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 3026 to 3050 of 4770 results

3026. Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a later, unrelated postscript of behavioral advice, it seems logical for this writer, who has spent so much time teaching and admonishing, to close with simple, straightforward ways his readers may apply the lessons of this epistle to everyday life. Some scholars view the list of exhortations in verses 1-6 as a continuation of those begun in 12:14. Having digressed from the listing with a parenthetical warning against spurned grace, the author now returns to his intended remarks. The axis around which all ...

3027. Jeremiah 18:1-11

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of this image comes early in his career. These first texts appear to date from the early days of Jehoiakim's reign, before the disastrous defeat and exile suffered in 586 BC. Scholars tend to disagree over the complete unity of today's text, with many viewing verses 7-10 as a later Deuteronomic editor's commentary on the original "pottery lesson" given in verses 1-6. However, the content, style and vocabulary of verses 7-10 are so tightly in tune with the insights of this passage that even if they are an ...

3028. Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... about why Jeremiah is the chosen family member to act as "redeemer" (other than divine design). In light of the animosity between Jeremiah and some of his kinsmen in Anathoth (see Jeremiah 11:18-12:6 for details), it is evident that both messenger and message were viewed as hostile to the best interests of his family. It may even be that Hanamel's offer of land is not intended by him as a courteous gesture at all. It could have been an attempt to humiliate him further and an occasion to gloat over Jeremiah ...

3029. Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew 2:13-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the Great. The so-called "slaughter of the innocents" (vv.16-18) recounts a crime so heinous that it continues to confound and confuse us even after 20 centuries of similar and periodic vicious violence and conscienceless cruelty. The overall view that Matthew's narrative assembles here is a moving picture portraying the sometimes surprising speed of both mission and madness. Divine intervention and intentionality are demonstrated by the number of special messages and messengers God sends out in order for ...

3030. A Powerful Sacrament

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the local Baptist Church. The whole community turned out. The little church had only one small dressing room which opened from the baptistery (the pool in which the men would be immersed at the front of the church). The dressing room was shielded from view only by a sheet hung over the entrance. The floor of that little room was covered with linoleum. On that not‑to‑be‑forgotten night, the first candidate had been baptized and had gone up behind the sheet to change his clothes. The second man ...

3031. Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... A Theology of the Social Gospel [New York: Macmillan, 1922; repr. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1978], 201). Baptism enabled Jesus to proclaim truly that the kingdom of God was among us, even though its time was not yet fulfilled. In Rauschenbusch's view, baptism becomes an opportunity for all Christians "to express their solemn dedication to the tasks of the kingdom of God, and accepting their rights as children of God within that kingdom" (Rauschenbusch, 200). Thus instead of being a liturgical, sacramental ...

3032. John 3:1-17

John 3:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... (v.2), he resists Jesus' words as a far more revealing glimpse into divine intentions. But Jesus is not discouraged by Nicodemus' denseness. In fact, he now adapts his image to address Nicodemus' physical focus. Oddly, verse 5 has traditionally been viewed from the perspective of what it would mean to the Johannine community rather than what it might have suggested to Nicodemus himself. Biblical scholars have debated about the sacramental focus in John's Gospel - some finding subtle references to early ...

3033. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Plato, where highbrow philosophical debate is common marketplace chatter, Paul is but one voice among a host of competing ideologies. Two of the more popular philosophical schools of thought there are Epicureanism and Stoicism, whose devotees held very different views of the world. Aware of his audience's preferences and prejudices, Paul begins his address at the Areopagus by praising his hearers for their spiritual curiosity and their wide-ranging search for religious truth. The closest they have arrived ...

3034. Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the most basic stuff of creation - the endangered, fragile planet Earth on which we all depend. Scientists have delved into the microcosm of individual genes only to find each new discovery pulling them back to an ecosystemic and macrocosmic view. Religious leaders have focused on the salvation of individual souls only to find themselves pulled inside out toward the social dimensions of the gospel (witness Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Chuck Colson, etc). This simultaneous look inward and outward brings ...

3035. Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the New Testament 38 [1990], 29-35). Charette claims that both those images reflect "the dawning age of salvation" (31) - an age that is initiated by the very acts Jesus has been performing in his own ministry - healing, preaching, teaching. Thus, the "harvest" should be viewed as an eschatological blessing, not a judgment. Charette's suggestion leads him to the conclusion that the harvest Jesus calls for in 9:37-38 is not a harvest of the people, but a harvest of blessing for the people. To distribute this ...

3036. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... they encounter, in the face of every challenge and even during outright persecution, the disciples are to find their strength and their identity in being like Jesus, their teacher. The fact that they will face degradation and physical persecution should also be viewed as testimony to their "likeness" to their master. Jesus had just summarily been slandered by some Pharisees who suggested that his healing abilities came not from God but from "the prince of demons" or Beelzebub (Matthew 9:32-34). Clearly, if ...

3037. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that humans could now be carnivores with a clear conscience. There were, of course, the later Levitical restrictions on the types of meat that were "clean" and on the proper way to prepare meat (removing the blood). But meat itself was not viewed as suspect in any way. Indeed, the rituals of temple worship were quite bloodthirsty - Yahweh demanded and received burnt offerings of fat and meat regularly. Still, there were certain minority Jewish groups, such as the Therapeutai of Egypt, who abstained from ...

3038. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... heartfelt, genuine thanks to God, whatever the circumstances facing them. All these imperatives must have sounded intimidating to the struggling Thessalonian community just as they do to us today. But in verses 18b-19, Paul reveals that the Thessalonians should not view this constant joyfulness, prayerfulness and thankfulness as a set of requirements they must meet. Rather these attitudes are what become possible for them, and for each of us, to experience and manifest in life because of the Holy Spirit's ...

3039. Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3040. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is the topic of the next several verses. "Through Jesus Christ," "according to the good pleasure of his will," "through his blood," and "according to the riches of his grace." All the activity is directed by God's hands. Even the sacrifice of "the Beloved" is viewed entirely as a function of God's will. For this writer, the humanity of Jesus, who endured suffering and death, is subsumed completely by the obedience of the Christ who fulfills God's plan. Revealing this "plan" is the writer's aim. The whole of ...

3041. Mark 1:14-20

Mark 1:14-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... announcing "John was arrested." With Satan dismissed and John imprisoned, the stage is set and clear for Jesus to begin "preaching the gospel of God." While some commentators see verses 14-15 as the closing unit in Mark's prologue, others prefer to view them as the welcome mat to the rest of the gospel story. Either way they succinctly encapsulate the gist of Jesus' preached message. John the Baptist preached repentance as a means of preparation. Jesus begins his public ministry by announcing that the time ...

3042. 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... absolutely wrong. The apostle tips his hand in his initial comment in verse 1. For while he agrees that all believers share "knowledge," he simultaneously warns that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." The "strong" Corinthians focused on proving that their views about eating idol-offered meat are correct based on the knowledge they have gained as Christians. Paul's focus right from the start is not on this dietary argument, but rather is on the effect the debate has on the Corinthian community ...

3043. John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... way to follow. In verse 27 there is some debate over whether Jesus' plea ,"Father, save me from this hour," is only part of his rhetorical question, "What shall I say?" or is actually a petition standing by itself. (In those translations that view it as a genuine petition, there is no question mark after "Father, save me from this hour.") No matter how sincerely or how momentarily Jesus entertained the desire to avoid his fate, he completes his thought in verse 27 by utterly rejecting deliverance. Jesus ...

3044. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the cross. Our prior convictions and guilty conditions are highlighted by the Greek term used here for "forgiveness" (aphesis). Aphesis was the legal term used when convicted prisoners were released from their deserved penalties by the court a legal pardon. Some scholars view the thoughts running through verses 9-10 as the final statements of this berakah section. Verse 9 speaks of the "mystery" of God's plan of action carried out in Christ. This saving activity is, of course, no longer a mystery to those ...

3045. Ephesians 2:11-22

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for the church, the body of Christ. Verse 19 uses its "so then" to direct the reader back to the topic being discussed in verse 13 and re-emphasizes the theme of "the far-off." In the body of Christ, Gentiles are no longer to be viewed as "strangers" i.e. "sojourners" or "resident aliens" who are distinguished by a different set of rights and standards. Gentiles are now to be full "citizens with the saints." This membership is not only true for the present and future community, but extends backwards into ...

3046. Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... both challenges Jesus' authority over his own disciples and denies the hard truth that Jesus proclaims to them. It is with stern, decisive words then that Jesus puts Peter firmly in his place. He turns his back to Peter, to Peter's traditional view of messianic leadership, and squarely faces his confused and ignorant disciples and tragic future. Jesus declares Peter's words to be the voice of Satan i.e., the voice of disobedience and temptation to think along ordinary notions of success and triumph. The ...

3047. Isaiah 9:2-7

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... hope and deliverance. It is against the "darkness" of this experience that Isaiah foresees "a great light." Note that the voice of this poem is in the past tense, as though these events have already taken place. As a prophet, Isaiah projected his view to a point even more distant than the messianic moment he was describing. From that vantage point, the prophet can look back and tell the people with confidence what has "already" occurred. Against the dismal present in which the people are caught, Isaiah ...

3048. About Sex

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... essential acts of marriage,” to be enjoyed “with goodwill and delight, willingly, readily, and cheerfully.” One congregation even excommunicated a man for sexually neglecting his wife. (1) Let’s do away forever with the idea that many people have about the Christian view of sex that God created us male and female and then simply said, “Don’t.” Even St. Paul writes in I Corinthians 7: “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s ...

3049. Christ's Life Changed Culture

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

... writes, "Whether we like it or not, Christ's life radically changed human culture throughout the world. Before Jesus came, the world was ruled by the ‘might makes right' theory. But Jesus' teaching about humility and turning the other cheek redefined our views of human character, of war, of masculinity. Jesus' commitment to the poor, to women and children opened the way for civil rights and equality for women. Marriages became more equitable. Also, it was a common practice in Roman families to kill female ...

3050. Two Kinds of People in This World

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

The British journalist and Christian apologist G. K. Chesterton once said that there are two kinds of people in the world: When trees are waving wildly in the wind, one group thinks it's the wind that moves the trees. This is the customary and ancient view of things. The invisible is behind the scenes giving energy to the visible. But more and more we hear of a new breed that thinks the wind is nothing but the product of the movement of the trees themselves. As if trees can fan the air and drive the wind! ...

Showing results