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 326 to 350 of 562 results

326. Soul-Scrubbing

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... our greatest weaknesses, our smelliest selves, and binds them to the power of Christ. True humility scrubs our souls and transforms our spirits into a breath of fresh air. There is no false perfume or faked sweetness in the air surrounding a humble Christian. In a humble believer, only an atmosphere of purity and, if we are lucky enough to detect it, the slightest whiff of the sweetness of Christ's own Spirit are breathed out on the world. How do you smell?

327. Had-To

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... what kinds of "culture shocks" we will encounter there: where we turn the other cheek instead of getting even. where gold is as dust while goodness is treasured. where love is neither a full-body contact sport nor a winner-take-all competition, but is the atmosphere we breathe. where instead of struggling to gouge out a niche for ourselves, we are enfolded by the unity of peace. where the only designer label to be found reads "Graced by God" and it is found on everyone and everything. If the truth be told ...

328. Waging Wisdom

James 3:13—4:8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two digits to designate a year, there has been a generally jovial, party atmosphere about the whole event. But the deadly, misguided, apocalyptic-steeped visions of the "Heaven's Gate" cult have suddenly brought us up short. Thirty-nine sad, strange, purple-shrouded figures have forever tinged our frivolity with fear. What will the approaching ...

329. The Great Postmodern Soul Train

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

330. An Advent Attitude

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

331. Stable-Time

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

332. The Perfect Time to Lose Your Luggage

Colossians 3:12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

333. Tremendous Trifles

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , friends and family shook their heads in disbelief. These weren't kids who were usually in trouble they were "good kids." Guess what. These are not "good kids." These are children we have raised, all of us, in a cultural hothouse with an atmosphere that is "commandment-free" or at least "commandment-optional." And the reluctance of our churches to proclaim from the rooftops these tablets of stone that are to be written into our hearts makes the church an accomplice in this raising up of a generation ...

334. A Match Made in Heaven

Isaiah 61:1—62:12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... meteor crash onto the surface of Jupiter. They excitedly estimated the size of the new crater that had been formed on the planet's surface. They thrilled to the spectacle of huge billows of dust (or ice) that rose up into what passes for "atmosphere" out there. They theorized on the long-range planet-wide effects of the collision on Jupiter. It took a while. But eventually someone asked what should have been the most obvious question about this whole phenomenon of meteors crashing into planets: "What if it ...

335. Psalm 23

Psalm 23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... places of the divine, God is "host." Perhaps the simplest and still most complete understanding of Psalm 23 is its interpretation as a song of trust. Whether the trust it propounds is of an individual king caught up in a life- threatening political atmosphere, or of an entire nation which has found itself once again homeless and wandering, there remains the comforting theme of abiding trust in God's presence and providence. The trust Psalm 23 advocates and radiates is far from childlike naiveté. Part of ...

336. Hebrews 12:18-29

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ," stands beside all those in God's presence. Jesus' sacrifice, made to establish this second covenant, is clear to all present in the form of the "sprinkled blood." It is only through that blood shed for the sake of all that the party atmosphere can prevail. Christians stand before God the judge with confidence and joy, because Jesus stands beside them with the gifts of mercy and forgiveness. Verses 25-29 offer a final warning to those Christians who would flirt with disaster by abandoning their faith ...

337. Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... city that there is simply no need for a separate space designed to enhance God's presence or Christ's rule. It would be as superfluous as our designating certain parts of our cities as having oxygen for us to breathe. By definition planet Earth has an atmosphere that provides oxygen - it is found everywhere there is air. So with the divine presence in the New Jerusalem. Just as the dimensions of the temple's Holy of Holies had been spelled out in 1 Kings 6:16-22, John describes the vast size of this Holy ...

338. Jeremiah 31:7-14

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a tamed and well-watered wilderness, this unit focuses on the new abundance in the agricultural life of the restored land. The time of scarcity and poverty is clearly over. Grain and flock animals flourish, wine and oil flow, and a party atmosphere prevails. Cultic life as well as common life is enriched and restored. Jeremiah notes that the priests, too, will have "their fill of fatness" (v.14). The authenticity of these "consolation texts" in Jeremiah's scroll has sometimes been questioned. The similarity ...

339. Luke 7:36-8:3

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... lectures and insights on moral and theological issues. The evident strain in the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees did not prevent a Pharisee, Simon, from inviting Jesus to be his special guest at this public meal. But this proper, refined atmosphere is interrupted by the surprising entrance of a wholly inappropriate figure a woman "who was a sinner" (v.37). Her behavior is as unexpected and outlandish as is her presence. Although she herself does not speak throughout this entire pericope, her ...

340. Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the sacrifices and cultic observations itemized in verses 11-15 are a rejection of the temple system in general. The power of the prophetic voice was that it spoke to a specific people in specific circumstances. It is the spiritually polluted atmosphere that Yahweh finds so repugnant in the temple. In spite of all the sacrifices offered, these faithless followers have failed to understand and live according to the spirit of justice and compassion that would make them genuine people of the covenant. All ...

341. Hebrews 12:18-29

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for all. Without his sacrifice, the "sprinkled blood" which is "better" than any Old Testament sacrifice, no one would have received an invitation. Abel's sacrifice offered vindication. Jesus' once-and-for-all sacrifice offers final forgiveness. This festive atmosphere, however, should not obscure the fact that this gathering is about serious business. Hebrews' concluding remarks remind readers that this gathering at Mt.Zion, this party thrown for our salvation, is in fact our last gasp chance to cross ...

342. Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of primordial waters surging both above and below the thin dome of a God created sky is a typical Near-Eastern cosmology, this image finds new meaning in our scientifically informed perception of the Earth today. The wonder of this planet's life-sustaining atmosphere is indeed like a fragile dome shutting out the dangerous vacuum of space. Our health and well-being depend on a protective layer of ozone no deeper than the skin of an apple. Finally God creates yet another sphere, as the formation of dry ...

343. Ephesians 5:15-20

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and among them. What the Spirit's presence does is to inspire the right spirit and form of congregational worship. Again it might help to contrast this author's concept of a proper Spirit-filled experience of worship with the wild party atmosphere of so many of the pagan cultic worship ceremonies. Verse 19 describes all the facets of a genuine Spirit-filled experience of Christian worship. Singing "songs and hymns and spiritual songs" clearly defines the type of expression the Spirit inspires, while the ...

344. I'm a Leper, You're a Leper

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , antiallergenic substances . . . All end up making us bulls-eyes for bugs. You heard it right: Wet-Wipes are making us bulls-eyes for bugs. What’s that about? We are really healthy, until we aren’t. Until one stray bad bug enters the atmosphere. Suddenly an immune system that has been coddled and protected, kept clean and pristine, encounters a real, live bad guy. Without a stockpile of immune responses to draw from, without the kick-back reflexes of a body that has regularly come under assault and ...

345. It's Not a Snuggie Love

Mark 15:1-15, Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... trusted. The crowd-creature will eventually disband and dissipate the emotional energy it had generated. The level of excitement, joy, anger, or fear we feel in a crowd cannot be maintained by a “crowd of one.” When Jesus approached Jerusalem the atmosphere of excitement that hung in the air suddenly electrified the crowd. Joy was palpable. Hopes were heightened. The crowd began to celebrate Jesus as he rode into the city on that colt, with an exuberance beyond any individual understanding. The cloaks ...

346. Advent 1

Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... make us err ...?" We often blame others or our circumstances for our wrong doing. Can we blame God for our sins? Is this not giving God credit for too much? 2. Rend (v. 1). It is a dramatic word. It pictures Yahweh above the clouds, behind the curtain of the atmosphere. The writer calls upon God, the holy, transcendent God, to tear open the veil and come to earth to help his people in distress and despondency. It is a cry of desperation. Oh, if only we had such a longing for Christ to come into our lives! 3 ...

347. A Violent Wind

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... same egg six times.” Now that’s a strong wind. One of the most interesting true stories I’ve read involving wind is found in the book, Small Miracles. It concerned the British astronomer Camille Flammarion. In 1900, while writing his famous book on the atmosphere, Flammarion was working on the chapter on wind when a sudden, unnaturally strong gust of wind swept all his papers off the table and blew them out of the window. As they fluttered to the ground several yards away from his home, a friend of ...

348. A World of Difference

Mark 4:26-34

Illustration

King Duncan

... to complete. The next day, Saturday, Helen took those papers and compiled a list for each student of what others in the class liked about them. On Monday she gave each student a paper with what other classmates had written about them. The atmosphere in the class changed instantly; her students were smiling again. Helen overheard one student whisper, "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" The students were happy with themselves and one another again. It was time to continue with their math lessons ...

349. Penguins in Mission

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... . His teammates scrambled for the rebound and gave Scotty a second chance. He missed again, which started another fight for the ball. “‘The kids know when Scotty’s in there, their game is over,’ Coach Nash said. ‘They’re doing it for him now. The atmosphere changes. If they’re worn out, they’ll break their necks to get that rebound. Our kids will go above everybody to get the ball to Scotty.’ “On his fourth try, Harmon sunk a three pointer. Fans on both sides of the gym cheered wildly ...

350. Go Fly A Kite

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sings together is “Let’s Go Fly A Kite.” [If you can play it here, fantastic. Or better yet, get your choir to sing it.] Let’s go fly a kite Up to the highest heights Let’s go fly a kite, and send it soaring. Up in the atmosphere, Up where the air is clear, Let’s all go . . . fly a kite. Flying high. Flying free. Flying solo. Flying together. Flying was the great dream that drove the Apollo 11 astronauts to land on the moon 40 years ago last month (19 July 1969). Our Scripture lesson for ...

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