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 1251 to 1275 of 1668 results

1251. Building a New Team

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... chapter 4, Paul turns a theological corner and explains how God initiates a restoration of relationships with humanity. All are welcome to be part of the new team. The captain is Jesus and the most valuable player is Abraham. No player joins the team because of skills, nor is any drafted based upon a previous winning record. All are brought on in the same way that Abraham came: receiving a uniform as a gift and believing that the captain shapes the only winning team in spite of all odds. Several things are ...

1252. Getting to a Teachable Moment

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

... that say this may be the earliest recorded expression of the faith community’s understanding of Jesus. Paul writes from prison to the first church established on European soil. This is a job for commentaries and super study. With thirty years in ministry will my skills be up to it or have they atrophied? My home pastor, of sainted memory, studied with Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a classmate. I can’t let him down. I hear a strange version of Professor Kingsfield from the movie, Paper Chase, the story of the ...

1253. I'll Never Forget That Night

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... of Yahweh. Could not Yahweh have provided a less destructive and deadly exit strategy for Israel? The plagues begin to make sense when they are viewed in the context of Egypt’s climate and culture. After the initial sparring with snakes to show magical skills, the stakes are raised far beyond human ability to merely manipulate the natural order. First the waters are turned to blood; then the marshes send out a massive, unwelcome pilgrimage of frogs; next the dust is beat into gnats, soon to be followed ...

1254. When You Drop the Ball, What Next?

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... -moment overtime win. Bostick mangled his catch. But this tight end at least went for the kicked ball. He was on site, in place, and focused on victory. It just did not happen. Once again in life, random bedlam usurped the best planning and preparation and skill. There is not one of us who “always wins.” Failure is part and parcel of the human experience. In fact, the best fail the most. The father of our country, George Washington, lost more battles than he won. One of the most successful companies in ...

1255. The Story Worth Living

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it as “dragon” as “serpent.” This serpent is described as “more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1). This description, however, does not give the serpent any special, extraordinary powers or fire-breathing skills. Instead it clearly states that the serpent is, like everything else on earth, a creature that “the Lord God had made.” The only “power” that the serpent wields is in being “crafty,” nothing else. The serpent addresses both Adam and ...

1256. The Broken

John 8:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... him he would never again be the slugger that he was and he could give up his dream of becoming the Heavy Weight Champion of the World. Gene Tunney decided instead of becoming a slugger he would become a real boxer. He would hone his boxing skills and he would make up for the loss of power he had because of those broken hands. Boxing historians will tell you that Gene Tunney developed into one of the best, pure, scientific boxers who ever fought. When he fought Jack Dempsey for the Heavy Weight Championship ...

1257. Digging Deeper

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... facilitated memorization. The parables that Jesus told were very short, very relevant, and again easily committed to memory. In 1st century Palestine, the ability to memorize and retain large amounts of oral tradition and information was a highly prized and highly developed skill. From the earliest age, children in the home and the school and the synagogue were taught to memorize many, many scriptures. Luke is letting us know that he has done his homework. He has been an investigator, a detective, and a ...

1258. Jesus Prays for Us

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... 70 guns in all. (2) Seventy guns seems like to me a little overkill, no pun intended. But this can be a scary world. I don’t know where you turn for protection from the dangers of this world whether to your faith, or to your martial arts skills or to your silver tongue or even to a weapon. In today’s lesson, the writer of the Gospel of John captures the closing days of Jesus’ life and ministry here on earth. In this chapter, Jesus prays for himself and for his disciples. Basically he prays for ...

1259. Don't Give Up Now!

2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:2

Sermon

... made enormous sacrifices for the cause of Christ and yet he was constantly criticized by people both inside as well as outside of the early church. And yet he never seemed to get discouraged. He was like the guy Larry Olsen cites in his book, Outdoor Survival Skills. According to Olsen this guy had been out of food and water for days. His lips were parched and bleeding. His tongue was swollen. His legs were bruised and his feet were raw. Some of his bones were almost peeking through his skin as he dragged ...

1260. A Fig Tree Sprouts Leaves

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... out, there was more to the story than that. During those seven years Jeff was in waiting, he “threw thousands of passes through a swinging tire. He worked with his wide receivers and running backs in countless practice sessions, sharpening and honing his skills. He lifted tons of weights, did hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups, jogged many, many miles, and did numerous wind sprints. He literally spent hundreds of hours poring over the playbook, studying not only his own offense and defense but the defenses ...

1261. In Praise of Perseverance

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... important, but nothing overshadows the need for perseverance. To raise a troubled child, you need patient stick-to-itiveness. To get a loved one through a chronic illness or addiction, you need a truckload of perseverance. To fulfill your dreams or hone your skills, you need to pray and persevere. On October 29, 1941, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill spoke to the boys at Harrow School. The intense bombing of London, called the Blitz, was lessening and the prime minister wanted to share the good ...

1262. When the New Comes, the Old Passes

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... do his part to save the world for democracy. Because his age group provided leadership through historically difficult circumstances, we call them "America's Greatest Generation." Many wish that generation was still with us. We say we could use their skills and presence. That, unfortunately, can never be more than a wish. Even the youngest living members of that generation approach the outer limit of human body design. When we see them they increasingly resemble the aged man Oliver Wendell Holmes described ...

1263. Second Chances

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... . In the film a determined FBI agent, played by Tom Hanks, tracks Frank across several continents. Arrested and sentenced to 12 years in jail, 26-year-old Frank is given a second chance by the government. He is given early release in return for his skill and expertise. As a consultant to the FBI and thousands of corporations around the world, he is now known as one of the world’s leading experts on fraud. (3) He is also a polished public speaker addressing corporations about how to protect themselves from ...

1264. Deliverance from Carnality

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... heard the sickening sound of gnawing. Suspecting it was a rodent, his heart began to pound as he visualized the serious damage that could be done to the fragile mechanisms that controlled his plane and the difficulty of repairs because of the lack of skilled labor and materials in the area. What could he do? He remembered hearing that a rat cannot survive at high altitudes, so he pulled back on the stick. The airplane climbed higher and higher until Page found it difficult to breathe. He listened intently ...

1265. Planned Neglect

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Someone is reported to have asked a concert violinist in New York’s Carnegie Hall how she became so skilled. She said that it was by “planned neglect.” She planned to neglect everything that was not related to her goal.

1266. Never Less Than Your Best

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... great tenor, to sing at a concert that would benefit a charity. The chairman said, “Of course, Mr. Caruso, as this is a charity affair we would not expect much from you. Your name alone will draw a crowd and you can merely sing some song requiring little effort or skill.” Caruso drew himself up and replied, “Gentlemen, Caruso never does less than his best.”

1267. Four Qualities of a Minister

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A survey of many churches was taken by the American Association of Theological Schools. Each church sampled was to list the qualities desired in a minister they would consider employing. The results: First: Humility Second: Honesty Third: Good example in daily living Fourth: Excellence in ministerial skills (i.e., preaching, counseling, teaching, etc.)

1268. Too Close To Temptation

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... within three inches. The fourth candidate said, “I do not know how close I could come to the wall without damaging your car. Instead, I would try to stay as far away from that wall as I could.” This candidate had a different focus. He understood that true skill in driving is not based so much on the ability to steer the car to a narrow miss as on the ability to keep a wide margin of safety. Like the fourth candidate, there are many aspects of human nature, such as sexual temptation, that are best dealt ...

1269. Little Savages

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... egotistic and self-centered. Babies want what they want, when they want it, be it a bottle, mother’s attention, or a dry diaper. Deny a baby these “wants” and he or she is seized with rage. Babies have no morals, no knowledge, no skills for survival. All children, not just certain children, are potential delinquents! If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of their infancy, where they gave free rein to every impulse and had every want instantly gratified, all children would grow up in that ...

1270. The Weaver

Illustration

Michael P. Green

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me, I cannot choose the colors he worketh steadily. Oft times he weaveth sorrow and I in foolish pride Forget he sees the upper and I the underside. The dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skillful hand As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern he has planned. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle cease to fly Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

1271. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... . Bezalel built the tabernacle, the temple’s architectural ancestor (Exod. 31:1–11; 35:20–36:2; 38:22–23), and 2 Chronicles 1:5 credits him with making the bronze altar that stood before the tabernacle in Gibeon. Huram-Abi, the skilled craftsman made available to Solomon by King Hiram of Tyre, in turn parallels Oholiab of the Exodus texts. As Oholiab assisted Bezalel with the tabernacle building, so Huram-Abi assisted Solomon with the temple building. In fact, the Chronicler indicates that Huram ...

1272. Josiah's Reforms

2 Chronicles 34:1-13

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... tribes Judah and Benjamin. These represent the former northern and southern kingdoms. The Chronicler leaves out the comment in 2 Kings 22:7 that no accounting was necessary for the collection money, but adds another elaboration on the Levites’ roles (skilled in playing musical instruments . . . supervised all the workers . . . secretaries, scribes and doorkeepers; 2 Chron. 34:12–13). And of these workmen it is stated that the men did the work faithfully. We have become accustomed in the Chronicler’s ...

1273. Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

Acts 12:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... At all events, it appears to have been somewhere in the city. As for the manner of his escape, it must be admitted that “there are indeed some features of the narrative which would lead a police detective to conclude that it was a skillfully planned ‘inside job’ ” (Bruce, Book, p. 249). And we are certainly not obliged to look for the miraculous in every biblical narrative that could be explained otherwise. But the fact remains that Luke himself believed that something of this kind happened. He may ...

1274. Ashore on Malta

Acts 28:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... bears some resemblance to Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with fever, and subsequent healing of many who later came to the house (Luke 4:38ff.). Luke’s use of us in verse 10 raises the question whether his own medical skill had been brought into play, so that he too was honored in return for his services. But Paul is the center of attention throughout, and Luke may only have included himself as the indirect beneficiary of the gifts given to the apostle. The expression in the ...

1275. Accusations

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... into submission without confronting them in person. From Paul’s perspective, the reason for painful letters was to avoid the need for painful visits (cf. 2:3). The opponents attack Paul on two grounds: his physical appearance and his lack of rhetorical skill. On the one hand, his physical appearance is characterized as unimpressive, that is, “weak,” suggesting that the apostle looked sickly and frail. Later in the letter Paul will explain the astounding cause of his “thorn in the flesh” (cf. 12:7 ...

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