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 4501 to 4525 of 4952 results

4501. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... more will turn away from the friends to address God, and by the end of the book just Yahweh and Job are left speaking. Historical and Cultural Background As in 3:17–20, in 7:9 “the grave” refers to Sheol, the place of the dead. In ancient Near Eastern thought, this was viewed as the shadowy underworld (see the sidebar, “Sheol and the Afterlife,” in the unit on Job 3). In 7:12 Job alludes to the familiar motif of the battle between the creator God and chaos (see also 3:8; 9:8, 13; 26:12–13; 38:8 ...

4502. Zophar Rejects Job’s Complaints

Job 11:1-20

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... terms, and he seems devoid of any personal compassion. He appears to have little sensitivity to Job’s profound pain. 11:7–8 Can you fathom the mysteries of God? . . . What can you know? In 10:13 Job suggested that he knows God’s thoughts that lie behind his actions toward him. Zophar, however, exaggerates what Job said into a claim that Job thinks that he knows all that God knows. Zophar’s questions in verses 7–8, then, are an aggressive rhetorical attack against Job rather than genuine ...

4503. Zophar’s Final Words for Job

Job 20:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... dying of cancer. Rod Blagojevich also went to jail. A number of senators and members of Congress have had their reputations ruined for perverse and undignified sexual activities. The brazenness of the behavior in so many cases indicates that they must have thought they would get away with it. Film: The Principal (1987). In this unsentimental treatment of an inner-city, crime-ridden high school, a new principal, played by James Belushi, arrives. Having nothing to lose because of past failure in his personal ...

4504. Job Comes to a Good End

Job 42:7-17, Job 42:1-6

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... . The all-knowing Yahweh knows the pure heart of Job. As we struggle with adversity, we, like Job, may ask questions that seem dangerous, and we may even express feelings that are raw, but we can be sure that the Lord searches our hearts and knows our thoughts (Ps. 139:23–24) and that he will lead us in his good way. Illustrating the Text Having seen God’s omnipotence, Job yields to God in great humility. Book: In God’s Waiting Room, by Lehman Strauss. In this book, Strauss writes, “I expect to meet ...

4505. “Have Mercy on Me, Lord, for I Am Faint”

Psalm 6:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... through this psalm. As Kidner says, “The psalm gives words to those who scarcely have the heart to pray, and brings them within sight of victory.”9 Jesus uses the language of the psalmist’s imperative (6:8) when he speaks of those evildoers who thought their pretense of doing good would get them into the kingdom of God (Matt. 7:23). But their actions spoke louder than their words. Illustrating the Text The dark night Human Experience: When your congregants can relate to the struggle of David, they are ...

4506. “The Lord . . . Rules the World in Righteousness”

Psalm 10:1-18, Psalm 9:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... from the gates of death . . . in the gates of Daughter Zion. The psalmist prays that the Lord may deliver him from the “gates of death” so that he may recount God’s praises in the “gates of Daughter Zion.” Normally the ancients of the biblical world thought of the netherworld as a city with gates. 9:16 the wicked are ensnared. Divine justice was the real reason for the snare, not the wicked’s carelessness, a truth that 9:16 lays out. The Hebrew word higgayon at the end of the verse (see NIV ...

4507. “You Will Fill Me with Joy in Your Presence”

Psalm 16:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... . Puffing up with pride, the pastor asked the scouts as they arrived, “What took you so long?” The scouts merely smiled and complimented him. A little later one of the scouts asked the pastor what he thought about the American bald eagles that had been flying overhead. Another scout asked him what he thought about the beautiful redwood trees. Still another asked if he had stopped to see the trout that the fishermen along the river had caught. The pastor had to admit he had not seen any of this. Why ...

4508. “The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Lack Nothing”

Psalm 23:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... lamb (23:1–4) 2. The divine Shepherd and the king (23:5–6) Historical and Cultural Background Proposed dates for this psalm have ranged from David’s time to the exile. Delitzsch locates it in the period of Absalom’s rebellion.[4] Understandably, the thought of David’s trust in God being so personal and confident in so troubled a time is certainly attractive. However, the connections are tenuous at best. Perhaps the end of David’s life is more probable. It makes a lot of sense to think of David ...

4509. “Taste and See That the Lord Is Good”

Psalm 34:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the great lion, portrays Jesus. In a conversation between Susan (one of the four children in the story) and Mr. Beaver, we are reminded of the “fear of the Lord.” Mr. Beaver says, “Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh,” says Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “Safe?” says Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”[13] The Lord of ...

4510. “May the Net They Hid Entangle Them”

Psalm 35:1-28

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... in 35:7, with 35:8 stipulating the punishment. 35:8 may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. This principle of Old Testament ethics, that one’s evil deeds should “entangle” the evildoer, picks up on the same thought as 34:21 and is basic to Old Testament jurisprudence. 35:9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord. The Hebrew word for “soul” (nepesh) is not the Greek concept of “soul,” the disembodied spirit, but rather the idea of the human person. The ...

4511. “Your Love, Lord, Reaches to the Heavens, Your Faithfulness to the Skies”

Psalm 36:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... especially in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and can be translated nominally (“oracle of the Lord”) or verbally (“says the Lord”; e.g., Jer. 1:8). Outline/Structure Craigie draws attention to two terms in this psalm that give a chiastic structure of thought: “wicked” (36:1) and “love” (36:5), and the reverse order of “love” (36:10) and “wicked” (36:11). The predominant place of these terms in each of these four sections sets the theme of the psalm, with the term “wicked” forming ...

4512. “I Waited Patiently for the Lord; He Turned to Me and Heard My Cry”

Psalm 40:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... given to Moses (the traditional Jewish number) were reduced by David to eleven (Ps. 15:1–5), by Isaiah to six (Isa. 33:15), by Micah to three (Mic. 6:8), and by Habakkuk to one (Hab. 2:4). Psalm 40:6–8 operates in that vein of thought as it reduces the sacrificial law to the simplified and unadorned statute “to do your will, my God,” a law that God has placed in the psalmist’s heart. Jesus joined this company of prophets, reducing the Torah to a single commandment, to love God with all one ...

4513. “As the Deer Pants for Streams of Water, So My Soul Pants for You, My God”

Psalm 42:1-11, Psalm 43:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Even in adverse circumstances of place, atmosphere, and our own troubled thoughts, we can rally our hearts to joy and hope in God. Understanding the Text Psalms 42 and 43 are distinct psalms in the Hebrew (MT), Greek (LXX), Syriac, and Vulgate, which suggests that ... , “There has been a succession of marvelous experiences of the friendship of God. I resolved that I would succeed better this year with my experiment of filling every minute full of the thought of God than I succeeded last year.”14

4514. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... shared by Habakkuk as the prophet wrestles with God’s fairness. The matter at issue for Habakkuk is how God can use a godless nation like Babylon to bring discipline on Judah, a more righteous nation. And as the prophet continues to wrestle with his thoughts, something incredible happens. At the end of his book, Habakkuk concludes with these words: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep ...

4515. “Ride Forth Victoriously in the Cause of Truth, Humility and Justice”

Psalm 45:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... be the scepter of your kingdom.Hilber cites the ancient Near Eastern texts that speak of the king as the god’s representative. While in Egypt the king was considered divine, this was not generally true in the ancient Near East. In Israel the king was thought of as God’s son (Ps. 2:7), and priests of the temple were sometimes called ’elohim (Exod. 21:6; 22:8–9).7Hakham translates the verse “Your throne, of God, is forever and ever,” and he alleviates the tension by expanding the verse as follows ...

4516. “Within Your Temple, O God, We Meditate on Your Unfailing Love”

Psalm 48:1-14

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... evidence we have only heard about with our ears (48:8). Outline/Structure When we listen to the voices of the psalm, we hear only the psalmist’s voice—God never speaks, nor do the kings or Zion’s pilgrims. However, the psalmist thinks their thoughts for them and puts them into his own words (called “irony of attribution”), and further, he breaks out into a prayer of affirmation, followed by instructions for Zion’s pilgrims in the theme of the psalm. This gives us the following outline: 1. Mount ...

4517. “Cast Your Cares on the Lord and He Will Sustain You”

Psalm 55:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ” (lit., “hide oneself”) occurs in Deuteronomy 22:4 (RSV): “You shall not see your brother’s ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and withhold your help” (i.e., “hide yourself”). The “plea” is a prayer for God’s favor. 55:2 My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.The meaning of this second half of the verse is difficult. Hakham translates the first verb as “I sob” and the second as “cry out,” resulting in this rendering: “I sob in my complaint and I cry out.”3 55 ...

4518. God Subjugates Judah under Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... might receive prepared dishes of meat and produce or perhaps unprepared supplies of produce without meat. Such foods still qualified as coming from royal provisions, although it is unlikely these were offered to the gods. In general, the richer dishes were thought to be more nourishing for the recipient.3 Interpretive Insights 1:8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. The leader of the Jewish youths “set his heart” (NIV: “resolved”) to avoid defilement, which may ...

4519. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... holy, infinitely wise, infinitely mighty and infinitely tender who is to get hold of and use us. . . . If we think of the Holy Spirit as so many do as merely a power or influence, our constant thought will be, “How can I get more of the Holy Spirit,” but if we think of Him in the Biblical way as a Divine Person, our thought will rather be, “How can the Spirit have more of me?”9 These wise words should call us to humility and submission to the Spirit’s work so that God can use us as testimonies to ...

4520. The Get-Ready Man

Mark 1:1-8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... but it wouldn't have been a bad idea. He could have rung the bell and said, "Get ready, Get ready. Jesus is coming." I don't know where Christmas bells came from, but wouldn't it be great if during this Christmas season, every time we heard bells, we thought to ourselves, Get ready, Jesus is coming. That's kind of a neat idea. Let's try that this week. One more thing. In the country of Romania peasants believe that during the Christmas Season God comes down to earth and walks among the people to bless them ...

4521. Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... will be too strong and it will disobey. That's a great lesson, isn't it? Whenever we are tempted to do something we know we shouldn't, the best thing is not to even get close to the temptation, not to even look at it, but to keep our thoughts on our Master. Who is our Master? That's right, Jesus. Keep our thoughts on Jesus and those things that are good and right. That's the way to resist temptation. What a great lesson--and to think it came from a dog.

4522. Look Again

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

James L. Killen

... ." But the angel told Joseph that he was to name the child "Jesus," which means "God's salvation." When Joseph woke up, he must have thought a lot about the dream. Finally he decided to take it seriously. He believed God was about to do saving work in the world and ... to us. There was a time when the civil rights movement seemed the most threatening thing in the world for many people. They thought that it threatened everything they held dear. But in time most of us have come to realize that God was at work in ...

4523. Are You a Pillar or a Pillow?

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... this church has got to fly!” That same deacon echoed, “Let her fly! Let her fly!” The preacher paused for a moment and said solemnly, “But if this church is going to fly, we are all going to have to work harder and give more money!” The deacon thought for a moment and then said softly, “Let her walk, brother, let her walk.” If it were up to a lot of people, the church would barely crawl. I read where a pastor said he went to one church recently that was so dead that the termites were holding ...

4524. The Fall

Genesis 3:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... her commitment from doing God’s will to doing her own will. God does not track down this wayward couple. He simply walks in the garden in the cool of the day (3:8–13). Hearing his sound, they hide from him. This is as foolish as Jonah, who thought he could actually run from the presence of the Lord. Neither trees nor distance can put one out of the reach of the “Hound of Heaven.” You can run, but you cannot hide. The Lord begins with a question just as the serpent has—“Where are you?” (3:9 ...

4525. Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:1-67

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... even if he has to return empty-handed, and that while he is in Laban’s family room in Aram Naharaim. Then he relates to Laban his first encounter with Rebekah (24:42–49). Laban responds quickly and positively. In verse 57 Rebekah is consulted for her thoughts on the matter. She is not asked, however, if she wants to marry Isaac. Laban has already settled that. She is asked whether or not she desires to accompany the servant to his master’s land. Assyrian law protected a woman’s right to stay in her ...

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