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 1 to 25 of 322 results

1. God Writes Straight with Crooked Lines

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is what motivated Jesus’ disciples to seek him out in his “senior moment” of prayer and berate him with the scolding message “Everyone is looking for you.” At this extremely early moment in Christ’s ministry, no one was “seeking him out” except his ego-obsessed followers, his hanger’s on who desperately did not want to be hung out to dry. Ironically Jesus’ moment of prayer was never a “hide-out” time. In fact, Jesus was never more open and accessible than he was when he was in prayer ...

2. The Monsters We Are All Afraid Of

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... my dread. He hasn't any notion of how adults ought to play And tries to make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see. I think it shameful to stick to people as my ego clings to me. This side of the door, we will always struggle with these monstrous egoboos. Some things like human frailties and foibles remain much the same. · We'll fuss over delayed airplanes. · We'll fume when postal service slows down. · We'll foolishly ignore warning signs. · We'll ...

3. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... be willing to serve. Let’s begin with the very human desire of wanting to be first. I joked about men with their egos. Women have egos too. They’re just a little more subtle about it. There was a noted priest in Florence in the 15th century. One day ... , those who do not know God’s amazing grace. Big men in little planes. Why were they in those little planes? Because of a big ego in a little man. God wants us to stand tall by humbling ourselves as he humbled himself and giving our lives as he gave his ...

4. Getting Ourselves Off Our Hands

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... minute to recoup. It wears away your strength, your morale, your life. We may call it "stress," but its real name is "ego." "Ego may be open or subtle, worldly or Christianized. It may mean smashing enough faces and brains to wow the world of boxing. ... our own hands. To think we do is egotistical arrogance. So to get ourselves off our hands, we need to break the back of our own ego. III. One other word to help us get ourselves off our hands. We need to quit guarding our life. Isn't that the reason we keep ...

5. Dead or Alive?

Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

... the level of conscience and valuing. As a pathologist, Freud was concerned primarily with what happens to the person when unresolved conflicts develop between the "Super Ego" and the drives of the "Id" and "Ego." He did not throw much light, however, on what happens when the "Super Ego" fails to develop or take charge of the animalism of the "Id" and "Ego." This, surely, is one of the points at which deadness of the spirit can be identified. How else should one describe a condition where there is an absence ...

6. Develop Leaders—Humbly

Colossians 3:12-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , “I must be about my Father's business." Spiritual leadership is Jesus sweating drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane saying, “Not my will, but Thine be done." Spiritual leadership is doing it all for the glory of God. What does ego mean to you? Does ego mean edging God out? Does ego mean exalting God only? Whether or not it is clear to us, most of us are influencing somebody, a child, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, a company, a community, a church. In that sense we are all leaders. Somebody's ...

7. Thunder in the Mountains, Silence in the Soul

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... strands of the tradition, the fact remains that the final redactors preserved this repetitious, mixed up mess because it spoke to a larger truth. Elijah's first exchange with God in vv.9b-10 allows the prophet to vent his anxiety and fears and his Super-Ego's moral outrage at the injustices it has suffered. Elijah appears to be in control of this encounter. He is the one with grievances to air. But even as it would seem Elijah has forced God into admitting to a dearth of support or guidance, the theophany ...

8. Loving

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Larry Powell

... probably lays down the whole of it: "The man who sings his own praise invariably sings a solo unaccompanied." Proverb 27:2 states the matter bluntly: "Let another man praise you, and not with your own mouth." Plainly, according to Paul, love reverses the ego. The ego perverts love, and self-love is the supreme perversion. It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. (verse 5) Life has its share of humbling experiences. They are necessary, I suppose, to ...

9. A Man of God

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... McLarty says, “When I think about my friend, I’m reminded of the faithfulness of Joseph. It has something to do with getting your own ego out of the way and putting others first. It’s an exercise in humility and it’s based on a simple trust that, by ... character so that people will know that you can be counted on to do the right thing, when you’re able to check your ego at the door, then your life is crucial to God’s plan for the world. It is through these acts of love, kindness, responsibility, ...

10. Winners Losers

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... own desires and the better way. They come to know what will happen to them if they persist in their own way; and, therefore, become able to make choices for the best that lies before them. Losers never make comparisons. To do so would cost too much of the ego. If they are forced to face up to their behavior, they block themselves in by such statements as “I can if I want to.” “It’s true for me, so it’s true.” “You don’t understand.” Winners come out free, no matter what. Being in charge of ...

11. Who Keeps Getting in My Way?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... God means we have to make him sovereign over our lives. It means that in any situation our first thought is of God and not self. I suppose we could come closer to understanding this first Beatitude if we were to substitute the word "ego" in its earlier meaning for the word "spirit." Blessed are those who are poor in ego. Ego means self in the sense of too much emphasis on self: self-satisfaction, self-seeking, self-centeredness. Words like pride, conceit, and self-importance describe us if we are rich in ...

12. In, But Not Of, The World

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... ? No way. We ask you to be in the world, not of it. Get in the world, but don’t do the world’s egocentric “thing.” An ancient African theologian, Augustine, says that when you get into community affairs in a selfless loving way, trying not to feed your ego, you will see God more clearly than if you had not. Because God is love, if you do not have a self-emptying agape love for all your neighbors, you will not recognize God when he comes to you. But when you do practice loving all God’s people, you ...

13. Saints in Shorts

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... a different kind of offense. The example he chooses -- being struck on the cheek -- is not a life-threatening kind of attack. If I am struck on the cheek, what is it that is really at stake? A slap on the face is perhaps more of a blow to my ego than my body. It is not so much that my life needs to be defended as it is my pride that wants to be avenged. You and I may not live in settings where we are likely to be physically struck, but we are almost certainly in settings where our ...

14. Understanding Outrageous Grace

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... . We’ve all been guilty of being a bad listener at one time or another. This may have been why Jesus spoke in parables so often. He knew that we are easily distracted. He knew that we have our own agendas. And he knew that sometimes our ego gets in the way of hearing God’s voice. Maxie Dunnam, Professor Emeritus of Asbury Theological Seminary and an excellent writer, likes to tell the story of the University of Tennessee football coach who bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out ...

15. The Babel Disaster -- You Are There

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... temple collapsed, I almost wish I'd beenthere. I should have said something a long time ago. But Iwas afraid of losing my job. What would you have done? FA: Do you have any further observation you would liketo make? Accountant: The pride, the greed, the egos. They allhave to change. We need a whole new spirit around here. FA: I am told by our producer that the generalcontractor is now available to speak with us. Perhaps youcan tell us how the temple collapsed. Contractor: I really can't say what happened ...

16. See the Light, Be the Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... fight the terrible temptation of somehow trying to impress you, so that you leave God’s house saying, "I’m telling you, that Johnny May not be much good for anything else, but he sure can preach, can’t he?" Compliments do have a way of over-inflating the ego, you know? But every time I start feeling smug or over-confident, I remember a story a friend of mine told me. I’ll customize it a little and tell it to you. I dreamed that several members of this congregation and I arrived at the pearly gates ...

17. Blinding Specks

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

Herchel H. Sheets

... nobodies; we know that we are very little people - pigmies in ability and puny in character. It is a hard and painful process to force ourselves to grow; it is much simpler to attempt to reduce others to our dimensions."3 Blinding specks nourish pride and stimulate the ego. But a view of one’s self that rests on the ruins of others’ faults is a house built on sand, and sooner or later it is sure to fall. Barriers To Honesty These blinding specks are also barriers to honesty. In John Bunyan’s book, The ...

18. It's All God's Doing

Ezekiel 17:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Digest/November 1969, p. 28) Being grateful is one of the clearest expressions of our dependency upon God. A woman talking about giving thanks at meals said, "We say grace every night around here, because we think it's a good idea to give up our egos to God." So there you have it...patience and gratitude -- primary marks of the Christian Walk -- in our homes especially, but in the whole of life. So rehearse: 1 . Patience recognizes that we are not in control.2 . Patience shows we value the other person.3 ...

19. This Is a Test

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... -six minutes. Can you let somebody else have the ball?" Can you let your life go? Can you decrease so that somebody else can increase? Are you mature enough? That is what the Bible means by faithful. Are you mature enough to trust that if you let your ego go, that you will still shine? If you let somebody else star, will you still find life. If you sacrifice the self, do you believe the Lord will still provide? Then the most difficult application, letting go of somebody you love. It is no accident that one ...

20. Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... off for you even in church. It will just happen again and again. People get lost. We nibble our way lost. We are neglected at some urgent moment in our lives and we feel let down and disappointed or we are simply selfish and are trying to fill our own ego needs and so we go our own direction and do our own thing. II. HOW ARE PEOPLE FOUND? That is what these two stories are about. Is it not true? A. We Search. The good shepherd searches for the one lost sheep until he finds it. There are ninety and ...

21. What Can Christians Learn from Hindus?

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never doing anything which you know is wrong. . . you will be fine.' Suddenly I realized she had spoken the truth and I had the rest of my life to live it." In prayer we do not lose our egos, we align our egos with the will and purposes of God. Therein lies our peace. III. THE WAY OF ACCOUNTABILITY For Hindus it's karma, “the law of cause and effect." What goes around comes around. We all get what we deserve. The world is the soul's gymnasium. Here we have ...

22. Life’s Purpose Is Often Hidden!

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... . Children are created from the satisfaction of their parents' lust. People are edified by books and other media creations brought about by the ego and quest for fame of their creators. Life-giving food is given to us by those who farm and sell it in order ... if it is for the family's good, the community's good, or the church's good, is just play. We are just indulging our sinful egos with it. So fess up about that. That is what "brave sinning" is. And then the pressure to succeed will be off. God and the ...

23. John 4:5-42

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of her own private life has apparently triggered that association in her mind. Jesus’ answer seemed to be an affirmation to the woman. It is the first of many “ego eimi” or “I am” declarations found in John’s gospel. Since Exodus 3:14 “ego eimi” has indicated the very presence of God. Jesus’ assertion to the woman that “ego eimi” challenges the Samaritan woman to recognize as Messiah the one who brings God’s presence “in spirit and truth” to the people, not just as someone who ...

24. The Fred Factor

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... The love of money was the root of all kinds of evil" (6:10). Why? Because it will never be enough. It will become your god. But I don't think that Fred became a postal carrier for the money. What else motivates a Fred? Is it his ego? Is Fred like the actress who says, "Mr. Deville, I'm ready for my close up"? Or the professional who really likes that title of doctor, judge, pastor, or vice president of marketing and sales. I remember once hearing an interview with Madonna during her younger, more expressive ...

25. The Servant Leader

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... to stand on the group’s right side. That way, his name always appeared first in the newspaper caption. That’s a pretty slick trick if you want to make certain people know who you are. When you are in a position of leadership, it’s easy to let your ego take over. Maybe that is why the Lord gave some of us spouses to keep us humble. The story is told of the head of a large company who with his wife was waiting in line to get his driver’s license renewed. He was frustrated at how long it ...

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