Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on

Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation

Showing 1 to 25 of 483 results

1. Lust

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Remember the furor that arose a few years ago when Jimmy Carter was interviewed by Playboy magazine and was asked if he had ever had any extramarital affairs? He said that he never had but admitted to lusting "in my heart," which as Jesus made clear, was just as bad as actually committing adultery. Now, whatever one might think about Jimmy Carter's presidency, everyone would agree that he was and is a most committed Christian. If someone like Jimmy Carter would admit to a problem with lust, I suspect that ...

2. Lust - To Discipline The Eye And The Heart

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

Jesus and his disciples were in a foreign land, the land of Samaria. It had once been recognized as the birthplace and capital of the Jewish faith. It was in Samaria and at Shechem that God told Abraham that the land would belong to his descendants. But later the Israelites were defeated by the Assyrians, who then settled in the land and mixed with the population. So in Jesus' day the people of Israel viewed the Samaritans as half-breeds and false worshipers. Jesus' parable of the "good Samaritan" was a ...

3. From Lust to Love

1 Corinthians 13: 1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

How can a person express their love of basketball, chocolate, their children, God, and their spouse with a single four-letter word - love? That's what I would like us to consider today. In the early part of the 20th century a Jewish philosopher by the name of Martin Buber tried to distinguish between human connections that are mainly "I-It" relationships and those interactions which are primarily "I-Thou" relationships. In "I-It" relationships we seek to acquire and possess. In "I-Thou" relationships we ...

4. Being Two People at Once

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Donna Schaper

David gets in trouble the way many other men get in trouble. Some women do also but often in a less adulterous way. Women get "twitterpated" by beauty but often think of themselves as the one who should become beautiful. I think of the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, which is the story of fascination with fashion — the women are all hooked deeply on how they look, so deeply that they think a size six is too fat. David's issue is different but also connected: He takes the problem of his lust for Bathsheba ...

5. Right-Handed Sinners!

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

For the above title, I reach back across Matthew's more detailed record of the same message where he recalls that Jesus specified the right hand, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off" (Matthew 5:30). That might be significant because research indicates the somewhere around 85% of humans are right-hand dominant, and it could mean that Jesus is not just saying that a sinning hand should be excised but that even if it is the dominant hand that sins it must go! Let us think about it, and ...

6. The Challenge to Forgive

Luke 7:36--8:3

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little. — Luke 7:47 It is a dramatic scene out of America's mythical past — a Western scene of cowboys, saloons, and gunslingers; a scene of wide-open spaces conquered by fierce individualists, liquor, and true grit. It is a scene, however, a little different from the cowboy heroes of my childhood, the scenes of the good guy, white hat heroes like Roy Rogers and Gene Au-try, not even to ...

7. A New Kind of Teaching

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

Teachers and teaching have existed as long as humankind. Early man taught his children how to survive -- how to hunt, how to plant and harvest, how to provide shelter and protection, how to fight, how to raise his family in the tribal ways. Learning and teaching took a great stride forward in classical Greece 450 years before Christ with the arrival of Socrates and his brilliant student, Plato. The radiant light of learning was passed on from Plato to Aristotle, and the world ever since has been their ...

8. After Good Friday

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

Obsolete. Superceded. Null and void. Those are words that could be used in a court of law to describe legal contracts or agreements that are no longer in effect. Stipulations become obsolete with the passing of time or when two partners break off their partnership, whether it's a business or a marriage. Procedures can be superceded by new practices when old stipulations become obsolete. Whole contracts can become null and void when one side or the other fails to live up to the agreement. Now the happiest ...

9. GOOD SEX

Illustration

John H. Krahn

Winston Churchill was a member of a Master of Ceremonies club. He won every time there was a contest. He could speak on any topic at any time. They thought they had him one day when without notice they gave him the topic, "Sex." He rose and said, "Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure," then he sat down. Sex as mere physical gratification can be fun in many instances. I would imagine that an affair can be quite exciting ... at least for a time. Although sex is most pleasurable, it is only good in the ...

10. A Word of Hope for a Hard World

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

If you’ve ever felt like your life was out of control, then you can relate to the harrowing adventure of Tattoo, a basset hound from Tacoma, Washington. One evening, Tattoo’s owner headed out for a drive. He didn’t notice that Tattoo’s leash had gotten caught in the car door. Police officer Terry Filbert, patrolling the neighborhood on his motorcycle, spotted the poor dog running--and occasionally rolling--alongside the car. The officer stopped Tattoo’s owner and alerted him to the situation. Tattoo came ...

11. Ready For A Change

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Feeling edgy, a man took a hot bath. Just as he'd become comfortable, the doorbell rang. The man got out of the tub, put on his slippers and a large towel, wrapped his head in a smaller towel, and went to the door. A salesman wanted to know if he needed any brushes. Slamming the door, the man returned to the bath. The doorbell rang again. On went the slippers and towels, and the man started for the door again. This time, however, he took one step, slipped on a wet spot, fell, and hit his back against the ...

12. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God’s people are called to rejoice over his judgment of the evil city and his vindication of the saints. Understanding the Text We now enter the final stage of Babylon’s destruction (17:1–19:5). The laments of Babylon’s codependents in 18:9–19 are contrasted with the rejoicing of the righteous in 18:20–19:5. God’s people are urged to celebrate God’s judgment of the “great city” (18:20). This command is followed by the announcement of Babylon’s certain destruction (18:21), which focuses upon what ...

13. Dusting Off Our Gratitude

Joel 2:21-27

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

In the Deep South there is a most unusual monument paying homage to, of all things, the boll weevil. Enterprise, Alabama, is known as "Weevil City" for this unusual tribute to a devastating pest. In its spoof news commentary, Comedy Central has featured this thirteen-foot statue of a woman holding a huge black weevil over her head. Once when vandals removed the weevil from the statue's arms, Comedy Central captioned the news segment reporting this event as "See No Weevil."1 Carl Sandburg and Brook Benton ...

14. How Rich Is Rich?

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

We can simply stay away from some of the things that are bad for us. A person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol will be counseled by those with experience to abstain totally from alcohol: no social drinking, no wine every now and then. Just leave it alone. Never touch it. The same principle applies if the addiction is to gambling or pornography and many other kinds of addiction. Overcoming an addiction is hard work. It takes courage, willpower, the support of others, and the grace of God at a minimum. ...

15. For Men Only?

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In the year 311 BC a marriage contract in Egypt was drawn up for Heraclides and Demetria, both from the town of Koan. The contract specified that the bride was bringing into the marriage clothing and bling worth a thousand drachmas. Heraclides, meanwhile, agreed to support Demetria according to what was fitting for a freeborn woman. As to where the two of them would live, that would be whatever they both agreed to after consulting with each other. This marriage, like some that we read about, also had ...

16. God's Delight

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Once upon a time a student approached his teacher and announced that he was ready to assume the office of ministry. "And what are your qualifications?" the teacher asked. "I have mastered the art of physical discipline," the student replied. "I am able to sleep on the ground, to eat nothing but raw grains, and I can carry huge loads on my back." The teacher took the young man by the arm and led him toward a field. "Do you see the mule? He too sleeps on the ground, eats nothing but grains, and can bear ...

17. His Lust to Be Number One

Illustration

Lloyd J. Ogilvie

An ancient Greek legend illustrates beautifully the plight of combative competition. A certain athlete ran well, but he still placed second. The crowd applauded the winner noisily, and after a time a statue was erected in his honor. But second place finisher came to think of himself as a loser. Envy ate away at him physically and emotionally. He could think of nothing else but his defeat and his lust to be number one He decided he had to destroy the statue. A plan took shape in his mind, which he began ...

18. Suffered under (Saint) Pontius Pilate

John 18:28-40

Sermon

David O. Bales

Christians Sunday by Sunday announce our collective memory of Pontius Pilate: “Suffered under Pontius Pilate.” By repeating this creed regularly, we agree with church tradition and we don’t wonder further about Pilate. We certainly have no sympathy for him. Pilate’s Jewish contemporaries had nothing good to say about him. Christians, especially on Good Friday, don’t let anyone forget our opinion of him. However, some early church traditions decided that Pilate was a believer and two churches still, ...

19. All in God’s Time

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Why do bad things happen to good people?" is the way we say it today. That surely must have been a question on the hearts and minds of those first-century Christians as they suffered under the brutal persecution of the Roman empire. It is a question that surely was on the hearts and minds to whom John had written this extraordinary piece of literature we call the book of Revelation. Many of them were convinced that they were innocent and righteous sufferers sent to their deaths in the coliseum because ...

20. Church Discipline: A Cure for What Ails the Body

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

When a sixteen-year-old stays out all night drinking, then drives home, a father disciplines him with grounding. When a student cuts class, is late with papers, and turns in inferior work, a college professor disciplines him with failing marks. When an employee is lazy and is caught pilfering company goods, his boss disciplines him by firing him. At the businessman's club a member who skips meetings and refuses to join in service projects is disciplined by dismissal from club membership. A church member ...

21. The Cloak

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Sermon

Rick Brand

If you can't refute the argument, then you can attack the person, and the best way to attack a person is to question the motives. So Paul is responding to attacks upon the Good News of Jesus Christ by those who have attacked him and questioned his motives for coming to Thessalonica. He rejoices that when he came to preach, people heard the message joyfully. Paul says he preaches because he has to. He preaches to please God. But, of course, there were some who suggested that Paul was really preaching from ...

22. The Hard Sell

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Our blessed Lord presses the issue. Do you or do you not want to be my disciple? If you do not, then it is with great sadness that your Savior must move on with those who are willing to fully commit themselves. In our lives, each and every one of us receives Christ’s invitation of discipline and abandonment of the world. No longer are we getting acquainted. We are being asked to come into a relationship at once glorious and painful. Yes, it comes to all of us — sooner or later. It is like moving from an ...

23. Be Careful How You Live

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. — Ephesians 5:15-16 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 5:19-20 Be very careful, then, how you live. In these verses of Ephesians that we have been reading the last few weeks, there is eternal wisdom for ...

24. Legacies of Power

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Power is one of the marks of public success in today's world. We all know about power because we have experienced it, whether we were on the giving end or the receiving end. Power is difficult to define because it comes in so many different shapes and sizes. The very word power elicits different emotional responses in each of us. How we respond to power depends on who happens to have the power, as well as how it is used. Power includes the ability to influence, to choose, to help, and to change. Each one ...

25. Proper 25

Mark 10:46-52, Psalm 34:1-22, Job 42:7-17, Hebrews 7:11-28

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22) First Lesson—Job’s encounter with God leads to deep humility and a new chapter in the book of life. Job 42:16, 10-17 Second Lesson—Jesus is exalted as the priest par excellence. Hebrews 7:23-28 Gospel—The loud and persistent cry of a blind beggar is not ignored by Jesus. Mark 10:46-52 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Rejoice and sing aloud for joy. People: The Lord has done great things for ...

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