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 2676 to 2700 of 4340 results

2676. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of God's spirit carry with them an awesome sense of the awesome presence—awe-filled and awful, all at once. Some years ago Lily Tomlin received a Tony award for a one-woman show called "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe." Her character is a bag lady named Trudy on the streets of New York City accompanied by her "space chums," those extraterrestrial visitors who are of course invisible to everyone except her. She is trying to explain the mystery of life and to help the space chums ...

2677. The Revelation Code IV: The Fight at Frodo's Tower

Revelation 19:1-21

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... foreboding forces of evil that surround them. An odd and rag-tag bunch with the most improbable mission…to save the world! It's the "Fellowship of the Ring" in Tolkien's massive narrative, and it's not at all unlike the odd collection of improbable characters who made up John's fledging churches standing over-against the massive power and might of the world's only superpower, the Roman Empire. St. Paul describes them: Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many of noble ...

2678. The Revelation Code I: DaVinci, A to Z

Revelation 1:1-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Harry Potter at Hogwarts. And now this week…Superman Returns. A reviewer in the New York Times, no less, says this version of the tale "…returns Superman to the status of savior. There's always been a hint of Jesus to the character…a hint that proves impossible not to take." [1] Theologian Walter Brueggemann says all good preaching is "poetry in a prose-flattened world." [2] I love that phrase: "A prose-flattened world." What an apt description of our scientifically literate, analytically engineered ...

2679. Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the Lord Jesus Christ is not just a set of verbal affirmations. It is a complete transformation that envelops the entire being. Confessing Christ is not a trip of the tongue. It is an all-body walk through life in which Christ’s character and spirit infuses one’s entire being. This cellular transformation “makes no provision for the flesh,” that is, the previous existence of all those desires found in the “darkness.” The new person in Christ is enrobed in the “armor of light” which is ...

2680. Apologies

Matthew 18:15-20

Illustration

King Duncan

In the comic strip, Andy Capp, the principal character is a chronically unemployed cockney ne'er-do-well who spends most of his days playing soccer and most of his nights at the corner pub, both of which drive his long-suffering wife, Flo, up the wall. In one episode, Andy is pacing the floor while Flo stands with ...

2681. From Father Failure to Divine Father

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... of the imperfections of our fathers goes much deeper than driving. We begin to see they lust after other women, are influenced by greed, are not always wise in their counsel, can make poor decisions, and can exhibit weakness both in body and character. Freud, and other psychologists, suggest it is at this time we begin to project a heavenly Father, a perfect, divine Father, who will never exhibit weakness and who will never fail us. This heavenly Father, created out of our childish need and adolescent ...

2682. The Paradoxical Power of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... truth — but precisely this is the truth, that thou art entirely weak." (2) Do we not, in our strength, deride the man, who in his weakness, worships God? Do we not heap scorn on the man who needs a crutch, who admits to a flaw in his character, who acknowledges unsureness, a frailty? Are we not impressed with the man who, with complete bravado assures us everything is all right? A friend of mine lived in Indiana. As you may know, Indiana is tornado prone. My friend lived near an old creek bed that seemed ...

2683. Engage Mind before Putting Mouth in Gear

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... most famous speech told those assembled during the "March on Washington": "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." King dreamed of a colorless society where people would live in an ecumenical spirit of harmony with one another. His words gave inspiration to those associated with the American Civil Rights Movement. The positive and uplifting use of words has been equaled, unfortunately ...

2684. Power and Compassion

Hebrews 5:1-10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... grievances, but what does it care? We need a friend. We need a Savior. We need a merciful someone with power and might. Most firefighters and rescue workers know that effectiveness at their job requires the proper equipment and skills training, as well as character, and the courage to face danger for the sake of those in peril. When your car has stalled out in the midst of a flash flood, having rescuers shout encouragements from the flood banks is of little comfort. Likewise, having courageous people dive ...

2685. Dots on a Screen

Hebrews 9:24-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... events portrayed upon the television or cinema screen can often be an important glimpse into an unseen reality, they are not to be confused with real life. Not all adult humans seem to grasp this fact and often confuse the actors with the characters those actors portray. For some folks in isolated areas, the television screen can provide a glimpse into the larger reality that lay beyond view. Images of the wonders of nature and architecture, and nowadays history-in-the-making, can be transmitted into homes ...

2686. Why We Need to Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... . http://www.dbcity.com/churches/res/01‑08‑06.htm. 3. Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997), p. 99. 4. Rev. Ken Turnbull, http://www.staidanswinnipeg.ca/index_files/S06-04-09%20-%20Adulation%20or%20Anger.pdf. 5. Joseph Telushkin, The Ten Commandments of Character (New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2003), pp. 37-38. 6. Dr. Les Parrott, Shoulda Coulda Woulda (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003).

2687. Christ’s Twin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... help people with their luggage at Grand Central Station. As he helped them with their luggage, however, Ralston also counseled with them about their lives. His ministry was so remarkable that he was written up in Reader’s Digest in their “most unforgettable character” section and a movie was made about him. But he continued helping people with their luggage. He would often say, “You know, everybody going through Grand Central isn’t going to a honeymoon, or a party. Many are going to funerals, the ...

2688. Fuel for Our Faith

Matthew 20:25-28

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... in everyday relationships with those around us and far away. There are dozens of ways we do this. I mention two. (1) We can serve those around us by recognizing the worth of every individual. Not all persons see the worth in themselves. My favorite cartoon character Ziggy was on the psychiatrist's couch the other day. Ziggy is stretched out, looking miserable. The doctor is saying as she goes out the door, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ziggy. I'll have to help you with your inferiority complex some other time. A really ...

2689. Blue Christmas

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... tape around her fingers to simulate arthritis and wore gloves over the tape. And Pattie Moore discovered much to her dismay how the world sometimes treats the elderly. She reports that she was ignored, shoved, cheated, ostracized, and even mugged. “When I was in character,” she said afterwards, “if I got a smile or a hello from a passerby, I felt like I’d received a hug from God himself.” Her experiment changed forever her thinking about the needs of the elderly. It also influenced the thinking of ...

2690. This Little Light of Mine

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... extinguish Christ’s light. It’s like a nativity pageant that the Rev. Bill Adams tells about. This pageant didn’t go quite as planned. The pageant was being performed by the church’s youth group. Joseph and Mary and all the other characters did their parts with appropriately pious expressions, at least they tried. It was a shepherd who turned the pageant into a circus. The shepherds quite naturally were dressed in flannel bathrobes with towels around their heads. They marched up to the altar steps ...

2691. Blazing a Path to Christ

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and bring freedom to the sub-continent and its peoples. In the 1960s, using similar tactics, Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of the dream he had of a nation where people would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. In the late 1970s, Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador heard the cry of the poor in his land and acted to bring hope and justice to a society dominated by wealth and power. Nelson Mandella and Bishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa provided the light to ...

2692. It’s About God

John 3:14-21

Sermon

David T. Ball

... I’ve done. But it’s not. It’s all about God. As New Testament scholar Gail O’Day observes, eternal life is the result not so much “of an intrinsic change in human nature,” but “of the new beginning that comes with a recognition of the full character of God that is revealed in Jesus.” It’s not what we have done in believing that makes the difference. “The God revealed in Jesus is a God whose love knows no bounds and who asks only that one receive the gift. If one receives the gift, one ...

2693. Caring for the “Little Ones”

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

George Reed

... is an old rabbinic saying that we should be grateful for those who cheat the welfare system because if it were not for them we would have no excuse for being stingy. It is easy for us to look at the physical appearance of someone and make judgments about their character and their worth. But the one we call Lord and Savior stands beside us and also makes judgments about their value. He looks and sees a child of God, a brother or sister of his. He sees someone in need of the love and grace of a God who cares ...

2694. The Putt’s Good

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

King Duncan

... the man to concede him the putt. The man ignored him, and stared up at the sky. "You're certainly going to give me this putt, aren't you?" Kennedy asked. "Make a pass at it," the man replied. "I want to see your stroke. A putt like that builds character. Besides, it will give you a little feel for the greens." With an anguished look, Kennedy said, "I work in the Oval Office all day for citizens like you," he said. "And now you're not going to give me this putt?" The man said nothing. "O.K," Kennedy sighed ...

2695. The Passion of the Servant Leader

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... about and to the crowd, to the disciples, to the Sanhedron, Peter, Pilate, Herod, his mother, and Mary Magdalene that week we call holy. We are sustained by the silences as well as the spoken words of the man whose character shines through every encounter during his passion. The dictionary says that the word "passion" means "the sufferings of Christ." In addition, the dictionary says "passion" means "intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction ... fervor, ardor, zeal."2 Both meanings come ...

2696. Salvation in Jesus’ Name

Acts 4:5-12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... , and die there, Peter took him aside and rebuked him. Jesus in turn rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Mark 8:33). In addition, we may wonder about the man's character as we watch him deny that he even knew Jesus when Jesus was being tried by this same Sanhedrin. We may pity the man called the "Big Fisherman" for his apparent lack of courage. But here, in our post-resurrection story, Peter stands tall, acts with boldness ...

2697. With Friends Like These ...

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... what has happened to him. There is no relationship between prosperity and an individual's goodness, or lack thereof. The wicked can be rich and famous, while the poverty-stricken live holy and righteous lives. Job's friends continue to rave and to attack Job's character. But, suffering has forged a stronger man, leaving Job to tower over the others. Suffering is painful, but it is also an opportunity, leading us to focus on what is really important in life. Where is God in the midst of all our torment and ...

2698. What Do You Want?

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... do you want?" Most of the time when that question gets asked, we don't blink at it. We answer it easily. But that same question can be taken in more than one way. In the movie Field of Dreams, there is a humorous moment when Kevin Costner's character has taken a crotchety, famous author, played by James Earl Jones, to a baseball game. On their way to their seats, Costner casually asks, "What do you want?" to which the author snaps, "I want people to leave me alone. I want people to stop asking me things. I ...

2699. A Lifetime to Prepare

Matt 25:1-13; Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... carried so long and said, "Master take this with you. At last I've met a man more stupid than myself." Could that be us? Could we be that foolish? I hope not. I surely hope not. Victory belongs to those who are prepared. Preparation is an essential characteristic of character. The most important preparation we can make is for eternity.

2700. Try Christianity

Luke 17:11-37; Matt 6:25-34

Illustration

Donald Macleod

... spirit was liberated to be wherever needy souls cried out for him. In all the ages since, for all those who have received him as the bread of life by committing their lives to him, he has brought power over their every weakness, victory over every failure, and conduct and character that have made the world a better place in which to live.

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