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 55 results

1. Hated, Excluded, Reviled, Defamed — And Leaping For Joy

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

... set of values. When you hear it, you have to decide, “Is God on my side, or is God on somebody else’s side?” That’s troubling. Taken as they are, the blessings and the woes are perfectly matched — poor or rich, hungry or full, weeping or laughing, defamed or honored. For every blessing, there is an equal and opposite woe. Most of us would like to choose whether we will be blessed or cursed, but it’s not our choice. It is God’s decision. Sorry, but there’s no sign-up sheet in the narthex. It ...

2. Topsy-turvy Christianity

Luke 6:17-26, Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... be such a person yourself, but if not, wouldn't you like to be? In such a situation we could declare that life is good, that we are content, and that the future looks bright. Do you know anyone who is poor, hungry, grieving, hated, excluded, reviled, and defamed? I sincerely hope you are not such a person. We consider anyone who has all these woes as an extremely unfortunate individual indeed. And yet, did you hear the words of Jesus as recorded in the passage we read from the Gospel of Luke? "Woe to you ...

3. It Doesn't Matter What I Do

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... . And sometimes without warning you can get derailed. Even when you are trying to do the right thing, you can end up feeling that life has raked you over. Our Lord put it like this: "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets." I don't know about you, but it's difficult for me to leap with joy ...

4. At the Corner of Church and Main

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... certainly over everything in the Old Testament, apart from the Psalms. And yet, I fear that our love for his teachings is more sentimental than practical. After all, do we strive to be poor or hated? Of course not. Do we actually rejoice when we are excluded or defamed? No. On the contrary, we fuss about it and feel sorry for ourselves. Perhaps we complain to God about it -- or even blame him for it. And when Jesus goes on to say "woe" to those who are rich, those who are full, those who laugh, and those ...

5. Dirty Dreams and Slick Schemers

Jude 1:8-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... gospel, criticize the Bible, homogenize religion, authorize immorality, idolize reason, and sterilize judgment. c. He Defames Spiritual Dignity These dreamers "speak evil of dignitaries." In the Greek language it literally says ... will find these same three marks of the apostate. Sodom and Gomorrah defiled sexual purity, the angels defied supernatural authority, and Israel defamed spiritual dignity. II. They Are Spiritually Ignorant Jude refers to these dirty dreamers as "brute beasts." (v.10) The Greek word ...

6. The Art of Reflection

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” “Blessed are you who are hungry right now, for you will be filled!” “Blessed are you who weep right now, for you will laugh!” “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets!” Or in other words…. “You may be poor, but you are somebody!” “You ...

7. A Tree Well Watered

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... discover real life. By standing in solidarity with people who are lowly, we find ourselves in solidarity with the Christ who identified himself with the lowly. In letting go of ourselves, we truly find ourselves. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets (Luke 6:22-23). "

8. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... , and Jezebel was determined to use it to have her way even if it meant destroying the life of an innocent man. So she plotted to have Naboth assassinated by two scoundrels, after they had defiled and ridiculed him at a banquet! He would be shamed, defamed, then taken out into the town square and stoned to death for his insolence. This would be so the king could plant his vegetables! The newspapers recently carried a story of a woman who was murdered in her house by teenagers. When asked why they murdered ...

9. The Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.22 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."23 The following verse speaks of the fear of the Jews: "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man" (Luke 6:22). See also John 7:13, 12:42, 16:2, 19:30, and 20:19. So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that ...

10. Truth And Its Consequences

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... him (Acts 5:29b-32). What do we learn from the apostles? There comes a time when we must stand for what we believe at all costs. The words in Luke 6:22 remind us: "Blessed are you, when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man." Many of us have lived long enough to remember the old saying: A man's word is his bond. It meant that once you gave your word people could depend on you to do that which you said you would do. Honor ...

11. Proper 22

Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Isaiah 5:1-7, Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... He declares that he is their God, who has saved them from slavery in Egypt. He begins in the indicative mode of expression. From this base, he issues his imperatives. Thus, the commandments are conceived as a response to God's grace and redeeming actions. Don't defame the Name. The people are commanded not to misuse the Lord's name (v. 7) and told that he would not acquit anyone who did so. While the fourth commandment is the only one with a blessing attached, the second commandment is the only one that has ...

12. Standing Firm

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... . The evening of the first tent meeting, a parishioner knocked on Dr. White's parsonage door to inform him that the visiting preacher had publicly shamed Ed Smith, calling him a drunk and a failure in life. Dr. White immediately became angry at this defamation and spluttered his anger in the presence of the lady who had brought the news. It seems the visiting lady, privately amused at this outburst, decided to further fuel the fires of Dr. White's anger. "Not only that," she informed him, "but this preacher ...

13. The President's Religion

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Erskine White

... that it's good politics to talk religion and maybe it is. We'll find out on Tuesday, when the votes are counted. But today, I am concerned that regardless of "good politics," the talk about God we've been hearing is bad religion! God is being defamed by politicians who speak so righteously in His name. That's what bothers me more than anything else in this election and in my mind, this is the most fundamental campaign issue of all: how should a president (or any politician) talk about God? What does the ...

14. Wednesday in Holy Week

John 13:18-30

Bulletin Aid

... caused suffering to his body, the Church. Forgive us, we pray, and help us to take this Holy Week as a precious opportunity to renew our faith, to deepen our commitment, and to resolve ourselves never to do anything that will deviate from Jesus' teachings, detract from his ministry, or defame his sacrifice on our behalf. In his name we pray. Amen

15. The Sin of Judging

Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... admonition to Timothy, "Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity," (1 Timothy 4:12) and remember what Luther states in the Small Catechism: We should fear and love God that we may not slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him and put the best construction on everything. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1943, page 7) Oh, let me never speak What bounds of truth exceedeth; Grant that no idle word From out my mouth proceedeth ...

16. Living Water for a Thirsty Soul

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

... as a tramp. And if she had gone to the synagogue, which I am confident she never did, in her mind she would probably think that the voice of God would be saying to her what the people were thinking of her: “What are you doing her you slut. Defaming the synagogue like this.” That’s harsh language folks but it’s the unvarnished truth. That’s the way the town saw his woman. Jesus is blunt with her. But he is a little too close to home and his penetrating observation is making her squirm. She attempts ...

17. The Scandal Of Redeeming Love

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... in lurid headlines on papers and magazines that are more interested in sensation than news. Photographers stalk the rich or famous to catch an image of an unguarded moment. Fact blended with fiction becomes the means to enhance or discredit; to glorify or defame. The popularity of this material in tabloid papers, magazines and talk shows indicates that the public seems to have an insatiable appetite for it. Probably most of the subjects of the scandal and gossip, half-truth and innuendo would far rather be ...

18. God of the Weekday

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... of your element around here, aren’t you, Padre?" Why? Often in the office or the shop, a businessman will use the Lord’s name profanely in my presence and then he will catch himself and apologize to me. Why? It wasn’t my name that he defamed. You see the silly, childish superstition? I’m a clergyman and, therefore, I somehow carry God around with me. And there is always a kind of irritation and resentment on the part of these men that I’ve somehow brought God to where He didn’t belong, gotten ...

19. Skating To Where The Puck Is Going To Be

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... so good. Who doesn't like blessings? Blessings are divine pronouncements of God's good will. We want to hear more. Blessed are . . . who? Jesus' answer is not to our liking. "Blessed are . . . the poor, the hungry, those who weep, those who are hated, excluded, reviled and defamed." If we're hearing Jesus right it means that the poorer we are, the hungrier we are, the sadder and more despised we are, the more blessed we are! Thanks a lot! If the poor, hungry and despised are blest, then who are the ones of ...

20. Plain Talk

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." He is talking to his disciples. "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled." "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." "Blessed are you when people hate you, and exclude you, and defame you, on account of the Son of man [on account of me]." He is addressing his disciples. He is not talking to the crowd now. Do you see what he is doing? He comes down to the plain, where the people are, and demonstrates what God's will for the ...

21. The Naked Christian

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of Man" (verse 22). Jesus declares to his new disciples that their commitment and loyalty to him is what will bring a state of blessedness. But this blessing will come to his disciples (and to us) dressed in the ugly clothes of exclusion, rejection, and defamation. Good disguise. Such a good disguise that Jesus knew he had to make absolutely clear the connection between this ugly reality and the God's-eye-view blessing that it hid from the world's-eye-view. Jesus describes a world simply turned upside-down ...

22. The Truth about Truth

John 8:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... there was a brouhaha over a resolution we passed at the Southern Baptist Convention on Jewish evangelism. We simply recommitted ourselves to praying for the salvation of the Nation of Israel and preaching the gospel and seeking to win the Jewish people. Well, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, a Jewish group, called this "An insult to the Jewish people." It is seen today as arrogance to dare proclaim that Jesus is the only way to heaven. When Jesus said, "You must be born again," He said it ...

23. Is Your Conscience Clear?

1 Timothy 1:18-19

Sermon

James Merritt

... you or says to you, if you have a truly clear conscience. I want you to listen to what Peter had to say about this matter of a clear conscience. He said in I Pet. 3:16, that it is important to "have a good conscience so that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." In other words, if your character is pure, and your conscience is clear, then it doesn't matter what others say about you, or even think about you. No flattery can heal a guilty conscience ...

24. Gentle On My Mind (Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness)

Galatians 5:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... . a. We Are To Defend the Faith with Meekness "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ, may be ashamed. (1 Pet. 3:15-16) You see, we are not only to declare our faith, we are to defend our faith, but we are to defend it with meekness; that is, with gentleness. It is so ...

25. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... when or where or how. Yet as soon as he opens the door to apostleship to include himself, Paul quickly shuts it after him when he states with finality in verse 8 that "last of all" Jesus appeared to him. And although Paul is quick to defame himself - he is "untimely born," like a tragic still-birth or abortion, and generally he is the "least of the apostles" - he nevertheless holds fast to that title. Only when he focuses on himself does Paul flesh out the results of one of Jesus' resurrection appearances ...

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