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 1066 results

1. Turning Pity-Parties into Praise-Parties

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is done, when by thy grace the victory's won, e'en death's cold wave I will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me. (Refrain) In our text for today, an imprisoned Paul, facing an impending death, entitled to some self-pitying, still manages to offer his Philippian companions in Christ a new “magazine,” a new “storehouse” for containing their redemptive, loving experiences of Christ’s resurrection power in their lives. Paul’s Praise Magazine is not a list of “this and that’s.” Paul ...

Mark 6:30-44

Unless a man has pity, he is inhuman and not yet truly a man, for out of pity comes the balm which heals. Only good men weep. If a man has not yet wept at the world's pain, he is less than the dirt he walks upon, because dirt will nourish seed, root, stalk, leaf, and flower, but the spirit of a man without pity is barren and will bring forth nothing.

William Saroyan

3. Self-pity: The Devil's Comfort

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Self-pity weeps on the devil’s shoulder, turning to Satan for comfort. His invitation is: “Come unto me all you that are grieved, peeved, misused, and disgruntled, and I will spread on the sympathy. You will find me a never-failing source of the meanest attitudes and the most selfish sort ...

4. You Can't Tell A Book By Its Cover

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... just isn't fair." The truth is ...that's true. Life isn't fair. Yet, to give in to that fact and adopt a stance of self-pity is paralyzing. Listen to this: "Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision." Let that sink in. "Just ... may seem right for you to feel that life isn't fair -- and to become so lost in that fact that you give in, either to self-pity or envy. But that way leads to death. It may seem right for you to think you are better than others, but to walk that way ...

5. Leave Your Stuff Behind

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor. We don’t need to go into the new year with self-pity because God is no our side. God has created us. God has affirmed us. And God is going to be with us. II. Leaving ... we must leave this behind. III. Leaving behind Cancelled Sin. Well there’s a lot of stuff we ought to leave behind, along with self-pity and illegitimate responsibility, we can’t name them all, but let me mention one other bundle that needs to be cast off as we stride ...

6. If Only... Next Time

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... She likened the choices of life to standing before a button panel. "You push the down button for bitterness, resentment, and self-pity. Or you can push the up button and draw closer to God, closer to others and to be a better person. ... get the picture? The difference between a "what if" and a "next time" approach to life. "If only" with its expressions of regret, revenge, and self-pity is a protest against God. "Next time" is a vote of confidence in the future and an affirmation of faith in God who is always ...

7. Epiphany 6

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Leviticus 13:1-46, 2 Kings 5:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... us to be cleansed by Christ, that we might clean up the world. 2. Sermon Title: What A Pity! Sermon Angle: Jesus was moved with pity at the plight of leper; that pity moved him to action. What a pity! We use the phrase to mean "Isn't that too bad!" Jesus expressed his pity not through words but through actions of deliverance and mercy. Outline: 1. What a pity! Jesus was moved to pity by the sight of the leper and his plea. 2. His pity led him to reach out his hand to cleanse and heal. 3. Our feelings may be ...

8. When Are We Most Like God?

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... 6. “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” (Exodus 2: 5-6 RSV). Let’s focus on a very human dimension of the story that is captured there in the sixth verse. When she opened the little ark, she saw the child. The baby was crying, and ...

9. The Master Has Come - And Is Moved With Compassion

Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

... people came to hear and see him. They hung on every word. They longed for the healing touch. Then, Matthew says, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:35-38) It was not pity Jesus had. He did not feel sorry for these people. He felt the pain of love. We see this compassion of Jesus, this pain of love, in other places. On one occasion, a large crowd had come to hear him. After he had healed the sick he said to ...

10. The Wholeness Question: Do You Want To Be Made Well?

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... let me move on. The exercise of our will is essential for wholeness. II. Before we go to the next signal that speaks to the issue of wholeness -- which is the signal of faith, let's take a little side path and consider a primary barrier to wholeness: Our self pity. A friend told me about his little girl injuring her knee. Like most little girls, she came to her mom and dad to show them the full extent of her scraped knee. After taking time to bandage it, they sent her on her way to play. Some hours later ...

11. When Nature Says No

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of his story but not all of it. Two years ago, he was a hopeless addict. His marriage was on the rocks. In desperation he came here, heard the Gospel - the word of a new possibility. He became a part of Christians in Recovery, began to rise above self-pity and despair, trusted the Lord, expected something to happen - and it did - and that’s what he was telling me about. Something did happen. Tears of joy were in his eyes as he expressed gratitude. He is a new person and his marriage is new as well. That ...

12. Redrawing The Landscape

Multiple Scriptures

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... healed Samaritan stepped forward to write a gospel, did they? Those who followed and loved Jesus were the ones who lived close up with him; and those were the ones He occasionally became angry with. So much of our fear and consequently our anger comes from self-pity. A family member has made it big and we haven't. Someone with not nearly as much talent as we have has gotten a lucky break and left us in the dust. Few activities in life are more debilitating and more responsible for resentment and anger than ...

13. Foretaste

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

... is noticed by God. You decide, in your own mind, the truth as God lets you see it. You be judge and jury and decide according to the evidence of Scripture whether or not Christian hope is for this world only.No, we are not to be pitied. The world is to be pitied. We do not live the falsehood of the world that claims that hope dies when bodies die. Instead, we are the honored few who know that Christian hope anticipates the future, looks forward to Christ's return, and foresees a new sister in a brand new ...

14. Forgive To Be Forgiven

Genesis 50:15-21

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... find fault, gossip, and be judgmental of sinners. How do we treat a divorcee in our church? Though we may not approve, can we forgive a homosexual or a lesbian? Do we exclude drug addicts? How do we feel about an unmarried teenager who is pregnant? Is there pity in our hearts? Do we weep for them and reach out in forgiveness, or do we shun them, not speak to them, and give them looks of disapproval? The president of a church youth group became pregnant. When the church heard about it, the first reaction was ...

15. A Parable in a Miracle

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... or pause he interrupts whatever is going on. Kneeling there, he gives his piteous plea. “If you want to, you can make me clean.” Then there is packed into one beautiful sentence, almost everything Jesus was about. Listen as Philipps translates it: “Jesus was filled with ‘pity for him, and stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper, saying ‘Of course, I want to be clean!” (Mark 1:41 Philips) That tells it all. Stay with that encounter for just a moment to get the full impact of it. By law ...

16. Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

Amos 7:1-9

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... s intercession is not for forgiveness, as it was in 7:2. No forgiveness was granted then, and perhaps the prophet has learned by this time that no forgiveness will be forthcoming. Rather, Amos simply begs, “cease” (RSV), stop! That is, halt the judgment! And God, in pity for this little people, heeds the prophet’s cry. (See the comments on 7:1–3 above.) 7:7–9 Evil cannot remain in God’s sight (cf. Hab. 1:13), and when the people do not repent, God’s cleansing judgment must wipe out the wrong ...

17. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... the land (as in Ezek. 9:6, the judgment in Jer. 13:12–14 is all-inclusive; see also Jer. 6:11, where wrath is poured out on children, young men, husbands, wives and the elderly). In Jer. 21:7, it is Nebuchadnezzar who will not spare or pity Zedekiah, Judah’s last king. The remaining seven occurrences of this expression are all in Ezekiel. Ezekiel 5:11; 7:4, 9 all refer to the idolatrous abominations that have prompted the Lord’s judgment. In Ezek. 8–11, this expression appears three times (8:18; 9:5 ...

18. What Can I Get By With?

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... children and keeping the home going. You don’t use the same words, but you affirm the thought: “A man’s work is from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done.” And fathers don’t escape either. We’re moving toward a damaging self-pity when we begin to say things like, “I’d hoped the children would more appreciative, that they would be self-supporting by this time.” We’re all victims of it. “What’s the use?” we say, “the people in Washington get away with murder, the rich get ...

19. Miracle Three: Healing A Leper

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... reverently. Kneeling before the Lord, he pleaded for a cure. But in this instance, he was in contact with the Son of God, the ruler of the universe. The man- made command was disobeyed, but a higher authority brushed it aside, and a pitiful leper was healed. Recounting God's Blessings · We take so much for granted. We accept so much kindness and consideration without a thought of expressing gratitude. Here the cured leper could not be silenced. He went about vigorously proclaiming Christ's goodness in ...

20. The Still Small Voice

1 Kings 19:1-8

Sermon

Steven Burt

... ’t say whose voice -- came to him, asking simply, “EIijah, what are you doing here?” EIijah answers. But listen to the self-pity he’s developed “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy ... God. In Elijah’s case he is told to get back to taking care of business. Get out of the cave mood and the self-pity mode. His strength is refreshed, his faith is strengthened, he renews his commitment, and he regains his vision. He knows what he has to ...

21. Birthright Blues

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

Justin Tull

... dilemma is why this Old Testament lesson is so important to us and so relevant. It asks us if we join Esau in hating our birthright. It asks us if we are willing to settle for the moment, if we treat cheaply what has great value, if we pity ourselves when we have been given much. So where are you right now? Are you slipping into the “birthright blues?” Are you celebrating your “birthday bonanza?” And regardless of where you are right now, where do you want to be? Does Esau’s route sound okay? Sell ...

22. An Affirming Presence

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... us psychotic, because if allowed to run its course, feelings of worthlessness turn into suspicion and hatred of others. Most of the people who commit suicide have become the victims of this disease. It goes by various names, according to how deeply we feel it - self pity, self depreciation, lack of self worth, low self-esteem, little or no self affirmation. And the awful thing about it is, is that it is so tenacious in the hold that it has upon us. My own confession will make the point. This has been the ...

23. If Only -- In Spite Of

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the choices of life to standing before a button-panel. "You push the down button," she said, "for bitterness, resentment, and self-pity. Or you can push the up-button and draw closer to God, closer to others, and be a better person. It's ... you see it? There are basically two ways to live -- we can adopt that gift only response to life which is a response of self-pity; or, we can live in spite of, claiming the power of Christ to take responsibility for our thorn in the flesh, take responsibility and live with ...

24. Pilate and the Condemnation of Jesus

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... of Pilate’s sick and anti-Semitic sense of humor. He seems obsessed throughout with the grim joke that Jesus is the Jews’ king. The words with which he presents Jesus to the assembled Jewish leaders—Here is the man! (v. 5)—are intended to arouse not so much pity as a sense of the ridiculous. To the Gospel writer, however, they are profoundly significant as a reminder of who it is who is going to be presented as king (v. 14) and then crucified (v. 18). It was as “Son of Man” that Jesus was to be ...

25. Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified

John 19:1-16, John 18:28-40

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

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