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 926 to 950 of 4339 results

926. Proper 29

Psalm 100:1-5, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

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

... of ways (vv. 1-10, 17-22). Third, that a proper understanding of such power is not innate to us, but actually requires that God become the shepherd in order to show us how it works (vv. 17-22). Fourth, once God has shown us what the character of royal power is, we can claim this Davidic ideal in the present time (vv. 23-24). And, fifth, that the realization of this ideal has cosmic implications (vv. 25-31). Ezekiel provides powerful tools both for interpreting Christ the King and for reflecting on what ...

927. Righteousness Exalts a Nation - The Fourth of July

Sermon

James McCormick

... . Arnold Toynbee, a respected historian has said, “Nations, cultures, and empires are never destroyed from the outside, but destroy themselves. Their self-destruction is always due to defects of character.” Is that a word we need to hear? He is suggesting that the future of this or any nation is utterly dependent upon a national character. It is dependent upon the values we decide to pursue together. In our Pledge of Allegiance, there are some noble ideals. We say, “One nation, under God, indivisible ...

928. Getting a Grip on Fear

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... lives miserable. The award winning movie from a few years back The Shawshank Redemption is about fear. In fact, posters promoting the film carried these words: “Fear can hold you prisoner, Hope can set you free.” Take the character Brooks Hatlen, played by actor James Whitmore. Here is how one character described Hatlen in the film: “The man’s been in here fifty years, Heywood, fifty years. This is all he knows. In here, he’s an important man, he’s an educated man. Outside he’s nothin’--just ...

929. The Idiot

Matthew 10:40-42

Illustration

King Duncan

In Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot the central character is Prince Myshkin, who does not fit in to the society around him. His peers are striving for status and power. They judge each other on the basis of money or appearance or ... other's eyes. At the same time, all these empty, cynical, status-seeking people are strangely drawn to him. He attracts others, not through money or power, but through the strength of his character. The Idiot. If that is what an idiot is, I wish that we could all be idiots for Christ.

930. To Tell The Truth

Exodus 20:16

Sermon

James Merritt

... lied. He said, "You will not surely die." (Gen.3:4) He was saying in effect, "You can sin and get away with it." Satan is still telling that lie today. Pseudo biblical scholars, and so-called theologians, tell us there is no hell; the Devil is a medieval character that doesn't even exist; hell is just a scare tactic by fundamentalism to try to get you "saved." Satan then lied about God's wisdom. Satan said, "When you eat of this fruit "you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:5) So today, Satan ...

931. When God's Rule is Taken Out of the School

Job 21:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... are homosexuals; and that America is no better than any other nation on earth, nor does it embody values and principles that are superior to those of other countries.17 Do we need to teach values in education? Do we need to teach character in education? Do we need to teach that character and values can only come from the God who created us? Well, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "To train a man in mind, and not in morals, is to train a menace to society."18 Richard C. Cabot, of Harvard University, said, "If ...

932. The Door Is Always Open

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... most beautiful short story in all of human literature." You would be hard pressed to find a person who has never heard the story of the prodigal son. It is one of those stories that never grow old. It is sweet every time you hear it. It revolves around three characters: a younger son, an older son, and a father who loves them both. As we study this parable, keep in mind that the star of this story is not the prodigal son, but it is the prodigal's father. I. The Stubborn Rebellion of a Sinful Son The story ...

933. Out With the Old - In With the New

Philippians 3:12-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... he was not mature enough. Did you know that one of the marks of maturity is to continuously realize just how immature you are? One of the things that made Paul so great was that he was more concerned about his character than he was his reputation. You see, reputation is what others think you are; character is what God knows that you are. The reason why Paul was so successful is because he never thought of himself as being successful. Paul was so full of God because he was so empty of self. Someone has well ...

934. Putting Mom in Heartbreak Hotel

1 Kings 2:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to tell you the story of an Old Testament character by the name of Joab. Joab spent his entire life as the Commander in Chief of the armies of ... had a loyalty to David, but not a true love for David. You see, what man conceals, God reveals. There were at least three incidents in the life of Joab that revealed his true character. They revealed the type of relationship he really had to the king. a. He Disdained the Mind of David "So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made ...

935. Don't Believe the Lie about the Truth

John 8:32

Sermon

James Merritt

... , you really deny the reality of God. Think about. If something is absolute, it is free from any kind of error, imperfection, or flaw. To say there are no absolutes, is to say there is no God, because God is the ultimate absolute. Because God in His character and in His being, has no error, no imperfection, no flaw, and no limit. He is the altogether absolute one and only. Therefore to reject any absolute is to reject the supreme absolute. But furthermore, to deny truth you also deny the word of God. Jesus ...

936. Like a Good Neighbor, Jesus Is There

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... like packs of wild dogs attacking innocent victims. So here was a man who had been victimized by some thieves, not only robbed, but beaten and left for dead. With that background, Jesus introduces in this story three characters: (1) the thieves, (2) the priest and the Levite, (3) the Good Samaritan. These three characters represent the three types of people in the world today. a. The Taker The thieves represent those people who have this attitude: What is yours is mine I'll take it. The world is full of all ...

937. The Family That Prays Together Stays Together

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... trouble. II. We Are To Pray Consistently Jesus tells a parable about a hard-hearted judge and a helpless widow. Now we have already been told that the purpose of the parable is to move us to prayer. Keep that in mind as you listen to it. There are two characters in this story. First of all, there is a hard-hearted judge. "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man." (v.2) This judge had two problems. He did not "fear God nor regard man." That is, he had no communion with ...

938. Mom: The Heart of a Godly Family

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

James Merritt

... ask "who can buy a virtuous wife?" for a virtuous wife is not for sale. He asks "who can find a virtuous wife?" You've got to look for a virtuous woman, you've got to search for her. The word virtuous literally means "strength." It refers to her character, her integrity, her purity. Who can find the woman today that will do what is right rather than what is convenient? Who can find the woman today who puts her family ahead of her career, who puts her responsibilities ahead of her rights? This is the kind of ...

939. There's God In Them There Hills

Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... 7) The word law is the Hebrew word torah which means instruction. All that we need to know for our creed (what we believe) and our character (what we are) and our conduct (what we do) is found in the Bible. It is the "testimony of the Lord." (v.7) The Bible ... cheer you. It is the travelers guide, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, ...

940. Our God Is an Awesome God

Psalm 139:1-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... approach the bench." When they got there, in a very quiet voice, he said, with fire in his eyes, if either one of you ask her if she knows me, I'll jail you both for contempt of court." Well, God does know us. First of all, He knows our character. "O Lord, You have searched me and know me." (v.1) The Hebrew word for "searched" literally means "to pierce through" or "to dig." We sometimes speak of "seeing right through a person." Well, that is exactly what God does. He has x-ray vision that can pierce the ...

941. Pour the Salt and Turn on the Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" (v.13b) Now any chemistry teacher will tell you that it's impossible, in a way, for salt to become unsalty. Sodium chloride is one of the most stable compounds in all of the universe; it doesn't change and it never loses its character. But there is truth to what Jesus is saying. You see, much of the salt that was used in Palestine came from the Dead Sea, which is more than a mile and a half below sea level. The waters of the Sea of Galilee flow into the Jordan River and ...

942. The Superhero Miracle of Humor

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... made for someone else’s body size and shape. [If you can get someone to play a couple of chords here from the old sound track, it would be great] Fast-forward to 2008. The newest “Batman,” aka “The Dark Knight,” is almost a completely different character. The “valiant” knight has now become the “dark” knight. In a world where cautious despair is the new optimism, and dark clouds the new sunshine on the horizon, the “dark” component has now taken over the identity of every other the ...

943. Won't You Come Home, George Bailey?

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... there are not enough speeches to fill a one act play ... even a five minute, one act play. So we take a few liberties and add a few embellishments. We stick in animals that weren't there. We create characters who weren't there. We write lines (sometimes, whole speeches) for the characters who weren't there. Because without them, the story seems too spartan ... too simple ... too severe. Yet we keep coming back to places like this, on nights like this, to hear it and sing it ... over and over again. Because ...

944. Hanging by an Inch

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

King Duncan

... long, too frightened to let go. When morning dawns he discovers his toes are only an inch off the ground. It's amusing to think of Simon Peter climbing out of the boat trying to imitate his Lord by walking on the water. Then, like a cartoon character, he makes the mistake of looking around. "What in the world am I doing?" he asked himself and suddenly he begins to sink. How often that happens in life. People are charting a successful course in their business, in their marriage, in their walk with Christ ...

945. Not Bad, Just Too Busy

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... down the tree, send the decorations back to the attic, and contemplate those bills that we must face in January. In moments of special introspection, we might ask, “Is this the kind of celebration that pleases and glorifies the Lord Jesus?” There is one character in the original Christmas event with whom we can easily identify—the Bethlehem innkeeper. His inn is mentioned in the Christmas story but we are not told the proprietor’s name. There is just this one phrase in verse 7 of Luke 2-“because ...

946. Holy Habits

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... their swing. There is such a thing as muscle memory. If you repeat an action often enough, your muscles can do it almost automatically. That principle works for professionals; it is not guaranteed for amateurs. It is even more important to groove one’s character. We can harness the power of habit in our spiritual development. St. Paul wrote, “Train yourself to be godly.” (I Tim. 4:7) He was urging us to develop holy habits and then reinforce them by repetition. St. Paul often used athletic metaphors ...

947. Why Is Life So Unfair?

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... have the climax of the story. God visits Job personally. He gives Job a glimpse of his incredible power and his flawless character. But he does not give Job an answer or an explanation. After meeting God personally, Job no longer needs an explanation. Here ... break my heart. And if God were to give me all the answers, I’m not sure I could understand them. But I know the character of God because I have experienced him through Jesus Christ. I know that God loves me. One day when I meet him face to face, I ...

948. Only Matthew…Only Joseph

Matthew 1:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... barn and adoring angels. Perhaps we prefer a Hallmark Christmas by Currier and Ives or the Thomas Kincaid version, all misty in glowing candlelight and glimmering snow, and of course Luke's gospel has its place. But Matthew won't leave us there. If your lead character is Joseph, the Christmas story becomes the story of awesome responsibility, a tale told in the face of warring worlds, unjust rulers and suffering refugees, in the presence of families huddling in hiding and babies born in barns. If your lead ...

949. Looking to the Unseen

2 Corinthians 4:18

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... , when we arrange properly our priorities, then other things fall into proper perspective. When we place our faith and hope in the unseen God, the seen dimensions of life are infused with new richness and satisfaction. When we give ourselves to the development of character and spiritual depth, then we enter into new realities and receive the contentment of God's Spirit and grace. Therefore we can say with Paul, "We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things ...

950. Jesus and the Ferris Wheels

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... but not its heart. They’re not the first, or the last, to do so, of course. We have many people in churches today who make that same mistake. The Rev. Alex Stevenson compares such people to a fictitious character on the children’s television show Rugrats [pronounced “rug rats”].This character is named Angelica Pickles. Rugrats is about a group of babies. Angelica is the oldest of the group. She’s five. All the others are less than two and are only able to talk to each other. “Angelica is ...

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