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 226 to 250 of 357 results

226. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... with us. I'm reading Stephen Tomkins' rather interesting new book with the incredibly boring title: A Short History of Christianity. Listen to his description of church politics at the end of the first century: In 897, Pope Formosus stood trial for perjury, covetousness and unlawful promotion. The unusual aspect of the proceedings was not so much his innocence as the fact that he was nine months dead. His successor, Stephen IV, had him dug up and enthroned in full regalia, then screamed at him to answer ...

227. God’s Wisdom or the World?

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... who demonstrate the wisdom of God will manifest peace and yield a harvest of righteousness. James next addresses what happens when we make friendships with the world. Conflicts and disputes are the general problem. If we make alliances with the world, the tendency is great to covet and when we cannot obtain what we wish, we even use force and violence to achieve our perceived needs. We engage in disputes with others. We seldom if ever ask God for what we need, only what we want. And, if we do ask for our ...

228. When Too Much Can Be Too Little

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... overpopulation and overconsumption, it is the church. In this week's gospel interchange, Jesus struck a fatal blow to a young man's disease of addiction and suicidal mania. In Colossians 3:1-17, verse 5 specifies four sins of sensuality followed by "avarice" or "covetousness" or the drive to get and get, which is best defined as idolatry (cf. Ephesians 5:5). The consumerist lifestyle is as fatal to the soul as it is to the environment. One of the biggest beguilers of the Christian mind, even bigger than ...

229. Tremendous Trifles

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the violence and destruction that seem to be escalating all around us. Senseless violent crimes are splattered across the news every night. Atrocities of war and incidents of "ethnic cleansing" continue to spread like plagues across whole countries. Or, we see how cultural covetousness has led to the rape of planet Earth and the wanton abuse of her precious natural resources. But each of these terrible acts can be traced back to a tiny trifling beginning the rooting out of one of God's commandments in favor ...

230. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to the reader's discretion and generosity of spirit to surmise whether the other ten are indignant at the foolish, self-serving, unperceiving nature of the brothers' request or indignant that James and John have gotten their names in first on the list for the coveted position at Jesus' right and left hands. Turning to all of his disciples, Jesus now elaborates more fully on what following him requires of them. Sharing in the two symbols of the cup and baptism does not mean riding on the coat-tails of Jesus ...

231. Jeremiah 31:7-14

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... God's firstborn with the old name "Ephraim." The Genesis story of Ephraim (48:8-20) is notable because Ephraim is intentionally "made" the "firstborn" he is not born as such. It is by grace, not natural birthright, that Israel/Ephraim receives this coveted designation. The second section of today's poetic text changes images. God is presented here as the shepherd gathering his scattered flock. The returning "army" is now envisioned as lost sheep that have been carefully rounded up and returned to safety by ...

232. Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in verse 19 (from Exodus 20:12-16 and Deuteronomy 5:16-20) include in order numbers 6, 7, 8, 9 and 5. Mark's unique addition "do not defraud" is believed by some to be his attempt at articulating commandment number 10 ("you shall not covet"), while others see it as an extension of number 8 ("you shall not steal"). After the rather incomplete version of the commandments Jesus recites to this man, he swiftly insists, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth" (v.20). Mark's penchant for personalizing ...

233. Etched in Stone

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... need to live a life of love. You need to serve those less fortunate. You need to live as Jesus lived living a life for others. The Ten Commandments are the minimal requirement for a godly life. Of course, we sometime don’t even meet the minimum requirement. We covet what others have. We lust. We steal time from our employers. We abuse the Sabbath rest. We say we serve God, but God is rarely in our thoughts, unless, of course, we find ourselves in a tight place, or we use God’s name in swearing. And that ...

234. Lent 2

Mark 8:31--9:1, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is no gain without pain." President Truman had a sign on his desk: "Bring me only bad news. Good news weakens me." In Tom Sawyer Clemens wrote, "He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain." Old Testament: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 1. Covenant (vv. 2, 4, 7, 9, 10). In this short passage "covenant" occurs 6 times. It is a key word in the Bible. A covenant is an agreement ...

235. Proper 15

John 6:25-59, 1 Kings 2:1-12, 1 Kings 3:1-15, Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... time. Many are content to just get by. We have a neutral attitude of "live and let live." We go through life content with second best. The time is short. There is a world to save. A Christian dare not be satisfied with anything less than the best. Each Christian covets Jesus' saying to him, "She has done what she could." 2. Evil (v. 16). "The days are evil." Is this true also for our days? Is this not the day which the Lord has made? Is this not our Father's world? How then can we say that the days ...

236. Relationship with Christ

John 15:1-8

Illustration

Staff

... mentioned that time when the great Arturo Toscanini told her that hers was the greatest voice of the century. She could have mentioned that time when she sang before the Roosevelt's and the King and Queen of England. She could have said it was winning a coveted award for the person who had done the most for her hometown of Philadelphia. There was also the time when she sang before a crowd of 75,000 on Easter Sunday beneath the Lincoln statue. Which of these high moments would she chose? None of them. My ...

237. Pentecost

John 14:8-17 (25-27), Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:1-17

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... . Bless our industries and teach both labor and management to work honestly and heartily that there may be enough and to spare for everyone. Deliver the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. Teach the rich not to be proud, covetous, and luxurious, but rather to be humble, temperate, and gracious, not trusting in uncertain riches, but so using their earthly possessions in all kinds of good deeds, as not to lose the heavenly treasure. Remember all who are mindful of the lonely and the ...

238. Easter 3

Psalm 30:1-12, John 21:1-19, Acts 9:1-19a, Revelation 5:1-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... our nation and its leaders. Save them from the love of power that leads to self-worship and gross pride. Give wisdom to all branches of government establishing among them pure purpose, impartial judgment, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. Subdue covetousness and spread among all people a contentment with what is fair and pleasure in doing your will. Bless this county where we live: its magistrates and police, doctors and nurses, teachers and preachers, farmers and merchants, and all who work at ...

239. First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of Our Lord)

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:34-43

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... places of the earth to bring peace, good will to all nations. Save our nation from the hidden power and open shame of gross national sins. Deliver us from unbridled greed and the exploitation of the poor Emancipate us from the slavery of covetousness, which is idolatry. Liberate those addicted to alcohol and other drugs. Free those who are co-dependents of the addicted and whose own lives are also unmanageable. Overwhelm powers of godlessness and crime with the sharp truth of your word and the strong ...

240. The Spin Zone

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... always willing to forgive. But remember this - God is always willing to forgive and forget, but He will not forget until He forgives. David went twelve months and refused to seek forgiveness. He had managed to knock off six of the Ten Commandments. He had coveted another man's wife, committed adultery, killed her husband, stolen his wife and lied about it, and he had dishonored his family. David had learned the hard way that the grass on the other side of the fence may start off green, but it usually ends ...

241. To Catch a Thief

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... simply - not stealing. The opposite of stealing is giving. The opposite of taking from others what you have not earned to satisfy your wants is to give to others what you have earned to meet their needs. That is why the Bible says in Acts 20:33-35, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of ...

242. The World’s Favorite Scripture

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 5. Honor your father and your mother. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet. Now we all immediately recognize those as the Ten Commandments. Allen Wolfe, in his best-selling book, One Nation After All, says that America has added an eleventh commandment, and it has become her favorite commandment. In fact, America loves this commandment so much ...

243. A Puzzling Parable with a Sharp Point

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... ? One of the first clues to unraveling the mystery of the dishonest money manager is found in verse 14, "The Pharisees who were lovers of money, heard all this and ridiculed him" (NRSV). The King James Version describes the Pharisees this way: "They were covetous." The Phillips translation (a paraphrase) describes the situation like this: "Now the Pharisees, who were very fond of money, heard all this with a sneer." Here we have a clue to help us unravel the mystery of this parable. The wise mother's advice ...

244. A Tax Collector Becomes Rich

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... time of our Lord. Being the chief collector would be like being the chief executioner or chief thief! Nevertheless, it also brings some clarity to the statement that Zacchaeus is about to make. Being a man of some stature, at least in the eyes of those who coveted his money and position, he was not used to humbling himself in front of anyone. There is a story about a local fitness center that was offering $1,000 to anyone who could demonstrate that they were stronger than the owner of the place. Here is how ...

245. Flying Coach to Nirvana

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... den to do an overdue memo on our computer. First we check our email and the latest news, then we play a computer game and say good night to our spouse. Then we go to bed. Is this, asks Miller, an unChristian evening? We have not coveted our neighbor's spouse, stolen anything, or ordered anyone around. We enjoyed moments of a pleasant, well-fed evening, eating what we liked and watching what we liked and doing what we liked. Miller calls this a retreat to a cocoon of autonomy and excessive self-determination ...

246. Think on these Things

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... healed. What Jesus says to him is that this faith he finds, deep within himself, has made him well. Jesus might also say that his capacity to be grateful has made him spiritually well. His capacity to think on the fine things is the source of his healing. What I covet for us today is that we find out how to become the one who turns back to how we can remember our thank-you notes — how we can have the kind of faith that makes us well. Gratitude is not a should. It is not a will. It is not ...

247. Rahab: Seven Minutes To Midnight

Joshua 6:15-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... is in it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent. [18] As for you, keep away from the things devoted to destruction, so as not to covet and take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel an object for destruction, bringing trouble upon it. [19] But all silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are sacred to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD." [20] So ...

248. Temptations of Daily People

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Douglas R. A. Hare

... , but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." What did Jesus know of the temptations that are faced daily by the recovering alcoholic and substance abuser? the lonely divorcee? the struggling business owner? the teenager who covets peer acceptance above all? There is, however, a common denominator that links all of these with the temptation as ascribed to Jesus. The basic, underlying temptation that Jesus shared with us is the temptation to treat God as less than God. We may ...

249. Who Do You Put On?

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... as a Christians. Romans 13:8-14 (NRSV) [8] Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. [9] The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." [10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. [11] Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for ...

250. If Everybody’s Okay, What’s the Problem? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in public places. I’m concerned about practicing them in life. Adultery is still in the top ten. So is lying to get out of trouble, cheating to appear better than we are, stealing to keep up with the Joneses, and coveting what belongs to other people. However, proponents of civil religion want to deny it— the first five Commandments define faithfulness to the Almighty. The unfaithfulness that disturbed God even more than marital unfaithfulness was spiritual unfaithfulness. “You shall have no other ...

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