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 2051 to 2075 of 4456 results

2051. From Envy to Gratitude

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The sun is shining and the sky is clear. As landowner Joe consumes his breakfast he knows he must, likewise, seize the day. My daddy called it “Making hay while the sun shines." Joe might refer to it as “Making wine before the grapes rot." Whatever the phrase, the focus is the same. Harvest won't wait. Joes finishes breakfast, climbs into his pickup truck and drives down Nolensville Road where day laborers assemble looking for work. Well, the time and place may be different, but the story is the same. And ...

2052. By Humbly Doing Good

1 Peter 5:6-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The pastor of a congregation preached an unusually short sermon one Sunday. As he came to the conclusion, he offered this explanation for the brevity of it all. “We have a new dog at our house," explained the pastor. “The dog is prone to get into things and chew them up. Last night the dog got hold of my sermon and chewed up the last several pages." The congregation seemed to understand the plight of the pastor. In fact, one visitor to the church shook the preacher's hand after service and said, “If that ...

2053. Understanding Bible Prophecy

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

One of my parishioners once wrote me asking for some help in understanding the confusing imagery in the book of Daniel. He wrote, "Prophecies and the interpretation of prophecies. Could they be just a little more vague? Still, they are fascinating...." Indeed, they are, and for some, they have become immensely profitable as well. A cottage industry has grown up on Christian television presenting prophecy "experts" who are ready to interpret ambiguous passages both on the air, sustained by the financial ...

2054. Looking for Jesus?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John Smylie

The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! As we review the gospel text, we discover that it's much easier for us to say that than it was for those first disciples who encountered the empty tomb. We have been given the rest of the story while they are still discovering the joy and wonder of the events that are unfolding right before them. The first Easter didn't start off clear and wonderful. Mary Magdalene didn't rush off to the tomb dressed in her finest outfit with a corsage attached to her blouse, ...

2055. The Ear, the Tongue, and the Temper: A Lesson in Spiritual Anatomy

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

Today's lesson is from the book of James. James identifies himself only as a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." In the early church it was thought by some to have been written by the Lord's brother. It was written later than most of Paul's letters because, James says, of "foolish fellows" whom he describes as the "ignorant and unstable." They had distorted Paul's message of love and faith. They were twisting Paul's words to justify their own lack of hard work in the mission of the church. James ...

2056. Letters To God

Humor Illustration

Children writing to God: Dear God, Are you in charge of babies? I have three sisters, which is good. But I would like to put in an order for a brother. I hope this special order won't upset you. Dear God, My sister Tina has a girlfriend, Wendy, who never stops talking. It would take a miracle to shut her up. Have you got any left? Dear God, I love to eat. Thanks for all the food. Pizza was the best idea you ever had. Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own ...

2057. Trick Questions, Big Answers

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Scott Bryte

"Wars and revolutions, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes, famines, and pestilence ... betrayal, hatred..." (Luke 21:10-11). Whoa! What season is approaching? What about "Peace on earth and mercy mild"? Actually, both images are at play here. Yes, Christmas is coming — a beautiful time. But juxtaposed against that is a life of great uncertainty for all of us, a time when our institutions, those entities in society upon which we have depended, our temples, are crashing down around ...

2058. Rubble and Trouble

Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

2059. Sarah

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Max Lucado, in his book, In the Eye of the Storm, writes about a woman named Sarah who was rich.1 Really rich! She inherited twenty million dollars plus had an additional income of $1,000 a day. That's a lot of money today. But in the late 1800s when Sarah lived, it was downright staggering. You can imagine that she was well-known, having come from the elite, upper crust of the New England coast. Well-known and powerful. Her name and money opened doors closed to most of us. Colleges wanted her scholarships ...

2060. From Death To Life To…

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

How many of you remember the movie Duck and Cover? It really wasn't a movie but more of a "short" — just over nine minutes in length. But don't sell it short — it featured a great leading role, Bert the Turtle, and a very catchy theme song: There was a turtle by the name of Bert and Bert the turtle was very alert; when danger threatened him he never got hurt he knew just what to do ... He ducked! And covered! Ducked! And covered! He did what we all must learn to do You and you and you and you! Duck, and ...

2061. Can Two Become One?

Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

I recently came across a fascinating article called “The Top 10 Inventions That Changed The World.” Whenever I come across lists like these it is always fun to see how many of these I can guess. I am going to put 10 blanks up on the screen, beginning with number 10. Here are the top inventions in order from 10-to-1: 10. The Plow 9. The Wheel 8. The Printing Press 7. The Refrigerator 6. Communications (Telephone, TV, etc) 5. The Steam Engine 4. The Automobile 3. The Light Bulb 2. The Computer 1. The ...

2062. Saints Are Awake to Life's Deepest Joy

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Today we observe All Saints. Because it is an important celebration, we need to come to some agreement on what is meant by a "saint." If you Google the word, you discover many different definitions and understandings. Among some Protestant groups, every Christian becomes a saint upon joining the "Church Triumphant." In that understanding, All Saints honors and remembers all who have died in Christ and sainthood is the designation of all deceased Christians. Among other Protestants, saints are understood, ...

2063. Uncovering Cover-Ups

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. — John 16:13 For some it is ancient history. But for others it is as fresh as yesterday. I speak of 1972 when the word "cover-up" came into our consciousness in a big way — the cover-up by then-President Richard Nixon regarding the Watergate scandal. Assured of a landslide victory in his election for a second term, Richard Nixon, overborne with anxiety, apparently felt that was not enough. So he authorized the so-called "Watergate ...

2064. Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

John the Baptist repeats his testimony to Jesus as Lamb of God in the presence of two of his disciples (v. 36). This is how he makes Jesus known to “Israel.” In effect, he delivers his own disciples over to Jesus. One of the two is said to be Andrew (v. 40), but the other is not identified. It is widely assumed that the second disciple is the Gospel writer himself, the “beloved disciple” mentioned five times in the latter half of the Gospel. But not all anonymous disciples have to be the same. More likely ...

2065. Amnon and Tamar

2 Samuel 13:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Rebellion 13:1–20:26: Although the Lord did not explicitly forbid polygamy, the story recounted in 13:1–14 illustrates why multiple marriages are unwise. Hatred and jealousy among half brothers was a constant problem and sometimes led to murder (cf. Judg. 9:5), especially when one’s own sister is violated (cf. Genesis 34). It is unlikely that the heart of the matter in this story is an unlawful relationship: while Leviticus 18:9 and 20:17 forbid sexual relations with one’s sister (half sister or not), ...

2066. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The scene: Earth. God scolds Job’s three friends, demanding that they offer sacrifices and that Job pray on their behalf. That action complete, Job is restored, blessed again with possessions, family, and a long life to enjoy them. An entire poetic story has played out since the last scene in the prologue (2:11–13). We now encounter the only scene of the epilogue. God’s words, particularly his affirmation about Job, to the three friends carve out a chasm between this scene and the poetic dialogue. If one ...

2067. The King and the Maiden Banter

Song of Songs 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:1–3:5 Review · The Shulammite Maiden: The title of the book, both English and Hebrew, is taken from the first verse. Literally translated, the verse reads, “the song of songs, which is of Solomon.” The expression “song of songs” is an idiom for the superlative in Hebrew—“the best song.” The word “song” is a generic term for any happy, festival song (cf. Isa. 24:9; 30:29). The possessive pronoun attributing the work to Solomon, if original, is ambiguous at best. The opening sections of the poem find the ...

2068. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Paul then turns to the situation that gave rise to his remarks on wisdom, the tendency of some at Corinth to make comparisons between their teachers, to boost their favorite above the others, and to boast of their allegiances (1:12–17). Alluding to 3:5–9, Paul again asks the Corinthians to recognize that the truth lies in precisely the opposite direction. It is not the Corinthians who “belong” to Paul, Apollos, or Cephas; rather, along with all things, life and death, the present and the future (Rom. 8:38– ...

2069. The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

This section contains three parables that return to the theme of the inclusion of the lowly and the outcast in the kingdom of God: (1) the Parable of the Lost Sheep (vv. 1–7); (2) the Parable of the Lost Coin (vv. 8–10); and (3) the Parable of the Lost Son (vv. 11–32). These parables more or less pick up where the Parable of the Great Banquet (14:15–24) left off. The Parable of the Great Banquet taught that the least expected people would be included in the kingdom, while the three parables of Luke 15 ...

2070. The Next Two Days: The Call of the Disciples

John 1:43-51, John 1:35-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

2071. Leadership in Israel: Judges and Kings

Deuteronomy 16:21--17:7

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Leadership in Israel: Judges and Kings: Some scholars regard the section 16:18–18:22 as related to the fifth commandment, just as the previous section (usually defined as 14:28–16:17) is based on the sabbatical rhythm of the fourth commandment. The fifth commandment focuses on the honor due to parents, who are the first form of social authority encountered in life. Parental authority, however, is a model for other forms of authority and leadership in society (as is seen in the use of “father” for various ...

2072. Law Courts

Deuteronomy 16:18-20

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Leadership in Israel: Judges and Kings · Some scholars regard the section 16:18–18:22 as related to the fifth commandment, just as the previous section (usually defined as 14:28–16:17) is based on the sabbatical rhythm of the fourth commandment. The fifth commandment focuses on the honor due to parents, who are the first form of social authority encountered in life. Parental authority, however, is a model for other forms of authority and leadership in society (as is seen in the use of “father” for various ...

2073. Where Did He Get Such Authority?

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Today’s lesson from Mark’s Gospel is one that troubles many modern Christians. Jesus and his disciples are in Capernaum. Capernaum was a fishing town located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was a fairly large city of about ten thousand people and lay along a major trade route. When Jesus began his public ministry he made Capernaum his home. Our story takes place on the Sabbath. Jesus has gone into the synagogue and begun to teach. The people are amazed at his teaching, because he taught ...

2074. The Master's Voice

Matthew 13:53-58, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: The King’s Speech [use a clip from the movie near the conclusion in which the king is grateful to have been freed] Being “voiceless” has been the cause of many a revolution. Slavery, women’s suffrage, child abuse, human trafficking —the progress of history is the story of the voiceless finding a voice and struggling to be free. The stifled voice will find a way to be heard. Those who have difficulty “finding” their voice, after many years of not “speaking,” will be freed by the act of speaking. ...

2075. The Curse of the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18, 2 Timothy 2:14-26, Psalm 34:1-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them." (Jesus --Mark 7:15) “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen… Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” ...

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