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 1400 results

1126. The Lord Is My Rock

2 Samuel 22:1-51

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... the imagery of verses 44–46 can be found in 2 Samuel 8 and 10 (see esp. 8:9–10 and 10:19).9 22:47 The Lord lives! By affirming that the Lord “lives,” David emphasizes his active presence and intervention, rather than the philosophical notion of his existence. The parallel line demonstrates this, for David identifies the Lord as “the Rock” (that is, protector; see the comment on vv. 2–3 above) and his “Savior.” There is an echo here of David’s words before his battle with Goliath, when ...

1127. Ruling in the Fear of the Lord

2 Samuel 23:1-7

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... nature is stated elsewhere (2 Sam. 7:13, 16; Ps. 89:4, 28, 36–37). For fuller discussion of the nature of the Davidic covenant, see comments above on 2 Samuel 7. arranged and secured in every part. This assertion is consistent with the notion that the covenant and its promises are irrevocable. The verb translated “arranged” (‘arak) has a legal connotation here (cf. Job 13:18; 23:4; Ps. 50:21) and refers to the terms of the covenant being spelled out formally and clearly. The verb translated ...

1128. Job Presents Evidence against the Retribution Principle

Job 12:1--14:22

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Daniel J. Estes

... finishes on a despondent note (14:18–22). At the end of the first cycle of speeches, Job finds himself in despair because of the boundaries that God has placed on all humans. Historical and Cultural Background Other ancient Near Eastern cultures had various notions of an afterlife, but they did not develop the idea of human resurrection after death. For example, in the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero is given a plant by Utnapishtim, but a serpent takes it from him before Gilgamesh can eat it and ...

1129. Eliphaz Turns Up His Criticism of Job

Job 15:1-35

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Daniel J. Estes

... crops fail, life becomes desperate. An olive tree that has shed its blossoms and a vine stripped of unripe grapes (15:33) reflect staples of life that have fallen far short of their potential. Interpretive Insights 15:2 Would a wise person answer with empty notions? In 12:2 Job dismissed the friends by saying that they think that with their words wisdom will reach its final end. Now Eliphaz uses the same sarcastic tone toward Job, saying in effect that Job is just full of hot air. According to Eliphaz ...

1130. Bildad Again Beats the Retribution Drum

Job 18:1-21

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Daniel J. Estes

... s portrait of God. Literature: Tess of the D’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy. Hardy presents an unrelenting deistic and naturalistic view in all his novels, a fully developed version of what Bildad pictures. In this literary work, Tess is doomed by an impersonal notion of justice that fails to consider any mitigating factors in her experience (her youth, her rape). Fate seems to move her relentlessly and cruelly toward her end. She says at one point, “You, and those like you, take your fill of pleasure on ...

1131. Eliphaz Condemns and Counsels Job

Job 22:1-30

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Daniel J. Estes

... his words but who is insubstantial in his beliefs and seeks to confuse, is Talkative, who talks at length with the character Faithful. Faithful, discerning Talkative’s skewed view of God, finally says, “I saw you forward to talk, and because I knew not that you had aught else but notion . . . your conversation gives this your mouth profession the lie.”2

1132. “You Are My Son; Today I Have Become Your Father”

Psalm 2:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... only to submission but to worship, here implied by making the Lord the object of the verb (also Ps. 100:2). The subsequent command to “celebrate [lit., “rejoice”] . . . with trembling” is a parallel idea and a most appropriate way to combine the notion of awe and joy that must characterize the worship of God. They are complementary, not exclusive. 2:12 Kiss his son. This command is problematic in that it unaccountably uses the Aramaic word for “son” (bar). However, attempts to amend the text ...

1133. “I Will Not Fear Though Tens of Thousands Assail Me”

Psalm 3:1-8

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C. Hassell Bullock

... is easier to identify in some cases than others, Psalm 3 sustains the connection very well (2 Sam. 15:1–19:43). The “many” enemies of Psalm 3:1–2 (cf. 3:6) are thus in keeping with the historical information. The king even sought verification of the notion, shared by the masses, that the Lord had abandoned him (2 Sam. 15:26; see Ps. 3:2). Moreover, Zion, called the Lord’s “holy mountain,” is the source of God’s thunderous answer to David’s enemies (2:6) and the place from which the Lord ...

1134. “Their Violence Comes Down on Their Own Heads”

Psalm 7:1-17

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C. Hassell Bullock

... Judge adjudicates, and that same divine attribute calls forth his final vow of praise to the “name of the Lord Most High” (7:17). 7:9 minds and hearts. Literally, “hearts and kidneys.” The word “heart” (leb; here it is plural) approximates our notion of mind (cf. Ps. 17:3), while “kidneys” (kelayot) are the seat of emotions. God judges according to the inner motives. 7:10 shield. This is the smaller, more portable shield (magen). See Psalm 5:12, where the larger shield (tsinnah) is in ...

1135. “Lord, Our Lord, How Majestic Is Your Name in All the Earth!”

Psalm 9:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... approach, classically represented by Augustine (AD 354–430), who typically saw Christ or the church in every psalm.1Yet, this method tends to de-emphasize the historical fabric of the Psalms. The second approach is the None of Christ approach, which basically disqualifies the notion of a personal Messiah as being endemic to the Psalms and insists that the generic coming of God to establish his rule, as the prophets proclaimed (e.g., Isa. 43:15; 44:6), is the most we can expect of the Psalms. Sabourin ...

1136. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

... I will protect” means, “I will fight” (’ashit). God is not merely a defensive God (“protect them”), but he is constantly on the offense on behalf of his people (“I will now arise”). In Psalm 3:6 the same verb (shyt, “assail”) conveys the notion of war. those who malign them. The Hebrew word for “malign” means “breathe,” which occurs in Song of Songs 4:16 to mean “blow,” and in Psalm 10:5 as “sneers” (NIV) or “puffs” (RSV, ESV). In keeping with the psalm, it has to do ...

1137. “I Love You, Lord, My Strength”

Psalm 18:1-50

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C. Hassell Bullock

... that of servant and master, but it does not define the totality of divine grace. In fact, the “faithful,” “blameless,” and “pure” are equipped by God’s flawless word (vv. 30–36). While the language of this psalm is not strictly the New Testament notion of unmerited favor (which is not foreign to OT theology), the underlying grace of God meets individuals in their strength (vv. 25–29) as well as in their weakness (v. 36). Not included in this dimension is God’s gift that is matched by no ...

1138. “Show Me Your Ways, Lord”

Psalm 25:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... an individual on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin.[15] However, once a student has satisfied the requirements of a twelfth-grade education, the government tends to stop emphasizing the importance of education. Sadly, many Christians carry this notion into their Christian experience. Instead of realizing their need for spiritual continuing education until the day they die, many Christians wrongly believe that all they need to know can be gained through a half-hour sermon once a week. Psalm ...

1139. “Ascribe to the Lord the Glory Due His Name”

Psalm 29:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... . Cultural Institution: Americans will have a much harder time understanding and appreciating the institution of kingship than will the British or people of other nations that have a monarchy. The attribution of kingship to God is common in the Bible, and the Greek notion of democracy never influenced the Scriptures. But God’s kingdom implies his kingship. A King who does “not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears,” but judges the world in righteousness (Isa. 11 ...

1140. “Blessed Is the One Whose Transgressions Are Forgiven”

Psalm 32:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... verbs of joy, “rejoice,” “be glad,” and “sing,” change the person to the plural. Moses uses the same concluding verb, “sing,” to call Israel to break into singing (Deut. 32:43; NIV: “Rejoice”). Theological Insights The modernity of the notion of sin and forgiveness in Psalm 32 is striking. The psychosomatic relationship between sin and suffering belongs to the timeless category of humanity, even though modern psychology has been more inclined to understand it. At the same time, it is a ...

1141. “May Your Unfailing Love Be with Us, Lord”

Psalm 33:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... . We can take confidence from that and renew our hope through that assurance. Psalm 2:4 tells us that the Lord just “laughs” at the cocky plans of those people who have no regard for his sovereign rule. In a similar vein the psalmist deflates the foolish notion that kings and military might can save (33:16–17). If we could view history through God’s eyes, it would take away the anxiety we feel in a world that is extremely troubled and combative. While it would not remove the threat or reality of war ...

1142. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

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C. Hassell Bullock

... not being made in the Jerusalem temple. Yet, as happens with the principal features of any religious faith, sacrifices can become routine and devoid of meaning, and, of course, they can also be misunderstood. Although the Torah borders on the notion that sacrifice is “food” for God (see “Historical and Cultural Background”), this psalm corrects that understanding of sacrifice and distinguishes Israel’s faith from that of her neighbors (see the sidebar “The Moral Law and Sacrifice in the Psalms ...

1143. “God Looks Down from Heaven . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 53:1-6

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C. Hassell Bullock

... in a manger all those centuries ago. Ceausescu had countless divisions, as did Honecker, Jaruzelski and all. But the events of recent months have once again demonstrated that God’s mysterious ways are more than a match for even the most ruthless of men. . . . The notion that communism might be brought low not by armies and fleets, the almighty dollar, the CIA and so on, but by a God long since pronounced dead, never entered their heads. But it has come to pass and this Christmas, all over the world, wise ...

1144. “Cast Your Cares on the Lord and He Will Sustain You”

Psalm 55:1-23

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C. Hassell Bullock

... the oppressors. The same grammatical effect can be seen in verse 13 (“but it is you”), in reference to the friend-betrayer, and verse 23 (“but as for me”), in reference to the psalmist. 55:17 Evening, morning and noon.This may reflect the Genesis notion that the day begins with evening and also suggest times of prayer (Dan. 6:10). 55:18 He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.This is a difficult verse. However, with the occurrence of shalom (“peace ...

1145. “Endow the King with Your Justice, O God”

Psalm 72:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... (e.g., Isa. 66:18–23) and that Christ ultimately fulfills (Rev. 11:15). The defense of the afflicted and needy was one of the monarchy’s major responsibilities and, unfortunately, one of its major failures. In Psalm 69:32–33, we already have the notion that the Lord hears the “needy,” and David confesses his identity with the “poor and needy” in Psalm 70:5, anticipating the prayer of Psalm 72 that the king will “deliver the needy” (72:12) and “save the children of the needy” (72:4 ...

1146. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

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Ronald W. Pierce

... from the God of heaven. Encourage your congregation or study group to think of their successes in terms of God’s gifting and blessing rather than their own achievements, and more in terms of what they receive than what they do. This includes notions of our own greatness, as well as what we are able to do for others 2. God can reverse human accomplishments. Well-established rulers or leaders whose influence spans several decades (like Nebuchadnezzar’s) can easily begin to think of themselves as secure ...

1147. Our Most Common Sin

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... see here the nature and the result of our greatest sin. I. Let’s briefly look at one important facet of this parable. Note the first part of verse 11: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself.” In that terse word you get the notion that even in prayer the Pharisee was focused on himself. Preoccupation with self infects the deadly disease of pride into our prayer life and makes our praying ineffective. The battle between humility and pride is as old as the battle between heaven and hell, and ...

1148. The Grace Question: “Are You a Teacher…and Yet Do Not Understand These Things?”

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... (1 Cor. 3:1, 2) One of his most signal words was recorded in 2 Cor. 5:17: “If any person is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away; behold, the new is come.” So, all through the New Testament, the notion of rebirth, being born again, re-creation occurs. But Nicodemus couldn’t understand that. How can it be? Jesus asked him, “Are you a teacher and don’t understand?” The question is, do we understand? Author Dan Wakefield understands. He went through what he called a “season ...

1149. Job's First Test

Job 1:6-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Yahweh. In 1 Chronicles 21:1 satan is apparently for the first time a personal name and a being responsible, in the Chronicler’s mind, for standing against Israel and inciting David. To read into Job the much-later and present theological notions of Satan as the devil is to misunderstand this Joban character. One commentator has tried to capture the idea by British parliamentary parlance: His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition (Janzen, 262). In Job, the Adversary appears to be in the habit of patrolling the ...

1150. Job's Second Test

Job 2:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... -conscious exploration of the book and the arguments of the soon-to-arrive friends, his wife may be setting a theme similar to that of the friends: “Why are you holding on to your own, self-centered integrity that has you falsely clinging to the notion that you are pious? Calamity undermines your claims of piety! Curse [Hebrew root brk] God, and then you will die!” Her motivation is also unclear. Her words could be callous indifference (as they are widely understood to be)—just die! Or she could be ...

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