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 801 to 825 of 1270 results

801. The Weakest Link

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... the story is: Don't count your chickens before they're hatched." Last was little Billy. He said, "My Uncle Ted's airplane was shot down in the war, and he parachuted to a remote island with nothing but a bottle of whiskey. He was surrounded by twelve dozen hostile soldiers. So he drank the whiskey, then killed all twelve with is his bare hands." The teacher said, "Wow, that is some story, but what is the moral?" He said, "The moral of the story is: Don't mess with Uncle Ted when he's been drinking." Now we ...

802. Men in Black

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

Sermon

James Merritt

... of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.'" (vv.24-25) Now the greatest threat to any farmer in that day was that someone might, through anger or hostility, sow weeds in his field of wheat. As a matter of fact, it was such a serious crime that Rome had a law against it. If you sowed weeds in a neighbor's wheat field, you ruined the entire crop, and you took away his only source of income. Now ...

803. One Step at a Time

Nehemiah 2:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... made an interesting statement in I Corinthians 16:9. He said: , "A huge door of opportunity for good work has opened up here. (There is also mushrooming opposition)." (I Corinthians, 16:9, MSG) There is no opportunity without opposition. People who walk by sight will always be hostile to people who walk by faith. When you stand up in faith, others will stand up to fight. One of the visitors who came to our church this past Sunday came up to me and pulled me aside and said, "Is it true that there were people ...

804. Mrs. Proverbs

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... washing Fortuin's feet, and recalling how she had often kissed the feet of his children, he bent over and kissed her feet, an act that moved the other worshipers to tears. Eventually the press learned of what Judge Oliver had done, and in that hostile social climate, it was big news. Thus, it was not surprising that soon thereafter, the judge was shunted aside for a chief judgeship he had been promised. Learning about that, the pastor of the black church visited the judge to apologize for putting him in ...

805. Carry Someone with You

Mark 9:30-37

Illustration

King Duncan

... ago in the state of Mississippi. They lived next to a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody happened to fall in or stumbled into it they could be swept away downstream. One day the tribe was attacked by a hostile group of settlers. They found themselves with their backs against the river. They were greatly outnumbered and their only chance for escape was to cross the rushing river. They huddled together and those who were strong picked up the weak and put them on their ...

806. Back to the Future

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... to see that others know about Jesus and understand about him as much as possible. We know the future belongs to Jesus. We know he will be victorious. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way - there are troubles, problems, temptations, worries, anxieties, conflicts, and hostilities. And we say victory? I am a very poor golfer. When I'm playing and the performance of three other people depends upon me, often I hear, "Carver, watch the ball. Get in the right position. Watch the ball." When I played baseball, people ...

807. Reactions to Rejection

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... not an easy shortcut. As a Jew, it placed him in the face of direct opposition. To be exact, religious pilgrims had long been hindered by the Samaritans for trying to pass through their territory on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus was almost certain to encounter hostility, and he did. Why Samaria anyway? One possible answer would seem to be that Jesus was reaching out to them. He was trying to extend the olive branch of friendship as he moved on his way to the Holy City. Jesus was certain that God was calling ...

808. Triumphing over Obstacles

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... While our visual acuity may be fine, we are, nonetheless, often spiritually blind to the reality of the world. Lent is the time to make every effort to remove these barriers that blind us to reality, so we can gain a much clearer vision. Contemporary life is often hostile to Christians and their way of living. Thus, as Paul suggests in today's lesson (6:2c), "Now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation." Ash Wednesday is our annual wake up call — a time for us to get going again. It is a ...

809. Building God’s Kingdom: The Christian Challenge

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and action to proclaim their belief in Christ. This exhortation was crucial, especially to those who lived in the imperial capital of the Roman Empire. Surrounded by temples and pagan images and living amongst Gentile nonbelievers, many of whom were most likely hostile to the "new way," the Christian community at Rome was severely challenged. Thus, Paul wishes to buoy their spirits by assuring them that their faith will lead to salvation. Second, Paul challenges the Romans to turn their lives over to Christ ...

810. Jesus Brings Hope

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . As Mr. White in Myles Connelly's story saw Jesus coming to claim the world, so John sees Christ coming as just judge. Those who have chosen not to believe are collectively guilty. John says that those who have chosen to persecute the church show their hostility toward Christ. On the other hand, those who have chosen to believe are presented the great hope that through Jesus the world will be saved. Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He is the totality ...

811. Home at Last

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... a white minority to rule and oppress the black population. Echoing King's words, Tutu writes that God also has a dream where God might speak these very words to us: I have a dream of a world whose ugliness, squalor, and poverty, its war and hostility, alienation and disharmony are changed into ... joy, and peace, where there will be justice, compassion, and love. I have a dream, that My children will know they are members of one family, My family.3 The voices of King and Tutu met with resistance, and they ...

812. The Kindness of Strangers

1 Kings 17:8-24

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... families on our membership roles, but they were so well integrated into our congregation that it never crossed my mind that race issues would be a concern when taking the kids elsewhere. Mrs. Smith, however, knew what it was like to grow up black in a hostile environment. She herself had come from a community where racial prejudice was the norm and nasty expressions of it were common, and she didn't want to take a chance of her daughter being exposed to the same thing. In the end, the matter was resolved ...

813. What a Deal: Investing in Hope

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... . Most certainly, this challenge is not to be compared with other places on the globe where carrying a Bible or sharing the gospel is considered a capital offense and worship services are disrupted by deadly violence. Compared to that kind of hostility, American Christians are still living on easy street. But, even though the assault is more subdued and ideological, it is nevertheless a growing battle for survival. Even amongst Christians in healthy congregations, daily living can feel like a siege against ...

814. Born of the Spirit Not the Process

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... called The Trusting Heart (New York: Random House). What he has discovered is that Type A behavior will not kill you. Grueling schedules, workaholism, stress, hurriedness - all these "Type A" personality syndromes are not predictive of early death. What is? Hostility, cynicism, aggression, and orneriness - these are the killers. People who cannot trust, people who can only control, are in more than spiritual jeopardy. Their health is on the line as well. The crowd that tried to quiet the boisterous blind ...

815. Hebrews 9:24-28

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The person who finds a new way to fix an old problem is usually not welcomed with open arms, much less rave endorsements. The new and novel is typically viewed first with suspicion, perhaps even hostility. Take the notion that the earth orbited around the sun, not the other way around. That scientific “advancement” brought Galileo a boatload of trouble - even though it was true. It took 350 years for the Vatican to admit that Galileo was right, and that his 1633 trial as a heretic ...

816. I Am the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... departed from their sight, they knew that Jesus loved them, yet they knew that they didn’t have the power to change the world. They needed to grow in his power in order to heal the sick and raise the dead, and cast out the demonic, and reconcile the hostile. Beloved, it was written to the church later. Beloved now are we God’s children – that’s acceptance and security. It does not yet appear what we shall be in the future, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we will see ...

817. A Cloud Of Witnesses

Hebrews 12:1-3

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. I love that description, not just "A Cloud Of Witnesses" but "A Great Cloud Of Witnesses" surrounds us every day. This Great Cloud of Witnesses is filled with the Saints who have ...

818. Never Too Old For God: Abraham And Sarah

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Hamilton. 2. The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edtion Version 3.6a, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992. 3. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990) Oct 1986 Creative Sermon Resources, Volume VII, Summer, 1986, page 294.+ 4. James Hewett, HOW TO LIVE CONFIDENTLY IN A HOSTILE WORLD, (Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing, 1989).

819. Motivated for Life

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... away from God? Sure, there are many great churches in our land and millions of people still make their way to those churches each year. But each year, believers are a smaller percentage of society than the year before. And our society is becoming basically hostile to many Christian values. God is looking for people who are willing to be “set apart” not a smug, self-righteous type of set apart. God has had enough of religious people who look down on the rest of society. God is looking for a different ...

820. Moving the Margins

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

Richard W. Wing

Jesus lived on the margins and moved the margins to include all people, and hence invited hostile crowds to want to edge him out of existence. Today the church wants to edge Jesus out of our worship anytime the margins are made too wide and include too many who are not like us. Recently I was sitting at my computer, contemplating the way Jesus offended so many ...

821. Luke 13:31-35

Luke 13:31-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... between Jesus and “the Pharisees” in Luke’s gospel has been anything but collegial. In 11:53 Luke’s text revealed that as a group the Pharisees had a “deep resentment” and enduring grudge against Jesus. It was this abiding hostility that motivated them to try and “catch him” saying something incriminating. Now, however, it appears that “some” of the Pharisees who witnessed Jesus’ words and deeds were actually “watching his back” — warning him about Herod’s desire “to kill him ...

822. A Good Word for The Pharisees

Luke 13:31-35

Illustration

Jirair Tashjian

It may come as a surprise to Christian listeners, who are used to thinking of Pharisees as hypocrites and enemies of Jesus, that in this passage it is Pharisees who warn Jesus to flee from Galilee because Herod wants to kill him. Not all Pharisees were hostile to Jesus. While Jesus and the Pharisees did not see things eye to eye, we find in Luke and Acts that Pharisees are often in the company of Jesus and not always antagonistic. Jesus is often invited to the home of a Pharisee for dinner (Luke 7:36, 11: ...

823. Resurrected Glory (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 17:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... home from work with primitive tribes sharing the joy that came to uneducated, uninformed people when they discovered that every tree, brook, hill, mountain, river, and stone was not a god that had to be appeased. Oh, what a relief it is to know that God is not hostile to humanity. The one true God is loving. Everybody needs to know WHO God really is. For when we find a better God, we become a better people. II. How Can We Glorify Christ? We can glorify Christ by the LIVES WE LIVE. They have obeyed your word ...

824. John 10:22-30

John 10:22-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Dedication, a festival that in part celebrated a military triumph. This suggests that the kind of “Christ” these Jews are looking for is far different from Jesus and his mission. If these inquirers are viewed here as more intentionally hostile, their plea for Jesus to speak “plainly” (“parresia”) may be viewed as their attempt to get Jesus to blatantly incriminate himself so that a formal charge of blasphemy could be leveled against him. Jesus’ response recalls his earlier self-identification ...

825. Cosmic Embrace

John 13:31-35

Illustration

John Gibbs

... Without Forgiveness (New York: Image Doubleday, 1999), Archbishop Desmond Tutu's cosmic context of holy love is unmistakable: "There is a movement, not easily discernible, at the heart of things to reverse the awful centrifugal force of alienation, brokenness, division, hostility, and disharmony. God has set in motion a centripetal process, a moving toward the center, toward unity, harmony, goodness, peace and justice, a process that removes barriers. Jesus says, 'And when I am lifted up from the earth I ...

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