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 110 results
1. Tainted Treasure
Illustration
Michael P. Green
... . Like a mighty army they have marched in, impervious to brute force. Scientists have now found a rather crafty way to wipe out whole colonies. Pellets of the ants’ favorite food are tainted with a special tasteless, odorless poison and sprinkled around the mound. The worker ants immediately begin gathering up the tainted treasure and take it down into the heart of the colony. Then they unwittingly feed the poisoned pellets to their queen, slowly killing her! When the queen dies, no more workers are ...
2. Be Shrewd
Luke 16:1-15
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... with an eye towards the kingdom, the age to come. Most commentaries see here a continuation of Jesus’ call to give alms to the poor and to act charitably and forgivingly towards all those who are suffering. The “children of light” are to use tainted resources, that is worldly wealth, in such a way that it points forward, so that it focuses faith forward toward the greatness of the coming kingdom, where eternal life will be the greatest reward. The dishonest servant used dishonest money to plan for his ...
3. Proper 20
Psalm 79:1-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Jeremiah 8:4--9:26, Luke 16:1-15
Sermon Aid
William E. Keeney
... wealth"? The question often arises as to whether the church or church-related institutions should accept wealth acquired from such enterprises as the tobacco or alcohol industries, or from persons who have hit the jackpot or won the lottery. When should the church refuse "tainted" money because it may compromise the church's witness against certain evils? When should the church accept the money and transfer it from doing evil to doing good? 2. Managing Investments. Closely related to the questions about ...
4. Luke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1-15
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... with an eye towards the kingdom, the age to come. Most commentaries see here a continuation of Jesus’ call to give alms to the poor and to act charitably and forgivingly towards all those who are suffering. The “children of light” are to use tainted resources, that is worldly wealth, in such a way that it points forward, so that it focuses faith forward toward the greatness of the coming kingdom, where eternal life will be the greatest reward. The dishonest servant used dishonest money to plan for his ...
5. Sparkle
Luke 4:31-37
Sermon
Lori Wagner
... spirit within a person or within the body itself. Troubled congregations, like trouble souls, are not peaceable places, but are plagued by unrest. When Isaiah says, the Lord is your restorer, we know that in Jesus, when Jesus is present, what is tainted by sin can be restored to wholeness, love, peace, and harmony. Interesting in Matthew’s account is Jesus’ move to Capernaum, where he began healing many “demons” and teaching in synagogues. Why this move? In a sense, Capernaum becomes a metaphor too ...
6. Weeds
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Sermon
William G. Carter
... , some want to pluck out the evil. Pull the weeds. That is an understandable response. Every once in a while, you hear about somebody who wants to purify the world, or at least their corner of it. They will go in there and separate the weeds from the wheat, the tainted from the pure, the evil from the good, the goats from the sheep, the left from the right. They are on a crusade to restore things to the way they were intended to be. We might even hear somebody come along and say, “I’m going to drain the ...
Sermon
Larry Powell
... and invite us to surrender our lives to the leadership of the Spirit. It is a good formula, until it becomes corrupted by the one dispensing the formula. Then the "truth" as well as the vehicle of truth, becomes tangled. We are familiar with both tainted and tangled truth. So were the disciples. Here was Jesus saying one thing and the government, religious authorities, and circumstances saying another. Jesus had said, "I am the true vine," but the Pharisees and scribes said he was not of the vine of Israel ...
8. A Maturing Faith
Acts 16:16-40
Sermon
Douglas J. Deuel
... of salvation" (Acts 16:17). She did this for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed with her that he cast out the spirit. Thus, her owners could no longer profit off of her. Obviously, Paul did not want his ministry or the promotion of the gospel tainted by any connection with this peculiar girl. He may also have been concerned for the girl herself and the way she was being exploited. The slave's owners obviously were not concerned with the girl's well-being. When she was healed, they did not rejoice ...
9. Clean Hands
Mark 7:1-23
Sermon
King Duncan
... . In the marketplace, they would have come into contact with Gentiles, non-Jews. This contact with non-Jews made them ritually unclean. Before they could be acceptable in God's sight again, they had to wash away the "taint" of the Gentiles. Gentiles? Yes, that's us. They didn't want to be tainted by contact with slimy, creepy, crawly creatures like you and me. You see, we were once on the outside looking in. If we could see ourselves as those who were once discriminated against because of our ethnic origins ...
10. Victory at Sea
Exodus 13:17--14:31
Sermon
Mark Trotter
... that is present in the sacrament of baptism. But what about babies and cleansing? Babies don't need to be cleansed of their sins. There are still some Christians around, however, who believe that the human race is tainted by the curse of Original Sin, and therefore the purpose of baptism is to wash that taint away. I don't believe that, and neither does our tradition, I am happy to say. The understanding of baptism as "the removal of a curse," is to violate a sacrament in order to cure a misunderstanding ...
11. Proper 26
Mark 12:28-34, Hebrews 9:11-28, Ruth 1:1-22
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
... for us sinners. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." 3. Blemish (v. 14). The sacrificial Lamb of God had to be without blemish. His blood had to be pure, without the taint of sin. Polluted blood can give the recipient the disease of the donor. Some get AIDS innocently by blood transfusions tainted with the HIV virus. Jesus was the perfect lamb whose blood was pure. That is the reason for the teaching that only the blood of Christ can remove sin and restore us to God. PREACHING ...
12. Tale of the Tares
Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38
Sermon
Lori Wagner
... one in humankind is inherently evil! The parable clearly says that God spread all good seed! In another parable, Jesus also explains, sometimes some seeds “take” and others don’t. But in this parable, some seed that already has become “tainted” has been sown within the good field. Tainted seed are seeds that have already become changed from a condition of evil. Jesus warns us not to be overzealous in our desire to “purify” the world. Patience He warns! “Don’t rip out wheat in your zeal to ...
Sermon
William G. Carter
... In the late 1700s, that may or may not have been a good idea. History tells many sad stories of European Christians who spoke to people who were neither European nor Christian. They tried to make these people Christians, but inevitably tainted them as Europeans. Frequently it was conversion by coercion. Let's confess, some people were better off before the Christian missionaries got to them. Progress and firepower have not been universally positive influences among innocent civilizations. These days, it is ...
14. Weather Signs
Luke 12:49-53
Sermon Aid
William E. Keeney
... in socially useful activities, such as those in alcohol, tobacco, and military production? Should he maximize profits for his stockholders at the expense of wages for his workers? Should he seek investment for expansion from those who made their profits from tainted money? What about accepting the union of his workers when the union was involved in shady practices? How does a person in business read the signs of the present times and respond to them as a Christian? 3. Spiritual Weather. Everybody talks ...
Sermon
John A. Stroman
... , All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all. There have been times in the history of the church when Christians sought to escape from the world, feeling that physical and fleshly things were tainted and sinful. There is not the slightest evidence of this in the creation account in Genesis. The Bible tells us how God cares for and rejoices in God's creation. In Matthew 6, God feeds the birds; a sparrow does not fall from the nest ...
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
... is still missing. That something is the ability to follow through. There is no person on earth who can follow through and keep this command to love God and neighbor. There is no person on earth who can do it because there is no person not tainted by the curse of Eden, because there is no person this side of Genesis 3 whose self-esteem is uncracked. The Scriptures and the Christian tradition boldly announce to the world that this kind of self-esteem, this conviction that we are indeed somebody, even in ...
17. Held In His Arms
Isaiah 51:17--52:12
Sermon
Paul W. Kummer
... the arm of the Lord cut off the Son (v. 8). When Jesus agonized and died on the cross, he went through literal hell. Not just the "hell" we say we endure in a tragedy, but actual Satan-controlled and damning hell. God "cut him off" because he cannot be tainted with the evil of hell and sin. Jesus was also "cut off" from those who are living. His outstretched arms went limp and he breathed no more. Fifth, the arm of the Lord raised him up (v. 11). This is Easter on Good Friday. After suffering our death, God ...
18. Easter 7
Jn 17:1-11 · Acts 1:1-14 · 1 Pet 4:12-19, 5:6-11 · Ps 68 · Ps 27 · Ps 47
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... , we will also share his glory. If we don't bear the cross, we can't bear the crown. The foot to the fire. Fire has traditionally been a symbol of God and, by association, the judgment of God. Fire consumes the impermanent, purges that which is tainted; consequently, it purifies. The "fiery ordeal" (v. 1) is a metaphor for judgment, which Peter mentions later in the passage (v. 17). Ordeal by fire is part of the religious tradition of India and some of the cultures in the South Sea islands. If a person can ...
19. Proper 4
Genesis 6:1-8:22, Deuteronomy 11:1-32, Matthew 7:21-29, Romans 1:1-17, Romans 3:21-31
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... Romans 3:21-25a, 28 (E); Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28 (L) Paul contends that the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law; it is the righteousness of those who have faith in Christ Jesus. The former righteousness is not effective because all people are tainted by sin. There remains no room for boasting or pride, since salvation comes as a gift of God received by faith. Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29 (C); Matthew 7:21-27 (RC, E); Matthew 7:(15-20), 21-29 (L) Being acquainted with Christ is not enough to ...
20. Proper 8
Mark 5:21-43
Drama
Dallas A. Brauninger
... from touching holy things. According to current beliefs, when the woman touched Jesus' cloak, she would have been touching a holy thing and thereby making it unclean. Today, touching itself has become suspect. Even the word "touch," has become tainted. Consider balancing negative touching with positive touching. Jesus transformed the meaning of touch. For Jesus, touch was a means of communicating, a transmission of healing power, and a message that we are all connected. Touch is direct contact. Touch ...
Sermon
Gordon Pratt Baker
... the practices, for Caiaphas took pains to promote his crass schemes when Nicodemus was absent on council business elsewhere. Nevertheless, the very fact Nicodemus was an official of the body perpetrating Caiaphas' evil deeds had led him to fear he bore the taint of its president's guilt by association. It was a sobering fear and, left to his own thoughts, Nicodemus could not shake it. Indeed, he apparently spent hours vainly agonizing over it. As a consequence he had come to the conviction he could ...
22. A Family Member · Salome
Mt 20:20-21 · Mk 15:40; 16:1-2
Sermon
Gordon Pratt Baker
... the very thought of doing so was taboo. But Salome refused to let their stance hold her back. In addition there was a serious question as to the company Salome would be keeping. For in the eyes of her neighbors she was joining a band of tainted women, defiled by the fact that somewhere in their past each had experienced a mental breakdown, the sign of demon-possession, and therefore to be avoided. But all her life Salome had accepted individuals, not for what they had been, but for what they were. So ...
Bulletin Aid
Dennis Koch
... 4 Lord, we hear the word "authority" and we react! We often resist; we are not receptive. We have reasons for being somewhat cynical. Our experience with those in authority has not always been positive. Those who exercise authority seem to become tainted by it. People reacted to the authority of Jesus too. Some were angry. Others were amazed. He spoke words which needed to be spoken. Many people listened. Many people were changed. Forever! Today, the authority of Jesus reaches our ears and our hearts ...
Sermon
W. Robert McClelland
... sinful than those left on the steps. Indeed, those at the front door can boast impressive religious pedigrees. They are the sons and daughters of Abraham. No doubt their credentials include letters of moral recommendation. The difference is not in the taint of their lives but in their choice of doors. The great masses of those concerned with heavenly issues believe that human nature is prone to sin and disobedience, which in turn, requires large doses of contrition and confession to counteract the condition ...
Sermon
William J. Carl
... good people in their day. They were the ones with power and knowledge, the ones who were “upright, righteous, and right with God.” They knew the law and actually kept it. It’s not that they were completely sinless. Even they knew that everyone is tainted with Eden’s damage. But they kept the laws of God as closely as was humanly possible. Not only that, they actually came to church every week. They read their Bible and even went to Bible studies. And, of course, they tithed and actually kept their ...
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