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 1076 to 1100 of 1270 results

1076. Daniel’s Prayer and Vision of the Seventy Weeks

Daniel 9:1-19, Daniel 9:20-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... One with Cyrus, the antichrist, a Roman emperor, and Jesus Christ. Fourth, who will “confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’” (9:27)? Some hold that the Messiah is the subject of the sentence, but others see here a reference to a hostile foreign ruler, such as Antiochus, Titus, or the antichrist. Indeed, Antiochus and Titus brought an end to sacrifices and offerings and set up pagan symbols in the temple court. Opposition to the Lord is an act of “abomination that causes desolation” (9:27 ...

1077. Deliverance and Destruction

Micah 5:5-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Israel to trust things other than him. First, God will destroy the confidence Israel places in her military might. He will do this by removing horses, chariots, and fortified cities from the land. God has promised to protect obedient Israel from hostile attack and has proved through his numerous saving actions (the exodus is the most dramatic) that he can do so. Nevertheless, Israel constantly doubts his ability. She prefers to trust in military technology. Second, God will destroy those objects by which ...

1078. Psalms of Hope and Praise

Micah 7:8-13, Micah 7:14-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that the day of restoration will come. That future day will be a day in which the wall (probably of Jerusalem) will be restored. Such an allusion anticipates the future work of Nehemiah. People will then flock to Zion from such far-flung and normally hostile locations as Assyria and Egypt. The context does not make it clear whether the reference is to the return of exiled Israelites to the land or the conversion of foreign peoples. In any case, Israel’s blessing once again coincides with the downfall of ...

1079. The Lord Comes and Reigns

Zechariah 14:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God’s presence. No longer will anyone come unworthily before the Lord, because God will have sanctified his people, making them fit to worship him. Thus this great prophecy concludes with God’s having accomplished his intended program. Israel has been transformed into a people worthy of its calling, the hostile world powers have been judged, and the once-rejected Messiah now reigns supreme in a world of redeemed Jews and Gentiles that is blessed by his presence.

1080. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... these “missionaries” and their message. Matthew signals the end of this second discourse with the formulaic “After Jesus had finished [instructing his twelve disciples]” (cf. 7:28; see also “Structure” in the introduction). From 11:2 to 16:20, Jesus continues to teach and preach (11:1) but faces increasing hostility from Jewish leadership as his message and actions engender increasing attention and controversy.

1081. Jesus Presented in the Temple

Luke 2:21-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... described here—one group will rise and another will fall—or more probably Luke is referring to one group. Those who embrace the message of Jesus will fall before they rise. In other words, identification with Jesus will bring persecution. Such hostility to Jesus will reveal the thoughts of the heart (2:35); that is, it will reveal that some are opposed to Jesus. Simeon, then, adds that Mary herself will experience anguish from the rejection Jesus will encounter. Like Simeon, Anna proclaims redemption ...

1082. Samaritan Opposition Foreshadows Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-56

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . On the way he teaches his followers about discipleship. The first account in this section (9:51–56) reminds us that the passion of Jesus lies ahead. The resolution of Jesus to go to Jerusalem is related to his suffering and death, and the hostility of the Samaritans foreshadows what he will experience in Jerusalem. (The Samaritans and Jews were enemies with a long history of hatred.) The phrase “taken up to heaven” (9:51) clearly refers to Jesus’s ascension, but it probably also refers to all that ...

1083. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

Luke 10:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (Luke 9:1–6) Jesus also sends out the seventy-two (10:1–24). (The textual evidence is divided so that it is impossible to say whether Jesus sent out seventy or seventy-two.) The disciples are like innocent lambs being sent out into a world full of hostility; yet workers are needed for the harvest (10:2–3). The instructions that are given to the seventy (-two) are very similar to the instructions that Jesus gave to the Twelve in Luke 9:1–6. The urgency of the task is underlined. There is no time for ...

1084. Jesus at a Pharisee’s House

Luke 14:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 24 take place at a banquet in a prominent Pharisee’s home (14:1). The precise nature of the Pharisee’s position is uncertain. The first episode is another controversy story on the Sabbath (14:1–6; cf. 6:1–11; 13:10–17). Hostility continues to build against Jesus because of his healings on the Sabbath, and he is being watched suspiciously on this occasion (14:1). “Dropsy” (14:2 KJV, RSV) involves swelling due to excess fluids building up in tissues and cavities. Jesus forthrightly challenges ...

1085. Apocalyptic Discourse

Luke 21:5-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... defense will produce an opportunity to testify about the gospel, and they will receive the necessary words with which to defend themselves. The persecution may be bitter, perhaps even involving betrayal by family members and death. They must steel themselves to face implacable hostility (21:17). To say “not a hair of your head will perish” (21:18) seems to contradict verse 16, where Jesus asserts that some will be put to death. The saying in verse 18 means that one will be spiritually preserved from any ...

1086. Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Jesus’s departure from the Jordan River is prompted by his concern that the Pharisees are viewing him as supplanting John the Baptist’s ministry (4:1; cf. 3:22–36). Would the hostility toward John now be aimed at Jesus? In the Synoptics, it is John’s arrest that brings Jesus into Galilee (Mark 1:14). The same is true in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus avoids incrimination stemming from his association with John. To be sure, Jesus’s ministry was similar to that ...

1087. Life through the Son

John 5:16-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The importance of verses 16–18 cannot be missed. For the first timewe learn of Jewish hostility toward Jesus and the plan to kill him (5:18). The judicial theme comes out in 5:16 in the word “persecute” (diōkō), the grammar of which indicates a protracted period of persecution. God and Jesus form the substance of the following discourse. Jesus justifies working on the Sabbath ...

1088. Is Jesus the Christ?

John 7:25-44

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . But this is wrong at a deeper level. Jesus comes from God (7:28–29). John employs the crowd’s false perception of Jesus’s origin in order to explain Jesus’s true origin. In response, the listeners are divided (cf. 6:66–71). Some are hostile (7:30), but others step closer toward faith (7:31). The light either draws to itself or repels. Once again the Jewish leadership misunderstands Jesus (7:32–36). Jesus is going where they cannot travel. This of course is his return to the Father, but they ...

1089. The Validity of Jesus’ Testimony

John 8:12-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... on the traditional format we have seen many times. Misunderstanding on the part of Jesus’s questioners propels the discourse forward, leading Jesus to further self-revelations. Now, however, in Jerusalem, these revelations will become more profound than anything before, and the hostilities more direct. Here (8:59) and at the next feast (Dedication, 10:31, 33), violence seems imminent. If what Jesus says is true, he must be followed or destroyed. Where is Jesus going (8:21–30)? This is the second time ...

1090. The Unbelief of the Jews

John 10:22-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... their evidential value. The Jews of the Book of Signs have obtained the signs sufficient for belief. And these will point the way toward the conclusion of the unity of the Father and the Son (10:38; cf. 10:30). But just as the former revelation of this brought hostility (10:30–31), so now Jesus’s opponents attempt to arrest him (10:39). 10:40–42 · Jesus now withdraws before the crucial events of his final week. He knows the region of the Jordan and Perea well (Matt. 19:1; Mark 10:1), and this is his ...

1091. The Work of the Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 20:22). The relation between the Spirit and the world has been gradually developing. In 14:15–16 we learned that the world cannot know the Spirit. In 15:26–27 we saw the Paraclete serving as a defense advocate before the world’s hostilities. Now in 16:8–11 the Paraclete passes to the attack. This too is a judicial description, for in Jewish courts accusers could themselves be accused and convicted. In verse 8 the term “convict” (Greek elenchō; NIV “prove”) is legal terminology for the trial ...

1092. Life through the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of living in opposition to God march toward eternal death. People who live in the power of the Holy Spirit have eternal life and peace with God, as the condemnation of God’s judgment has been removed (8:6). People whose values are controlled by the flesh are hostile to God—they do not submit to the will of God revealed in the law; they cannot keep the law; and thus they cannot please God (8:7–8). The application in 8:9–11 emphasizes the following four truths. (1) Believers are not in the flesh, as ...

1093. Love

Romans 12:9-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in low esteem (as Jesus did and commanded; see Matt. 5:3–5; 11:29; 18:4; 23:12), and if they abandon feelings of superiority (12:16). Paul knows that it may not always be possible to live at peace with every person (12:18), as the hostility of people who reject the gospel is all too often an unfortunate reality. If they suffer from their neighbors, they must leave matters in the hands of God, who will repay any injustice on the day of judgment (12:19). However, Christian believers do not simply endure ...

1094. Adoption: Removing the Barriers

Ephesians 2:11-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jews from non-Jews. His death fully satisfied the law once and for all and thereby eliminated it as a means of separation between people (2:15). Christ’s dual purpose in this was (1) to create in himself one new humanity out of the two hostile groups, making peace between them, and (2) to reconcile both groups to God in this one united body by obliterating in himself their hatred toward God and toward one another (2:16). Thus, not only Jews and Gentiles, but any two (or more) groups or individuals ...

1095. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... an element of the Christian life (see Acts 9:15–16; 14:21–22; Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 1:5; Phil. 3:10; 1 Pet. 2:21). The miracle of the Thessalonians’ conversion was that they received the message of Christ crucified amid the great hostility shown toward this new faith that had recently arrived in Thessalonica. They also had “joy given by the Holy Spirit” in the midst of this suffering. Joy in suffering was a theme in Jewish literature that filtered into the church through Jesus’s teaching (Matt. 5 ...

1096. The Taming of the Tongue

James 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... his broad background here again by picking up a phrase, literally “the wheel of existence,” that was current in certain Greek religions.) The tongue, James says, is a veritable “world of evil,” the very sum and essence of the world as fallen and hostile to God, within a person’s life. A power so potentially destructive of the spiritual life can only be explained as having its origin in the influence of Satan himself. James has described the power and destructive potential of the tongue; now he ...

1097. Preparation for Action

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... or “fully” on God’s grace. The redirected mind will focus on God’s priority, holiness. At its heart holiness means separateness: God calls us to be different, because he is different. Peter’s readers must not worry about their distinctiveness that provokes such hostility from others. It is inevitable! If we are God’s, we will begin to bear his likeness in every aspect of life. The renewed mind knows that life will end with judgment (1:17). We must therefore live each moment under the scrutiny of ...

1098. The Letter to Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... had “little strength” (3:8a). Nevertheless, a church that seems weak to the outside world is where God can display his glory (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26–29; 2 Cor. 12:8–10). As in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8–11), the church at Philadelphia was experiencing hostilities from the Jewish synagogue (3:9) but did not deny Jesus’s name (3:8b). Because of their perseverance (3:10) and works (3:8a), the holy and true one gives three promises. First, Christ tells the Philadelphians that the door to the church’s mission ...

1099. Witness Interlude and the Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 10:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s word with joy but also an impossible mission to proclaim judgment to a hardened people, John and his churches are called to preach a sweet and bitter gospel that offers grace yet demands repentance. In light of the Roman Empire’s increasing hostility against Christianity, theirs will be a mission embittered by suffering and even death. The trumpets by themselves cannot bring people to repentance. The trumpets only provide the context for people to see sin in its ugliest form. To repent, the world needs ...

1100. You Are a Child of God…Uh-Oh

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... Dead Sea, at a point 1,287 feet below sea level, the water has reached the lowest point on earth. “Ironically, the river that has inspired thousands of hymns sung by millions the world over . . . today serves as a barrier for thirty miles for the hostile nations of Israel and Syria. “Amid the unbeautiful, sometimes furious river, east of Jericho, there is a lovely bend called . . . the Ford of the Partridge. It’s a place of great beauty, shaded by willows and eucalyptus trees, much as it was in New ...

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