Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: humiliation, mortification, chagrin, ignominy, loss of face, shamefacedness, embarrassment, indignity, abashment, discomfort, discomfiture, discomposure, guilt, remorse, contrition, compunction, disgrace, dishonour, discredit, degradation, disrepute, ill-repute, infamy, scandal, odium, opprobrium, obloquy, condemnation, contempt, pity, misfortune, crying shame, cause for regret, source of regret, sad thing, unfortunate thing, discredit to, disgrace to, stain on, blemish on, blot on, blot on the escutcheon of, slur on, reproach to, bad reflection on, bring into disrepute, degrade, debase, defame, stigmatize, taint, sully, tarnish, besmirch, stain, blacken, drag through the mud/mire, give a bad name to, put in a bad light, humiliate, mortify, make someone feel ashamed, embarrass, abash, chasten, humble, put someone in their place, take down a peg or two, cut down to size, show up

Antonyms: honor, pride, respect, glory, praise, dignity, honor, esteem, glorification, laud, compliment, regard, credit, elevate, acclaim, pleasure, favor, kudos, recognition, flatter, admiration, greatness, happiness, self-confidence, reverence

Showing 1 to 25 of 450 results

1. Compliments of the Author

John 10:1-10

Illustration

Jack W. Baca

... something special in it. She looked through some of her father's books, and in one of his favorite books she found an inscription she liked that she copied into the Bible. When the grandmother opened the Bible, she opened the front cover and there read, "To Granny, with the compliments of the Author." That is who Jesus is, the gateway to heaven, compliments of the Author.

2. Compliments Of The House

Psalm 23:6

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... but I do remember coming up the stairs one time and seeing aunt Viola looking at us when the back door opened. I don't know what Bruce or Danny saw but I swear that as she looked at us, she grinned and winked, almost as if she were saying: "Compliments of the House." That's just one of the memories I associate with Home. II. The Desire Home. Remember Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and ET the extraterrestrial? All either one of them really wanted to do was go home. Home and that sense of home is so important ...

3. Collecting Compliments

Illustration

... and his brother John represent two radically different views on the subject of flattery. Dr. Holmes loved to collect compliments, and when he was older he indulged his pastime by saying to someone who had just praised his work, "I am a trifle deaf, you know. Do you mind repeating that a little louder?" John, however, was unassuming and content to be in his older brother's shadow. He once said that the only compliment he ever received came when he was six. The maid was brushing his hair when she observed to ...

4. A Perfect Compliment

Illustration

Staff

... on your staff keeps working in the face of rejection, handles a difficult situation well, catches an error, given another employee a helping hand, sells a particular product for the first time, or gives you a lead that proves fruitful. Most of the time, a compliment should be given in public, either at a meeting or on the company bulletin board. If the situation is delicate, convey your praise through a personal note that the employee can share with his family. As with all rewards, praise should be given ...

5. A Compliment to Freedom

Illustration

Lieghton Ford

... lived for sex goes on in eternal lust, with no body to exploit. The woman who made a god out of fashion has a thousand dresses but no mirror! Hell is eternal desire eternally unfulfilled. But there's another side. G.K. Chesterton once remarked, "Hell is God's great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human personality." Hell, a compliment? Yes, because God is saying to us, "You are significant. I take you seriously. Choose to reject me choose hell if you will. I will let you go."

6. Criticism: A Real Compliment

Illustration

Rohrer, Hibler and Replogle

... source of information for those who accept it. Quite often we spend more time justifying, excusing or rationalizing an error, than in trying to understand and benefit from criticism. When we are non-defensive we become aware that constructive criticism is a real compliment to us. The person offering it is usually uncomfortable in doing so, but if he is willing to endure the discomfort in order to help us, we should listen and appreciate his suggestions. He runs the risk of arousing our enmity, but he ...

7. Fishing for Compliments

Humor Illustration

I am reminded of a young couple that was sitting out on a porch swing. She asked, "George, do you think my eyes are beautiful?" George answered, "Yep." In a few moments: "George, do you think my hair is attractive?" Again George answered, "Yep." In a while: "George, would you say that I have a gorgeous figure?" Once again George answered, "Yep." "Oh, George," she said, "You say the nicest things.

8. Fishing For Compliments

Humor Illustration

John and Alice were sitting on the sofa, sipping lemonade. Alice turned to John and asked, "John, do you think my hair is soft and shiny?" John answered, "Yep." Then Alice asked, "John, are my eyes bright and beautiful?" John replied, "Yep." After a few minutes, Alice continued, "John, do you think my skin is smooth and white, like porcelain?" John answered, "Yep." At this, Alice smiled brightly and declared, "John, you do say the sweetest things!"

9. The Just-In-Case God

Acts 17:22-31

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... at church. A gentleman commented to her afterwards, “I liked your song for two reasons. You sang it well, and you didn’t sing too long.” (Ann Abernathy, Colonial Heights, VA) A man named Rich told about working for a demanding and difficult boss who never complimented his employees. One day, Rich corrected a problem with one of the factory’s machines. The best praise Rich’s boss could offer was to say, “Rich, you’re stinking less at this job all the time.” (R.P. via rd.com) And a woman named ...

10. Divorce-Proofing Your Marriage

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

... husband makes her believe she is. Listen to the way the writer of Proverbs 31:29 praises his wife. He said, "Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all!" Don't you know that lifted her spirit and made her feel great? Husbands, do you compliment your wife? Do you let her know how beautiful you think she is? Do you tell her how much you love and appreciate her? What husbands and wives say to each other is very important. As we read in Proverbs 25:11, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of ...

11. No Salt in the City?

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... mosquito in the room! Actually I told the phone researcher that a city without the church would be like life without salt. Why do I say this? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his disciples, "You are the salt of the earth." That was quite a compliment in Jesus' day, for salt was very rare, yet highly prized. Greeks called salt "the second soul of meat." A half pound of salt was worth more than a human being. Soldiers were often paid in salt. The word "salary" is derived from "salt." This is where we ...

12. Parades and Crosses — The Challenge of Ministry

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... . He scored very high on his S.A.T.s. And he kept active in church. The youth leaders asked him to lead some Bible studies for the middle school group. Once again, almost by popular demand, he was asked to preach on Youth Sunday. Once again, the compliments came rolling in. You should be a minister, said one of the dear saints of the church. An older gentleman, one of the patriarchs of the church, said he had a gift for preaching. Perhaps he ought to consider the ministry. The boy smiled and thanked him. I ...

13. You Are God's Handiwork

Ephesians 2:10

Sermon

King Duncan

... see brief messages to feed your ego and boost your mood. Who wouldn’t like to be told things like “Your prom date still thinks about you all the time”? Or “You are someone’s ‘the one that got away.’” (1) You’ll find it there: “Emergency compliment.com.” The truth is that all of us need a little “pick-me-up” from time to time. Well, how about this little verse from St. Paul: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for ...

14. You Are My Beloved

Mark 1:10-11

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... on the rear of a Honda and head west, but rather to come to the font and look into those graceful waters. The reflection of yourself which you see there is who you really are."8 Believe it. "You are my Beloved!" I'll never forget the backward compliment I received from my father once. My boyhood neighbors and I had been rascals, playing jokes and pranks until one day we went too far ... Dad was furious with our behavior and he exploded and said to my friend, "This I would expect from you, but [looking at ...

15. Mom Taught Me to Share

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... I Want to Get Off," who wears a cross, a Star of David, a star and crescent, AND a lucky rabbit’s foot. You have to be sure you have all the bases covered! Having gotten the attention of his audience with his left-handed compliment about their extreme religiosity, Paul starts to set the record straight about this "unknown god" of theirs. Paul’s style is flawless. Knowing that many of listeners are educated, scientifically-minded men, and knowing of their interest in where the human race came from, Paul ...

16. Crossing The Desert Or Protecting Our Vehicle?

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The Athenians had inquiring minds; they wanted to hear something new. Paul was standing in the place where the famous Greek philosophers once stood to address the crowd. He began by telling the crowd how much he had enjoyed walking through their city. Paul complimented them, "I see how extremely religious you are in every way." It’s important for us to see that Paul didn’t condemn the Athenians for worshipping idols. He was smarter than that. Paul knew from experience that the best way to win people ...

17. I Love You, Man!

John 21:15-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... into the living room, his face contorted with misery. "Don't you realize, Mom," explained Bob, "that when I say those things, it's just like saying ˜I love you'?" Bob had reached the age when it was hard for him to say, "I love you." His compliments were simply an attempt to communicate his love. (1) The resurrected Jesus was walking along the seashore with Simon Peter. Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" This was a hard question for a fisherman from the docks. Peter wasn't like the goofy fellow in the ...

18. Preaching to a Stone

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... , especially when someone says that he or she really needed a particular sermon we have preached. At those moments, we begin to believe that our work and struggle have paid off. We wonder, though, about the compliments we receive at the end of the service. A friend of mine noted wryly that he has had parishioners compliment his sermons even on Sundays on which he had not preached. After a guest preacher had spoken, or the choir had led a hymn sing, someone would shake his hand on the way out, saying, "I ...

19. How's the Old Complaint?

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... , summer and winter, day and night, shall never cease." That's a promise. So when we receive the gift, and abuse it, or misuse it, or are ungrateful and do not recognize the Giver, what does God do? God returns it to us with renewed compliments. That is why sensitive, faithful people celebrate Thanksgiving. But sometimes it is hard, because sometimes life is hard. The world is dependable, not only in terms of seedtime and harvest, but you can depend also on the world bringing us sorrow and pain. That makes ...

20. The Cream of the Crop, or The Skimmed Milk of the Earth

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Most of us resolve that little quandary by resorting to a kind of false humility. We are masters at appearing to humble ourselves only so that we may enjoy the praises and exaltations that such behavior elicits from others. Fishing for compliments, ingratiating oneself to powerful, transparent self-deprecation these are all marks of false or bumbled humbleness. The great Russian author/playwright Anton Chekhov, in a letter addressed to a younger brother in 1879, gave the classic response to the phenomenon ...

21. The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... in a restaurant who was furious when his steak was brought to the table and it was too rare. All red in the face he said, "Waiter, didn't you hear me say, ‘Well done?'" The waiter said: "Thank you—I haven't had a compliment all day." I tell you the compliment of all compliments is to stand before the God who made you, and the God who gifted you, whether you are a five talent man, or a one talent man, and hear Him simply say, "Well done, you good and faithful servant." This all leads me to ask every ...

22. Words That Wound, Words That Heal

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... in the home. The Bible instructs us to "Be careful how you live," and to "Live as wise people." That certainly applies to what comes out of our mouths. Among the things I ask a couple to do when they come to be married, is to write down three compliments they have each received from each other during the past few days. If they can't remember anything positive their partner has said even that early in the relationship, it is not a good sign of building a solid relationship, is it? It reminds me of the story ...

23. Aroma of Christ Church

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... what Paul says the church is to be? “For we are to God a sweet smell of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15). In fact, is there any higher compliment to a person than this one: “I smell Jesus in you.” Is there any higher compliment to a church body than this one: “the bouquet of Jesus is all over your church.” Or how about this compliment: “the bouquet of Jesus just gets stronger and stronger in your church.” In today’s epistle lesson, some of the ingredients of the aroma of Christ are spelled ...

24. Christian Success and Christlikeness

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... . For example, “You’re smarter than you look,” or “I didn’t recognize you all dressed up and looking so good.” When we live too much in line with our culture’s values, unbelievers can end up giving us spiritually backhanded compliments, like, “Wow, you are a lot more fun to party with than most Christians I know,” “You’re not all wimpy like other Christians in this office—you go for the jugular,” or “Most Christians I know never quit talking about Jesus, but you always make ...

25. Who is That Crouching at Your Door?

Genesis 4:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... temper tantrum. A beastly feeling of injustice surges within us when we are not treated as we feel we should be. That beast is always crouching at the door of every human heart, ready to pounce. Ready to strike us down. We love, Love, LOVE to be given compliments. We all do. Of course. Who doesn’t love a compliment? We love to be looked upon with favor. We love to be told we are kind and beautiful and loving. We love it when people like the gifts we give them, and the things we do for them. And the more ...

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