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 2776 to 2800 of 3285 results

2776. Paying Taxes to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... client rulers (the Herods), as well as other Jews, particularly from the upper classes, who (as do most wealthy people) benefited from a stable and strong government. The Herodians (v. 13) probably represent this sort of Jew who had a stake in the ability of the Romans to govern Palestine successfully. Other Jews chafed under the Roman yoke, not only because of the common feelings of national pride or because of the heavy taxation required to operate the Roman imperial system, but also because of deeply ...

2777. Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... of God they were to emulate in their time of testing. That is, Mark’s account is not motivated by a desire to give a sentimental picture of Jesus, but it is intended to give his readers a role model to follow. It reflects a practical concern for their ability to stand firm in trials of their faith. The prayer of Jesus, which describes what is about to happen as God’s will (v. 36), teaches the readers that the handing over of the Son of Man to sinners (v. 41) was, in its most profound sense, something ...

2778. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Luke 5:17-26

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... that the house in this episode may have actually had a tile roof, for Roman architecture and building materials were present in first-century Palestine. 5:20 The faith that Jesus saw in the men probably was no more than a faith in Jesus’ ability to cure the sick man, although a vague sense of Jesus’ messiahship may have been present. Luke (and his readers), however, may have understood this faith more in terms of later Christian belief concerning Jesus. 5:21 teachers of the law: Lit. “scribes,” not ...

2779. The Ark Returned to Israel

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... the ordinary Israelites to keep as much as a thousand yards away from the ark (Josh. 3:4; cf. Num. 1:51), but these seventy had the temerity to look into the holy ark of God. Why the people of Kiriath Jearim should be more confident of their ability to look after the ark is also not clear. The alternative name for Kiriath Jearim is Baalah (2 Sam. 6:2), which may indicate that a previous Canaanite shrine had been situated there, as was probably also true for Shiloh, and thus the population might be seen as ...

2780. Saul and the Witch of Endor

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... cope without, Saul tried every possible means to ensure confirmation of God’s support except for the unavailable ephod now possessed by David (23:6; 30:7). This behavior shows Saul’s desperation and perhaps an increasing lack of confidence in God’s desire or ability to protect him. Dreams, Urim, and prophets all failed him; the only reply from God was silence. In desperation he turned to a source of information that he and all around him knew was not appropriate for those who were part of Yahweh’s ...

2781. War Between the Houses of David and Saul

2 Samuel 2:8-3:5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... had the best of the fierce fighting. The most significant incident from the writers’ point of view, however, was the death of a Judean, Joab’s young brother Asahel, who shared Joab’s arrogant confidence. Although he had speed, Asahel had not developed tactical abilities. He decided that he would put an end to the fighting by defeating Abner, and he used his speed to catch up with him. Abner, knowing that to kill Asahel would lead to further trouble, tried to persuade the young Judean to abandon his ...

2782. David Builds an Altar

2 Samuel 24:18-25

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... , although it is possible that theological understanding played some part in Joab’s disquiet. 24:4–10 For once, Joab was overruled. Maybe David’s determination was strengthened by Joab’s opposition and his desire to get the better of Joab overrode his ability to listen to advice. David’s offense against Uriah, when he put himself into Joab’s power, appears to have been the beginning of the mistrust between the two and thus had ongoing serious consequences, just as Nathan had suggested. Such a ...

2783. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... 7, 15, 17; 3:1), Paul compares the opposition to Korah’s rebellion, in which Korah and his followers rebelled against Moses and Aaron in order to set themselves up as the authorities in the congregation (Num. 16–17). Despite his lack of rhetorical ability, which recalls Moses (see on 10:10; 11:6), Paul will not allow that he is inferior to his opponents who seek to arrogate to themselves apostolic power and prestige. The implicit reason for this is that Paul, like Moses, received his apostolic authority ...

2784. Faith or Observance of the Law

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

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... and so on the basis of the Galatians’ experience of the Spirit Paul seeks to persuade them not to adopt the law. The phrase “believe [believing] what you heard” occurs twice (3:2, 5), both times in opposition to “observe [observing] the law.” The ability to hear means the Christian stands in the tradition of the OT figures who heard the word or the revelation of the Lord. Hearing means more than noting that something has been spoken; it means understanding and responding to what is heard (cf. Rom ...

2785. Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... ; the Son brings believers into a right relationship with himself. The divine choice of believers is according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. This includes far more than a divine capacity to foretell the future. It implies God’s intention all along, and his ability to bring his desired end to pass (Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29). This divine purpose is fulfilled through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. It is he who sets in motion and will ultimately complete (Phil. 1:6) the process of making believers ...

2786. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... such a notion came as a startling novelty, for Greeks had always considered humility as a sign of weakness. Yet in truth, as the believer grows in the Christian life, there come constant reminders that an attitude of humility is entirely appropriate. Human abilities and wisdom all too often prove to be insufficient to cope with life’s ordinary experiences and relationships, let alone when the Christian is faced with the standard of perfection set by Jesus in both his teaching and example (Matt. 5:48; John ...

2787. Walking in the Light and the Problem of Sin

1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 1:5--2:14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... . To this the writer adds two new descriptions of their victorious condition as God’s faithful community: (a) they are strong and (b) the word of God lives in them. The word strong refers to their spiritual strength, likely (in view of the mention of Satan) their ability to resist temptation (possibly the temptations to be mentioned in v. 16). But the source of their strength is the word of God which abides or dwells (NIV, lives; menei) in them. Here God’s word is, as in 1:10, the truth about Jesus, who ...

2788. Faith in the Son of God

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

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... 13:8). 4:12 Verse 12 is concerned with the reality of God in daily life. This was an important consideration to the Elder’s readers. The secessionist false teachers were claiming a vital relationship with God (1:6; 2:6), intimate knowledge of God (2:4), ability to speak as a prophet by God’s Spirit (4:1–2), and love for God (4:10). They may even have claimed to have had visions of God, as later gnostic enthusiasts did. This undoubtedly left the Elder’s loyal followers wondering about the reality of ...

2789. Lot and His Daughters

Genesis 19:30-38

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... also explains why the patriarchs never arranged marriages with Lot’s descendants. This scene completes the story of Lot, who had left from Haran with Abraham (12:4). In the Abraham cycle Lot serves as a foil against which Abraham’s faith and obedience shine more brightly. Having lost his ability to act clearly on his faith, Lot faded into ignominy.

2790. Joseph in Charge of Egypt

Genesis 41:41-57

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... the ancients dreaded was a seven-year drought. Conversely, seven years of plenty symbolized the richest blessing. Sternberg (The Poetics of Biblical Narrative, p. 400) points out that despite the way Pharaoh had blurred the details in recounting the dreams, Joseph’s ability to reconstruct the symmetry of details led him to interpret them correctly. 41:33–36 Joseph proved to Pharaoh that he was a skilled wise man, wiser than all those in Egypt, by ably interpreting his dreams. Joseph then boldly ventured ...

2791. A Silver Cup in a Sack

Genesis 44:1-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... head, they threw themselves to the ground before him, fulfilling in even greater measure the dreams of Joseph’s youth. Taking advantage of the moment, Joseph heaped shame on them by asking why they had dared to do such a wrong in light of his ability to find things out by divination. The atmosphere was ripe for his discovering the true character of his brothers and the sincerity of their acceptance of Benjamin. Would they heap blame for their present precarious fate on another son of Rachel? Or would they ...

2792. Social Responsibility

Exodus 22:16-31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... God or a ruler. By comparison, the expression “blasphemes the name” (Lev. 24:16) comes from another word root (naqav) that means “utter a condemnation.” The “curse” against the ruler can also refer to using one’s power to bind the ruler’s ability. Since all of these activities undermine the rule of God in the world, the law prohibits them. The last three laws deal with acknowledging God as the source of income and life itself. Deuteronomy 18:4 and 26:2 also describe offerings from granaries ...

2793. Idolatry Forbidden

Deuteronomy 4:15-31

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... to come back to God. Beyond sin and judgment there was always hope—as their recent past history had already proved. Ever since the apostasy of the golden calf in Exodus 32–34, Israel had known that its very survival depended not on its ability to keep the covenant but on God’s willingness to sustain it by God’s own forgiving grace and unswerving commitment to the ancestral promise and oath. God would not forget God’s word. And since that same event, Israel had known that remarkable statement ...

2794. David Makes Solomon King

1 Kings 1:28-53

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... the events that follow, particularly those described in 1:5–27? A number of factors combine to imply that the importance of the Abishag incident lies in its indication to the watching court (and to Adonijah in particular) that David has lost his virility and thus his ability to govern. Here is a very beautiful girl. The David of old had not shown himself to be impervious to such women’s charms (1 Sam. 25, especially v. 3; 2 Sam. 11, especially v. 2). He had been known to take great trouble to possess a ...

2795. The Dedication of the Temple

1 Kings 8:62-66

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... that remind us, like the case of the foreign worshiper in verses 41–43, of the divine promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3; 17:1–8. The people . . . brought out of Egypt are Abraham’s descendants, delivered from oppression not because of their ability to keep the law but simply because of the promise. 8:52–53 It is to this question of gracious election that Solomon returns as he brings his prayer to a close, again emphasizing the choice of Israel as the LORD’s inheritance, the people brought ...

2796. The Lord Appears to Solomon

1 Kings 9:1-9

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

2797. The Widow of Zarephath

1 Kings 17:7-24

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... widow’s response to this raising of her son from the dead is faith—but faith that is focused upon Elijah rather than upon God himself. It is Elijah’s credentials as a man of God (v. 24) that have been validated by the miracle, rather than God’s ability to act. Was there reason to doubt these credentials? She had called Elijah man of God already (v. 18), and he had already proved himself to her as one who speaks the word of the LORD truly (vv. 14–16, 24). In one sense she already believed it, but ...

2798. Elijah on Mount Carmel

1 Kings 18:16-46

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... the LORD greatly.” Like the widow of Zarephath, however, Obadiah is not entirely convinced that the fact that the LORD lives (17:12; 18:10) is of any special relevance to the question of his own grasp on life. He hangs a question mark over God’s ability or willingness to intervene. He has seen most of the LORD’s prophets killed, and those who were saved were rescued, not by God’s special intervention, but by his own more humble efforts involving the cave (cf. Heb. 11:32–38 for a description of the ...

2799. Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 Kings 2:1-18

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... of Elijah’s passing while he is still around. 2:7 Fifty men: As in other parts of 1 Kgs. 17–2 Kgs. 2, numbers are apparently functioning as a way of holding separate narratives together as a unity. Two companies of fifty men experience Elijah’s ability to bring down fire from heaven in ch. 1, before a third escapes (1:9–15). Now one company of fifty men will witness (albeit not “see” in the way the Elisha will see) the prophet’s departure in the midst of fire and storm, while another will ...

2800. Healing of the Water

2 Kings 2:19-22

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

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