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 126 to 150 of 495 results

126. The Good, The Bad, And The Justified

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... to gambling, find a resource that is beyond themselves and a source of strength to overcome those diseases of the soul. People with too much love of money and material things find that their values begin to change. People with deep insecurities and low self-esteem begin to see themselves and love themselves as God loves them and sees them. This doesn't all happen at once, of course. Discipleship, sanctification, spiritual maturity, whatever you want to call it, is a life-long process. It's a journey. We don ...

127. Beware! Caution! Danger!

Acts 14:8-20

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... Luther had been asked (maybe at a potluck, ecumenical church supper with Germans and Italians), "Luther did you or did you not write these books?" Suppose Luther had replied, "Well, perhaps I have been a tad negative, but you know I've had problems with my self-esteem lately, and everyone has a bad day now and then." And they could have replied, "Okay, Martin, let's just take your books out of circulation and your theses off the door, and let's try to understand one another a little better. After all we ...

128. The Nearness Of A Faraway God

Isaiah 40:12-18

Sermon

Erskine White

... church ads in your local newspaper, especially the ads for the fast-growing, most "successful" churches. What do you see but week after week, the focus of worship has been subtly shifted from God to ourselves: our wants, our needs, our fulfillment, our self-esteem. This is the age of the individual. We are proud of who we are; we proudly proclaim that each individual is unique and infinitely important. A comedian recently gave a pretty good summary of where our culture is going; and of course, popular ...

129. Trial-and-Error or Grace

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... the secret of his invincibility. A well-placed arrow to the heel killed the hero. Achilles’ renowned invulnerability was gained at the expense of one vulnerable spot. I have learned from life that we all have our Achilles’ heels. To put all our self-esteem in one basket leaves us vulnerable to life. There is no room to play, no possibility for other legitimate options. By losing the basket, we lose everything. Our heels are exposed for self-destruction. To insist on our way regardless of evidence is ...

130. Christian The King

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... important and the greatest persons in the realm. If then, we Christians are kings and queens, we have inherent worth and dignity. Our value depends upon who we are, what we were made by God. This gives each of us a sense of self-worth, self-respect, and self-esteem. We do not think of ourselves as serfs or slaves but as people of honor and dignity. This comes out in our daily lives by the way we work, live, and talk. During slavery days, a northern visiter watched slaves in New Orleans working on the docks ...

131. This Grace In Which We Stand by Dr. Gene E. Bartlett

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... old and tired anxiety that keeps us from fullness of life; the unattended sin of which we have grown so weary, but which we cannot let go; the malignant alienation from someone that exacts its toll from more and more of our lives; the loss of self-esteem covered by bluster and false heartiness. All those deep places are confronted tonight at last as "deep calls unto deep." And for us there is that tremendous word: "Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand." From here on there can ...

132. No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... boy is about over. It passes so fast. Life rolls along, alternating between mundane hours of boredom and awesome moments of eternal significance. A wife craves some sign that she is more important than her husband's job, until it's too late. Someone with low self-esteem longs to hear some particular person say, "You're really special," until it's too late. A child hears a parent say, "Let's report your watch as stolen so the insurance will cover it." We wait to hear someone say, "But that would be wrong ...

133. Augustine, Defender of the Faith

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... Those evil desires of our imperfect nature tempt and convince us, also: • that lust to possess others sexually; • that greed to get and keep all we can; • that self-centered ego which tells us to tramp on others to get ahead; • that lack of self-esteem which drives us to be critical of everyone else; • and that which our American way of life encourages: "If it feels good, do it." Augustine’s and St. Paul’s struggle is our struggle: "Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the ...

134. Discipleship - Path to Fulfillment

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... at home as on the battlefield. Later, when they learned that Scott had sustained serious wounds, some colleagues in ministry said that he got no more than a "glory boy" deserved. But Scott was determined to abide by his decision, and his self-esteem could not be shaken by adverse criticism. His persistence was rewarded. Reluctantly, his superiors released him to the Navy. For a time, Scott served with the fleet, flying by helicopter from ship to ship, conducting services of worship. But he never surrendered ...

135. Questions Without Answers

Job 42:1-6

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... . It is my personal experience. I have heard you with my ear, and I have seen you with my eyes. Therefore I abhor myself in dust and ashes." And now my social worker friends begin to squint and squirm. To abhor myself in dust and ashes does nothing for my self-esteem. A high self-image is important to a high and healthy life and attitude. But what we often call a good self-image isn’t high enough. That which drags us down needs first of all to be dragged out. That which gets between our own self-image and ...

136. Sonny Moneybags

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of the inheritance, so I can split this lousy dump." And the rest of the story we know. You can imagine Sonny's reaction when he heard of his brother's plans: "Goodbye and good riddance!" It had been a tough life for Sonny, as far as any self-esteem was concerned. At least when he had gone off to college, he had had a chance to blossom to a certain extent without always being outshone by his younger brother. But back on the farm it was the same old story: Junior, this...Junior, that...always Junior, Junior ...

137. Wedding, Wine, And Wonderment

Mark 2:18-22

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... ." The next frame catches him saying, "Also, a special treat--Saturday night will be aerobic male-bonding night! So bring your sneaks! Any questions?" To this, a parishioner queries, "Yes, is there a church service?" The pastor responds, "Canceled. There was a conflict with self-esteem workshop." This is exactly what is happening in our lesson today. The law and all of its traditions had replaced God as the central focus of worship. An older bishop used to say to young pastors, "I don't care how many skills ...

138. Forgiveness: Human and Divine

Matthew 6:12-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... God, and our sinfulness produces guilt feelings. Now we may try to rationalize away these feelings. We may find all kinds of ways to justify our sinful behavior, but we know the guilt is there. And that guilt starts a vicious cycle, lowering our self-esteem and creating in us negative attitudes which ruin our relationships with others and with God. We may project our bad feelings onto others by having a critical and mean spirit, always looking for the fault and flaws in others. Or we become depressed, or ...

139. The Cross: God's Answer To Our Deepest Needs

Colossians 2:8-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , the reality is the same. The needs are 1. To receive forgiveness 2. To love and be loved 3. To experience community 4. To have a cause for which to live and die. Other descriptions of our needs -- acceptance, affirmation, security and freedom, purposefulness and self-esteem -- are rooted in these four. The Cross meets us at the point of these deepest needs. Let's explore these. I. First, our need for forgiveness. There are all sorts of ways to talk about us humans, what and who we are. G. K. Chesterton ...

140. Generations

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , the generation that raised itself, the first generation to suffer the full impact of divorce (50 percent were brought up in homes where parents divorced), busters exhibit all the problems that go with latch-key upbringings – depression; lower self-esteem; emotional, learning, behavior problems. Busters have suicide rates double those of 1970; they are three times as likely to be depressed as their grandparents' generation. Over 1.4 million will have psychological counseling before adulthood. The first ...

141. You're Fired!

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... fatal attacks on our very self. So of course, we now have yet another new reality show, another guilty pleasure we indulge in that revolves around the phrase "You're Fired!" Here's a show that broadcasts the most humiliating, ego-crunching, self-esteem destroying moment in anyone's life for the entertainment of others. On Fear Factor contestants spend a lot of time puking up atrocious and unmentionable concoctions they've tried to force down their throats. Yet their failure only testifies to the fact ...

142. I Am the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... because of extreme insecurity. She developed slowly as a teenager, was very unattractive during her high school years, and therefore did not date. Her mother and father did not provide for her the warmth and the acceptance that helped her from developing a low self-esteem. She went to college and didn’t start dating in college until she was mid-way through that time in her life. And yet after all these years of having been loved and accepted and affirmed by her husband and her children, still she ...

143. Our Common Life in Christ

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... firm, seeking never to fall in the ditch ourselves in order to help the sinner; but we are gentle, recognizing that the stakes are high - in fact, eternal. We don’t burst down doors to make our case. We respect privacy and dignity and self-esteem. We know that what is worthwhile is not accomplished by mere denunciation and rebuke. Our duty is not to condemn but to restore. And that can happen in Koinoia – where we are loved by others unconditionally, and where there is a ministry of spiritual support ...

144. From Pride to Humility

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... When I rejoice in those events of life am I committing a deadly sin or embracing a worthy virtue? My father lived by the motto “Never tell him he's good, it might go to his head." Did my father save me from pride or damage my self-esteem? We do not encourage pride by expressing warm-hearted admiration. Conditional love does not create humility. It sows the seed of humiliation. A child that gets a pat on the back for doing a lesson well is receiving worthy praise. Families are smart to be mutual admiration ...

145. People Who Are Down on Themselves

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

... coming back for, but I knew my mother would come back for her locket.” (3) How incredibly sad to feel that way about yourself. Many good people have bad times because they carry around baggage from past experiences or relationships that have crushed their self esteem. Maybe that is true of you. St. Paul’s words are refreshing balm to all who have been damaged by their past for whatever reason, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith . . .” And he continues, “For all of you ...

146. Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... all that creates the separation. Judgment is not a popular notion today—especially the thought of God’s judgment. We prefer to imagine a deity who happily lets bygones be bygones, who winks at failures and pats us on the back to build our self-esteem. But according to Scripture, “God is love.” And love devoid of judgment is only watered-down kindness. The holy God is not “kind.” Love is something far more stern and splendid than mere kindness.4 Here McCullough quotes C. S. Lewis: Kindness ...

147. For The Love of God is Creative

1 Corinthians 2:6-12 · Psalm 8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... in the image of God. And that gives us our self worth because God doesn't make junk. C. Now we don't always agree with that. I know that sounds a little audacious and presumptuous but there are a lot of people who suffer from low self esteem. Their lives have no value in their eyes. Or they've been made to feel their lives have no value because of an abusive relationship. Maybe the person wasn't even physically abused. Maybe they were made to feel worthless because they were told that everything they ...

148. Some Crossroads of Family Life W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

... be done? First, it is notable that this family possessed some qualities which are just as valuable in today’s family: A strong prayer life Faith and trust in the Lord Compassion for each family member Impartiality toward each person A sense of self-esteem and respect for each other Assistance so that the child might have a meaningful vocation Isaac, as husband, showed commendable reactions. He was sensitive to his wife’s feelings; he was concerned for her because of her inability to become pregnant and ...

149. The Peace That Christ Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... damaged the jumbo jet's landing gear, but, by the grace of God, no one on board was hurt. (3) An impressive craft ” headed in the right direction ” but running out of fuel. That's happening to a lot of people today. They have a high sense of self-esteem. They are motivated by a sense of purpose. But one day they wake up disillusioned and disheartened. The fuel has all been spent. Where does the fuel we need for life come from? It comes from God's indwelling Spirit. This was the most important gift that ...

150. Easter 5

John 14:5-14, John 14:1-4, 1 Peter 2:4-12, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Psalm 31:1-24

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , but the more communal, clannish, or tribal mind-set of ancients made honor and shame key conditions of human behavior. This is more than having egg on one's face or spilling soup on one's lap; to be shamed was to lose both one's self-esteem and one's derived esteem in the larger social group. To be shamed would open one to ridicule, even from former friends and family members. Remarkably the psalmist understands the basis of delivery from shame to be the Lord's righteousness. God is faithful to those ...

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