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 1913 results

1626. I’m Movin’ On

Philippians 3:12-14

Sermon

James Merritt

Believe it or not, in the last several years I have become somewhat of a country music fan, and one of the groups I like is a group called Rascal Flatts. They came out with a song that both haunts me every time I hear it, and yet also brings me a sense of comfort. I want you to listen to just the first verse: Listen to the words one more time: I've dealt with my ghost, and faced all my demons; Finally content with a past I regret; I found you find strength in your moments of weakness; For once I'm at peace ...

1627. In God We Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

At first glance, I thought it was a great victory. The past week a Federal Appeals Court ruled that the phrase "In God We Trust" on a government building, does not violate the separation of church and state. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, ruled on May 13th that the national motto may remain on the facade of a county government building in Lexington, North Carolina. Then listen to what the court has to say and I am quoting Judge Robert King. "The Fourth Circuit has ' ...

1628. The Thick Darkness

1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Eric Marshall and Stuart Hample have made a practice of visiting elementary schools and asking children to write letters to God. They've published some of those letters in a book titled, Children's Letters to God. Here's a sampling: Dear God, Count me in. Your friend, Herbie Dear God, Are boys better than girls? I know you are one but try to be fair. Sylvia Dear God, Your book has a lot of zip to it. I like science fiction stories. You had some very good ideas and I would like to know where you found them ...

1629. No Intimidation

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Boldness is necessary to accomplish ministry, especially that which is prophetic and points to judgment. Our dear Lord is boldly assertive and wants there to be no doubt about what his Father has sent him to accomplish. He provides both a lesson and model for us. Our timidity in the face of odds is not becoming to those who profess to follow Christ. Only when it covers a determined soul for the faith is it in keeping with our commitment. Let's face it, some of the most timid souls in church can be ...

1630. A Tax Collector Becomes Rich

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

This chapter of Luke brings us ever closer to the end of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus enters Jericho, just fifteen miles or so from the holy city of Jerusalem. It is here that Jesus transforms the life of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. This is one of the few stories that is peculiar to Luke and is a wonderful human-interest story. The fact that Zacchaeus is willing to climb a tree to see Jesus is a clear indication that he really wanted to see and meet the carpenter from Nazareth. His eagerness to see ...

1631. Repairing Our Lives

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled over a small kingdom that wasn't powerful nor was it known for anything of any great value. But, the king did possess a large and perfect diamond that had been in his family for many generations. He kept it on display for all to see and appreciate and people came from all over the country to admire this rare and precious gem. People from other lands, hearing about the great diamond, also came and they, too, felt some sense of pride simply by gazing upon the ...

1632. Caring for Others: The Christian Vocation in the World

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Richard Gribble

When Bobby Smith was a youngster, his family lived near Mrs. Hildebrand, a widow, who at 95 years of age, was in constant pain and crippled by arthritis, which ravaged her body. Living alone, she could only take a few steps at a time with the help of her cane. Every week when Bobby's mom went to the market, she took her son who would always deliver groceries to the old widow. The family car would pull up into Mrs. Hildebrand's driveway and the command would be heard, "Bobby, here are Mrs. Hildebrand's ...

1633. My Earlier Life

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

John Jamison

You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. Trust me on this one, everybody had heard about Paul's earlier life in Judaism. It was one of the most common topics of conversation whenever members of the new church got together. And the opinions about that earlier life were mixed, especially when it came to how it compared with the Paul that was converted. Those opinions were so mixed that it threatened to split apart and destroy the church itself. So when people read Paul's opening line — You ...

1634. Think on these Things

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

Donna Schaper

In the letter to the people at Philippi, Paul wanted us to think on things that are beautiful, pure, and excellent. He wanted to teach us asset-based thinking. He wanted to teach us the art of appreciative inquiry. He wanted to limit criticism and the culture of complaint. Paul wanted us to be thankful. Oddly, being thankful does not come naturally to us. We stayed at our best friend's house while taking our daughter on a college visit. We forgot to send a thank-you note. We had a wonderful time — good ...

1635. Preparing the Way

Malachi 3:1-4

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Preparing the way can become an all-consuming endeavor. Unforeseen obstacles often have a way of getting in our way to hamper progress and sidetrack us. Then, Murphy's Law goes into effect: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Plans for the Paris subway system were begun in 1845, but the actual work was not begun until much later. A civil engineer, Fulgence Bienvenue (1852-1936), was assigned the task of preparing the way. His first big task was to dig the network of underground tunnels for the trains. The ...

1636. 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 ...

1637. Essentials

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

D. L. Miller of Mount Morris, Illinois, was a world traveler among a people who didn't travel much. He was a Dunker, one of the Plain People, who lived in the late nineteenth century. He wore a dark coat and dark pants and a long beard without a mustache. When others bought cars, the Dunkers kept their horses and buggies. If you were a believer, then you dressed like everyone else in your church, and acted like everyone in your church, and made a point of never standing out. His people made a point of ...

1638. Song of the Vineyard

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

Some of the best prophetic voices of any culture are its troubadours. Historically, the term refers to traveling musicians who once strolled the streets and pubs of medieval Europe singing love songs in exchange for food and lodging. Today they travel by jet or private coach filling auditoriums with screaming fans and recording "greatest hits" albums. Regardless of the time or language, music has an almost supernatural power to affect the human soul and even change the course of the human community. It ...

1639. In All Things Be Thankful - Sermon Starter

Ephesians 5:20

Illustration

Brett Blair

Back during the dark days of 1929, a group of ministers in the Northeast, all graduates of the Boston School of Theology, gathered to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Sunday services. Things were about as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted, and the term Great Depression seemed an apt description for the mood of the country. The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject Thanksgiving ...

1640. Our Children Can Teach Us

Luke 2:41-52

Illustration

James W. Moore

Some years ago in a midwestern town a little boy was born blind. His mother and father were heartsick, but they struggled with his blindness the best they could. Like all such parents, they prayed and hoped for some miracle. They wanted so much for their son to be able to see. Then one day when the little boy was 5 years old, the community doctor told them that he had heard about a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital who was specializing in a new surgical procedure that might just work for their son ...

1641. Every Day God Enriches

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I found out something which I thought was interesting this past week. Do you know what the difference is between vitamin enriched food like enriched flour and food that is fortified with vitamins? Enriched food means that vitamins or minerals have been added to the food. The vitamins and minerals are added to replace the original vitamins and minerals that were stripped and lost during the refining process. For example, if the food originally had iron, but the iron was lost during the refining process, the ...

1642. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Luke 23:32-46

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old story about three men who were friends. They attended college together. And even went to grad schools in the same town. One became a Lawyer, one became a Tax Accountant and the other became a Preacher. The Lawyer and the Accountant were members of the Preachers church. Over the years, they maintained their close friendship. One of the things that held them together was mutual respect and their sense of humor. The Preacher particularly liked calling his friends the Pharisee and the Money ...

1643. A Crib, A Cross, And A Cave

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

True story. A United Methodist pastor was asked to conduct a a graveside service for a member of his church. The only problem was, the cemetery was more than an hour and a half away from the church. The pastor wasn't feeling well so he decided to ride with the Funeral Director in the Coach. By the time they arrived at the cemetery, the flu had invaded completely and he said he felt like the Chinese Army was having a pogo stick Derby on his head and stomach. Feverish and sick, he made it through the service ...

1644. Living In The Spirit Of Joy

Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I hope you all got your piece of Laffy Taffy because I want you to share the silly jokes with your neighbor. Go ahead take a second to tell each other one of the jokes. (Explain location of joke & answer) I heard lots of laughter and the room is definitely lighter because of it. There's a certain amount of joy that comes our way simply through laughter. But as Paul points out in Galatians, there's also a deeper joy that comes from a relationship with God. Let's revisit Galatians 5:22-25 and then look at ...

1645. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Work

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I don't think there is anyone alive who likes job performance reviews except maybe the HR people. Even if you are doing a great job, review and evaluation are stressful. A few years ago Preaching Magazine ran a list of some quotes from actual Job Performance Reviews. I thought I'd share a few: "I wouldn't allow this employee to reproduce, he must have gotten into the gene pool when the lifeguard wasn't looking." "This associate is really not so much of a has-been but a won't be." "Works well under constant ...

1646. God's Getting Better at It

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Illustration

Lane Boyd

Since the beginning God has attempted to get people's attention and to call them into a commitment to live with principles, values, and sense of sacredness that God wants from all humanity. Sometimes the people heard and responded to God, and sometimes they ignored God. God kept trying. God kept working at getting their attention. I heard about a little girl who sort of understands that about God. She was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her ...

1647. Joshua People: Remember, Remind and Recommit

Joshua 24:14-18, 2 Peter 1:10-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The older I get the more I realize that memory is tricky. I can remember the address and phone number of the house I lived in when I was 5 (2470 Highway 66, Zone 2, St. Louis, MO. Harrison 8;7378) but I can't remember which of my kids or Grandkids I'm talking to. I seem to start at the oldest child and work my way down, including the names of all the pets we've ever had, too. But it's nice to know I'm not the only one with this affliction. A number of years ago, the church I was serving received a memorial ...

1648. First Class Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Freedom. Freedom is the last word spoken by Mel Gibson in the epic movie Braveheart. It is also the first word spoken when he voiced the character, Rocky, in the claymation movie "Chicken run." I've always liked the irony and humor of that, even though I'm not sure anyone else ever noticed. Freedom, it's what we celebrated with parades and fireworks yesterday. Freedom, it's what makes this Nation so unique. In a sense, it's what brings us here today. Our freedom of religion allows us to gather and worship ...

1649. Spiderman: Saved To Serve

Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Who do you serve? That's a valid question for everybody, don't you think? Now you probably wouldn't think you would have to ask that question in Church, would you? But the truth is we don't all come with pristine purposes. I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty but we may not even know that we are at cross purposes with God. That was certainly the case in the life of the Apostle Paul. And that's what the Superhero we're focusing on today had to find out as well. Paul and Spiderman both had to find out ...

1650. Nehemiah: The Fix

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A brand new pastor dropped in on the 7th grade Sunday School Class on one of his first Sundays at the church. While there, he decided to test them a little, "Who can tell me who was responsible for the walls of Jericho falling down?" There was dead silence. But finally one of the boys, obviously one who had several close encounters with disobedience, said, "I don't know, but it wasn't my fault!" The pastor turned to the teacher who explained, "I know Johnny and his parents, and if he said he didn't have ...

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