded commons of a village, in all places where God’s grace and truth are not out of character. Samuel DeWitt Proctor tells a story from his life as a pastor that makes the point. “Let me tell you about a lesson that came to me ...

2. The Character of Christmas; Wise Men: Seeking

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... them like that. I asked him why. He said, "The Wise Men came to see the baby Jesus, right? Then they'd be looking at him and not out at the room, wouldn't they?" I couldn't argue with that could I? So I didn't mess with the characters again. Josh was right, the Wise Men would have been looking at Jesus. Jesus was the reason they traveled so far and so long. Of course, they'd be facing Jesus. Of course they'd be looking at Jesus. Because the purpose of the Wise Men was to seek Jesus ...

3. A Man Of Character And Generosity

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... our relationship with God. We would have found ample justification to stray from God's plan for our lives. But not Joseph. His character kept shining through even in prison. The warden of the prison was so impressed by him he placed him in charge of ... me here, but God." Joseph interpreted his life in the belief God was with him. This was what allowed him to be a man of character. This was what allowed him to have a generous and forgiving spirit. He believed that God was leading his life. Even in times of ...

4. Character and Competence

Illustration

General H. Norman Schwarzkopt

... of awards and decorations, in the form of getting ahead at the expense of someone else, in the form of another piece of paper that awarded them another degree a sure road to the top. You see, these were competent people, but they lacked character. I've also met a lot of leaders who had superb character but who lacked competence. They weren't willing to pay the price of leadership, to go the extra mile because that's what it took to be a great leader. And that's sort of what it's all about. To lead in the ...

5. The Character Of Christmas; Mary: Faith Filled

Luke 1:39-56

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . And we don't dare leave one out. I understand Leslie gave you a great picture of Joseph last week and what we can learn from him. So, while there are other minor characters of Christmas we could talk about, it's time to look at another one of the major characters of Christmas, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Probably the best known passage involving Mary is known as the Magnificat. Mary's song of rejoicing in the knowledge that she wasn't alone in this venture. Let me read it in the context in which in ...

6. A Good Judge of Character

Lk 7:36-50

Illustration

King Duncan

... their much-beloved, but rotten-tempered, poodle. The dog got a whiff of the bacon grease on the young woman's shoes and followed her around all evening. At the end of the evening, the pleased parents remarked, "Cleo really likes you, dear, and she is an excellent judge of character. We are delighted to welcome you into our little family." It seems that perhaps Cleo was a better judge of bacon grease than she was a judge of ...

7. Character - Designed By the Founding Fathers

Illustration

Hugh Sidey

The Presidency to this day rests more on the character of the person who inhabits the office than on anything else. The Founding Fathers designed it that way. It was their idea to find a man in America with a great character and let him invest a tradition and shape a national character. They found George Washington. He did his job splendidly. When he took the Presidency, he wrote: "I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent."

8. Jesus Out of Character

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... most immature would find him funny.” (From a sermon preached by William A. Ritter of Nardin Park UMC Oct. 18, 1987) And yet...and yet...there is the record in the Gospels that Jesus once referred to a foreign woman as a “dog.” How out of character! For us, with few exceptions, dogs are lovable, affectionate, loyal companions. Most of us are shocked at the remark of W.C. Fields who said that “anyone who hates dogs and children can’t be all bad.” But dogs in Biblical Lands and Biblical times were ...

9. Building Character

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

... a tank of particular and inescapable circumstances. It is painful enough to stay in the tank. But in addition to our situation, there are God-appointed "catfish" to bring sufficient tension that keeps us alive, alert, fresh and growing. It's all part of God's project to shape our character so we will be more like his Son. Understand why the catfish are in your tank. Understand they are part of God's method of producing ...

10. Money as an Index of Character

Illustration

Oswald Sanders

Money is one of the acid tests of character and a surprising amount of space is given to it in Scripture…Whether a man is rich or poor, observe his reaction to his possessions and you have a revealing index to his character.

11. Gratitude and Praise God’s Character

Isaiah 59:1-21

Bulletin Aid

... mercy. Women: Because our arms are slow to help and our ears deaf to cries for help, we judge you as slow to help. All: We are altogether unrighteous, Lord. Without your help, we cannot even begin to understand your perfect righteousness. By your grace, make us like you in character that we may see your everlasting love and unfailing compassion.

12. The Character Of Christmas; Herod: The Not So Great

Matthew 2:13-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Calvin was thinking of when he came up with the theology of the Total Depravity of Humanity. In all of Christian history, there may not have been anyone as vile and evil as Herod. So what is Herod doing in the Christmas story? How did this despicable character get tied to the wonder and glory of heaven touching earth through the birth of salvation wrapped in swaddling clothes? Well, Herod tried to snuff it out. Herod tried to do away with this new born king. His paranoia caused him to try to murder the hope ...

13. The Moral Character of God

Illustration

James Packer

... , and particularly of the final judgment, is not to be thought of primarily as a bogeyman, with which to frighten men into an outward form of conventional righteousness. It has its frightening implications for godless men, it is true; but its main thrust is as a revelation of the moral character of God, and an imparting of moral significance to human life.

14. Handwritten Character

Humor Illustration

It is said that the famous French author Balzac fancied himself to be an expert at interpreting handwriting. He believed that he could determine the character of a person by analyzing their script. One day an old lady brought him a little boy's homework book and asked this great writer and expert on handwriting to give an opinion of the child's potential. Balzac studied very carefully the irregular, untidy script and then asked, "Are ...

Your ideal is what you wish you were. Your reputation is what people say you are. Your character is what you are.

Michael P. Green

16. The Unchangeable Character of God’s Purpose

Hebrews 6:13-20

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... 16 The someone greater by whose name an oath or vow was taken was most often the Lord (cf. Exod. 22:11, “an oath before the LORD”). When such an oath was taken by someone in the Lord’s name, it was obviously of an absolutely binding character, and hence the oath … puts an end to all argument (lit., “in all disputes is final for confirmation”). 6:17 Since God wanted to make … very clear that his purposes were finally fixed, he did something very unusual: he confirmed it with an oath (cf. vv. 13 ...

17. Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31:10-31

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

An acrostic poem (vv. 10–31) is a rather surprising ending to a book that consists mainly of collections of sayings and it adds to the intriguing nature of this work. The Hebrew phrase, ʾēšetḥayil (cf. Ruth 3:11), “wife of noble character,” has been rendered in many ways: mulier fortis (Vulgate), etc. Her qualities are described from a male point of view. But the description of the woman is such that no human being could possibly possess all these qualities. Hence many look to another level of ...

It is not true, as some writers assume in their treatises on rhetoric, that the personal goodness revealed by the speaker contributes nothing to his power of persuasion; on the contrary, his character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion he possesses.

Aristotle

People seem not to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

20. Character: I'm, You're, They're

Humor Illustration

There's a great chart that lists how we see ourselves as opposed to how we see others around us. It's called "I'm, You're, They're": I'm… You're… They're Chatty… Unusually Talkative…. A motor mouth Righteously Indignant… Annoyed and Insulted… Fussing over nothing Neat… Fussy… Far too exacting Neighborly… A little nosy… A gossip A good shopper… Thrifty… A tightwad Sparkling… Flamboyant… An insecure show off Confident… Slightly Boastful… Egotistical Firm… Stubborn at times… A Pig-Headed Fool

21. Test of Character

Illustration

Michael P. Green

You can judge a man pretty well by whether—if given a choice—he would ask for a light burden or a strong back.

22. Value of Character

Illustration

C. H. Spurgeon

Traveling on a train from Perth to Edinburgh, all of a sudden we came to a dead stop because a very small screw in one of the engines had been broken, and when we started again we were obliged to crawl along with one piston rod at work instead of two. Only a small screw was gone. If that had been right the train would have rushed along its iron road, but the absence of that insignificant piece of iron disarranged the whole. The analogy is perfect; a man in all other respects fitted to be useful may by some ...

23. God's Unchanging Character

Illustration

Arthur Hugh Clough

It fortifies my soul to know That though I perish, truth is so; That howsoever I stray and range Whate'er I do, Thou dost not change. I steadier step when I recall That if I slip, Thou dost not fall.

24. Fingerprints of the Soul

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... elements such as coldness and bad temper. My heroes (and I have been collecting them) generally have something unattractive about them. (Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Church Hesitant [London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1993]: 25.) Paul's message to the Roman church claims that it is through endurance, character and hope that we synergize God's love in us. It is God's love "poured into our hearts" (Romans 5:5) that is both the starting gate and the finishing line of a virtuous life. And it is the desire to make that ...

25. Framing Values – Part Two

Daniel 1:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... I'm not doing it." Somebody else said, "But Daniel, nobody will know." Daniel said, "God will know." Somebody else said, "Daniel, you've got to obey the king." Daniel said, "No, I've got to obey the God that my parents taught me to love." It takes conviction and character to say, "Yes" to God. It takes unbelievable courage to say, "No" to this world. Parents, you have to teach your kids to say, "No", but your teenagers have to learn to say, "No." You can't make them say, "No." I don't want you to sit there ...

Showing results

Showing 1 to 25 of 4339 results

1. Character Approved: Stand Up or Stand Out?

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2. The Character of Christmas; Wise Men: Seeking

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

3. A Man Of Character And Generosity

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

King Duncan

4. Character and Competence

Illustration

General H. Norman Schwarzkopt

5. The Character Of Christmas; Mary: Faith Filled

Luke 1:39-56

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

6. A Good Judge of Character

Lk 7:36-50

Illustration

King Duncan

7. Character - Designed By the Founding Fathers

Illustration

Hugh Sidey

8. Jesus Out of Character

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

9. Building Character

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

10. Money as an Index of Character

Illustration

Oswald Sanders

11. Gratitude and Praise God’s Character

Isaiah 59:1-21

Bulletin Aid

12. The Character Of Christmas; Herod: The Not So Great

Matthew 2:13-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

13. The Moral Character of God

Illustration

James Packer

14. Handwritten Character

Humor Illustration

Your ideal is what you wish you were. Your reputation is what people say you are. Your character is what you are.

Michael P. Green

16. The Unchangeable Character of God’s Purpose

Hebrews 6:13-20

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

17. Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31:10-31

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

Aristotle

People seem not to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

20. Character: I'm, You're, They're

Humor Illustration

21. Test of Character

Illustration

Michael P. Green

You can judge a man pretty well by whether—if given a choice—he would ask for a light burden or a strong back.

22. Value of Character

Illustration

C. H. Spurgeon

23. God's Unchanging Character

Illustration

Arthur Hugh Clough

It fortifies my soul to know That though I perish, truth is so; That howsoever I stray and range Whate'er I do, Thou dost not change. I steadier step when I recall That if I slip, Thou dost not fall.

24. Fingerprints of the Soul

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

25. Framing Values – Part Two

Daniel 1:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

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