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 2101 to 2125 of 2669 results

2101. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... messiahs or zealots promising the defeat of Rome. For example, Josephus mentions “deceivers and imposters” who “under the pretense of divine inspiration foster[ed] revolutionary changes. . . . They persuaded the multitude to act like madmen, and led them out into the desert under the belief that God would there give them tokens of deliverance” (J.W. 2.259 [see also Ant. 20.97–99, 167–72]). 24:27 For as lightning . . . is visible . . . so will be the coming of the Son of Man. According to R. T ...

2102. Jesus Is Tried before Pilate and Sentenced to Death

Matthew 27:1-10, Matthew 27:11-26

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem, aided by Judas. Understanding the Text Following Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, the chief priests and elders bring him to Pilate, the governor (27:1–2). Matthew narrates the self-inflicted death of Judas, emphasizing Judas’s belief in the innocence of Jesus, a theme that continues through this chapter (27:4, 19; see 27:24; cf. 12:7). In the account about Judas, Matthew also highlights the way in which Jesus’ story fulfills Scripture (27:9–10, one of ...

2103. The Resurrected Jesus Is Vindicated by God and Given All Authority

Matthew 28:1-10, Matthew 28:11-15, Matthew 28:16-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... understand Christian faith as a journey. Learning from Jesus, or what Luke Johnson calls “learning Jesus,” is a lifelong endeavor and commitment based on God’s initiative in our lives. As Johnson expresses it, We are pursuing the implications of a strong belief in the resurrection for knowledge of Jesus. If we are dealing not with a dead person of the past but with a person whose life continues, however mysteriously, in the present, then it is better to speak of “learning Jesus” than of “knowing ...

2104. Jesus Inaugurates the Disciple Band and Conquers the Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:14-20, Mark 1:21-28

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... by casting out demons (1:21–28; 3:11–12), and given this authority to his disciples (3:14–15; cf. 6:7). In this series of stories Jesus confronts each group with the reality of himself as powerful prophet and the Messiah, calling them to repentance and belief (as in 1:15). Interpretive Insights 1:16 walked beside the Sea of Galilee. This does not occur at the start of Jesus’s Galilean ministry; in fact, it may be several weeks into it. In John 1:19–51 Jesus meets Andrew and Simon, Philip and ...

2105. Jesus’s Ministry and Popularity Continue to Grow

Mark 1:40-45, Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... lead astray), a lunatic (his claims were false, but he believed them), or Lord (“this man was, and is, the Son of God”).6If the claims of Jesus and the Bible are true, then he is Lord and demands our full commitment. Do your life choices reflect your belief that Jesus is Lord? Jesus had a deep prayer life. Quote: Martin Luther. A common excuse offered by people who do not pray consistently is that they are too busy. Martin Luther is credited with saying, “I have so much to do that if I didn’t spend ...

2106. Jesus Calling and Accepting the Outcasts

Mark 2:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... to the gospel. Theological Insights Human prejudice has no place in God’s kingdom, and Jesus proves that by centering on the outcasts in society and showing the divine acceptance of all who come to him in faith. The only criterion for salvation is belief, and that becomes possible only when the self-righteous humble themselves before God and open their hearts to Jesus. There is no place for ministry that favors one segment of society over another, and there is no path to God except that of faith. Teaching ...

2107. Jesus Turns to His New Family

Mark 3:31-35, Mark 3:20-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... and that fits the New Testament occurrences better. Most likely, Jesus’s father, Joseph, is not mentioned because he has already died. Jesus’s family set out in 3:20–21 to “seize” Jesus and force him to return home to Nazareth. Moreover, their belief that he is “out of his mind” is connected to their charge that he is demon possessed. Now they arrive just as the diatribe with the scribes has ended. Mark describes them as “standing outside,” symbolizing Jesus’s family as being “outside ...

2108. The Authority of Jesus over Sickness and Death

Mark 5:21-43

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... with menstrual flow is unclean for seven days, and anyone touching her will be unclean for an entire day. In Ezekiel 36:17 Israel’s unholy conduct was likened to “a woman’s monthly uncleanness” in its defiling aura. This was exacerbated by the belief that blood was the basis of life, so menstruation symbolized life leaving the body. She had lost all her possessions searching for a cure, and now she was a pariah, a virtual leper, to everyone around her. We cannot imagine the horror that this sad ...

2109. Spiritual Blindness and the Way to Overcome It

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 8:14-21

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... now?” (Jane). “Dear God, I’m an American. What are you?” (Robert).5The perspectives of these kids are cute, but childish perspectives are not so cute when we are adults. The reason is that what we believe dictates the decisions that we make in our lives. If our perspective and beliefs are faulty, then our choices will be faulty as well. And as adults, we typically have the power to do a lot more damage through our choices than would a child. Beware of spiritual blindness!

2110. Jesus’s Glory and Majesty Disclosed

Mark 9:2-13

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... empty tomb, when the truth about Jesus’s suffering and glory could be known. 9:10 discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. Their confusion does not mean that they had never heard about resurrection after death; that was a common belief, rejected only by the Sadducees (see 12:18–27). Rather, they wonder why Jesus would refer to his own resurrection. In their minds, Jesus as the Messiah would destroy their enemies and establish the messianic age. Talk about suffering, death, and resurrection ...

2111. The Model of Jesus for Discipleship Service, Not Self-Seeking

Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:38-41, Mark 9:42-50

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... live in peace with one another. Teaching the Text 1. Defining truth on the basis of our own traditions is harmful.Every tradition has its “delusions of grandeur,” that all truth begins and ends with its own particular set of beliefs. Within the larger evangelical traditions there are cardinal doctrines that are accepted (and demanded) by all: the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the Holy Spirit (but without agreement on the charismatic issue), substitutionary atonement, justification by faith (but without ...

2112. Possessions and Choice in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:17-31

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... more Jesus privately explains the meaning of an event or parable to his disciples.1This is “the moral of the story.” The man wants to “enter eternal life” but instead becomes an example of the great “difficulty” of doing so. He undoubtedly accepts the basic Jewish belief (still held today) that riches are a sign of favor with God, but he fails to realize that wealth is a great impediment because it binds one to this world. 10:25 camel to go through the eye of a needle. As before (5:42; 6:51 ...

2113. Praying in Faith

Mark 11:20-25 (26)

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... tension in the word for “doubt” (diakrin?), which in James 1:5–7 refers not just to “doubting” God but to a divided mind that fails to trust God and produces an unstable Christian life. Yet here it does seem to reflect a certain belief that God will grant the request. Confidence in a giving God that enables one to consider the requested action as already taking place produces a spiritual power that sees incredible things happen. 11:24 whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have ...

2114. Jesus Proclaims Judgment on the Temple and the Nation

Mark 13:1-31

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... 25 But in those days, following that distress. “In those days” is frequently used in the Old Testament for the coming eschaton (e.g., Jer. 3:16, 18; 31:29). As in Romans 8, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation, this follows the Jewish belief that the entire universe, inanimate as well as animate, is involved in the human predicament and will be changed when humankind is changed. The “distress/tribulation” is the period described in verses 14–20 following the desolating sacrilege and great persecution. the ...

2115. The Necessity of Vigilance in Light of the Parousia

Mark 13:32-37

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... than the destruction of the temple, as is clear in the next few verses. “About that day” seems to go back to “those days” in verses 17, 19, 20, 24, centering primarily on the final days at the eschaton.6 God’s absolute knowledge of the future was a common belief (Isa. 41:22–23; 46:10; Zech. 14:7; 2 Bar. 21:8; 4 Ezra 4:51–52); as in Acts 1:7, no one can know the time “the Father has set by his own authority.” The exact date is known neither by the angels nor by the Son ...

2116. Jesus Interprets the Passover Seder of Himself

Mark 14:12-26

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... over the events (as evidenced by the procurement of the room in Mark 14:13–14). Sadly, many people’s view of God is that he is not in control. Albert Mohler tells of a survey done in Great Britain in which people were asked about their belief in God. One of the questions asked, “Do you believe in a God who intervenes in human history, who changes the course of affairs, who performs miracles, etc.?” One man’s answer summarized the typical response to that question: “No, I don’t believe in that ...

2117. John the Baptist

Luke 3:1-20

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... 14 we will be provided with three concrete examples of what this means. We have Abraham as our father. Jewish expectation was that God’s salvation was for his own people, the descendants of Abraham (cf. John 8:39, 53). John challenges that belief. His pun on the two very similar Aramaic words for “stones” and “children” pokes fun at this narrow nationalism. If his baptism was recognized as a development from the baptism of proselytes (see “Historical and Cultural Background” above), it was in ...

2118. Testing in the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... under strain, most notably in the mental conflict of Gethsemane (22:39–46). The whole process of Jesus’s arrest, trial, and execution is to be understood as the devil’s renewed assault (22:3). Theological Insights Luke shares the general Jewish belief in a personal devil, whom he elsewhere generally calls “Satan,” as the leader of opposition to God’s purposes for his world. Under Satan’s control are the demonic forces most frequently met in the Gospel as evil spirits possessing people (11 ...

2119. Sabbath in Capernaum

Luke 4:38-44, Luke 4:31-37

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... Greek verb here need mean no more than that Jesus has a God-given mission (cf. “He has sent me” [4:18]). Some interpreters suggest, however, that Gospel references to Jesus’s “being sent” or “coming” for a given purpose may also express a belief in Jesus’s preexistence before his “coming into the world.”1 4:44 in the synagogues of Judea. In Luke’s narrative Jesus will not reach Judea proper (the southern province focused on Jerusalem) until chapter 19, but here he uses the term in ...

2120. “Love Your Enemies”

Luke 6:27-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... by a converted prostitute, Sonya. She not only enjoins him with passion and wisdom “to accept suffering and achieve atonement,” but also lovingly stays by his side, even going with him to Siberia when he serves his sentence there. She refuses to compromise her belief that all must accept the consequences of sin and submit to the mercy of God. In a final scene Dostoevsky writes, “Love had raised them from the dead and the heart of each held endless springs of life for the heart of the other. . . . He ...

2121. An Encounter across the Lake

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

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... envisage might be merely the threat of expulsion from their “home” (on the discomfort of an expelled demon, see 11:24) but perhaps also expresses fear that Jesus, as the Son of God, is now about to initiate the final destruction of all evil spirits, which Jewish belief expected in the last days; this is probably what is meant by “go into the Abyss” in 8:31. 8:30 “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied. It was believed that to know the name of a demon gave the exorcist power over it. The ...

2122. A Sick Woman and a Dead Girl

Luke 8:40-56

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... ), both for herself and for all associated with her, not only would be an embarrassment and an inconvenience but also would likely put her in social isolation. Her surreptitious approach to Jesus reflects this delicate situation. 8:44 touched the edge of his cloak. For the belief that healing could be conveyed by a touch, see on 6:19. The kraspedon (“edge”) is probably the tassel required by the law (Num. 15:37–38) to be attached to the corners of men’s outer garments. It is not clear whether her ...

2123. The Messiah and His Glory

Luke 9:28-36, Luke 9:18-27

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... from the distant past (both of whom had left this earth in mysterious circumstances [Deut. 34:5–6; 2 Kings 2:11]) adds to the numinous atmosphere. Both were prophets, and both had met God on a mountain. Both were expected in Jewish belief to be part of the eschatological scenario. Their presence confirms Jesus’s status as the Messiah. 9:31 They spoke about his departure. “Departure” (exodos) probably focuses on Jesus’s death, but perhaps it also includes his resurrection as the completion of ...

2124. Negative Responses to Jesus

Luke 11:33-36, Luke 11:29-32, Luke 11:14-28

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... part of the missionary experience in some parts of the world. Rowland Bingham (1872–1942), founder of the Sudan Interior Mission, wrote about the “constant invisible warfare” that has to be waged against the powers of darkness. “It is fashionable in the Western world to relegate belief in demons and devils to the realm of mythology, and when mentioned at all it is a matter of jest. But it is no jest in West Africa or any other mission field for that matter. One has not to go far in the jungles of ...

2125. Affluence and the Afterlife

Luke 16:19-31

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... , at which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob preside (13:28), and is given the most prestigious place there. The contrast with his earthly condition could not be more marked. The role of angels in conveying a dead person to heaven is unusual, perhaps representing popular belief. died and was buried. A starkly simple statement in comparison with the fulsome account of what happened to Lazarus. There is to be no further banquet for the rich man. 16:23 In Hades, where he was in torment. On Hades, see “Historical ...

Showing results