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 1276 to 1300 of 4770 results

1276. “You Are Not a God Who Is Pleased with Wickedness”

Psalm 5:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... chose Jacob, but I did not choose Esau.” However, our present text is not exactly the same, for it pits God against evil, and the verbs “hate” and “detest” suggest God’s absolute rejection of evil because it is the opposite of his nature. Another psalmist views his life in harmony with God’s nature when he says, “Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord?” (139:21). The ancients did not distinguish between the “sin” and the “sinner” as we are prone to do. 5:8 make your way straight ...

1277. “Have Mercy on Me, Lord, for I Am Faint”

Psalm 6:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ’s overwhelming troubles that occurs in 6:8 is a turn in faith, based on God’s “unfailing love” (hesed). Thus verses 8–10 are a cry of victory. The psalmist could have succumbed to the character distortion of his enemies and accepted their view of him and his circumstances, but he found the reshaping power of love to be truly transforming. God’s reshaping love is painful, but it produces a new perspective on our lives and reshapes the distorted self-image that our “enemies” sometimes try to ...

1278. “Their Violence Comes Down on Their Own Heads”

Psalm 7:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... sinner who surrenders to him. Even though we were at war with God, rebelling against his righteous decrees, he still loved us and received us without punishment (although, as we see in the NT, Jesus paid the price for our rebellion). This is a powerful picture, to view God’s hesed in comparison to the way we too often respond to our enemies. How grateful we should be for God’s loving-kindness! This should also remind us that we should leave retaliation in God’s hands, since it is God who is the Judge ...

1279. “I Love You, Lord, My Strength”

Psalm 18:1-50

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... show the reciprocity of that love, Deuteronomy informs us that the Lord chose Israel not because they were more numerous than other peoples but because he loved them (Deut. 7:7–8). John wrote that immortal text in chapter 3 of his Gospel to say that we have to view the life and death and resurrection of Christ in light of God’s love (John 3:16). Jesus himself, when asked what is the greatest commandment, answers that it is to love God with all our heart (Matt. 22:37–40). Paul’s rhapsody of love in 1 ...

1280. “Some Trust in Chariots . . . , but We Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God”

Psalm 20:1-9

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Lord of the Torah, with Psalm 20 pointing to David’s obedience to the military policy that the Torah imposed upon Israel’s kings. Compositionally, if Psalm 19, celebrating the Torah, is the crown of an early collection of psalms, then Psalm 20 may be viewed as the compiler’s bridge to connect that collection to his own larger edition of Book 1. Outline/Structure A simple outline of Psalm 20 is the following: 1. The people bless the king (20:1–5). 2. The psalmist (or prophet or priest) affirms God ...

1281. “Lord, I Love the House Where You Live”

Psalm 26:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ) was observed by Israel’s elders (Deut. 21:6–7). The priests washed their hands in the great laver that sat in the tabernacle/temple court in preparation for service at the altar of burnt offering (Exod. 40:30–32).[5] Here we have a camera view of the court in front of the sanctuary where both the altar of burnt offering and laver were located. In 26:6–7 we have the service in minuscule: the washing of the hands, attendance at the altar (either as priest or worshiper), and proclaiming the wonderful ...

1282. “The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation—Whom Shall I Fear?”

Psalm 27:1-14

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... :13 in the land of the living. The psalmist, having in part 2 (27:7–13) thrust himself into the reality of the present situation, affirms that he fully expects to live through the danger and survive it well. Some believe that he is expressing a view toward the afterlife. If not, his soul is reaching forward toward a reality that the salvation from his enemies portends in a better day.[19] 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. This urgent admonition to “be strong ...

1283. “Ascribe to the Lord the Glory Due His Name”

Psalm 29:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... in “the music and songs of the heavenly host” (29:9b),[11] concluding with the Lord’s blessing of peace (29:11b). The “waters” may be the Mediterranean Sea, or the waters “above the firmament,”[12] or the waters of the storm clouds.[13] In view of the other geographical locations in the psalm, the Mediterranean Sea fits well. 29:4 majestic. The term suggests kingly power and adornment (see 29:10). 29:5 The voice of the Lord breaks . . . the cedars of Lebanon. The cedars of Lebanon had a ...

1284. “Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

Psalm 31:1-24

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the Text Psalm 31 is an individual lament.[1] The lament proper is found in 31:10–13, where the psalmist complains about his crisis, which, judging from the anatomical language of 31:9–10, was an illness, interpreted by his enemies as God’s ill favor. In view of the declaration of trust in the Lord (31:6, 14), the attestation of his deliverance (31:7–8, 21–22), and the affirmation of God’s goodness as the basis of his trust (31:19), it could be considered an individual psalm of trust.[2] Yet, it ...

1285. “May Your Unfailing Love Be with Us, Lord”

Psalm 33:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... . 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, it would give us the peace that God is in control, and moreover that the ...

1286. “Taste and See That the Lord Is Good”

Psalm 34:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ought not be ignored. These psalms theoretically could fall somewhere in that range. Fourth, some interpreters prefer to view these “imprecations” as predictions rather than pronouncements, but their circumstances are too real to ignore, and their words of ... employed. The best we can do is to put them in theological perspective and provide several angles from which to view them. First, the psalmists perceive that they have suffered ill-treatment from their persecutors, since the psalmists have, at least ...

1287. “I Waited Patiently for the Lord; He Turned to Me and Heard My Cry”

Psalm 40:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... hoping,” occurs in Psalms 37:7, 34; 38:15; 39:7 and was likely a factor in the placement of Psalm 40 here in the collection, especially in view of the fact that this is the initial theme of the psalm (40:1).4 The last five verses of Psalm 40 (40:13–17) constitute Psalm 70 ... than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6; see also Amos 5:10–20). One of the most memorable expressions of this negative view of the sacrificial system occurs in Micah 6:6–8. In a ritual reminiscent of the ethical inquiries of Psalms 15 ...

1288. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... message carries the gravity and urgency of the Torah. In fact, it may be considered an early example of the interpretation of the Torah—in this instance, of sacrifice—a practice that became a major function of the Levitical priests (Neh. 8:7–8). In view of the parody on the introduction to the Decalogue in 50:7a, and the selection of commandments that follows (50:18–20; see “Teaching the Text”), the author may be using the Decalogue as his model for the poem. Like Psalm 49, this psalm addresses ...

1289. “Cast Your Cares on the Lord and He Will Sustain You”

Psalm 55:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Friend. Second, to discover further how the psalm models a way of dealing with betrayal, we should observe that Psalm 55 has a view of the secular city that has arisen out of the love of the world, replete with immorality (55:9b–11), and contrasts that ... by truth and peace. The two cities arise out of two loves, the love of the world and the love of God. Psalm 55 has a view of the secular city that has arisen out of the love of the world, replete with immorality (55:9b–11). Yet the psalm also gives us ...

1290. “In God I Trust and Am Not Afraid. What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?”

Psalm 56:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... A Dove on Distant Oaks.This is probably a tune name to which the psalm was sung. The Greek text (LXX) has “concerning the people that were removed from the sanctuary,” perhaps implying a postexilic perspective on the psalm. The Targum lends support to this view, commenting, “at the time when they are far from their cities, and they return and sing to the Lord of the World, like David the humble and blameless one.”3These comments are evidence of the use of this individual lament as a community lament ...

1291. “Be Exalted, O God, above the Heavens; Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth”

Psalm 57:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... individual lament. Some commentators, including Dahood, also see a royal element, and he calls it a “lament of a king.”1This view is largely based on the title’s association of David with the psalm and the description of persecution that could ... As with the incipient notion of Israel as a light to the nations, we may also see the forming lines of Isaiah’s quite well-developed view that the word of God goes forth to accomplish a purpose, for which it cannot fail (Isa. 31:2; 40:8; 45:23; 55:11). Mission ...

1292. “You Laugh at Them, Lord; You Scoff at All Those Nations”

Psalm 59:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... on the title for Ps. 57). 59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God . . . those who are attacking me. Notice the parallel occurrence of the imperative “deliver me” in 59:1 and 2. Those “who are attacking” David are likely people whom he views as perennially and persistently “evildoers.” 59:2 those who are after my blood.Literally, “men of blood,” or “murderers.” 59:3 See how they lie in wait for me! . . . for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.Perhaps this alludes to Saul’s henchmen ...

1293. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ” (2 Sam. 15:23, 28; 17:16), that is, the wilderness of Judah; (3) he was called “weary” (2 Sam. 16:2, 14; NIV: “exhausted”); and (4) he longs for the sanctuary (Ps. 63:2), which was not established, at least in Jerusalem, until his reign.4Yet, in view of the “Desert of Judah” in the title and the allusion to “a dry and parched land” (the Negev) in verse 1, the time could very well be David’s wilderness period. The horror of war can be seen in the word pictures of verse 10: “the sword ...

1294. “They Will Proclaim the Works of God and Ponder What He Has Done”

Psalm 64:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... world and hitting his target every time.9It is not vengeance but justice. The Christian church has interpreted this psalm to have its ultimate meaning in Christ. It was very common in the New Testament, and even more common in the early church, to view David as the “Christ” figure (Heb. mashiah, “anointed one”) and his enemies as the enemies of Christ and the cross. In this hermeneutical mode, Psalm 64:1–6 is interpreted not only as historical but also as a prophetic vision of the suffering of ...

1295. “When You Ascended on High, You Took Many Captives”

Psalm 68:1-35

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the Elohistic Psalter. But we should make no mistake about it, “his name is the Lord [yah]” (68:4; see the comments on this verse, above). The prayer of Numbers both directs the ark’s transfer and asks for the defeat of Israel’s enemies. Both events are in view in the psalm, and both are necessary for the victory that is celebrated on Mount Zion at the end of God’s victory march from Egypt to Mount Zion (68:24–27). While the ark is never mentioned in the psalm, it does seem to be in the mind’s ...

1296. “The Lord Is Great!”

Psalm 70:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Psalms 69 and 70 have common linguistic links (see table 1). It is quite possible that Psalm 69 was written with Psalm 40:13–17 in view in order to make the transition from the lament of Psalm 69 to the hope of Psalm 70. Goldingay observes that the terms of Psalm 70 ... and applied them to their own circumstances and world. So the Psalms have set the hermeneutical pattern for us. In view of that method, the preacher or teacher can draw parallels between the community of faith of Psalm 70, confused and ...

1297. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... whether his reign as “king of Babylon” is long enough to fit the account in Daniel 6. The statement that he “received the kingdom” (5:31; NIV: “took over”) and “was made ruler” (9:1) could imply that a superior gave it to him. In this view, Cyrus would not have assumed the title “king of Babylon” until a year into his rule.2 The second way of resolving the problem, that “Darius the Mede” is an alternative name for Cyrus the Persian, is more likely. The linking of Darius with Cyrus in ...

1298. The Power of Persistence

Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... headlines and television news shows are dominated by stories about deceit, selfishness, immorality, corruption, catastrophe, murder, rape, hatred, and suspicion. Through some perverted sense of the dramatic, it is assumed that evil alone is news. This point of view warps our judgment and leads us to the pessimistic view that there is little good left in the world and that few people have the capacity for goodness. To be sure, if we know our own hearts, we cannot deny the existence of evil, but we cannot ...

1299. Ten Commandments and the People’s Response

Exodus 20:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... offers a plethora of choices (“other gods”) where no allegiance is required, and in fact any wholehearted allegiance is viewed as suspect. God’s people are called to be radically bound by love for God. Second Commandment · The second commandment ... . 10:32; 13:15–18; Jer. 17:21, 24, 27) were forbidden. Sabbath observance in its original intent, however, was viewed as a positive and restorative command, providing release from anxious toil and ambition. Fifth Commandment · The fifth commandment (20:12) ...

1300. Learning from the Sins of the Past

Deut 1:9-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Rather than esteeming the name (Mal. 3:16) and the power of God greater than any force they had uncovered in their espionage, they “grumbled in [their] tents” and announced, “The Lord hates us” (1:27). What a warped view of God’s nature and the obstacles or difficulties they faced! In their view, God’s love—seen in all his miraculous works on their behalf—was exceeded by the strength and height of the enemy and the walls of the Canaanite cities (1:28). Worst of all, the Israelites had a ...

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