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 26 to 50 of 428 results

26. Mary Magdalene’s Day

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... must be all alone with none of the other disciples present. Others mentioned earlier have gone to their homes. What they are talking about we do not know but what we do know is Mary is alone with two angels in white. She must not have been afraid. Our suspicions are that she is not going to give up on finding the Man who must have meant more to her than life itself. She may have been the most dogged of the disciples who believed defeat was not defensible! She recognized him by his voice. Not knowing who he ...

27. 1 Timothy 2:1-7

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... faithful increased, yet the expected parousia still did not come, there was a need to establish a definitive set of rules and roles for the new “Christian” churches. Furthermore, there was the need for these faith communities to survive in the midst of the suspicion and hostility their presence evoked from their Roman rulers and from pagan culture in general. With that in mind, it is easy to read some of First Timothy’s admonitions as a kind of “go along to get along” directive. But this epistle ...

28. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... formulation. Yet, as L. L. Welborn has now shown, the double affirmation (yes, yes) and the double negation (no, no) substitute for an oath formula, which expresses the ambiguity of the situation in which Paul finds himself as a result of the Corinthians’ suspicions about him. In effect, Paul answers the charge of vacillating in his travel plans by stating that the Corinthians have forced him into establishing the truth of his statements with an oath. It is interesting to note that Paul is forced to use ...

29. Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

John 4:43-54

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... of whether he is or not. Jesus’ apparent reluctance to respond to the official’s plea (v. 48) has nothing to do with the man’s race or with the laws of uncleanness that separated Jew from Gentile (cf. 4:9) but is based on a general suspicion of those who either request or delight in miracles. The similarity with the two synoptic incidents makes it likely that the official was a Gentile, but the Gospel writer has already established the universal scope of Jesus’ ministry in 4:1–42 (esp. v. 42) and ...

30. Worshipping Other Gods

Deuteronomy 13:1-18

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... , as Jesus discerned (cf. Matt. 12:38ff.; Mark 8:11f.; Luke 11:29–32; John 6:30ff.; 1 Cor. 1:22). It is possible that Jesus himself came under suspicion of being a false prophet and therefore some of the communities he visited may have feared coming under legal or divine judgment for harboring such a one. This type of suspicion would also account for the familial divisions, the predominantly rural ministry, and the severe test of loyalty he engendered (see Neale, “Was Jesus a Mesîth?”). 13:5 Purge ...

31. The Glory of Zion

Isaiah 60:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... when the NT says glorious things about the church that thus turn Christian faith into a self-serving affair for Christians. We cannot know what was in the hearts of prophet or first audience in this connection. As readers, we thus need to turn our capacity for suspicion on ourselves. Additional Notes 60:5a In NIV it seems that the city is responding with joy to the return of her children. But more literally v. 5 says, “Then you will look [or see] and shine, and your heart [or mind] will dread and swell ...

32. Escaping a Tangled Web

1 Samuel 30:1-31, 1 Samuel 29:1-11

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... his deceptive actions in the Ziklag region. (In v. 6, Achish gives little detail; he simply says that the leaders consider David unreliable.) If so, by asking Achish for evidence of disloyalty, he may hope that the king will give more detail about the leaders’ suspicions. If there is any hint that David’s deceit has been uncovered, he and his men can flee for safety while the Philistines are engaged in battle with Israel. It is possible, however, that David really does hope to persuade Achish to let him ...

33. How to Deal with Demons

Matthew 12:38-50

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... spirit almost without knowing it. We thing we’ve successfully buried some deep-set resentment or hated, only to have it come back in some form of mental or physical ailment. We subdue our passions but find them coming to the fore again in our suspicions, jealousies, and ill-temper. We outgrow the sensuality of our youth and discover the materialism of old age.”[4] The presence and persistence of evil, of the demonic in our life, is very real. Captured dramatically in verse 44 of our text when the demon ...

34. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , the likely cause of famine (national disobedience), the move to Moab (perhaps a display of fear not faith), and the marriages to Moabite women (relationships not sanctioned by Israelite law) create suspicion for a reader aware of Mosaic legislation. This marriage of emotions (sorrows with suspicion) invites an interpretation that, perhaps, the ongoing struggles that face Elimelek’s family are somewhat self-imposed. Regardless, from famine in Judah to family tragedy in a foreign land, Naomi and ...

35. Who Cares?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... the slow and heavy-breathing Adam (a resident of Daybreak), I start seeing how violent that journey was. So filled with desires to be better than others, so marked by rivalry and competition, so pervaded with compulsions and obsessions, and so spotted with moments of suspicion, jealousy, resentment, and revenge.[4] In serving those who cannot help themselves, Nouwen heard the voice of Christ: "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me" (v. 40). The final ...

36. The Collection for God's People

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... recipients were mutually acknowledging the bond that existed between them in Christ. Differences in culture and practice could perhaps be minimized as love was expressed in Christian charity. Thus, Paul attempted to use generosity and caring to build bridges across gulfs of suspicion that earlier dialogues had not spanned. 16:2 One sees from Paul’s remarks that giving in the church had not yet been systematized. There was no standard timetable and there was no formula for how much one should give. Tithing ...

37. The Purity of the Camp

Numbers 5:1-4

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... modern readers for a number of reasons. The ordeal procedure itself seems almost magical. Such customs were ancient. Here the procedure is brought under divine and priestly auspices to deal with what is perceived to be an issue in this community, the suspicion of adultery when there is no public evidence. The concern is to protect the community from hidden impurity and strife in relationships. In this section, the wife is clearly subject to the husband and priest. The husband faces no consequences even if ...

38. Restitution for Wrongs

Numbers 5:5-10

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

39. The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

Numbers 5:11-31

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

40. The False Prophet Hananiah

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... s altar, something that will not happen for centuries, his words are accompanied by damage to the altar and the paralysis of Jeroboam’s arm. Here we have no similar demonstration of divine presence. 28:10–11 Hananiah appears not to appreciate Jeremiah’s suspicion and he enacts a prophetic drama himself. He rips off the yoke that is on Jeremiah’s neck and smashes it. The act intends to symbolize God’s removal and destruction of the yoke of bondage that Nebuchadnezzar has on Judah. Again, Jeremiah ...

41. The King On A Cross

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... of the Jews." Here is an official government proclamation and indictment. Is this some kind of cruel joke? Is this the governor's way of humiliating the Jews? How can such a powerless, pitiful figure be a king? What brings this man to the cross is the recurring suspicion that he is a king. His enemies bring him before the governor and one of their accusations is that he has been "saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king" (Luke 23:2). The governor asks him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" (Luke 23:3 ...

42. The Collapsing Circle

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... faith in the midst of a variety of culture clashes. One such clash for Mr. Nelson took place in 1978 in a visit to Soweto in South Africa. In a profound and exciting way he experienced in this land afar off the collapsing of a circle of innate suspicion and hostility. Mr. Nelson was in South Africa on a business trip to advise American companies as to how they might best respond to pressures to do something positive in this world of apartheid. As a church-going man he determined to go to church somewhere in ...

43. God's Most Unmistakable Message

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... of God's joy and peace. "This is my Father's world," as an old hymn puts it. He shares it with us. So live! And remember that Easter promises that even this is not the end for one who loves Christ. Jesus' life ended as it had begun -- with suspicion of impropriety. But it really has not ended, has it? It is transformed and transforming. That is why this is a day of celebration! Easter is a string tied around the finger of the world to remind us of God's most unmistakable message -- God loves us all. And ...

44. When It Is Dark Enough

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... faced tragedy in your life, or are sure you never will, I suppose you can tune out about now, go over your Christmas shopping list, or let visions of sugar-plums dance in your heads. But if you carry the scars of grief or trouble, or have the sneaking suspicion you may walk through some mighty dark valleys before you die, you may want to listen. The point of the text is this. When there is nothing you can do -- nothing -- God will act on your behalf. When you are without resources of any kind, when you see ...

45. Baptism And Self-Esteem

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... . There can be "hell on earth" right now. When we confess our sins, we are not just acknowledging that we have done something "naughty." We are not just talking about having eaten some forbidden fruit. Living in sin means that we can never seem to shed the suspicion that we are not good enough. Living in sin means that we always find the lie of the serpent making sense: "God doesn't care about you, so you had better take things into your own hands!" Living in sin means that we are eternally in search ...

46. No Freudian Slip!

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... , so he feared for his safety. I silently chuckled, knowing that most of the people out here would be more afraid of him than he was of them. His fears were unfounded. However, I suspect that the local police would regard such a rare black with suspicion. They may not have been so hospitable. When we arrived at the church, the parking lot was almost full. We had to park a distance from the entrance. During our walk across the parking lot, Ronald was nervous and silent. The closer we got to the entrance ...

47. Not Independence, But Freedom

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... guidance, assistance, and support. They were learning -- and teaching -- what it means to be the Body of Christ. Into such a community we have been baptized. We are made members of a community in which the sins of the world are all too evident -- pride, greed, suspicion, jealousy, and all the rest of it. Yet that doesn't fully describe this community, not by a long shot. This is a community which gathers around the gospel of the love of God in Christ our Lord. We learn that love as we hear the scriptures ...

48. Cultivating Our Garden

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... said in far fewer words: "... you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). I have long had the suspicion, both for the church in general and sometimes for me in particular, that church activity and worship can become an insidious ersatz, or substitute, for real obedience to God's call to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. This is the idea the author of the book of ...

49. The Peace Treaty

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... were to call you into the Oval Office and say, "I am appointing you as ambassador to North Korea, and I have a difficult mission for you there. I want you to beg for peace. What we want here is to overcome the years of animosity and suspicion. So make no demands, no threats; issue no ultimatums. Do whatever you have to do to get the message across. Whatever violence you may face, whatever their attitudes are, I want you to be conciliatory. Probably you will be followed and harassed; you may even be jailed ...

50. Climbing Rainbows Through The Rain

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... a chunk of pine he soaked in juices and baked in the oven of his California home.1 When those who take the Bible seriously and literally are made to look foolish, controversy is underway. At one extreme, those of a secular persuasion have their suspicions confirmed. CBS defended itself by claiming that they bought the program as entertainment and not as a documentary. Therefore, the program did what they wanted it to do. On another part of the opinion spectrum, those who take the Bible seriously, but not ...

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