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 701 to 725 of 3082 results

701. The Thousand Years

Revelation 20:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

20:1–3 The next two consequences of Christ’s parousia envision the destiny of the final and most powerful member of the evil trinity, Satan. Because Christ’s first advent resulted in Satan’s banishment from heaven (cf. 12:9), the reader assumes that Christ’s second advent will have a similar effect on earth—and so it does, as we will soon find out. At first, John sees not the dragon, but rather an angel coming down out of heaven to earth where the Evil One now lives. This angel comes as Satan’s jailer. In ...

702. Doing What is Good

Titus 3:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Instructions for Living in State and Society: After a brief exhortation to Titus (2:15) to “teach these things” (at least 2:1–14), Paul returns in this section to the major concern of the letter—“good works” (i.e., genuinely Christian behavior) for the sake of the outsider (3:1–8) and in contrast to the false teachers (3:9–11). This section, however, makes a decided turn in the argument. In 2:1–14 the concern for “good works” had to do largely with relationships between believers, which when seen by ...

703. Missing the Mark

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Sermon

Charles Allo

I love movies. I love movies because they make me think. No matter what I am going through, I can walk into the theatre and focus on a story other than mine. I see the images and how they paint a story about situations in life. Real situations. Unreal situations. It doesn't matter. For two hours and seven bucks, I get to experience a situation. Just a combination of circumstances; a state of affairs. In which I become lost, engaged in the flashes and personalities that remind me of my world, a world I want ...

704. Proper 13

Psalm 17:1-15, Romans 9:1-29, Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Genesis 32:22-31 is the account of Jacob's fight with God at the Jabbok River, while Psalm 17:1-9, 15 is a psalm of lament that ends with words of confidence. Genesis 32:22-31 - "A Story of Transformation" Setting. An interpretation of Jacob's struggle with God at the Jabbok River requires that we look briefly at the larger context of the Jacob cycle and return to a topic that was introduced in the opening lesson on the Jacob cycle—namely, the power of names in the shaping of the ...

705. A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1-30

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Atrocities in Gibeah: Judges 19–21 constitute the final episode of the story of the judges. Even though we must divide them for the sake of analysis, they are intended to be read as one unit. These chapters have not found their way into many Sunday school books or sermons or onto the “top ten Christian books” list. They are difficult to read and more difficult to interpret. They portray human nature at its worst, and even worse than worst, because the main players were God’s covenant people. They did the ...

706. Obedience Commanded

Deuteronomy 4:1-14

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Obedience and Loyalty to Israel’s Unique God: The historical recollections now give place to urgent exhortation. 4:1–8: This chapter is the natural conclusion to the lessons of this first speech of Moses and comes to a powerful climax in 4:32–40. At 4:44 and 5:1 we are introduced to the second major discourse, which includes the rest of the law itself. With this chapter we also move into the “inner frame” of the book’s structure, comprising chapters 4–11 and 27–30, with their many common themes. Chapters 4 ...

707. Oracles of Restoration

Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ezekiel 35:1-15, Ezekiel 36:1-38, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

Ezekiel’s Message of Hope and Restoration: Ezekiel 34–48, the second major part of this book, is concerned with a message of hope for the exiles and with the promise of Israel’s future restoration. That message has broken through in a muted sense in chapters 1–33 (11:14–21; 16:53–63; 20:33–44; 28:25–26), but it now becomes the central theme. These fifteen chapters fall into three sections. The first, chapters 34–37, is a series of seven oracles dealing with the restoration of Israel. The second section ...

708. “Weak and Strong” Should Get Along

Romans 14:1--15:13

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Romans 14:1–15:13 forms a unit unto itself containing Paul’s plea for the Roman Christians to get along—specifically, that the weak and the strong in faith would accept each other in Christ. Romans 14:1–12 begins the discussion with a twofold exhortation (vv. 1–3, 10–12) grounded in a theological explanation (vv. 4–9). Understanding the Text In the past, some scholars have contended that Romans 14:1–15:13 is parenetic material that Paul includes in his letter at this point but that has no real ...

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

Psalm 48:1-14

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Jerusalem, like Jerusalem’s God, generates awe in her worshipers and terror in her enemies. Understanding the Text Like Psalms 46 and 47, Psalm 48 is a hymn that belongs to the subcategory of Zion songs (Pss. 46; 47; 48; 76; 84; 87; 122). It is an appropriate companion to Psalm 47 in that Psalm 47 is addressed to the nations, acclaiming Yahweh as King of the nations and announcing God’s kingly acclamation. Psalm 48 idealizes Mount Zion (Jerusalem), but it capitalizes on the fact that Mount Zion ...

710. Up Close & Personal: Seeing Clearly

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

James Merritt

I am not much of a game show fan, but my all-time favorite is Jeopardy. If I ever became a teacher or a professor, Jeopardy would be the model that I would use to teach students. It makes learning fun. It is educational, challenging and makes you think. So, we are going to play the game, but we are going to skip all the way to final Jeopardy. The category is “Smarter Than A 5th Grader.” Remember – you have to put your answer in the form of a question. The answer is “By consensus the most brilliant person ...

711. Structure And Clarity

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I understand the stories the pastor told and thought they were interesting, but I couldn't see how the sermon fit together. -- A 15-year-old's comment during the writing of this book Many sermons with good material fall flat simply because the audience doesn't follow the flow of the message. With today's audience listening superficially with a short attention span, there are some basic principles one can use so that the sermon will be (a) heard, (b) understood and (c) remembered. Our View And Their View ...

712. Epiphany 2

Jn 1:29-42 · 1 Cor 1:1-9 · Is 49:1-7 · Ps 27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7 The prophet of second Isaiah shares his strong sense of being called by the Lord; he was set aside for his prophetic/servant role while he was still in his mother's womb. He was called to relay some painful truths and feels as if his efforts have met with futility, but then the Spirit of God gives him hope and strength for his mission of restoring the wounded and scattered sheep of the defeated flock of Israel. The Spirit gently chides him for his constricted view of ...

713. The Agony and Ecstasy of Sight

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

The miracle story of Jesus healing the man born blind is placed against the background of a puzzle that has plagued humankind ever since the first person stubbed his toe on a stone and cried out in pain. It is the question of why there is suffering in the world. Despite the many attempted solutions and suggested answers, people are still not satisfied - only more confused. The stubbed toe still hurts. Is the stone we stumble over placed there by chance or circumstance? Are we somehow engaged in a dangerous ...

714. No Fifth Wheels in God’s Economy

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

ALAN RODDA, currently president of Ridgewood Holding Company in San Jose, California, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who at the time of delivering No Fifth Wheels in God’s Economy was Senior Pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene in Portland, Oregon. His particular tradition is quite explicit in affirming the Bible as the revelation of the divine word and affords the pastor great authority and responsibility as the interpreter of that word. Rodda speaks within this context to his normal Sunday ...

715. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:1-5, John 17:6-19, John 17:20-26

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

If chapters 15–17 are viewed as an expansion in reverse order of the three pronouncements found in 13:31–35, then chapter 17 is built on Jesus’ solemn reference to glorification in 13:31–32. Glorification is at any rate the theme of verses 1–5. In verse 1, Jesus prays, Father, … Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. In verse 5, he prays again, And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Superficially, it appears that these two petitions ...

716. “When Will These Things Happen?”

Luke 21:5-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The coming destruction of Jerusalem and its temple will mark a new phase in the establishment of God’s kingdom under the vindicated Son of Man. Understanding the Text Since Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem it has become clear that his messianic authority is in irreconcilable conflict with the existing power structure in Jerusalem. His prediction of the destruction of the temple (21:5–6) now leads to an extended explanation (addressed to his disciples) that looks beyond his own imminent death and ...

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

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God’s overpowering strength plus his overpowering love not only saves us but provides a life of joy. Understanding the Text This psalm belongs to the broad genre of royal psalms. Like Psalm 20, Craigie calls it a royal liturgy,[1] which suggests that it was used in worship. It is as if we are standing outside the temple and hearing the voices of worship, and we have a vague idea of what is going on inside the building as we try to picture the action in our mind’s eye. The question that the form ...

718. The Scroll and the Lamb

Revelation 5:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

Chapter 5 marks the beginning of the third section in John’s apocalyptic letter (see outline), shifting the reader’s attention from epistolary thanksgiving to the main body of his composition. The study of the main body of religious letters has received little attention from scholars. They agree, however, that the importance of the body segment is substantive and rhetorical (see introduction). In this section of his letter, the writer deals with and seeks to resolve the crisis that threatens his audience’s ...

719. Sole Brother

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

It was an hour before conference time. They were getting off to a late start and it looked like speed limit all the way for any chance of making it in time for the opening gavel. The pastor behind the wheel had experienced the inevitable last minute problems relating to Sunday’s bulletin. One of the hymns he’d picked for the service had only the second tune in their hymnals. The congregation wasn’t familiar with it and the choir couldn’t lead it without practice, and they weren’t practicing this week. It ...

720. The Sheep And The Goats

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Brett Blair

Like it or not, judgment is a fact of life. That is true whether we are talking about the histories of nations or the events of our own personal life. If we break the law, then society will judge us. If we live immorally drink too much, engage in sexual promiscuity, live a lifestyle of constant stress then our bodies will judge us. We simply cannot escape judgment in life. Jesus rarely spoke about the final judgment, but on one occasion he did paint a picture for us in one of his stories. The parable that ...

721. Mission Possible

Acts 1:8

Sermon

James Merritt

Whenever we talk about missions or evangelism, either word is going to automatically raise an eyebrow in the multicultural, pluralistic, inclusivistic society in which we are living today. Let me give you a modern, up-to-date, cultural example of what I am talking about. This is a first hand account of an individual, who recently attended a concert by the group known as U2. Here is what she saw first hand. "If you have never been to a U2 show, let me tell you it was everything you ever expected it to be, ...

722. The King and His Throne

Acts 1:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

723. Born at Bethlehem — Hope

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Ellyn Sanna was twelve years old when she went on a camping trip to New England with her family. Four children and two parents were packed inside the family car. The tent was stowed away on top of the vehicle traveling from site to site. Each night they set up camp as the light faded. She tells that there were many happy memories from that vacation, but there was also the deep feeling of loneliness and being misunderstood. She was the youngest of the four children and too young to go on the long hiking ...

724. Face to Face

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The 2010 drama film “The Social Network” portrayed many interesting features of Mark Zuckerberg’s development of his online creation. But they missed a big one: the name he chose for his baby “Facebook.” Let’s face it: humans are obsessed with the unique, defining nature of our faces. The arrangement of our eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks, forehead, never ceases to amaze and fascinate us. More than 5000 distinguishable facial expressions have been identified, and that is probably just a start on the human ...

725. Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

Acts 1:12-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The period between the ascension and Pentecost was one of waiting, but not of inactivity. Chiefly, for the disciples, it was a time of prayer, but it also saw them finding a replacement for Judas. In this connection, we have the first speech in Acts. Like most of the speeches in this book, it is probably only a summary of what Peter said. Nevertheless, behind Luke’s report we can still catch the original tones of the apostle. 1:12–14 As instructed, the apostles retraced their steps from the Mount of Olives ...

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