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 1626 to 1650 of 2669 results

1626. Welcome or Warning?

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , religious books, scholarly works, devotional materials, tapes and music. But mostly there was acre upon acre of what can politely be referred to as "Jesus junk" and "holy hardware" (aka "Holy Ghost gauche"?). Some of this "junk" is beyond belief. There is "Jesus"-fragrance perfume, "Jesus saves" bubble gum, "your-cup-runneth-over" measuring utensil sets, pantyhose with Scripture passages printed around the ankle, not to mention the old standards like bouncy-headed saviors to glue on your dashboard and ...

1627. Day-Timers or Begging Bowls

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus refused to stay in the tomb, so the Christ of faith refuses to live only in our church sanctuaries on Sunday mornings. Jesus was raised from death into life and that life is everywhere and all the time. Christians live with the belief that they are always on "Candid Camera." When we least expect Christ to be present in our lives there he is! - Without fanfare, without a choir, without robes or regalia, Christ appears. - Without warning, without shoes, without a home, Christ appears. - Without power ...

1628. Was Jesus the First Buster?

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... structure of organized religion. ['What if God was one of us?'] is a very innocent question, but it touches on a lot of complicated feelings as evidenced by the many different responses I have gotten about it. I don't belittle anyone's religious belief because I have some problems with the way some organized religions wield their political power...Those are some pretty deep statements for a simple pop song to unearth though, don't you think?" Still not convinced? Try scanning Buster periodicals and see what ...

1629. And Again I Say...Amen!

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... or can't understand the question at hand. In his 1991 convocation address at WycliffeCollege, Toronto, Canon Herbert O'Driscoll said that: We have lost the capacity to say "yes" as our first word in reply to the question, "Do you believe ...?" To questions of belief we have learned to reply tentatively and carefully. We employ such phrases as, "Well, it depends on what you mean by ..." or "Are you asking me if ..." or "Perhaps if I can reshape your question ..." If this is at all true, then I suggest that ...

1630. Say What?

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in prayer or being in an attitude of expectancy is very difficult. When Peter, James and John were asked to simply be, they usually fell asleep, as they did here (cf. Matthew 26:36-46). They believed that the best way to preserve a memory, a belief or an experience was to build a temple of stone, rather than a testament of the heart. Other building programs that went awry: 1. David: It was the right building, but the wrong builder. David wanted to build a temple, another monument to the moment, designed ...

1631. The Devil's Sermon

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... outpost called Griegsville, said when I was finished with my high-flying expedition: "Reverend, if it helps you to believe it that way, then that's okay. But I'm believing in angels the way I was taught in Sunday school." One way to help worshipers express their beliefs is by using the following, leaving your hearers to fill in the missing words to these well-known hymns and choruses. Call me crazy, but I still believe that Jesus loves me. This I know.... Call me crazy, but I still believe that The B-I-B-L ...

1632. Let Us Work

Illustration

Martin Fletcher

... Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola. This institution used to be one of the nation's bloodiest and most brutal prisons. Then, in the early '80s, Burl Cain became the new warden at Angola. Cain is a devout Christian; he put his beliefs into action in reforming the prison. He established literacy classes throughout the prison, even on Death Row. He increased the number of prison chaplains. He also allowed a local seminary to teach Bible studies at Angola. He also insisted that the guards ...

1633. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... with faith. The gospel writer makes it clear that their revitalized faith stemmed directly from the validity of their actual experience. Unlike the other two testimonies to Jesus' resurrection we read this week, John denies that the disciples' belief was influenced in any way by prior scriptural predictions of resurrection. They believed because they saw the empty tomb, not because they were theologically predisposed to draw resurrection conclusions. Since John has established that Peter and the "other ...

1634. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... need stand alone. The community of believers is now standing united. As Peter speaks, notice what the gift of the Spirit has already done. The solitary Peter cowering in the courtyard on the night of Jesus' arrest, incapable of standing up for his beliefs, has now become a rock of truth. As he stands in the midst of this new creation, the Christian community, Peter and all the disciples are empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Miraculously, they pull together. Separately these twelve men were unable ...

1635. Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... biblical texts. As the "breastplate" is the shield constructed to protect the heart of its wearer, so integrity is understood to be coupled with the heart of its bearer. Integrity speaks of the coherence and wholeness which characterizes a person's actions and beliefs. Paul continues his military analogy in verse 15, but strangely he now uses it to speak of "the gospel of peace." Paul is not simply suggesting some ancient version of the "peace through strength" mandate which governs so much of our foreign ...

1636. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... easily and logically the author's emphasis on teachers (3:1ff) and his material on disputes (4:1ff). James is anxious to emphasize the crucial role of those with special gifts of teaching and leading in determining the prevailing beliefs and behaviors of communities. Those in prominent positions shoulder a great responsibility. Whether the community will savor the sweetness of spiritual harmony, fellowship, and peace; or whether the bitterness of acrid divisiveness, suspicion, and Cain-killing spirits will ...

1637. Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... lesson in discipleship concludes with the healed Bartimaeus following Jesus "on the way." The Bartimaeus story's transitional nature makes it unique in several respects. Unlike other healing encounters, the focus is on Bartimaeus himself. His physical condition, his belief, his faithfulness and tenacity are all repeated in detail in verses 46-51. The healing miracle itself is mentioned only briefly - almost matter-of-factly - as a part of the concluding sentence to the whole pericope. Even then no mention ...

1638. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... an actual band of nay-sayers and disbelievers, or whether he uses this form to allow a more forceful starting position, is unclear. Whatever the actual situation, the diatribe style enables Paul to pose the most barefaced challenge to a resurrection belief and then refute it with a series of rational arguments (v. 35). This confrontational style shows off Paul's considerable powers of debate, culminating in his brusque rejection of those who would doubt his word. On verse 36 he dismisses them with ...

1639. Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as Jesus was tempted by the devil to act out his powers if he, in fact, had them. Our only possible positive course of action is to assume a completely trusting and thankful attitude before our God and to accept God's gift of salvation by believing and confessing our belief in this love.

1640. Ephesians 1:11-23

Ephesians 1:11-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... prayer focuses tightly on the crucial notion and nature of God's power, a theme prevalent throughout this letter. Might it have been a point of debate among the people there? Artemis worship was still a rising influence, even though the other magical beliefs, mystery religions and a host of pagan deities all vied for the souls and sympathies of the people. Here in Ephesians, then, we find an unhesitating proclamation of the preeminence of the Christian God's power. The Greek term used for power in verse ...

1641. Exodus 17:1-7

Exodus 17:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... life and a strong, thriving cultus of Yahweh marked the period of the Jahwist writer. The issue of finding water for the people, however, is not the only crisis confronted in this text. Also at stake is the people's trust in Moses' leadership and their belief in the abiding presence of a protecting, caring God. That the Israelites had come to depend upon Moses for all their needs is evident by the way they bring their petition to him in verse 2: "Give us water to drink." This sounds more like the ...

1642. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... backs Thomas into a confrontational corner. The "signs" Thomas had demanded are now pushed into his face as the risen Christ orders him not to "doubt," but to "believe." Apparently this wake-up call to faithfulness shakes Thomas out of the old sign-oriented belief to which he had been clinging. For without taking Jesus up on his offer to poke and prod at the resurrected body, Thomas confesses "My Lord and my God." These titles are likely part of the Johannine community's baptismal creed, demonstrating to ...

1643. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's speech before the Areopagus in Athens has long been fodder for theological debates. Some philosophers grasp at these texts as proof that Paul saw and used similarities between Christian theology and the belief systems of other cultures gently to lead listeners toward some commonly held truths. Other scholars examine these texts and find a strictly missionary-oriented speech one that cleverly uses the language of ideas familiar to a pagan audience in order utterly to reject their understanding of the ...

1644. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... precise, more profound point is that there is a variety of gifts because there is true variety within the unity of God. Among the many confused and wrong-headed notions about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts that the Corinthians seem to hold is the belief that the gift of the Spirit is given to individuals for individual use and gain. Against that selfish misappropriation of the Spirit, Paul preaches in verse 7 that all the gifts of the charisma the Spirit are given for the good of the community, not ...

1645. Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... enough to settle, plant and harvest, can they be expected to really know and appreciate firsthand the richness of this gift they have been given by God. A maturity of outlook, then, colors the first fruits offering. This is not an offering of blind belief, but is based on the experience of a people who have lived and loved the land and reaped its benefits. The first fruits offering, like all the tenets of the Deuteronomic code, gives importance to individuals only through their corporate identity. The land ...

1646. Philippians 3:17-4:1

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... their minds may then refer to all the other Mosaic laws and statutes governing everyday life and especially the Sabbath. However, if these "enemies" were Gnostics or Gentiles, Paul's words take on a much different inference. The problem with both those groups is the belief that since the spirit of a person has nothing to do with the body, then what that body does is of no spiritual or ethical consequence. As may be expected, extreme libertinism was often the result. For these "enemies," the god in the belly ...

1647. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1648. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1649. 2 Samuel 7:1-17

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... adds to his own insight about prophets by following it with the statement, "No physician works cures on those who know him." We are both physical and spiritual beings, but when our spirit is filled with doubt, our body cannot be cured. While Jesus' powers are not dependent upon our belief, the freedom to disbelieve keeps Christ's healing love at arm's length, away from the pain and disease in our lives. Neither physician, nor prophet, can work healing on an unbelieving heart.

1650. Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

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