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 1701 to 1725 of 4950 results

1701. I've Got Your Back Covered

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that enable us to move forward and back to negotiate this way and that, to turn the tables and tip the scales because we stand at peace knowing there's always one who has our back. So the next time you hear this word Paraclete, or think of the Holy Spirit, don't think babysitter or blanket. Jesus isn't sending us a comforter in the sense of a babysitter who's going to take care of us. Jesus isn't sending us a comforter who is going to blanket us with warmth and encouragement, telling us to cheer up and ...

1702. Can You Jump for Joy?

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... we need Santa at Christmas to free us to laugh and jump for joy at Jesus' coming. If we didn't have Santa, but just had Jesus, could we be merry at Christmas? Does anyone else find something tragic about this? After all, Jesus did have enough spirit and spunk that he attracted flocks of disciples and entertained huge crowds with his words of wit and wisdom. Do you really think Jesus would have been such a popular party guest on the "A" list of all the local rowdies (the tax collectors, the rich, the morally ...

1703. Show and Listen

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in today's story. His long quest for spiritual fulfillment, a quest that had brought him to Jerusalem to worship, was a quest that had driven him to purchase and study the Hebrew Scriptures himself. He was seeking information, insight, inspiration. He was, as the Spirit knew, the perfect candidate to respond to Philip's question, "Do you understand?" The Ethiopian's mind is hungry and his heart is ready. He knows he needs "someone to guide me." What he doesn't know is that God is already guiding him. It ...

1704. Catch the Fever

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

James Caldwell III

... approach. Maybe he's saying that God sometimes calls us outside of our comfort zone, to think outside the box, to push and even tear the edge of the envelope. All the world isn't just a stage, it's a mission field. Jesus' fever of the Spirit shows us that his way of thinking of relating to God and doing ministry is totally foreign to our nature, our intuition, and our traditions. Jesus turns our worldly notions topsy-turvy: To follow Jesus means to expect the unexpected; There's freedom in obedience to God ...

1705. Mark 1:21-28

Mark 1:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to God. Jesus' response is immediate, his judgment absolute. The Greek epitimesen, translated "rebuked," is a legal term to lay a strong charge or penalty on. This suggests Jesus' rightful role as judge. But its use in scripture is linked to exorcisms of evil spirits (see Mark 3:12). Jesus' twin commands "Be silent" and "Come out" are both uttered as imperatives, and he uses only verbal commands. Jesus doesn't lay his hands on the demonically possessed man or make any other gestures. Only Jesus' voice is ...

1706. Two Roads Diverged

Romans 8:1

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... destination. Application: Did you know that our lives are like this road map? There is a road that God wants us all to be on, and then there is a road that leads away from where God wants us to be. The good road is called the road of the Spirit. The other road is called the road of the world. The road of the world has a lot of bad things on it, fighting, name-calling, jealousy, stealing, lying, cheating. Those who walk on the road of the ...

1707. Is Sunday Just a Fun Day?

Exodus 20:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... . 3:10 says, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." The Bible says if a man can work, and he will not work, he ought to go hungry. Now the bleeding heart liberal says, "That's mean-spirited." I beg to differ, it's being wise-hearted. For the Bible also says in Pr. 16:26, "The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on." The Living Bible makes this even more clear: "Hunger is good if it makes you work to satisfy ...

1708. Are You Going to Fish or Cut Bait?

Mark 1:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... . Two of the greatest verses in all of the Bible concerning witnessing and bringing people to Jesus, are John 15:26-27: "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning." Now notice we have not only been called to bear fruit, we have been called to bear witness. A lawyer knows one fundamental ...

1709. A Bridge over Troubled Waters

Psalm 23:2

Sermon

James Merritt

... will not drink from a turbulent stream. They will only drink from still waters because they are afraid of drowning. The only way they will drink is when the water is quiet and still. Now just as the grass speaks of God’s word, the water speaks of God’s Spirit. Jesus said in John 7:37-39: “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers ...

1710. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... poetry has a "lack of concentration and a tendency toward meaningless repetition of phrase." Unlikely as it seemed, they became some of the best-loved hymns of the church. One of her hymns could be the prayer of St. Matthias and all the unlikely saints who follow in his spirit: Lord, speak to me, that I may speak in living echoes of thy tone; as thou hast sought, so let me seek thine erring children lost and lone. O use me, Lord, use even me, just as thou wilt, and when, and where, until thy blessed face I ...

1711. Deep Calling to Deep

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... But let's not be too harsh in our day and time. We have checks and balances today that provide stopgaps for those who are traveling toward a dead end. We are helped greatly by knowing we were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. We ought not to frighten our flocks by telling them they are expected to become their own theologians! Pastoral guidance is often necessary and this means clergy who are rooted and grounded in the faith, refusing to be threatened by bright laity. My experience tells me ...

1712. God’s Surprises

Acts 10:44-48

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... , single, and widowed. When Christians include others in their circle of concern, they are angels at work for the kingdom, often without even knowing all they have done. Surprise. When someone leaves his or her comfort zone at the prompting of the Holy Spirit and ventures into the comfort zone of others, God provides wonderful miracles. Surprise. When someone shows hospitality to strangers, and is inclusive in their behavior, instead of living in their own little world, they may be angels in disguise.

1713. Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... s prayer now is that the Ephesians will continue to experience new dimensions of understanding these gifts through “a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Although the NRSV renders “spirit” with the lower case, the NIV translates “spirit” with an upper case, indicating that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit not simply the spiritual nature of the individual. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that makes possible the growth of “wisdom within those Paul prays for. It is the personal presence of ...

1714. John the Stall Cleaner

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... out a nest of apathy. Have you created a comfy, secure place where you can safely nestle in and do nothing, where you can observe instead of participate in the world? Is your life a happy den of inertness and ineptness? Sweep it out. Embrace the spirit of possibility that redecorates that old nesting ground with new corners and cushions, new ambitions and dreams. 2) Do you need to clean out a compaction of competition? Maybe everything is a win/lose battle in your life, with you needing to be the “winner ...

1715. MegaGrace

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... One of the most reassuring aspects of Christian life is the knowledge that we do not have to do everything on our own. The challenge of living a Christ-like life is made possible through the gift of great grace - megacharis - from the Spirit. Ever responsive to our needs, it appears that the more obstreperous and quarrelsome our "Christian" communities the more grace becomes available, enabling the ongoing mission of the church to survive despite itself. The focus on "great grace" as it is presented in this ...

1716. The Ultimate Athlete

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... s "shield" of faith can be updated to describe the function of an imposing offensive line. Like a shield the front line does not destroy the opponent completely, but it does give the quarterback the opportunity to perform to the best of his ability. The "sword" of the Spirit can lose its decapitating qualities by being seen as a "tool of the trade." For a first century military man the tool of choice was the sword. But for the twentieth-century athlete the tool to get the job done may be a bat, a ball, or a ...

1717. Let It Breathe...

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you!", and said, "As the Father sent me, so I send you." Then he breathed on them saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (19b-22) Again as this is put in Quantum Spirituality, "The first kiss of God quickened us to come alive. Adam was God's first ... works. If one takes deep inhalations and shallow exhalations, what happens? You hyperventilate, and some Christians are hyperventilating on the Holy Spirit. The 14th century mystic Ruysbroeck puts it in an even more powerful way that shifts the axis from our breathing ...

1718. Doorkeepers, Lampkeepers and Wisdomkeepers

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... attack by thieves or spies in an instant of confrontation. Jesus plays the dual role of doorkeeper and lampkeeper in this week's Gospel text. He guards the entrance through the narrow door of genuine faithfulness, turning aside those whose words and deeds betray their false spirit. But if the door is narrow and well-guarded, how are we to gain access to the gift of salvation lying on the other side? Indeed, how do we even find our way to this narrow entrance in the looming stone wall of our pride, our ...

1719. Rags and Robes

Micah 1:1-7; 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Rivers' eyes, he confessed, to one of the most crucial needs confronting the homeless of America today. Rivers' told of how he found very quickly that he had not just put on the clothing of the homeless, but he had begun to put on a homeless spirit as well. What Rivers' found himself craving, more than a hamburger, a bath, a blanket or a bed, was the experience of being recognized and greeted as a worthwhile human being. Rivers described how, when encountering others on the sidewalks, a few people (all too ...

1720. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... both Philippians and Romans are heard in Paul’s general words. But as the apostle trims and tailors his reasoning to fit the needs of these particular disciples, Paul cautions the Thessalonian church to remain open to the words and work of the Spirit. This week’s text opens with three emphatic directives. But it is the adverbial construction that gives new force and flavor to Paul’s words. The adverbs emphasize the “how” as well as the “what” that Christians are to accomplish. The faithful are ...

1721. A Say-so Spirituality

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to go out and minister to all the world under no less an authority than God's "say-so." When Jesus proclaims "As/so" to these Upper-Room disciples, he is promising to every bottom-floor generation that will experience Christ's peace and inhale the Holy Spirit that divine forces and energies are at work in all of us, even as they were in Jesus. We are, indeed, on a mission from God. Because God, through Christ, has said so! In the airhead hit movie "Clueless," which has now become a television series, the ...

1722. The Hand, the Lamb and the Dove

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... & Co., 1995], 15-16). For many of us, however, words will always fail to capture the truth of the Trinity. A lucky few may have other, more dramatic ways in which they are capable of capturing the essential qualities of a Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here is another attempt at understanding the Trinity that you might wish to use with your people. Remember playing with mercury when you were in grade school? Mercury is an unusual metal because it remains in liquid form at room temperature. This makes it both ...

1723. A Concert of Prayer

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Drama

Leonard Sweet

... best friend. Others of you are sitting with a stranger. Whomever you are sitting with, I want you to begin this next prayer time saying to one another: "I love you because...." Then fill in the blank. It may be as simple as "I love you because of your spirit" or "I love you because you're you" or "I love you because you smell good" or whatever. But start your prayer time with a declaration of your love for your sister/brother that is now your prayer partner. Then I want each one of you to pray for freshness ...

1724. And Again I Say...Amen!

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus repeatedly encountered negative energies and continually confronted his enemies head-on, Jesus himself had an affirming spirit. Indeed, the Incarnation was God's absolute affirmation. How did Jesus affirm people? Romans 12:10 instructs ... Christ makes all other loyalties relative. But when we say "No," let us ground it in a "Yes." This is a So-Be-It Spirit. 3. Embody a So-Do-It-Spirit Be a "Now" person. Christians are a "Now" people. If someone wants your coat _ give it to him, and your shirt also. ...

1725. Mark 1:21-28

Mark 1:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... comfortable parameters of biblical exhortation, then his words would surely have stirred up the sleepy congregation at Capernaum. Just how deep the stirring became evident when, on this first venture into his public ministry, Jesus was confronted by a frightened "unclean spirit." Terrified of a new word from God, this demonic being had thus far been able to live nicely in the comfortable status quo of the synagogue. Fear of this new authoritative voice calling for a fresh interpretation of a faithful life ...

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