Sermon and Worship Resources

Dictionary: Face

Biblical references to the face are both literal and metaphorical. The Hebrew word for “face” (paneh) frequently occurs in the plural in the OT (over 2,100 times), and it can express the numerous features of the face, that of God, humans, animals, and inanimate objects. It also can describe a surface, such as “the face of the ground” (Gen. 2:6 KJV) or “the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2 KJV).

The concept of face must be understood in terms of the diverse emotional expressions and stratified social relationships of the biblical social world. This was a world of honor and shame, loyalty and betrayal. Where the modern person speaks of personal empowerment, the biblical person thought of social restoration. Life was tantamount to social acceptance. In the biblical world of strong corporate solidarity, the face was the most important part of a person’s body. Persons did not merely “contact” each other; rather, faces engaged each other. Face was synonymous with person (e.g., Lev. 19:32, where “the aged/elderly” is literally “the faces of the aged/elderly”). The face essentially describes interpersonal relationships.

Presence and nonpresence are noted in the expressions “hiding the face from” (Ps. 27:9) and “seeing the face of” (Gen. 32:20 KJV). These denote qualities of relationship through acceptance or rejection, especially to superiors. To “see someone’s face” who is a dignitary is to be granted a royal audience (Gen. 44:23). Yet it was not customary to show a sad face in a king’s presence (Neh. 2:2). A person could also try to hide his or her identity, since “face” marks a public expression of one’s character and social standing.

To literally “fall on the face” (Ezek. 1:28; Luke 5:12) shows humility and homage toward a superior. Personal intention or determination is shown in the expressions “set the face against/toward” (Ezek. 35:2) and “turn the face” (2 Kings 20:2). Dishonor and disrespect are expressed with a “fallen face” (Gen. 4:6; NIV: “downcast” face; cf. Gen. 40:7). Striking the face can be an act that humiliates (John 18:22), as with mutilation or having a soiled face (Lev. 21:18; 2 Sam. 19:4–5). By contrast, to speak “face to face” (Exod. 33:11) not only shows respect but also treats another as a social equal. Reflecting rich emotions, a face can be “cheerful” (Prov. 15:13), “aflame” with agony (Isa. 13:8), “red with weeping” (Job 16:16), and covered with “shame” (Ps. 69:7).

“Face” can be used as a metonym (i.e., substitution) for a person’s presence. Significantly, God’s rejection of a person or group can be expressed as them being hidden from his face (Gen. 4:14 KJV) or as God hiding his face from them (Isa. 54:8; Mic. 3:4; cf. Ps. 22:24). Those in distraught prayer ask why God has hidden his face (Job 13:24) or for how long (Ps. 13:1). Similarly, God acts against persons when he sets his face against them (Lev. 17:10; 26:17).

Believers anticipate the day when they will see God “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12), having received the ultimate gift of God’s acceptance.

Synonyms: countenance, physiognomy, profile, features, expression, facial expression, look, appearance, air, manner, bearing, guise, cast, aspect, impression, grimace, scowl, wry face, wince, frown, glower, smirk, pout, moue, side, flank, vertical, surface, plane, facet, wall, elevation, dial, display, (outward) appearance, nature, image, front, show, act, false front, facade, exterior, mask, masquerade, pretence, charade, pose, illusion, smokescreen, veneer, camouflage, respect, honour, esteem, regard, admiration, approbation, acclaim, approval, favour, appreciation, popularity, estimation, veneration, awe, reverence, deference, recognition, prestige, standing, status, dignity, glory, kudos, cachet, effrontery, audacity, nerve, gall, brazenness, brashness, shamelessness, look out on, front on to, look towards, be facing, have/afford/command a view of, look over/across, open out over, look on to, overlook, give on to, give over, be opposite (to), accept, come to accept, become reconciled to, reconcile oneself to, reach an acceptance (of), get used to, become accustomed to, adjust to, accommodate oneself to, acclimatize oneself to, be confronted by, be faced with, encounter, experience, come into contact with, run into, come across, meet, come up against, be forced to contend with, beset, worry, distress, cause trouble to, trouble, bother, confront, burden, brave, face up to, meet head-on, dare, defy, oppose, resist, withstand, cover, clad, skin, overlay, dress, pave, put a facing on, laminate, inlay, plate, coat, line

Antonyms: dodge, fear, back, give way, back down, dodge, avoid, throw in the towel, withdraw, cave in, retreat, succumb to, lay down one's arms, throw in the sponge, defer, submit, escape, bashfulness, shun, evade, elude

Showing 1026 to 1050 of 1106 results

1026. Surprised by Joy

Luke 2:8-14

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... let us open ourselves to the possibility of joy. Let us look upon this holy child and remember the message he will bring to us — that we are loved and accepted, that our sins our forgiven, that the kingdom of God is at hand, that our past has been stamped approved and that our future is free and open. Let us lift our spirits and our voices in praise of God. Let the joy that God has planted as a seed in each of us, grow, bloom, and overflow out of us and into those around us. And, finally, brothers and ...

1027. Freeing Those in Bondage

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

George Reed

... that the conditions of their lives made much of it unattainable. If Jesus’ presence in the synagogue signified anything it was his openness to honoring God in whatever way one was able. The second problem with reading this story as a stamp of approval on our traditional way of doing things is clearly presented when Jesus healed the woman with the crippling spirit on the sabbath. If you thought Jesus was giving the thumbs up to tradition over all, then think again. The religious leaders were appalled ...

1028. Same Ol’, Same Ol’

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... be celebrating the beginning of the story this week, but we know how it ends. What’s good news for shepherds is always bad news for kings. When the people hear that their lives are gifts from God that their sins are forgiven, and their past approved, that their future is open and the kingdom of God is available for any who are willing to reach out and accept it, why, that’s just plain bad news for kings, despots, and autocratic, authoritarian leaders. People who have the gospel written into their lives ...

1029. Trust in Me

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . There are major times in our lives when things get so chaotic and strange that the only way we can navigate and negotiate our way forward is by what we used to call “intuition.” We are taught to trust the external----trust authority, trust approval from others—and not trust the internal. We are also not taught how to distinguish “reason” from “feelings”—and that to trust feelings leads only to “doing what you want to do.” That’s why to “trust your intuition” can be frightening at ...

1030. Lady of the House / The Practice of Joy

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Image Exegesis: Martha and Mary “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7) “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3) “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields ...

1031. Translucent Grace

Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36, Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 2:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to the Greek practice of “lottery” or prize for winners of sports events in which the emperor inscribes an invitation upon it to attend a special event or dinner,^ the writing on the stones seems more than an invitation or token of approval and seems to hearken back to scriptures such as Zechariah, Joshua, and Ezekiel, in which stones are “witnesses” of covenant, and the names written upon them indicate responsibility and identity. In fact an archaeological find in Tel Dan in 1993 found a stone ...

1032. Oh That Cookie Jar Goodness!

Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and in our loyalty to The Lover, The One True God. Is our faith in our mastery of virtues, or values, or verses, or worldviews? Or is our faith in Jesus, and our willingness to follow Him even in the midst of others who don’t approve or understand? God’s prophets, God’s messengers, God’s covenant heroes, God’s kings, were never “perfect” people. God’s people as a whole were never “perfect” people. The Hebrews 11 “Great Cloud of Witnesses” takes us down a long corridor of a rogue’s ...

1033. Who is That Crouching at Your Door?

Genesis 4:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , this is the heart of Kayin. He wants to acquire the best attention of God, possess the favor his brother has received. And he believes that if he does what is necessary, merely what is required, he will receive the favor, the “gaze” of approval from God. He deserves it! He should have it! Hevel on the other hand means breath. His name indicates a kind of fleeting or momentary existence. “Everything is but mere breath.” says Ecclesiastes. But breath also means spirit. Hevel is a person of spirit ...

1034. Follow the Light

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Matthew 2:1-12, Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the Light in the World, and that Light is in your life too. That’s the greatest news, isn’t it? We don’t need to create our own light. We don’t need to be our own light. We don’t even need to find our light in others’ approval or in the things of this world. All we need to do is follow the Light of Jesus. And the Light of Jesus will fill our world with beauty, love, and grace. The Light of Jesus will take away our fears and doubts and will fill us with an everlasting ...

1035. Big Spender

1 Kings 10:14-29, 1 Kings 11:1-13, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... shop for the same reasons that other addicts do what they do –the “high” of escaping negative feelings, the inability to cope with problems emotionally or spiritually, the need to fill an inner void, or a way to deal with anxiety caused often by approval seeking. The more the inner need to feel good or salve depression or anxiety, the more extravagant and flagrant the spending. The truth is, the lavish spender may be spiritually spent. The exorbitant buyer may not need a lecture on the moral use of ...

1036. Goin' Down the Road

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... , but to just fellowship together, wonder aloud together about Jesus and have a beverage, whatever your choice, we might better find the insight for what we are called to do on behalf of God. Please, don’t take what I just said as me approving in anyway abuse of alcohol, or suggesting to someone who is struggling with alcoholism, that drinking is okay because Jesus did it. However, do understand that we must stop being so uptight as Christians about where faith conversations can be invited. I really don ...

For fools admire, but men of sense approve.

Alexander Pope

The greatest reward that any government could get is the approval of the people.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Do not look for approval except for the consciousness of doing your best.

Bernard M. Baruch

The three-year-old who lies about taking a cookie isn't really a liar after all. He simply can't control his impulses. He then convinces himself of a new truth and, eager for your approval, reports the version that he knows will make you happy.

Cathy Rindner Tempelsman

As I approve of a youth that has something of the old man in him, so I am no less pleased with an old man that has something of the youth. He that follows this rule may be old in body, but can never be so in mind.

Marcus Tullius Cicero

If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with himself.

Dorothy Law Nolte

Whoever in trouble and sorrow needs your help, give it to him. Whoever in anxiety or fear needs your friendship, give it to him. It isn't important whether he likes you. It isn't important whether you approve of his conduct. It isn't important what his creed or nationality may be.

E. N. West

Probably no man ever had a friend he did not dislike a little; we are all so constituted by nature that no one can possibly entirely approve of us.

Edgar Watson Howe

If I am fool, it is, at least, a doubting one and I envy no one the certainty of his self-approved wisdom.

George Byron

Reputation is favorable notoriety as distinguished from fame, which is permanent approval of great deeds and noble thoughts by the best intelligence of mankind.

George William Curtis

All my children have spoken for themselves since they first learned to speak, and not always with my advance approval, and I expect that to continue in the future.

Gerald R. Ford

When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.

Henry Miller

We will see a breakdown of the family and family values if we decide to approve same-sex marriage, and if we decide to establish homosexuality as an acceptable alternative lifestyle with all the benefits that go with equating it with the heterosexual lifestyle.

Jerry Falwell

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

Leonardo Da Vinci

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