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 3326 to 3350 of 4963 results

3326. Finding Our Reason For Being

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... so goes the Church. The worst nine weeks of my life were the weeks I was separated from worship. The trauma is still so deep I can hardly talk about it. I badgered and begged doctors to let me return. I did not feel relieved from responsibility, I felt alienated from community. Sunday morning television stinks, including religious TV. The weeks had no beginning and no end. The days all ran together. You did not need me. In fact, worship attendance increased during my absence. I needed you. I needed to hear ...

3327. Come to the Party

Luke 14:15-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... roads and country lanes, and compel them to come in so that my house will be full” (Luke 14:23). Is there an empty seat in the house? Are you compelled to fill it? Have you any compulsion that it might be your responsibility to fill up God’s house? Is that your responsibility at all? It would seem so from this parable. The Institute of American Church Growth asked 10,000 people why they came to church the first time. Here is what they said: 2% - special need 3% - walked in 6% - pastor impressed me 13 ...

3328. What is the Connection Between Church and State?

Mark 12: 14-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... where the people asked the Lord to intervene. That night, lightning struck the nightclub and burned it down. The owner of the club proceeded to sue the church for damages. The church denied any responsibility. When the case finally reached the judge, he made this observation: “Whether or not the church is responsible for the fire, only God knows. But it does appear that the nightclub owners believe in prayer while the church members do not.” So when we sing “God Bless America” this 4th of July ...

3329. Ezekiel: The Problem of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... this Sanctuary, the valleys are real for you and me. The cancer is relentless. The marriage is dead. The job is pointless. The grief is deep. The days are difficult. The nights are long. And we respond much like Ezekiel did, ‘O Lord, can these bones live?' And Ezekiel's response was ‘I don't know. Only you know, Lord; it's in your hands. I don't know if there is any life left in these bones, any hope remaining in this valley. If there is any hope in the midst of the valley of dry bones, Lord, it's ...

3330. Develop Leaders—Humbly

Colossians 3:12-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and actions. Wouldn't you like to be the kind of spiritual leader that God wants you to be? Like Simba we might find ourselves saying, “Who me? Now you have to be kidding. I'm going to stick out in the other land where there are no worries, no responsibilities and no problems." God doesn't call us there; remember who you are, Simba. You belong back among your people setting them on the right road. I invite you to a simple prayer of dedication that we may be the kind of leaders who glorify God. If you are ...

3331. By Enduring

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... also barred from teaching a class at Carson Newman College here in Tennessee. Glenn says, “The precariousness of my situation forced me to search for insight greater than I possessed. My near daily meditations on the matter led me to the Apostle Paul and his responses to attacks on him. In particular, I was drawn to his words, “for the sake of the gospel." In short, he restrained his freedom and his feelings in order that Christ could be glorified. And I started trying to pray that way." For the sake ...

3332. Marketing or Disciplemaking?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... these. It's just that I've been the only student for the last five weeks and I don't like being in class by myself." That day I was angry with the parents of every five-year-old in that church. We not only have a responsibility for ourselves, we have a responsibility for others. Are my actions and attitudes about church helping or hindering someone's relationship with God? In your heart, give a truthful answer. Some of the most devoted people I've known, I have met in church. How can I be so lucky to work ...

3333. Giving Our Gratitude

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... this congregation? I love your passion for excellence. You will not settle for mediocrity. It doesn't make it an easy place to work. Your expectations of the staff are high. Our buildings bring glory to God. Our programs are second to none. Our lay leaders are dedicated and responsive. That's what a church ought to be. It ought to be the very best that it possibly can be for the glory of God; that's what church is all about. Did you hear the story about a woman who found a forgotten turkey in the bottom of ...

3334. Work, For the Night Is Coming

John 9:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Some people say the systems failed. It's the government's fault; it's FEMA's fault. Where is the Red Cross when you need them? Why doesn't the church do something? Of course, all of us who claim to be “helpers of the hurting" bear some responsibility even though we are human and capable of being overwhelmed. Perhaps the worst thing we can do is get on television and say to people sitting on their rooftops, “We understand; we know how you feel!" We don't understand. We don't know how they feel. So ...

3335. Fanning the Flames of Family

Ephesians 5:8-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . When communication fails, blame becomes the name of the game. I don't think I have seen it any more intense than I have seen it in the last couple of weeks. It's the president's fault; it's the mayor's fault; it's the governor's responsibility. Why didn't the Red Cross do something and where are churches when you need them? Meanwhile the face of a child is broadcast into living rooms across America pleading, “We need some help down here. Can't you all come and help us?" What a traumatic situation we ...

3336. A Thousand Points of Light

Isaiah 60:1-3; 18-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... their doors as shelters, and millions of people giving money to relief efforts. The greatness of America is in the goodness of its people. We who claim to follow Jesus need to lead the way. Indeed, many are. We are rewriting the book on disaster response. When the new edition hits the press, I hope it gives credit to people of goodwill who have risen to the challenge of this devastation. People of faith are making a difference in this country—not by political pressure and public laws, and using the ...

3337. Three Basic Attitudes about Life

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... that’s what we all need to have the heart of Jesus to be born all over again. To see life in a whole new way. Let’s pray that God will give us the heart of the Master so that any time we see someone in need, our first response will be, “What can I do to help? 1. In Other Words, 1996. 2. Sylvia Moreno & Leef Smith in The Washington Post. Cited in “That’s Outrageous!” Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1998, p. 45. 3. Darley & Batson. Cited by Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There ...

3338. The Tavern

Luke 11:1-13

Illustration

J.K. Johnston

... prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that "no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not."

3339. Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of his very life. To “relax, eat, drink, and be merry” is the only requirement the rich farmer puts on his own life, and expects for his future. The failure of this man’s plan and the fragility of life itself are revealed by the divine response to the farmer’s scheming. The short form of Jesus’ parable could be summed up as “People plan, God laughs.” Or in the more familiar longer version: “Want to make God laugh? Tell God your plans.” The rich man’s new grain-stuffed mega-barns will ...

3340. Choosing a Master

Matthew 6:16-24

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... -control have corrupted our use of them. I know I am inching out onto a limb to talk about food in a sermon. I risk offending people. I risk the charge of hypocrisy. I risk every eye following me at the next potluck supper! As a pastor, I have the responsibility of interpreting scripture, and of speaking the truth. The truth is that most of us do not have a good relationship with food, even if we think we do. I know that some of us would say that we get along just great with food. Some of us seem to ...

3341. Wonderful Opportunities for Mission

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

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... poor and hurting is obvious in Jesus' instructions. Jim Wallis, a well-known Evangelical political activist, wrote a best-selling book titled God's Politics, which pointed out that there are several thousand verses of the Bible which deal with the poor and God's response to injustice. One of every sixteen verses in the New Testament, he contended, is about the poor.5 In view of the weight that the Bible gives this theme, I wonder why we don't have more focus on addressing poverty in American Christianity. I ...

3342. It’s Not about You; It’s All about God

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... began to teach in parables. What followed was the famed parable of the sower. Most of us think we know the point of the parable. After all, Jesus himself explained its meaning (Matthew 13:18-23). But did he? In its present form, the parable is about our response to the seed (the word of God) which has been sown among us. But was this really Jesus' point? The consensus among most New Testament scholars is that this was not Jesus' point, that the explanation of the parable in verses 18-23 was not part of the ...

3343. Why Is God Unfair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... wage. "We have been working hard all the day, and this one who only labored two hours receives as much salary as we do," the full-day workers complained to the king. "It is because he has done more in two hours than you in the entire day," came the response. This, then, fueled Rabbi Zeira's eulogistic homily. "In the same manner [Rabbi Bun], although he had only studied the law up to the age of 28, knew it better than a learned man or a pious man who would have studied it up to the age of 100 years ...

3344. Kingdoms in Conflict

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... -Vassal covenant established in Genesis 17, faith stuck deeply in Abraham's life. Of course, for the Israelites at Mount Sinai who reviewed this history, the lesson was clear. God's gifts alone do not bind us into God's redemptive enterprises. A faith response and loyal service round out the picture. Without investment on our part, no great blessing of God lingers for our enjoyment. Abraham and his descendants form a great team because they have a great coach who gives the right incentives and demands the ...

3345. Dressed for the Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Chris Ewing

3346. In Whose Likeness?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... do I pay my taxes — and to whom should I? If you haven't pondered that one lately, you may be overdue. As citizens of a democratic nation, we bear a special responsibility not only for our personal choices but also for the life of our nation and the priorities of our government. So where, both literally and metaphorically, should our taxes go? In response to the question, Jesus says, show me a coin. "Show me the coin used for [paying] the tax" (Matthew 22:19). Show me what it takes to get by in this world ...

3347. Unwanted Freedom

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... , our own society, in order to realize more fully God's intention for us. And like any departure from slavery, it often brings a very intense insecurity, as we learn to live without certain familiar structures, and to make our own decisions and take responsibility for our own choices. It is not easy to live with freedom. As poet Irving Layton once observed, "Only the tiniest fraction of mankind want freedom. All the rest want someone to tell them they are free."8 Genuine freedom — freedom rooted, as Jesus ...

3348. Nations on Trial

Matthew 25:31-46

Drama

Chris Ewing

... will judge our country, our citizens, and our leaders because of inequality? 1: God will judge our country, our citizens, and our leaders because of inequality. 2: And as a member of my society and a citizen of a democracy I have some responsibility for this? 5: Christians are in a unique position. "Christians alone straddle the whole spectrum of rich nations, and therefore Christians are a lobby or can be a lobby of incomprehensible importance."7 2: That doesn't sound like the kind of Christian lobbying ...

3349. Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll!

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Tony Everett

... , or so he imagined. He couldn't be bothered. He replied, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test" (Isaiah 7:12). Hmmm ... if God invited you to ask for any sign of God's presence and guidance, even for a major miracle, your response would likely be to stop everything; drop to your knees; cover your face in humility, and roll with pleasure in God's glory! Amen! Bring it on Lord! Show me your sign! Sadly, this wasn't for poor Ahaz. Let's look at his situation. Ahaz had been crowned King ...

3350. Forty Days and Forever

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Tony Everett

... be obeyed. Perhaps you also recall that it was Aaron and Hur who held Moses' tired arms high in order to bring victory in a battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:10-12). Aaron, Moses' brother, was responsible for faithful worship and proclaiming God's words. Hur, possibly Moses' brother-in-law, was responsible for faithful obedience to God's teachings. Together, they were to insure faithful waiting ... to make sure that the people got it even if they did not always feel it ... to make certain that faithful waiting ...

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