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 2001 to 2025 of 4963 results

2001. Two Memorable Healings

Luke 5:17-26, Luke 5:12-16

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... ’s healing power to risk the ire of the homeowner. It can be fun and interesting to your congregation to describe in humorous detail the process of opening the roof and the likely response of those present. Jesus’s surprising response, “your sins are forgiven.” How was this response different from the expectations of the friends and others present? What were they expecting? Does Jesus sometimes give us something different than what we ask or hope for? The christological implications of Jesus’s ...

2002. Feasting and Fasting

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 5:27-32

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... duties levied on goods in transit between the tetrarchies of Philip and Antipas as well as across the lake. But the presence in the town of “a large crowd” of other tax collectors suggests that in this thriving town there were also those responsible for the taxation of the general population. Jews disliked tax collectors not only because they were known to get rich by charging arbitrary amounts above the official dues (see 19:8) but also because they represented and were answerable to an oppressive and ...

2003. An Encounter across the Lake

Luke 8:26-39, Luke 8:22-25

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... pig herders (who would already know, and be afraid of, the possessed man) and follow through the story as they would perceive it. What would they make of (a) the man’s restoration, (b) Jesus’s authority, (c) the fate of the pigs, (d) the public response when the story got around, and (e) the man’s telling of his own story after Jesus had gone? For more on demon possession, see “Teaching the Text” on 4:31–44. If you have tackled the issue of demon possession more generally there, what has this ...

2004. Priorities

Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:22-34

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... . “Worry” is the key term of 12:22–30. It has been used for the earthly concerns that choke the good seed (8:14) and for the domestic preoccupation that kept Martha from concentrating on “what is better” (10:41). It denotes not a proper responsibility in ensuring provision, but a distracting anxiety that closes the mind to higher concerns. 12:24 Consider the ravens. Birds, of course, do have to search long hours for their food; God does not drop it into their beaks. But the point is that food ...

2005. “Unless You Repent . . .”

Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:1-9

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... symbol of failure to repent and to accept God’s rule. Bearing fruit occurs frequently in the Gospels as a metaphor for the lifestyle that God requires (see 3:8–9; 6:43–45; 8:8). The prophets sometimes used the fig tree as a symbol for Israel’s responsibility to God (Jer. 8:13; 24:1–10; Hosea 9:10, 16–17; Mic. 7:1), and most commentators regard Jesus’s cursing of the fruitless fig tree outside Jerusalem (Matt. 21:18–19; Mark 11:12–14, 20–21) as an “acted parable” of the ripeness of ...

2006. Ready for the Kingdom of God?

Luke 13:31-35, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 13:18-21

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... weeping over the unrepentant city in 19:41–44. Both Jesus (4:43; 8:1) and his disciples (9:2, 60; 10:9) have proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God, and that proclamation now takes on a growing note of urgency, demanding a response. Historical and Cultural Background The Jewish expectation of an eschatological messianic banquet, derived ultimately from Isaiah 25:6–9, was much elaborated in later prophetic and apocalyptic texts (cf. also Ps. 23:5). In Isaiah’s vision it was to be a banquet for all ...

2007. Affluence and the Afterlife

Luke 16:19-31

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... Martin and the Beggar (ca. 1597–99), which hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. In the painting, Martin is seated on a white horse and looks down at the partially clothed beggar, who looks up at him. Judgment is based on our response to God’s will as set out in the Scriptures. Quote: Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. In the following passage Lewis underlines the biblical reality that we will see eternal consequences for our choices… When the author walks on to the stage the play is ...

2008. Two Parables about Prayer

Luke 18:9-14, Luke 18:1-8

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... not to be seen as a reflection of what God is like. Rather, he is shown as a selfish scoundrel in order to set up the “how much more” argument of 18:6–7. If even a man like this can be prevailed on, how much more so will a response be obtained from God, who really does care for his people’s good. 18:3 Grant me justice against my adversary. We are not told the nature of the dispute, but it may well have been about property. The root term for “justice” (edik-) used here and in 18:5 ...

2009. The Revolutionary Values of the Kingdom of God

Luke 18:31-34, Luke 18:18-30, Luke 18:15-17

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... sadness” proved insurmountable. 18:24–25 it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. What is declared “hard” in 18:24 becomes impossible in 18:25; a camel (the largest animal in Palestine) cannot go through the eye of a needle. The response in 18:26 draws the right conclusion, as Jesus’s reply in 18:27 acknowledges. A frequently repeated attempt to evade the rhetorical force of Jesus’s saying is the claim that “the eye of the needle” was a name for a small gate in the city ...

2010. A Blind Beggar and a Rich Scoundrel

Luke 19:1-10, Luke 18:35-43

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... only 120 percent [Lev. 6:5; Num. 5:7]) would probably make a sizable hole in the other half. And we are not told that he left home and followed Jesus as a disciple (as the blind man has done [18:43]). But there is no hint that his response is insufficient; rather the opposite. Does this suggest that 18:22 may not be intended as a rigid rule so much as a diagnostic test of the depth of a person’s commitment, and that its practical outworking may differ in different situations? 19:9 Today salvation has ...

2011. The Coming of the King

Luke 19:45-48, Luke 19:28-44

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... and John specify that it was a donkey, and both quote Zechariah 9:9 in explanation. Luke follows Mark in using the Greek word for “(new) colt,” which occurs (for the Hebrew for “donkey”) in the LXX version of that verse, and the disciples’ response in 19:38 makes it clear that they took this as a deliberate enactment of the Zechariah prophecy. After walking some one hundred miles from Galilee, Jesus, who is never recorded as riding elsewhere in the Gospels, hardly needed a ride for the last mile ...

2012. Challenge and Counterchallenge

Luke 20:9-19, Luke 20:1-8

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... speaks of the kingdom of God being taken away from “you” and given to “a people who will produce its fruit” (Matt. 21:43), which seems to envisage a new Israel (not just a new leadership). Luke is less explicit, but the people’s response, “God forbid!” (lit., “May it not happen!”), may suggest that such a radical idea is implied here too. 20:17 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. These words are quoted from Psalm 118:22 (where they precede the words of greeting ...

2013. “When Will These Things Happen?”

Luke 21:5-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... on Daniel 7:13–14, where the prophet sees “one like a son of man” coming in clouds before God’s throne to be given universal sovereignty. We have seen similar language used in 9:26 for Jesus’s ultimate role as judge. In this context, in response to a question about the destruction of the temple, it is best understood as envisaging that event as an act of judgment by the now vindicated and enthroned Son of Man, rather than referring to the more eschatological “day/days of the Son of Man” that ...

2014. Paul, Phoebe, Patronage, and Spain

Romans 16:1-27

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... :16; Rev. 5, probably sung to Jesus in worship) 2. Charismatic—the Holy Spirit a. The Spirit as eschatological gift (Acts 2) b. Worship led by Spirit (1 Cor. 14; 1 Thess. 5:16–20) 3. Prophetic—the Father a. Worship in response to God’s saving act in Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom. 1:3–4) b. Worship as the anticipation of heaven (Rev. 1) Interpretive Insights 16:21–23 Timothy . . . Lucius, Jason and Sosipater . . . Tertius . . . Gaius . . . Erastus . . . Quartus send you their greetings ...

2015. Unity of Life and Faith

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

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Preben Vang

... the community of Christ. Since, however, identity and community relationship go hand in hand (as anyone who has traveled even a little bit recognizes), a person’s lifestyle, preferences, likes, and so forth reveal her or his true identity. Faith is the human response of loyalty toward the grace shown to that person by the patron.9Both grace and faith are relational expressions. What is at stake, therefore, when Christians reduce faith to mental assent and feel free to live in a way that violates the very ...

2016. The Focus of Christian Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... not talk-show hosts who were free to spout personal opinion. Their message could not be “their own” but had to stand the scrutiny of evaluation by a comparison to the message of Christ.[9] On the other side, prophets were charged with the responsibility to further explain the ramifications of their expositions. Their speech would be followed by a question-and-answer session, so to speak. The “building up” of the believer was not a matter of mere inspiration but a matter of transformation of mind and ...

2017. The First Four Trumpet Judgments

Revelation 8:6--9:21, Revelation 8:1-5

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... seal (8:1) brings a dramatic pause of silence in heaven prior to the seven trumpet judgments. The heavenly chorus of praise won’t resume again until the seventh angel blows his trumpet in 11:15. The trumpet judgments (8:7–9:21) are part of God’s response to the prayers of his people, who continue to cry out to him for deliverance and justice (8:2–6). Outline 7. The trumpet judgments (8:2–11:19) a. Preparation for the seven trumpets (8:2–6) i. Seven angels are given seven trumpets (8:2) ii ...

2018. Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

Revelation 15:1-8

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... of the 144,000 singing a new song in 14:1–3. 15:3b–4 Great and marvelous are your deeds, . . . for your righteous acts have been revealed. The actual content of the song highlights God’s actions and character and the worshipful response of his people. Lyrics from various Old Testament passages are combined to form a hymn with two parts. The first half features synonymous parallelism with a description of God’s actions and ways, followed by titles reflecting his attributes: Great and marvelous are ...

2019. The Final Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... justification by faith but emphasizes (along with James and even Paul himself) that true faith will be revealed through its actions. One of the book’s central verses—12:11—highlights both the finished work of Christ on the cross and our active response to that. Sometimes we drift into thinking that following Christ is more about knowing than about living. But Jesus commanded his disciples to teach others “to obey everything I have commanded you,” not merely to know his commands (Matt. 28:20). This ...

2020. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... these two comments (e.g., Isa. 60:3, 5, 11). To put it differently, the two comments about the redeemed nations bringing their honor and glory into the city stress once again God’s mission to rescue people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Their response will be to worship their Creator and Redeemer with all their being. Outline iii. The internal features of the temple city (21:22–27) (1) The temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (21:22) (2) God and the Lamb illuminate the city (21 ...

2021. Blood: Right and Wrong Uses

Leviticus 17:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... with the Egyptian god Min. Idolatry was a problem throughout Israelite history. Of all ancient people groups, only Israel affirmed monotheism. And it often lapsed. Interpretive Insights 17:1–2 Speak to Aaron and his sons. The ones responsible for sacrifices are addressed first before the Israelites are instructed. 17:3 Any Israelite who sacrifices. The verb shahat (“sacrifices”) is usually rendered “slaughters” (NASB, NRSV) or “kills” (ESV, KJV, NKJV). The NIV here takes it to mean ...

2022. Racism and Envy

Numbers 12:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... by God and frightened by God’s threatened punishment (Num. 12:5–9). Moreover, Aaron is distressed by his sister’s punishment (Num. 12:12), so that her punishment indirectly also punishes him. God can be trusted to judge everyone fairly, and he may in response to prayer and repentance show mercy and commute punishments that we deserve. Teaching the Text Miriam and Aaron seem to have fallen into two sins that are all too common among humans: racism and envy. 1. Racism is a sin. Moses marries a Cushite ...

2023. Balaam’s First Three Oracles

Num 23:1–24:14

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... and promises, so promises can be forfeited by disobedience and threats can be averted by repentance (Jer. 18:7–10 and the case of Nineveh in Jonah). God appears to change his mind as he communicates his change of action to humans based on human responses, though ultimately, since he has foreknowledge of the future, he has planned beforehand to do what he does. Essentially Balaam tells Balak, “God is not fickle like us. We do not always tell the truth. Sometimes we lie on purpose or find it impossible to ...

2024. Joshua Appointed as Moses’s Successor

Numbers 27:12-23

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... to discern between spirits to appoint a leader with the right spirit. 27:17 to go out and come in before them . . . lead them out and bring them in. This task applies metaphorically to all leaders—the young Solomon uses similar language of his leadership responsibilities (“I do not know how to come out or to go in” [1 Kings 3:7 NASB])—but the language applies literally to a military leader like Joshua. sheep without a shepherd. These words apply to Israel when its king is killed (1 Kings 22 ...

2025. The Ark Finds a Resting Place

2 Samuel 6:1-23

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... regulations of kingship outlined in Deuteronomy 17:14–20, the king is to read God’s law so that he might fear the Lord (vv. 18–19). David’s unfamiliarity with the law regulating transporting the ark has prompted God’s anger and elicited an appropriate response from David. He now has a healthy respect for the Lord’s holiness. 6:13 When those who were carrying the ark. David transports the ark properly this time, a fact verified in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 15:1–15 (cf. Exod. 25:14 ...

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