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 4943 results

1901. Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... will, to legitimate his actions, doing God's will becomes the standard, a standard that allows him to redefine family boundaries. Jesus is forced to deal with both family members' and scribal harassments in today's text because both parties were still concerned with the old cultural categories of shame and honor, losers and winners, the have and have-nots. By reaching beyond those old boundaries, to heal the sick, cure the possessed, fraternize with the unclean, Jesus is defining new ways of relating to ...

1902. Mark 4:26-34

Mark 4:26-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... God's bringing in the kingdom) or a pedagagical focus (on the path of proper discipleship). (See Claude N. Pazur, "The Grain Is Ripe, Parabolic Meaning in Mark 4:26-29," Biblical Theology Bulletin vv. 17,21-23, Jan. 1987.) By focusing on this third concern, the message this parable has to offer as a heuristic aid to discipleship, a new focus for this text comes into view. The discipleship format qualifies the farmer for at least part of this parable's central focus. Although he does not understand why the ...

1903. Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for his disciples to take a rest by going with him to "a deserted place." Unlike Jesus' individual retreats for prayer (cf.1:35; 6:45-46), this appears to be a more physically prompted call for rest. Many exegetes note that by showing this concern for his disciples' physical welfare, and by specifically mentioning the fact that "they had no leisure even to eat" (v.31), this text serves to set the stage for the feeding miracle that swiftly follows. In verse 33, the crowd (the recipient of the approaching ...

1904. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... with securing a place with priority status when Jesus has risen and assumed his glory. Believing themselves to be disciples of the one who was about to reclaim David's throne, James and John continue their mother's concern that they stand beside Jesus in a specially chosen and designated relationship. Jesus' sharp retort reveals the ignorance and arrogance of these two disciples they "do not know" what they are asking! Jesus does not at first berate James and John for their cross-channels status-seeking ...

1905. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . The response is immediate and dramatic. The boats, still filled with fish, are brought ashore and abandoned as "they left everything and followed him." In Luke's "call" text, the power of this charge, of this invitation to be in service to Christ, is the only detail that is of concern. The particulars of the lives these fishers leave behind is neither Luke's concern, nor apparently theirs. Dropping everything, they follow Jesus into a new life of discipleship.

1906. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1907. 1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14) 15-21a

1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14) 15-21a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to God forbidding that he should do such a thing. The second scene opens with Ahab on his bed, refusing to eat, having "turned away his face" (v.4c). Ahab, in dire need of an attitude adjustment, gets one from a concerned wife. Jezebel appears and in an understandably concerned fashion begins to probe Ahab's psyche. Ahab then shares what is troubling him. In this account to his Sidonian queen, one whom presumably would be less conversant with Hebrew religious law and custom than he, Ahab changes the details ...

1908. Hosea 1:2-10

Hosea 1:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... rejection. Most scholars agree that verse 7 is a later addition to Hosea's text by a Judean author for obvious reasons. Although this could have been a message of affirmation about King Uzziah's piety from Hosea himself, it is doubtful that the prophet was concerned to make a statement about Judah's continued faithfulness at this point in the text. Some scholars also find meaning in the aside of verse 8: "When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah." Does this suggest that the Lord allowed a good passage of time to go ...

1909. 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of Biblical Literature, 92 (1973), 432-438.) Instead of seeing Paul's "as is right" addition as a sign of doubt, it is far more likely that the apostle is reacting appropriately to the good news he has received about their faith. Many of the hopes and concerns voiced by Paul in his first letter have been answered positively, as evidenced by Paul's observation that "the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing" (v.3). Up to now Paul's praise is directed inward. In verse 4, Paul turns his praise ...

1910. 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the Corinthians had come to associate performance of this rite with some kind of magical, mystical powers. Paul is explicitly thankful that he had baptized only two (all right, he finally admits, three plus a household!) members of the Corinthian church. Paul's concern is to shift the Corinthian's focus from the person who baptizes to the proclaimed gospel. For Paul the gospel finds its power in the sublime tragedy of the cross - not in any magical spirits evoked through baptism. Paul insists that baptism ...

1911. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... fear" as a baseline for personal obedience and holiness. This "fear" is not a terrified quaking boots fear that God will "get you" if you don't measure up. Note that 1 Peter unabashedly refers to God familiarly as Father - implying divine tenderness and concern. 1 Peter's call to "reverent fear", however, reminds his audience that even God the "Father" is still magnificently holy and unfathomably wholly other. And it is this carefully cultivated sense of awe and wonder at God's power that makes it possible ...

1912. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... both soul and body" (v. 28). But he immediately disarms this potential threat with an analogy so ludicrous that no doubt remains about the safety of a loyal disciple's soul. Jesus reminds his disciples that if the souls of halfpenny sparrows garner the attention and concern of God, then how can they doubt God's providential and protective presence for them? They may not see the pattern to God's plan or understand their own role within it, but that doesn't mean God is not attentive to every moment of their ...

1913. Romans 7:15-25a

Romans 7:15-25a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... physical life, in favor of a celebration of some sort of spiritual, ethereal existence. If, in fact, Paul found "real" fleshly life without value, there would be no problem here - the "law of the mind" could go on existing in its own sphere of incarceration without concern for its incarnation. The reason that Paul decries the weakness of the flesh is because the "law of God" is only as present and vital as the hands and feet of the human beings who live it. Like "love" (see exegesis September 5, 1993), "law ...

1914. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to take sides. What Paul does insist upon is conviction - for nothing irks Paul as much as a tepid faith, a lukewarm commitment. Just as Paul had made "honor" a primary component of Christian character in Romans 12:10, he insists here that the ultimate concern of all Christians remains honoring God. In verses 7-12 Paul crafts a masterful argument full of carefully balanced opposites in an almost hymnic style. He begins by holding up living and dying to ourselves in contrast to living and dying "to the Lord ...

1915. Exodus 17:1-7

Exodus 17:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is found at the campsite of Rephidim, the people once again demand that Moses do something about it. They berate him loudly for ever bringing them into this wilderness to die. Moses' petition to the Lord mentions nothing about water. Instead, the prophet's concern seems to be for the continued viability of his leadership position ("What shall I do with these people?") and for his own safety ("They are almost ready to stone me" v.4). In response to Moses' almost panicky attitude, Yahweh gives step-by-step ...

1916. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... denarius. The "interrogators" fall neatly into Jesus' setup by glibly declaring "the emperor." Now, Jesus is free to redirect this whole line of questioning. Instead of making the focus of this conversation something trivial, like the accounting concerns of the civil authorities, Jesus asks that his questioners be concerned with nothing less than a right understanding of God's authority. Jesus gladly returns the things that are the emperor's back to him but he also demands that all that is God's be returned ...

1917. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... God sends to ready everything for the Divine's arrival on the Day of the Lord. In Malachi 4:5 that messenger's identity is revealed to be Elijah. Not until verse 3 do we actually get words from the prophet Isaiah. Second Isaiah's words are concerned with the coming of a new exodus, a new redemption, for the fallen nation of Israel. As such, the wilderness theme is extremely important to understanding this text and John's place in this new exodus. Just as the first exodus occurred in the wilderness, this ...

1918. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... sounds more like that of a man who is used to giving orders and having them followed ("Come and lay your hands on her .... " v.23), his bowed body reveals that he feels the desperate weight of his daughter's illness. Out of love and concern for his little girl, Jairus' posture of importance is punctured, collapsing him at Jesus' feet. The sickness ravaging his daughter's body infects the whole familial body. Jesus responds quickly to Jairus' 9-1-1. They immediately head for this affluent man's fine house ...

1919. Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:24-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the message and mission he represents. As he defends his hesitancy to heal this woman's child, he speaks of his own "children" those dear, dense disciples who must be "fed," must become the bearers of the good news when he is gone. Jesus is as concerned about the success of his mission as this brave and persistent mother is of hers. For this week's second healing, Jesus returns to familiar territory. He now leaves the heavily Gentile district of Tyre and travels to the ten-city region southeast of the Sea ...

1920. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... followers now take on the hue of an ominous warning reminding the disciples that with access to tremendous power comes tremendous responsibility. The "little ones" those whose faith is small and fragile, imperfect and unformed must be their first and foremost concern. If pride or selfishness or envy impedes the progress of faith budding in another, Jesus declares it would be better for that misrepresenter to hang a millstone around his neck and be thrown into the sea rather than face the judgment. Verses ...

1921. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... over to God's use all that she has to offer. Those two almost worthless coins represented her last shred of security, her fragile thread of hope for her future. What a contrast between this widow and the powerful scribes that strut like peacocks in the marketplace. With all their concern for appearances, they hoard their power and prestige for their own self-aggrandizement. With all her concern for being an obedient servant of God, the widow gives all she has to offer, even her future, for the sake of God.

1922. Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:4-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

One reason Philippians is a pet epistle of the Christian community is the extremely personal nature of this letter. Paul's obvious closeness to this community ("I thank my God every time I remember you" [1:3]) gives a special quality of tenderness and concern to this correspondence. Even when there is a disagreement within this community (cf. 4:2-3), Paul's words of reprimand and counsel are both gentle and personal. It is evident Paul feels great love and a great sense of camaraderie between himself and ...

1923. Isaiah 9:2-7

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the ultimate source of the lights and joy his people may expect the birth of a child. This child, Isaiah firmly believes, will be directly descended from the frail and failing line of the Davidic dynasty. At his first pronouncement, Isaiah is not so concerned with articulating what this child will do as he is with firmly asserting his impending birth his appearance among the people. Isaiah's confidence in the divine promise this child incarnates is so strong that in the prophet's mind announcing the child's ...

1924. Are You Better at Wearing or Bearing Crosses?

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesuses” (Hirsch’s phrase). “People observing us ought to be able to discern the elements of Jesus’ way in our ways. If they cannot find authentic signals of the historical Jesus through the life of his people, then as far as we are concerned they have the full right to question our legitimacy” (80). Remember how Jesus began his public ministry? By announcing “the kingdom of God has come near.” In other words, the kingdom has already appeared right in front of you! And what appeared right ...

1925. A Job and A Ministry

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Michael D. Powell

... done, it's a job. If you are doing it because you are convinced it needs to be done, it's a ministry. It's hard to get excited about a job. It's almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry. If your concern is success, it's a job. If your concern is faithfulness, it's a ministry. People may say "well done" when you do your job. The Lord will say "well done" when you complete your ministry. An average church is filled with people doing jobs. A great church is filled with people involved in ministry ...

Showing results