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 1776 to 1800 of 1913 results

1776. Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

Acts 28:17-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The final scene depicts what was of greatest interest to Luke, namely, Paul’s proclamation of the gospel in Rome. The pattern of Paul’s ministry, which Luke has faithfully traced elsewhere, is repeated for the last time. As soon as the apostle was settled, he was in touch with the Jewish leaders, both to explain his own position and to tell them of Christ. As usual, a few were interested; some may even have believed, but the majority remained unconvinced. Paul declared, therefore, that the message would ...

1777. Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

A Summons to Steadfastness 2:6 The Greek text begins with “therefore,” indicating that what the apostle is about to say is linked with his preceding discussion on the content of the mystery which is Christ himself. As someone has said, “Whenever you see a therefore in Scripture, go back to see what it is there for!” To stand firm does not mean to stand still. Paul is aware that the best defense is a good offense. Consequently, he admonishes his readers to continue in their faith. By receiving the gospel ...

1778. Paul's Charge to Timothy

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Another Appeal to Loyalty and Endurance With this paragraph, which focuses on its single imperative in verse 14 (continue in what you have learned), Paul renews the appeal with which the letter began. (Note how many themes from 1:3–2:13 are touched on: Timothy’s long relationship to Paul [vv. 10–11, 14; cf. 1:4, 6, 13]; Paul himself as the model of loyalty [vv. 10–11; cf. 1:8, 11–12, 13; 2:9–10]; the call to suffering [vv. 11–12; cf. 1:8, 16; 2:3–6, 11–12]; the appeal itself [v. 14; cf. 1:6, 13–14]; the ...

1779. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:19-22

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

As with Titus, but unlike 1 Timothy (see disc. on 1 Tim. 6:21), Paul concludes this letter with personal greetings, both for friends in Ephesus and to Timothy from some Roman believers. Such greetings are typical both of the Hellenistic letter and of the Apostle Paul (cf. 1 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon). Although no one of these is formally like the others, all the elements of this one are found in some form elsewhere. There are five parts to this closing: ...

1780. Suffering for Being a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Suffer Cheerfully for God 4:12 Dear friends signals the beginning of a new section, as Peter returns to the subject of suffering, though in particular to suffering on account of being a Christian. That a painful trial should come to those who have committed their lives to God’s keeping should not cause surprise. Conversion does not bring exemption from troubles, though it does assure believers of divine assistance through troubles. To have been born again into new spiritual life (1:3) will inevitably ...

1781. The Tabernacle

Exodus 26:1-37

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Instructions for Making the Tent of Meeting: Exodus 26 deals with the inner four-layered tent of meeting, including the holy place and most holy place. The small “t” tabernacle in verse 1 refers to the tent of meeting, not the larger structure that includes the courtyard (27:9–19). Four distinct Hebrew words describe various fabric creations woven for the tabernacle. (The NIV translates all of them “curtain.”) The woven cloth for the tent of meeting is yeriʿah meaning “tent fabric,” from a verb that means ...

1782. Bringing Back the Ark

1 Chronicles 13:1-14

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem: The four chapters under discussion in this section are often taken as a unit traditionally referred to as the “ark narrative.” Although there are different scholarly views on the existence of such an ark narrative and its divisions (see Additional Note on 13:1–16:43), the contents of these chapters deal mainly with the bringing of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. The exception is 1 Chronicles 14 (taken over from the source text), which deals with seemingly unrelated ...

1783. Triumph of the Jews

Esther 9:1-19

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

The Victory of the Jews: The ninth chapter of Esther recounts the events that ensured Jewish victory. It begins with an emphasis on a particular day: On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar—a date that chillingly recalls the events in chapter 3 that led to this crisis. This chapter is about this day (and the next), about the victory the Jews achieved over those who hated them, and about the rest that followed. These events provide the etiology of the Jewish festival of Purim. Much of ...

1784. How the Gold Has Lost Its Luster

Lamentations 4:1-22

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

The Luster Has Faded for the People of God: The fourth poem of the book is also an acrostic, but of a different structure than the previous three chapters. Each verse starts with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in this way is similar to chapters 1 and 2. But a simple comparison of the verses in English or Hebrew shows that the verse-stanzas thus formed are much shorter (comprising two rather than three bicola per verse). Thus, this chapter is about a third shorter than chapters 1 and 2 and ...

1785. Jonah Flees from the Lord

Jonah 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Command and the Flight (1:1-3): 1:1–3 The NIV has omitted several rhetorical devices in these first three verses that are significant for an understanding of Jonah. Verse 1:1 begins with way e hî, which may be translated, “Now it came to pass,” or simply “Now.” The word is a sure indication that what follows is a story or narrative (cf. MT of Josh. 1:1; Judg. 1:1). Verse 2 begins with “arise” (RSV; NIV: go; qûm), and this verb is repeated at the beginning of verse 3: “But Jonah rose (qûm) to flee to ...

1786. Timeout at Tiberias

John 21:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Since this is that time of year for major league baseball to be getting under way, I want to begin with a story New York Yankees Hall-of-Famer Mickey Mantle once told on himself. It was about a game in which he struck out three times in a row. He says, “When I got back to the clubhouse, I just sat down on my stool and held my head in my hands, like I was going to start crying. I heard somebody come up to me, and it was little Timmy Berra, Yogi’s boy, standing there next to me. He tapped me on the knee, ...

1787. A Squirrel Crossing a Busy Street

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

There’s a ridiculous story going around about a man trying to cross the street. However, when he steps off the curb a car comes screaming around the corner and heads straight for him. The man walks faster, trying to hurry across the street, but the car changes lanes and is still coming at him. So the guy turns around to go back, but the car changes lanes again and is still coming at him. By now, the car is so close and the man so scared that he just stops in the middle of the road. The car gets real close ...

1788. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

John 6:1-15

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The indefinite connecting phrase some time after this (v. 1; cf. 5:1) introduces a narrative that abruptly locates Jesus in Galilee, crossing from one side of Lake Galilee to the other. Such a beginning suggests that the Gospel writer is picking up a narrative source in the middle of things. The only real link to the two preceding incidents in John is the mention in verse 2 of the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick (cf. 4:43–54; 5:1–18). There is no way to be sure how much time has elapsed since ...

1789. The Ark Brought to the Temple

1 Kings 8:1-21

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The Ark Brought to the Temple: The ark of God, the great symbol of the LORD’s presence with the people and the receptacle for the tablets of the law (Exod. 25:10–22; Deut. 10:1–5; Josh. 3–6), had hitherto remained in a tent sanctuary somewhere in the old city of David (2 Sam. 6:16–17; 7:2; 1 Kgs. 3:15)—except for the brief trip described in 2 Samuel 15:24–29. First Kings 8:1–21 recounts the circumstances of its relocation and Solomon’s speech about the significance of the event. 8:1–2 It is interesting, in ...

1790. The Song of the Vineyard

Isaiah 5:1-7

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Judgment Missed and Demonstrated: In length and theme chapter 5 pairs with chapter 1 and closes a bracket around 2:2–4:6. Chapter 5 comprises a mock love song; a series of woes that will be completed in 10:1–4; and a warning about Yahweh’s outstretched hand that will continue in chapter 9. In contrast to 1:1–2:1 and 2:2–4:6, no positive note is struck at the beginning or the end. Chapters 1–5 come to a close as bleak as their opening. Rebellion and darkness ultimately bracket them. 5:1–7 The chapter opens ...

1791. Jesus Eats with Sinners and Heals the Sick

Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew 9:14-17, Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 9:27-34

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew encourages his readers to trust and follow Jesus, whose healing power and mercy toward sinners signal the arrival of God’s kingdom. Understanding the Text The final section of chapters 8–9 continues to accent themes of Jesus’ authority to heal—with three healing accounts in this section—and faith as the appropriate response (9:22, 29). The call narrative of the tax collector Matthew includes a paradigmatic meal scene in which Jesus eats with “tax collectors and sinners” (9:9–13; see also ...

1792. Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a Peaceable and Humble King

Matthew 20:29-34, Matthew 21:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: After mercifully healing two blind men, Jesus enters Jerusalem as a peaceable and humble king in concert with Zechariah’s vision of Israel’s king who comes to bring salvation. Understanding the Text This passage, which narrates Jesus healing two blind men outside Jericho (20:29–34) and thereafter entering Jerusalem in kingly fashion (21:1–11), introduces a new section of Matthew focused on Jesus’ ministry to crowds and confrontations with Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (chaps. 21–23). Matthew ties ...

1793. The Supernatural Witness to the Significance of Jesus’s Death

Mark 15:42-47

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: The taunts from the onlookers, soldiers, and leaders are overturned by God’s supernatural intervention in the tearing of the veil and the unconscious testimony of the centurion to the true nature of the one crucified. Understanding the Text The events in verses 38–41 and the burial in verses 42–47 provide the aftermath of Jesus’s death and a transition to his resurrection. The mockery and horror of his crucifixion lead to the divine affirmation of the actual significance of his death, and both ...

1794. Feasting and Fasting

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 5:27-32

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The joyful inclusiveness of Jesus’s ministry contrasts with the joyless ritual of formal religion. Understanding the Text The note of controversy that came into Luke’s story with the accusation of blasphemy by scribes and Pharisees against Jesus in 5:21 is now further developed in two scenes in which he is criticized first for mixing with people regarded as irreligious and second for not imposing a proper disciplinary regime on his disciples. The impression thus grows stronger that Jesus’s whole ...

1795. The Trials of Peter and of Jesus

Luke 22:66--23:25, Luke 22:63-65, Luke 22:54-62

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: While Peter gave in to pressure and disowns Jesus, Jesus maintains his claim before the highest Jewish authority. Understanding the Text Matthew and Mark relate Jesus’s trial before the Sanhedrin at greater length, as the central element in the condemnation of Jesus. Luke’s account is much briefer (briefer even than his account of Peter’s ordeal) and less decisive, so that the emphasis in this Gospel falls rather on the Roman trial and verdict, which follow in chapter 23. Both main parts of this ...

1796. New Dominion as a Blessing of the New Covenant: Dead to Sin

Romans 6:1-14

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: In chapter 6 Paul presents another blessing: new dominion. The first Adam forfeited his dominion over the earth. But Christ, the last Adam, inaugurated a new age and new covenant, restoring the lost dominion. Believers enter that new dominion by uniting with Christ’s death and resurrection: they become dead to sin and alive to God. Understanding the Text While Romans 3:21–5:21 developed the theme of justification, Romans 6:1–8:16 is devoted to the topic of sanctification.1On the one hand, ...

1797. Worship and Proper Attire

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: The form of the Christian worship service must express the nature of Christ, and the behavior of the worshipers must exemplify his character and humility. Understanding the Text After a strong call to Christians to avoid participation in pagan banquets, which ultimately were worship services, Paul now turns to the Christian worship service itself. Since the behavior at pagan worship services so clearly was an abomination to God, how should Christians reconsider their practices when approaching ...

1798. Worthy Is the Lamb Who Was Slain

Revelation 5:1-14

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus, the crucified and resurrected Lion-Lamb, is worthy to carry out God’s plan of redemption and judgment for the world. Understanding the Text Revelation 5 continues the throne-room vision that began in 4:1. Following the worship of God as sovereign Creator, the scene shifts to the Lamb as Redeemer. John sees a scroll in God’s right hand, and the heavenly worshipers fall silent as the mighty angel asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (5:2). This brings us to a ...

1799. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God’s people are called to rejoice over his judgment of the evil city and his vindication of the saints. Understanding the Text We now enter the final stage of Babylon’s destruction (17:1–19:5). The laments of Babylon’s codependents in 18:9–19 are contrasted with the rejoicing of the righteous in 18:20–19:5. God’s people are urged to celebrate God’s judgment of the “great city” (18:20). This command is followed by the announcement of Babylon’s certain destruction (18:21), which focuses upon what ...

1800. Holiness of Priests

Lev 21:1–23:2

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Those who lead God’s people in worship must show a special degree of separation to God. Understanding the Text Leviticus 21 is the first of two chapters on the holiness of priests, teaching how, as servants of Yahweh’s holy things, they must maintain a special degree of holiness or else be disqualified from serving the sanctuary. This is thus a continuation of the theme of holiness found in what is commonly referred to as the holiness code (Lev. 17–27). Leviticus 21:1–22:31 is arranged in a ...

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