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 1876 to 1900 of 2552 results

1876. Finding the Courage to Believe

John 20:24-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of American adults call themselves Christians 26% of non-Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On paper at least we are a nation of believers. Researcher George Barna however discovered that most American beliefs are loosely held. They are guesses more than convictions, which explains why such beliefs do not seem to have much impact on peoples' choices. “There is not much that Americans believe with unshakable confidence," concludes Barna. It's Easter. The tomb is empty. The churches are ...

1877. Stepping Into the Stream

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... called on me in class, I became tense and tongue-tied. My heart palpitated and my choice of words were awkward. I was so embarrassed that even if I knew the answer, I stated it so poorly that the effect was anything but outstanding.” Can you guess who said that? Norman Vincent Peale, the most sought after public speaker of the 20th century. While fear can be a friend to reindeer, rabbits, or people alerting us to danger ahead, it can also freeze us, frighten us and forbid us from living the life of ...

1878. Diving Deeper

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , the father rushed to the room, picked up the kid, dried his tears, and put him back to bed. When things calmed down a bit, the Dad asked his son, “What happened, what caused you to fall out of bed?” Still sobbing, the toddler said, “I don’t know, I guess I went to sleep too close to where I got in.” Living on the edge is a problem, not just for toddlers, but Christians, as well. Some of us have stepped into the kiddie pool of God’s grace, but have yet to experience the thrill of diving deeper ...

1879. The Down Side of Christmas

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... when I hear the cry of the children, I wonder if we could not be doing more? Could we live more simply that others may simply live?" She is right. What difference will we make for the hurt of the world? The actions we take make a difference. I guess we are going to have to do something about that. The attitudes we hold make a difference. There is an instrument on a plane called an Attitude Indicator. It measures the aircraft's position in relation to the horizon. When the nose of the plane is pointed up, it ...

1880. Come to the Party

Luke 14:15-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... REJECTED. “They all began to make excuses” (Luke 14:18). An excuse is something we tell ourselves to get out of doing what we really don’t want to do anyway. There are things you want to ask about dinner invitations: You want to inquire, What are they selling? I guess it’s my age, but I seem to get a dinner invitation once a week from some investment advisor. Free dinner for two at nice restaurants. But I don’t go because I have my own advisors. You want to ask, Who’s going to be there? To be ...

1881. The Power of a Single Life

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... price tag still on it was astronomical. Through his tears he looked at his sister-in-law and said, “Joan bought this the first time we went to New York about eight or nine years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is a special occasion.” Ever since I read that story I’ve asked myself, “What is a special occasion?” Is now a special occasion? I don’t know about you, but I have stopped living on the premise of ‘one of these days I am going to get ...

1882. Watch!

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... a different story to tell. In Verse 36 we read, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Who of us is smarter than Jesus? Jesus didn’t even know. Why should we try to second guess the Savior? It seems to me that the three parables told in Matthew, Chapter 25, illustrate what Jesus is trying to teach in Chapter 24. The first parable He tells at the beginning of Chapter 25 is the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins. It is the ...

1883. Positive Living

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... ate there they were waited on by a man who was consistently rude and grouchy. He was so over the top with his grouchiness that they actually went to the restaurant looking forward to what he might do or say next. Call it an exercise in masochism, I guess. The result was that the waiter’s attitude was forever immortalized on Sesame Street in the character of Oscar the Grouch. (2) I thought of Oscar the Grouch when I read St. Paul’s words to us in verses 22 and 23 in our lesson for today from Galatians ...

1884. The Power to Belong

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... US “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Verse 33). If the resurrection of Christ from the dead was incredible, the power of the resurrection demonstrated in the early Church was unimaginable. Who could have guessed it? That little band of early believers had no building, no budget, no band, no marketing plan, but they managed to win the world for Christ. They had no political power, no personal prestige, no great persuasive ability, but none of that ...

1885. Why Am I a Christian?

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Christian theologian C.S. Lewis once said that Christianity is a religion that you could not have guessed. It is not the sort of thing that anyone would make up. That the Almighty would humble Himself and become a human being in order to suffer and die on a cross to bring new life to His own creation, well, who would have thought it? How odd of God. ...

1886. Jonah: The Problem of Mercy

Jonah 4:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... a stroll down a Delaware beach while on a family vacation and never came back. She did not drown. She was not abducted. This slender, small-boned woman with light brown hair simply strolled into the afternoon sun, and into a strange new way of life. I guess there is more than one way to run away. Some run with their feet. Others run with their feelings. They shut down emotionally. Some run with their work. Others run with their pleasure. Some don't run at all, they are just no longer there. Looking them ...

1887. Ruth: The Problem of Grief

Ruth 1:1-8, 16-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... it back, to redeem, to set us free. We believe he is Jesus, the Christ. S.D. Gordon was a dynamic preacher up in Boston in the early part of last century. One Sunday Dr. Gordon carried an old, beat-up, rusty bird cage into the pulpit with him. “I guess you are wondering where I got this bird cage," said Brother Gordon. “Well, I bought it from a boy on the street. He had birds in it. I asked him what he was going to do with those birds." The kid said, “I'm going to play with them, tease ...

1888. This Little Light of Mine

Matthew 5:14-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... you learn that?" “What?" asked Ralph. “Where did you learn to live like that?" Ralph replied, “During the war I was in Vietnam. My job was to clear the mine fields. You never knew which step might be your last so I learned to live between the steps. I guess I just keep living that way." This little light of mine, am I going to let it shine? III. OUR LIGHTS MUST GIVE THEMSELVES FOR THE CAUSE Candles melt. Bulbs burn out. The sun sets. To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under ...

1889. Lighting up Your Neighborhood

Acts 13:44-49

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... years ago researchers at Princeton Theological Seminary asked 40 ministerial students to walk next door and give an impromptu speech on the Good Samaritan. Meanwhile, researchers planted a slumped, groaning, broken man beside the sidewalk on which the students had to travel. Guess what? More than half of the ministerial students passed by the broken man without stopping. So the age-old story holds true. While people bleed beside the road, most of us are content to read about it, talk about it, and maybe ...

1890. Reconsider

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . So there are consulting companies that will train you to get it right the first time. Of course, their point is well taken. I ate lunch at a new restaurant this week. I wasn't impressed with the food. So Sandy said what I was thinking. “I guess that's the last meal we will have here." New people visit our worship services every weekend of the year. Some find a good experience and return, eventually join and make this a church home. But others are not so favorably impressed. The sermon was dull, the ...

1891. The Joyful Provider

John 2:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... too much, we drive too fast. We are uneasy. We are restless. We are empty. Empty leaves us feeling separated from God, unable to cope, confused about priorities and generally exhausted. We can’t keep going on empty. Sooner or later something has got to happen. I guess the question is, have we the faith of Mary to give our emptiness to the Lord? His mother said to the servant, “Do whatever he tells you to do." Have we that kind of faith? About 80 years ago, a Kentuckian by the name of Thomas Chisholm ...

1892. Honoring God in a Pluralistic Society

Matthew 22:37-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... other sheep which are not of this fold." “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father." “Let the wheat and weeds grow together until the time of harvest." Who are we to second guess Christ? God is the giver of free will. Love God with all your strength. Dunamis. Power. Linger here just to say, If God believed in us so much that he granted us free will, should not we grant that freedom to others as well, even to those who know ...

1893. Making the Most of Small Beginnings

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... buildings, big stores, big stadiums, big churches; we who chant to the mantra that “bigger is always better," might want to pay attention to the parable about the power of a tiny mustard seed. C.S. Lewis says, “The best thing about Christianity is that nobody could have guessed it." We have our Messiah born in a stable. We have our King ride into town on a donkey. We crucify our Lord on a cross. We convert the world with a handful of fishermen and a couple of tax collectors. How odd of God not to use ...

1894. The Humble King

John 12:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

C.S. Lewis once said, “The best thing about Christianity is that no one could have guessed it." Our Messiah is born in a stable. We let our King ride in majesty on a donkey. We hang our Savior on a cross. How odd of God. Who can imagine it? A horrible week in the life of His disciples becomes a holy week in the life of ...

1895. Living on the Easter Side of Life

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... convinced Nichols to let her read to him from the Bible and from Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life. Let Ashley tell you the rest in her own words: “I told him I was a child of God and that I wanted to do God's will. I guess he began to want that too. I believe God brought him to my door so he wouldn't hurt anyone else. I told him ‘Your purpose might be to surrender, go to prison, and teach others about God."' The rest, as they say, is history. He let her go and ...

1896. Holy Waste

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... s beautiful, and if you could look at him up close and feel him, you’d know this is an expensive sheep extravagant. He feels like a sheep. He has a little brass bell around his neck and a corsage that was beautiful when it was fresh. You would never guess whose sheep this is. No, it’s not something we keep at the house for our grandson Nathan. No, I didn’t buy it for Jerry. This is my sheep. I found it sitting on our back doorstep on the Saturday afternoon before Easter. I honestly thought someone had ...

1897. The Sheer Volume of Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... your friend the money and you turn around to discover an old high school classmate staring at you, asking you if you can forgive her for that time she turned you down for a date years ago (and was kind of cruel about it at that). You say, "Sure, I guess so," but no sooner are those words out of your mouth and another acquaintance of yours is in front of you, asking for your advice as to whether or not he should accept the promotion being offered to him at work. And then let's say that this goes on ...

1898. Leaping Where You Cannot Look

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... hypothetical question: if you could choose, which would you prefer the power of flight or the power of invisibility? Think about that question for a moment and decide which you would choose. Would you rather be able to fly or be able to become invisible? My guess is that when we were children most of us longed for these gifts. We wanted to be invisible particularly when we had done something wrong. And who hasn’t desired to be able to fly like Superman? So, which would you choose, and what would you ...

1899. A Safe Place to Stand

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

In the days of the westward expansion in North America, when men saw that a prairie fire was coming, what would they do? There was no way for them to outrun it or guess the safe route out. So, the pioneers took a match and burned the grass in the area around them. As the roar of the flames approached, they were not afraid. Even as the ocean of fire surged around them there was no fear. They were standing where the fire had ...

1900. Sabbath Rest

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Laurence Veinott

... - those who wanted to observe the Sabbath and those who preferred to travel on that day. The proposal was accepted, and both groups set out and traveled together until the next Sabbath day, when one group continued while the other remained at rest. Guess which group got to Oregon first? You're right. The ones who kept the Sabbath reached their destination first. Both the people and the horses were so rested by their Sabbath observance that they could travel much more vigorously and effectively the other ...

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