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

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1. Dirty Feet

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... what is happening. Jesus says, “Unless I wash you, you have no share in me.” Wow. It could not be much more clear. Unless we accept the ministry of Jesus as a servant ministry we have no real part in it. Unless we ourselves become servants, debasing ourselves in service of others, we really do not participate in the ministry of Jesus. Unless we pour ourselves out for others as Jesus did for us, we are missing the mark. How difficult that must have been for Peter to fathom. How difficult, one is led ...

2. The S & L That Didn't Fail!

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... servant!" How could our Sovereign Lord become a servant for us; why would he? John the Baptist said of Jesus, "I am not good enough to even untie his sandals." We should be bowing before him; acknowledging his greatness and glory, and yet, with gracious self-debasement the Infinite becomes an infant, the King of Heaven becomes a babe in Bethlehem's barn. His first home was heaven, his next was a stable. His first address was "The Holy City," he grew up in Nazareth, a little obscure village. He who had been ...

3. No Grey Area

Acts 15:1-21

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... an excellent pattern for the solving of differences in any convention or meeting of the church. And, we might add, they are the basic ingredients in the solving of family disputes or hassles between friends. The acceptance of Christ as Lord, debating issues, not debasing people, listening, and being open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit through patience and persistence - these ingredients are the way to unity and solidarity for all, who would claim to be a part of the Body of Christ. A legend tells us of ...

4. Trumpets in Church on Easter, The Very Idea!

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... of that island, we had lived with death - the sight of it, the sound of it, the scream of it, the stench of it. Death! For nearly a month, we had witnessed death in its most violent, its most sudden, its most futile, its most bloody, its most debasing ways. For days, we had collected bodies, we had burned bodies, we had carried bodies, we had buried bodies. And so we gathered for our Easter Service. It wasn’t in any lovely lily-bedecked sanctuary such as this. It was a smelly mess hall below decks aboard ...

5. Moving Fences

2 Corinthians 5:16-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of their personalities. Our vision is dominated by the fact that all persons are made in the image of God, and are designed to be our sisters and brothers. Perhaps in the past we may have regarded Democrats or Republicans as people of debased motives, flawed attitude: dangerous goals. But guess what happens when Jesus captures our hearts. We find ourselves loving Republicans and Democrats when we disagree with them. Sounds almost un-American, doesn’t it? In the past we may have regarded homosexual persons ...

6. Stewards and Our Bodies

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... being a part of the design of the Creator. We Christians believe that human sexuality is a gift of God for the expression of love and the generation of life. As with every good gift, it can be subject to abuses which cause suffering and debasement. We see exploitation of our sexuality on every side: prostitution, media advertising, pornography, child abuse, filthy jokes, and language. These are all distortions of God’s good gift. In our homes and in our churches with our children, we need to help sort out ...

7. The Miracle of Salvation

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

... whereby man and God come together. But it is only the injured party that can forgive and restore a situation, isn’t it? If I injure you in any way I simply cannot restore the situation. I might buy you presents - smother you with flattery - utterly debase myself in your presence - but the situation is not restored until you make the movement. For if I actually succeed in buying my way back into the old relationship it really isn’t the old relationship at all. Something is forever missing. Only you can ...

8. The Crisis of Commitment

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... that they did was only the parrot-like echo of Christ’s real enemies, the priests, and the Scribes, and the Pharisees. This was the epitome of evil - evil done for a supposedly religious motive. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember how unabashedly debased and barbaric men can become. They witness a scene that should bring forth all of the sympathy and tenderness that a human heart might evoke, and there is nothing except this devilish demonstration of animal cruelty. We can remember that some years ...

9. Not Far From the Kingdom

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... hymn of thanksgiving - he tells the world all he thought and did. Monica, his mother, continued to pray for her wayward son, and the great Ambrose gave direction from the lofty pulpit in Milan. It was traumatic wrestling, wrestling with his guilt-ridden, debased being. Finally, in September of A.D. 386, in a garden in Milan - where he was public orator - Augustine experienced a personal Gethsemane, "tearing his hair, clutching his knees, wringing his hands," asking why God would not hear and come to him. "I ...

10. And It Came To Pass

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... all. He read his Bible. The bishop then took up his pen and began a work which would require twenty years to complete. Let Rome fall, he insisted; she has lived out her service to history and humanity. Once so proud and beautiful, Rome had become debased, licentious. Those false Roman deities, worshiped with obscene rites, should have been discarded centuries ago. It was time for Rome to go, to make room for a fresh new city - the City of God. This literary masterpiece, City of God, stands as a classic in ...

11. Put Out Your Nets

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... and He has changed my life." This reformed highwayman was just one of many persons through the centuries who were headed down the wrong road until Jesus stepped into the scene. (3) Here is the answer to all discouragement, all disillusionment, all debasement. Let Jesus step into the scene. Clarence Darrow, the great criminal lawyer of another day, had among his friends a young minister. This seems strange, because, as you remember, Darrow was usually thought of as an atheist, infidel, agnostic or what have ...

12. No More Pain!

John 8:31-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... thing is that many of us take pride in being streaky. We refuse to see how much better life could be if we could declare here and now, "I am a child of the King. I am joined with Christ. Christ sets me free from feeling that I have to debase myself in any way." No more pain. Christ can set us free from slavery to sin. CHRIST CAN ALSO SET US FREE FROM MEANINGLESSNESS AND DESPAIR. Jesus is saying to us that when we know the truth about who we are ” sons and daughters of the Divine ” than we no ...

13. Whatever Became of Sin?

Romans 6:23

Sermon

Lowell D. Streiker

... campaign promises, what advertising campaign is the dissemination of accurate information and what advertising is psychological manipulation. Anxiety is the natural result of fearing that my spouse will be faithless, my employees dishonest, my environment poisoned, the money in my pockets debased by inflation, the wheels will fall off of my new car, the washer repairman will not show up on Wednesday morning even though I have stayed home from work in order to let him in, the can opener that I just bought ...

14. I Didn't Expect This In Church!

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christians valued the life of all people, whether male or female, and prohibited the killing of any children." (4) But the revolution is not complete. We still live in a pre-Christian world. There is still too much hatred, too much violence, too much debasement of human dignity. If you are comfortable in Jesus' presence, you simply do not see him as he really is. Chuck Swindoll tells about a commercial venture of one of the largest department stores in our nation. It proved to be disastrously unsuccessful ...

15. Christmas and the New Family

John 1:1-18

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... to remember that our rightful human place is in the family of God. I must tell myself this, for other people, in those instances when I despair for someone's in humanity and degradation. Whatever that human being may seem at this moment to be, no matter how debased or unlovable he may have become, he is still someone whose original family ties are with God. I dare not give up on any human being; because he or she has the potential, by God's action in Jesus Christ, to rejoin the heavenly family. Nor dare I ...

16. People With Shining Faces

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (53:2b-5) Why did Christ yield himself to experience such debasement? Why was he disfigured? So that you and I might be people with shining faces. People whose love, peace and joy show from our heart into our eyes. Don’t you want a shining face? 1. Michael E. Hodgin, Humorous Illustrations For Public Speaking (Grand ...

17. In the Wilderness With Moses

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... our society--physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. It has destroyed reputations and destroyed families. Anyone who does not understand that simply has his or her head buried in the sand. And it hurts the heart of God. It hurts God to see men and women debased and distraught because they chose to disregard their faith in this one area of their lives. I realize we have the tendency to blow sexual sins out of proportion in our culture compared to other sins such as avarice and prejudice, but it is ...

18. Warning To The Clueless Enthusiasts

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... do anything illegal, we are free to do whatever we choose. We do not accept any higher moral authority than the whims of self. That which is right is what each person decides is right. Indeed, we have no need for God. This secular worldview debases our values and stultifies the human spirit. It deludes us into thinking that our technology, knowledge, and wealth can solve all our problems and empower us to the abundance of life. In spite of the allure of its dazzling glitz, this worldview just doesn't bring ...

19. The Battle of New Orleans

2 Timothy 3:1-4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... excitement, "All I've ever needed and wanted was to read the word of God, and He gave me the Bible in Braille." Southern Baptists, we ought to preach this book, promote this book, and practice this book, and any time this word is diluted, denied, or debased, we ought to defend it with pride. That is a battle worth fighting. IV. There Is a Personal Responsibility We Must Complete Paul says to Timothy in chapter 4, verse 5, "do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." I want you to see the linkage ...

20. The Crime of Christmas

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in the welter of it all - how to distinguish the valuable cultural extension of Christmas from the pretense, the true branch from the tin." The real "crime of Christmas" is "not that it distracts us from Christ, but that, Christ being inextricably involved in Christmas, it debases him. The Incarnation put the mystery of God's presence into our hands. We are left, then, with the work of culture. We are charged with making a life in which God can be with us. To defend Christmas, we must not only worship; we ...

21. Hurts Can Heal

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ” from that corpse. But does anyone doubt that for Paul there were not daily re-enactments of that death and resurrection drama? Every time Paul the Pharisee was denied access to a synagogue. Every time Paul the rabbi was accused of debasing the Torah. Every time Paul the Roman citizen was treated like a common criminal, clapped into jail, refused his rights. Paul the Jew, ostracized, rejected, cursed, vilified, beaten, humiliated, abandoned by his own people, by people who had their own history ...

22. The Journey of Salvation

Luke 22:39-46, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... we see how twisted the human spirit can become. The soldiers take Jesus and scourge him. They weave a crown of thorns and place it upon his head. Someone finds a discarded purple robe and they place it around his shoulders. In an attempt to humiliate and debase him further they salute him and kneel down in mock homage before him crying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” And they strike his head with a reed and spit upon him. Nearby is another troubled figure who also has a decision to make. It is Pontius Pilate ...

23. Worthless Slaves

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

George Reed

... ’ teaching about greatness in God’s economy. It does not come from being the one who is served but by offering oneself as the servant of all. There is a quiet humility in Jesus and his teachings that is very powerful for it does not ask us to debase ourselves but, rather, to lift up the other person. The humility of Jesus has nothing to do with wearing hair shirts or inflicting pain upon our bodies. It consists in lifting up the lowly and not expecting any praise or reward for it. It is a humility based ...

24. Not Such a Difficult Question

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... would get beaten. As she said, “. . . my only hope was God.” The orphanage had a rule that girls were forced to leave that institution at age sixteen. Many girls who couldn’t find work then or safe shelter turned to prostitution. It was cruel and debasing work, but many of the girls felt it was their only choice. So, as an alternative, Claire prayed for a family. At age 15, Claire was adopted by John and Marie Peterson who live in Texas. The Petersons’ have five adopted daughters, all from Russian ...

25. Spirit Struck

Acts 2:1-21 · John 14:8-17, 25-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... will be part of God’s beautiful, multi-faceted, intricately amazing…unity. [1] “New wine” meant it was not yet fermented. The wine had no substance. It was weak-bodied, unmatured, and considered of low quality –basically cheap juice. The remark was meant as a debasing insult. It wasn’t just insulting of the quality and veracity of their experience, but also the disciples’ character, as though they are “putting on a cheap act,” as obviously people don’t get drunk on unfermented juice.

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