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 501 to 525 of 673 results

501. Timing Is Everything

Matthew 11:2-12

Illustration

Mark Trotter

... the times changed. The next person to come along was Robert Fulton. It was not so much that Fulton invented the steamboat, but that he just happened to be there when the time was right. As the author wrote, "The inventor's eminence may be more a trick of chronology than anything else, due to being active at the very moment when fruition was possible." It's a wonderful statement. It tells you that timing is everything. That's what we learn from the Bible. Look at our lesson for this morning. The disciples of ...

502. Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew 2:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , when another divine transmission instructs Joseph to bring the child back into Israel. In verses 16-19 Matthew famously demonstrates just how timely and necessary was this divinely orchestrated escape into Egypt. Herod realizes he has been “deceived” or “tricked” (“enepaichthe”) by the magi. This same verb is used by Matthew to describe how Jesus is “mocked” during the Passion narrative (Matthew 22:29, 31, 41). An enraged Herod, again recalling the murderous activities of Pharaoh (Exodus 1 ...

503. Act Quickly - Catch It Early

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... from self‑inflicted stab wounds to his chest. An autopsy determined that he had stabbed himself twice. The first wound apparently didn’t look dangerous enough, so he tried again. The second time, the knife plunged into his left ventricle. This wound did the trick. He was dead in two minutes. The ironic thing is that his plan to frame his neighbor for his stabbing was a complete failure. A witness confirmed that the neighbor was not even in the apartment. All Christopher got for his attempt at revenge ...

504. The Conversion of Chuck Colson

John 20:1-18; 21:15-25

Illustration

Ray Pritchard

... Avenue in Washington, D.C. Ask for the office of the Special Counsel to the President. The name on the desk reads Charles W. Colson. They called him the "Hatchet Man" because he specialized in doing the dirty work of politics. Need to pull a dirty trick? Call Chuck Colson. Need to leak a damaging story? Call Chuck Colson. Need to find out what the Democrats are up to? Call Chuck Colson. Need someone to put the brakes on a Justice Department investigation? Call Chuck Colson. By his own admission, he was a ...

505. Optical Illusions

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Mickey Anders

I love optical illusions. There are two pictures which are classic optical illusions where your mind plays tricks on you. In the first, some people see an old woman; some people see a young woman. In the second one, some people see a rabbit; some people see a duck. Physicists say that optical illusions prove that our brains add substantially to the visual input from our eyes. What ...

506. Wrong!

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and over again. But that is not a problem for the Body of Christ, as long as we know the ultimate truth. And what is that? Jesus got it right. (An EPIC way of ending this sermon would be to stand in front of your people with one of those trick candles that can’t blow out, and then light it and lead the congregation in the song: “This little light of mine.” When it comes to the “Won’t let Satan blow it out,” instead of saying blow do it and blow the candle out. Then keep singing and watch ...

507. What Are You Chasing?

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

King Duncan

... did you quit?" "I quit the day I discovered that what I was chasing was not really a rabbit." Then he looked at me very seriously and said: "All that running, and running, and running, and running... and what I was chasing, it wasn't even real." Old dog. New trick.

508. He Ascended Into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... hand of God the Father Almighty. "He ascended...." Up, up, and away. It must have been a very strange sensation for those on the hillside. What was this? A magic show? Jesus suddenly levitating above them, disappearing into a cloud? Uh-huh. What's the trick? Was David Copperfield around there someplace? Okay. You can bring him back. Anyway, we have work to do. A kingdom to establish. Besides, we were not done talking. What did he mean, "John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with ...

509. It’s Anybody’s Guess

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... . He says firmly that the kingdom of God has already begun. Then to dispel the disciples' doubts and doldrums, he tells them a story. There was a farmer who reached into a seed bag and tried to pull out one Super Grade A Golden Mustard Seed. It was quite a trick to get just one because they were so tiny. You need your bifocals to see one seed. A small handful looks like a little finely ground pepper. It's amazing that such a tiny seed grows into such a large bush. A fat sparrow, who has to pick hundreds of ...

510. The Final Exam

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Steven Molin

... us today offers us a similar snapshot of a final exam. A young man approaches Jesus and asks him the essential question of life. "Master, what must I do to gain eternal life?" What's the standard? What will be on the final exam? It was not a trick question, as was so often the case when religious people spoke to Jesus. The man was quite sincere in his effort to know what God required; he was a real, live, first-century "seeker." Jesus' initial response was a rather stock answer; the company line of Judaism ...

511. Who Will Vouch for Me?

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... me and for a while I am afraid to breathe because it might go out. Do you know, do you understand that your words are his words? Your face, his face to someone like me? Please be who you say you are. Please God don't let this be another trick. Please let this be real. Please. Do you know, do you understand that you represent Jesus to me?1 It is an awesome responsibility, isn't it, to vouch for Jesus? And it won't be done with fading ink or empty words. It can only be done through the ...

512. Whose Birthday Is It Anyway?

Matthew 24:36-51

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... that could talk, sing, and play the piano. One day he put the mouse up for sale along with a talking bird for $10,000. A buyer came. The owner agreed to sell the two together. When the deal was done, the original owner said, “I sure tricked him. That bird couldn’t talk, it was only a ventriloquist mouse.” (Players cry as scene fades.) Narrator: All in all, it was a strange sort of place. Now on Jason’s birthday, as usual, the unusual happened. Jason’s grandparents came from their home across the ...

513. Who Is Isaiah’s Servant?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Ken Lentz

A man had three small children, all three old enough to enjoy the activities of Halloween. A coworker at the office of the father volunteered to visit his home on trick or treat night and bring sweets for the kids. The father's colleague appeared at the door dressed up as "the little green man," with an ugly green face and long, knotted, twisted hands protruding from a long coat that effectively disguised the identity of Daddy's friend. At the ...

514. Salvation Has A Name!

Acts 4:5-12

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... had no authority to put anyone to death. It appears that the court wanted to intimidate Peter and John; usually a stay overnight in jail is sufficient. Peter and John were not only guilty of healing a lame man. (It could always be claimed that it was a trick.) They were pushing the envelope further by claiming that Jesus wasn't really dead. In fact, he was raised from the dead, and his post-death new life had the power to turn nature's laws upside down. The Sadducees were upset because they didn't believe ...

515. Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... answer both in his words and in his life. First of all, to please God, live with integrity. That’s what St. Paul did. He says to the church at Thessalonica, “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel . . . You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed God is our witness.” Paul lived a life of integrity. Living a life of integrity ...

516. Carelessness: Watch Your Step

1 Peter 5:9

Illustration

... that had false ceilings acoustical tile slung just a couple of feet below the rafters. They were still high in the air, and if they slipped, their weight would smash right through the flimsy tile. But the tiles gave the appearance of a floor so their minds played tricks on them, lulling them into carelessness." Satan's business is not so much in scaring us to death as persuading us that the danger of a spiritual fall is minimal. No wonder Peter advised us to "resist him, standing firm in the faith."

517. Long-Term Learning

Illustration

Elden M. Chalmers

... list or a whole chapter to master, the first part will be easiest to remember and the last is the next easiest. So if you want to remember everything equally well, spend a little extra time on the part just past the middle. The last little trick involves "chunking." The average brain has the capacity for holding seven bits of information at any given instant for immediate recall. Knowing this fact, you can make things easier by dividing up a chapter into five parts and then divide each of those parts into ...

518. What's the Saying?

Illustration

Staff

... person without good sense to be separated from his financial assets! Answers: A stitch in time saves nine. Too many cooks spoil the broth. All that glitters is not gold. Beauty is only skin deep. Rome wasn't built in a day. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Practice what you preach. Better late than never. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. A fool and his money are soon parted.

519. Christmas Is a God-Thing

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... course, the Spanish pronunciation for “Jesus.” The ironic humor of the whole situation suddenly washed over Mark’s mind and heart. Here he was griping to God about taking a man named Jesus to a shelter on Christmas Eve! He felt as if it were a huge cosmic trick. The comic aspect of it both judged his anger and redeemed him out of it. “Leave it to God to beat us at our own game,” he thought to himself. (7) And so, gratefully, that Christmas Eve he provided shelter to a homeless man named “Hayzoos ...

520. Ready, Aim…

Humor Illustration

... escapes. An hour later, the Frenchman is put up against the wall. Once again, the command rings out: "Ready, Aim . . ." "Avalanche!" yells the prisoner. Again the Germans panic, and this time the Frenchman escapes. At last it's the turn of the hillbilly, who has decided to repeat the same trick. The Nazi officer calls out the commands: "Ready, Aim . . ." "Fire!" yells the hillbilly.

521. A Mickey Mantle Prank Gone Wrong

Humor Illustration

... favorite old mules was ailing, and he asked that Mickey put the animal out of its misery. Mickey agreed to do this, then went back to the car to tell Billy. But on his walk from the ranch house to the car, Mantle had a brainstorm. He would play a trick on Billy Martin. When he got to the car, he pretended to be furious. He ranted and raved to Billy about how his friend had changed his mind, and they were no longer welcome to hunt there that day. Mickey told Billy he was so mad that he was going ...

522. Morning Paper Prank

Humor Illustration

I enjoy the story of a man named Fred Abernathy who was a devoted reader of the obituary column of his local paper. All of Fred's friends knew of this habit, so one day they decided to play a trick on him by placing his name and picture in the obituaries. The following morning Fred picked up his newspaper, turned to the obituary page, and there he saw his name, his biography and his photo. Startled, he went to the telephone and rang up his pal, George. "Listen," he said. " ...

523. Basic Facts Test

Humor Illustration

There is a lot of concern about education nowadays. Jaime O'Neill is a college teacher in Washington. He decided to give his students a basic facts test; not trick questions, mind you, but a simple test to illustrate to his students that they needed to get serious about learning. Here's what he found from a survey of college students: "Ralph Nader is a baseball player. Charles Darwin invented gravity. Christ was born in the 16th century. J. Edgar ...

524. John 1:43-51

John 1:43-51

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Where did you get to know me?” (v.48). Jesus’ assertion that Nathanael is “without deceit” or “without guile” would perhaps bring to the mind of Jewish readers the exchange between Jacob and Esau where the deceitful actions of the younger brother trick the older out his birthright and blessing (Genesis 27:35-36). This connection is further suggested by yet another image from the life of Jacob that will conclude this week’s text (v.51). Jesus’ explanation for his insight into Nathanael’s ...

525. It’s a New Year: Take 7 Steps Forward

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

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