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 876 to 900 of 1270 results

876. But Is It True?

Luke 2:8-20, Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... no ordinary pregnancy, the two stay together, enduring the heckling and ridicule of the townsfolk — scorn. As if that weren't enough, at precisely the time in which she was nine-and-a-half months pregnant and about to burst, they are ordered by a hostile, foreign government to travel the five days on a donkey from their hometown of Nazareth to a small, podunk village called Bethlehem — bad timing. While they do make it to Bethlehem, as luck would have it, they arrive after a thousand other travelers who ...

877. Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:13—4:8

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... on, what we expose ourselves to. Hours of listening to inspirational messages will engender a pure, peace-loving, considerate personality. Hours of exposure to trash-talking lyrics, or degrading images on television will diminish your soul and arouse hostility or selfish ambition. Violent entertainment not only leads to violent acts, but encourages depression. Repeated exposure to horror films lowers the immune system. Maybe that is why medical studies have shown that people who worship regularly and have ...

878. Antidote for Bad Times

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... courage to admit failure, to confess a defect or shortcoming. But such confessions are part of our spiritual healing and well-being. Unconfessed guilt festers within us. It produces impatience, rage, even ill health. It destroys friendships and leads to isolation and hostility. We are much more likely to appreciate and respect the person who humbly confesses his guilt than the self-righteous individual who professes to be flawless. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am ...

879. Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12:9-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... The verb Paul uses here, “diokein,” suggests a vigorous pursuit of such hospitality, not some passive form of occasional incidences of such action. At verse 14 Paul turns his eyes away from strictly intra-community relationships and acknowledges the hostilities and dangers presented by those outside the church. In many ways this whole section is Paul’s version of Jesus’ Beatitudes. His directive to “bless those who persecute you” is almost identical to Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew ...

880. The Home Court Advantage

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... finally focus on as the source of “home court advantage?” The officials. The referees. Their argument: “The officials can make the crowd happy and then surreptitiously bask in the warm glow. Away players can’t alleviate the pressure of being in a hostile environment. Referees can.” What do you think? Haven’t you always suspected that the home court advantage was really reducible to the referees? Well, not so quick. One of the reviewers of this book totally disagrees with the authors and presents ...

881. “Love Your Enemies” Doesn’t Mean Don’t Make Any

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... was “acceptable” and “righteous.” Jesus showed them that God could not be contained within their small orbits of ritual observance and obedience. Jesus used John the Baptist’s “break-out” mission and message to introduce his listeners — both those hospitable and those hostile — to God’s on-going plan for the salvation of the world and for human redemption and return to the garden. Jesus’ message was not a condemnation. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world ...

882. Love Your Enemies Doesn’t Mean Don’t Make Any

Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

883. God Is the Hound of Heaven

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... out the poor and those who have less in society. The goods of the earth are not simply for those who have the material resources to possess them. The world is for all peoples and thus all peoples must share. We must break down barriers of discrimination or hostility that keep us apart and build bridges that will bring us closer together. Yes, we must do what is necessary to be present to others. One of the great hurdles that we must negotiate in understanding God's presence among us is to let go of the past ...

884. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... the acts, combined as they were with secondary attacks on Washington DC sites, caused an international ripple of fear and installed a new word in everyday vocabularies. The word is "terrorism." On top of these facts there is a thick overlay of religious hostility. The people who bombed American buildings were Muslim. On top of the religious layer to the physical violence, there is the ongoing war in Iraq. This war has killed more people than 9/11 attacks did. Another number matters: one million people per ...

885. God Begins Anew

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... made the first step by bringing Israel back from the Babylonian bondage. How, then, is the covenant described? "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." The commandments will no longer be an external rule that invites hostility. No longer can the law be co-opted by a perverse human will (the law always kills). Instead, it will be internalized, a natural function of a new identity, as natural as breathing. That solidarity between Yahweh and Israel is addressed with a restatement ...

886. A Downhill Fight

Illustration

... putdowns. Among couples who would later split, 10 of every 100 comments were insults. That gap magnified over the following decade, until couples heading downhill were flinging five times as many cruel and invalidating comments at each other as happy couples. "Hostile putdowns act as cancerous cells that, if unchecked, erode the relationship over time," says Notarius, who with Markman co-authored the new book We Can Work It Out. "In the end, relentless unremitting negativity takes control and the couple can ...

887. Too Much to Let Go

Illustration

Marie de Medicis, the Italian-born wife of King Henri IV of France, became the regent for their son Louis after her husband's death in 1610. In later years her relationship with Louis soured and they lived in a state of ongoing hostility. Marie also felt a deep sense of betrayal when Cardinal Richelieu, whom she had helped in his rise to political power, deserted her and went over to her son's side. While on her deathbed Marie was visited by Fabio Chigi, who was papal nuncio of France. Marie vowed to ...

888. Monster Rehab

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is the Church’s celebration of All Saints Day. Who is a Saint? Even in the Protestant church we immediately think of those who stood up and walked tall before persecution and perversion. The apostles, who preached Christ before hostile crowds, were leaders in forming the faith communities that would become the “church.” Early church theologians, mystics, martyrs, and miracle workers — they are all crowned with “saintliness.” Yet headliners are almost certainly out of the running for “sainthood ...

889. With Privilege Comes Responsibility

Illustration

... doubly responsible because we who lead are in a position where we can either draw people toward Christ or drive them away from Him. This is illustrated in the life of the famous author Mark Twain. Church leaders were largely to blame for his becoming hostile to the Bible and the Christian faith. As he grew up, he knew elders and deacons who owned slaves and abused them. He heard men using foul language and saw them practice dishonesty during the week after speaking piously in church on Sunday. He listened ...

890. A Spirit of Unity

Illustration

Staff

... , examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred. When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world ...

891. Fully Loaded

Philippians 1:20

Illustration

George Atley was killed while serving with the Central African Mission. There were no witnesses, but the evidence indicates that Atley was confronted by a band of hostile tribesmen. He was carrying a fully loaded, 10-chamber Winchester rifle and had to choose either to shoot his attackers and run the risk of negating the work of the mission in that area, or not to defend himself and be killed. When his body was later found in a ...

892. Strong Enough to Be Gentle

Illustration

... be gentle" comes close to defining it. True meekness is best seen in Christ. He was submissive, never resisting or disputing the will of God. His absolute trust in the Father enabled Him to show compassion, courage, and self-sacrifice even in the most hostile situation. Now let's apply this to ourselves. When we are meek, we will bear insults without lashing out in proud resentment or retaliation. We'll thank God in every circumstance, while using every circumstance, good or bad, as an occasion to submit to ...

893. Paton's Plums

Illustration

Source Unknown

John G. Paton, a missionary to the South Sea Islands, often lived in danger as he worked among the hostile aborigines who had never heard the gospel. At one time three witch doctors, claiming to have the power to cause death, publicly declared their intentions to kill Paton with their sorcery before the next Sunday. To carry out their threat, they said they needed some food he had partially eaten. ...

894. A Parents' Task to Counter Culture

Illustration

Ellen Goodman

... you are expected to rebut one at a time. But it occurs to me now that the call for "parental responsibility" is increasing in direct proportion to the irresponsibility of the marketplace. Parents are expected to protect their children from an increasingly hostile environment. Are the kids being sold junk food? Just say no. Is TV bad? Turn it off. Are there messages about sex, drugs, violence all around? Counter the culture. Mothers and fathers are expected to screen virtually every aspect of their children ...

895. Using Persuasion to Change People's Minds

Illustration

G. Collins

... is increased if he or she expresses some views that are also held by the audience. An audience is more likely to be persuaded if they perceive that the communicator has high credibility. If you assume that the audience might be hostile, it is most effective to present facts first (building a case), give more than one side of the argument, and present your position at the end. Communication is most effective when information comes through different channels (for example, through pictures, brochures ...

896. Art from Ruins

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

Years ago, an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt's famous painting "Nightwatch." Then he took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped. A short time later, a distraught, hostile man slipped into St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo's beautiful sculpture The Pieta. Two cherished works of art were severely damaged. But what did officials do? Throw them out and forget about them? Absolutely not! Using ...

897. Stress Overload

Illustration

Keith W. Wehnert

... difficult (both major and minor kinds). Excessive daydreaming or fantasizing about "getting away from it all." Increased use of cigarettes and/or alcohol. Increased use of tranquilizers and "uppers." Thoughts trail off while speaking or writing. Excessive worrying about all things. Sudden outbursts of temper and hostility. Paranoid ideas and mistrust of friends and family. Forgetfulness for appointments, deadlines, dates. Frequent spells of brooding and feeling of inadequacy. Reversals in usual behavior.

898. Jingle Bells at a Funeral

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... When his friend got there for the funeral, everybody was crying and carrying on it had been such a sudden death. But he got up and started singing, “Dashing through the snow . . .” People started frowning and giving him dirty looks. He says he could feel the hostility in the air. But he managed to finish the song and sit back down. After the funeral, the lady came over with the money to pay him for singing. As she handed him the envelope she said in a scolding voice, “I meant the song ‘Glory Bells ...

899. Emergencies Only

Humor Illustration

... and Myrtle were a frontier couple. They had recently homesteaded a new place. They built a cabin and a barn and settled in with their few livestock fairly comfortably. Then Jed hung a big bell in a tree. He explained, "That's for emergencies, Myrtle. There are hostile Indians hereabouts. You ring that bell if you are in danger." Sometime later Jed was out in the fields doing some work. Suddenly he heard the bell ring. He headed home at full gallop. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I just thought maybe you'd like ...

900. Sure Beats Shopping

Humor Illustration

... that tossed the boat back and forth across the water. Finally the tiny sailboat was forced upon the shore of a small island. The men jumped out of the boat tried to push it back into the water. Suddenly, they realized they were being fired upon by the island's hostile natives. As they dodged poisonous darts, standing waist deep in freezing water in the middle of a storm, one said to the other, "I realize that today hasn't exactly gone as planned, but this sure beats Christmas shopping, doesn't it?!"

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