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 1726 to 1750 of 2565 results

1726. Job’s Hope against Hope

Job 19:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... ; Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flowers, Have all lost their sweetness to me; The midsummer sun shines but dim, The fields strive in vain to look gay. But when I am happy in Him, December’s as pleasant as May. Dear Lord, if indeed I am Thine, If Thou art my sun and my song, Say, why do I languish and pine? And why are my winters so long? O drive these dark clouds from the sky, Thy soul cheering presence restore; Or take me to Thee up on high, Where winter and clouds are no more. We must look ...

1727. “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God”

Psalm 19:1-14

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... just in nature but in his Word as well. Share specifically how God has used the Bible to reveal his character and nature to you and what difference that has made in your life. Psalms and hymns grow out of life experience with God. Hymn: “How Great Thou Art,” by Stuart K. Hine. Hine was an English missionary to Poland in the 1920s. During his time there, he heard a Russian version of a Swedish poem put to a Swedish melody. Later, Hine made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody and added English words ...

1728. “Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

Psalm 31:1-24

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... of faith found in the Shema (Deut. 6:5). While there are many other examples of this kind of total commitment, which can be translated into the commandment of love, there must be no better one than Psalm 31. This psalm is a model of the artful weaving of words and phrases into a poem as a delivery system of theology. First of all, the covenant name for God (“Lord”) appears ten times, a good biblical number to indicate completeness. Second, the poet knows how to turn nouns into realities of his personal ...

1729. “I Waited Patiently for the Lord; He Turned to Me and Heard My Cry”

Psalm 40:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... lit., “righteousness”) of God—the great redeeming events in Israel’s history. Verse 10 contains a rephrasing of the psalmist’s message in the congregation. 40:11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord.Delitzsch comments that “in accordance with the true art of prayer, petition develops itself out of thanksgiving.”17 40:12 For troubles . . . my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.These “troubles” may be an allusion to those who want to take his life (40:14). This is the first ...

1730. “Be Exalted, O God, above the Heavens; Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth”

Psalm 57:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... 57:7; this is the Hebrew word order)10 This method serves to emphasize the ideas on either side of the direct address and to put God, in this case, in the middle of the invocation, surrounded by the voice of the psalmist. It is the merger of art and theology. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.The unusual verb form of “take refuge” is a past tense bearing a present-tense meaning.11The metaphor “shadow of your wings” appears several times in the Psalter (17:8 ...

1731. “You Laugh at Them, Lord; You Scoff at All Those Nations”

Psalm 59:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... :11; Ps. 22:16, 20). Verse 7 transitions from the metaphor of dogs to the psalmist’s enemies, describing their words as “swords” (see also Ps. 57:4; Prov. 30:14). But the other side of the metaphor, not used here, is affirmed in the art of the ancient Near East, depicting dogs on hunting expeditions and as sheep herders (Job 30:1), attesting their domestication, probably in prehistoric times (see also Tob. 5:16; 11:4).1 Interpretive Insights Title To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” For the title ...

1732. “Come and See What God Has Done”

Psalm 66:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ), to Israel (66:11–12), and to the psalmist (66:16–20). Not mentioned as such, the covenant is attested in the redemptive events of the exodus and the entrance into Canaan (66:6). If the poems were originally independent, they are now artfully integrated into a whole. Historical and Cultural Background The historical setting of Psalm 66 is not at all clear. A. A. Anderson suggests that it could have been composed to celebrate a great military victory, but the military language is missing.4There is also ...

1733. “When You Ascended on High, You Took Many Captives”

Psalm 68:1-35

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Mount Zion (see “Teaching the Text”); second, in the forty-two occurrences of God’s names, including virtually all the significant names: God (’elohim and ’el), Lord (YHWH), Lord (’adonay), Yah (shortened form of YHWH), and Almighty (shadday). In this way our artful writer tells us that God was with Israel all along their journey; in fact, it was basically his journey. The occurrence of the divine names is not a literary coincidence but is code language to inform the reader that God is in Israel ...

1734. Ancient of Days and Son of Man

Daniel 7:1-14

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... daily chronicles were kept in royal courts for reference and legal evidence. El and his son Baal were called “cloud riders”—“bringers of rain” and “cosmic warriors” riding on storm chariots.5 Daniel 7 reflects images from Mesopotamian religious literature and art in which cosmic wars stir up the sea and hybrid or deformed beasts appear. Although Daniel’s vision is original to him, it utilizes materials familiar to its exilic readers.6For a discussion of four-kingdom patterns in the ancient ...

1735. Daniel’s Final Revelation

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... To Thine arms of mercy fly, Find our lasting quiet there. Burdened with a world of grief, Burdened with our sinful load, Burdened with this unbelief, Burdened with the wrath of God; Lo! we come to Thee for ease, True and gracious as Thou art, Now our groaning souls release, Write forgiveness on our heart.12 Looking too far into the future of our world can be fearfully overwhelming. Personal Testimony: Over nearly forty years of teaching Daniel, I have observed many very different responses from my students ...

1736. The Grace Question: “Are You a Teacher…and Yet Do Not Understand These Things?”

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the cold, clear water that I drank out of a metal cup I found in a friend’s kitchen. And in the fragment of a psalm I had learned as a boy, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” I prayed those words continually as an incantation against the hell raging in me.” God rescued Dan Wakefield. He found his way back to sanity, health, and a renewed relationship with God that brought him joy and an exciting ...

1737. Can It Be Sin to Be Shy?

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... familiar with country music legend Mel Tillis. Mel has written and recorded some of country music’s greatest hits. In October of 2007, Mel Tillis became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2012, Mel received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama. And yet Mel Tillis has a severe problem with stuttering. Mel Tillis wrote his autobiography years ago and it is titled Stutterin’ Boy. The book is well-named. Mel has always stuttered very badly . . . with one exception. He never stutters ...

1738. Thank You, Siri...Oops!

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... simple act of courtesy . . . of expressing their gratitude to others or expressing their gratitude to God. Samuel Leibowitz, a brilliant criminal lawyer, saved 78 people from dying in the electric chair. He said that not one thanked him. In the heyday of radio, Art King had a program called, “Job Center of the Air.” He supposedly found jobs for 2500 people. He reports that only ten of the recipients ever expressed their appreciation. An official of the United States Postal Service, in charge of the Dead ...

1739. Connection with the Past

Exodus 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... stones” (1:16), possibly referring to two stones positioned for the actual birth process. This expression, however, may have a further level of meaning. It is used one other time in the Hebrew Bible (Jer. 18:3) in conjunction with pottery. In Egyptian religious art the potter’s wheel was associated with the god of creation, Khnum, who would shape each person at conception on his stone wheel. Perhaps the Hebrew expression is an adaptation of that idiom and refers to the child still forming in the womb ...

1740. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to its kind, and the supramundane or holy sphere represented at the sanctuary, where mixtures can be appropriate (Exod. 25:18–20; 26:1, 31; cf. cherubim in Ezek. 1:5–12; 10:8–22 and mixed supernatural creatures in ancient Near Eastern art). The connection between mixtures and holiness is reinforced by Deuteronomy 22:9, where sowing another crop in a vineyard results in the entire harvest becoming holy, which would mean that it is forfeited to the sanctuary. The earthly sanctuary and the temple that ...

1741. God’s Chosen People Among the Nations

1 Chronicles 1:1-54

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... use a structure that differs somewhat from the one suggested above (to correlate with the NIV pericope divisions), but the above description shows that the genealogies were certainly not a haphazard collection of family lists. Rather, they were an artful construction of genealogical material to help their first readers negotiate an identity within the social, cultic, and theological landscape of the postexilic community. From Adam to Abraham The Chronicler’s family lists start with Adam (1:1) and swiftly ...

1742. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for the wicked (Job 24). This state of affairs verifies that God is derelict in addressing injustice. Until his death, Job will nevertheless maintain his integrity and blamelessness (27:1–12). Wisdom: Where Is It? (28:1–28): The reader encounters here magnificent literary art, but there is no consensus on how it interacts with the book as a whole. At face value, of course, this chapter is a continuation of Job’s speech, but therein lies the dilemma. The contrast of this chapter when compared to what ...

1743. Foreword

Proverbs 1:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... forms, something that the fool is unable to do (Prov. 26:7, 9). Several of the Egyptian instructions, including the Instruction of Amenemope, contain similar purpose statements. Verse 3b indicates that biblical wisdom is not simply the art of successfully navigating around the twists, turns, and submerged boulders of life; it also involves the pursuit of justice, equity, and fairness in interpersonal, especially legal and commercial, relationships. Verses 4–5 introduce those potentially benefiting from ...

1744. If Only You Were To Me A Brother

Song of Songs 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s home the maiden accomplishes two goals: she gains approval from her mother and the brothers of the shepherd, and she fulfills her dream of consummating their vows in the place where she was “schooled” by her mother in the art of romance and lovemaking. “Spiced wine” and mandrake apples were renowned aphrodisiacs in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The phrase “nectar of my pomegranates” (8:2) has distinctly erotic connotations, the woman’s breasts being identified with pomegranates in Egyptian love ...

1745. Sin and Punishment

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... plundered fugitives explain that they must vacate their dwellings and leave their land because all is ruined. Third, since in the future, mourners will be in great demand, the professionals are urged to train daughters and neighbors in the art of mourning. The epidemic is described metaphorically: “Death has climbed in through our windows” (9:21). Alternatively, “death” may be a personification of the demonlike figure Lamastu, known from Akkadian literature. In 9:23–26, the Lord describes proper ...

1746. Jesus Predicts His Death

Mark 8:31--9:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... confession of Jesus is inevitably also a confession of what believers must become. In verse 34, Jesus teaches that discipleship consists of following him, denying self, and taking up one’s cross. Today the cross is primarily an object of art or jewelry, but in Jesus’s day it was a hated instrument of cruelty, suffering, dehumanization, and shame. Reserved for the lowest social classes, and particularly slaves, the cross was the extreme terror apparatus of the Roman totalitarian state. The depiction ...

1747. The Prologue

John 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... humanity, preexistence and incarnation, revelation and sacrifice are each discussed with deceptive simplicity. This prologue may well have been an ancient Christian hymn. We know of other hymns from the early church, especially in Paul’s writings, and here too is an artful flowing of language and theology. The initial allusion to Genesis 1 cannot be missed (1:1). John begins by introducing Jesus as the Word (Greek logos). Here he builds on contemporary Jewish thought where the Word of God took on personal ...

1748. God’s Wrath against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... against the idol manufacturers in Isa. 44:9–20). The readers of Paul’s letter were surrounded by examples of the idolatrous veneration of humans, birds, four-legged animals, and serpents, which were depicted in altars, temples, and statues, as well as in art and architecture and on coins. God’s reaction to the suppression of the truth is described in 1:24. God handed over the human race to the control of their own desires. They are thus forced to suffer the consequences of their willful distortion ...

1749. Law and Grace

1 Timothy 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... mercy. Paul will build on this, teaching in subsequent chapters that the place where the Spirit shapes our moral responsiveness is within a well-ordered and rightly governed community of faith. How then may one use the law “properly” (literally “lawfully,” an artful wordplay)? The law informs the conscience by clarifying the kind of people we are not to be. People who need the law are outside its limits: “not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels” (1:9). Paul lists four terms invoking ...

1750. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of his teaching. The “imprisoned spirits” (3:19) are not the souls of dead human beings but fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). According to Jewish tradition (1 Enoch 6–20), they deceived and corrupted the generation who lived before the flood, teaching them the arts of sin (see Gen. 6:1–4). As a result they were locked up in prison at the time of the flood, “to be held for judgment” (2 Pet. 2:4). They were the counterparts of the angels, authorities, and powers (3:22) still active today. Jesus ...

Showing results