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 2651 to 2675 of 3285 results

2651. God's Mercy and Israel's Unfaithfulness

Isaiah 42:18-25, Isaiah 43:1-13, Isaiah 43:14-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... over to idolatry. God’s people should know only Yahweh, having experienced his deliverance. The phrases “I am he” (43:10) and “I am God” (43:12) signify that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, is God. He is also the powerful Redeemer who has already shown his ability to his people. Yahweh as the God of his people has revealed himself by words as well as deeds so that all might know that he is the only true God. In their need Yahweh reminds his people repeatedly that he is their Redeemer, the Holy One ...

2652. God's of Babylon

Isaiah 46:1-13, Isaiah 47:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and avert political and economic disasters, she cannot match the wisdom and power of God. A disaster has been planned, and there is no way Babylon can ward off the purposes and plan of God. Whereas Babylon prided herself on her ability to predict and prevent, the God of Israel suddenly overwhelms her in his judgment. The prophet sarcastically urges the people to devote themselves a little more to their magic and sorceries: there may still be some answers forthcoming from the established Babylonian ...

2653. Daniel’s Interpretation and Nebuchadnezzar’s Response

Daniel 2:24-49

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that “no wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about” (2:27). Only Daniel’s God can and does reveal mysteries. Daniel humbly admits that he is a mere instrument in God’s hands and that his abilities should not be viewed as native but have been given to him by God. Then he proceeds to explain the dream. According to Daniel, the king has seen a colossal statue, whose parts consisted of different materials. But to the king’s amazement, he also saw ...

2654. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel’s Interpretation: Part Two

Daniel 4:1-18, Daniel 4:19-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... interpret the dream, but this time he tells them the dream. Regardless of how hard they try, they cannot agree on a single interpretation. Then Nebuchadnezzar calls in Daniel, who is known as the “chief of the magicians” (4:9), trusting in his God-given ability. This time Nebuchadnezzar addresses Daniel with respect: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you” (4:9). The king’s dream is of a tree: it is enormous ...

2655. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... queen mother—remembers Daniel, of whom she speaks highly, as Nebuchadnezzar has: “In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods” (5:11). She quickly reminds him of Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems (5:12). Finally, Daniel is called in to interpret the enigmatic writing. The king repeats the offer of rewards and recognizes Daniel’s past. But Daniel refuses the reward and freely reads and ...

2656. Vision of the Kingdoms

Daniel 8:1-14, Daniel 8:15-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Great). He further explains that the four horns that supplanted the broken-off horn represent four kingdoms. From one of the kingdoms “a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise” (8:23). This king will be powerful in his ability to destroy and especially in his persecution of “the holy people” (8:24). Many take this to be a description of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who was a master of deception. He opposed the principalities, the spiritual forces protecting God’s interests in ...

2657. Love for the Unlovely

Hosea 3:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... she stop all contact with her past sinful ways, thus restricting her from seeing other men. Hosea’s action is in some ways parallel to God’s dealings with Israel (3:4–5). Israel will be in exile for some time without a king or the ability to offer sacrifices (because the temple will be destroyed), but then at some point in the future God will return his people to their land, where they will reestablish their covenant relationship with God and have a Davidic Messianic king ruling over them (cf. 2 Sam ...

2658. The Rescue of the Lord’s People and His Reign on Mount Zion

Joel 2:28-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... out of the Spirit” on everyone, without distinction (2:28–29). The pouring out of the Spirit is normally associated with the advent of prophetic gifts (1 Sam. 10:6–10; 18:10; 1 Kings 22:22–23; Neh. 9:30; Zech. 7:12; 13:2); therefore, prophetic abilities will be poured out on all of Israel during this great age. Joel may also have the analogy of Amos 8:11 in mind, where Amos describes the failure to hear God’s word in terms of thirst and drought. Consequently, Judah’s reception of the Lord’s ...

2659. No One Can Escape from God’s Hand

Amos 9:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... greatness of God’s power by quoting from one of their hymns (9:5–6). God is able to bring about everything he has predicted because he is the commander in chief of the armies of heaven, the Lord of Hosts. When he touches the earth, his power has the ability to melt it, to make it move up and down (the earthquake), and to cause people to mourn. He is the glorious God who lives in the upper reaches of the heavens; he is the God who created the earth and who has already demonstrated at the time of Noah ...

2660. Deliverance and Destruction

Micah 5:5-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... horses, chariots, and fortified cities from the land. God has promised to protect obedient Israel from hostile attack and has proved through his numerous saving actions (the exodus is the most dramatic) that he can do so. Nevertheless, Israel constantly doubts his ability. She prefers to trust in military technology. Second, God will destroy those objects by which Israel tries to manipulate the divine. These include magic and idolatry. Sorcery is a method for forcing God or gods to perform an act or reveal ...

2661. The Second Coming and Reception

Zechariah 12:1-9, Zechariah 12:10-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... sets out to unfold his great eschatological working in and on behalf of Israel (12:1–9), he reminds us that he is the Creator of heaven and earth and that he also formed man’s spirit within him. Thus he has the absolute right and sovereign ability to do as he wishes. There is no power in heaven or earth that can deter him from accomplishing his purpose. Israel as a nation (not just the northern kingdom) will be restored, the nations will be judged, and God’s kingdom will be established. The expression ...

2662. The Knowledge of God

Malachi 2:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.” The knowledge of God is not knowledge about God or secrets pertaining to the priesthood. “Knowledge” is the ability to know and the desire to do the will of God on earth in accordance with his commandment. Knowledge is immensely practical, because it is in essence what could be called “godliness,” “wise living,” or “the way to holiness” (cf. Hos. 4 ...

2663. The Man With Leprosy

Matthew 8:1-4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... stories is Jesus’s power over illness and his compassion for those in need. 8:1–4 · Jesus willingly heals a leper (with “leprosy” being a term that could describe any number of skin diseases) upon hearing the leper’s trust in Jesus’s healing ability (8:2–3). Matthew emphasizes Jesus’s authority and compassion as well as the importance of faith. Jesus touches the leper to heal him, a profound gesture to one who presumably rarely had physical contact during his illness (cf. Lev. 5:3 with Lev ...

2664. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

Matthew 9:18-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Galilean region (9:26, 31, 33). The first miracle story involves the healing of a bleeding woman and the raising of a dead girl. A ruler approaches Jesus, asking him to come to his daughter who has just died and expressing his faith in Jesus’s ability to raise her (9:18). On his way to their home, a woman who has been subject to bleeding for twelve years approaches Jesus. Believing that contact with Jesus will heal her, she touches his cloak (9:20–21). Jesus declares that her faith has brought about ...

2665. Opposition from Pharisees and Disciples

Mark 8:14-21, Mark 8:22-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ). Mark’s inclusion of the story immediately following the failure of the disciples to understand signifies that faith is a process. Like the blind man, the disciples, who “have eyes but fail to see” (8:18), can also be made to see and understand, but not on their own. The ability to see, both physically and spiritually, is a gift of God, made possible by the repeated touch of Jesus.

2666. The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

Mark 9:14-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... [the demon] out?” (9:28). Jesus directs the disciples to the necessity of prayer. Indeed, the very inadequacy of the disciples must drive them to prayer; for prayer, as one scholar says, is “faith turned to God”—that is, God’s gift to the disciples in facing situations beyond their abilities.

2667. The Birth of John the Baptist

Luke 1:57-66

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to show that the Lord’s hand is with John (1:66). This is communicated to the reader and the original participants in the events in two ways: (1) Elizabeth conceives and gives birth to a child long after her childbearing days are over; (2) Zechariah is suddenly given the ability to speak again after being deaf and mute for a period of time.

2668. Jesus and Beelzebub

Luke 11:14-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Many people conclude that Jesus’s miracles demonstrate that he is from God (cf. 7:16), but an alternate explanation soon arises (11:14–26). Perhaps his ability to exorcise demons stems from his alignment with Beelzebul. A more convincing sign is requested to prove his authenticity (11:15–16); however, Jesus shows that the accusation of demonic collusion is senseless. If Jesus expels demons with satanic power, then Satan is contributing to his own demise (11:17– ...

2669. The Rich Ruler

Luke 18:18-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... does not accuse him of blatant hypocrisy. Instead, he probes deeper. The ruler has placed one thing above God, namely, his riches. If he really desires eternal life, he must sell all and follow Jesus. Obedience to the law does not merely consist in the ability to refrain from certain sins; it means that one has placed God above everything else in one’s life. God is not supreme if one is not willing to follow Jesus in discipleship. Jesus has also removed any sense of respectability the ruler could derive ...

2670. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... plausible theories have offered to relocate 3:22–36 (generally after 1:19–34), they are difficult to support. In fact, a connecting thread may unite the chapter. On a literary level, Jesus now dislocates yet another office in Judaism, the rabbinate. Nicodemus’s ability as a teacher is faulty (3:10), while Jesus is addressed as “rabbi” (3:2). On another level, the subject the teacher Nicodemus cannot penetrate (rebirth, 3:3) is really center stage. In 1:33 we learned about a new baptism in the ...

2671. Jesus the Bread of Life

John 6:25-59

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... revelation is hard to accept, and they murmur (6:41–43). Is Jesus not a commonplace citizen of Galilee (cf. Mark 6:1–6)? How can he descend from heaven? But Jesus knows that further explanation will not complete what is lacking. The gift of faith and the ability to apprehend who Christ really is—these are divine things (6:44–48). Faith is not merely rational persuasion: it includes God’s drawing us (6:44). To stay in Judaism is death (6:49), but to consume the bread of life brings life (6:50–51 ...

2672. Jesus Comforts the Sisters

John 11:17-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 11:25–26). The horror of death is gone (11:26a; cf. 3:16–21). When pressed, Martha cannot affirm Jesus’s powers to this extent (11:26b); but still she holds on to what she does know (11:27). Jesus is her Lord; knowledge of his powerful abilities will come with time. One unique feature of this story is the way in which Jesus expresses his emotions over Lazarus’s death (11:33, 35, 38; cf. Luke 19:41). He does not approach suffering and death dispassionately. He feels the pain. He knows tragedy and has ...

2673. Ascension and Commission

Acts 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to continue the earthly ministries of Jesus. First, Luke mentions that Jesus gave instructions “through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen” (1:2). Affirming the unique status of these apostles, the work of the Holy Spirit also guarantees the ability of these apostles to proclaim faithfully the gospel of Jesus. Second, with “many convincing proofs” (1:3) Jesus shows that he has truly risen from the dead. This allows the apostles to be faithful witnesses to Jesus as the risen Lord. Third ...

2674. The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... much wine” (2:13). While it is theoretically possible that this is a miracle of listening, this is not an aspect that Luke emphasizes. Moreover, a comparable phrase in the Old Testament also points to intelligible foreign languages (Isa. 28:11). The ability to speak in other tongues has been interpreted as a divine confirmation of personal conversion or a sign of sanctification. Luke’s emphasis does not rest on such individualistic reading, however. Most individuals in Acts do not speak in other tongues ...

2675. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 4:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... affairs of the people. In the first half of the first century, however, this “Sanhedrin” was probably no more than an ad hoc committee that convened only when there was a crisis at hand. For them, this crisis is created by the apostles’ teaching and their ability to convince a large number of the people (4:4). Peter’s being “filled with the Holy Spirit” (4:8) again points back to the effects of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (2:4). In this case, however, the power of the Spirit is manifested ...

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