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 101 to 125 of 1913 results

101. Not Gullible; But Skeptical

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

We’re just ten days past April Fools’ Day, and I wanted to run a little poll this morning. Raise your hand if you fall into one of these camps: How many of you love to pull pranks on April Fools’ Day? How many of you have ever fallen for an April Fools’ prank? It’s hard to admit it, but some of us are just a little more trusting than others. And that can get us into trouble sometimes. There’s an old story of a man who walked into a local pub and introduced himself to the guy at the next table. The man said ...

102. Request for Prayer

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

As in 1 Thessalonians 5:25, Paul closes the letter by asking for prayer for himself and his colleagues (having just prayed for the Thessalonians, 2:16f.). The two passages show a similar structure, with the same verb, the same vocative brothers, and the same prepositional phrase for us (peri hēmōn). In this case, however, unlike 1 Thessalonians 5:25, their particular needs are stated. But the focus of the passage soon shifts from the human weakness expressed in Paul’s “standing in the need of prayer” to ...

103. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

A Call to Ethical Living The author has concluded the main part of his epistle, having argued his points with convincing forcefulness, and now turns to various matters he desires to mention before concluding. chapter 13, therefore, is like an appendix. This is not to say, however, that the material in this chapter is unrelated to the main part of the epistle. Indeed, some of the author’s main concerns are again touched upon here, but in a somewhat different way, fleetingly, in order to bring out the ...

104. Walk In Newness Of Life

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Jerry and I celebrated our thirty-third anniversary on March 15. Well, some might question the word "celebrated", and she might have even questioned it a bit. On that very day, Thursday, March 15th, I was in a meeting of the Regional Secretaries of the World Methodist Council. But we celebrated, though I'll not tell you how! One thing I did was reread an anniversary gift of years back -- a book by Lois Wyse entitled Love Poems for the Very Married. If we were very married then -- we are very, very married ...

105. How's Your Serve?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

My wife, Mary called Thursday morning and told me about two drivers she encountered on her way to work. One was coming onto the interstate, the other was trying to exit the interstate at the I35, I20 split. They both had on their blinkers signaling to the other their intent. The each wanted the other one to get out of their way. But rather than slowing down and letting the other guy pass, they both tried to race ahead of each other. Of course, by the time they both realized, that they couldn't get ahead of ...

106. The Red Heifer

Numbers 19:1-22

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God wants his people to associate with life and disassociate from death. Understanding the Text Numbers 19 describes a purification ritual initiated by Aaron’s son Eleazar, though carried out by laypeople, that involves the ashes of a red cow. This ritual is performed to purify persons ceremonially unclean because of a corpse. This ritual allows a corpse-contaminated layperson to be brought back to a state of purity and so restored to full participation in the religious life of the community. ...

107. Here's Mud In Your Eye

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

"Just the facts, ma'am!" That phrase, often attributed to Sergeant Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, even though it did not originate with him, goes straight to the point. Now here is another "just the facts personality": Julius Caesar was admired for his ability to make uncluttered summations of his great achievements. In a few words Caesar could lay bare the story of his accomplishments. Perhaps none of his statements is any better known than that famous terse tricolon that has followed Caesar since his quick ...

108. When The Fat Lady Sings

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

That great twentieth century prophet of Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra, said it well when describing the uncertainty of any athletic contest: "It ain't over 'til it's over." Until that last fly ball is caught or strike is called or ground ball is thrown to first base and the last out is made, the game is not over. Anything can happen. And more often than not it has. Everyone has a story about dramatic comebacks in the bottom half of the ninth inning. I suppose that is why Red Auerbach, the former great coach ...

109. Black Preaching: A Four-Cornered Universe

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The four elements of black preaching might also be called the four corners of the art. As stated earlier, our aim is to shed light on the uniqueness of black preaching as a celebrated art form. While traditional categories are helpful in grasping the structure of black sermons and their functional value, the way sermons move and empower black audiences and reach their desired objectives is more important. Thus the description of black preaching as a four-cornered universe is designed to identify the ...

110. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Paul reflects “the kindness and sternness” of God as he moves from denouncing the Jews and defending himself against their slanders (2:1–16) to revealing his concern for the Thessalonians. He opens his heart, telling them how much they (the missionaries)—and none more than himself—long to see them. But he had been prevented thus far from returning (2:17–20). Therefore, to set their mind at rest and to “strengthen and encourage” them in what he knew to be difficult and dangerous times, he sent Timothy from ...

111. The Blood of Christ

Hebrews 9:11-28

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Definitive Nature of Christ’s Work We now come to the first detailed statement of the definitive nature of Christ’s work—an argument that will be restated in several forms before we reach the end of this major section of the epistle in 10:18. It is now convincingly shown that, although the work of Christ corresponds in considerable detail to that of the levitical priesthood, it stands in contrast to the work of the latter as its ultimate counterpart. It is what truth is to shadow, what pattern is to ...

112. Good News, Bad News, Good News

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Thomas Long

I forget now whether it was a famous football coach, a former president, or a positive-thinking teacher who put on his wall the motto, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" -- probably all three of them. In any case, I am aware of the fact that there are some people who pride themselves on being able to get motivated in tough situationns, to face head-on the tough issues. "Give it to me straight, Doc," they say to the surgeon, "I can handle it." They sign up for courses from the roughest ...

113. The Invisible God?

Colossians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Johnny Dean

In pastoral counseling courses at seminary my fellow students and I learned that people only make big moves or major changes in their lives at times when they feel they are in a secure, stable environment. Someone who feels threatened, or is holding on for dear life, is not likely to risk very much. (What a revelation that was!) So, in pastoral counseling, the counselor tries to create a secure, affirming, non-threatening environment. (Again, no surprise.) So today, in this secure, non-threatening ...

114. Job - A Probe Into the Shadow World of Despair

Job 6:1-7:21

Sermon

In Robert Frost’s The Masque of Reason God tells the "Easy Answers Committee" that it is mistaken. This sermon does the same. Its probing, illuminating force conforms to the terrain of human experience. It conforms to the terrain of God’s experience in Emmanuel - God with us. Rich textual reference, literary allusions, carefully chosen language, experience common to all keep the listeners listening, the readers reading. An atheist is expected to ask the "Why?" of things. It’s part of the practicing atheist ...

115. The Way Up Is the Way Down

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

Potato chips, cheese curls, and candy may be some of your favorites, but for twenty-four mule deer in the Grand Canyon National Park, these indulgences proved deadly. Park rangers were forced to shoot more than two dozen mule deer who became hooked on junk food left by visitors. It was death by Cheetos and suicide by Snicker bar! Why eat twigs or chew bark if a Twinkie is nearby? Once deer taste the sugar and salt of snack foods, they develop an addiction and will go to any lengths to eat only junk food. ...

116. Peacemaking and Self Control

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

The date was June 11, 1963; the place- The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Vivian Malone, a young black woman, enrolled that day as a freshman. Federal troops ensured her entrance, but the doorway was blocked by Governor George Wallace. Holding out for segregation, the governor ultimately failed, and Ms. Malone became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Alabama. Vivian wasn't the only newcomer that day. James Hood was at her side and needed encouragement. So she slipped him a ...

117. God Where Are You? - The Problem of Evil

Genesis 3:1-6, Judges 6:13

Sermon

James Merritt

Whether it is the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, a tsunami that wipes out 150,000 people in a day, or the massive starvation of millions of children around the world, you cannot deny the reality of evil. On the other hand, we saw last week how science itself has proved with certainty that the world is not eternal. The universe had a beginning. The only feasible option to explain the origin of the universe is a transcendent creator. DNA itself is a compelling ...

118. TGFGF - Good Friday

John 18:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Rick Whit tells about a businessman who stepped into an elevator and was greeted by a lovely young lady of a certain hair color who said to him, “TGIF.” The businessman smiled at her and said, “S-M-I-O-T.” She looked at him with a very puzzled look and said, “TGIF” again. He responded once again by saying, “S-M-I-O-T.” This time the blond lady smiled her biggest smile and as sweetly as she knew how she said, “TGIF.” Without any hesitation the businessman replied “S-M-I-O-T.” The blond was a little ...

119. Paradise Lost

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

James Merritt

Vesna Vulovic made history on January 26, 1972 and in doing so made the Guinness World Book of Records. It is not an honor that she wanted, was looking for, or particularly enjoyed. She was a flight attendant on a DC-9 that was flying over what is now the Czech Republic when a bomb went off and blew the plane apart. She fell 33,330 feet and going 122 miles an hour landed on the side of a mountain and even though she suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, and two broken legs, and was in a coma ...

120. The Census and Duties of Levites

Num 3:1–4:49

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: That which is holy must be guarded. Understanding the Text The census of Israel (Num. 1–2) is followed by the census of the Levites (Num. 3–4). The priests and Levites are not counted in the census of Numbers 1–2 because they are not to participate in the conquest in view of their sacred duties (see the sidebar). But in Numbers 3–4 they have their own census on different principles. In Numbers 3 they count every male from one month old and above who serves as a substitute for Israel’s firstborn. ...

121. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

To All of You 3:8 Finally (not to end the letter but to complete this passage) there comes a general exhortation to the whole Christian community, married and unmarried alike. Peter commends a set of attitudes which together depict what relationships within the Christian fellowship should be. Christian believers must live in harmony with one another, literally, “being of one mind” (a single word in the Greek). The term is intended to convey a unity of aim and purpose, a oneness in attitude. Idealistic? But ...

122. Precocious

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: mouth tape / songbird (if you can bring a real bird…it’s best) [Come into the aisle wearing a tape across your mouth. Pull it off before speaking.] Silence. Sometimes after a day of screaming co-workers, or busy shopping, or upset children, or loud music, you name it, all we crave is….silence. In fact, how many times have you wished your partner, or child, or friend….would just be….silent. There’s something called “noise fatigue.” In fact, studies say that emotional exhaustion can also make you ...

123. That Mountaintop Moment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

We as human beings since the beginning of our time on earth have loved looking up at the stars and imagining what it must be like to reach those distant heavens. Those who have traveled outside of the earth’s orbit have had the opportunity to star gaze in a very different fashion. Unlike the fascinating, familiar feeling we all get when viewing the heavenly constellations that we see from our earthly habitat, astronauts have unanimously experienced a stunning, somewhat eerie phenomenon as they viewed ...

124. Your Faith Has Made You Well

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“How excellent is your lovingkindness, O Lord! Therefore the children of humankind put their trust under the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36:7) Prop: blindfold “Do you trust me?” [Choose a volunteer to come up to the front. Blindfold that person, and then proceed to direct them down the aisle and to a location somewhere in the room or sanctuary. You could also allow someone from the congregation to guide him or her.] How hard was that? Was it a bit scary? But you had to trust in the person guiding you. If ...

125. Humility You Can Be Proud Of

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Comedian Bob Hope was accepting a plaque at an honorary dinner. He listened as his many contributions to humanity were lauded. When it was his turn to speak, he said that he had stopped letting such honors go to his head. "I just got a call from a fellow who said I'd been named Man of the Year by his organization," Hope said, "because I was America's outstanding citizen, greatest humanitarian, and so forth. It was going to be the biggest dinner, biggest civil reception ever. I told him I was sorry, but I ...

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