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 1301 to 1325 of 1499 results

1301. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although Romans 5:1 clearly starts a new section of Paul's letter, it skillfully builds on all that the apostle has already set forth. The example of Abraham, cited in 4:1-22, surely remains dominant in the minds of Paul's audience as they continue to read about the role endurance, character and hope play in the lives of the faithful. But in 5:1-11, Paul becomes primarily concerned with demonstrating how all the spiritual gifts are in fact contained within that one gift that overwhelms all else " ...

1302. Philemon 1:1-20

Philemon 1:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

If Paul's words still have persuasive power for us today, consider how helpless poor Philemon must have been when faced with a personal letter from the apostle who had been responsible for his own conversion. The canonical letter to Philemon aptly demonstrates Paul's mastery of this communication form, leaving us little doubt about the outcome of this thorny situation. At the outset Paul reminds Philemon that he is part of a "beloved" community, a community identified by its love for one another. Paul not ...

1303. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Luke's version of Simon Peter's call relates it to an experience of both the words and works of Jesus. This unique combination of events is found only in Luke's text. Of course, Luke knew of and was influenced by the exceedingly abrupt "call" passage Mark relates in 1:16-20. With little fanfare, no miracles and few words, Jesus extends an invitation to "fish for people" to Simon and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Luke is not one to miss an opportunity to create as ...

1304. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1305. Romans 10:5-15

Romans 10:5-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In Romans 10 Paul writes out of both disappointment and urgency. He is saddened that his fellow Jews have not yet accepted the truth of the gospel, and he feels urgently called to reach these brothers and sisters in some way. Chapter 10, then, is a discussion of Paul's understanding of "righteousness," of sola fide in terms most familiar to his Jewish kinfolk. He employs both pentateuchal and prophetic writings to aid him in his designated task - witnessing to his "stiff-necked" friends. In verses 5-15, ...

1306. The Secret of Power

Luke 24:36b-48

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

The story is told of the explorer who some years ago had just returned to his country from the Amazon. The people at home were eager to learn all about the vast and mighty river and the country surrounding it. How he wondered, could he ever describe it to them - how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded into his heart when he saw the exotic flowers and heard the night sounds of the jungle. How could he communicate to them the smells the filled the air and the sense of danger and excitement ...

1307. What Is Your Name?

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Mike Ripski

Sometimes things don’t work out the way they should. Then, again, maybe they do. Esau and Jacob This seems especially true with regard to twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was born first, hairy, ruddy, red complexioned. Thus he was named Esau. Esau relied on his brawn rather than his brain. Had his name been based on who he was instead of how he looked, his name should have been "Easy-Going," "Laid Back," or even "Slow." His was not a Type-A personality. He had no desire to be his class’ President and ...

1308. Did You Know...That You Can Know God?

1 John 2:3-5

Sermon

James Merritt

Why were you put on this earth? What should be your greatest goal in life? What is the single greatest achievement you could obtain on this earth? What is the secret to eternal life? The answer to all of these questions is the same. It is found in two words - Knowing God. That is what God wants from you and for you more than anything else in your life. God said in Hosea 6:6, "I'd rather for you to be faithful and to know Me than to offer sacrifices." (Hosea 6:6, CEV) More than your time, more than your ...

1309. 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 ...

1310. God and the Minimum Wage

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

In 1938 the United States Congress passed a law called "The Fair Labor and Practice Act." That law affects millions and tens of millions of lives to this very day, because it established for the first time in our history a minimum wage. Believe it or not, it was set at 25 cents an hour. I can remember working when I was in high school in a Five & Dime Store for $1 an hour. The only reason he paid me that much was because he had to, because he would tell me many times I wasn't worth that. That law was ...

1311. Prophet or Profit?

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

I shall never forget the night that Mae June came to church. Mae June was a workingwoman who, in our little community, was often seen in the late hours of the night in some of the darker places of our little town. The rumor circulating over breakfast every morning at the city cafe, was that Mae June had a male companion. Mae June had a boyfriend. They were seen quite often, not only at night, but in the daytime and on the streets of the little city. Then came the night that Mae June came to the church ...

1312. Testing Time

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

To live the Christian life is to be tested. As day follows night and night follows day, we experience it all of our days. The deeper we go, the more testing comes upon us. So, there is nothing unique about all of this. If we expect our daily walk with Christ to be any different, we are guilty of self-deception. Sometimes it is really severe and we wonder about its cessation. Patience becomes virtually non-existent. Strength seems to go out the window and we languish not only in pain but borderline ...

1313. The Extravagance of Love

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

If there was anything Jesus despised, it was stinginess, especially the holding back of oneself. If there was anything he admired, it was extravagance, especially the extravagance of love. There are really only two ways to live. You can live as if this is the last drop, and there won't be anymore; or you can live as if there is more where this came from. We can live out of scarcity, or we can live out of abundance. In the story from Luke's Gospel, we see these two approaches in conflict. My Bible has this ...

1314. Only the Lost and the Least

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Ron Lavin

A woman approached her pastor with a question: "Where is the lost and found department in our church? I've lost my glasses and I just can't see well." The pastor replied, "We don't actually have a lost and found department. You might check the secretary's desk. Maybe you'll find your glasses there." After the woman left, the pastor rethought his answer. "Actually, the whole church is a lost and found department. The business of the church is to find the lost." The incident that gave rise to Jesus' parables ...

1315. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

History records the expression, Athanasius contra mundum — Athanasius against the world. These words aptly express the situation in the fourth-century church when heresy almost reigned supreme — save Athanasius, a bishop who was a persistent and staunch defender of the faith. Athanasius was born into a Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt, in 295 A.D. In his early twenties he was ordained and entered the service of Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria. He accompanied the bishop to the first ecumenical council ...

1316. Risky Business

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Su Xueling (pronounced ZOO-ling) is a different breed of entrepreneur, delivering instant noodles on her bicycle to satisfy fast-food appetites in central China. She wanted to use her business acumen to spread the gospel message in a land where religion has been controlled or suppressed by the government for decades. Ms. Su's father is a communist revolution veteran, and religion has always been considered a leading threat to Communist rule. A Christian revival of sorts had already begun to sweep through ...

1317. Gateway to Grace

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

When you visit a church camp you're aware that you're separated from civilization. When you take a walk late at night, for whatever reason, and it's usually for whatever reason, you can't help but wonder what that rustling in the darkness might be. It's probably a raccoon, or a smaller animal, as frightened of you as you are pretending that you're not frightened of it. But it could be a bear. It's an unnerving experience to see a bear close up. Bears in the wild are the epitome of untamed nature. They don' ...

1318. The Sign of God

Amos 7:7-17

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Most of us have wrestled with questions like these at one time or another: What career should I pursue? Whom should I marry? Where should I attend college? What church should I attend? Should we have another child? Should I accept a job offer that moves my family far away from our hometown? What community responsibilities should I accept? And so on … You recognize, of course, that questions of this sort are much more significant than simple ones like, "Should I wear my green shirt or my gray one today?" ...

1319. The Power of Purpose

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Paul had laid down the flail of the persecutor and took up the torch of the evangel on the Damascus Road. There he began the course of a great adventure, an adventure that sent him trudging through the then-known world – through the deserts and over the mountains, through blinding blizzard and blistering sun, traveling in peril of his own life, shipwrecked, beaten by the Romans, stoned by the Jew. Yet, throwing back his great cloak to show the scars of his beatings there saying, I bear in my body the marks ...

1320. Living By The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

When I was a boy, back in the Stone Age when we rode dinosaurs to school, one of the things my brothers and I looked forward to was when my Mom bought fruit cocktail. That might seem odd for some of our young people because today, in our global economy, we can walk into the store and buy almost any fruit or vegetable any time we want. But back then, we were dependent upon fruit and vegetables being in season. Besides, fresh fruit (other than apples) was seen as a luxury of sorts. That why having fruit ...

1321. Haiti

Job 1:6-22

Sermon

Brett Blair

On Tuesday of this week just before sunset a powerful 7 magnitude earthquake rocked the island country of Haiti. You have seen the images of suffering and the aftermath on the internet and TV. There horrible irony is that this is considered by many to be the poorest country in the western hemisphere. They had no direction to go but up. And now this. Already at the bottom economically and now they have been shoved through the floor. As I watched TV, listened to radio, listened to people in our community, ...

1322. Being Christ by Affirming and Forgiving

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Malcom Uggeridge closed his biography of Mother Theresa of Calcutta with this word: “It will be for posterity to decide whether she is a saint. I only say of her that in a dark time she is a burning and shining light; in a cruel time, a living embodiment of Christ’s Gospel of love; in a godless time, the Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth” (Something Beautiful for God, p. 146). I assume Muggeridge is using the word saint in a specialized way. For me there is no question left for posterity. ...

1323. A Guide for Growth

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

My friend, Don Shelby, minister of First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California, has told a moving story which introduces the sermon today. It happened when Don was a pastor in San Diego. One weekday morning, on arrival at the church, he was called to the sanctuary. The custodian wanted him to see a strange offering which had been placed at the very center of the altar. Upon examination they discovered it to be a pair of brown corduroy trousers, a belt, a white T-shirt, a pair of tan suede ...

1324. East of Eden or Home

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A friend of W. E. Sangster, the great English Methodist preacher, was stopped by a tramp one day. “Excuse me, sir,” said the tramp. “I know I have no business to stop you. If I am caught begging I’ll be the guest of his Majesty for a bit. I guess I’m not much to look at. Poverty doesn’t help a man look handsome and there’s no denying I don’t live straight, sir. I paid the penalty to the full, but by heaven, sir, you don’t know the man I meant to be!” Peel the pathos of that. Go to another scene: an old ...

1325. Magnificent Fools

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

During World War II a cartoon appeared in daily newspapers across the country which attracted much attention. It pictured a young soldier driving a jeep madly across the battlefield. Bullets whizzed past his head; shells burst in the air; bombs fell on every side. It seemed that he was going to become the object of one of them and meet death itself. Still he drove on madly, zig-zagging, trying to dodge death itself. To take one look at the picture you would think the young man was foolish for risking his ...

Showing results