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 201 to 225 of 285 results

201. Hope from a Stump

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... that this placement would be ‘temporary.’ (Temporary was the story of Virginia’s life.) “Finally, the foster mother said, ‘Are you frightened, Virginia?’ “‘Kinda,’ she replied without looking up. Then, ‘I’ve been in lots of homes.’ “‘Well,’ the sympathetic woman tried to reassure the bewildered young mother-to-be, ‘Let’s hope this time turns out for the best.’ “Virginia’s reply is one of those statements that sticks to your soul,” says John Jewell. “It was flat ...

202. Jesus Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... not on top of things right now like I should be. I’m sorry, sir. Thanks for waking me up to my responsibility.” In one minute, everything changed. From one moment of utterance, the businessman shifted from being angry and annoyed to being sympathetic and helpful. He made a paradigm shift in his perspective. He saw his immediate reality in a “new light.” Suddenly that very weary commuter train-traveler was seeing someone the way Jesus saw everyone. Not just as a focused beam of momentary interaction ...

203. We Are Not The Light

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

... times by flickering light. “Rejoice always” is a tall order in our day, just as it must have seemed a great challenge to the first-century church. Of course, I do not rejoice at having had cancer. I do rejoice that it has made me a better, more sympathetic pastor. I do not rejoice that my denomination has experienced yearly decline or that we are no longer invited to the White House on a routine basis. I do rejoice that we have found ourselves focusing a lot more on what should be primal in our common ...

204. Is the Doctor in Today?

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... in peace and be freed from your suffering.” The woman is obviously thrilled. She has been healed. Can you imagine, though, how Jairus feels while this is going on? His daughter is dying and Jesus is stopping to help this poor woman. Jairus is sympathetic, but can’t you imagine his fear that his daughter will die before Jesus’ gets to his house? Jairus’ fears are confirmed. Some people come from his house. “Your daughter is dead,” they say. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” That’s a normal ...

205. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 4:1-22

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... point to Luke’s use of a source. 4:15 They ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin: How did Luke get his information about what went on in the council? His narrative could have been based on deduction, but there may have been those in the council who were sympathetic to the new sect and from whom the story was gleaned. Or it may have come from Paul. It is highly unlikely that Paul was himself a member (see disc. on 7:60; 26:10), but he was close to one who was (see disc. on 5:34). Or again ...

206. Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Acts 9:19b-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... had been deposed, and in his place Vitellius had installed first Jonathan (see disc. on 4:6), then his brother Theophilus (A.D. 37–41). Second, there had been a change of emperor in the same year, with Caligula succeeding Tiberius. The new emperor was far less sympathetic to the Jews than Tiberius had been (see B. Reicke, p. 193), and this soon become evident. In the summer of A.D. 38 Herod Agrippa I, on his way to the kingdom granted him by Caligula (see disc. on 12:1), made a parade in Alexandria ...

207. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... early period. There were those who remained intransigent on the question of obedience to the law (see disc. on 11:1f. and 21:20). But there were others—Hengel thinks a large proportion of Palestinian Christians—who “will have been openly sympathetic to developments outside Palestine, while at the same time mistrusting the heightened emphasis on obedience to the Law” among their own people (Acts, pp. 101f.). But they were swimming against the stream. A number of factors were at work throughout this ...

208. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Acts 15:36-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Silas now assumed the role of “supporting cast” that Barnabas had played, though he would never attain the stature of Barnabas. He is never called an apostle (cf. 14:14). He may have commended himself to Paul for two reasons: his readiness to deal sympathetically with the Gentile believers and his possession (implied in 16:37) of Roman citizenship. That no mention is made of Barnabas and Mark being similarly sent out with a blessing means nothing except that Paul is now the center of Luke’s attention ...

209. The Trial Before Felix

Acts 24:1-27

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... verse 26, but here Luke mentions that Felix was well acquainted with the Way. The Greek participle behind this phrase is not adjectival as NIV has it (Felix who was …), but adverbial, “because he was …” This statement gives the impression that he was sympathetic toward the Christians—or at least had no desire to see them treated unjustly by the Jews—without wanting, on the other hand, to offend the Jews by setting Paul free. An important question relating to this phrase is how best to translate ...

210. The God of All Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... the body of the letter. Hence, Paul’s emphasis is not so much on the suffering itself but on its beneficial results for others. Second, in the process of praising God, Paul shares intimately of his tribulation and deliverance in order to regain the sympathetic affections of the Corinthians (cf. 2 Cor. 6:11), hoping that the church at Corinth will join him both in praising God for his deliverance and in praying for future deliverance. Whereas usually it is Paul who gives thanks for his addressees, here his ...

211. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... 3:10, hosoi … ex ergōn nomou, is literally “those of works of law”) conveys the sense that there is a recognized group of people who distinguish themselves as believers. Earlier in the letter Paul can speak of “the faith” (1:23), expecting his readers’ sympathetic attachment to that word. Paul now works his argument on the basis of his readers’ self-understanding as “those who believe” (see also 3:9, where those who have faith is a translation of the Greek phrase hoi ek pisteōs, which is ...

212. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... face and then smashing the head off his statue as one leaves the palace. At best it is inconsistent; at root it shows uncontrolled, unrepented evil lurking within that the person does not dare show toward God but vents on people instead. James, however, sympathetically recognized the unstable nature in people and identifies with it by using we, not because he accepts it as appropriate, but because in leading people to repentance he wishes to show them a better way (3:13–18). 3:10 The obvious problem here ...

213. Disobedience and Defeat

Judges 2:6-3:6

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... quickly at that? Canaanite religions, essentially fertility cults, had strong appeal in two areas: physical gratification and economic security or success. It was not only great business to worship Baal but also great fun! The Baal cult operated on the principle of sympathetic magic, so in order to ensure fertility of people, animals, and crops, a person would engage in sexual intercourse with a cult prostitute—male or female—at the local Baal shrine. The purpose was to inspire Baal to act likewise on ...

214. Jeremiah in Prison

Jeremiah 37:1-21

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... , prompting a response on the part of the prophet back to Shemaiah. For these reasons, Lundbom (Jeremiah 37–52, p. 55) may well be right that Zedekiah has sent a “good-cop, bad-cop” combination to Jeremiah. Jehucal hated him and Zephaniah may have been sympathetic. The occasion for the royal request for prayer is the withdrawal of the Babylonian army from the walls of Jerusalem. They did this to respond to a threat from the Egyptians who had mobilized their armies and were on the march from the south ...

215. How the Lord has Covered the Daughter of Zion

Lamentations 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... wine were the staples of diet; hence, this is a way of simply asking about the lack of all food and all drink. They not only faint, but they also die (their lives ebb away) in their mothers’ arms. 2:13 Mem. The poet takes a sympathetic stance toward the people of God. Rather than berating them for rebellion, he comforts them and shares in their anguish and sadness. However, words fail him when he tries to describe the extent of their suffering. Provan puts it well, “. . . the poet is searching for an ...

216. Hosea's Wife and Children

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... the source of fertility in human beings. Thus, by enacting the “marriage” of Baal with the land and humans, by means of sexual intercourse with male and female prostitutes at the cult sites, worshipers thought to coerce the god of fertility, through sympathetic magic, to bring forth fertility. In short, Baal was understood as the source of life, and worshiping him assured his devotees that they would have the good life. By using the imagery of his marriage with his people Israel, Yahweh, through Hosea ...

217. Israel’s Sin

Hosea 11:12--12:14

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... Hosea is referring here to those Levites and prophets of the North, who were the instigators of the Deuteronomic reform in Judah in 622/1 BC. Hosea numbers himself among them, and he states that though his northern compatriots persecute him, Judeans are still sympathetic to God’s cause. In contrast to the Judeans who still “wander” with God, 11:12c, Ephraim “herds” (NIV feeds on) the wind and wanders after the east wind—the sirocco, that hot, blasting draft that blows in from the Arabian desert ...

218. Timothy and Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:19-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... similar to that which he used in verse 2 when he urged his readers to be “one in soul.” Here is a man who is “one in spirit” or “equal in soul” with Paul himself. Paul found Timothy to be an entirely congenial and sympathetic colleague, but here he thinks of one particular aspect of Timothy’s character that strikes a responsive chord in himself: Timothy shares Paul’s feelings in that he takes a genuine interest in the Philippian Christians’ welfare. Paul has encouraged them to look out ...

219. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... has rejected and hates both Jesus and the disciples (John 15:18; 17:14; 1 John 3:13). It is where the false prophets, those deceivers and antichrists, went when they seceded from the community (1 John 2:19, 4:1, 3; 2 John 7), and there they found a sympathetic audience who listened to their views (1 John 4:5). Believers overcome the world by not loving the world “or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15); instead, they do “the will of God” (2:17) and rely on the Spirit of God who is in them and who ...

220. Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

Genesis 27:1-40

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Rebekah’s plan was. A later law condemned everyone who took advantage of another’s physical limitation for personal advantage (Lev. 19:14; Deut. 27:18). Jacob was aware that if Isaac discovered his disguise, he would curse rather than bless him. While sympathetic to his mother’s scheme, Jacob feared the consequences should it fail. Rebekah addressed his fears with the reassurance that she would take the curse on herself. Lest one judge Rebekah too harshly, a major reason for her brazen action was her ...

221. Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... when, for example, Christians are invited to write down their sins or besetting failures of the past, and then burn the paper or nail it to a symbolic cross. Any benefit of such action lies, of course, not in the ritual itself or any kind of sympathetic magic, but in the objective basis of God’s atoning grace. In the same way, the elders pray for God’s forgiveness of the people, not merely because of the ritual they have carried out, but on the basis of God’s historical redemption and the covenant ...

222. David’s Charge to Solomon

1 Kings 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... this time of the north and not the south (2 Sam. 16:5–14; 19:20). It is, indeed, in the context of a (failed) attempt at national reconciliation (2 Sam. 19:9–20:22)—to which neither of the sons of Zeruiah are apparently sympathetic (19:21–23; 20:8–10)—that David spares his life. Shimei, then, like Joab, represents an element likely to be hostile to a united kingdom under a Davidic king (his temporary allegiance to Solomon in opposition to Adonijah notwithstanding). Between these two disruptive ...

223. Jesus Is Anointed and Celebrates the Passover with His Disciples

Matthew 26:1-5, Matthew 26:6-13, Matthew 26:14-16, Matthew 26:17-30

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... , not during the Passover festival, so as to avoid rioting (26:3–5). This sets the context for Judas watching for an opportune time to betray Jesus to the authorities, presumably at night and outside the city in order to avoid a public arrest in front of a sympathetic crowd (see 26:47). In fact, hints of secrecy occur across the rest of this chapter (e.g., 26:18, 20 [see commentary], 48; and in Jesus’ rather cryptic responses at 26:25 and 64). 26:17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread ...

224. Ingratitude and Judgment

Num 11:1-35

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... and the need to reach out to it. He received a profoundly negative reaction from his people, and under tremendous stress, Reverend Odenwald ended up committing suicide. Perkins also reached out to another white pastor of a Presbyterian church. He too was sympathetic to Perkins’s ideas, and he even convinced his congregation to set aside three thousand dollars per year to assist a black ministry. But this pastor too came under pressure and turmoil because of this stand, and he too ended up committing ...

225. The Daughters of Zelophehad (Part 1)

Numbers 27:1-11

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... God sides with them. This in turn serves as a model for how we might use the legal system to confront instances of injustice today. Sometimes people see the Bible as being against women. But the case of the daughters of Zelophehad shows otherwise. Moses is sympathetic to their case, and God’s ruling in favor of their request not only grants them rights that have not previously been allowed but also sets a precedent for other women in the future. Biblical law is not utopian. It was given in a particular ...

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