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 2176 to 2200 of 2669 results

2176. Seeking God with All Our Hearts

Deut 4:1-43

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that you may live” (4:1). Few phrases are repeated more frequently in this book (e.g., 5:33; 6:2; 11:21; 25:15; 30:6), climaxing in 30:15–20 as a call to life as God means it to be lived. This life is found only by belief and trust in the word of God, which is inviolable, with no lessening (subtracting from) or increasing (adding to) that word (4:2). Israel’s wisdom and understanding of these laws will be a witness to the nations (4:5–8). Moreover, the only way anyone is going to be ...

2177. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... adopting the god of the land to which they have moved. Her actions are atypical, however, when viewed against the average Israelite who, at that time, tended toward adopting foreign gods alongside the Lord. This syncretism (fusing two or more originally different beliefs into one) so dominant at the time the story unfolds is something Ruth chooses not to embrace. Ruth does what few Israelites are able to do, embrace and fully commit to Yahwistic religion yet discard all opposing religious alliances. In a ...

2178. The Ark Returned to Israel

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.” According to Numbers 19:2, in some cases a cow was not to be used in a sacrifice if it had been under a yoke. In relation to the new cart, it was likely a common ritual belief that the most appropriate instrument for dealing with a sacred object was something new—that is, something not used for nonreligious purposes. The two cows not only were usable for sacrificial purposes but may have been used by the Philistines as divination tools. If two cows ...

2179. Opposition from Within: The Crisis of Intermarriage

Ezra 9:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . The New Testament commands believers not to marry unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14). Any commitment that competes with our commitment to Christ makes us guilty of “unfaithfulness.” This can be applied to other areas of life, such as marrying Christian beliefs with current un-Christian philosophies. It often results in reducing the “Christian” message to a simple code of rules for good behavior and negates the power of Jesus’s gospel. When Ezra realizes what is happening, he is horrified; he becomes ...

2180. Job's Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and his ways (13:3–19). The friends smear Job with lies (13:4), but based on Job’s following comments, the lies are not so much about Job as about God (13:7–12). Job believes he is speaking honestly about God, and emboldened by his belief that the friends speak deceit, he demands that they remain silent. He, meanwhile, is ready to appear in court. Job now addresses God directly (13:20–14:22). A day in court is possible for Job if God would withdraw his overpowering, oppressive presence. In a less ...

2181. Job's Second Reply to Bildad

Job 19:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God, a theme heard in his last speech (16:18–17:16). There as well, Job has teased out the notion of a witness in heaven, an advocate (16:18–21). To that thought, to that wish for a supporter on high, Job now adds a belief that, should he die without facing God, his “kinsman-redeemer” (Hebrew goel; NIV “redeemer”) will take his case and confront God. The goel—an Israelite sociological phenomenon—is a near relative whose role is to assist a family or family member in dire straits. Whether the ...

2182. Psalm 94

Psalm 94:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the avenger God to judge the wicked because of their attacks on God’s people, particularly on the helpless (e.g., widows, foreigners, and orphans) (94:1–6). The wicked arrogantly assume that God has no idea what they are doing (94:7). Yet their beliefs about God are illogical; for the one who created the ability to hear, see, and think most certainly knows all about their sinful actions (94:8–11). This all-knowing, compassionate God justly disciplines his people so that they might follow his truth (94 ...

2183. Examining Public Worship

Jeremiah 7:1-29, Jeremiah 7:30--8:3

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... talk about siege (8–10). Similarly, the sermon of chapters 2–3 precedes the announcement of the northern invader (4:5–6:30). The famous temple sermon (7:1–15) at once identifies the points at issue: a call to behavioral reform and a challenge to belief about the temple. The first point is amplified in verses 5–7, the second in verses 8–12. A biting announcement concludes the sermon, which was preached early in the reign of Jehoiakim. The temple gate, perhaps the so-called New Gate (Jer. 26:10 ...

2184. Divine Anger

Jeremiah 24:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... them. The obvious conclusion, however, is the wrong conclusion. Some Jews may have been carried to Egypt with Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:34); others went there later (Jer. 43:7). The siege of 597 had not completely fulfilled the prophecies for disaster, as some may have thought. Jeremiah overturns popular beliefs.

2185. Shepherds and Sheep

Ezekiel 34:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... David (Jer. 30:9; Hos. 3:5). It may be that we should understand “my servant David will tend them/be their shepherd/be prince among them” to mean “one from the house of David” will expedite these ministries, rather than as reflecting a belief that David will return from the dead (cf. 1 Samuel 28; Matthew 17). Christians, of course, read the passage messianically, and properly so. Verses 25–31 shift from the metaphor of sheep and shepherds to the imagery of prosperity and peace, which the restored ...

2186. Punishment for Israel

Hosea 9:1--10:15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and blessings. Unfortunately things did not work out this way; his people planted evil seeds instead of righteous seeds, so naturally they have reaped evil results. Part of this is explained as their consumption of the poisonous fruit of lies, deception, and false beliefs. One cannot expect the blessings of God’s wonderful fruit by depending on human strength or large armies instead of on God (10:13). The evil calamity that will come as the fruit of this false trust will be war and the defeat ...

2187. Don’t Be Deceived By False Hopes

Amos 5:18-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Lest anyone think that somehow the nation of Israel will escape God’s wrath and not suffer judgment, Amos addresses three issues that might be false sources of hope for the people in Israel. First, the prophet questions the audience about their beliefs about the day of the Lord (5:18–20). Some Israelites doubt his prediction of doom; they think that on the day of the Lord, God will miraculously intervene in history, defeat his enemies, and invite his Hebrew people to enjoy his eternal kingdom, where ...

2188. Edom’s Judgment Pronounced and Reaffirmed

Obadiah 1:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... legislation of the Torah is rooted in the concept of lex talionis, or “an eye for an eye” (Exod. 21:24–25; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21), meaning punishment will be exacted in a fashion commensurate with the crime. Israel’s wisdom tradition echoes this belief (Prov. 26:27; cf. Ps. 7:15–16); and even Paul acknowledges that people reap what they sow (Gal. 6:7–8). Judah witnessed the surety of this truth when God used Assyria to punish Samaria, crushed the Assyrian Empire by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar ...

2189. Second Perplexity

Habakkuk 1:12--2:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... far as Habakkuk can see, a holy God could not carry out such a plan. In laying out his consternation at God’s reply, Habakkuk diplomatically begins with the statement that he is sure Israel’s God must do that which is right (1:12). He reaffirms his belief in God, who is the everlasting Lord, the Holy One, Israel’s Rock, and his very own God. Having made the point of his allegiance to God, Habakkuk quickly points out the paradox that a holy God could use such a wicked nation to execute his purposes (1 ...

2190. Peter's Confession to Christ

Matthew 16:13-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :2–16:20 is Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah (16:16). In response to Jesus’s question about his identity as perceived by others, the disciples provide a range of responses (16:13–14; including John the Baptist in line with Herod’s belief at 14:2). Peter speaks on behalf of the disciples, rightly identifying Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16). Although Matthew tells his readers that Jesus is the Messiah from the very beginning of the Gospel (1:1), this is the ...

2191. Marriage at the Resurrection

Matthew 22:23-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The next group of leaders questioning Jesus is the Sadducees (22:23–33), who pose a question meant to reveal the absurdity of belief in bodily resurrection. They hypothesize a woman widowed seven times from the death of seven brothers. Their question: At the resurrection from the dead whose wife will she be? Jesus answers that they are (dead) wrong, because they are ignorant of both the Scriptures and God’s power (22:29)! ...

2192. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for “hear.” The mark of a true disciple, an insider, is to “hear the word and accept it and bear fruit” (4:20 ESV, NASB). Those who genuinely hear and receive the mystery of the kingdom of God will, by the grace of its generative power, produce a harvest beyond belief.

2193. A Prophet without Honor

Mark 6:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in Galilee, but a “stumbling block” (6:3; NIV “offense”). This repeats Mark’s insider-outsider motif: those we should expect to believe in Jesus do not, and those we should not expect to believe in him do. The return to Nazareth ends with Jesus “amazed at their lack of belief” (6:6). The greatest hindrance to faith is not sinfulness but hardness of heart.

2194. Many are Healed

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

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... reality of the demonic and claim that what we have here is some form of mental illness; however, Jesus never discounted the reality of the demonic world, and oftentimes the rejection of the demonic is due to a rationalistic worldview that rejects any belief in the supernatural realm. One should not, however, rule out that, in some instances, a relationship exists between demonic possession and mental illness. (3) Jesus also reveals his authority over illness by healing Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever (4 ...

2195. The Faith of the Centurion

Luke 7:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... was probably a member of Herod Antipas’s army since the Romans were not in Galilee before AD 44. From Jesus’s statement in verse 9 it is also evident that the centurion is a Gentile; he thus becomes a symbol of Gentile belief in Jesus, a remarkable contrast to Israel’s unbelief. The humility of the centurion is also apparent. The Jewish elders (community leaders in Capernaum) believe that he “deserves” (7:4) Jesus’s help. But the centurion considers himself undeserving and unworthy (7:6 ...

2196. The Resurrection and Marriage

Luke 20:27-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... with a question about the resurrection from the Sadducees (20:27–40). The Sadducees were an aristocratic group who were the most powerful political faction in Palestine. They rejected both the oral tradition of the law, to which the Pharisees adhered, and belief in the resurrection and angels (cf. Acts 23:8). They relied only on the Old Testament Scriptures for their theology, focusing especially on the Torah. In this episode they try to show that the doctrine of the resurrection is ridiculous. Referring ...

2197. On the Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... have been the Messiah (24:21). To make matters worse, some women are saying that this Jesus is alive. They are right that the tomb is empty, but such a report could not be believed because no one has seen Jesus. The “unknown” Jesus counters the belief of these two by pointing to the Scriptures. The Old Testament Scriptures clearly teach that the Messiah must suffer before he enters into glory. For the texts that Jesus used, one should probably refer to the speeches in the book of Acts (Acts 2:14–39 ...

2198. The Prologue

John 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... verses in the Bible. The Word did not just appear to be human; the Word became flesh. This assertion would have stunned the Greek mind, for which the separation of the divine spirit and the mundane world (Greek sarx, “flesh”) was an axiom of belief. But the second phrase is equally stunning for the Jew. This Word dwelt (Greek skēnoō) among us and revealed his glory. John uses Old Testament terms of the dwelling (literally “tabernacling”) of God with his people. The tabernacle (cf. Exod. 25:8–9 ...

2199. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and John’s statements are followed by the beloved disciple’s additional remarks (3:16–21 follows 3:1–15 as 3:31–36 follows 3:22–30). In 3:16–21 we learn how this gift of spiritual birth offered to Nicodemus might be appropriated. Belief in the Son gains eternal life (3:15–16, 18). Disbelief gains judgment and condemnation (3:18–19, 35). This sums up the worldview characteristic of John’s Gospel: one is either attracted to or repulsed by the light (3:19–21); one pursues either truth ...

2200. Jesus the Bread of Life

John 6:25-59

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of 6:25 about Jesus’s mysterious appearance in Capernaum goes unanswered, because now a theological response is at hand. Jesus is the bread of life that has mysteriously descended (6:35, 38). The twin themes of hunger and thirst (cf. chaps. 4, 6) are now satisfied. Belief is still the key (6:36; cf. 6:29); however, now a new note is struck. God is sovereign over the ministry of Jesus (6:38) as well as its results (6:37, 39, 44). Those whom God calls are effectively called and securely preserved (6:39 ...

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