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 2926 to 2950 of 4950 results

2926. “Love Your Enemies”

Luke 6:27-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... cannot credibly ask God to forgive them (11:4; cf. Matt. 6:14–15). 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. This principle of reciprocity may be understood literally, picking up the theme of generous giving in 6:30, or metaphorically of the generous spirit of mercy and forgiveness spelled out in 6:36–37. The “measure for measure” saying is used also in a different context in Mark 4:24 with reference to how we hear God’s message. In these various uses, the principle is that what you receive ...

2927. Lessons on Devotion and Prayer

Luke 11:1-13, Luke 10:38-42

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... the scorpion can roll itself into a protective ball), are symbols of evil (10:19). give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Whereas Luke speaks of the Father giving the “Holy Spirit,” Matthew’s version uses the more obvious term “good gifts” (Matt. 7:11). Luke perhaps thinks of the Holy Spirit as the source of all that is good rather than envisaging a specific petition to be “given” the Holy Spirit (an idea that has no parallel in Luke’s Gospel before 24:49, though it might anticipate what ...

2928. Leadership and Servanthood

1 Corinthians 4:1-21, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

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Preben Vang

... should not be confused. Quote: Of God and Men, by A.W. Tozer. We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone. . . . They [leaders] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost. The glowworm has taken the place ...

2929. Christian Success and Christlikeness

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

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Preben Vang

... cross is the measuring stick used to scrutinize all Christian ministry, including his own. There may be many churches (or Christian house groups), but there can be only one people of God—those guided, taught, and empowered by Christ’s Spirit to reflect Christ’s life. Without the evidence of a cruciform lifestyle, the Christian faith is reduced to otherworldly speculations, and Christian churches become centers for self-glorification. To Paul, the centrality of Christ’s death and resurrection is the ...

2930. God on His Throne as the Sovereign Creator

Revelation 4:1-11

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J. Scott Duvall

... cf. God’s appearance on Mount Sinai in Exod. 19:16–25). Both phenomena occur at the conclusion of each series of judgments: 8:1–5; 11:15–19; 16:17–18. In front of the throne are seven lamps, which are the “seven spirits of God” or the Holy Spirit manifested in his fullness (see comments on 1:4; cf. Ezek. 1:13; Zech. 4:1–10). Also, before the throne is something “like a sea of glass, clear as crystal,” symbolizing God’s holiness and transcendent majesty, separating him from his creation ...

2931. Eliphaz

Job 4:1-5:27

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Daniel J. Estes

... the task. Hurting people need to hear good news about the God who cares and intervenes in real time. Testimony: You most likely know someone who can give a testimony about the way “the Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) Approach such a person and ask that he or she share briefly (either live or via video) about the way God met and comforted them in a time of suffering. Specifically, ask them to focus on how the comfort of his presence made the ...

2932. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

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Daniel J. Estes

... way as an image of the transitory nature of human mortality. Later he repeats that life is fleeting (9:25–26; 14:1–2), a sentiment that parallels the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 39:4–5. 7:11–12 I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit. Like the psalmists of the imprecatory psalms, who call down divine condemnation on those who afflict them (e.g., Pss. 58:6–8; 59:3–5), Job does not hold back when he expresses his bitter feelings to God. This, however, is a risky move, because the wisdom ...

2933. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

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Daniel J. Estes

... Jesus began his public ministry in Nazareth (Luke 4:16–21), he read and then applied to himself the prophetic words of Isaiah 61:1–2. This oracle that Jesus fulfilled emphasized the arrival of God’s good news for the needy and deliverance for the oppressed: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, To set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s ...

2934. “May the Net They Hid Entangle Them”

Psalm 35:1-28

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C. Hassell Bullock

... his many and violent enemies, but, like the psalmists, he does not take vengeance into his own hands but leaves it to God. Jeremiah 18:18–23 is such a caustic prayer in which he petitions God to bring personal tragedy on his persecutors (the spirit of Jer. 21–22 especially runs in that vein). Jeremiah’s prayer is introduced with information about how the people have been plotting against him, much like the plot that spawned his earlier prayer (Jer. 11:18–23). His critics have claimed that Jeremiah ...

2935. The Creation of the World

Genesis 1:1-2:3

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the other gods”) or angelically (“God said to the angels”). It does suggest that there is a distinction of personalities in the divine being. God, so to speak, can step outside of himself and speak to himself. May it be that God is addressing his Spirit (1:2)? Quite possibly the divine plurality of 1:26a anticipates the human plurality of man and woman of 1:26b. God creates humankind in his image, his likeness. Humans are animals, but they are more than animals. Humans are godlike, but they are less ...

2936. Samuel Anoints Saul

1 Sam 9:1–10:8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ), but from this point on “the anointed one” is usually the king. Anointing indicated that a person had been set apart for a particular task and that the Lord would enable the person to perform the appointed task. The anointing oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who empowers both Saul and David after they are anointed (see 1 Sam. 10:6; 16:13). Note also the reason that the Lord gives Samuel for anointing a king, the day before Saul shows up: “For I have seen the suffering of my people, because their ...

2937. Ezekiel’s Call

Ezekiel 2:1-3:15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God both in the life and prophecy of Ezekiel. This is a theme he shares with Isaiah. By contrast, there is not one reference to the Spirit in conjunction with Jeremiah’s life or ministry, but surely the Spirit of God was as active in and through his life as with his two colleagues. The Spirit addresses Ezekiel as “son of man,” an expression the NRSV renders regularly as “mortal.” This title is used for the prophet about ninety times in the book and is used of no other prophet in the Old Testament ...

2938. Restoration and Regeneration

Ezekiel 36:1-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... his people from the nations (36:24) also takes out everything in his people that is unlike him by sprinkling and cleansing them (36:25). It may be no accident that the last “I will” in this list is the one about the divine Spirit. Unless there is an infusion of the Spirit into one’s life that provides the resources for effective implementation of God’s work of grace, then growth in that grace will be most unlikely. Note that the nations confess the power of God (36:36) not only when old towns are ...

2939. Fifth Vision - Zerubbabel Empowered

Zechariah 4:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for any and every situation. But Zerubbabel needs to rely on God rather than on personal skill, strength, or ingenuity. The word translated “might” is frequently used of armies, wealth, or influence. But God’s work is accomplished by the power of his Spirit. This is symbolized by the oil of the olive trees that supplies the fuel for the lamps. Verse 7 applies the truth of verse 6 to Zerubbabel’s situation. The mighty mountain might refer to the opposition of Gentile political power, since this ...

2940. Eighth Vision - Resolution—Gentiles Judged, God at Rest

Zechariah 6:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is the land of the north, or Babylon, that is at the center of the world’s opposition to God. The speaker is the angel of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. The judgment on Babylon, the land of the north, has given rest to God’s Spirit. When God finished creating the world, he rested (Gen. 2:3), not from weariness but because what he had made was perfect and he was satisfied. But sin brought discord into the world, and God’s “rest” was disturbed. In Zechariah 1:14–15, God’s response to the ...

2941. John Prepares the Way

Matthew 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... righteous at the final judgment. Both strands are important in Matthew. Even though the former is the one emphasized here (3:7–12), Matthew’s implication is that those who embrace repentance and produce fruit will be prepared for the kingdom and will receive the promised Holy Spirit (3:11), a signal of God’s eschatological restoration (cf. Joel 2:28–29). John’s warnings carry over into Jesus’s role, as one who will baptize with fire—that is, purification or judgment—as well as with the Holy ...

2942. The Temptation of Jesus

Luke 4:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... his trust and obedience are in his Father. Matthew and Luke have a different order in recording the temptations; the second and third temptations are reversed in Matthew. Luke emphasizes that Jesus is full of the Spirit and led by the Spirit (4:1), implying that Jesus conquers the devil by the power of the Spirit. The devil attempts to seduce Jesus from obedience to his Father with three different temptations. In the first temptation (4:3–4) the devil tries to persuade Jesus to use his status as God’s ...

2943. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the disciples too (cf. 2:22). But the key that will unlock the problem is the complex of events that includes Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension (3:13–15)—in Johannine language, Christ’s glorification. It is the result of this work that will release the Spirit (7:37–39). It is difficult to know whether 3:16–21 continues the words of Jesus or represents the comments of the evangelist (see NIV note on 3:15). The same holds for 3:31–36. Are these the words of the Baptist or the author ...

2944. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the final steps of departure are at hand. “Ascending” (Greek anabainō) is referred to in both the perfect and the present tenses: it has begun and is still under way. And it is necessary that it continue this way, since the coming of the Spirit is directly dependent on Jesus’s departure (16:7). The story of Mary, therefore, is an interpretative vehicle that underscores the transition now under way. Jesus will not leave them as orphans (14:18) because as he moves through “the hour” he will give ...

2945. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 4:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the gospel message. Since these apostles are “unschooled, ordinary men,” their “courage” impresses these Jewish leaders (4:13). Their willingness to stand firm in the midst of threats and warnings (4:19) proves that they are indeed filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter’s initial reply (4:8–12) repeats his earlier message (3:12–26) that focuses on their rejection of Jesus. Two details are further developed in this short speech, however. First, in verse 11 Peter uses Psalm 118:22 to show that ...

2946. Paul and Silas in Prison

Acts 16:16-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jews and the magistrates under their influence (16:19–40). While they are in prison, they are once again delivered by the power of God. The connection with the previous episode cannot be missed. The deliverance of the slave girl from the power of the evil spirit and the deliverance of Paul and Silas from prison both testify to the liberating power of the work of God. Both events also point to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise explicitly noted in Jesus’s Nazareth sermon (Luke 4:18–19; see Isa. 58:6 ...

2947. The Mystery of God’s Will and God’s Threefold Blessing

Ephesians 1:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... down payment, a “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (1:14; the word translated “inheritance” is related to the word translated “chosen” in 1:11) while we await the full redemption of God’s possession. As will be seen in 3:14–19, however, the presence of the Spirit implies far more than a passive guarantee; it also means the power necessary to live out now in this doomed age the ethic of the new age to come, which in Christ has already entered the scene. This new ethic, good for us and for ...

2948. Adoption: Removing the Barriers

Ephesians 2:11-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... law, the “wall”) had been taken away from them, they needed to have peace preached to them no less than the outsiders did (Eph. 2:17). Both Gentile and Jew have access to the Father, the goal of all human striving, only through Christ and by the same Spirit. Contrary to all expectation, God views the entire human race as one and deals with it all at one time, by grace, in one person. In verse 19 Paul sums up: the Gentile Christians are no longer shut out from the family of God. They have been given a ...

2949. Thanksgiving and Appeal

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... has delivered a “good deposit” that Timothy is to preserve by his own life of faith and love in Christ. This deposit is the sum of a “pattern of sound teaching” that Timothy is to teach others (see chap. 2), with the indwelling Holy Spirit’s help. 1:15–18 · One other life to emulate, contrasted with counterexamples:Sadly, not everyone in Paul’s circle is staying true to the apostle. Though there is surely some exaggeration in Paul’s saying that “everyone in the province of Asia” (where ...

2950. The Victory That Overcomes the World

1 John 5:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :34. Whatever the case, the emphasis is on the suffering humanity of Jesus and its implications for discipleship: if Jesus indeed suffered and died, we must be willing to do the same (John 6:27, 51–58, 63). To this emphasis is added testimony of the Spirit, and these three testify to Jesus’s authenticity as the Son of God. As the Johannine Jesus emphasizes three witnesses, not just his own (John 5:31–38; 8:13–19; Deut. 17:6; 19:15), so the Johannine elder emphasizes three witnesses—the water, the ...

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