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 276 to 300 of 387 results

276. Jesus Warns of Presuming Reward and Status

Matthew 20:1-16

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... with the sense of the saying as a warning against presumption of reward and status (see 19:27–29) to communicate that the kingdom will upset human status categories and assumptions. God’s grand generosity may prove offensive to human sensibilities about fairness and worthiness. Teaching the Text 1. The parable of the workers highlights the surprising equality of the kingdom. Matthew has been highlighting the reality of status categories in this part of his Gospel. Jesus’ teachings have emphasized that ...

277. Eschatological Discourse: Being Prepared for Jesus’ Return

Matthew 24:36-51, Matthew 25:1-13

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... 24–27). 25:4 The wise ones . . . took oil in jars along with their lamps. Lamps for outdoor use typically were made of cloth rags wrapped around the top of a stick and soaked in oil.[3] Since the lamp would burn through the oil before long, it was sensible (wise) to bring along a jar of oil to re-soak the cloth and keep the lamp lit. 25:5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming. This detail of the parable, along with similar references at 24:48 and 25:19, suggests that Matthew offers these parables ...

278. Jesus Is Tried before Pilate and Sentenced to Death

Matthew 27:1-10, Matthew 27:11-26

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... enact the death penalty, and crucifixion is a distinctly Roman brand of execution. 27:2 Pilate the governor. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor (prefect) of Judea in the years AD 26–36. He was not particularly attuned to Jewish sensibilities, as illustrated by his frequent ignorance and transgression of Jewish customs. For example, he brought his army with their military standards, displaying images (forbidden by the Torah), into Jerusalem (see Josephus, Ant. 18.55–62). 27:3 thirty pieces of ...

279. The Resurrected Jesus Is Vindicated by God and Given All Authority

Matthew 28:1-10, Matthew 28:11-15, Matthew 28:16-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... of Matthew’s Christology; Jesus is portrayed as the consummate teacher (e.g., 7:28–29). in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This trinitarian baptism formula is clearly rooted in a monotheistic sensibility. The reference to “the name” (to onoma) is singular followed by the tripartite distinction “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” indicating the Christian affirmation of the name of the one God. teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Jesus’ reference ...

280. “Who Is This?”

Luke 9:10-17, Luke 9:1-9

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... brought to life by encouraging listeners to put themselves in the place of one of the Twelve and to follow through the phases of the story. In particular, how would they have responded to Jesus’s unexpected answer in 9:13 to a perfectly sensible request? How would they describe what had happened as they cleared up the leftovers? While modern hearers will readily recognize the miracle as the blessing of a free lunch, be sure to bring out the important biblical parallels, including the provision of manna in ...

281. “Unless You Repent . . .”

Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:1-9

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... Talk, by Annie Dillard. In a little piece on the people in church, Dillard wryly describes the way people keep their church life safe and manageable, conventional as it were. She writes, On the whole I do not find Christians, outside the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of the conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? . . . The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness ...

282. The Roman Verdict

Luke 22:66--23:25

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... Jesus by all those in power. Historical and Cultural Background Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea and Samaria from AD 26 to 36, is mentioned in Jewish records as a harsh governor with a history of offending Jewish cultural and religious sensibilities. His weakness as Luke here portrays it seems uncharacteristic but probably derives from political expediency: he could not risk another riot. It would be his response to another such nationalistic uprising that eventually led to his removal from office (Josephus ...

283. Witnesses of the New Covenant

Romans 12:1-8

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C. Marvin Pate

... not have an exaggerated opinion of themselves (12:3b). In the Greek text there is a clever play on the word phrone? (“to think”): the Roman believers should “think” (phrone?) of themselves not with “lofty thought” (hyperphrone?) but rather with “sensible thought” (s?phrone?). The last term was used in the Greek world in contrast to that despised trait called hybris (“pride”). The reason why Christians should not be arrogant is that God has distributed to each believer the measure, or ...

284. Consider Others Higher Than Yourself

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

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Preben Vang

... . you sin against Christ. As if to make sure the strong do not miss his point, Paul puts it succinctly: to sin against a fellow Christ follower is to sin against Christ. The emphasis remains on causing them to stumble, not on offending sensibilities. Paul’s concern is for the newer Christians whose faith might be shattered by the actions of the more mature Christians, not for the mature Christians whose sensitivities are offended by the behavior of the younger Christians. 8:13 Therefore . . . so that I ...

285. Defeat, Death, and Departure

1 Sam 4:2-22

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... this collection of essays (1982), the Pulitzer Prize–winning author Dillard (b. 1945) asks: Why do people in churches seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? On the whole I do not find Christians, outside the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of the conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up ...

286. David Listens to the Voice of Wisdom

1 Samuel 25:1-44

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... judgment upon Nabal echoes the description of the demise of Abimelek (Judg. 9:56–57), another evildoer who acted as if he were a king (cf. 9:56). asking her to become his wife. David’s marriage to Abigail, while not pleasing to our monogamous sensibilities, may have a positive function literarily, for it depicts him as embracing the voice of wisdom and as receiving an obvious blessing that a fool like Nabal never deserved. Abigail’s lone son (Kileab = Daniel; 2 Sam. 3:3; 1 Chron. 3:1) is not presented ...

287. Bildad Again Beats the Retribution Drum

Job 18:1-21

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... barrage of insults (cf. Eliphaz in 15:2–3 and Job in 16:2–3). Bildad charges that Job (or perhaps the other friends, because “you” is plural) has been playing clever word games rather than entering into serious debate. By urging Job to be sensible, Bildad implies that Job’s words are nonsense and that therefore there are no reasonable grounds for conversing with him. It is evident that by this time all of the speakers are frustrated, curt, and ineffective with one another. 18:4 is the earth to ...

288. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... schoolboys who are stranded on a desert island after what seems to be a nuclear war. Left alone and without the restraint of adult supervision, they vie for leadership, form cliques, and proceed to be corrupted by power and hurt one another terribly, the most sensible and sensitive of them dying in the process. It is a profound study in the native evil of human beings and their will to power. We often long for justice from God and are puzzled by its absence. Song Lyrics: The spirituals of the African ...

289. Military Failures

Jud 1:1–2:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... leadership of Caleb and his family, Judah is able to take Hebron and Debir (cf. Josh. 14:6–15; Judg. 1:20). While Caleb’s promise to give his daughter Aksah as a reward to whoever is able to capture Debir may seem objectionable to modern sensibilities, in so doing, Caleb is also ensuring that Aksah will be married to a valiant warrior who is able to fulfill the Lord’s command to dispossess the enemy. Besides, Caleb’s readiness to grant Aksah a blessing (translated “a special favor” in the NIV [1 ...

290. Security Clearance

1 Kings 2:1-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... speech from the king explaining that such a homicide is justifiable, considering Joab’s past conduct. With effective use of some royal hyperbole that cannot be taken at face value, the king’s speech is sufficient to militate against Benaiah’s ethical sensibilities: Joab is struck down, it would seem beside the altar, and for all his loyalty to David is buried “in the wilderness.” Fittingly enough, after Joab is buried there are two promotions for new labor, as Zadok is elevated over Abiathar and ...

291. Micaiah Prophecies Against Ahab

2 Chron 18:1–19:3

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... there, he is pressured by his new ally to assist him in recovering Ramoth Gilead, one of Ahab’s fortress cities on the Transjordanian plateau south of the Golan region and overlooking the River Yarmuk. But Jehoshaphat displays his earlier spiritual sensibilities by exhorting Ahab to inquire of Yahweh. Unsatisfied with the positive response of Ahab’s four hundred non-Yahwistic prophets (most likely prophets of Asherah or Baal; see 1 Kings 18:19), Jehoshaphat demands a prophet of Yahweh. Ahab reluctantly ...

292. Where has Your Lover Gone

Song of Songs 6:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... so RSV). The image conveys the awesome splendor associated with army troops in dress parade. 6:11–12 · This section is crucial to the understanding of the Song, and yet verse 12 is the most difficult line of the poem to translate and interpret sensibly. (See the variations in the major English versions.) Literally rendered, the verse reads “I did not know, my soul, (it/he) set me in the chariot of Amminadab.” The confusion results from the ambiguous syntax in the verse, especially the relationship of ...

293. The Day and Hour Unknown

Mark 13:32-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... want signs; Jesus, however, wants only the Father. Given such mysteries, Jesus’s concluding word—five times in verses 33–37—is “Be on guard,” “Be alert,” “Keep watch.” When and how the end will come cannot be known, only that it will come—suddenly! Given that reality, the only sensible way to live, like a householder awaiting the uncertain time of the owner’s return (13:34), is in constant readiness. “Watch!”

294. Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... case, as Paul urges his “dear friends” to recognize, the way of escape lies in a flight from the site of idolatry (10:14). He appeals without qualification to their ability to reason and form judgments based on what they know, for Christians are “sensible people.” Yet some of the Corinthians have failed to take into account all that needs to be considered before coming to a decision about how to respond when invited to a pagan temple. Paul has sketched out the potential implications of their conduct ...

295. Greetings and Benediction

Philippians 4:21-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Paul concludes his letter the same way he opened it—by greeting God’s people and commending them to God’s grace. In his benediction he shows the same concerns and pastoral sensibilities that he has maintained throughout the letter. He greets “all God’s people,” emphasizing the entire Philippian community, not mere individuals. This statement emphasizes the theme of unity that has been addressed throughout the letter. Paul then reminds them that while they are a community of believers who are ...

296. Warning Not To Turn Away from God

Hebrews 12:14-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , and help others to do the same, taking special care to nip sin in the bud when it arises within the community (12:14–17; cf. Deut. 29:18; 1 Cor. 5:6). Esau exemplifies the person who exchanges the unseen and future inheritance for the sensible and immediate pleasures of this world and, consequently, “falls short of the grace of God,” that is, squanders irrevocably the blessing that was in one’s grasp (Heb. 6:4–6; 10:26–31). Esau’s tears showed remorse for the consequences of his folly, not ...

297. No One Is Righteous

Romans 3:9-20

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . The most literal translation would be, “are we excelled?” The “we” here would mean “Jews,” with the sense, “are we Jews being excelled by the Gentiles?” or, “do the Gentiles have an advantage over [Jews]?” This is the most sensible rendering grammatically, but it is virtually eliminated by the fact that Paul nowhere argues that Gentiles have an advantage over Jews. A second possibility is to understand “we” not in reference to Jews generally, but to Paul personally, thus continuing ...

298. Divisions In the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... , that were they Corinthians, they would have been regarded by others as “Paul’s people.” Thus, Paul’s use of a report from them as trustworthy, authoritative witnesses would not have assisted him in the attempt to critique and correct the situation in Corinth. This suggestion is sensible, but it does not settle the matter, as Fee recognizes. The word translated quarrels in the NIV (Gk. eris) is referred to as a vice in Paul’s other uses of the term. Cf. Rom. 1:29; 13:13; 1 Cor. 3:3; 2 Cor. 12:20 ...

299. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... Remarkably, Paul says that it is what God does, not what humans know, that saves. God acted in the cross of Christ, and that action produces a division among humanity that itself reveals God’s unexpected power. Paul is not decrying the value of sensible reflection; rather, he is insisting that humans cannot discern the reality of God through their reason based only upon their own experience. God’s self-revelation in the cross is the key to comprehending God, it is the necessary starting point for valid ...

300. Wisdom from the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... 1), not the mature whose lives are “enriched” by God (1:5) and among whom Paul can proclaim “the deep things of God” (2:10) “destined for [the Christians’] glory before time began” (2:7). Paul writes that among Christians of developed religious sensibilities he was able to explicate in fuller detail the significance of the saving power of the cross of Christ. In referring to this age, Paul sounds an eschatological note concerning God’s transformation of the ages (see 10:11) through the cross ...

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