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 2275 results

1876. The Account of Ahaziah

2 Chronicles 22:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Ahab. These two events are intricately linked, since the eradication of the house of Ahab means a significant purge of the royal house in Judah as well. In his abridged concluding summary note in 22:9b, the Chronicler ironically notes the positive qualities of Jehoshaphat (“who sought the Lord with all his heart”), even though it was Jehoshaphat who introduced the fateful alliance and intermarriage into the Davidic line. The final statement that no one is powerful enough to retain the kingdom can be ...

1877. Warning Against Rejecting Wisdom

Proverbs 1:20-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as both a poetic personification of a divine attribute and a foil, or conceptual antithesis, to the promiscuous or foolish woman. The designation for Lady Wisdom is literally “wisdoms,” possibly an intensive plural, implying that she embodies the fullness of wisdom qualities (similar to the plural form elohim for God and the plural behemot—literally “beasts”—for Behemoth [Job 40:15]). The presence of a female figure justifies the use of the language of romantic love, as the author portrays the ...

1878. I Have Come Into My Garden

Song of Songs 5:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in the earlier descriptive songs praising the maiden’s beauty. The only thing remarkable about the passage is its subject matter, as descriptive songs about male characters in ancient love poetry are exceptional. The comeliness, strength, and splendor of his physical appearance no doubt reflect the incomparable inner qualities of character and personality the lover possesses. This man is her lover—reason enough to spurn the wooing of the king and sufficient rebuttal to the harem’s interrogation.

1879. The Branch from Jesse

Isaiah 11:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... will be evident in his rule of wisdom, justice, righteousness, faithfulness, and peace, complete with the absence of evil and the universal knowledge of God. The messianic era is an idealization of the period of David and Solomon’s rule over Israel. The qualities of the Messiah make him fit to protect his people. His relationship with God is beyond criticism, as he fears God and delights to do his will. He will protect the needy and execute judgment on the wicked without mercy. He favors his subjects ...

1880. The Day of God’s Glory

Isaiah 35:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the wilderness. The word of promise pertains to the postexilic community following the Jews’ return to Palestine from Babylon and Persia (35:8–10). Yet the language of these verses transcends the experience of any ordinary road. The highway is characterized by two qualities: holiness and joy. Its use is limited to those who are holy and have been cleansed from defilement. The people who walk in it are described as “the redeemed” (35:9–10), who are in right relationship with God. The highway is the ...

1881. Jeremiah’s Credentials

Jeremiah 1:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , a priest exiled by David to Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26–27). The place is Anathoth, the modern Anata, two to three miles northeast of Jerusalem. The event is the coming of the word of God, which means that the subsequent book has a divine quality to it. The time frame extends from Josiah through Jehoiakim to Zedekiah, Judah’s last king. This list omits two three-month reigns: Johoahaz (609) and Jehoiachin (598–597). Jeremiah’s life coincides with the final years of Judah and its collapse. The prophet ...

1882. Addressing Rulers and Governments

Jeremiah 21:1-14, Jeremiah 22:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... was Nehushta (22:26; cf. 2 Kings 24:8). Jeremiah’s prediction was fulfilled in 597 (2 Kings 24:15). The last comment about Jehoiachin is about improved conditions in exile, where he died (Jer. 52:31–34). “Pot” (22:28) is a term for a degraded quality of jar. The address to land is likely a call for a witness (22:29; cf. 6:19). The threefold iteration marks intensity (cf. Isa. 6:3). Jehoiachin had seven sons (1 Chron. 3:17–19), none of whom ruled. Zerubbabel, Jehoiachin’s grandson, returned to ...

1883. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel’s Interpretation: Part One

Daniel 2:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Daniel does not return to the king until the Lord has revealed the dream and its interpretation and until he has praised his God. 2:20–23 · Daniel’s praise:Daniel praises the Lord for his “wisdom and power” (2:20) in a prayer with hymnlike qualities. His wisdom and power advance his purposes, as he sovereignly rules over human affairs, even over kings and nations. He bestows insight on the wise. God’s plan for the future lies hidden from man’s scrutiny but is fully known to him. This God is ...

1884. Jonah’s Second Commission and Nineveh’s Response

Jonah 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as the salvation of believers. But we can only understand the author’s choice of words as an attempt to grapple with the inconceivability of God’s restraint from judgment in light of his divine holiness. The incomprehensible nature and will of God is expressed in terms that ascribe human qualities to the divine being in order to explain God’s actions within the limitations of human concepts.

1885. Oracles of Judgment against Jerusalem and the Nations

Zephaniah 3:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... grandfather, he has to be willing to forgo the counsel of those in power and return to Yahweh. Yahweh’s nature is radically different from that of the wicked leaders of Jerusalem. He is righteous, just, and faithful. Since he is unique in these qualities, he alone is qualified to judge his people. The generation of the exile, while fully aware of Yahweh’s anger and judgment, can comfort themselves knowing that Yahweh has been faithful in his judgment and will continue to be faithful. Yahweh’s intent ...

1886. The Lord Will Call for Judah

Zechariah 10:1--11:3

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Targums correctly see a reference to the Messiah here. As promised repeatedly in Old Testament prophecy, beginning with Genesis 49:10, from Judah will come the true king, the source of able, stable, and victorious leadership, the one who exemplifies all the highest qualities of leadership—God’s shepherd, the Messiah. Judah also will be transformed into a power to be reckoned with (10:3, 6), as will Ephraim (10:7). The cornerstone metaphor of verse 4 is clearly messianic in Isaiah 28:16 and in Psalm ...

1887. The Shepherds

Zechariah 11:4-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the second staff, Union, symbolizing the lack of internal cohesion within the nation. Israel rejected the Good Shepherd provided by God for their benefit. There were immediate consequences, but much worse will be the time when they become subject to one whose qualities are opposite to those of the Good Shepherd (11:15–17). This is the antichrist, who will exercise terrible power during the tribulation (cf. Daniel 7; Revelation 13). He is a (spiritually) foolish (11:15) and worthless (11:17) shepherd. It ...

1888. The Calling of the First Disciples

Matthew 4:18-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... manifesto of the kingdom. In the second (chap. 10), Jesus empowers and instructs his disciples for kingdom ministry. In the third (chap. 13), Jesus reveals more about God’s kingdom, including its manifestation in two stages, so that its present expression has a hidden quality. This goes a long way to explain the growing rejection of Jesus’s ministry by Jewish leaders and the ambivalence more generally from the crowds (11:2–16:20). Yet for those with ears to hear and eyes to see, Jesus is revealed to ...

1889. The Man With Leprosy

Matthew 8:1-4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jesus’s kingdom ministry in action (8:1–9:38). Matthew demonstrates Jesus’s authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, forgive sins, and calm a storm. Other themes include Jesus’s compassion in his role as Isaiah’s servant of the Lord and the qualities of full allegiance and faith for those who would follow Jesus. Matthew 8–9 is structured by three sets of three miracle stories (8:1–17; 8:23–9:8; 9:18–38) interwoven with teachings on kingdom discipleship (8:18–22; 9:9–17). The ...

1890. Parables of Preparedness

Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:31-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... criteria for judgment are not surprising in light of Matthew’s earlier themes. Mercy and justice practiced on behalf of “the least of these” is what ultimately separates those who enter life and those who do not (25:40, 45). Matthew has demonstrated the importance of these qualities for Jesus’s ministry (9:13, 27, 36; 12:7, 15, 18–21; 14:14; 15:32; 20:31, 34) and for his expectations of disciples (5:7, 10; 23:23). At issue is the identity of the “least of these.” They are described as brothers ...

1891. Love of Enemies

Luke 6:27-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 30 Jesus does not suggest the capricious and arbitrary sharing of possessions with lazy people; rather, he emphasizes the spirit by which disciples should live—a revengeful, demanding, and grasping spirit is forbidden (6:31). Last, disciples should show a higher quality of love than sinners (6:32). The love of nonbelievers for one another is based on mutuality and repayment, but the love that marks the “children of the Most High” (6:35) gives without expecting anything in return. Such unselfish love ...

1892. Jesus and Peter

John 21:15-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... some meaning. If the latter is true then two options are possible. Either Jesus consents to Peter’s verb and we find in phileō an affectionate love Peter desires to express, or agapaō is the greater love (a sacrificial love), and Jesus is challenging the quality of Peter’s affection. In this sense Peter confesses some limit to his love. Above all it must be recalled that these verbs were interchangeable in the first century and that even John himself seems to use them as synonyms (cf. 3:35 with 5 ...

1893. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ; 3:10). There can be no attempt to lay a new foundation. Instead, the superstructure must always be evaluated to see if its materials conform in kind to the original foundation. For on the “day” (a reference to the Old Testament day of the Lord), the quality of every builder’s work will be revealed with fire, and the builder either rewarded or singed with the flames that consume his or her work. The final two verses (3:16–17) of this section reveal the reason for this severe judgment in a third ...

1894. Final Greetings and Formal Closing

1 Corinthians 16:19-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... service (in which the response to the words found here may have been, “If anyone loves the Lord, let him be blessed”), these words seem meant to remind the readers that in the end “love for the Lord” (RSV) is the paramount quality of Christian faith and as such should unite all believers. Similarly the cry “Come, O Lord” (reflecting the Aramaic expression marana tha) is also probably cited from the liturgical context of worship that was meant to unite all believers. Finally, as was normal ...

1895. Holy War: Fighting Right the Right Fight

Ephesians 6:10-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 14), almost as a refrain in a battle hymn. Missing from his instruction, however, is any violent, offensive maneuver. There is another tactic. Paul’s description of God’s armor is full of irony. The metaphor of military armor clashes with the qualities represented by the metaphor (6:14–17; the images come mostly from Isaiah 11; 52; 59). The equipment for struggling against the devil, his schemes, and his pawns reflects the very nature of God and his redeemed people: truth, righteousness, peace, faith ...

1896. Rules for Christian Households

Colossians 3:18-4:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . They could earn their freedom or be freed by their master’s will. (Slaves made up about 10 percent of the total population, except in Rome, where slaves made up about 33 percent of the inhabitants.) It was possible for a household slave to have a better quality of life in terms of shelter, food, and clothing than a poor freeborn person. A well-ordered home was sought by Gentiles and Jews alike. Aristotle’s views carried the day—the home was the foundation of the state, and the home must be organized ...

1897. The Lord’s Grace to Paul

1 Timothy 1:12-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... moralism, he points to himself as exhibit A in God’s program of reclaiming a hopelessly ruined race.In chapter 2, Paul will refer to the process by which Christ became our ransom (2:5). Here at 1:14, however, Paul emphasizes that the personal qualities of Jesus (the “faith” in God and “love” toward others that are “in Christ Jesus”) subsequently become ours by grace. Because Paul sees himself as a trophy of God’s grace, not only does love follow but so does worship—thus, his doxology in ...

1898. Thanksgiving and Appeal

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to bring salvation to his people. Paul hopes that Timothy will let his life take the same shape as Jesus’s and Paul’s. To that end, he invokes the last of the Pastoral Epistles’ five “trustworthy sayings.” Verses 11–13 are matchless in their poetic or hymnlike quality. Union with Christ in his death will bring life with him in resurrection (2:11; see also Rom. 6:8): now a cross, later a crown (2:12a; cf. Matt. 19:28). However, if on the last day we deny Christ, he will deny us (2:12b; see also ...

1899. Trials and Temptation

James 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in different ways: Christians must take a distinctively Christian perspective on life. James sometimes links his topics by repeating a word: here he joins verses 4 and 5 with the verb “lack.” A more substantive link may also exist, however. Wisdom may be that quality that is needed if the believer is to face trials in the appropriate Christian manner. Wisdom in the Bible is a practical, down-to-earth virtue that provides its possessor with insight into the will and ways of God. Like the book of Proverbs ...

1900. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... its leadership. Either way, the elder’s endearing relationship with these leaders is clear. He expresses his desire to come as an incarnated message—in person, so that their joy might be complete—rather than simply writing with pen and ink. In so doing he exemplifies and communicates the same quality of loving concern to which he calls his audience.

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