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 2126 to 2150 of 2669 results

2126. Two Testing Questions

Luke 20:27-40, Luke 20:20-26

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R.T. France

... to be made. Jesus’s argument for life after death in 20:37–38 is so brief as to be quite cryptic. As an ad hominem argument addressed to Sadducees, it apparently carried its point, but a full theological defense of resurrection belief must take in the whole gamut of Scripture, the Old and New Testaments. The separate argument in 20:34–36 concerning the nature of resurrection life sounds an important warning against simplistic assumptions based on earthly experience. There is an inevitable and ...

2127. The Trials of Peter and of Jesus

Luke 22:66--23:25, Luke 22:63-65, Luke 22:54-62

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R.T. France

... . This abusive treatment of Jesus the “prophet” by his Jewish guards takes the place of the violent mockery of the Jewish “king” by Roman soldiers in Matthew 27:27–31; Mark 15:16–20; John 19:2–3. Underlying their cruel sarcasm may be a popular belief, based on Isaiah 11:3, that the true Messiah should be able to identify his assailant without being able to see him. The reader, however, recognizes that what they say in jest is in fact true: Jesus the prophet has rightly predicted both Peter’s ...

2128. The Risen Jesus Revealed

Luke 24:13-35

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R.T. France

... moment. 24:33–35 There they found the Eleven and those with them. A lot has happened in the five hours or so since the two set off for Emmaus. The original scorn of the male disciples at the women’s report has given way to dawning belief. The decisive new event has been the appearance to Peter, which must be presumed to be subsequent to his inconclusive visit to the tomb in 24:12. The Gospels have no other record of this individual appearance, but Paul records it as part of the received tradition ...

2129. The Whole World Is under the Curses of the Covenant

Romans 3:9-20

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C. Marvin Pate

... and loses sight of the democratic vision. Soon, these “normal” children become corrupted and capable of great destruction, even murder. Some critics have suggested that the story is a response to other works of that time in which authors showed belief in the inherent goodness of human nature. Depravity, Golding seems to suggest, is part of humankind’s composition, manifesting itself even in children. There are two film versions (1963, 1990), from which key scenes could be shown. A similar work ...

2130. God’s Saving Righteousness and the Restoration of Israel

Romans 3:21-31

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C. Marvin Pate

... with Rom. 4) revealed that acceptance before God is based on faith; indeed, the true children of Abraham are those who are saved by faith, not by the law of Moses. Why, then, did God give the Torah to Israel? Ultimately, it was to drive both Jew and Gentile to belief in Jesus (compare Rom. 1:18–4:25 with Gal. 3:1–4:7). Fourth, the overarching argument that Paul makes in Romans 1:18–3:31 is that the stipulation of the new covenant is faith in Jesus Christ, not the law of Moses. Faith and Law in Paul ...

2131. The Mystery and Mercy of God

Romans 11:25-32

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C. Marvin Pate

... for the current conversion of the Gentiles, and then the restoration of Israel will transpire. And the date of Israel’s change of heart regarding Jesus will occur in and around the events of his return. Concerning the second sermon/lesson, the problem of Israel’s belief looms large in the New Testament. Jesus’ answer to that quandary was to view Isaiah 6:9–10 as a prophecy of Israel’s future rejection of God and his Messiah (compare Isa. 6:9–10 with Mark 4:11–12). Paul probably taps into that ...

2132. “Weak and Strong” Should Get Along

Romans 14:1--15:13

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C. Marvin Pate

... people mean when they use the word brotherhood. The analogy is apt; just as AA members are united by their acknowledgment of weakness and need though they may be at different stages of growth and stability, so too Christians are united by their belief in Christ.8 Christ is the means for unity between weak and strong Christians. Theological Book: Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Few books are better at describing what the life of the Christian community should be. In this book, referred to earlier (see ...

2133. Worship and Proper Attire

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

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Preben Vang

... bad-mouth one spouse to another, false teachers seeking to separate sheep from faithful shepherds by subtly questioning their competency, dates who want to separate teens from their parents’ morality by insisting they are out of touch, teachers or professors who encourage students to rebel against their parents’ worldview and beliefs, and so on.

2134. Many Parts, One Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

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Preben Vang

... : There is thus a close similarity between the Christian and Stoic points of view in this period. The difference lies in the fact that in Paul’s view it is in Christ that social and national barriers are cast down whereas the Stoics ground their attitude in the belief that men are all human beings by nature and thus related to one another. Their view is founded not on a God in whom all are equal but on kinship through one’s very humanity.[5] Leftovers from such use of body language are still found in ...

2135. Resurrection and History

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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Preben Vang

... have been martyred for it? Would it have changed the faith of so many faithful Jews? The bodily resurrection of Christ was the theological lightning rod of the early church. Without it, Paul says, Christianity is a useless and foolish faith. Quote: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller. “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is ...

2136. John Called to Prophesy Again

Revelation 10:1-11

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J. Scott Duvall

... T. Wright tells about Bill Klem, an umpire famous for placing great confidence in the power of his decisions. He was known to answer a batter’s “Is it a ball or strike?” with “It ain’t nothing ’til I call it.” Wright comments: Klem’s belief in the power of his words may have annoyed both batters and pitchers in his time, but the idea of speaking words which create a new reality is an ancient one, finding classic expression in the great prophets. They are not only given visions or revelations ...

2137. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

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J. Scott Duvall

... persecution in the corrupt city of Rome. Quote: Annales, by Tacitus. This Roman senator and historian commented: But all the endeavours of men, all the emperor’s largesse and the propitiations of the gods, did not suffice to allay the scandal or banish the belief that the fire had been ordered. And so, to get rid of this rumor, Nero set up as the culprits and punished with the utmost refinement of cruelty a class hated for their abominations, who are commonly called Christians. . . . Besides being put to ...

2138. The Final Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

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J. Scott Duvall

... about all the wonderful things God has in store for his people, this text provides a sobering reminder of the punishment awaiting those who rebel against God. While some would like to find support for the doctrine of annihilation in Revelation (i.e., the belief that the wicked will be destroyed and cease to exist once thrown into the fiery lake), the book seems to teach the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked. In Revelation 14:9–11 and 20:10, we find the phrases “torment,” “night and day ...

2139. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... East outside the Bible, and no Bronze Age goat idols have been discovered archaeologically in ancient Syro-Palestine. Leviticus itself explicitly prohibits making sacrifice to goat-demons (Lev. 17:7) or gods other than Yahweh (Lev. 19:4). While Leviticus 17:7 suggests that belief in goat-demons existed, the idea of sending a Day of Atonement goat to one of them seems at odds with the prohibition against sacrificing to them. A third view takes ‘aza’zel as a proper name not for a living demon but rather ...

2140. Blood: Right and Wrong Uses

Leviticus 17:1-16

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... is that Christianity does make exclusive truth claims. Christians should be prepared for explosive responses when they make those claims. Many truth claims will ignite an indignant response from our secular culture, but that does not mean we should pack beliefs in straw and put them in storage. Just as the explosive components of nitroglycerin helped clear ground for the transcontinental railroad, the truth claims of Scripture can break down strongholds of deception in the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor. 10 ...

2141. Holiness of Priests

Lev 21:1–23:2

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... and deacons must have moral integrity and lack moral blemishes such as quick-temperedness or drunkenness (see 1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9). Just as pagan mourning practices disqualify a priest from service, so non-Christian or pagan beliefs and practices disqualify a person from Christian leadership, for only those affirming “sound doctrine” can serve as elders (Titus 1:9). Thus Christian leaders, like Israel’s priests, are to maintain a special degree of holiness. Christian leaders are to do ...

2142. The Aaronic Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... this whole hypothesis. That the blessing came to be buried in tombs of the late seventh century may reflect the positive influence of Josiah’s reforms that suppressed idolatry and promoted biblical religion (2 Kings 23:1–7). Its burial in tombs shows a belief in the afterlife: the Aaronic blessing had become a prayer for the deceased to have felicity in the afterlife. It is thus an example of how a biblical text can be adapted to a different usage, just as Christian ministers have adapted the Aaronic ...

2143. Balaam’s Donkey

Numbers 22:21-41

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... of energy, and sometimes the sum total of every living thing. Some Christians who saw the movie identified Eywa as the equivalent of the Bible’s God. But as journalist Ross Douthat correctly points out, the real theology of this movie is pantheism, a belief that everything that is, is God.5The Eywa in Avatar is an impersonal and amoral Nature with which people are supposed to become one. The Bible, in contrast, clearly distinguishes God from nature and everywhere shows him to be personal and moral. There ...

2144. Balaam’s Final Prophecies: The Star and the Scepter

Num 24:15-25

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... . Eventually he became a professor of church history and developed a reputation as a historian of first rank, tracing the development of Christian dogma throughout the ages. But along the way, he came to believe that many of the most-basic Christian beliefs should be tossed aside. He argued that the Apostles’ Creed was no proper standard of faith, that many of the miracles in Scripture were fabricated, and that John’s Gospel did not have historical value in understanding Jesus. Moreover, Harnack’s ...

2145. The Second Census

Numbers 26:1-65

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... us to heed God’s warnings and trust in his promises today. God’s warnings and promises are numerous: we are warned that sins such as unbridled lust can bring punishment from God (1 Thess. 4:3–6) and that if we neglect salvation in Christ, fall away from belief, or repudiate Christ, we will face God’s severe judgment (Heb. 2:1–3; 6:4–8; 10:26–29). But Christians are also promised that Christ is with us always (Matt. 28:20), that we can have his peace in this troubled world (John 14:27), that ...

2146. A Prodigal Son Comes Home in Body, but Not in Spirit

2 Sam 14:1–15:12

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... in Gen. 31:20, 26, where, as here, it refers to deceitful behavior). 15:8 If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem. Absalom may be fabricating this story to justify a visit to Hebron, where he plans to declare himself king. But it may also reflect his belief that (1) the Lord is the one who engineers his return to Jerusalem, and (2) his divinely authorized return to the city is a sign of divine favor and of his royal destiny. 15:10 Absalom is king in Hebron. Absalom’s choice of a place of enthronement ...

2147. Barren No More

1 Sam 1:1-20–2:11

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... 8:33; 10:6, 10; 1 Sam. 7:4), Hannah could be tempted to look to this popular god to deliver her from her childless condition. But she remains faithful to the Lord and is vindicated. She affirms that the Lord is sovereign, challenging the Canaanite belief that Baal is the incomparable king who ensures fertility. In contrast to Baal, who periodically succumbs to the god of death, the Lord both kills and makes alive. The Lord, not Baal, is the one who thunders in the storm.2 Interpretive Insights 1:1 There ...

2148. Defeat, Death, and Departure

1 Sam 4:2-22

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... a god” has come into the Israelite camp (v. 7) and expect to face an assault by the “gods” that have delivered Israel from Egypt (note their polytheistic perspective). They anticipate defeat but courageously resolve to fight (v. 9). Implicit in their words is the belief that Israel’s gods are superior. Yet the Philistines win the battle, causing one to wonder how and why they are able to prevail when they themselves expect to lose. The answer comes in verse 11: in one breath we are told that the ark ...

2149. Israel Demands a King

1 Samuel 8:1-22

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , led by Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas, seem to view the ark as a palladium or relic that can be used to compel God to intervene on their behalf. The ark’s failure to bring victory and then, even worse, its capture may have led to the belief that it is ineffective. The people possibly feel that a surrogate palladium is needed to do the job they expected the ark to do. So they request a king to lead them into battle, as the ark has done at Jericho. Since the surrounding nations believe that their ...

2150. Saul Forfeits a Dynasty

1 Samuel 13:1-15

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... he has not “sought the Lord’s favor” (the Hebrew word may carry the idea of “appease” here; see HALOT, 317). On closer inspection, Saul’s viewpoint is flawed in at least three important ways: (1) His concern about his dwindling forces reveals a belief that human armies, not the Lord, will decide the battle (in this regard recall Judg. 7). (2) His concern with offering a sacrifice reveals a faulty theology that elevates ritual above obedience (see 15:22–23) and tends to think that ritual can in ...

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