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 1901 to 1925 of 3285 results

1901. Acts 10:44-48

Acts 10:44-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... truth still dependent wholly upon God. Our faith is really a commentary on God's faithfulness, not any comment of our own. John's final conclusion proclaims this human limitation as our greatest strength. Our faith in God's faithfulness and love for us is our victory, giving us the ability to "conquer the world." Through faith we may confidently expect to win the victories of love over hate, righteousness over sinfulness, trust over fear, inclusiveness over segregation, and magnanimity over pettiness.

1902. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . With characteristic brevity, Luke here in 2:1-13 reports the arrival of this long-awaited gift. He cleverly likens the Spirit's physical presence among the disciples (like tongues of fire) to its first manifestation in their lives - the ability to speak in a host of foreign languages. This initial experience of "tongues" differs somewhat from the later gift of "glossolalia" described in 1 Corinthians 14. There the focus is on ecstatic speaking, idealects which require the additional gift of interpretative ...

1903. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus or part of his clothing - a phenomenon not heretofore associated with Jesus' healing ministry. Usually this assumption is interpreted as a sign of great faith. Yet what the text seems to emphasize here is the power associated with Jesus' divine healing abilities. This power is so all-pervasive, so intimately flowing throughout Jesus' being, that it saturates even the clothing on Jesus' back. Healing, therefore, must not be seen as just a thoughtful addition to God's presence among mortal men and women ...

1904. Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of God is also compared to a sword in Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is alive and active. It cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword." God's presence is always vitally present in Christian life through access to God's word. The ability to discern the Spirit is closely tied to Paul's final directive, to "pray in the Spirit at all times." Prayer, too, is more an offensive than a defensive tactic. Prayer keeps the faithful in constant communication with their source of strength and creates a community ...

1905. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... about all the valuable commodities that are available from the earth. Precious jewels and gold and silver exist for the taking. The raw materials for a rich civilization are also provided by the earth itself - iron and brass for tools and the fertile abilities of the very land. Through human ingenuity and "imagineering" we can mine the wealth of the planet, put the waters to controlled and fruitful use, and gather the abundance of God's riches. But that commodity of greatest value, wisdom, is beyond the ...

1906. Genesis 2:18-24

Genesis 2:18-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 4, Jesus instead concerns himself with what has been "commanded." Jesus' pronouncement to the Pharisees focuses on God's intention for marriage, not human manipulation of marriage for the sake of divorce. Rather than spend time arguing about the ability to dissolve a relationship, Jesus chooses to discuss how the whole institution of marriage is positive and divinely sanctioned when rightly understood. Only when Jesus is back among his disciples does he acknowledge the sad reality of human brokenness - a ...

1907. Hebrews 4:1-3; 9-13

Hebrews 4:1-3; 9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... current - for it is only while the promise of "rest" is still "open" that we are able to act. God's promised rest yet remains a viable pledge. It did not conclude when the Hebrew people entered into Canaan. It has never been rescinded. But attaining the ability to spiritually rest in God is not some easy, passive spectator's reward. Throughout Hebrews one of the author's repeated concerns is that we might miss or avoid God's purpose for our lives and in so doing fall into apostasy - either by things done or ...

1908. Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... details given - no hands laid on, or prayers spoken, or salves applied - there is only Jesus' observation that what Bartimaeus has been longing for has already occurred as a result of his faith. But in this sight-restoring story, as in others, the ability to "see" indicates far more than a regaining of a physical sense. Bartimaeus' response to his new-found vision is unhesitating - he applies his previous faithfulness to his new situation and eagerly follows Jesus "on his way." Mark thus closes his section ...

1909. Philippians 4:49

Philippians 4:49

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... enemy, the prophet focuses on what every lost heart desires. God, it is promised, is the one who still "brings you home, at the time when I gather you" (vs. 20). Zephaniah's song is bursting with confidence in the mercy, love, and compassion of God and God's complete ability to turn a disastrous situation around into a day of triumph.

1910. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... they were "influenced" and "led astray." The speechlessness of idols Paul alludes to was a typical Jewish slur against pagan deities. These dumb idols are powerless, hopeless illusions of divinity, and are therefore "dumb," voiceless in their ability to save the people. Still, while under sway of some demonic forces of cult peer pressure or enthusiasms, these Corinthians may have experienced ecstatic speech and practiced prophesying. Since false gods can always elicit ecstatic outbursts from impressionistic ...

1911. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to the Hebrews. When God continues, and Moses realizes that he is to be God's instrument in making this deliverance real, he is filled with dismay. As with all those whom Scripture records God calling, the immediate response of this chosen one is to deny his ability and worthiness to perform such a mission. In Moses' case, he objects no less than five times between Exodus 3:11 and 4:17 to Yahweh calling him. But while Moses keeps doing his best to convince God he is a disastrous choice, God keeps reassuring ...

1912. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and the Son - in other words it will be a unity made possible by the common indwelling of the Spirit. This theme continues in verses 22-23 in even stronger language. The "glory" of Jesus was shown most fully in his death (In John 11:52 Jesus' ability to "gather the dispersed" is directly tied to his death.) If Jesus now gives his followers a share in that glory, he is also calling them to participate in the same spirit of self-sacrificing love and singleness of purpose which he himself will act out in ...

1913. 2 Kings 4:8-17

2 Kings 4:8-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... fully. The prophet's offer is kind but superfluous. Stymied, Elisha once again turns to Gehazi for help. In the same way Gehazi had spoken the inquiry of his master, he now voices the request of the Shunammite woman. We can only assume that the uncanny ability of servants to know all the juiciest gossip in a household took over here. Gehazi reveals that the woman is childless, and her husband old - intimating that she yearns for a son. With this insight, Elisha has Gehazi once again summon the woman so that ...

1914. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and bolts than a grand designer. Verses 14-16 will reveal the true nature of this "city," dispelling any physical notions that this verse seems to imply. The second area of Abraham's faithfulness lauded here is his belief in God's ability to work miracles with flesh. The translation of verse 11 has gone through considerable revisions over time. It is so strangely constructed, with such indeterminate clauses, that at times Sarah has become the subject of the sentence - giving Sarah "the power to conceive ...

1915. Luke 21:5-19

Luke 21:5-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Finally, these texts discuss the dire prediction of incipient persecutions. We are given a kind of blow-by-blow "progressive" recitation of these four expectations of history in this week's Gospel text. Verse 5 begins with a description of the Temple's ability to evoke awe and wonder from those who beheld it. But it was this very grandeur, and the people's confidence in its external strength, that prompted Jesus to describe its impending destruction. The temple was a gorgeous piece of architecture. Josephus ...

1916. 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , a particular insight, that warranted a special hearing. In claiming his own role as teacher, Paul succeeds in distinguishing himself from those who baptize, but not necessarily from the ranks of those who demand their voices be heard. In verse 17 then, Paul carefully separates himself and his limited abilities from the power of which he teaches. Indeed, Paul suggests that his lack of persuasiveness and power is intentional because his weakness allows the power of the "cross of Christ" to shine through.

1917. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Greek Roman city. Its Greek heritage was long; its identity as a Roman town relatively new. There was still a deep-rooted love and longing for all things Greek running through Corinthian culture. The rhetorical tradition of Hellenism that championed the abilities of human wisdom and power and glorified the pride and prestige of knowledge appealed strongly to the Corinthians. The citizens of new Roman Corinth also had other issues to face. Corinth was a relatively new settlement - Rome rebuilt Corinth in 44 ...

1918. Exodus 17:1-7

Exodus 17:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for his own continued well-being, not that of the thirsty people: "They are almost ready to stone me." Moses perceives the threats and insubordination as the only real and active danger in the present situation. Whether it is his supreme faith in God's ability to take care of and provide for the people in the wilderness, or Moses' own familiarity with wilderness survival, the problem of finding water does not seem to be an issue for him. There has been some suggestion that the miracle of Massah and Meribah ...

1919. Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in the act of self-emptying, the divine was able to "enter into the world by becoming man without becoming unlike himself" (Donato Oliari, O.S.B., "The Kenosis Theme and Monastic Theology," American Benedictine Review 41 [1990], 213). Indeed, the kenotic ability itself must be understood as being at the very essence of what it means for Christ to be divine. Second, after this hymn describes Christ's emptying action, it goes on to underline the genuineness of the humanity Christ embraced. "Taking the form ...

1920. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... suggests 1 Peter is talking about those who have received the symbolic, purifying washing of Christian baptism. Only after joining the community of faith through baptism are believers capable of expressing that indelible mark of a Christian "genuine mutual love." But even this remarkable ability is not enough for 1 Peter. He urges his readers to do even more to "love one another deeply from the heart" (v.22). 1 Peter's advice would surely wipe away any sense of being an outcast or being in exile these Asia ...

1921. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Paul has covered considerable territory, as well as caused a fair amount of furor. Paul has already been to Phillipi, Thessalonica and Berea. He has exchanged his earlier partnership with Barnabas for a new team with Silas (15:36-41) and Timothy (16:1-3). Paul's ability to stir things up had led him and Silas to a necessary late-night escape (17:1-9) in order to avoid trouble. He ultimately comes to Athens for a brief "cooling off" period while he waits for his other missionary companions to join him. These ...

1922. Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... circumscribes Jesus' directives at this time. Just as Jesus' mission involved "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom" (v.35), so too his commissioned disciples are to "proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near'" (v.7). All the healing abilities Jesus possessed are to become part of his disciples' repertoire. They, too, are to "cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." Both the power to preach and the power to heal, the two definitive signs of the approaching ...

1923. Romans 8:26-39

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In his role as one called by Christ to proclaim the gospel, Paul articulated that Good News with unique power and persuasiveness. His preaching ability stirred the hearts of the struggling new churches throughout the Roman territories, just as his skill with the written word continues to inspire new generations of seekers across the globe. For all generations of the Christian church, Paul the apostle has stood out as the "Great Communicator." This week's ...

1924. Romans 12:1-8

Romans 12:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... at work and at home (to "squeeze you into a mold"). What Paul calls Christians to do instead is to "be transformed." This term is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe Jesus' moment of "transfiguration" (in Mark 9:2) and a believer's ability to be "transformed" in God's likeness by beholding God's glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). In both these cases, this "transformation" involves a complete, radical, re-centering of the self. The transfigured Jesus was no longer on a mountaintop with his disciples he ...

1925. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus asks his questioners to show him the coin used to pay the tax that is, a coin of Roman legal tender, a denarius they immediately produce one. It was a brilliant stroke of debate. They fell right into Jesus' trap. Their ability to do this blatantly validates Jesus' reference to them as "hypocrites." The excruciating precision of Pharisaic obedience to Torah law would include forbidding the observant from handling, much less dealing with Roman coinage. As cleverly demonstrated by Jesus in the continuing ...

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