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 2351 to 2375 of 2699 results

2351. The Lord’s King and Rebellious Peoples

Psalm 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... the original expectation. What was originally a figure of speech has become a literal historical reality. Yahweh offers the king upon his enthronement not merely a kingdom or empire—but worldwide dominion (v. 8). This astounding verse, in the face of Israel’s never impressive military might, is not an unconditional promise forecasting automatic results; it is an offer: Ask of me. The Hebrew verbs in verses 8–9 do not contain the same ring of certainty as the NIV’s I will and you will. It is better ...

2352. Instruction for Temple Entry

Psalm 15:1-5

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... ; rather, it is to be endorsed as Yahweh’s “torah” and embraced as the seeker’s ambition. Psalm 24 makes plain that once the seekers enter they receive Yahweh’s saving righteousness. Unfortunately, the NIV translation contributes to the impression of legalistic righteousness in Psalm 15. Instead of reading, he whose walk is blameless, we should read, “he who walks with integrity” (Hb. tāmîm). He is an “integrated” person. This word denotes wholeness or soundness, not blamelessness ...

2353. Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... directed to the intellect than a way of life lived out before others. When outsiders see that following Christ leads to a life of good deeds, they will praise not the believer but the believer’s Father in heaven. If the Beatitudes leave the impression that life in the kingdom is somewhat passive, the metaphors of salt and light correct such a misunderstanding. Salt permeates and performs its vital function in society. Light illumines the darkness and points people to the One who is the source of all light ...

2354. The Voice of the Lord in the Thunderstorm

Psalm 29:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Thunderstorms are impressive to us moderns, but they were especially so to the ancients. For them, they spoke not only of earth-shaking natural phenomena, but also of the gods. A recurring theme in ancient Near Eastern literature is that of the god of the storm vanquishing the mighty waters (v. 3). In ...

2355. Cultivating Faithfulness Until the Flourishing Wicked Wither

Psalm 37:1-40

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... little while (v. 10). “You [i.e., in your lifetime] will see when the wicked are cut off” (v. 34). And verse 10 appears to indicate this will be no isolated act of judgment but a comprehensive extermination. Verses of the psalm also give the impression that believers may always expect to be “satisfied” (Hb. śbʿ; the NIV’s “will enjoy plenty” clearly overstates the Hb. text here) in days of famine (v. 19, also vv. 25–26). Believers may also expect never to be victims of injustice (vv. 6, 32 ...

2356. Turn Your Gaze from Me before I Am No More

Psalm 39:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... is initially a prayer about knowledge or insight (Hb. ydʿ is used twice, rendered in the NIV by show me and let me know), not about a moral dilemma, but about how fleeting is my life. This is thus a prayer for perspective. The realization that he asks God to impress upon him (introduced in v. 5 with Hb. hinnê and emphasized in v. 6 with Hb. ʾak) is the span of my years is as nothing before you, and in fact, each man’s life is but a breath. Verse 6 shows the relevance of this prayer for the speaker ...

2357. Zion’s Divine Defender

Psalm 48:1-14

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... it resides his holy mountain. It is holy not because of moral qualities but because it is set apart (the concrete meaning of “holy”) by God’s choice (87:1–2; 132:13). The psalm describes it as beautiful in its loftiness. The temple mount is impressive when viewed from the Kidron Valley, but one would be hard pressed to establish it as the joy of the whole earth because of its inherent qualities. The mountains around it are, in fact, higher (cf. 125:1–2), and it would probably go unnoticed were it ...

2358. Defeat in Battle with Edom

Psalm 60:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... region in Transjordan where two and a half tribes eventually settled. Manasseh and Ephraim were the primary tribes of the north, and Judah lay in the south. These tribes Yahweh gives positions of status, as his peculiar possessions (mine), his impressive military armor (helmet), and his symbol of rule (scepter). Moab and Edom were neighboring nations to the southeast and Philistia to the southwest. These longtime enemies are given a humiliating status (v. 8). When was this oracle first delivered? Was ...

2359. Intercession for the King to Bring Prosperity to the Land and Justice to the Needy

Psalm 72:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... from the king’s care for the poor and the resulting prosperity. Psalm 72 does not provide a comprehensive portrait of the king’s/messiah’s government. It does make clear, however, that militarism is not the defining characteristic of his government, an impression one might infer from other royal psalms, especially Psalms 2 and 110. It becomes clear that, when faced with violent opponents, he will exercise force. Psalm 72 itself makes brief mention of this in verse 9. But the reason his action is to ...

2360. A Prophet Without Honor

Matthew 13:53-58

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... of Matthew’s writing. However, the account itself discloses an antagonistic setting that is more than adequate to account for referring to the synagogue as their synagogue rather than “the synagogue” (as the GNB has it). Those who heard Jesus were impressed by his teaching and his power to do the miraculous. Yet they refused his message and undermined his role as prophet. Their question about where Jesus received wisdom and miraculous powers was not an honest inquiry. The Greek touto (“this fellow ...

2361. The Vinedresser and the Plundered Vine of Israel

Psalm 80:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of praise (v. 18) tacitly suggest an awareness of the people’s past failure. The people still desire to cling to the one who has afflicted them (vv. 4–6). Overall, the focus of the psalm’s argument against God’s intense, persisting anger lies in its impressing upon God the investment he has made in the people. This is noted by the imagery, by references to their past history together, and by the mere fact that in the clear majority of cases Yahweh is the subject of the verbs. Even where he is not ...

2362. A Confession of Sin from Israel’s History: Mercy for the Generations of the Exodus and the Exile

Psalm 106:1-48

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Yahweh’s saving acts (vv. 7, 13, 21, etc.) on the one hand, and Yahweh’s gracious remembering of his covenant (v. 45) on the other. The prophetic and Deuteronomistic preaching (cf. vv. 40–46; see further Allen, Psalms 101–150, pp. 51–52) had impressed upon the people that sin and wickedness prevailed among the people of God, not just beyond. Then, with the judgment of the exile, the people of God gained a heightened awareness of the problem of sin in the human heart. It is thus not surprising ...

2363. The Incomparable God of Condescension and Exaltation

Psalm 113:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

The Incomparable God of Condescension and Exaltation This is not a psalm for elitists. The chief symbols of power—all the nations in the earth and the heavens in the cosmos—do not impress King Yahweh (vv. 4–6). He, in fact, seems to delight in raising up society’s helpless to positions of social status (vv. 7–9). This psalm is a hymn, and more specifically it is one that uses both imperatives and participles, along with a rhetorical question concerning Yahweh’s ...

2364. Trembling at the Appearance of the God of the Exodus

Psalm 114:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... , thus making us—the audience—dramatically present.) In effect, they are asked to testify to the “land” (NIV “earth,” v. 7) that there is good reason to respond to God’s appearing as they have. These stylistic features reflect poetic license to impress generations far removed from the original events with the impact of God’s interventions into history and nature. Thus, the key dramatic function of verses 1–6 is to create suspense in the listeners as to the identity of “his” in verse 2 ...

2365. The Maker of Heaven and Earth Praised and Invoked to Bless Israel

Psalm 115:1-18

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... was postexilic, and if it was, some interesting theological observations emerge and are discussed below. The question the nations raise in verse 2 implies there is little tangible evidence of Yahweh’s effectiveness. Of course we must recognize the kind of evidence that would impress ancient Near Eastern peoples; for them the status of a nation’s god was measured by the political and military success of that nation. But what the psalm says and does not say is also telling: Our God “is in heaven,” not ...

2366. The Davidic Mercies and Deliverance from Foreigners

Psalm 144:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... we need to observe that each royal feature stems from the psalm’s dependence on Psalm 18, which is only one among the several psalms incorporated here. The other psalms represent a variety of genres, including hymns and individual laments, thus giving the impression the psalm is an anthology (cf. Pss. 9–10; 119; 135). While the psalm’s royal elements fit the preexilic period, other segments, especially the blessing in verses 12–15, have an affinity to the postexilic period, when Judah had no Davidic ...

2367. Before the Sanhedrin

Matthew 26:57-68

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... destroyed (Matt. 24:1–2). Furthermore, the “temple” of which Jesus spoke in John 2:19 was “his body” (note John 2:21). 26:62–68 The high priest asked Jesus if he had any answer to the accusation made against him, but Jesus remained silent. This impressive refusal to speak on his own behalf moved the high priest to put Jesus under oath and demand that he acknowledge whether or not he was the Christ, the Son of God. It was against all the procedures of Jewish law to require a person to incriminate ...

2368. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... not occur to them to call for him. This is curious, for he had been successful previously in these types of situations and had been honored and promoted often enough because of his skill in interpreting dreams. It is especially surprising since the story gives the impression that the events of chapter 4 were fairly recent, having taken place in the time of Belshazzar’s father. The text does not explain how God’s servant passed out of mind at court, but it does tell us that the queen remembers. She came ...

2369. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... an intentional caricature of history. The author of Daniel is attempting to lambaste pagan religion in general and Antiochus IV in particular. In the same way today, a political cartoon may exaggerate the feature of a politician, or a comedian may, in doing impressions of public figures, overemphasize an accent, a gesture, or a facial expression for humorous effect. The location of the lions is a bit surprising. Anyone violating the decree will be thrown into the lions’ den or pit (6:7). Pits were dug to ...

2370. Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

Daniel 8:1-14

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... of the king himself instead of the horn. The root shlk usually means “to throw” or “cast.” The NIV reads was brought low. The RSV is more literal: “the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.” Unfortunately, that might give some the misleading impression that the temple was leveled in the second century B.C., when it was not. Perhaps the meaning is more figurative, referring to the temple’s defilement (Collins, Daniel, p. 334) or its being put out of commission (Goldingay, Daniel, p. 211). The ...

2371. The Calling of the First Disciples

Mark 1:14-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... prominent among the disciples in all the Gospels and in most Christian tradition is regarded as the representative and chief of the twelve apostles. Casting a net … fishermen: Fishing was a major industry in Roman times around Lake Galilee, and the impression one gets here is that these four men were partners of small (or perhaps large!) businesses. They were in all likelihood “middle class” economically, for the Zebedee brothers, at least, had employees in their family business (1:20). 1:17 Fishers ...

2372. The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles

Mark 3:13-19

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... commission.” It is used in Acts to refer to the Twelve (cf., e.g., Acts 1:15–26; 2:43), but it is also used by Paul to describe himself (e.g., Rom. 1:1) and others (1 Cor. 15:5–7). From these and other references, we get the impression that apostles were seen as leaders who had special authority in the church (e.g., 1 Cor. 9:1–7). To call the Twelve apostles here means that they are to be seen as specially commissioned by Jesus to work in his name. (See “Apostle,” NIDNTT, vol. 1, pp. 126 ...

2373. The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

Mark 5:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... to the former demoniac’s proclamation of Jesus’ deed (5:20). As noted already (see comments on 1:22–27 and 2:12), Mark characteristically describes the response of people to Jesus’ ministry as amazement. But, though this term connotes the powerful impression made by Jesus’ ministry, it is Mark’s way of describing a response that is considerably short of genuine faith and insight into Jesus’ person (see note). Finally, this story may be linked with the two that immediately follow (5:21–43 ...

2374. A Prophet Without Honor

Mark 6:1-6

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... might address almost any question of human life. To portray Jesus as a teacher of wisdom in 6:2 is to describe him as one perceived as giving revelation of God. The response of the crowd implies that they are unwilling to take Jesus’ impressive teaching as evidence of his momentous significance. They are unable to get past his humble and familiar origins among them. Furthermore, even the miracles of Jesus do not produce faith. The crowd acknowledges that he performs such deeds but seems unable to fathom ...

2375. Jesus Walks On the Water

Mark 6:45-56

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... account of Jesus’ ministry (like earlier examples in 1:39; 3:7–12), only this summary makes no reference to Jesus teaching or exorcising demons but concentrates on his healings. The passage emphasizes that people came to Jesus, indeed, thronged him, so that again we get the impression that Jesus and the Twelve were harried and beset with need wherever they went (cf. 1:37, 45; 2:1–4; 3:7–11; 3:20; 6:30–32). The attitude of the people is an almost superstitious reverence for Jesus as a wonder-worker ...

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