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 83 results

1. The Scandal Of Redeeming Love

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... moguls appear 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 ...

2. "Hands Off!"

Exodus 20:1-21, Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... name. As Shakespeare wrote in "Othello," "He that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed." One of the surest signs of original sin is our delight in hearing and repeating what is discreditable to others. Before repeating anything negative about another person, we should ask three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? In the Eighth Commandment, God is calling us to a strict and scrupulous honesty. If with God's help we embrace this standard ...

3. God's Workmanship

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... . To the living a memory . . . To posterity an inspiration . . . The story of her life and of her tragic death is recorded in the Archives of Oliver County . . . Stranger, read it.” (7) There is much in this world that is inferior and shabby. Many people are a discredit to the God in whose image we were created. And then we come across a story of amazing courage, sacrifice and love like the story of Hazel Miner and it reminds us of who we are and why we were created. We are God’s workmanship. We were ...

4. Clean Hearts And Dirty Hands

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

It's a phrase we still use today: he has dirty hands. We could be referring to hands that are soiled from doing good honest labor. The mechanic who works on our car may have dirty hands but it is no discredit to him. It comes with the territory. The farmer may have dirt all over his body from working all day in the fields. And we honor him because he or she helps feed our world. There is no disgrace in having dirty hands. Unless, of course, we mean it in a ...

5. Is Anything Unforgivable?

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

One morning I was roused from sleep around 3 a.m. by the ringing of the telephone. The person on the other end of the line was distraught because, she said, she had committed the unforgivable sin. It is interesting to me that such calls often occur at such an hour, after the bars have closed. The woman went on to say that at some point in her life she had really been angry about something, and had said, "Damn the Holy Spirit." Now she was remorseful, but she knew that Jesus had said that blasphemy against ...

6. "Gotcha" Questions from Mean-Spirited People

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

It is that fateful final week of the earthly ministry of Jesus. On Sunday the people of Jerusalem welcome the Lord and his entourage with a parade. A crowd lines the main street. They cheer and spread their cloaks on the dusty road. Jesus rides a borrowed donkey. He comes down the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, through an ancient gate, and into the city. The crowd chants as he rides passed, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven ...

7. Who?

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

My guess is that unless you're a fan of Elizabethan theater you've never heard of Robert Greene (1560?-1592). In his day, however, he was a well-known and respected poet and essayist. His best-known play, "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay," remained popular for decades. Yet, for the most part, he is remembered solely for one phrase in a pamphlet written on his deathbed, in which he lashed out at everybody and everything. In that one passage he characterized the young William Shakespeare as "an upstart crow" ...

8. Speak From Personal Experience

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

They can't refute it! Fatigue is one of the products of modern society: We tend to either get excited about the wrong things, or we don't get excited about anything. Perhaps an appropriate contemporary paraphrase of Matthew 6:25-34 would be, "Don't get excited about food and drink to keep you alive or clothes to cover your body. Surely there is more to life than this. Those who are without God get excited about such things, but you should not, because your heavenly Father already knows your needs and will ...

9. His Teachings

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Brett Blair

This morning we are continuing our Lenten series on the Passion of the Christ, the last week of the life of Jesus. Previously we looked at the events of Sunday when he enters Jerusalem on the donkey fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of Zechariah. It was a day of celebration. On Monday Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, curses the fig tree, and clears the Temple of the moneychangers. It is a day of emotions. Today we focus on Tuesday, the day of teachings. It is a day questions. Someone has figured that if we put ...

10. The Political Controversies Of Jesus

Luke 20:27-47

Sermon

Brett Blair

Someone has figured that if we put all of the materials in the Gospels that tell us about the life of Jesus together that it would equal about 80 pages. Yet, most of that would represent duplication, for we know that some of the Gospel writers copied from others. If, therefore you eliminate the duplication, you would have only 20 pages that tell us about Jesus life and teachings. Of those 20 pages, 13 of them deal specifically with the last week of his life. And if you separate it still further, you will ...

11. In The Beginning And The End...God

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"A fire mist and a planet –a crystal and a cell a jellyfish and a saurian,and caves where the cave men dwell; Then a sense of law and beauty and a face turned from the clod Some call it Evolution,And others call it God. A haze on the far horizon,The infinite tender sky.The ripe, rich tint of the cornfields, and the wild geese sailing high;. And all over upland and lowland, the charm of the goldenrod,Some call it Autumn,And others call it God. Like tides on a crescent sea beach When the moon is new and thin ...

12. Epiphany:The Joy of Fulfillment

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

I've read some books where it seemed the author had no purpose in writing. When that's the case, I'm glad if I can discover it early, so I don't invest too much time in a meaningless search. In some instances, however, I've been slow to recognize the problem, perhaps because I've been looking so earnestly for the author's point that I didn't realize he was without one. No such charge can be made against Luke, the Greek physician who gave us the Gospel which bears his name. He knew why he was writing, and ...

13. Epiphany: The Tragedy of Rejection

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

In the church, most of us think of Epiphany simply as a season on the church calendar, and sometimes as a season we don't understand too well. We may recall that we are celebrating particularly the revealing of Christ to the Gentile world, via the Wise Men, but not much more. The dictionary, however, adds further dimension to the word, listen: "a sudden, intuitive perception ... into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or ...

14. The Unforgivable Sin

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

One of my favorite preachers, Clarence Forsberg, tells a story about a man who realized his life-long ambition by going on a safari in Africa. “He took along his wife, even though she was not the outdoors type. They set up camp in a jungle cleaning, and as he prepared to go out the first day he presented his wife with a little silver bell. He explained, ‘There is really nothing to worry about. I’m not going to be very far away. If you have any trouble at all, just ring this bell, and I’ll come right back.’ ...

15. In Whose Likeness?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Chris Ewing

Okay, teacher, you think you're so smart — is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor? Talk about your loaded question! If we're talking about the law of Rome, the law of the imperial government, the law of this part of the world, of course it's legal to pay taxes to the emperor — it's illegal not to! And just in case Jesus was hoping to fudge a bit on the answer, there are among his questioners members of the Herodian party, supporters of the puppet king, toadies to the Roman government, here listening to ...

16. Aha! An Epiphany!

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story about a young man who was dating a very attractive girl. One Sunday after church the two went for a picnic. The young man had made arrangements to rent a row boat. His plan was to row to a small island on their favorite lake and enjoy a lunch which he himself had prepared. Since he had been unaccustomed to making lunches, he had forgotten to pack a number of things. His attractive friend said, “It might be nice if we had some salt, ketchup and napkins.” Without hesitation the ...

17. A Family Member · Salome

Mt 20:20-21 · Mk 15:40; 16:1-2

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

She was well named. For Salome was the familiar feminine form of Solomon. But not only did she bear the wise monarch's name. "The mother of Zebedee's children" was every whit as unique as he. The very fact she identified herself with Jesus' little group attested to that. For the two were family, and families often have a way of underestimating their own. Nor were the Master's kin beyond it. For at times Mary had doubts about her son despite the revelations made to her at his birth, (Luke 2:48-51) while his ...

18. Living The Alternatives

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

"Christ" is the Greek word for Messiah or King. To believe in Jesus Christ, therefore, is to affirm more than certain doctrinal statements about his divinity or the assurance of eternal life. To believe in Christ is to refuse to acknowledge anyone else in this life as King. It is to insist that the powers and principalities of this world do not have authority over us, even when they appear to be in charge. The New Testament writers boldly portray Jesus meeting the powers of this world head on in a showdown ...

19. When is Patriotism An Idol?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

George Johnson

Almost everyone who has been brought up in the church has heard of the "taxes to Caesar" story. "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?" they asked Jesus. Allegiance to the empire and to God is the issue. Jesus' patriotism is being called into question. I want to talk to you about when patriotism becomes an idol. The setting is important. It was toward the end of Jesus' ministry, just before his death. His vision was focused. He was going to Jerusalem. There he would be confronted with life and death issues. ...

20. The Public Effect Of Private Living

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Robert Allen

It happens so often that it seems almost routine to our modern world. We read or listen to certain stories with interest and then we make little jokes about how the private morality of people becomes public information. A U.S. Congressman is found guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old and the story becomes headline news. Jim Wright becomes the first speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives ever to resign his office over ethic violations. He was charged with 69 violations of House rules. The public ...

21. Marked For Ministry

Sermon

George Bass

“We do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function as God’s servants. Instead, we prove we are servants of God….”2 Corinthians 6:3-4a “He said, therefore, to the crowds who came to be baptised by him, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruits….”Luke 3:7-8a The congregation of which I am a member encourages its members to celebrate their baptismal anniversaries every year by ...

22. Jail House Joy

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

You may, or you may not be a fan of Elvis Presley. Fans or not, most people agree that he was the King of Rock and Roll. When Elvis shook his hips, the public was shocked. His gyrations vibrated the public's moral standards and dislodged them from their conservative moorings. He opened a door that cannot be easily closed. Things, once held as strictly private, became openly public. Critics tell us that his most innovative song was entitled "Jail House Rock." Up until this time, "blues" had been associated ...

23. Give Them Good News...

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

GIVE THEM GOOD NEWS ...It'll totally disarm them! I have always been fascinated by radio preachers: Some are profoundly helpful and extremely gifted in the art of communication. Others are delightfully entertaining. But there are others that I fear do more harm than good. Such was the case when I tuned in a certain radio preacher while driving through the mountains of Western North Carolina. He had obviously been bombarding the air waves with his "hell-fire and damnation" preaching when his broadcasting ...

24. When The Cheering Stopped

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

Some years ago a book was written by a noted American historian entitled “When The Cheering Stopped.” It was the story of President Woodrow Wilson and the events leading up to and following WWI. When that war was over Wilson was an international hero, There was a great spirit of optimism abroad, and people actually believed that the last war had been fought and the world had been made safe for democracy. On his first visit to Paris after the war Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs. He was actually more ...

25. Watching Jesus

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Sometimes the background comments, the words used to provide the setting for the words and actions of Jesus are worth pondering. This may be the case in this passage where Luke notes, "They were watching him." (14:1b) Jesus was under surveillance. Is it any wonder? After all, he was a disturbing presence. He upset the tidiness of legalistic religion, declaring that all are bankrupt before God and that the main concern is God’s mercy, not our dubious schemes to make ourselves acceptable to God. To those who ...

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