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 251 to 275 of 285 results

251. Jesus At the Temple

Luke 19:45-48

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... of a personal dispute with the Sanhedrin. He thinks that when Jesus became aware of these factors he took action in the temple. Eppstein further argues that because Caiaphas’ impure motives were probably well known, Jesus’ action would have been viewed sympathetically by most of the onlookers. Hence Jesus was not arrested on the spot by the Levitical temple police. Eppstein’s hypothesis is plausible, but it rests on much speculation. 19:45, 47 On the Synoptic and Johannine accounts as two versions ...

252. Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

Luke 22:66--23:25

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... and mistreatment of Jesus. In light of Luke’s theme of two witnesses (Deut. 19:15; cf. Matt. 18:16), it is significant that Herod also finds no guilt in Jesus. Thus, both Palestinian rulers, Pilate of Judea and Herod of Galilee, although by no means sympathetic, find Jesus innocent. 23:13–25 This idea of innocence is conveyed clearly in Pilate’s speech to the chief priests, the rulers and the people in vv. 14–16. Jesus has been examined by the two supreme secular authorities of the land and has not ...

253. War Between the Houses of David and Saul

2 Samuel 2:8-3:5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... to win over Jabesh Gilead. Instead we have a power struggle between Joab and Abner. Although Abner is presented as being on the losing side and the writers have no doubts about the rightness of David’s claim, nevertheless Abner is more sympathetically portrayed within these verses than is Joab. Joab is consistently more interested in victory than in the needs of individual people. Abner seems to have much more of a natural compassion. Three hundred and eighty Israelites were killed that day, the vast ...

254. Faith or Observance of the Law

Galatians 3:1-14, Galatians 3:15-25

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... 3:10, hosoi … ex ergōn nomou, is literally “those of works of law”) conveys the sense that there is a recognized group of people who distinguish themselves as believers. Earlier in the letter Paul can speak of “the faith” (1:23), expecting his readers’ sympathetic attachment to that word. Paul now works his argument on the basis of his readers’ self-understanding as “those who believe” (see also 3:9, where those who have faith is a translation of the Greek phrase hoi ek pisteōs, which is ...

255. Two Kinds of Wisdom

James 3:13-18, James 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... face and then smashing the head off his statue as one leaves the palace. At best it is inconsistent; at root it shows uncontrolled, unrepented evil lurking within that the person does not dare show toward God but vents on people instead. James, however, sympathetically recognized the unstable nature in people and identifies with it by using we, not because he accepts it as appropriate, but because in leading people to repentance he wishes to show them a better way (3:13–18). 3:10 The obvious problem here ...

256. Faith in the Son of God

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 4:7-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... has rejected and hates both Jesus and the disciples (John 15:18; 17:14; 1 John 3:13). It is where the false prophets, those deceivers and antichrists, went when they seceded from the community (1 John 2:19, 4:1, 3; 2 John 7), and there they found a sympathetic audience who listened to their views (1 John 4:5). Believers overcome the world by not loving the world “or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15); instead, they do “the will of God” (2:17) and rely on the Spirit of God who is in them and who ...

257. The False Prophet Hananiah

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... What he has done deserves death. He has spoken falsely in the name of the Lord, and “a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say must be put to death” (Deut. 18:20). However, Judah’s leaders were not sympathetic to Jeremiah or the will of Yahweh at this moment in history, so God must execute his judgment himself. Hananiah soon died; we don’t know how. His death should have been taken as a confirmation that God was speaking through Jeremiah. It was the type of ...

258. Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern

Jeremiah 38:1-13

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... . The former gave him access to the king; the latter indicates that he was Ethiopian by birth or descent. The text at this point does not present any motivation for Ebed-Melech’s actions on Jeremiah’s behalf, but we immediately assume that he is sympathetic toward his message. This intuition is encouraged by the divine oracle that appears in 39:15–18, where God explains why Ebed-Melech will survive the devastation by stating to him, “because you trust in me.” In other words, Ebed-Melech was a true ...

259. The Baby or the Window?

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... channel CB radio, six cup holders, and four power outlets . . .” Then he paused for a moment. “My wife put a small scratch on the driver’s door,” he said. At this point the husband started choking up. “Don’t worry,” the sergeant reassured him sympathetically. “We’ll find your truck.” (2) Everybody has their own set of priorities, their own set of what’s important in life. Storyteller Bill Harley tells about a children’s T-ball game he witnessed several years ago. On one of the T-ball ...

260. Zeal!

John 2:13-22

Sermon

John Jamison

... mind that the Sadducees were the rich folks who lived in the big homes near the temple. They received a percentage of the income from the sacrificial vendors, the moneychangers, and the priests. Let’s just say that they weren’t all that sympathetic to those disapproving of the business dealings taking place during Passover. That feels a little irritating to you standing and watching this, so it might help explain what went through Jesus’ mind as he stepped up the stairs, entered the temple courtyard ...

261. Some Greeks

John 12:20-33

Sermon

John Jamison

... every eye in the place would have been on either Mary or Jesus. Apparently Judas was the first to speak, accusing Mary of wasting the valuable perfume that might have been sold and the money given to the poor. Knowing Judas, he probably gave a sympathetic nod to those actual poor people standing around the walls just to make his point more dramatic. I wonder what was going through Mary’s head at that point? Others would probably have picked up Judas’ argument, and the glares from the wall standers were ...

262. Who Owns the Cloud: Google or God?

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... apartment, tiny and run-down, of this dear lady. But the lady’s face was glowing to see her friend and she was radiating with the love of Christ in her heart. The wealthier woman could not ignore the awful surroundings and she said in a sympathetic way, not wanting to be mean, but kindly, “It must be difficult for you living here like this.” The lady smiled knowingly and said, “Yes, but it’s better higher up.” (4) That’s the promise that Christians always live by. “It’s better higher up ...

263. Good Advice for Anyone

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

While she was enjoying a transatlantic ocean trip, Billie Burke, the famous actress, noticed that a gentleman at the next table was suffering from a bad cold. She asked him sympathetically, "Are you uncomfortable?" The man nodded. She said, ''I'll tell you just what to do for it. Go back to your stateroom and drink lots of orange juice. Take two aspirins. Cover yourself with all the blankets you can find. Sweat the cold out. I know just what I' ...

264. Love Never Gives Up

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... dear to me as ever, I feel I should release you from the obligation of our engagement." The letter was never answered. Instead, the young woman took the next train and went directly to the place her loved one was being cared for. On arrival she found a sympathetic captain who gave her directions to her soldier's cot. Tearfully, she searched for him. The moment she saw the young man, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I will never give you up!" she cried. "These hands of mine will help you ...

265. Listen to the Angels

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... for God.” Worthy is the Lamb. But not just any lamb--the Lamb of God--Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Many Christians today are offended by the symbolism of the writer of Revelation. Someone has called language about a sacrifice of blood “slaughter-house theology.” We are sympathetic. Who is not repulsed by the literal imagery of being washed in the blood of the lamb? I hope, though, that even if you are offended by the language you will bear with me, for the message of the lamb who was slain is vital. This ...

266. A Prayer to a Good, Good Father

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The church added these words as the prayer became formalized, but it is hard to imagine praying the prayer without them. It is because God is in control of this universe that we have the confidence to pray, believing that he hears our prayers and is sympathetic to our concerns. We trust that whatever answer we receive is in our best interest. Indeed, the entire foundation of this prayer is trust—trust in the Father’s love and trust in His ability to provide for His children. “He’s a good, good ...

267. We Are Not Alone

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... in a farce, who are funny because they consider themselves tragic figures but are neither noble nor faultless. They are bounders and fools pretending to be kings and heroes. And so are we. The reality check that Aubrey gave me was more valuable than any sympathetic shoulder could have been at that moment: “Your cat’s dead: what are you going to do about it?” I grabbed Aubrey, and the three of us wrestled and bounced on the bed until it was time to eat. The “why” is of little significance ...

268. If I Had Been There

Jn 20:1-18; Mk 15:21-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

... king remarked, “If I had been there, I’d have climbed up on the cross next to him.” Now, the slow conversion in understanding our Lord's Passion went form 1) I would have defended Christ - a military approach 2) I would have tended to his mother - a sympathetic approach 3) I would have climbed on the cross next to him - empathy. Might I suggest that empathy is not enough. The king of France was still not ready. The King needed to take one more step. The forth step would be for the king to look at the ...

269. Bittersweet

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , Herod’s son who oversees Judea, including Bethlehem, instead Joseph makes an executive decision to take his family to Mary’s hometown, Nazareth, to raise him under the radar. Herod Antipas has taken over ruling Galilee, and he is much more sympathetic to the Jews. And he is commissioning multiple building projects, where Joseph can get work. While some scholars maintain that Nazareth was a total backwater, others say, it wasn’t nearly so backwards, and in fact had the more conservative synagogues ...

270. Hold Me When I'm Angry

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Carl Jech

... and angry, cries out "I am too human! I'm just as human as you are! I got feelin's just like everybody!" I think also of the time that Archie and Mike are locked in a cold storage room and Mike comes to see Archie in a much more sympathetic light. We all have a hard time dealing with the fact that we inevitably hurt, become angry with, yes, even sometimes hate the ones we love! We have heard the old saying that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference - but we still are bothered when we feel ...

The reason I'm a psychologist is based in part on my telephone routines. Much of my humor comes out of reaction to what other people are saying. A psychologist is a man who listens, who is sympathetic.

Bob Newhart

There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear.

Frank Tyger

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.

George Washington Carver

The double standard of morality will survive in this world so long as the woman whose husband has been lured away is favoured with the sympathetic tears of other women, and a man whose wife has made off is laughed at by other men.

H. L. Mencken

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.

Henry Melvill

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