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 951 to 975 of 3082 results

951. Why Earthly Powers Need No Longer Enslave

Daniel 7:15-28, Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

This is a story written for people who had been or were about to be persecuted, if not enslaved. (The book of Daniel was probably written in the mid-second century B.C. during a period of Seleucid [Syrian] domination in Palestine.) It tells them and us how their ancestors had once faced a similar slavery under the oppression of the Babylonians centuries earlier. The implication was that if these ancestors could endure and overcome such bondage, so could they and so can we. Our lesson for this morning is ...

952. Getting Your Politics Right

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

I grew up with the myth, universally absorbed but rarely argued for except by extremists with bad manners, that whites were superior. Exceptions were acknowledged, but only as exceptions that did not change the rule. Racism was one of the unspoken beliefs of my childhood culture before the Civil Rights movement rose up to challenge the great lie with the potent rhetoric of our founding documents, as in The Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal ...

953. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

When visiting another church one time, a thought occurred to me as I waited in my pew for communion to be served. It was during the Advent season, and the service had warmed us with words of hope and light. It was also the first Sunday of the month, which in that church meant communion Sunday. As the service shifted from Advent to communion, it struck me that, you know, we do this fairly often. Celebrate communion, that is. Once a month. We celebrate Christmas and Easter only once a year. Advent and Lent ...

954. The Fall of Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

The Fall of Jerusalem: Judah’s very sad and violent end at the hands of their Babylonian masters is the theme of the second to last subsection in the book of Chronicles. It is clear from this text that the Chronicler’s intention was certainly not to give a factual account of the end of the Judean kingdom but rather to provide a theological interpretation of this event of the past. Second Chronicles 36:21 particularly links what happened in the past to “the word of the LORD” that came to them “spoken by ...

955. Peter Speaks to the Onlookers

Acts 3:11-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Luke’s report of Peter’s speech in Solomon’s Colonnade very likely contains a genuine recollection of what was actually said on this occasion. But in any case we may regard it as typical of what was generally said at this time by Christians in their approach to Jews. The speech exhibits a more developed Christology than that of the Pentecost address—or at least the Christology is expressed in far richer terms, though these are still distinctively Jewish and of the earliest period of the church. Here Peter ...

956. The New Stone Tablets

Exodus 34:1-28

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Crisis Resolved: The Name of the Lord · Exodus 34 is the theological center of the book of Exodus. The stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, which Moses broke in anger in Exodus 32:19, are remade (vv. 1–4, 27–29). The Lord proclaims the divine name with a full description of who God is in the world. God responds to the golden calf crisis by promising to be a forgiving God in their midst. The Lord then describes how this forgiveness would function (vv. 5–9). The text reiterates representative laws from ...

957. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

1 Kings 8:22-61

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Solomon’s Prayer: Solomon now turns to address God in a prayer that is of great importance for our understanding of the book of Kings as a whole. After further attention to the link between temple-building and Davidic promise (vv. 22–26), he offers us significant reflections on the nature of God’s “dwelling” in the temple (vv. 27–30; cf. v. 13), followed by a seven-fold petitionary prayer about the response of God to those who will approach through this new medium (vv. 31–51), and a brief summarizing ...

958. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Ahab’s War against Aram: Elijah has recruited Elisha, and we expect to read now, perhaps, of his anointing of Hazael as king over Aram and of Jehu as king over Israel (19:15–18). Instead, we find a story in which a different prophet takes up the running (Elijah does not appear at all) and in which a different king of Aram (Ben-Hadad) loses a war with Ahab. The message of chapter 19 is thus underlined. Elijah is not the only servant of God left, in spite of what he has claimed (19:10, 14), and the quiet ...

959. Jesus the Messiah from Joseph’s Family Line

Matthew 1:1-17

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew, in the opening genealogy, emphasizes Jesus as the Davidic Messiah, whom God has sent to enact Israel’s restoration from exile and to include the Gentiles in God’s kingdom. Understanding the Text It may seem surprising to find a genealogy at the opening of Matthew’s Gospel, but genealogies were a common means for establishing and substantiating the identity of a person. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus demonstrates that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah-King, from David’s royal line. Introducing ...

960. Jesus’ Authority to Perform Miracles

Matthew 8:18-22, Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 9:1-8

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew encourages his readers to trust and follow Jesus wholeheartedly, as he shows Jesus’ power and authority to be greater than sin, the demonic, and even nature. Understanding the Text Matthew continues in this passage to emphasize themes of Jesus’ authority—here over sin (9:1–8), the demonic (8:28–34), and nature (8:23–27)—and faith as the appropriate discipleship response to Jesus (9:21–22; cf. 8:26). The call to follow Jesus wholeheartedly is issued in 8:18–22, picking up the call stories ...

961. The New-Covenant Blessings: Peace and Hope

Romans 5:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Romans 5:1–11 presents three new-covenant blessings: peace, hope, and love (love will be covered in the next unit). Understanding the Text Romans 5 has been much debated in terms of its context: does it belong with 1:18–4:25, or does it begin a new unit?1Most scholars today believe that although chapter 5 does connect back to 1:18–4:25 (since the topic of justification so pervasive there occurs also in 5:1, 9, 16–19, 21), it most likely begins a new unit that concludes in 8:39. Several arguments ...

962. Resurrection and Christian Living

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith; without it, faith cannot stand and Christian living has no motivation. It is the announcement that God has reversed the curse of the fall. Death no longer has any sting. Understanding the Text After solidly grounding the resurrection in the soil of history, Paul moves on to establish its theological significance. His theological argument moves through three stages. He begins by a theological restatement of his Scripture/eyewitness ...

963. The Harvest of the Earth

Revelation 14:14-20

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: At the end of the age, unbelievers will suffer God’s wrathful judgment. Understanding the Text The harvest of the earth is composed of two visions that continue the judgment theme from 14:6–13: the grain harvest (14:14–16) and the grape harvest (14:17–20). Both units (14:6–13 and 14:14–20) are linked not only by the theme of judgment but also by the mention of seven angels or groups of angels (14:6, 8, 9, 10, 15, 17, 18). The central interpretive question, much debated by commentators, is whether ...

964. The Millennial Reign, Followed by Satan’s Release, Defeat, and Punishment

Revelation 20:1-7, Revelation 20:8-10

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Following the millennial reign, Satan will be released for a final battle only to be defeated for good and eternally condemned. Understanding the Text Following Satan’s imprisonment (20:1–3), believers will reign with Christ over creation (20:4–6). The term “millennium” is a word taken from the Latin for “thousand years” (20:2). The millennial reign both fulfills God’s promise of a messianic kingdom on earth (see “Theological Insights” below) and inaugurates life in the new heaven and new earth ( ...

965. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

The Handwriting on the Wall (5:1-9): Big Idea: Sacrilege against God can lead to a divine confrontation that worldly wealth, power, and wisdom cannot adequately address. Understanding the Text Daniel 5:1–31 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to Darius the Mede ( ...

966. Ten Commandments and the People’s Response

Exodus 20:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Overview: When Jesus is asked which commandment is the most important, he affirms two fundamental principles that characterize the Law and the Prophets: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:28–34; Matt. 22:34–40; Luke 10:25–27). The Decalogue (literally the “Ten Words,” or the Ten Commandments) itself opens with “the Lord your God” (20:2) and closes with “your neighbor” (20:17). ...

967. A Warning Against Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:1-39

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Hypocrisy Denounced: The last of Matthew’s five major discourses begins with chapter 23 and runs through chapter 25 (see the standard closing formula at 26:1). It differs from the others somewhat in that there is a break and change of scene between chapters 23 and 24. The first section (chap. 23) is directed to a wider audience (cf. vv. 1, 13, 37); in the second (chaps. 24–25) Jesus speaks to his disciples in private. The material in chapter 23 has been compiled by Matthew on the basis of topical relevance ...

968. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Mark 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

8:1–10 This is the second feeding account in Mark (cf. 6:30–44). The repetition of the same sort of miracle in so compressed a narrative as Mark and the similarities of the two accounts have provoked a great deal of scholarly study. Since our objective here is to try to understand what Mark intended by including these two accounts in his Gospel, we shall not discuss the various suggestions about the oral or written sources that Mark may have used for these stories. Mark 8:14–21 makes it evident that Mark ...

969. Israel's Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Righteousness: Gift or Reward? So far Paul has considered the case of Israel from God’s side. God made choices from among Abraham’s descendants to create a peculiar people for himself. The election of Jacob over Esau was independent of human merit or responsibility, since the choice was made when both were still in Rebekah’s womb. If in subsequent generations God hardened Pharaoh and blessed Israel, it was “in order that [his] purpose in election might stand” (9:11), a purpose rooted in mercy and directed ...

970. David's Song of Praise

2 Samuel 22:1-51

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

A Psalm of Thanksgiving: 22:1 David was a noted poet and musician, and it was important to include an example of his artistic skills in any record of his life. There are, as Gordon points out (1 and 2 Samuel: A Commentary, p. 309), marked similarities in theme between this psalm and Hannah’s song (1 Sam. 2). One reason for including this psalm may be to provide a parallel to that song and to draw the reader’s attention to the strength and the care of God at both ends of this part of the history. There is ...

971. Betrayed by God in Battle?

Psalm 44:1-26

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Adversity is never easy to bear, but what makes it worse is feeling that God has brought it on (v. 4). What makes it unbearable is the utter disappointment of what were believed to be legitimate expectations from God. As one turns to prayer, God becomes both the problem and its solution. Psalm 44 is a prayer psalm lamenting a battle defeat. The people have been killed, despoiled, and dispersed (esp. vv. 10–11, 19, 22). The survivors feel humiliated (vv. 13–16) and downcast (v. 25). The psalm contains no ...

972. The Destruction of the Temple and the Eruption of Chaos

Psalm 74:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

The Destruction of the Temple and the Eruption of Chaos With the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah in 587 B.C., the people of God experienced not only a national crisis but also a religious one. They lost three tangible symbols that marked them as the people of God: the land, the Davidic king, and the temple. This psalm laments the temple’s destruction, and it takes on the seemingly impossible task of appealing to the God who has apparently rejected the temple’s “congregation” (Hb. ʿēdâ, not ...

973. Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Understanding Series

William Nelson

Daniel’s Prayer and the Seventy Weeks: Chapter 9 is unique for three reasons. First, it starts with Daniel reading a prophetic text rather than receiving a vision as in the surrounding chapters (chs. 7, 8, and 10). Second, the particular name of Israel’s God, Yahweh, is only found in this chapter (vv. 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 14, 20). Third, most of the chapter is taken up with a prayer. Elsewhere, the author makes clear that Daniel believed in talking to God (2:18; 6:10), but only here does he record the lengthy ...

974. The Dedication of the Temple

1 Kings 8:62-66

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

975. The Lord Appears to Solomon

1 Kings 9:1-9

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

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