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 1026 to 1050 of 4340 results

1026. Surprise

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... find. “I'm a sheep, what are you?" And the children answered—wise man, angel, or whatever their role might be. Finally Jimmy came up to Claire and said, “I'm a sheep, what are you?" Claire replied, “I am Mary!" Shocked that he was talking to the main character, Jimmy continued. “It's hard being a sheep you know!" Not to be outdone Claire replied, “O yeah, it's even harder being a virgin, you know." So the favor of God was not an easy road. But it was a purposeful road. The favor of God means ...

1027. Seinfeld's Last Episode

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

... heard of that. Officer: It's new, its called the Good Samaritan Law, Let's go. The series ends with them serving their time. The critics hated it. It was pretty bad but there was a redeeming quality to that last episode. For nine years Seinfeld's characters used, ridiculed, and made fun of everyone they met. The four of them were the Priest and the Levites of our modern world. We climb the ladder of success and FedEx gives you the world on time. This is our attitude. Stopping to help someone crimps our ...

1028. Scaring the Church, So It Will Be the Church

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... poem extolling the virtue of wisdom, but we can't be sure who delivers this elegant piece. The poem comes at the end of one of Job's speeches, but it isn't attributed to anyone. Whose viewpoint does it represent? Sometimes, it isn't clear where one character's words end and someone else's words begin. The third chapter of John begins with Jesus talking to Nicodemus. Do Jesus' words end at verse 15 or verse 21? When we come to John 3:16, the famous passage that reads, "For God so loved the world that ...

1029. Having Fun with The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... is that it is a matter of our lack of confidence, a feeling that we do not know enough or do not feel comfortable approaching strangers. Another problem is that much of the purpose-driven talk we hear in churches these days is about the "mandatory" character of the mission of the Great Commission to do evangelism.1 If doing evangelism is mandatory, and we're not doing a very good job about it, what does that say about our relationship to God? What does that say about being a Christian and doing evangelism ...

1030. Hunger and Politics

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... hit in some random manner, and then dive into the pool at a chance spot. Jesus, according to Matthew, is the "son of David" and the "son of Abraham." This is quite a loaded statement, for those two great figures were called by God to establish the character of the nation of Israel. Abraham received the first great covenant promise of God when God picked him out of the crowds of Mesopotamia and sent him on a journey to what would become the promised land (Genesis 12:1-2). Out of this transforming event was ...

1031. Religious Balkanization

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... color and ethnicity in new ways. He emerges from jail far more reflective, and his boastful prejudices and racial slurs have been virtually wiped clean from his lexography. Yet, the problem of racism grows tenacious roots in a family or community. When the main character returns, he finds his younger brother welcoming him like a god, ready to fight at his side in the next genetic clash over turf and social dominance. The story winds to a tragic conclusion in which all of the prejudices come back to haunt ...

1032. Why Is God Unfair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... the more responsible son, had stayed home all these years and had slaved in the fields. Surely he deserved a bigger party and a better piece of the pie than he appeared to be getting. But his self-centeredness and mercenary spirit were clearly at odds with the character of the Father and the values of the kingdom. So, too, the bargaining that takes place at the beginning of the day in this parable, and then again at the end. "Didn't you bargain for what you got?" the early hires are asked. "Why do you think ...

1033. A Career in The Kingdom

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... the Jebusites until David and God together made it "Zion," the house of the Yahweh. The history of Israel was only a catalogue of tribal squabblings until God chose David and Solomon to create a world-class empire that brought the nations to seek its unusual character. For the psalmist to decry that he "dwells in Meshech" meant that somewhere along the line he sold out, that he left home, that he boarded the wrong ship and followed a faulty flag. He was the original prodigal son, living in a land where the ...

1034. Kingdoms in Conflict

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... a strange team to make its mark by playing a different game. Walter Wangerin Jr., in his great allegory, The Book of the Dun Cow (along with its wonderful sequel, The Book of Sorrows), captures both the scope of the divine mission as well as the under-rated character of the team. If the focus remains on the team apart from the mission, the point is lost. God is reclaiming God's creation, but does so through human agency. The game is fierce and the playing field is rough. Only those who can tear up their ...

1035. Dressed for the Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Chris Ewing

1036. Why Did You Bring Us Out of Egypt?

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... to lead God's people out of the sin of racism. Indeed, look at the people who God tends to lift up for leadership. Was Saint Paul worthy of the trust of the early church? Hardly. He was their chief persecutor! Our leaders are rarely, if ever, of perfect character. They, like us, are imperfect people in search of a perfect wonder. You see, stepping into the waters of trust and openness does not in any way ensure that we will be unmolested in this life. It is a lot like faith. In fact, it involves faith. Our ...

1037. The Three Dimensions of Life

Genesis 6:1-22

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... . So, too, has the man who can't think of anything to do once he's retired. But having said all of that, I don't think breadth is the most important dimension of life either. No, I think it is height. For it is height that determines that character of the other two dimensions, and it is height that helps us fulfill the promise of our lives. By height, of course, I mean the relationship we have built with that which is higher than ourselves, our Creator and Lord. The fact is, this is the only dimension of ...

1038. A Blessing in Disguise

Genesis 32:22-31

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... after someone. Chances are that a good many of us carry family names. We are named for a parent, a grandparent, an uncle, or an aunt somewhere on the family tree. Others of us had parents who named us after a character in the Bible, or perhaps some other significant character from history. All told, I expect a pretty fair number of us are named after someone else. When Isaac and Rebecca had their twin boys, they took an unusual approach to naming their babies. They named the boys for the boys themselves ...

1039. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... work to do, and within six months was dead of a stroke, suffered when he had gone into one of his fits. None of us is in a position to judge the heart of another, but this case was very troublesome to me. This man exhibited character traits that would be highly valued in many business settings, but were they appropriate for a Christian leader? For any Christian, for that matter? Many would argue that in our fast-paced, hard-driving, assertive culture, patience is a liability, not an asset, even for ...

1040. Hidden in Plain Sight

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... one level after another. What seemed true one day was experienced as superficial the next. When we encounter a person, we receive an impression. But often if we act accordingly we are disappointed by his actual behavior. We pierce a deeper level of his character, and for some time experience less disappointment. But soon he may do something which is contrary to all our expectations; and we realize that what we know about him is still superficial. Again we dig more deeply into his true being.1 Two notable ...

1041. In the Balance

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

David O. Bales

... 's sin as a virus set free by mistake into human life that makes us all sick. The result of this, Paul says, is death. Sin infects society and individuals. It creeps up into minds, gnaws its way into souls, and demolishes more and more of a person's character and a society's strength. We can look for example at Stephen Arrington. He wrote about his life in the book, Journey into Darkness: Nowhere to Land. In the Navy, as a scuba diver, he went from smoking marijuana to selling it, resulting in a Bad Conduct ...

1042. Spiritual Judo

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... life, if they don't waste such a promising problem. Paul's letter to the Roman Christians takes us through the process of using our suffering. He writes, "... we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." This is Paul's experience of having access to God's grace. Our Christian faith ...

1043. Life in the Resurrection Zone

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

David O. Bales

... morning: The Lord has risen! People: He has risen indeed! Leader: Our Lord Jesus has risen, breaking the power of sin and death, People: and setting us free to live for him. Leader: The Lord has risen. People: He has risen indeed! In the movie, Shawshank Redemption, the character, Red, is being released from prison after decades behind bars. The actor portraying Red, Morgan Freeman, shows various emotions as he walks out of prison toward the uncertainty of freedom. Although guards haven't been the best ...

1044. A Winning Life

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... that will try to take us off course. But as long as we know deep in our hearts that God is with us, we can make it. Most of you have some familiarity with the story of Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe was the chief character in a novel by Daniel Defoe. Crusoe was shipwrecked and stranded on an island for 28 years where he encountered cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued. Some of you may remember Crusoe for his man “Friday.” Friday escaped from the cannibals and was befriended ...

1045. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Raised"

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... overcomes all kinds of odds to save the world and bring peace. It's really quite fascinating. At the very conclusion of Matrix Revolutions, the last of the trilogy there is a wonderful scene where three of the characters are talking about what happened. Watch. Without going into a lot of detail; one character asks the Oracle: "Did you always know." I love the Oracle's answer. "Did I know? No, but I believed." That's what this day is all about. The disciples didn't know, but they believed. And then because ...

1046. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Betrayed"

John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:14-16; 45-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of those we know are fiction. But Judas was reality. And the reality of is that any one of the disciples could have done what Judas did. And because of that any one of us could become a Judas. And that's why I think Judas is the most frightening character of the Passion, because there is a small kernel of Judas that lives within each of us. We all have the capability to not only deny Christ but to Betray him just as Judas did. Let's look at the passages of Scripture for this morning. There are two: John ...

1047. Reversal of Fortune

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... speak well of us. So does that mean all we get are the woes? I might be wrong, but I don't think so. Instead, I think this passage was directed at those folks who are like the character in my favorite movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." I'm talking about Mr. Potter. Do you remember Potter. How did the main character, George Bailey, put it when Potter tried to buy him with position and power? Getting madder all the time, he said: "NO! Doggone it! You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think ...

1048. The Grateful Samaritan

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... to lose sight of the miracle of God’s grace. Being grateful as I awaken to the gift of each day is the key.” She has come to believe that gratitude is “the purest measure of one’s character and spiritual condition.” (6) Barbara’s right. Gratitude is the purest measure of one’s character and spiritual condition. And there’s healing in such gratitude. I believe it is the answer to stress. It’s the answer to heartbreak and loss. I believe that all of us would have healthier minds and bodies ...

1049. There Will Be Light

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... and love. There is a story that has been circulating on the web about a church Christmas pageant. The day of the presentation finally arrived. A young girl named Jana was so excited about her part that her parents thought she was to be one of the main characters, though she had not told them what she was to do. The parents of the children in the pageant were all there and one by one the children took their places. Jana’s parents could see the shepherds fidgeting in one corner of the stage which was ...

1050. A Small Man Who Was Given a Big Heart

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... to his love freely, and abundantly . . . Zacchaeus was saved by grace and invited to faith and so are we all.” (5) “God accepts and transforms the unacceptable, loves the un-loveable, forgives the un-forgivable.” That’s grace. In a scene from the movie Ironweed, the characters played by Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep stumble across an old Eskimo woman lying in the snow, probably drunk. Inebriated themselves, the two debate what they should do about her. “Is she drunk?” asks Nicholson’s ...

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