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 51 to 75 of 85 results

51. I’ve Lost the Cutting Edge

2 Kings 6:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... This school was not standing still. They were growing, they were increasing in enrollment, they were adding students, they were lengthening their cords and strengthening their stakes; this was a school that was on the move. Now remember this. Anything that moves causes friction, and anything that doesn't move is dead. In any area of life growth always causes problems. As your children grow you've got to buy more clothes, more cars, more food. As churches grow there is a need for new buildings, more parking ...

52. The Law of the Pendulum

Mt 14:22-36; Mk 6:45-56

Illustration

Brett Blair

... , was, "The Law of the Pendulum." I spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The law of the pendulum is: A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it was released. Because of friction and gravity, when the pendulum returns, it will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes less and less of an arc, until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is called the state of equilibrium, where all forces ...

53. Masks

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... mask that draws something out in us and a mask that conceals what we're ashamed to own. Sometimes we put that mask on because of the intolerance of others: if we can't be good, we'll at least try to look good, because it saves a lot of friction. I think that for leaders this has a special edge. We want to believe in those high ideals, and so we preach them, and we do what we can to model them outwardly at least. Sometimes it just gets too painful to ask about what's going on inwardly, and ...

54. Reasons for Rejoicing

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... Competition frequently becomes intense. As Christian believers, we often face the challenge of learning how to pull together. Self-interests, personal agendas, and power struggles inhibit genuine ministry and sacred fellowship, and block the work of Christ we are trying to accomplish. Friction between individuals or groups creates a roadblock to spiritual service and pulls the church apart. When we pull together, we work for the honor of our Lord. The church is not a place for a tug-of-war. Let’s look for ...

55. Rich In His Poverty

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... started going bad so she wouldn't have to climb up and down the stairs to the basement. Great-grandpa converted a closet in the kitchen into an elevator using the gear box from an old piece of farm equipment, an electric motor and an old friction brake from another piece of equipment. Great-grandpa' s shop was filled with all kinds of goodies. Antiques Road Show would love the place because of all the antique tools. Anyhow, there were old cans and boxes and bottles everywhere. Great-grandpa kept nails and ...

56. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... much we annoy one another or disagree with one another. As Paul continues his parenesis in today’s epistle lesson, his advice to these Christians at Rome suggests that there were divisive issues within that faith community similar to those that caused frictions and factions at Corinth (and similar to the ones that divide the church today). How easily the bride came become the bridezilla. But Paul’s directives here in Romans are so undefined that commentators have long argued over who or what these ...

57. When God Adds Insult to Injury

Colossians 2:6-15

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... what verses 6-7 talk about and what verses 8-15 talk about is significant. This gap has been around from the earliest days of the church. We still live with it. Among denominations, among congregations within denominations, among groups within any congregation, this gap exists, causes friction, and leads to much pain in Christ's body. What is this gap represented on the page by a tiny bit of white between the blobs of ink that go before and after it? Verses 6-7 encourage us to live our lives in Christ. The ...

58. Quantas Maintenance Engineers' Humor

Humor Illustration

... Engineers: Live bugs on back-order. Pilots: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent. Engineers: Cannot reproduce problem on ground. Pilots: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. Engineers: Evidence removed. Pilots: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. Engineers: That’s what they’re for. Pilots: Suspected crack in windshield. Engineers: Suspect you’re right. Pilots: Number 3 engine missing. Engineers: Engine found on right wing after brief search. Pilots ...

59. Birthdays and Marriages

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Stephen P. McCutchan

... in fulfilling that commitment. A marriage is developed as we live out that commitment to each other, discovering our differences, our commonality, and developing that third something that did not exist until we came together. There are moments of joy, friction, boredom, and ecstasy as a couple begins to utilize every experience as an opportunity to deepen their relationship. Those same sorts of dynamics are present in a healthy church community. Like in a marriage, members of a church discover that they ...

60. Mary AND Martha, Heart AND Home

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with a word from God to present to all who will listen. Instead Martha only sees how many mouths she has to feed. Instead of finding fellowship and fulfillment through listening to and learning from Jesus, all Martha feels is frustration and the friction of sibling sniping. From Martha’s perspective she is overwhelmed and over-worked. Her sister Mary is doing nothing to help. Mary is simply sitting and listening to their houseguest. But when Martha goes all ballistic over Mary’s behavior, even lashing ...

61. Let Them Eat Cake

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... life of faith virtually ensured a life of struggle and sacrifice. The “triumph” of Christ over the cross is not a victory that leads to success as this world defines success. Christ’s resurrection is a triumph over the finality of death, not a free pass from the friction of life. We are not a get ahead people, but a grace and hope people. William B. Irvine, the author of a new book called A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt — and Why They Shouldn’t (2013), writes that “There is no need to go to ...

62. Cornelius Calls for Peter

Acts 10:1-8

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , 15.331–341). But otherwise it was a typical Greco-Roman city of that day, with its theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, and temple dedicated to Caesar. As one would expect, there were more Gentiles than Jews in Caesarea, though the Jews were a substantial minority. Friction between them and the Gentiles was endemic (see Josephus, Antiquities 20.173–184; War 2.266–270; 284f. and the disc. on 8:40; 9:30; 24:27). Among the Jews generally, because of the character of the city and because it was also ...

63. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Pontus, but more recently the couple had come from Rome. They were victims of an edict of Claudius that had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. The edict is probably to be dated A.D. 49, and the disturbance that had prompted it was very likely due to friction between Jews and Christians (see notes). From this it would appear that there was a church in Rome by the late 40s (cf. 2:10) to which Aquila and Priscilla may have belonged, since they appear here to be Christians. They were to play an important part in ...

64. Paul Opposes Peter

Galatians 2:11-21

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... to the Arab Conquest [Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1961], p. 194). If Malalas’s record is historically credible it helps to explain why the circumcision group might have been concerned to keep the church within the bounds of Judaism. If there was friction between Jew and Gentile in Antioch at this time, from their point of view fragmentation within the Jewish community could only lead to more tensions. A group of people with feet in both Jewish and non-Jewish circles (i.e., Gentile Christians ...

65. Jephthah and Ephriam

Judges 12:1-7

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Jephthah: Civil War in Israel and His Death · This final episode in the Jephthah cycle depicts the most serious breakdown in communal relations to this point in the book. While there have been signs of friction brewing (5:15b–17, 23; 8:1–3; 11:1–3), here the breakdown reaches crisis proportions and ultimately eventuates in full-blown civil war. The Ephraimites, the largest and leading tribe, complain that Jephthah had not included them in the battle against Ammon. But Jephthah has little patience ...

66. Connections in High Places

John 15:1-8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... do for them. Hugging helps lift people out of depression. It helps our body's immune system fight off disease. Hugging breathes fresh life into a tired body and makes you feel young and more vibrant. In the home, daily hugging will strengthen relationships and significantly reduce friction. All these things can happen, says this doctor, when we give someone a hug. So, when you get back to your seat, why don't you give your parents a big hug. Think how much you will be doing for them. If your parents are not ...

67. Jacob Meets Esau

Genesis 33:1-20

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... there. Jacob protested that the fast pace of Esau’s company would be hard on his young children and for the ewes and cows that were nursing their young. Jacob, however, was headed for Canaan, not Seir. Possibly he was apprehensive that if they traveled together friction might arise between the two groups. Jacob therefore suggested that Esau go on his way, leaving him to travel at his own pace. Eventually he would meet him in Seir. Since there is no evidence that he ever planned to go to Seir, this comment ...

68. Sexual Discharges

Leviticus 15:1-33

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... of the most basic laws of vehicle maintenance is to change the oil regularly. Display used motor oil and new motor oil in two different glass jars. Talk about the reality that as the oil moves through the engine, lubricating the moving parts and reducing friction points, the oil picks up dirt. If left unchanged, the oil that originally protected the engine will actually promote breakdown. It is impossible for us to live in this world of sin without being impacted by it. We are “saved sinners.” Though we ...

69. Abram and Lot Separate

Genesis 13:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... cannot support them both. This leads to quarreling among their respective employees (13:7). This incident demonstrates that the blessings of God can create either possibilities or problems. How we handle these blessings determines whether they remain blessings or become sources of friction. Abram moves quickly to settle the strife. He foments strife in 12:10–20. Here he settles it. As the elder person, Abram would have been fully within his rights to decide who gets what portion of land. As the younger ...

70. David Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 19:9-43

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... these tribes could be interpreted as lack of support for David. There remains the lingering suspicion that David is partial to his own tribe, whereas the ten tribes constitute the bulk of the nation. So, at a time when David seems to have won back the hearts of the people, friction is already developing between the North and the South.

71. The Second Coming and Reception

Zechariah 12:1-9, Zechariah 12:10-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jerusalem as a cup that will make them drunk with the joy of victory, but they will find that they will go away staggering in utter defeat at God’s hands. Judah and Jerusalem are separated in verses 5–7. There is apparently some rift, or at least friction, between the two. Verse 7 seems to point to a spirit of elitism on the part of those in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be a rock, apparently easy to deal with, but by God’s intervention a rock so heavy that the nations will injure themselves. Both the cup ...

72. False Teaching and Love of Money

1 Timothy 6:3-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... inner life (see Titus 1:12; 2:12). First, the teaching is contrary to true godliness, pointing people to a focus on something other than Jesus Christ (6:3–4). Second, the teaching promotes “envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction.” Third, the teaching flows from people who are deluded about their own importance (they are “conceited” [6:4]) and are driven by an appetite for gain (6:5): “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” Modern interpreters often ...

73. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . This would have been due, in part, to the fact that the church, which had grown out of the Jewish synagogue, had become increasingly Gentile after Jews were expelled from Rome. Upon their return, perhaps in A.D. 54, it would be surprising indeed if friction and divisions had not developed. In light of this, Paul’s protracted strategy in 1:18–3:20 must have been read as more than an abstract theological exercise. The guilt of both Gentiles and Jews is underscored, and the right of either to judge ...

74. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... a specific competitive comparison of Apollos and himself or the more general problem of setting any one of the apostles over against the other(s). Paul’s specific reference to Apollos and himself may indicate that the problem is specific, although all such friction among factions would be inappropriate in the Christian community. 4:7 With the initial word for, Paul signals that he is about to provide reasons for his case against those who are puffed up. To make his point, he uses a series of rhetorical ...

75. Personal Requests

1 Corinthians 16:5-18

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... will? Apollos’s or God’s? The sentence is ambiguous. In any case, Paul and Apollos could and did discuss the matter, and while they apparently disagreed with each other, there is no indication in Paul’s report that there was friction between himself and Apollos. Paul does suggest that Apollos would come at another, better time—literally, “good opportunity” (Gk. eukaireō). 16:13–17 In good ancient letter form, Paul addresses a set of practical matters in these essentially paranetic verses. He ...

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