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 1401 to 1425 of 4770 results

1401. Blessed Are Those Who Meditate on the Lord’s Instruction

Psalm 1:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... its time”), is a simple image illustrating a profound truth: while believers may be able to sustain spiritual life through times of adversity, they may be productive only at certain times, whose determination is beyond their control. Continual blossoming is not in view here. The claim whatever he does prospers breaks the agricultural imagery and echoes Joshua 1:8. 1:4–5 By contrast, the image of chaff illustrates the absence of blessing for the wicked, who lack both life and substance. To what judgment ...

1402. Instruction for Temple Entry

Psalm 15:1-5

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Entrants are thus given the opportunity to judge themselves and depart, before God’s holiness judges and consumes them (again the view of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor. 11:27–32 is no less solemn). At issue here is not merely ... and does not change” (Hb. lehārēaʿ/lerēʿēhû). 15:5 Usury: OT law forbade lending with interest to Israelites because the only reason in view for loans was to help one “who is needy” (Exod. 22:25; Lev. 25:35–37; Deut. 23:19–20). Thus, lending in the OT should be ...

1403. My God as Refuge from Social Alienation

Psalm 31:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... congregation is not actually present. Otherwise, a confession of trust would do.) The commands to love the LORD and be strong and take heart imply that the faithful are to maintain patience and not reject Yahweh because of immediate trials from the proud. In view of the earlier lament of contempt from neighbors and friends, we may wonder how this exhortation in the company of Yahweh’s devout fits in. First, it helps to understand the nature of psalmic laments. While they may sound utter and complete, they ...

1404. Turn Your Gaze from Me before I Am No More

Psalm 39:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... . bustles about, but only in vain (Hb. hebel, “as a breath”); he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. One’s life is too short of time and of guarantees to busy oneself with piling up things. 39:7–11 But now signals a turning point. In view of this futility, what do I look for? There is only one prospect: My hope is in you. The prayer that follows this affirmation of loyalty to God is, save me (lit. “deliver me”) from all my transgressions. Should God not do so, he would become the scorn ...

1405. Betrayed by God in Battle?

Psalm 44:1-26

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... blame God. We may not even admit this to ourselves, let alone to God, since our piety tells us that fault must lie elsewhere, especially with ourselves. So our response to disappointment with God is to withdraw. But this psalm presents the way of direct confrontation. It displays a higher view of God’s integrity and does not fear embarrassing God. It acknowledges that he alone can solve the dilemma—especially since he may be its cause. It also displays a higher ...

1406. A Misunderstanding of Sacrifice and the Presumption of Hypocrites

Psalm 50:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... their fundamental misunderstanding of their God and of the purpose of ritual sacrifice. They regard sacrificial offerings as his food (If I were hungry and do I eat . . . or drink?; this view is reflected in the Babylonian “Enuma Elish” and the “Gilgamesh Epic”; see ANET, pp. 68–69 and 95 respectively). In the people’s view, Yahweh is dependent on them (as echoed in the NIV’s paraphrase, need, in v. 9). By feeding him, they believe they do him a favor. But in this prophetic lawsuit Yahweh ...

1407. The Penitential Psalm

Psalm 51:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Spirit (v. 11) elsewhere occurs only in Isaiah 63:10, 11, and the mention of a broken/contrite heart/spirit (v. 17), as an attribute pleasing to God, occurs only in Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 57:15; and 66:2. Isaiah 66:3 also reflects a similar negative view of ritual sacrifice as found in Psalm 51:16. Similarly, Isaiah 63:7–64:12 is a prayer of penitence and reflects an exceptional intimacy with God. It too confesses the dilemma of human sin, that no human effort can save one from its downward spiral—only God ...

1408. The Destruction of the Temple and the Eruption of Chaos

Psalm 74:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... This parallel may also imply that with the temple’s destruction primeval chaos once again threatens creation order. Thus, as God brought salvation in the past, so he must do the same in the turmoil of the present. It seems odd to us moderns that creation could be viewed as an act of salvation. One might prefer to see Leviathan (see Additional Notes) as a derogatory term for Egypt, as “Rahab” is used on occasion (87:4; Isa. 30:7; cf. also Ezek. 29:3; 32:2), and to see God’s “splitting open the sea ...

1409. A History Lesson: From Ephraim to Judah, from the Exodus to Zion

Psalm 78:1-72

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of their forebears. Memory is the critical factor, and it should result in the attitude of trust in God and in the behavior of keeping his commands. 78:9–11 It is not certain to what battle these verses refer, if in fact a particular one is in view. Three possibilities emerge from the Bible. One is Israel’s defeat by the Philistines when the tabernacle of Shiloh (v. 60), in the tribal territory of Ephraim, and the ark were taken captive (1 Sam. 4–6). A second is when Israel was defeated again by the ...

1410. The Lord of Reversals: Thanksgiving of Desert Wanderers, Prisoners, the Sick, and Sailors

Psalm 107:1-43

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... wanderers, the distress is simply described with no mention of Yahweh’s involvement or their moral state. In view of the repeated patterns among these four strophes, these variations are probably significant. There exists no single form ... by . . . oppression, and he made nobles . . . wander in a trackless waste, but the needy he rescued and increased their numbers. In view of these recitations, the contrary, verbal responses of the upright and the wicked are noted in the closing verses: the former rejoice ...

1411. Trembling at the Appearance of the God of the Exodus

Psalm 114:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... If the psalm were composed/used after 722 B.C., then “Judah” may be identified as the sole heir of the title “Israel.” (c) “Israel” may refer to the whole kingdom, and “Judah” is simply singled out because of the temple in Jerusalem. In this view the meaning of “Israel” in v. 2 is identical to its meaning in v. 1. The period of the united monarchy thus becomes a possible time for the psalm’s origin. Since the psalm makes no marked distinctions for these names, this is the most natural ...

1412. Seeking Mercy with Eyes Lifted Heavenward

Psalm 123:1-4

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... to the temple. Yahweh is sought above: “I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.” (When viewed in sequence, this claim regarding Yahweh’s throne qualifies the relative authority of David’s throne mentioned in 122:5.) 123:1–2 ... makes the simple request that Yahweh have mercy; it does not specify any form of intervention. This reticence makes sense in view of the humble stance explicitly adopted by the petitioners, who are as “slaves.” The distress is one of contempt and ridicule ...

1413. The Death of Jesus

Matthew 27:45-56

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... It was thought that the Mount of Olives would split apart and holy ones of the old covenant would rise to share in the reign of the Messiah. That they did not appear in the Holy City until after the resurrection of Jesus is usually explained as appropriate in view of Jesus’ being the “firstborn from among the dead” (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5). The events reflect Old Testament imagery (e.g., earthquakes, Isa. 29:6; opening of tombs, Ezek. 37:12–13; rising of the dead, Dan. 12:2). 27:54–56 When the Roman ...

1414. Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... it was in the second century. Many Jews assimilated to the pagan Greek culture, while there were pious ones who resisted compromising their faith, such as the apocalyptist and other wise ones, some of whom were martyred (11:33–35). So, the author may be viewed as consistent, attributing the continuing desolation to the sins of the evil Jews as well as to the sins of the Seleucids. Thus, when he portrays Daniel confessing sin, he is thinking of the renegade, hellenized Jews who broke God’s laws, not the ...

1415. A Man with Leprosy

Mark 1:40-45

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... of this man’s problem. (See “Leprosy,” IDB, vol. 3, pp. 11–13.) 1:41 Filled with compassion: A few ancient manuscripts read here “moved with anger.” It is possible that this is the original reading, of course, but in view of its weak support among manuscripts and in view of the fact that it may have been introduced to make Jesus’ emotion here seem more compatible with his stern command in vv. 43–44, it is probably wiser to regard the reading accepted in the text here as the original ...

1416. The Calling of Levi

Mark 2:13-17

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... shared by many religious leaders, and so his conduct only generated disgust and offense among these opponents. This story and the preceding one in 2:1–12 are linked together in showing how Jesus’ striking actions generated great opposition. The actions in view are really very similar, the forgiveness of sins and the welcome of sinners, and both are based upon Jesus’ fundamental conviction about what he has been chosen to do—to demonstrate the arrival of God’s kingdom. There is probably intended ...

1417. Jesus' Mother and Brothers

Mark 3:31-35

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... too has had to sacrifice to follow God’s call. It is remarkable that this somewhat negative treatment of Jesus’ family survived, in view of the veneration of the mother of Jesus and the general high respect for his family in later church tradition. In the Roman ... into a movement in the church and became official teaching of Roman and Eastern bodies centuries later. According to this view of Mary’s “perpetual virginity,” the brothers and sisters of Jesus in the Gospels are interpreted as being either ...

1418. John the Baptist Beheaded

Mark 6:14-29

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... with a reference to various popular opinions about Jesus (6:14–15), and these are the same ones mentioned in the dialogue between Jesus and the Twelve (in 8:27–28) about who he really is. Now of course all three opinions are wrong in Mark’s view; yet he cites them to show, not only that people were blind to Jesus’ true significance, but also that the people did recognize in Jesus some sort of special significance like that of the OT prophets. The notion that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the ...

1419. The Rich Young Man

Mark 10:17-31

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... This saying reflects the typically Jewish idea that God is uniquely holy. It is intended as a mild rebuke of the man’s flowery greeting. Cf. Matt. 19:16–17, which has a different form of rebuke. Jesus’ words have no relevance to the Christian doctrinal view about the divinity of Christ, and perhaps the form of the saying in Matthew clarifies this. 10:19 You know the commandments: The commandments referred to are of course from the OT law; all are from the Ten Commandments in Exod. 20:12–16 and Deut ...

1420. The Death of Jesus

Mark 15:33-41

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... rather than a documentary and complete description. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This translates the Aramaic phrase and is an allusion to Ps. 22:1. As indicated in the discussion earlier, it is perilous to try to make this statement the basis of a view of what Jesus felt on the cross. Mark’s purpose in giving this statement is to make the allusion to Ps 22:1, so as to portray Jesus as the righteous sufferer who is beset unjustly by his enemies and appeals to God. This allusion reveals Jesus ...

1421. The Shepherds and the Angels

Luke 2:8-20

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... vagabonds and thieves. Whether Luke had this idea in mind is not certain, but if he did, then the lowly shepherds anticipate the blessings many other such persons of low estate will receive from Jesus during his ministry (see Talbert, pp. 33–34). (If Luke viewed the shepherds as thieves, then ironically we have both Jesus’ birth and death in the company of criminals [see Luke 23:32–43].) One night while the shepherds were tending their flocks (v. 8) an angel of the Lord appeared to them (v. 9). This ...

1422. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Luke 5:17-26

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... faith. Jesus does not, however, immediately heal him, but tells him that his sins are forgiven (v. 20; see note below). This pronouncement provokes the questions and murmurings among the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (see note below). In their view, God alone forgives sins; Jesus, in assuming this authority, has spoken blasphemy (v. 21). Aware of this sentiment, Jesus challenges them with the question found in vv. 22–23. The question suggests that if he can cure the outward manifestation of sin ...

1423. The Parable of the Great Banquet

Luke 14:15-24

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... zealous of the community (1QSa 2.11–21). This idea is also challenged by Jesus’ advice regarding choosing one’s seat at a dinner (Luke 14:7–10). Thus, Luke 14:7–24 forms a unified section that sharply contrasts popular views, including those held by many Pharisees and, in their extremest forms, those of members of the wilderness community of Qumran. Jesus’ parable teaches that the invited (see note below) may miss the opportunity of entering the kingdom, while the seemingly “uninvited” will ...

1424. The Rich Ruler

Luke 18:18-30

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... of Palestine, trying to pass through the eye of a needle, the smallest opening, suggests that it is impossible (see Luke 6:24). This understanding clearly lies behind the question of v. 26: Who then can be saved? This question must be understood against the popular view that rich people are those people who have been favored and blessed of God. If rich people do not qualify for entry into the kingdom, then what hope is there for the rest of us? Jesus’ answer in v. 27 (his second pronouncement) makes it ...

1425. Signs of the End of the Age

Luke 21:5-38

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... are about to take place? Although the questions are put in the plural, there is only one event that is in mind, and that event is the destruction of the temple. A second observation that further demonstrates that Luke has only the end of the temple in view is that, unlike Mark 13:1–3, where Jesus speaks his discourse on the Mount of Olives over-looking the temple, according to Luke 21:37–38, Jesus remains in the temple, thus underscoring that his teaching concerns the temple. Whereas in Mark 13:1 Jesus ...

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