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 2501 to 2525 of 5000 results

2501. Hosea's Wife and Children

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... after in the story of God’s poignant love affair with the people of Israel in the eighth century BC. Perhaps they originally circulated in Judean circles independently of chapters 4–14. But whoever placed them in their present position intended to help us understand the oracles of chapters 4–14 in their proper context by first having us read chapters 1–3. 1:1 The superscription now functions as the title for the entire book of Hosea, although in its original form, which did not include the names ...

2502. Israel Unrepentant

Hosea 6:1--7:16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... gods and is intended to characterize what follows in verse 14. 7:14–16 The Israelites cry to God for help in the face of the Assyrian onslaught, but their petitions are not from their hearts, that is, they are senseless (cf. 7:11), showing no understanding of God’s true nature. Rather, Yahweh is worshiped as if he were Baal, with wailing and with self-torture, verse 14. The NIV has emended verse 14b to read they gather together . . . , but the Hebrew literally reads, “for grain and new wine they gash ...

2503. Repentance to Bring Blessing

Hosea 14:1-9

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... . What Israel cannot do for itself, God will do. That is the primary good news of the message of Hosea. 14:5–7 The effect of Yahweh’s healing of this people is then vividly described in the images drawn from nature in verses 5–7. To understand the force of these images, however, we should realize that they are pictures drawn from love poetry (so Wolff, Hosea; see the notes below). They are images of Yahweh wooing this people (cf. 2:14), speaking tenderly to them, loving them as a young man loves his ...

2504. An Invasion of Locusts

Joel 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... (v. 8), and to be dismayed (despair, v. 11) and grieve over the loss of these gifts. Contrary to the usual interpretation of these verses, this is not yet a call to a communal lamentation, but rather the prophet’s attempt to get his people to understand that their relation with their God has been broken by their sin. 1:5–7 Surprising to us, the first group that Joel addresses are the alcoholics. In their perpetual drunkenness, they are those least likely to realize what is going on around them, and yet ...

2505. The Gift of the Spirit

Joel 2:28-32

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... of the Spirit, throughout the Bible, was given to persons for the purpose of enabling them to accomplish a task for God. The Spirit lent them power to do God’s bidding (cf. Exod. 31:2–5; Judg. 6:34; Mic. 3:8; Hag. 1:14, etc.). Such is the understanding of the gift in Acts 2. The disciples are given the Holy Spirit in order that they may be witnesses to Christ “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8; 2:4). But that does not seem to be the emphasis of this passage in Joel. Rather, consonant with ...

2506. Judgment of Israel's Neighbors

Amos 1:1-2:5

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... those to whom he will reveal himself. The superscription says that Amos saw the words of the Lord, a conventional term for the revelation given to the classical prophets (cf. Isa. 1:1; Mic. 1:1), and an indication that we present-day interpreters can never fully understand how God spoke to the prophets. Certainly Amos had prophetic visions (cf. 7:1–9; 8:1–3; 9:1–4), but “saw” refers to all of the words of Amos. Perhaps the most important point for us is that the term is a clear indication of ...

2507. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... They probably are to be equated with Sakkuth and Kaiwan, which were Babylonian names of the astral deity Saturn (Mays, Amos, p. 112). The NIV indicates an alternative reading for v. 26, “lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star gods.” Understanding the Bible Commentary Series by Elizabeth Achtemeier, Baker Publishing Group, 2016 Dictionary Direct Matches Bear In the Bible, the bear is often paired with the lion (1 Sam. 17:34 37; Prov. 28:15; Lam. 3:10; Hos. 13:8; Amos 5:19) and ...

2508. Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Micah 1:1-7

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... and while he has only one oracle dealing with Samaria, his words from the Lord concern Israel as a unity, as one people in relation to its God. Indeed, it is this unified understanding of Israel that allows Micah’s words to be appropriated and reflected upon by Israel over the next two centuries, just as it is the same understanding that makes them still relevant for the church, the new Israel in Jesus Christ. God’s Appearance in Judgment (1:2-5b): Scholars are not in agreement as to the limits of this ...

2509. Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... translate it “Rise,” but we have no idea what this would then refer to. It comes at a semi-logical transition point here, a more logical one in v. 9, and a not very logical one in v. 13. 3:4 I have assumed the NIV is right to understand v. 4 to refer to the brightness of the sun, but it may rather begin the description of Yahweh’s coming as like that of a storm (cf. v. 6). Yahweh’s majesty and praiseworthiness are then seen as reflected in the heavens by the clouds that simultaneously reveal and ...

2510. A Call to Build the House of the Lord

Haggai 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... reduced nature of the community in Jerusalem; it is but a shadow of its earlier self. But Yahweh then promised to restore the remnant and to make it the nucleus of a new people. Designating the community as the remnant then explains the community’s own self-understanding. By Yahweh’s grace and by the fulfillment of Yahweh’s commitment, it has survived exile and reconstituted itself in Jerusalem. The description reminds the people that Yahweh has fulfilled the promises made to them. Further, this self ...

2511. Clean Garments for the High Priest

Zechariah 3:1-10

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... court. The audience of Zechariah in the Persian period and beyond witnessed the end of prophecy. It was profoundly reassuring to them that their priestly leader had been granted access to the Lord’s council. The servants who stand in the Lord’s council will have a true understanding of the Lord’s will, and will turn people back to God (Jer. 23:22). 3:8–10 Three brief oracles follow—one directed to Joshua (v. 8), and two to the larger audience (vv. 9–10). The first oracle provides a key to ...

2512. Two Shepherds

Zechariah 11:4-17

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... with the past and its consequences in the present and immediate future. In the examples from Ezekiel the first-person narrator is God, not the prophet. There are at least two levels of difficulty in interpreting the account of the prophet’s first assignment. Understanding the actions of the story is the first problem. Over several months the prophet, as shepherd, first acts as the flock’s protector, but then grows weary of them and rejects them. Shepherd and flock are metaphors, and it is not clear what ...

2513. Timeout at Tiberias

John 21:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... drugs. Not one of them made it to the shelf of a pharmacy. Hutson is now the director of the laboratory at Pfizer. She oversees all of the efforts of the lab researchers in Research and Development. She said, “We have to help researchers understand that only a tiny minority of them--over their entire careers--will ever touch a winning drug. We need our employees to realize that being faithful and focused on our projects in the midst of seemingly insurmountable failure is as important as almost everything ...

2514. A Squirrel Crossing a Busy Street

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... is stripped away, or when the tree is felled, are its inner struggles revealed.” The tree becomes strong as it overcomes adversity. St. Paul and the writer of James say the same thing. Even though life can sometimes hurt, we can embrace those hurts if we understand that God is using them to make us into a new creation--one fit to live with Him forever in the Kingdom of God. Monica Dickens, in her book Miracles of Courage, tells a touching story about David, a 2-year old with leukemia, who was taken ...

2515. Many Disciples Desert Jesus

John 6:60-71

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... ,” 6:36) and “the disciples” (who are at least potential believers) can function in the narrative in such similar ways. The point of the disciples’ complaint that Jesus’ teaching is a hard teaching (v. 60), is probably not that it is difficult to understand (because of its literal implication of cannibalism!) but that it is difficult to put into practice. Jesus’ meaning was no longer obscure to them, but all too clear. To follow the Son of Man to a violent death was hard teaching indeed! Yet ...

2516. Jesus Teaches at the Feast

John 7:14-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... 20? Is the crowd feigning ignorance of the whole matter out of the same fear mentioned in verse 13? Neither of these suggestions is particularly convincing. A better explanation is that the crowd’s disclaimer in verse 20 is an honest one. They really do not understand why Jesus thinks someone is out to kill him. This is possible only if Jesus’ identity is unknown to them, that is, if they do not realize that Jesus is the notorious healer of Bethesda wanted by the authorities. A few verses later, in an ...

2517. The Shepherd and His Flock

John 10:1-21

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... important of these features is the third is shown by its reiteration in verses 3, 4, and 5. The true shepherd, in contrast to a thief and a robber (v. 1), is the one whose voice the sheep recognize and to whom they listen. Applying this understanding to the preceding narrative of the man born blind, we might conclude that Jesus is vindicated as the true shepherd by the fact that the sheep (i.e., the formerly blind man) listened to (and followed) him and not the Pharisees. This conclusion would have merit ...

2518. The Death of Lazarus

John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... misunderstanding is closely related to the first. After his many discourses, the disciples have still not grasped his claims of sovereignty over life and death (e.g., 5:19–29; 6:35–40, 53–58; 8:31–36, 51, 58; 10:14–18, 27–30). They do not understand that the glory of which Jesus speaks not only does not exclude death (i.e., the death of Lazarus) but is possible only through death—first the death of Lazarus, and then the death of Jesus himself! God’s glory is the victory over death won in the ...

2519. Jesus Predicts His Death

John 12:20-36

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... 31), then they are saying: The Law tells us that the Messiah is to be the Exalted One who endures forever and rules over Israel, but you say it is this mysterious “Son of Man” (i.e., their problem is with the term Son of Man). But if they understand the “lifting up” as crucifixion, they are saying: The Law tells us that the Messiah will endure forever, but you say the “Son of Man” (by which we assume you mean the Messiah) will die by crucifixion (i.e., their problem is with the notion of a dying ...

2520. The Jews Continue in Their Disbelief

John 12:37-50

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... Moses’ speech to Israel in Deuteronomy 29:2–4: “Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh.… You saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.” Yet this is not the passage to which the narrator appeals. Probably because he wants something even stronger and more poignant, he draws instead on the experience of the prophet Isaiah (vv. 38–41). First he finds ...

2521. The Impending Departure I

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14, John 14:15-31

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... (cf. Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) both from Judas the traitor and from Jude the brother of Jesus (cf. Mark 6:3/Matt. 13:55; Jude 1). Judah’s question, which at first glance seems overshadowed by the preceding discourse material, is actually a key to understanding the whole, for it picks up details from Jesus’ promises in verses 16–20 that might otherwise have passed unnoticed. Judah asks, But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? (v. 22). Jesus had spoken in verses 16–17 ...

2522. The Impending Departure II

John 16:5-16, John 16:17-33

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... , ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (v. 24b), are appropriate to the time of the church’s mission but inappropriate to the time of consummation, after Jesus’ Second Coming. They are commands that the author and his readers would naturally understand as directed to them, in their own time and situation (cf. 14:13–14; 15:7, 16). The completion of their joy corresponds to what Jesus prays for in 17:13. Nor can this gladness be differentiated from that mentioned in verses 20–22 ...

2523. Pilate and the Condemnation of Jesus

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... . 24:16] because he claimed to be the Son of God (v. 7). The mention of the title Son of God for the first time in the Passion narrative recalls earlier disputes between Jesus and the Jewish authorities (e.g., 5:18; 10:33, 36). It was the understanding that Jesus was claiming to be “God,” or “equal with God,” that led all along to charges of blasphemy (10:33), attempts to stone him (8:59; 10:31), and the fixed determination that sooner or later he must die (5:18). To Pilate, however, divine sonship ...

2524. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... (in both categories) who were in entire sympathy with Paul and his policy; there were some who shared the suspicion with which he was viewed by his Judaizing opponents in other places; there were some of a Gnosticizing tendency who reckoned Paul’s understanding of the gospel to be curiously immature and unenlightened. There were others, no doubt, who were not sure where they ought to stand in relation to him. Here, however, Paul seems to have in mind people who preach what he recognizes as the genuine ...

2525. Children of God

1 John 2:28--3:10

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... use of ginōskō in the Gospel and epistles of John to indicate spiritual perception, especially in the claim to have a true understanding and a close relationship with God/Christ (see, for example, 1 John 2:3–5, 13–14; 3:1; 4:6–8; cf. John ... “anyone who claims to be in the light” (2:9). Here it distinguishes the true children of God. The author may also understand love as a concrete expression of practicing what is right. The Elder knows that the false teachers, who have split the community with ...

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