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 3526 to 3550 of 4988 results

3526. The Promised Glory of the New House

Haggai 2:1-9

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... come to live, then the temple can also become once again the “place” from which reconciliation, harmony, well-being, and blessing will flow out into the community that lives around it in a way that benefits not only Judah itself but also those nations that have brought their gifts there. Additional Notes 1:15 See the additional note on 1:15 in §1. 2:3 Is left: see the additional note on 1:12. 2:4 In Ezra 4:4 “the people of the land” means “the local people [apart from us],” but elsewhere in the ...

3527. A Man With a Measuring Line

Zechariah 2:1-13

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... ’s vision, the glory of the Lord returns to the envisioned new temple (Ezek. 43:1–5), and Jerusalem gets a new name, “THE LORD IS THERE” (Ezek. 48:35). The goodness of this gracious gift of divine presence cannot be overstated. The presence of the glory of the Lord in Jerusalem is a gift of joy and abundant life to God’s people and, ultimately, to all nations and peoples. Zechariah’s Jerusalem audience lived in an impoverished unfortified town. The salvation portrayal of a Jerusalem made up of ...

3528. Clean Garments for the High Priest

Zechariah 3:1-10

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... of the promise, however, is new: I will give you a place among those standing here—that is, among the members of the heavenly court. The OT portrays prophets in the heavenly council (1 Kgs. 22; Jer. 23:18, 22), but not priests. God’s gift to the high priest of access to the divine council makes sense in light of the theological link between the temple courts and God’s heavenly court. The audience of Zechariah in the Persian period and beyond witnessed the end of prophecy. It was profoundly reassuring ...

3529. The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees

Zechariah 4:1-14

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... holies. On the lamp stand, however, were flame and light in full view in the temple courts. The tithes and offerings of the community, given under the leadership of the high priest and the Jewish civilian authority, keep this flame of hope alive. Their gifts and payments from the bounty of the land are expressions of gratitude to and acknowledgment of the Lord. Israel’s past unfaithfulness had resulted from, or consisted in, forgetting that the Lord was the one “who gave her the grain, the new wine and ...

3530. Give Thanks--For You!

Luke 19:11-27

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... carefully. What do you see? You see yourself, don't you? You are unique. You are a marvel. Today's lesson from the Bible is about a king who gave His servants some money to see what they would do with it. This lesson is really a parable about the gifts God has given us-- gifts He expects us to use. One thing you might give God thanks for this Thursday is yourself--your body, your mind, your personality. He has made you to be something wonderful. Why? Because He loves you.

3531. A Certain Small Shepherd

Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 15:4-13

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... gathered his meager presents--an orange and a dime--and his shepherd's costume and crook. Then he returned to the church. Going to the mother's pallet he dropped to his knees and said, "Here's a Christmas gift for the Child." He laid the orange beside the baby's hand. "And here's a Christmas gift for the Mother," putting his dime in the woman's hand. Jamie's family fell to their knees, trembling with wonder at the sound of Jamie's voice. "Surely," said the mother, "The Lord lives this day." Jamie's father ...

3532. Symbols of Love

Luke 2:1-20

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... three Sundays--about the danger of thinking that we are better than other people. All children are God's children. But there is another side to this. Christmas shows us how important each of us is to God. He loves us so much that He gave us the greatest Christmas gift of all. He gave us His Son. That's why we have Christmas. That is why we exchange gifts at Christmas time. They are symbols that we are loved--not only by our family, not only by our friends, but also, and most of all, by God.

3533. When Are You Coming?

Isaiah 63:16-64:8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... ten-year-old asked, "Where does God fit in?" Let's not forget that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Let's not forget that Jesus came into the world to show us how much God loves us. Let's not forget to say, "Thank you, God, for giving us the greatest gift of all--the gift of your Son."

3534. Thanks

Luke 17:11-19

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A dictionary Good morning, boys and girls. The gift of speech is one of the most precious gifts in the world. Once upon a time, a few years ago, all you could say was, "Da-da" and "Ma-ma." But most of you now speak about 18,000 words a day. Can you believe that? 18,000 words--and you still won't use most of the words ...

3535. The Other Side of Christmas

Luke 2:21-40

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... . I hope Santa Claus was good to you. It's kind of sad to pack away Christmas for another year, isn't it? I brought some things with me this morning that I'm packing away. What's this? That's right, some wrapping paper from a gift I received. It was a special gift and the wrapping paper is so beautiful. But I tore it and made it unusable. So, into the trash it goes. And here's an ornament off of our tree. We will pack it away until next Christmas along with the star off of the top of ...

3536. The Covenant of Circumcision

Genesis 17:1-27

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... advanced age, that he fell facedown and broke out laughing. His response revealed that his hope of having a son by Sarah had been extinguished. Reference to his spontaneous display of incredulity establishes that Abraham did nothing to earn the gift of a son. The birth of Isaac was solely a gift of God’s grace. Neither Sarah nor Abraham could do anything in themselves to bear this child. At a later time Sarah, too, would laugh at God’s announcement that she was soon to bear a son (18:12–15). Skeptical ...

3537. Jacob’s Flocks Increase

Genesis 30:25-43

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... was a result of Yahweh’s blessing on what his son-in-law was doing. Then he asked what he could do to provide for his own household. Taking this question as Jacob’s way of asking for a gift, Laban wanted to know what he could give him. Jacob replied that he was not asking for a gift. He would continue on as a shepherd if he could do one thing, that is, build his own flocks. The following transaction is described so elliptically that it is necessary to reconstruct what took place. Jacob proposed that he ...

3538. Obedience Commanded

Deuteronomy 4:1-14

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... hand, it seems that the taking of the land is here made conditional on obedience to the law. On the other hand, the gift of the land was an unconditional act of Yahweh, motivated by his faithfulness to his promise to Israel’s ancestors. The first part of ... . Ps. 106:28–31; Hos. 9:10). The point of the reminder in this context was to underline by a negative example how precious a gift was the life God offered in the land, how easily it could be forfeited, and how it was only by their loyalty to Yahweh that ...

3539. Fear the Lord

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... for you”), this phrase condenses all the blessings that Moses elsewhere expansively describes. Through obedience, Israel could enter into secure possession of the land, long life, enjoyment of all God’s gifts, etc. (cf. 5:29, 33; 6:24; 30:15–20). It also condenses the important ethical point that the law itself was a gift of God’s grace for the benefit of human beings, not an imposition for arbitrary divine satisfaction. As Moses has already pointed out (4:6–8), observing the law is wisdom—it ...

3540. Clean and Unclean Foods

Deuteronomy 14:1-21

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... are treated merely as independent laws. The instruction to eat your grain, new wine and oil . . . in the presence of the LORD is a way of acknowledging their source and their status as gifts of blessing (7:13 and 11:14)—they are not mere products of the fertility of nature, still less the gift of any fertility god of Canaan. Deuteronomy’s constant educational passion surfaces again at the end of the verse (so that you may learn . . . ), but with typical Deuteronomic human warmth. Inculcating the fear ...

3541. The Year of Canceling Debts

Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of ideals and realities that pervades the passage. Verses 4–6, on the one hand, portray an ideal situation: an Israel so rejoicing in God’s blessing that they fully obey God’s law, and thereby enjoy further blessing in a mutually reinforcing cycle of gift and response. In such a context, there need be no poverty. It is important, therefore, to set the opening declaration of verse 4a in the context of blessing (v. 4b), which is the consequence of obedience (v. 5), which is itself a response to blessing ...

3542. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... “wise and discerning heart” (3:4–15). He then hands down a legal judgment in which his use of this new gift is of crucial importance (3:16–28). The major question of interpretation is how to understand this new material on Solomon ... and discerning heart: The emphasis of the line, and indeed of the whole section 3:4–15, is that this wisdom comes as a supernatural gift from God. It is not innate (as it is implicitly in 2:1–4); it is not acquired by patient hard work, utilizing careful observation ...

3543. An Axhead Floats

2 Kings 6:1-7

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... kings are once more at war. It seems at first sight (but see the additional note to 6:9) that relations between the Israelite king and the prophet have improved since 2 Kings 3 (cf. 3:13–15); Elisha is now voluntarily offering Jehoram the benefit of his prophetic gift. He is the “fly on the wall” of the Aramean king’s own bedroom (v. 12), able to hear even his most intimate words. Enraged, the king orders his men to find out where Elisha is so that he can capture him. It is testimony to his plight ...

3544. A Prophecy Against Cush

Isaiah 18:1-7

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... ), with devastating effects for the tree. A surprising footnote follows the grim depiction of the results of battle. Whoever the people described in verse 2 are, and whether they played some part in the battle or not, they now bring gifts to “Yahweh armies,” the kind of gifts that constitute homage to a victorious king (the word comes otherwise only in Ps. 68:29; 76:11). The description recalls 16:1–5. The reversals of history bring another nation to acknowledge Yahweh. The description of Zion as the ...

3545. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... find here a shift in emphasis, from reliance on one’s own will and effort to reliance upon God’s transformative power. This idea may remind the reader of Paul’s insistence that we cannot earn a right relationship with God, but only receive it as a gift (e.g., Rom. 3:21–31). Ezekiel, too, has learned from sad and bitter experience that if Israel’s deliverance depends upon its own righteousness, then Israel has no hope at all. Israel can only have real hope for the future if they ground this hope in ...

3546. An Unholy History

Ezekiel 20:1-29, Ezekiel 20:30-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Ezekiel’s community from the land. However, this generation is in exile not because of their ancestors’ sins, but because of their own. Ezekiel asks, “Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images? When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your sons in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day” (vv. 30–31). The language is strongly reminiscent of chapter 16, where Ezekiel also uses sexual imagery to express the people’s ...

3547. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... to the temple and its personnel (vv. 8–22). Ezekiel 45:1–8 summarized and foreshadowed this allotment. Here, as there, a strip of land 25,000 cubits wide and running the breadth of the land is set aside as “the portion you are to present as a special gift” (Heb. terumah, v. 8). A square in its center, 25,000 cubits to a side, is apportioned to the temple and the city, and the remainder of this portion belongs to the prince alone (v. 21). The square at the center of the land is divided into three ...

3548. Parables Discourse: Importance of Response to the Kingdom Message

Matthew 13:1-23

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... of the early church gnosticism became one way of interpreting such sayings of Jesus. And it is all too easy for Christians to claim special knowledge and act superior to others who have not yet responded to Jesus in faith. Yet God’s revelation is a gift, and God often “gifts” it to those whom we least expect to receive it (9:9–13; 11:25–27). So we ought to be careful not to presume to know who will and will not be responsive to the message of the kingdom. As the parable of the soils indicates ...

3549. Jesus Warns of Presuming Reward and Status

Matthew 20:1-16

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... from Willy Wonka’s true purpose, which is to give his factory away to a deserving child. He is looking for a child without any such entitlement because he wants to give his factory to someone who will simply respond in wonder and joy at a gift freely given. The parable of the workers confronts its hearers with the deep and potentially disturbing generosity of God. Reflection: We can claim that we, as believers, are saved only by the grace of God, but our true assumptions are exposed by this parable. You ...

3550. Eschatological Discourse: Being Faithful and Merciful

Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:31-46

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... ’s attention to using all resources for the kingdom—the gospel, God’s gracious provision, money, talents, strengths, health, and more. As William Davies and Dale Allison suggest, “The parable implies that the gifts are various, so it makes little sense to be specific. We must rather think of God’s gifts in general.”7 2. Believers in Jesus are exhorted to practice mercy toward the needy as an expression of their covenant loyalty to Jesus himself. Given the importance of this final teaching of ...

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