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 1951 to 1975 of 4952 results

1951. 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... through Paul’s opening admonishment to the Corinthian church. First, and most obvious, is Paul’s condemnation of any competition or divisiveness by those who count themselves a part of the body of Christ. Paul proclaims that a unity of mind and thought, not a spirit of contentious oneupsmanship, must prevail in order for the body of Christ to remain whole, healthy and vital. Second, and perhaps less evident in these first verses of Paul’s address, is the apostle’s argument against the underlying ...

1952. The Great Physician

Matthew 4:23-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... people to faith. Healing was not his primary purpose, teaching and preaching were. He healed only to help people understand who he was and why he was sent. And certainly many did believe in him because they saw his power to heal. Have you ever thought about what it would have been like to live in Jesus’ time when medicine was so primitive? Obviously there were no antibiotics nor were there any FDA approved drug therapies. Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, published an encyclopedia around 70 A.D., just ...

1953. Stand Up and Raise Your Voice

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you.” And because we have been chosen, we can be secure in who we are because God made us who we are. In fact, our “choicefulness” is really a snare and a delusion. “We are not authors of our lives,” writes John Gray in Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals. “We are not even part-authors of the events that mark us most deeply. Nearly everything that is most important in our lives is unchosen. The time and place we are born, our parents, the first language we speak” – these are ...

1954. A Lesson from Dr. Seuss

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... looking for. As they dug, they found a bag of pearls. Maybe she dropped this bag of pearls as she ran for her life. Maybe someone else dropped them, and this lady saw the chance for instant wealth. But, one way or another, with her life on the line, she thought it was worthwhile to stop and pick up some pearls. She turned to pick them up and the volcanic ash swept over her. (4) What a terrible choice. It was a very human thing to do to reach out for the bag of pearls, but it cost her her life ...

1955. What to Do with the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... says that when he was in college, he was walking to class with a few friends who were asking him how he could be a Christian when so many of the Christians they saw on TV were judgmental, nasty self-centered people. He told them that he really thought that Christian people as a whole were doing much better. As those words left his mouth, he said, they rounded the corner and were met by a group of students, carrying huge 30 foot banners that said things like “Turn or Burn” and “Gays will die in hell ...

1956. A Winsome Witness

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... your church. No need to theologize. If a specific question is asked, answer it. Other than that, tell your story. By the way, if we ever hope to have an opportunity to share our own experience of faith with a friend, it would be a good idea if we have thought about it some beforehand. What would you answer if someone came up to you and asked you point-blank about why you became a Christian and what being a Christian and a member of Christ's church has meant to you? Perhaps you had an experience like Paul on ...

1957. Sex, Sex, and More Sex

Song of Songs 2:8-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... fell in love one or two times by their late teens - and most of them fell out again within two years. Even more recently, psychologist, Dorothy Tennov, reported that over half the subjects of her wide surveys of romance suffered emotional depression, more than 25% admitting to thoughts of suicide ... hmm.[5] But when it is right, it is right! To be in love with someone is to find your whole being tied up with the beloved, to want to be wherever he or she is, to want good things for him or her. You want ...

1958. Welcoming Jesus

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... rabbi, "Rabbi, why don't people see God today as they did in the olden days?" The wise old man put his hands on the student's shoulders and said, "The answer, my son, is because no one is willing to stoop so low."[2] An interesting thought: What would our answer be if Jesus came to us and asked, "What were you arguing about on the road?" Well, Lord, we were arguing about whether women should be equal to men in performing church functions. We were arguing about language for God — should we use masculine ...

1959. A Wonderful Mother (In-Law)

Ruth 1:1-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... was more tragedy - both Mahlon and Chilion died. One wonders how Naomi was able to bear it. When such things happen to people, they begin to think of better times, if only to keep from thinking about how rotten the current times are. For Naomi, those thoughts turned to home: Israel, Bethlehem. It was a siren song calling, "Naomi, Naomi, come home, come home," and she resolved to do it. When word came that the famine in Israel was over, that was all the incentive she needed. They all three decided to go ...

1960. Christmas In the Crossfire

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... days to see how things were going.There were no problems later, except for a massive ugly bruise that they had said was likely. I thought no more about it, but I let Christie know that evening that I would not be able to help much around the house — doctor's ... so good to say that." The sense of joy in her voice was almost palpable as she said something that, one would have thought, had been absolutely forbidden up 'til now. Wow! Merry Christmas! It sounded a little weird, frankly. I think I held the phone ...

1961. Can Anything Good Come out of Our Town?

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... you expect a Messiah from some place that is not even mentioned in the whole of our Torah and prophecy? No, Philip, you've not found the Messiah. Just another dreamer like yourself. A son of a carpenter who ate too much pepperoni one night and had a dream and thought he had seen God. That's all. I'm sorry to break the news to you, but I'm afraid that's the way it is." Philip felt the perspiration running down his back. He wouldn't argue. He didn't possess the gift for instant analysis that Nathaniel did ...

1962. Skin Game

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... and mild? How could a petition from a helplessly outcast and pitiful leper have inspired him to anger? Inasmuch as we feel that way, we may be like those ancient scribes who, faithfully copying this text, may have thought that the scribe before them had made a mistake, so they wrote in a verb they thought more appropriate to the loving Jesus they had come to know. Those who have had the courage to translate this word as anger have offered a variety of explanations as to why Jesus would have responded to the ...

1963. The Unsilenced Voice

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... my students, my program, my livelihood, and my pride. But you know what? There really is life after death. I'm doing things I always wanted to do, but never had time. I'm spending time with my wife. I'm finding energy I thought I'd lost forever. Getting crucified turned out better than I thought."1 Those who follow Jesus must not give in to the naïve notions that being faithful to God will be easy. It isn't. John lived for the truth and died because of it. John Chrysostom was a great preacher of the fifth ...

1964. They Call It Grace

2 Peter 3:8-15

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... have you home. Now, come and eat." Grace always comes as a shock to the sinner. We are used to finding a catch or a string attached to every promise. We want to be frugal with God's grace, like the older brother in the story who thought his younger brother didn't deserve a second chance. Contemporary preacher, Fred Craddock, preached a sermon on the prodigal son but with a twist. Instead of the father honoring the younger, rebellious son, he slipped a ring on the older brother, thanked him for his faithful ...

1965. Welcome to the Center of Life

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... are, and then spank Jesus instead of us. Rather the purpose of the cross is to show us how captive we are, for us to realize the depth and the consequences of our captivity — we would rather kill Jesus than be loved by him. An astonishing thought! Even a cursory look at twentieth-century history (that continues now in the twenty-first century) reveals the truth of the cross: We prefer death to love. We believe in death — we believe that love is naive and simplistic. The author of Ephesians tells us that ...

1966. Yielding to Spiritual Maturity

Matthew 7:15-23, James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there' or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" (James 2:3-5). How can you claim to be a Christian and yet discriminate against people? Easy! It happens all the time. We are all bombarded with messages from advertising, from peers, and from friends that persuade us that the more we have the better ...

1967. Jesus Would Do What?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... no oncoming cars, the man continued across the bridge and on to his destination. On his way back along this same route, the man came to the same one‑lane bridge from the opposite direction. To his surprise, he saw another “Yield” sign posted there. Curious, he thought. I’m sure there was a sign posted on the other side. Sure enough, when he reached the other side of the bridge and looked back, he saw the sign. Yield signs had been placed at both ends of the bridge so that the drivers from both ...

1968. Prepare: An Advent Play

Matthew 24:36-51

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... the important gift is God’s Son born in a manger and who eventually died on the cross for your sins and mine. I know a Christmas song that can tame the most extravagant impulses. (sings a verse of “O Little Town Of Bethlehem”) Santa: (quiet and thoughtful) Oh? Mmm. (pauses, strokes beard, then slowly takes off hat in reverence) John B., I believe I’m beginning to catch on. There’s more to this celebration than what we’re getting ready for in my workshop at the North Pole with all my elves, my ...

1969. The Renewal of Life

Isaiah 43:18-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... from all over the world could come and enjoy its beauty. The tree was so excited it jumped for joy, but just as it did the carver's initial blow came to the tree causing a huge gouge in the wood. The wood-carver looked at the tree and thought that it could no longer serve his function, so he moved on to another tree. Over the next few weeks and even months, various other wood-carvers came to the forest, looked at the tree but regretfully shook their heads saying, "It is a pity. Such beautiful wood and ...

1970. Reconciliation: The Heart of Love

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . What would it take him to change? For Ludovico it would be a bout with serious illness. Chest pains landed the pope in the hospital. Doctors told him he needed heart bypass surgery. The thought of such major surgery placed the pope in a more contemplative mood. He began to think about his life and what he had done. He began to realize that he might have hurt others. He knew that he needed to change, to find healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. But for Pope ...

1971. Finding the Right House for God

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... to be slumming it down in the ghetto while he's living it up in the high-rent district. What a nice idea, Nathan must have thought. Now here's a king who has his priorities straight. What a great boss I have! Not some atheistic ingrate, you know the kind — a ... a house for you! How about that?" And Yahweh replies, "You think you're telling me something I don't already know? I know your every thought and his. And guess what? Both of you are wrong about this. I don't want a house. Don't need one. When are you ...

1972. Ignorance of the Bible

Illustration

Staff

... no idea. Among non-Christians, only 29% knew that the Book of Jonah could be found in the Bible, while 27% said it could not, and 34% were not sure. Three quarters of the Christians surveyed knew that the Book of Isaiah is located in the O.T., while 11% thought it is in the N.T., and 13% did not know where Isaiah could be found. Half of the non-Christians knew that Isaiah is located in the O.T. 61% of all Americans named Bethlehem as the city where Jesus Christ was born. Among non-Christians, 55% knew ...

1973. Getting Rid of the Bah Humbugs

Illustration

Brett Blair

... . They especially objected to the fact that the holiday usually came on a week day, therefore distracting people, they thought, from the Lord's Day of Sunday. But they did more than annually complain about it as we do. ... clean it up do we? Well, is this how far we want to go? Do we really want to be rid of it altogether? Then will Christmas, as the Puritans thought, be saved from us and our sinful ways. So what if we spend $40 billion annually on presents. Can you think of a better way of spending all that ...

1974. The Mysteries of the Universe Solved

Illustration

Staff

... grasped the key to all the mysteries of the universe. When he regained consciousness, however, he was unable to remember what the insight was. Because of the great importance this thought would be to mankind, Holmes arranged to have himself given either again. This time he had a stenographer present to take down the great thought. The either was administered, and sure enough, just before passing out the insight reappeared. He mumbled the words, the stenographer took them down, and he went to sleep confident ...

1975. Familiar Treasures

Illustration

... a city with domes, spires, and beautiful streets, inhabited by angels. By and by my little brother died, and I thought of heaven much as before, but with one inhabitant that I knew. Then another died, and then some of my ... . Afterward another went, and yet another. By that time I had so many acquaintances and children in heaven that I no more thought of it as a city merely with streets of gold but as a place full of inhabitants. Now there are so many loved ones there I sometimes think I know more people in heaven ...

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