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 2951 to 2975 of 4770 results

2951. How to Stay Spiritually Fresh

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to be, mantra prayers. Consider the quieting peace that comes from repeatedly reciting the "Kyrie" "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy." To stay vitally connected to the Spirit, however, we must expand our understanding of a "mantra" and view it as the repetition of certain practices, attitudes and relationships, instead of just the recitation of words alone. A Christian mantra, empowered by the spirit of the "Lord's Prayer," has at least three components: 1. Daily Scripture Reading. This ...

2952. By Faith Living

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Faith is the victory. We must trust our Lord and our Savior enough to step out by faith instead of by sight. In the resurrection light of Easter morning, it is by faith that we see that the ultimate victory has already been won for us. Fatalists may view life as nothing more than an elaborate game of chance where everything is determined by the luck of the draw or the roll of the dice. By faith, Christians know that the game is already won. The deck is stacked. The dice are loaded. The victory is ours ...

2953. Call the Tribe of Issachar Together

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on the models of control and predictability that the myth of long-range planning assumes. The world is not predictable or controllable. Only now, with the rise of "scenario thinking" pioneered by Peter Schwartz (The Art of the Long View [New York: Doubleday, 1991]) and the Global Business Network, are businesses slowly moving from planning to preparedness. Unfortunately, one of the slowest and most awkward of these behemoths is the church itself. The "mainline" denominations have found themselves relegated ...

2954. The Truth of Love

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . We have been reluctant to say there even is such a thing as ultimate truth, much less think to offer, as proof of that truth, the Cross on Golgotha. We have allowed the clouds of cultural drift to fog our vision. The rest of culture views truth as whatever is true for one's own self truth becomes completely subservient to individual interpretation. A "Frank and Ernest" cartoon shows a Moses figure holding a stone tablet inscribed with just two words: "Behave Yourself." Moses complains, "I'm afraid you'll ...

2955. Learn Your ABCs

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... not my own but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. How could it change some of our church committee meetings if all members began by confessing one of those two truths? Think the Westminster and Heidelberg catechisms are too old and dated in their world-view? Consider this declaration from the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches meeting back in 1954, asking the question, "What is coming to the world? What is in front of us? What may we look forward to?" Our response: The answers to those ...

2956. Tranquility in the Midst of Turmoil

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

William L. Self

... were commissioned to paint their conception of peace. A panel of distinguished judges would determine which artist had best captured the idea. The winner would get a rich commission. And after they had been painting for a long time, the judges assembled to view their work. The first artist unveiled his painting, and there was a beautiful, magnificent pastoral scene, with a farmer coming in after a hard day in the fields. His wife was cooking, his children were playing around the hearth, and all was at ...

2957. Greed at Christmas

Lk 1:26-38

Illustration

King Duncan

In the cartoon, Sally Forth, Sally says to her mother after she has just viewed the large family Christmas tree with all the packages lying under it: "Have you ever noticed how one particular emotion gets real strong at Christmas?" Her mother answers: "I sure have, honey. I get very nostalgic at this time of the year. I especially like to think back to Christmas ...

2958. Mary's Suffering

Luke 2:22-40

Illustration

James Cox

... mother, the shadow of the cross being cast on the ground by his form as he runs. Both pictures are fanciful in form, but their underlying message is true. If we read the Gospels just as they stand, it is clear that the death of Jesus Christ was really in view almost from the outset of his earthly appearance. At first sight there seems little in them about his death, but as we look deeper we see more. It was part of the divine purpose and plan for him from the first, and very early we have a hint of the ...

2959. On The Sidelines of Life

Luke 2:22-40

Illustration

Ever feel as though you are left-over or on the sidelines of life? A quarterback was realistic about his status on the team. The coach was drilling all the quarterbacks: He said to them, "The ball is on your OWN four yard line. Time is running out. It's third down." Then, the coach looked straight at this boy and said, "Quick now! What would you do?" To which this young man responded without hesitation, "I'd slide down the bench to get a better view of the next play!"

2960. New Beginnings

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... From the Art of Juggling (New York: Harmony Books, 1992). 5. Stephen Arterburn, Flash Points (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2002), p. 92. 6. Sidney Greenberg, Say Yes To Life (New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992). 7. Pastor Michael Dean, http://www.travis.org/PDFs/index.cfm?action=view&pdfid=317.

2961. A Great and Wonderful New Year - Sermon Starter

Illustration

King Duncan

... end of a long passageway. Carter drilled a small hole in the door and stuck an iron-testing rod into a dark, blank space. He then inserted a candle into the hole and peered in. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, details emerged into his view, and he saw strange animals, statues, and everywhere the glint of gold. He wrote of that moment, "For the moment, I was struck dumb with amazement." A partner asked, "Can you see anything?" And Carter's reply was, "Yes, wonderful things." St. Paul gives us some ...

2962. Luke 24:35-48

Luke 24:35-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... how else to understand his instantaneous disappearance after the breaking of the bread?). Luke uses the second story, however, to emphasize the physicality of the resurrected Jesus. A great respecter of Jewish tradition, Luke faithfully underlines the Pharisaic view of a bodily physical resurrection. The two pericopes (vv.13-35 and vv.36-49) continue their parallels after Jesus' initial appearance. In both cases Jesus then presses the witnesses/disciples with leading questions followed by a firm declaration ...

2963. Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... authorities, all his nights in gloomy prison cells, all his constant refereeing of bitter internecine quarrels, Paul cites none of these specifics as the real danger to Christian faithfulness. Instead, after spending much of the previous two chapters narrowing his view to particular actions and attitudes, Paul now broadens the scope of his preaching to warn Christians of the real underlying threat to their faith. Paul the theologian recognizes the existence of a much deeper cause for the rift between the ...

2964. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although this text from James has often been viewed as a later insertion into the text, it ties together easily and logically the author's emphasis on teachers (3:1ff) and his material on disputes (4:1ff). James is anxious to emphasize the crucial role of those with special gifts of teaching and leading in determining the prevailing beliefs ...

2965. Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... who truly see Christ feel overwhelmingly called to follow his pathways and purposes. They become imitators of Christ as they seek to become perfected disciples. Bartimaeus' journey was not easy. He began to follow Jesus just when, from a human point of view, things began to degenerate. Jesus now enters Jerusalem to play his part in the final scene of confrontation, prosecution and execution. There would be little time for a new disciple like Bartimaeus to enjoy approving crowds or balmy days of rest and ...

2966. Luke 3:1-6

Luke 3:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... much about the gospel's author and narrative style. Verse 3 moves on to the next important character in Jesus' life - John the Baptist. Here, as Luke reintroduces John and articulates his ministry, the text subtly demonstrates the author's point of view. First, it is evident that Luke is speaking to an already established community of faith. He uses "insider" language, comfortably assuming that his listeners recognize the code phrases and their implications. In verse 3 Luke defines John's call and mission ...

2967. Philippians 4:49

Philippians 4:49

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ") and so might also be understood as the quality of "sweet reasonableness." Greek tradition contrasts Paul's term with "strict justice" as its opposite. The term therefore includes within it a generosity of spirit that goes beyond any strict constructionist view of the law. "Gentleness" seeks equity and justice - but never at the expense of others. Magnified by magnanimity, believers are to display this spirit of loving acceptance to "everyone" - not just members of their church, or even to all Christians ...

2968. Acts 14:8-18

Acts 14:8-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... about in scripture are "God-fearers" and synagogue hangers-on that it is easy to forget that the vast majority of the population was caught up in worshiping a pantheon of gods - some beneficent, some malevolent, all unpredictable. Their world view was so different than that of an observant Jew or new Christian that sometimes even Paul himself was surprised by the misunderstandings that could result when these two visions intersected. After fleeing Iconium where Jews and Gentiles had banded together against ...

2969. 1 Kings 19:9-14

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... before the Lord." Having brought Elijah to the holy site of Mt.Horeb, the redactor now takes pains to duplicate as much as possible Moses' mountaintop encounter with God in Elijah's own experience. Thus as Moses had been commanded to go out and view the Lord passing by in Exodus 33:19, so Elijah is likewise instructed to prepare to meet God. On the mountain there now rages a fantastic display of power and majesty. As the Lord approaches, a devastating wind, earthquake and fire all announce the divine ...

2970. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... bank account. Without a breath of hesitancy, sex and money now become the focus of this epistle's discussion. First the writer urges that marriage be "esteemed" or "honored" by all. The Jewish-Christian notion of fidelity in marriage was an extreme minority view in the ancient Near Eastern world. The pagan culture took its identity from a pantheon of lustful, impetuous gods who were honored at their various temples by the presence of cultic prostitutes. The myths and legends of these gods were acted out in ...

2971. Luke 21:5-19

Luke 21:5-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in its external strength, that prompted Jesus to describe its impending destruction. The temple was a gorgeous piece of architecture. Josephus describes it as being covered in front with huge plates of gold, bedazzling all who looked upon it. Even travelers viewing the temple from a distance were impressed; from far away the rest of the building, composed of brilliant white stone, positively glowed. But all this drooling on the doorsteps doesn't impress Jesus. His response in verse 6 must have struck ...

2972. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , unfamiliar phrases and a longer more complicated syntax, all of which raise doubts about the authorship of this letter. Doctrinally, Colossians presents a much more cosmic Christology than usual for Paul. Much of the portion read this week reflects that almost Johannine view of the Christ. This week's epistle reading begins with verse 11, but studies of this section usually back up to verse 9 and continue through verse 14. This is a prayer and praise unit - with Paul praying the Colossian Christians will ...

2973. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Paul continues to offer his view of essential Christian unity amid myriad claims to the exclusivity of certain groups and their ideas. While verses 10-16 dismissed any special claims that Corinthians might make based upon their loyalty to any one individual leader, Paul now turns to the even more insidious divisiveness suggested by those who ...

2974. Matthew 5:21-37

Matthew 5:21-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... one case being even more demanding than the original framer of the law (compare Matthew 5:31-32 with Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Jesus confronts the accepted interpretation of the examples he cites and presumes to hold his own authority above these traditional views. In both his language and his demands, then, Jesus uses this teaching format to demonstrate his authoritative identity. In Jesus' first example, he focuses on the offense of anger. Unlike the generalities that he has spoken up to this point, Jesus now ...

2975. Genesis 12:1-4a

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of relationship between humanity and divinity. The "call of Abram" does more than separate a lone herdsman from his ancestral family. This "call" separates the old animistic, anthropocentric notions of the universe from a remarkably new way of viewing the divine/human or creator/creation relationship. In the other popular, ancient Near Eastern religions, the numerous "gods" behaved in highly human ways. Despite a host of divinities, these religious systems were human-centered: The gods themselves behaved ...

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