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 4952 results

2051. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... one of the requests, it stands as a heading for the petitions that follow. Paul begins by asking that his readers be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. This is foundational for the apostle because in biblical thought there is a close relationship between the knowledge of and the doing of God’s will. Those who are being filled in this way will (a) have a worthy walk (1:10a), (b) have a fruitful life (1:10b), (c) experience growth in the knowledge ...

2052. The Supremacy of Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... 1:15 See H. Kleinknecht, “eikōn,” TDNT, vol. 2, pp. 389–90. 1:16 See W. Michaelis, “prōtos,” TDNT, vol. 6, pp. 865–82; Schweizer, Colossians, has a good section on the history of interpretation of this problem, pp. 250–52. 1:18 “The [Greeks] all thought that the universe was something like a giant body ruled by the gods or, as more and more pagan Greeks would express it in the time of the New Testament, by a god or a supreme power or a universal spirit. There are some who had already used ...

2053. Rules for Christian Households

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... between master and slave, there will be no problem of disorder in the church. Additional Notes Other helpful insights on slavery can be found in the sources listed in the note in § 18. See disc. and bibliography on Eph. 6:5–9. 3:22 “Fear should certainly not be thought of as the opposite of trust; this is shown by the fact that in Ps. 33(32):18, for example, it is equated with hoping for God’s grace. What fear really means is a way of living which is afraid of nothing except of losing this one Lord ...

2054. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , 11). Their loss, he says, was for a short time—or so they hoped. In Paul’s case, it would be some five years, as far as we can tell, before he would see them again (Acts 20:2f. by implication). Meanwhile, he was present with them at least in thought, if not in person (cf. 1 Cor. 5:3–5; also Gal. 4:20 for a similar paternal longing to be with his children). The Greek is literally, “in heart,” and this, more than the rendering of NIV, captures Paul’s affection for them (see disc. on 2:4). Paul ...

2055. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... was to that “desecration” which would be the temple’s destruction and which in fact took place under Titus in A.D. 70. It is noteworthy, however, that for him, as for Paul in describing the End itself, the temple as the symbol of God’s presence was thought of also (symbolically) as the locus of the Antichrist’s opposition to God. 2:5 At this point Paul calls up memories of his earlier teaching to flesh out the bare bones of these verses. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to ...

2056. Request for Prayer

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... who not simply acquiesce in evil, but actively pursue it. If the reference is to the Jews, it is not, of course, to the Jews per se, but to them as those who oppose the gospel, hindering it in running its course into all the world. This thought leads to the general observation that not everyone has faith—the Jews (if the earlier reference was to them) are not on their own in opposing the gospel. It is not clear in what sense faith should be understood, whether subjectively as trust, or objectively as the ...

2057. Titus' Task on Crete

Titus 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... Although the concern here is different, this restates Paul’s position given in Romans 14:20. It reflects a clear understanding of Jesus as found in Mark 7, that what people eat cannot defile them. Paul’s point seems clear: All things, including those things thought to be unclean by some, are [ritually] pure—that is, nothing is unclean of itself (cf. 1 Tim. 4:4, “nothing is to be rejected”)—to the [morally] pure, since they have been “cleansed” by faith in Christ. The opposite of this is that ...

2058. Jesus Made Like His Brothers

Hebrews 2:5-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... of these words. Since in the OT Isaiah is the speaker, it is commonly argued that similarities between Isaiah and Jesus, as well as the “messianic tone” of the larger passage (which is, however, difficult to see in these verses), explain how Jesus can be thought of as the speaker. This type of argument, however, is much too weak to establish our author’s point. Instead, the solution is to be found in the fact that according to the LXX, which is obviously being used here (cf. the first quotation with ...

2059. The Remaining Promise of Rest

Hebrews 4:1-13

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... Rev. 2:12). The sentences that follow are merely a development of this metaphor and are not meant to convey information extraneous to the point being made. The writer does not here reveal his view of the nature of humanity (dividing soul and spirit; the thoughts and attitudes of the heart). All of these details are concerned only to stress the utter effectiveness of God’s word. 4:13 Indeed, the point of the preceding is now made plain: nothing in all creation (lit., “no creature) is hidden from God’s ...

2060. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... ; Wisd. of Sol. 10:5; 4 Macc. 16:20 (cf. 13:12). The reference to only son may reflect indirect influence of the Christology of the early church, in which of course the title was very important. Paul may build upon Gen. 22 in Rom. 8:32 and some have thought that John 8:56 may have this story in mind (cf. John 3:16). The word for one and only son (monogenēs) does not occur in the Genesis narrative according to the LXX. There (Gen. 22:2) Isaac is referred to as “son … whom you love” (or “beloved ...

2061. Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... in some translations phrased as a statement rather than a question. The Greek text does have a question, but the form of the question makes it clear that he is not really expressing doubt but making his charge in interrogative form. Become judges with evil thoughts can be translated “evilly motivated judges” like the “unjust judge” of Luke 18:6. Cf. the Jewish condemnation of such behavior: e.g., Prov. 18:5; Psalms of Solomon 2:18; b. Berakoth 6a. 2:5 God’s election of Israel is further discussed ...

2062. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... , for it robs God of his rightful honor as sovereign and exalts a mere human as if he or she were God. Any plan confidently made outside God’s will discerned through prayer and meditation is not just foolish—it is sin. 4:17 To round off his thought, James adds a concluding proverb, which some speculate might be a saying of Jesus because of its tone and topic: Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. On the surface it simply rebukes sins of omission: A person who knows ...

2063. Submission to Rulers and Masters

1 Peter 2:13-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... use of the word. The disciple must not only follow, but so completely copy the example of Jesus Christ from A to Z that it means reproducing every stroke of every letter of the Lord’s character, thus making a facsimile of the Master. Peter echoes the thought again in 4:1. The apostolic fathers took up Peter’s use of the word. Clement of Rome speaks of Paul’s departure from this world as a notable hypogrammos (pattern) of patient endurance (1 Clement 5.7), and of Christ’s good works as a hypogrammos ...

2064. Suffering for Being a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... This is the course I have taken: I asked them if they were Christians. If they said yes, I asked them a second and a third time, with threats of punishment. If they still said yes, I ordered them to be executed. Those who denied being Christians, I thought it right to let go. They recited a prayer to the gods at my dictation, offered incense and wine to your statue, and cursed Christ. Those who are really Christians cannot be made to do these things.” (Pliny, Letters 10.96) 4:17 Time (kairos): a definite ...

2065. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... : suffering will be only for a little while. That is not to be taken as an assurance that their suffering will be brief, which would probably be contradicted by the experience of at least some of Peter’s readers, but it is temporary. Paul expresses a parallel thought: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). And suffering also has an end in the sense of purpose, as Peter has been at pains many times to stress (1:7; 2:12 ...

2066. Sin and Punishment

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... so Lundbom, Jeremiah 1–20, pp. 534–39), but the tonoe of 9:2 sets it apart from what precedes. In verse 1, Jeremiah expresses his emotional devastation at the fate of his people. In verse 2 the speaker expresses disdain toward the people. The two thoughts are not utterly irreconcilable, but the latter fits in better with verses 3–6 that follow. Another ambiguity has to do with the speaker. Does the oracle begin with Jeremiah’s lament or God’s or are we to understand the prophet and his God sharing ...

2067. A Message About Babylon

Jeremiah 50:1--51:64

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... The defeat of Babylon will result in the shaming of its deities. Rather than considering the possibility that these gods have allowed the defeat of Babylon as was the faithful Judean’s understanding of Yahweh’s relationship to the defeat of Judah, the defeat of Babylon was thought to be a sign of the impotence of the gods of Babylon. The chief god of the city of Babylon, and thus of the empire that expanded from that city as its base, was Marduk. Marduk, also called Bel (“lord”), was the god who was ...

2068. The Charge Against Israel

Hosea 4:1-19

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... springs of life in the land; verses 11–19, which concerns the cultic life of the people, and which begins and ends with the thought of a “spirit of harlotry” (vv. 12 and 19 RSV; the NIV obscures the reference in v. 19). 4:1–3 The prophet speaks ... the people sought answers to their questions. Stick of wood is literally “staff” and can refer to an ʾašērâ. The pagan thought that any natural object could be used by the deity to mediate a revelation; this understanding of the relation of God to ...

2069. Judgment Against Israel

Hosea 5:1-15

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... their fields. Apparently, however, the baalistic sex rites were practiced at the time of the new moon, and verse 7c–d is stating that the deathly consequences of that idolatrous worship will be allowed by God to run their course. Both Old Testament and New include the thought of God abandoning the people and “giving them over” to the consequences of their sin (Amos 8:11–12; Rom. 1:24–32; Rev. 6:8; cf. Isa. 1:15; Jer. 14:12; Ezek. 20:3, 31). No punishment could be greater than to be entirely loosed ...

2070. God’s Love for Israel

Hosea 11:1-11

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... that divine rule. 11:10–11 Thus, verses 10–11 picture Israel’s return to God. Verse 10, with its figure of the roaring lion, is alien to Hosea’s language and sounds very much like Amos (cf. 1:2; 3:8). It may be a secondary insertion. But the thought is that of verse 11, which is genuine with Hosea (cf. his use of doves, 7:11, and his coupling of Egypt and Assyria, 7:11; 9:3; 12:1). After the Assyrian conquest, on the other side of judging them, God will gather his dispersed people and return them ...

2071. Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

Amos 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... not. Several theological points are noteworthy in this dispute saying. First, in the parallelism of verse 8, Yahweh is compared to a lion who is roaring over some prey that it has caught. Lions do not roar while stalking, but only after capturing their meat, and so in Amos’s thought, Israel is as good as dead. It is the same daring figure that Amos employed in 1:2; it further illumines the meaning of that verse, and it is picked up again in 3:12. Hosea then employs the figure in 5:14 (cf. Hos. 6:1) and 13 ...

2072. A Lament and Call to Repentance

Amos 5:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... courts of law. When Amos or the other authors of the OT speak of seeking “good” (cf. Ps. 34:12–14; 37:3; Isa. 1:16–17; see also Rom. 12:9), they have in mind no set of virtues or standards outside of God. The “good” in Hebrew thought was what Yahweh commanded, and it was good because he commanded it. No ethical code, no set of religious rules, no ideals existed apart from their grounding in the will of God. Life could be had only in relationship with the source of life, and apart from trusting ...

2073. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... is often paired with the lion (1 Sam. 17:34 37; Prov. 28:15; Lam. 3:10; Hos. 13:8; Amos 5:19) and is thought to be dangerous especially when bereft of its cubs (2 Sam. 17:8; Prov. 17:12; Hos. 13:8). “Bear” imagery is also employed in ... (Eccles. 11:9). One key word in the NT is krisis. It has a range of meaning similar to mishpat. In the NT, judgment is rendered for thoughts and words as well as deeds (Matt. 5:21–22; 12:36). Future, eschatological judgment is a key theme for Jesus (Matt. 10:15; 11:22, 24 ...

2074. Jonah's Prayer

Jonah 2:1-10

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... the world (Gen. 1:2, 9; Ps. 104:7–9; Job 38:8–11; Prov. 8:29). And connected always with those chaotic waters was the thought of evil, darkness, and death, as opposed to God’s created order of good, light, and life. Thus, to sink into the waters was to ... be able to look toward Yahweh’s dwelling in heaven or on earth, verse 4 (RSV). Jonah is sinking toward death. In Hebrew thought, every sort of distress or illness or trouble was considered to be a weak form of death. Thus, while Jonah is not yet dead ...

2075. Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Micah 1:1-7

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... for the dissonance between verses 2–4 and verse 5 by proposing that the judgment on Israel is understood as a model or foretaste of the judgment that will come upon all nations. Neither proposal seems correct. Rather, this proclamation in verses 2–5b encapsulates the thought of the Micah book as a whole and furnishes an overview of Yahweh’s plan (cf. 4:12) for the nations, which is being worked out through Israel in fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to the fathers (7:20; cf. Gen. 12:3). The Lord ...

Showing results