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 2251 to 2275 of 3285 results

2251. Faith vs. Good Works

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... If you said your prayers and attended worship, the church dispensed grace. If you made a pilgrimage, did a good work, or went to confession, the church dispensed you grace. You can't climb on your own. But grace, doled out by the church, gave you the ability to climb. The more good works, the more you were rewarded with grace. Now it was you, God, and the church climbing up that ladder toward heaven. But it was still a ladder. Martin Luther grew up with this ladder theology. The picture Luther had of Jesus ...

2252. The Wisdom of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... as a smooth talker. In fact, he was so smooth that some people called him slick. I see Barack Obama having similar verbal skills; the man has an easy eloquence that's hard to dismiss. Of course, preachers are almost as notorious as politicians for having the ability to dazzle the ears of those who hear them speak. Many people are suckers for smooth talkers; they're easily taken in by what they're hearing. Now, just because someone is eloquent doesn't mean they're being dishonest or trying to persuade you to ...

2253. Doing Christ’s Work

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... who believe, according to the working of his great power" (Ephesians 1:18-19a). There is a wisdom that comes with the eyes of our heads. We look around us and we see what is available for everyone in this world to see. But the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to see with the eyes of our hearts. We see beyond the wisdom of the world around us. We see things from God's perspective. The writer to the Ephesians sees the church as the body of Christ, who is the head of that body. That means as Christ's ...

2254. I’ve Got a Home in that Kingdom

2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... solid rock rather than on the shifting sands of temporal categories. On these answers, Paul can build and maintain his confidence even as the storms of life rage around him and through him. Paul affirms that his confidence is not made by human hands. His confidence, his ability to maintain hope and heart, comes from the grace of Jesus Christ in his life. He has confidence because he has finally heard in a profound way that he belongs to God. He has gained a glimpse of home. In verses 6-9 of chapter 5, Paul ...

2255. The Vision of God

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... to make it clear that even the most exalted visions must be placed in the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The vision is not the measuring stick — the gospel is the measuring stick. In describing his vision, Paul plays down its details and its ability to stand alone on its own authority. Even though he lists his vision as the climax of his boasting, Paul wants to announce that the rivalry is not between competing visions of God. The rivalry is between visions of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how ...

2256. Words That Wound, Words That Heal

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Mother Teresa said, "Let no one come to you without going away better and happier." Each of us has that power to use words and language that provide a means of grace to those who hear them. We have the ability to inspire others. A young girl was asked why she had broken up with her old boyfriend and taken up with a new one. She answered, "When I was with Robert, he impressed me with how great he was. But when I was with Jonathon, he made me feel great ...

2257. Antidote for Bad Times

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... angered you. Pray for his welfare. Pray for blessings to rain upon her. Amazingly you will feel the hurt and anger drift away. The obsession with revenge and retribution will dissipate. That's the power of prayer. Jesus says that our own welfare depends upon our ability to forgive: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Matthew 11:25). I was called to my first job as a parish minister in the '60s when the war ...

2258. Filling the Job Description

Hebrews 5:1-10

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... this job was way beyond my capabilities and that I could not fulfill the expectations of the job description. Chastened, but summoning what dignity I could, I left the room. And from that day to this, job descriptions, for whatever type of work, have always had the ability to send a small shiver down my spine. It is a form of job description that the preacher of Hebrews lays out for us in this part of his letter today. Every high priest in the days of ancient Israel was required to perform certain functions ...

2259. Oops! I Did It Again

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... snatched failure from the jaws of success? Playwright Oscar Wilde once commented after a disastrous opening night that his play was a great success but the audience was a failure. That’s one way of handling defeat, I guess. Winston Churchill had that same ability to spin a setback a setback into something else. He was once asked, “What most prepared you to lead England through World War II?” His reply? “It was the time I repeated a class in grade school.” His questioner then asked: “You mean you ...

2260. The Right Spirit

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Philip W. McLarty

... work, they wouldn't have resented those who only got to work one hour. When you're in the right vocation and you've got the right spirit, then the longer you work, the better. God's justice arises out of a gracious invitation to use your innate gifts and abilities to the glory of God and to the benefit of others. In the long run, money or recognition or praise has little to do with it.

2261. Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The most binding human trait is the ability to tell a story. Our amazing brains can process information and then weave independent bits into a coherent whole — a story. In short, the human brain is hard-wired for story. The first “stories” humans learned to tell were hunting-gathering tales. Hunters read the signs of the creatures they ...

2262. God Enjoys AND Enjoins Us

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... party” is complete and curtained. The next group of invitees expands to include ALL. Everyone who hears about the wedding party is invited to attend. But with the invitation there comes expectation. Not of perfection. Not of excellence. Not of economic ability. Not of exceptional giftedness. The expectation is that each guest will acknowledge their entry into this new place, this “wedding banquet,” this waiting room for a new future, by making some changes in themselves. In the parable the “change ...

2263. Jesus Will Lead Us Home

Isaiah 40:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and certainly contributed to the ultimate survival of his entire crew, a fact that is remarkable in many ways. Shackleton led his men home, earning their admiration and that of his countrymen. The crew possessed complete faith in Shackleton and his ability; he would do what was necessary to get them home. The story of Ernest Shackleton and his heroic efforts in leading his men home to safety provides an excellent illustration of the second principle theme of advent, which today the church encourages ...

2264. Responding to God

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . This is certainly true, but he did not start out that way. As a boy, growing up in Germany, many people thought him to be ignorant. He failed courses in mathematics; he was very rebellious. As a boy, he showed little evidence of the ability he possessed. Yet, it was Einstein's theory of relativity and similar ideas that brought about the nuclear age in which we now live. Saint Augustine, one of the finest Christian minds and greatest saints who ever lived, was also a late-bloomer. Augustine wandered ...

2265. The Need for Transformation

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... operating, why would we want to change? In such cases there seems to be no motivation for change. Only when things get out of sync in our life, when we feel things are not going the way we want, do we consider the possibility of change. Change and the ability to be transformed must be an ongoing process in our lives. In order to find transformation we must first have a sense of openness to the will of God in our lives, as we heard in last week's message. We must realize our need for transformation. No one ...

2266. You Are in Good Hands with God

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the camp came the answer: "Where is he? He is here — he is hanging on the gallows." This powerful true story, told by Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, speaks of the presence of God in those who suffer, in those who seem to have been defeated. The ability to find God in such horrific conditions was precisely the challenge placed before the Hebrews in exile in Babylon. As Isaiah tells his fellow Hebrews in today's first lesson that God's greatness is omnipresent and the Lord is ever faithful, so we in our ...

2267. No Litmus Test for Jesus

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... was no need for God to act in powerful and miraculous ways, but rather simple and ordinary bathing could be equally effective. Thus, Naaman's cure demonstrates that God has no particular litmus test for people. All that is necessary is that they have the ability to trust and to do what God asks. All are acceptable; none will be rejected, even those outside Israel. God shows no favorites or partiality; there is no litmus test for the Lord. As the Father showed no partiality toward Naaman, a man afflicted ...

2268. Commissioned for Christ

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the Pentecost story, Jesus fulfilled his earlier promise and sent the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit of God, who dispelled doubt and fear in the hearts and minds of those first disciples. The Spirit was very powerful, giving the apostles and others the ability to do things which they were not educated to do, namely to speak many foreign tongues. Most importantly, however, it was the power of the Spirit that empowered the apostles to accept their earlier commission and go forward to complete Christ's work ...

2269. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... were catastrophic) except Noah. His confrontation with watery death led to the victory of a fresh start on planet earth and the experience of reconciliation with a God who did not give up on his project humanity. Noah did not save himself. He had no greater ability to tread water than anyone else. In fact, he had no idea about how to build a ship. God was the engineer in the project. Without the intervention of God, Noah would have drowned along with all the other rats. Noah's righteousness would have been ...

2270. Be An Apostle! Proclaim Life!

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... witness to the resurrection and proclaim the call to repentance and announce forgiveness in the name of Christ. There's an old story about an elderly Scotsman confined to his bed. The parson came to call and the elderly man confessed that he lacked the ability to pray; he just didn't know how to pray. The parson, an apostolic witness, simply suggested, "John, just imagine that Jesus is sitting on the chair over there and just have a conversation with him. That would be prayer." Some time later, the daughter ...

2271. An Answer Out of the Whirlwind

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... , or such suffering forgotten. In MacLeish's play, JB, Nickles says, "Job won't take it! Job won't touch it! Job will fling it in God's face with half his guts to make it spatter!"2 While such a response is understandable, we must acknowledge the human ability to persevere, as, for example, in Rwanda. Just as after tragedy, with God's help one must learn to live again, to deal with memories, and go on with the story, so must Job. In fact, he becomes an intermediary, a priest, again. Just as he had made ...

2272. The Victories in Business

Illustration

Source Unknown

... are interesting. Sometimes you'll be on a roll and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out. Never in your life say," It's not my job." Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself. Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Whenever you have an opportunity, use them. People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, "Always finish stronger than you start."

2273. Never Too Young Or Too Old

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

... composition was published. Now how about this? Benjamin Franklin was a newspaper columnist at 16 and a framer of the United States Constitution when he was 81. You're never too young or too old if you've got talent. Let's recognize that age has little to do with ability.

2274. If-By-Whiskey Speech

Illustration

... 's souls, that smooths out the tensions of the day, that gives gentle perspective to one's view of life, then put my name on the list of the fervent wets. But if by whiskey you mean the devil's brew that rends families, destroys careers and ruins one's ability to work, then count me in the ranks of the dries.

2275. The Island Conversion

Illustration

Staff

One of the most dramatic examples of the Bible's divine ability to transform men and women involved the famous mutiny on the "Bounty." Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, nine mutineers, along with the Tahatian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long and ...

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