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 1126 to 1150 of 4340 results

1126. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... connected wisdom to the gift or presence of God’s Spirit (e.g., Gen. 41:38–39; Exod. 31:3–4; Prov. 2:6; 8:22–31). Thus one could paraphrase James as “this behavior is not inspired by God’s Spirit.” What, then, is the source and character of this “wisdom” that inspires them? First, it is earthly. On the surface, to say that something belongs to the earth is not bad, but it is bad if the something is claimed to come from God (1 Cor. 15:40). Thus James already argues that their inspiration ...

1127. The Living Stone and a Chosen People

1 Peter 2:4-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... of adoring worship by believers. Peter reminds his readers that God has called them out of darkness, that is, they are called to leave the darkness due to their earlier ignorance of God (1:14), which had kept them not only from a knowledge of his character, but also from realizing the immense love he had for them and the great blessings he had in store for their eternal benefit. The divine call is into his wonderful light. To Jews, light was a familiar image of Messiah’s kingdom and spoke of the presence ...

1128. Submission to Rulers and Masters

1 Peter 2:13-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... of the Greek alphabet. This throws vivid light on Peter’s use of the word. The disciple must not only follow, but so completely copy the example of Jesus Christ from A to Z that it means reproducing every stroke of every letter of the Lord’s character, thus making a facsimile of the Master. Peter echoes the thought again in 4:1. The apostolic fathers took up Peter’s use of the word. Clement of Rome speaks of Paul’s departure from this world as a notable hypogrammos (pattern) of patient endurance (1 ...

1129. Suffering for Being a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... can stand before Him when He is pleased [at the giving of revelation], then who can stand before Him when He rises in His fierce wrath?” (Midrash Rabbah 29.9 on Exod. 20:1). The phrase the gospel of God (the revelation made by God of his own character and his required response from human beings) appears in this letter only here (also Mark 1:14; six times in Paul), although the corresponding verb occurs in 1:12, 25; 4:6). 4:18 The righteous is singular, the righteous one. In 1 Enoch 38:2 the term is ...

1130. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... 2:25). So here, the apostle moves on from speaking to elders in particular to church members in general, all of you. All believers are to clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. They are to put on, as though it were a garment, the Christlike character of humble service. By his choice of metaphor, Peter is no doubt reflecting on the scene in the Upper Room, when Jesus took up the menial task of washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:4). The Greek verb Peter uses for clothe yourselves is a vivid ...

1131. Moses Flees to Midian

Exodus 2:11-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... cost God something (see chs. 32–34). By the end of Exodus 2, the text has established Moses’ identity as a Hebrew and as a person who desired to rescue those who were victimized. The cataclysmic experience of killing the Egyptian radically shaped his character. Moses did not repeat this behavior and did not fight against the bondage of Egypt for another forty years. He “stood up” to injustice against the seven daughters in Midian in a more measured way and with results. At this point in the ...

1132. Abimelech

Judges 9:1-57

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... hll and qll. There is also a possible wordplay on the name Gaal. The Hebrew root g’l means “to abhor” or “to be loathesome,” while a similar root, g’l, means “to redeem.” Gaal purported to be a redeemer, but he was only a loathesome character. 9:46 The temple of El-Berith: El-Berith and Baal-Berith were one and the same, though some commenators disagree. 9:48 Quick! The word “quick” occurs two times, here and in v. 54 (Hb.). This repetition links the two scenes and thus points out the ...

1133. The Genealogy of David

Ruth 4:13-22

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... the rigid, black-or-white, tragic-versus-comic style commonly found in Attic playwrights. Many commentators overlook or dismiss the role played by this choros, but the narrator of Ruth uses this literary technique to articulate vital characterization questions (1:19), link important themes to specific characters (4:14), and bring closure to the story proper (4:17). By far the densest of these moments occurs here, in 4:14, where the Bethlehemite choros reprises three important themes, linking each to a major ...

1134. Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

Esther 2:19-23

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... reason—and to the king’s embarrassment in chapter 6—Mordecai was passed over. Chapter 3 begins with awkward unfairness as the king promotes a rival of Mordecai’s (and the king’s!) instead of his true benefactor. Linguistic subtleties reveal the character of the Jews in the court. Esther (literally) “sought” (bqsh) nothing when she went to the king in 2:15. But the conspirators “sought” (NIV “conspired”) to assassinate the king in 2:21 (see 6:2). Haman will “seek” the lives of ...

1135. The King's Edict in Behalf of the Jews

Esther 8:1-17

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... not only for what they have done to others, but also for what they have planned to do. Intent itself is grounds for judgment in Israel’s legal code. The case of false accusation is esp. significant because, by its very nature, it impugns the character of another person or group. On the principle of retribution and the dynamics of shame in false accusations, see the article by T. Frymer-Kensky (“Tit for Tat: The Principle of Equal Retribution in Near Eastern and Biblical Law,” BA 43 [1980], pp. 230 ...

1136. The Greatness of Mordecai

Esther 10:1-3

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... that was put at risk by the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons in chapter 1. The story ends with the women in the village praising God for Naomi’s kinsman-redeemer and son (Ruth 4:14–15). In both stories, the crisis begins with the character whose identity is more typical in the community. The “savior” is a marginal person—a woman in both stories—a Moabite in Ruth’s case, an orphan in Esther’s case. Neither woman has any acquired status by birth. Once the threat to the family is resolved ...

1137. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 20:1-30

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... kindness, goodness, etc. See L. Alonso Schökel, J. Vilchez Lindez, with A. Pinto, Proverbios (Madrid: Cristiandad, 1984) for a discussion of five different translations of v. 6a. 20:11 In the MT, Hb. gam (even) modifies actions, not child; it is conduct that reveals good character. There is no need to emend v. 1lb (cf. 21:8b, which is almost identical). The Hb. verb nkr appears in Gen. 42:7 in the Hitpael in the sense of “dissemble” (cf. the NJPS, which indicates that the correct action of a child may ...

1138. Sayings of Agur

Proverbs 30:1-33

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... examples are not haphazardly chosen; they are from air, land, water, and a delicate human relationship. The mood is close to that of the Song of Songs. 30:20 The NIV wisely separates this conclusion from the previous two verses because it is out of character with them. One may best understand this to be the reflection of a reader who interpreted the examples in verses 18–19 as indicating that no trace is left. Then the idea is applied to the conduct of an adulteress whose symbolic gesture removes traces ...

1139. I Am a Rose of Sharon

Song of Songs 2:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... with a gazelle or stag (2:10, 17). 2:8–13 In a soliloquy, the central woman describes the approach of her lover in both visual and auditory images. Because she is not directly addressing anyone in these verses, it is not certain whether other characters are present or whether we are eavesdropping on her solitary musing. Leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills (2:8) gives the impression of an animal seen from the distance. Like a gazelle or a young stag in the following verse reinforces this ...

1140. Jonah's Anger at the Lord's Compassion

Jonah 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... . The reason for his fury, as well as for his initial flight from Yahweh to Tarshish, is stated in verse 2. Jonah knew the character of God. He knew it would do no good for him to preach judgment upon Nineveh, because he knew that God is “gracious and ... Nineveh repented; Jonah is not interested in his own reputation here (contra a number of commentators). Rather, Jonah is interested in the character of God, and Jonah has disobeyed because he does not want God to be a God who forgives Nineveh. Nineveh has ...

1141. The Lord’s Case Against Israel

Micah 6:1-8

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... he is not the God who saves! In short, Israel has forgotten. It has not remembered, and therefore it no longer knows who its God is and what God’s character and will are. To remember, in OT parlance, is not simply to recall something, but to experience it as present event. Through past actions in Israel’s history, Yahweh’s character and will have been made known. And by remembering those actions, Israel can “know” God, it can experience God’s presence and be assured of God’s present power and ...

1142. Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

Zechariah 7:1-14

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... no bribes, and not manipulating the court system to oppress the poor are some of the specific requirements. From the lowest court at the town gate all the way up to the king’s court, true justice preserves the peace and reflects the character of God, who hears the cries of the victims of injustice (e.g., Exod. 22:22, 24). The second command is a much broader admonition: show mercy (khesed), the loyal love that should characterize relationships within the covenant, and compassion (rakhamim), the care ...

1143. The Gift of Love

Isaiah 7:10-14, Matthew 1:18-25

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... time together. They make the decorations and the gifts and scrounge for materials for costumes. When their friends arrive, they welcome them to an evening of singing, dancing, and storytelling. Each one receives his handmade present and goes home, tired but happy. The two characters in this story just happen to be a mouse and a bear. But they tell us something very important about giving: they use what they have. Instead of waiting until such a time as they could "afford to entertain," they went ahead and ...

1144. Jesus Changes Water to Wine

John 2:1-11

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... mother, his time has not yet come (v. 4). Yet the early placement of the temple cleansing is deliberate, and its effect is twofold. First, it puts everything that follows under the shadow of Jesus’ impending Passion and gives his dialogues with the Jews the character of a trial. Second, it makes the story of the Cana wedding a kind of epitome or scale model of Jesus’ entire Galilean ministry, in which he turns the water of traditional ritual cleansing (v. 6) into the wine of a new and joyous messianic ...

1145. Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-26, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... , they are left speechless in its wake (cf. their hesitation to ask him questions in 16:5, 19 and 21:12). As soon as the disciples arrive from the town, the woman returns to town, and the narrative divides itself into two scenes centering on two sets of characters: the woman and the townspeople (vv. 28–30, 39–42), and the disciples and Jesus (vv. 31–38). When the disciples offer Jesus some of the food they have bought in Sychar (see v. 8), Jesus tells them he has food of his own that they know nothing ...

1146. Jesus the Bread of Life

John 6:25-59

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. When did he tell them this? The most plausible answer is 5:38: “for you do not believe the one he sent” (cf. 5:40, 43, 46–47). When Jesus’ discourses take on a formal character, there is a sense in which his opponents are always the same people (i.e., “the Jews” 5:18; 6:41), whether he is in Galilee or Jerusalem and regardless of the occasion. He did not tell them in so many words that they had seen him. The association of ...

1147. The Last Passover

John 12:1-11

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... is noted also in 13:29, but his thievery is mentioned only here. Judas is always seen as the betrayer in John’s Gospel, but without direct indication that his betrayal was for money. The present passage affords a useful glimpse in retrospect of Judas’ character (for a perspective on thieves, cf. 10:1, 10). The narrator introduces the information at this point in order to make it clear that the immediate issue is not right or wrong attitudes toward the poor (an issue that the story in itself might easily ...

1148. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... baptism is not to be repeated. The emphasis of the passage as a whole, however, is not on the once-and-for-all character of baptism but on the absolute necessity of footwashing, however the latter is understood. And you are clean, though not every one of ... :4, 6; 13:11), but to the disciples it comes as a shock: Who can the traitor be? (v. 22). At this tense moment a new character comes into the story, a disciple never identified by name, but only as the disciple whom Jesus loved (v. 23; cf. 19:26–27; 20:2 ...

1149. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... and evil, the true Christians and the secessionists. Cain’s actions were evil because he was evil, in origin and in character, in contrast to “the children of God” (3:10). 3:13 The thought continues directly into the next verse, as the NIV ... :1; cf. 11:42; 17:8, 21). In v. 23 this faith is in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. The name means the person, character, and authority of the one trusted. The full name Jesus Christ and the title his Son are nearly creedal statements, similar to John 20:31 (cf. ...

1150. Joy at Believers’ Walking in the Truth

3 John 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... the sense of the Greek phlyarōn here. Literally it means to talk nonsense about someone or to bring false charges against them (BAGD, p. 862). The Elder adds “with evil words.” What the author objects to is not attacks on his character (which “gossip” implies) but the unjustified charges that Diotrephes is raising. These charges are not only against the writer personally but against us, those who bear the tradition of the Johannine community. Presumably, they include the claim that the Elder is not ...

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