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 1751 to 1775 of 4456 results

1751. Last Christmas Letter

Matt. 2:13-23; Luke 2:1-20

Illustration

Martin Luther King

A great way to end your sermon might be to read Dr. King's Last Christmas Letter. I have seldom seen it referenced, since King is most often cited for his "I Have a Dream" speech. But this Christmas Letter is also a dream speech. So here it is in its entirety. Greetings of the Season: When the horizons of man’s destiny loom ashen and somber; when the deafening report of weaponry stuns yearnings for peace; when people are alienated from the outside society, spiritually isolated, and weary of heart; when a ...

1752. Go, Johnny, Go, Go, Go!

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

Every Sunday, a church broadcasts a one-hour service over the waves of 1450 WMIQ, the local radio station. It begins with this announcement, "From the shores of beautiful Crystal Lake, we bring you Our Saviour's morning service." One Advent season, the pastor had selected an "in the sandals" sermon series. The first biblical character to be heard from was John the Baptist. As John entered clothed in the prophet's clothing, a reader announced: "Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight" (Luke 3: ...

1753. Not So With You

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of us here this morning were born BC? By “BC” I mean “Before Cell-phones?” The first cell phone was invented in 1973 by Martin Cooper. My kids were born AC, but I was born BC. In a world of 7 billion people, there are now 5 billion cell phone subscriptions. Pretty amazing for something under 40 years old. In the last forty years the cyber-cellular age has changed the way we do business, the way we get our education, the way we socialize. The world has never been so closely connected, and there has ...

1754. A Straying Heart

Psalm 95:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A neighbor dropped in on a friend and found her sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly at a half-empty cup of coffee, her three kids squabbling loudly in the other room. “What’s wrong, Marge?” she asked. Marge told her that she had “morning sickness.” Surprised the neighbor said, “I didn’t even know you were pregnant.” “I’m not,” the harried young woman replied. “I’m just sick of mornings.” Stephanie Piro once said, “Behind every successful woman . . . is a substantial amount of coffee.” The ...

1755. Breaking News: The Middle East

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

We are in a series called “Breaking News.” Pick up your newspaper, go on-line, turn on the TV or the radio, hit a website on the internet and you are likely to hear one of these items talked about frequently if not regularly. There is one region of the world that is guaranteed to be in the news practically every single day. This region is very important to you, and to your family, and to our nation, and to our world primarily for one reason. This region is the number one reason why there will never be a ...

1756. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The acceptance of the Gentiles into the church without the necessity of circumcision (with the implication of submission to the whole law) might seem to have been assured after the conversion of Cornelius and his friends. At that time, even in Jerusalem, the bastion of Jewish tradition, those Christians who had met to consider the matter had agreed that God had “granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (11:18), though they probably never dreamed that this would be anything more than an exceptional ...

1757. Jacob Goes to Egypt

Gen 46:1–47:12

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob and His Family Move to Egypt: This account of Jacob’s family’s settling in Egypt contains seven sections: Jacob offers sacrifices at Beersheba (46:1–4), the journey to Egypt (46:5–7), a list of Jacob’s family (46:8–27), Jacob meets Joseph (46:28–30), Joseph prepares his brothers to meet Pharaoh (46:31–34), the audience with Pharaoh (47:1–10), and Joseph’s provisions for his father and brothers (47:11–12). 46:1–7 Several elements common to the experience of the patriarchs are present: God appears to ...

1758. Punishments for Sin

Leviticus 20:1-27

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God holds people accountable for their sins. Understanding the Text Leviticus 20 is another chapter in the laws of holiness (Lev. 17–27), making its own explicit call to holiness (vv. 7–8) and, near the end of the chapter, issuing a concluding call to holiness (v. 26). Holiness in this chapter revolves around idolatry and sexuality. The chapter overlaps considerably in content with Leviticus 18 (sexual offenses, Molek worship) and to some degree with Leviticus 19 between the two. Leviticus 20 ...

1759. Titus Sent to Corinth

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Prior, however, to the use of gifts in an effort to “honor the Lord” and demonstrate an “eagerness to help” (8:19), there remained the problem of the actual collection at Corinth. Apparently, as Paul was pondering precisely how to handle this task, Titus took the “initiative” (8:16–17). Paul, in turn, seeks in this section to commend Titus to the church. But Titus is not to be commended and sent on alone (8:16–24). So that no one may suspect Paul’s motives, and in order to avoid “criticism,” Titus is to be ...

1760. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Luke 3:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

3:1–6 Luke relates the appearance of John the Baptist to the political and religious authorities of the time, just as he did in the infancy narratives of John (1:5) and Jesus (2:1–2). (For details regarding these authorities see notes below.) The second half of v. 2 brings John back into the story: The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert (see 1:80). The expression is reminiscent of the calls that God extended to the OT prophets (Isa. 38:4; Jer. 13:3) and is actually borrowed from the ...

1761. Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

At first glance the final chapter of Romans offers little more than a list of names, of interest to Paul and his readers perhaps, but of doubtful consequence for modern readers. Of what significance after all, is a list of unidentified names? Is not a name about which we know nothing really no name at all? Is not our commentary reduced to an exercise in historical trivia at this point? Does not the strangeness of the names remind us how foreign and remote Paul’s world really is from ours, lessening the ...

1762. Divisions In the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

This first major segment of the body of Paul’s letter forms a coherent reflection on the specific situation in Corinth in relation to and in the light of basic matters of Christian belief. Paul examines and explains the character of the gospel itself, so that the Corinthians are directed to evaluate their situation in the light of the gospel of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ and the implication of God’s work for their lives. Paul argues against understanding the gospel as a kind of mysterious wisdom ...

1763. The Pit of the Soul

Luke 9:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.” Proverbs 26:27 In this month leading up to All Saints Day, we in our culture search our souls for the “ghosts” of the sins that haunt us and will not let us alone. We spend the month of October delving into the darker side of our psyches, fascinated by the human mind and its penchant for sin. We play at masking ourselves with false faces. And yet into this time of play seeps a time of awareness of our human faults ...

1764. Now, It's Personal

Matthew 5:21-37

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Thirty years ago I was serving on the staff of a large church as the minister of Christian Education and Youth Ministry. The Education Commission and the Youth Council were made up, mostly of parents who worked with me on the programs for youth and children — Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, those kinds of things. One year, for Vacation Bible School, we decided to set up a large tent — a really large one under which you could seat 100 or more people — on the parking lot and use it for our opening ...

1765. Brace Yourself!

Matthew 5:21-37

Sermon

John Jamison

Before we look at today’s scripture, let’s take a moment to remember where we were and what was going on. After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus moved from Nazareth to Galilee where he could do what he needed to do to prepare for his ministry. Galilee was more Roman than Jewish, so the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jerusalem would have less ability to stop him before he was ready. He traveled the area preaching, teaching, and finding those who would become his disciples. One day as they were walking along ...

1766. The Propriety of Praise

Psalm 84:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

A few months ago, I preached a sermon here. My text was from· the book of Revelation, as I recall. All went well until the end of the sermon when I came to my last sentence. Without warning, someone seated somewhere over there, shouted out “Amen!” Well, he was probably a tourist I thought; first time in Duke Chapel. Probably someone from California. At first, I thought I would ignore his, “Amen!” But upon further reflection I asked the ushers to make a discreet search during the offering, and tell the man ...

1767. Commanded By Example

John 13:31-38

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

In a book titled, Life Looks Up, Charles Templeton said the history of this world has been changed by events which took place in two small upper rooms. These rooms are separated not only by thousands of miles, but by nearly thousands of years. Yet the events which took place within those walls have changed the course of human history more than any other events mankind has ever known. The first "upper room" is a drab flat over a dingy laundry in a poor district in London. Through the dirty, curtainless ...

1768. Inside Out

James 5:7-10

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Harvard University once revoked their acceptance of ten incoming students because of inappropriate content they had posted on Facebook. A description of the Harvard College Class official Facebook group states, “Harvard College reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission ... if an admitted student engages in behavior that brings into question his or her honesty, maturity, or moral character.” A recent study showed that over 40% of colleges and universities look at the Facebook pages and other ...

1769. Faith A New Potential for Life

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

"(Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith ... and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness" (Romans 4:20, 22). Faith was the only thing that made Abraham different from the other inhabitants of Ur of the Chaldees. They continued in their blindness and unreality. Abraham left home because he was sure there was a real God somewhere, not one of wood and stone. Believing, Abraham left all, determined to find this God who was real. You and I, also, stand ...

1770. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Romans 5:1–11 is a victorious passage. “In the whole Bible there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text,” said Luther (Epistle to the Romans, p. 72). It is like a mountain pass from which one revels in scenery after having labored through the inclines and switchbacks of argumentation in the earlier chapters. The view cannot be fully appreciated without the effort it took to get there. Commentators are divided whether the passage is the conclusion of Paul’s argument so far or the ...

1771. Go Meditate!

Revelation 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I love commercials. I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. I watch TV for the commercials. I read magazines for the ads. I love commercials. And the more I love a product, the more invested I get in the product's commercials. Take Prego pasta sauce. I love pasta. And I love Prego pasta sauce. Prego's latest popular tug-at-your-heartstrings TV commercial has already gone through three different incarnations. Prego pasta sauce started out a new commercial series with a sentimental, sepia-colored, sweet ...

1772. Happiness Full Stop

John 15:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Good morning, and Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and mother-figures in our fellowship of faith. On this special day, we would like to thank all of you who shape our lives and build our families and serve as our safe place as we go out into the world. Mothers have a unique power to influence their children no matter how old those children get. Phil Keith, the former police chief of Knoxville, Tennessee, tells of receiving a call from his mother while he was in the middle of a televised press ...

1773. No Fear

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I have seen the words, "No Fear," on the back of cars driven by young men with their caps turned around backwards. I have seen "No Fear" emblazoned on T-shirts. I don't know about you, but the first time I saw those words, "No Fear," I immediately thought of 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. I thought, isn't it wonderful, these kids are so sophisticated in the Bible. Then somebody told me that that is not what "No Fear" refers to. Which caused me some trepidation, ...

1774. Now What?

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

1775. The Power of Appreciation

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I heard a story about twin boys who were polar opposites. One was the eternal pessimist. He saw the negative in everything. The glass was always half empty. The other one was the eternal optimist. He always saw the sunny side to things. He always saw the glass half full. The twins’ parents were curious about this so they took their twin boys to a therapist. The therapist was also curious about how different they were so he put the pessimist in a room full of toys and observed him. The boy picked up a plane ...

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