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 376 to 400 of 480 results

376. A Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 3:14-21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... that the author may have in mind. A number of interpretations of this passage refer to the shape of the cross, the church, the temple, the visible universe, and so forth. At best, however, such suggestions are “curiosities” (Stott, p. 137), or fanciful and ingenious interpretations (Mitton, p. 134). When the author begins to reflect upon Christ’s love, he quickly discovers that there is no tangible way to describe it, and so he resorts to these rhetorical expressions. Christ’s love can be described ...

377. I Don't Have Time For a Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... Good morning, boys and girls. I brought with me the society section of our newspaper. I wanted to read about some of the important people in our town who are having parties. Would you like to get dressed up in a tuxedo or an evening dress and go to a fancy party? In New York I understand the fanciest group in town is limited to only 400 people. The reason the group is limited to 400 is that was all that could be fitted into Mrs. Astor's ballroom. Mrs. Astor was one of the richest women in New York. Can ...

378. Jacob and Esau

Genesis 25:19-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... . His reddish complexion, however, corresponds to the name of the land where he settled, namely, Edom (’edom), which comes from the same Hebrew root. The second twin came out of the womb with his hand grasping Esau’s heel (’aqeb). This so struck the fancy of his parents that they named him Jacob (ya’aqob), “one who grabs a heel, a finagler.” His behavior at birth symbolized the strife between him and Esau throughout their childhood. At this time Isaac was sixty years old. 25:27–28 The boys ...

379. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... 67). In contrast to the pagan sanctuaries of Canaanite gods and their names, the Israelites were to seek the place the LORD your God will choose. Their worship was to take place neither at the religious sites of the former inhabitants nor at any place they happened to fancy (v. 13, cf. Ezek. 20:28f.), but only at the place of Yahweh’s choice. The primary emphasis is on the distinguishing feature of the site as being chosen by Yahweh, not just on it being one place rather than many. The unity of Israel’s ...

380. Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... sound equally funny in Heaven and in Hell, and we must keep them doing so. . . . It is as if a royal child whom his father has placed, for love’s sake, in titular command of some great province, under the real rule of wise counsellors, should come to fancy he really owns the cities, the forest, and the corn, in the same way as he owns the bricks on the nursery floor. . . . We have taught [people] to say “my God” in a sense not really very different from “my boots,” meaning “The God on whom I ...

381. Rejecting or Responding to Jesus

Luke 10:1-24

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... critic, a creative theologian, and a beloved pastor, MacDonald (1824–1905) was held in high esteem by many luminaries in the literary world, including C. S. Lewis, who wrote, “I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master; indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him.”2 Lewis says that MacDonald had “an almost perfect relationship with his father” that was “the earthly root of all his wisdom.”3 From his father, Lewis adds, MacDonald “first ...

382. The Failure of Israel’s Leadership

Luke 11:37-54

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... life and character are in decay. They are self-deceived, and they have taken the shortcut to holiness, over the wall instead of by the narrow gate. Christian cannot help replying, “I walk by the rule of my Master; you walk by the rude working of your fancies. You are counted thieves already by the Lord of the way; therefore I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the way. You come in by yourselves without his direction, and shall go out by yourselves without his mercy.”1 Religious teaching ...

383. The Story of Israel and the Story of Gentiles

Romans 1:18-32

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... of fact, neither Israel nor the nations kept God’s respective stipulations for them. Rather, beginning with the fall of Adam (compare Gen. 1–3 with Rom. 1:18–32) and continuing after Noah, Gentiles continued in the idolatry of the first couple, and Israel (which fancied itself as God’s replacement of Adam) fared no better, falling into idolatry at the incident of the golden calf (Exod. 32; cf. Ps. 106:20; Jer. 2:11). In other words, the sin component of the story of Israel and the sin component of ...

384. God’s Saving Righteousness and the Restoration of Israel

Romans 3:21-31

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... . Rather, it is only by faith in Christ that anyone will be justified before God. 3:29–30 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Here Paul turns his attention to criticizing Jewish national exclusivism.5Jews fancied themselves to be better than Gentiles because they worshiped the one true God and possessed his law. In 3:29–30 Paul turns this argument on its head: monotheism means that the one true God is uniting all humankind (Jew [circumcised] and Gentile [uncircumcised ...

385. Grain Offerings

Leviticus 2:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... , though with an ironic twist. James Dillingham and his lovely wife, Della, are deeply in love with each other, but money is tight. Della has no money to buy Jim a Christmas present. So she makes a great sacrifice. To get money to buy her husband a present—a fancy fob or chain for his prized pocket watch—she sells her beautiful, long hair to a wig maker. Jim, in turn, has no money to buy her a Christmas present, so he sells his prized pocket watch to buy her beautiful combs for her lovely hair. O. Henry ...

386. Making a Successful Future

Numbers 34:1-29

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... Divino called a meeting of everyone who initially planned to go on this trip. At that meeting he passed out the airplane tickets for the first stage of the trip to each student. He did this in order to change the idea of this trip from a fanciful dream into something very concrete in the minds of students. There before them was their boarding pass. They saw their own name on the ticket that would begin their long journey to Africa. This experience led some who had been wavering to redouble their efforts to ...

387. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... all men when He went up a mountain to pray. There was something that He covered constantly by abrupt silence or impetuous isolation. There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth; and I have sometimes fancied that it was His mirth.[15] Trust in the Lord and his unfailing love. Hymn: “How Can I Keep from Singing?,” by Robert Lowry. Lowry’s hymn (also known as “My Life Flows On in Endless Song”) captures what most of us would consider an inconsistency ...

388. Thank You, Siri...Oops!

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... thank you” is a statement, first of all, of our character. Saying “Thank you” is also a statement of grace. Perhaps the greatest barrier to saying, “thank you” for many of us is our pride. We don’t like acknowledging our dependence on anybody--even God. We fancy ourselves to be self-made persons. We like to think that we have no one to thank but ourselves. How blind we are. I am convinced that this is the primary detriment to joy in the church today. How can we thank God for our deliverance from ...

389. Where has Your Lover Gone

Song of Songs 6:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... know” to solve the problem.) Is “my soul” the subject or object of “did not know” or the subject of “set me”? If the latter, then “my soul” is a figure for another person (hence the translations “my desire” [NJB, NIV] or “my fancy” [NRSV], in reference to the lover). The maiden uses many terms of endearment for her lover, but “my soul” is not one of them. Perhaps the maiden here recounts her abduction by Solomon and transport to Jerusalem upon venturing into the orchard of nut ...

390. If Only You Were To Me A Brother

Song of Songs 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... my pomegranates” (8:2) has distinctly erotic connotations, the woman’s breasts being identified with pomegranates in Egyptian love poetry (cf. Carr, 167; Hess, 230). The love repose the maiden imagined in 2:6 will soon be a reality, as the awakening of love fancied in 4:16 now comes to fruition. The refrain closing this major section of the poem carries the full force intended by the writer. The maiden and the shepherd have been rejoined in love. 8:5–14 · The Shulammite Maiden and Her Shepherd Lover ...

391. Prophecies Against Tyre and her King

Ezekiel 28:1-19, Ezekiel 28:20-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... verses 1–10, an oracle of judgment. Verses 11–19, on the other hand, are a lament. Verses 1–10 perpetuate the maritime connections of Tyre that chapters 26 and 27 emphasize, but verses 11–19 do not. The city is ruled by a monarch who fancies himself a god. Again the point is made, as in chapters 26 and 27, that Tyre’s location confers on it an almost superhuman exemption from the vicissitudes most cities face and draws legendary wealth to it. This feeling of “nobody can interfere with us” has ...

392. Assyria

Zephaniah 2:13-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... plunder from conquered nations came to Nineveh and enriched the empire. Because Nineveh had been the capital of the Assyrian Empire for more than one hundred years, its citizens imagined the empire was secure. Zephaniah speaks of the city in its fancied security. Nineveh represented a totalitarian regime. The king, called the “shepherd” of his people, embodied the divine destiny of the empire. The unique position of the Assyrian king and the Assyrians’ pride in their way of life were idolatrous from ...

393. Can You Hear It?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... -space. The last great frontier is our souls. We discovered the last great frontier when 9/11 occurred. When the towers tumbled before our eyes and terror covered us like the night, what did our nation reach for? Not bank accounts! Not portfolios! Not fancy cars! They reached for God and each other. Suddenly, it was politically correct to cry out to God and acknowledge that we are unable to fix ourselves. Suddenly, it was politically correct to confess that we needed God. Suddenly, our smugness of believing ...

394. The Wind

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... don’t we? We have become really good at being careful of the Spirit over the years. We have become really good at putting a governor on the Spirit of God. We have become rather skilled at stifling the Spirit when it doesn’t line up with our whims and fancies or it threatens to inconvenience us. The Spirit is strong but it doesn’t force itself on anyone or any church, so it will go only as far as we allow it. Thank goodness, right? Because it’s much easier running the church on our own, without being ...

395. The Power of Appreciation

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... not supposed to catch Joe. It’s Joe’s task to catch me.”[1] So often we try to grab onto God. We think that if we read enough books and go to enough Bible studies, we can catch God. We think if we do enough mental gymnastics or enough fanciful praying, we can catch God. It’s not our job to catch God. God catches us. This is what Christmas is all about. God catches our hearts through Jesus Christ. In Christ we also find a love worth sharing. First John 4:11-12 says, “Beloved, since God loves us ...

396. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... play he seems to indicate that he now is a different kind of Pharisee from what he had been. Previously he had been a Pharisee separated from Gentiles; now he is separated for them! Verse 1 is unambiguous about Paul’s self-understanding. He does not fancy himself a religious genius, nor does he trumpet his creative ability. His message is not from himself but from God, and whatever honor is ascribed to Paul must be attributed not to any greatness in him but to a power above him, to God who has radically ...

397. John the Baptist Beheaded

Mark 6:14-29

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... tetrarch of Galilee in 4 B.C. and ruled until he was banished by the Roman emperor Caligula in A.D. 39 upon the basis of charges from Herod Agrippa I, Antipas’ nephew, who ruled Galilee after Antipas. Antipas always desired the title “king,” and fancied himself as worthy of this royal status. Matt. 14:1 and Luke 9:7 both call him by his proper title, whereas Mark here refers to him as “king,” very likely in mockery of his unfulfilled vanity. The whole Herodian family history is a complex tale ...

398. The Rich Young Man

Mark 10:17-31

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... a camel going through the eye of a needle (see note). One occasionally still hears the misinformed suggestion that this statement of Jesus referred to a small hole or gate in the wall of Jerusalem known as the Needle’s Eye, but this is completely fanciful, and the widespread use of similar expressions in ancient Jewish tradition demonstrates that the terms are to be taken in their normal sense, a “camel” and an “eye of a needle.” The full force of this figure of speech is reflected in the reaction ...

399. Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

Deut 2:1-23–2:37

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... destruction of all booty as well—on this occasion Israel kept what they captured (v. 35). The laws of war and the problems associated with the ban on confiscating goods (ḥērem) will be discussed further in the commentary on chapters 7 and 20. It might be slightly fanciful to detect a note of “I told you so!” in the bald statement, not one town was too strong (lit. “too high”) for us (v. 36). But it does seem to be a rebuking answer to the fear of the people (1:28). The previous generation had ...

400. Among You Stands One

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... for many weeks. Every Christmas Phyllis’ mother had sold baked goods in order to buy Christmas presents for the children. But this year, due to the quarantine, her mother wasn’t allowed to sell any baked goods, so there would be no fancy gifts around the tree. Seven-year-old Phyllis’ biggest concern was that the quarantine would keep Santa from coming to their house altogether. The poor little girl spent the weeks leading up to Christmas in a depression. On Christmas morning, Phyllis’ father ...

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