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 1651 to 1675 of 2036 results

1651. Driving Out the Nations

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... grounded in the action of God in such a way as to remove any possible claims on Israel’s part that their chosen status reflected their own superiority. Three times, in fact, Moses sets out to prick any self-inflated bubbles of Israelite pride. Numerical superiority is rejected as even a remotely possible reason why God should have loved them; they were a minnow among the nations. Economic arrogance is targeted in 8:17; they owed everything to the gift of God. Finally, moral self-righteousness is trounced ...

1652. Not Because of Israel's Righteousness

Deuteronomy 9:1-6

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... (8:17f.). In this chapter he targets what is perhaps the most pernicious and perennial distortion of all—moral self-righteousness in the interpretation of military conflict. Together, these three challenges penetrate deeply to the evergreen sources of human pride: the idolatries of racism, materialism, and militarism. The thrust of this chapter, though directed at Israel, goes to the heart of a universal phenomenon in the behavior of human beings, governments, and nations. In its prophetic power to ...

1653. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... LORD” is characteristic of Deuteronomy (cf. 14:26; 16:11, 14; 26:11; 27:7; and Lev. 23:40). Chapter 8 envisages a people enjoying the bounty of the land to such an extent that they would be in danger of forgetting the Lord in their satiety and pride. Here, a way to prevent that danger is to regularly do some of their eating and rejoicing specifically in the presence of Yahweh, so that there could be no mistaking where the bounty came from (because the LORD your God, and no fertility god or goddess, has ...

1654. Going to War

Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of the horrors and extremes of cruelty in ancient warfare on the other, the provisions of 20:5ff. and 21:10–14 are an exercise of neighbor love within the constraints of the grim reality of warfare. 20:1–4 Horses and chariots were the pride of the great ancient Near Eastern imperial armies, and Israel did indeed face them in the Canaanite wars. To a mere human calculation of odds they would induce a crippling inferiority complex. But the odds were not merely human, for Israel already celebrated their ...

1655. Firstfruits and Tithes

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... it might seem that there is nothing more than national chauvinism in the expectation that Israel will be set in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations. But first of all, Israel’s place among the nations is never to be a matter of national pride, since it is due neither to numerical nor to moral superiority (7:7; 9:4–6). Furthermore, the reputation of Israel among the nations is ultimately to be for the sake of Yahweh’s own name. Their obedience will be visible to the nations and arouse ...

1656. Hoshea Last King of Israel

2 Kings 17:1-6

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... calves and an Asherah pole, and worshiped Baal (v. 16; cf. 1 Kgs. 12:25ff.; 16:31ff.). All of this was done in flagrant disregard for God’s Law and covenant (vv. 13, 15) and in defiance of God’s prophets (v. 13). It was done with the stubbornness and pride of those who had come out of Egypt in the first place (v. 14; cf. the stiff-necked people of Deut. 9–10, esp. 9:6, 13; 10:16). It was done in imitation of the nations around them (v. 15), whom the LORD had ordered them not to imitate ...

1657. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

2 Kings 18:17-37

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... the issue is also represented in this way). 19:20–34 A second Isaianic prophecy, in three parts, brings God’s response to Hezekiah’s prayer. The first part (vv. 20–28) opens with general indications about the consequences of Sennacherib’s blasphemy and pride in terms of his future downfall, when he will be despised and mocked by Jerusalem as he flees (vv. 21–22). His mistake has been to imagine that his military accomplishments have been achieved in his own strength (vv. 23–24). In reality ...

1658. The Lord's Anger Against Israel

Isaiah 9:8--10:4

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... follows rather identifies the people as Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria. Once more Judah overhears Yahweh speaking of someone else, but the message is meant for Judah itself. Again Judah is advised not to tie its future to Ephraim. Ephraim shares Judah’s pride (v. 9; 2:12), which is confronted by Yahweh’s majesty (2:10, 19, 21: related words each time). Its people are tough-minded (NIV arrogance of heart) rather than soft-minded (v. 9; 7:2, 4). A reversal has strengthened rather than destroyed ...

1659. The Lord's Devastation of the Earth

Isaiah 24:1-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... at last cleansed, covenant-breaking punished, and God shown to be God. Events have exposed the pretensions of the nations to “glory”—two different words in verses 15 and 16. They are words that have recurred in threats of calamity for Israel and the nations whose “pride” (the same word as majesty in v. 14) compromises God’s glory. Yet the visionary cannot but be awed by the vision, is unable quite to join in with these songs of joy, and feels a quite different reaction (v. 16b). It is one that ...

1660. Woe to Ephraim

Isaiah 28:1-29

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... awaits the city’s final downfall in 721 B.C. Perhaps the time is earlier but Isaiah can see that this defeat is (theologically) inevitable. Or perhaps what he sees in Samaria makes its splendor now seem tawdry. This city has been beguiled by its own importance (pride again: see on 2:10–22). The language is very similar to that used of Babylon in 13:19. The people’s own finery mirrors the city’s, but they placard it at self-indulgent drunken banquets. We see in modern nations how people in important ...

1661. The Glory of Zion

Isaiah 60:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... Instead of despising it, they honor it (v. 14). Instead of being milked by them, the city is nourished by them (v. 16). (d) Instead of being forsaken and hated (presumably by her husband) and generally ignored, Ms Zion becomes an object of lasting pride and joy (v. 15). (e) Instead of being assailed by violent attack and destruction, the city is controlled by shalom and tsedaqah, and Salvation and Praise protect it (vv. 17–18; see Additional Notes). The Preacher also recapitulates the Poet’s vision of ...

1662. Sermon on the Mount: Praying, Not Judging

Matthew 7:7-12, Matthew 7:1-6

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... ] would just shake hands with them [ordinary parents] and give them a phony smile and then he’d go talk, for maybe a half an hour, with somebody else’s parents. I can’t stand that stuff. It drives me crazy.5 Although Holden prides himself on exposing this lack of authenticity in others, he nonetheless hides behind a persona himself. In spite of regular assertions of his truthfulness to the reader (e.g., “I’m not kidding”; “If you want to know the truth . . .”), he consistently pretends to ...

1663. Parables Discourse: Importance of Response to the Kingdom Message

Matthew 13:1-23

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... a common human fault to claim special knowledge for oneself and one’s own group. “We have the corner on the truth” is a very tempting claim to make. This is not simply a contemporary phenomenon; we see this kind of spiritual pride in the Corinthian church, as evidenced in 1 Corinthians. From boasting about their connections to the best leaders (“I follow Paul . . . I follow Apollos . . . I follow Cephas” [1:12; cf. 4:6–7]), to their presumptuous claims to heavenly tongues, prophetic utterances ...

1664. The Jewish Leaders as Negative Foil for Jesus’ Followers

Matthew 23:1-39

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... is countercultural in its equality in the midst of the status-conscious Greco-Roman world of the first century. To preach this message in contemporary contexts means allowing for potentially different backdrops. Yet, while most Western democratic contexts pride themselves on equality for all persons, implicit status and value differentials still exist. So the church can still fall into patterns of relationship that honor some more than others and devalue persons deemed less significant. As you teach ...

1665. The Exorcism of a Child Develops a Humble Model for Faith

Mark 9:14-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... Failure in our Christian walk demands deeper and more consistent prayer lives. We cannot grow when we, like the disciples in this story, believe that we inherently possess the ability to triumph spiritually in this world. There can be no victory in self-serving pride. The message is clear: Jesus alone can accomplish great things in us, and our only proper response is to unleash his power through our prayer. In his Farewell Discourse in John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks frequently of this new prayer power (14:13 ...

1666. Family in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:13-16, Mark 10:1-12

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... humbly and openly Poetry: “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley. British poet William Ernest Henley published this poem in 1875. It ends with these famous words: “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” This is the epitome of pride, proclaiming that we really have no need for God. In contrast, British preacher Charles Spurgeon said in the closing words of his last sermon (possibly in response to Henley), “If you could see our Captain, you would go down on your knees and beg him ...

1667. Government and Marriage

Mark 12:18-27, Mark 12:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... Torah. The purpose is to forge a no-win situation: Jesus either denies a doctrine of resurrection or denies the Torah. 12:24 in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? These charges are hard-hitting. The Sadducees prided themselves on drawing their beliefs from Scripture (the Pentateuch), so Jesus is challenging their basic claims about themselves. Jesus’s teaching demonstrated a whole new level of authority (1:21–22), and he challenged the scribes in this same area in 12:10 ...

1668. The Christian Shema: Loving God and Neighbor

Mark 12:28-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... in the leg as he fought against the British army. But in May 1779 Arnold began to bargain with the British and eventually switched sides and fought against the colonists. There is much speculation about why Arnold chose treason, mostly focusing on a divided heart. His pride had been hurt when he felt overlooked by his commanding officers and the Continental Congress. Money also played a part, as he was given a large commission to join the British. To love God with all your heart means that your heart is not ...

1669. Jesus Defines Himself as Lord in Contrast to the Leaders of Israel

Mark 12:41-44, Mark 12:35-40

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... what Mark covers in three verses. The scribes (see on 1:22) have appeared often in the conflicts of passion week (11:18, 27; 12:28, 32, 35) and are set in primary contrast to Jesus, the authoritative voice on Torah. Here Jesus exposes their pride, demand for attention (all too much like the disciples in 9:33–35; 10:35–45), and avarice. The “flowing robes” are either the long robes worn especially during festivals or the expensive decorated robes of wealthy men meant to display their eminence in the ...

1670. Testing in the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... put under strain—and if so, how the Old Testament precepts quoted by Jesus can apply to us as well. Some interpreters have compared Jesus’s three temptations to those named in 1 John 2:16: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We need to be careful here, since the present passage is primarily christological and Luke’s primary purpose is not to teach us how to resist temptation but rather to demonstrate that Jesus is indeed the Messiah and the Son of God, well equipped to ...

1671. The Messiah and His Glory

Luke 9:28-36, Luke 9:18-27

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... suffering will come vindication and glory. The prominence of Peter in the final scene invites us to use him (as a typical disciple) as a lead-in to grasping the significance of these events, as we follow the rollercoaster of his perceptions and emotions: his pride in at last grasping Jesus’s messiahship his dismay when Jesus not only forbids them to speak of this but also apparently undermines it immediately by talking about rejection and death at the hands of the very people whom the Messiah has come to ...

1672. Jesus’s Fallible Followers

Luke 9:51-56, Luke 9:46-50, Luke 9:37-45

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... , as I have done in “Theological Insights” above, and so to teach about the following: 1. The fallibility of disciples. The disciples illustrate weakness in various ways in these texts, including lack of faith (9:40), lack of spiritual discernment (9:45), pride (9:46), and exclusivity (9:49). In what ways do believers today manifest these same failings? Notice how Jesus responds in each case. What does this teach us about the ideal qualities of Christian leaders? What contemporary Christian figures do ...

1673. Negative Responses to Jesus

Luke 11:33-36, Luke 11:29-32, Luke 11:14-28

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... –28 Blessed is the mother who gave you birth. This is an impulsive comment by an enthusiastic supporter rather than a thought-out theological declaration about Mary (cf. 1:42, 45, 48). Jesus’s deflating response recalls 8:21 (see comment there). Family pride is subordinated to the demands of true discipleship. 11:29 It asks for a sign. The second of the hostile approaches mentioned in 11:15–16 was the demand for “a sign from heaven.” The Old Testament is familiar with the idea of miraculous ...

1674. Two Parables about Prayer

Luke 18:9-14, Luke 18:1-8

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... God to deliver him from pretentiousness. At one point the poet prays, “Lord of the narrow gate and needle’s eye, / Take from me all my trumpery lest I die.”2 Story: “Revelation,” by Flannery O’Connor. Few writers expose the heart of pride and hypocrisy as does American author Flannery O’Connor (1925–64). In this story (published posthumously in 1965) a very self-absorbed, proud, middle-class, Southern woman, Ruby Turpin, is always thanking God that he has made her who she is, “a neat clean ...

1675. Jesus Takes the Initiative

Luke 21:5-38, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 20:41-47

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... teaching be sure to note the juxtaposition and contrast between the denunciation of the teachers of the law in 20:45–47 and the widow’s offering (21:1–4), two contrasting descriptions of spiritual piety. The scribes are greedy, hypocritical, and prideful, while the widow is generous, authentic, and humble. Consider what sort of situation in our own setting might offer a parallel to this episode. What opportunities does our church or social life offer for ostentatious giving, and who might now play the ...

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