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 4676 to 4700 of 5000 results

4676. Paul's Concern for the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... his apostleship (cf. 13:5, 10). Paul has been faced with a Korah-like rebellion in Corinth. He wants to give any rebels a chance to repent before he comes in judgment. As we have seen, Korah’s rebellion provides a useful model for understanding the complex situation in Corinth from Paul’s perspective. Now, as we consider the possible relationship of 2 Corinthians 1–9 to 10–13, this model becomes helpful once again, for, as in Numbers 16, there are also evidently three parties to consider in ...

4677. Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... to Ephesians as well. But though the Colossian code was directed specifically toward the need for order in the church, the code in Ephesians appears to be more general in nature and to conform to the writer’s concern that there be unity and understanding within the Christian community as believers seek to serve Christ within the guidelines of the principle of submission (5:21). 6:5 The slaves who are being addressed are Christians. This means that their life has a new center of reference and that their ...

4678. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Paul’s emphasizing his own feelings as distinct from those of his colleagues and their joint decision in verse 1. If verse 5 is a reiteration of verse 1 as we suppose it is, and if the decision to send Timothy back was Paul’s alone, we must understand the “we” of verse 1 as editorial. That is, it was Paul who could stand his separation from the Thessalonians no longer. The verb stegō means “to keep watertight” and so “to contain,” and then “to endure” (cf. 3:5; 1 Cor. 9:12; 13:7)—he ...

4679. Final Instructions

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... it obviously applies to them in particular. The introductory formula, we urge you, brothers (for parakaleō, “to urge,” see disc. on 3:2) is parallel to that in 4:1, 10 and 5:12, where the whole church is addressed, so that, as Paul understands it, every member of the brotherhood has a pastoral responsibility however much that may be the particular role of the leaders. First they must warn those who are idle. Brotherhood does not mean turning a blind eye to the faults of others. Rather, it means ...

4680. Stand Firm

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... . The first expresses his objective: God chose you “for salvation” (eis sōtērian). This term embraces the whole work of God in Christ on our behalf: past, present, and future (see disc. on 1 Thess. 5:8f.). The second states the means of that salvation (understanding en as instrumental, NIV through) but only with reference to its application to the believer (see disc. on 2:14 for its publication). No mention is made here of Christ’s work (see disc. on 1 Thess. 5:10) but only of the Spirit’s work ...

4681. Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... the Pastoral Epistles.” The word for slave traders has been suggested by BAGD (as a possibility) to mean “procurer,” thus linking it with the previously mentioned sexual sins. But it almost certainly refers to slave dealing. Moreover, there is evidence for a very early understanding among the rabbis of the eighth commandment referring to slave dealing. See Str-B, vol. 1, pp. 810–12. 1:11 There has been a long debate on the meaning of sound doctrine in the PE. For a critique of that debate and a full ...

4682. Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... place their presence into a broader theological perspective—the eschatological reality that the time of the End, the coming of the New Age, has already been set in motion with the coming of Christ. Thus Timothy is reminded (mark this; or as the RSV, “understand this”) that the presence of the false teachers belongs to the well-known eschatological phenomenon that there will be terrible times in the last days. This was a common motif in Jewish apocalyptic (cf. Dan. 12:1: “And there shall be a time of ...

4683. Personal Remarks

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... he also was to take over Timothy’s responsibilities. 4:13 This little request for the cloak and my scrolls, which puts considerable strain on theories of pseudepigraphy, is at once full of interest and historical uncertainties. The most likely reconstruction (understanding, of course, the hypothetical nature of much that is said) is that on his way back to Ephesus, Paul had been arrested, either in Miletus (v. 20, en route from Nicopolis through Corinth?) or Troas itself. There, at the house of Carpus ...

4684. Paul’s Request for Onesimus

Philemon 1:8-25

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... have been left out inadvertently during the process of copying the letter; others have argued that presbutēs occasionally is used in nonbiblical material as “ambassador” or “envoy” and could, therefore, carry that meaning here. The choice of words is important in understanding the spirit of Paul’s request. If the proper word is old man, then Paul’s appeal has an emotional overtone, that is, he appeals to Philemon as an old man and a prisoner of Christ Jesus. “Ambassador,” on the other hand ...

4685. An Exhortation Inspired by the Exodus

Hebrews 3:7-19

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... the author again reveals skillful midrashic exegesis wherein the phraseology of the quotation is used in elaborating the meaning that he has discovered for his readers in this passage of Scripture. The author also develops a unique concept of “rest,” which he understands as the true position of the church in and through what Christ has done. He is convinced that the readers face a very serious danger and, therefore, that they must heed the warning that Israel’s experience has to offer. 3:7–11 ...

4686. The High Priesthood of Jesus

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... would be resurrected after his death, taking the “out of death” (ek thanatou, not apo thanatou, “from death”) quite literally as a rescue from the clutches of death (cf. 13:20). Although we have argued above that this is a way in which we may understand God to have heard Jesus’ prayer, it is unlikely that this was actually the prayer of Jesus. (It is certainly not the content of Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.) Another solution to the problem, argued by some (e.g., Hewitt), is that in ...

4687. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... , TDNT, vol. 1, pp. 100–110. The word greet (aspazomai) is an intimate term in that culture, implying an embrace. See H. Windisch, TDNT, vol. 1, pp. 496–502. 13:25 A few minor textual variants occur in this verse. Many manuscripts have understandably added an amen to the benediction. For discussion of these variants and the very interesting variations in the subscription added to the letter, many of which include “to the Hebrews, written from Italy through Timothy,” see Metzger, TCGNT, p. 577f.

4688. The Living Stone and a Chosen People

1 Peter 2:4-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” To term Christ a stone that is living, and to go on to use similar language of his followers (v. 5), is a startling paradox, for a stone is anything but alive. Yet the symbolism is perfectly understandable in the light of Christ’s resurrection and the life-giving power that flows from it (1:3). Christ was rejected by men, a reaction foretold long ago (Ps. 118:22); however, the last word was not a human verdict but in accordance with the divine will and ...

4689. Suffering for Being a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... of obeying a divine order. God has commanded all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30), so those who do not obey the gospel of God, and persist in their disobedience, are rebels against the Most High, and they will be treated as such. A clear understanding that there is a life to come in the immediate presence of the Lord provides a powerful stimulus to living a godly life in the present world. Conversely, a lack of belief in any hereafter will confirm the godless in applying their thoughts and actions ...

4690. A Call to Persevere

Jude 1:17-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... . They can properly be described as Pharisees in the popular sense of the term, for that name means “separated ones.” Far from being a spiritual aristocracy, these men in fact do not have the Spirit. They are not Christians at all (Rom. 8:9) and thus fail to understand the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14). They are not on the right wave-length. But the arrival of such alien intruders was foreseen by the apostles (v. 17), and they gave due warning of what was going to happen (1 Cor. 11:19). In that Jude’s ...

4691. Moses Flees to Midian

Exodus 2:11-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... the scenes through strangers to provide for this chosen man. When Jethro gave his daughter Zipporah (lit., “Birdie”) to Moses in marriage, they sealed the long-term apprenticeship. The last four verses of the chapter are rich with meaning and significance for understanding Exodus. They announce, for the first time, major themes of Scripture. Verse 21 presents the theme of living as a resident alien. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become an alien in a foreign ...

4692. Bricks Without Straw

Exodus 5:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... rhetorical shape (1:8; 5:2; 6:3, 7; 7:5, 17; 8:10, 22; 9:14; 10:2, 7, 26; 11:7; 14:4, 18; 16:6, 12; 18:11; 23:9; 29:46; 31:13; 33:12, 13, 16–17). Moses explains the Lord in terms Pharaoh might understand: “The God of the Hebrews has met with us.” Moses’ second statement (v. 3) is also more specific about the “festival”: “Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.” This six-day round-trip would have involved taking livestock ...

4693. God Promises Deliverance

Exodus 5:22--6:12

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... cruel bondage. The people were so broken they could not even listen to God’s promises, although these promises and God’s faithfulness to act on them was their only hope. Physical deliverance was necessary before they could hear or understand. Only the Lord’s gracious intervention would be able to carry the people beyond their broken spirit (lit., “short breath,” NIV “discouragement”). Their own strength or action could not accomplish their redemption. The text does not mention the people again ...

4694. Aaron to Speak for Moses

Exodus 6:28--7:7

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... Israel would trust and fear their God (10:1–2; 14:31). The plagues demonstrate the Lord’s identity to the world in a specific way (to the Egyptians and Israelites in the text as well as to readers of the text). It is important to understand the function of the plagues in the text since our common response to plagues and destruction by God is generally disapproving. Judgment is rarely welcome in the world, even from the Creator. This resistance to judgment is a part of the problem of interpretation that ...

4695. The Plague on Livestock

Exodus 9:1-7

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... to be anachronistic since they were introduced to Egypt under Persian rule in the 6th century B.C. 9:6 “All the livestock of the Egyptians died.” The phrase “all the cattle of the Egyptians” (v. 6, kol miqneh) has been problematic for understanding what animals remained to suffer the plagues of boils on “the animals” (v. 10, behemah), and the death of the “livestock” and “animals” by hail (v. 19, miqneh and behemah). The common solution is to call it an intentional exaggeration (like the ...

4696. The Plague of Locusts

Exodus 10:21-29

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... place. 10:1–2 “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials.” The first two verses of Exodus 10 give reasons (“so that”) for the Lord’s actions. The explanations are brief, but they are critical to understanding who the Lord is. The focus is on the Israelites and their progeny: so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren. The Lord wanted their “children and grandchildren” to know about the ...

4697. Crossing the Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... -day Gulf of Suez at the northern end of the Red Sea, the body of water furthest to the south and closest to the present Red Sea was the chain of Bitter Lakes. Further to the north were Lake Timsah, Lake Balah, and Lake Menzaleh. Understandably, the exact location of the sea crossing is a matter of debate, with proposed locations ranging more than 200 mi. apart. For the argument that the Sea of Reeds should best be translated as the Red Sea for liturgical and OT contextual reasons, see Fretheim, Exodus ...

4698. Jethro Visits Moses

Exodus 18:1-27

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... blessing to the cultures of the world would require freedom and justice that provided for what the poorest people needed, not simply what they deserve. The Lord’s liberation and justice are shot through with mercy. This chapter provides a key for understanding the Israelite and non-Israelite relation to God. Structurally, Exodus 18 stands as a transition between the wilderness journey from Egypt to Sinai (chs. 15–17) and the first encounter with the new covenant at Sinai (chs. 19–23). Jethro’s brief ...

4699. At Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... nation.” Israel is “holy” in that God “sets apart” the people (31:13) for the mission of witness to God among the nations (Isa. 61:4–7; 62:10–12). Zech. 8:23 carries a literal and remarkably personalized version of this idea. The NT also understands the Jewish people to be mediators of God’s truth, fully revealed in Christ.OT texts demonstrate this priestly role. See Rom. 15:8–12; Acts 13:47; 15:14–18; Gal. 3:8–9. The expression “kingdom of priests” refers to Christians in 1 Pet ...

4700. Hebrew Servants

Exodus 21:2-11

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... ancient culture and our own. They reflect the setting of most of Israel’s history, that is, early agricultural life in Canaan. The lower status of women and implicit acceptance of slavery (in whatever form) are disturbing and require the reader to understand the cultural limitations of that specific time. Concerns about the assumptions certain laws make have caused some to dismiss the authority of biblical law or the OT in general. The historical context may require a reader to carefully evaluate the way ...

Showing results