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 2476 to 2500 of 5000 results

2476. Are You Giving Up Chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... it was going, the boy replied, “I’m doing pretty good, Dad--but boy, I can’t wait until Easter!” (1) Any of you who have tried to give up anything you really enjoy for any period of time know what he was talking about. It’s a long time until Easter. Now imagine you’ve decided to give up candy for Lent, and then your significant other decides to surprise you with a delicious looking box of rich chocolates for Valentine’s. Who wins out--God or your sweetie? Boy, talk about a dilemma. Or should ...

2477. Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... to the end to understand that the kingdom was not of this world (cf. John 18:36) but of the Spirit, to be entered only by repentance and faith. It would be unjust to suggest that the apostles had learned nothing from Jesus. In some respects they had come a long way (see disc. on v. 2; cf. Luke 24:45). But clearly they were wedded still to the popular notion of the kingdom of God as something political—that its coming would see the gathering of the tribes (see disc. on 3:21 and notes and the disc. on 26 ...

2478. Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

Acts 3:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... with which Peter acts here may well have grown out of some considerable experience of what Jesus’ power could do, while his statements in the speech that follows (3:11–26) concerning the person of Jesus may well have been the fruit of long reflection (illuminated by the Holy Spirit). Again, it may well have been the case that the apostles were now under much closer scrutiny by the authorities than they had been at first, due to growing official resentment of their preaching, both concerning its ...

2479. Simon the Sorcerer

Acts 8:9-25

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... notes). He practiced the charms and incantations of the East and by these means had held the Samaritans in his thrall for a long time (v. 11). They called him the Great Power (v. 10), apparently at his own suggestion (v. 9). From the New Testament, as ... ; see note on 2:22). This is perhaps another touch of Lukan irony, for Simon was supposed to be “the Great Power” and for a long time had astounded others (vv. 9–11). It was the power, not the holiness, of the new faith that impressed him (v. 23). 8:14 ...

2480. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... years (v. 20). This figure is apparently reckoned from the end of the patriarchal age—four hundred years in Egypt (cf. 7:6), forty years in the desert, and ten years in conquering Canaan. It will be noticed that Paul regarded the land as effectively theirs long before they had actually gained possession, for “he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). 13:20b–23 God had met the continuing needs of his people by giving them judges and, in Samuel’s day when they had asked for a king, by giving them ...

2481. Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

Acts 16:11-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... also because it helps to shed light on the narrative. 16:13 On the Sabbath the party went outside the city gate to the river in search of any Jews who might have met there for worship. The Greek text has them simply going “out of the gate,” and as long as we understand “the gate” to be that of the city, NIV has given the sense of it. But another identification is possible. A little over a mile to the west of the city, on the Via Egnatia, stood a Roman arch, now in ruins; and a little beyond this ...

2482. Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

Acts 20:13-38

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Some take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit (so NIV); others understand it of his own human spirit. Perhaps the fact that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the next verse (23) tells in favor of the latter, and so we have taken it, though in the long run it amounts to much the same thing. The point is that he felt himself (divinely) compelled to go. The tense suggests that he had felt this for some time, whereas the verb itself (“to bind”) may give some hint of his forebodings about it. The Spirit had ...

2483. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... between 12:1ff. and 2:14–17). As we shall see, our passage is also otherwise linked with 2:14–4:6, where Paul argues that he is a revelatory mediator on par with Moses. Even without the allusion to 2 Corinthians 2:14, 17, our passage has long been suspected of referring to Paul’s encounter with the divine throne-chariot (cf. G. Scholem), for the text recounts that Paul was caught up to the third heaven. The verb harpazein is used here as elsewhere in the sense of being taken up and carried away at ...

2484. Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... God for his readers (1:3–8) and then praying that God would accomplish certain things in their lives. In Ephesians, there is a similar structure: The epistle begins with a great hymn of praise or thanksgiving to God (1:3–14) and follows up with a long prayer (1:15–2:20) in which the apostle expresses the concern that his readers understand how God has blessed them through Christ. A second similarity relates to the hymn and its place in the epistle. In Colossians, the ideas of the Christ hymn (1:15 ...

2485. Instructions on Worship

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... first- and second-century Christian authors: 1 Clement 60:4–61:1; Tertullian, Apology 30. 2:3–4 There is, of course, a long history of theological urgency in the church that has been generated by this sentence. Much of it stems from an Augustinian-Calvinist ... concern here. Rather, Paul is concerned with her subsequent deception and fall into sin. The “deception of Eve” had a long history of speculative interpretation in Judaism, seen sometimes as sexual seduction on the part of the serpent (e.g., 2 ...

2486. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... . Therefore they did not desire to return to Mesopotamia (NIV’s thinking of is lit., “remembering”). This stands in sharp contrast to the generation that wandered in the wilderness and failed to enter God’s rest (4:6), but who instead desired to return to Egypt. Longing for translates oregomai, a rare word in the NT (occurring elsewhere in the NT only in 1 Tim. 3:1; 6:10). Better, a key word in Hebrews, is most often used to contrast the old covenant with the superior new covenant (see note on 1:4 ...

2487. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... of some other kind of freedom. Where he may have been imprisoned is unknown (the NT nowhere records an imprisonment of Timothy), although Rome or Ephesus are good possibilities for Timothy the disciple of Paul. The author is hopeful that Timothy can meet him before long and accompany him on a visit to the church, apparently already planned. 13:24 The author now urges: Greet all your leaders. The reference to all may suggest those of a larger church community than that simply of the readers, but this is far ...

2488. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... new point James will make about the tongue, namely, the evil in it. 3:6 The likening of the tongue to fire has an Old Testament background: Pss. 10:7; 39:1–3; 83:14; 120:2–4; Prov. 16:27; 26:21; Isa. 30:27. Sirach, commenting in a long passage on slander, states, “[The tongue] will not be master over the godly, and they will not be burned in its flame” (28:22; cf. Psalms of Solomon 12:2–3). The structure of this verse is difficult, for the grammar is unclear; but the general sense is clear. The ...

2489. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... : “Do they not resist you?” On earth the poor appear not to resist: The rich do not hear the groaning cry in prayer before the poor person dies. But James knows that that is not the end: In heaven the wronged continue to raise their cry, “How long?” (Rev. 6:9–11), for they have an audience in the very presence of God. This is indeed effective resistance, for God will hear. James has finished his argument. All that remains for him is to summarize (5:7–11) and to add a proper epistolary conclusion ...

2490. The Day of the Lord

2 Peter 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... a loving God concerned for his people’s welfare here and hereafter is the one eternal reality. The principle is like that of the parable about building on sand or on rock (Matt. 7:24–27). 3:13 The dramatic events associated with the second coming have long been foretold. But they are not an end in themselves, however desirable the destruction of all that is evil may be. God has a much more positive and constructive end in view. In keeping with his (God’s) promise (Isa. 65:17; 66:22), Peter reminds his ...

2491. Manna and Quail

Exodus 16:1-36

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... the Lord given on that first hungry morning. It was a reminder of the means by which the people learned to follow the Lord’s instruction and the Sabbath gift that God revealed through it, even before Sinai. The writer’s description of manna endures long after the memory of its appearance and taste were lost. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. This should be read with a comma after the word “white.” Coriander seed is gray or brown but the comparison describes its ...

2492. The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... from disease, rather than following a strict observance of the gift as a law. The preacher in Hebrews 4:1–11 further broadened the hope of rest in God. 20:12 The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (see also Deut. 5:16). The integrity of the newly formed community required that the adults honor parents who were no longer an economic asset in the family. While later applications (by adults) have focused this ...

2493. The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... as “this fellow Moses [the man] who brought us up out of Egypt.” (The NIV unfortunately omits “the man.”) They were implying that Moses was the one who delivered them and then they dismissed him because he had been on the mountain so long. They also conveniently forgot that they had previously accepted (24:3) the prohibition against making any other gods (20:4–5; 22:20), especially of gold (20:23). The narrative reports that Aaron answered them without reflection or argument. He responded to their ...

2494. Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return

Ezra 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... but (1) while a number of individuals had double names, one was always Hebrew and the other foreign, so the fact that both Zerubbabel and Sheshbazzar are Babylonian names makes this unlikely, and (2) in 5:14–16 he is described as a long-gone figure of the past, distinct from the contemporary governor Zerubbabel mentioned in 5:2. Some scholars have identified him with the Davidic Shenazzar in 1 Chr. 3:18. It remains a phonetic possibility (see Halpern, “Historiographic Commentary,” pp. 91f.), but if so ...

2495. Tattenai's Letter to Darius

Ezra 5:1-17

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... 11–17 Another purpose of the letter emerges here. The report of the history of the temple project serves for the reader as a flashback to the narrative of the Cyrus-backed mission in chapter 1. We are reminded that the present rebuilding is the long-awaited fulfillment of that mission. Chapter 6 will bring its own reminder of the first chapter, but even now the narrator draws an arc of literary coherence, spanning the lapse of a score of years. The council of “elders” was evidently unable to produce a ...

2496. Judgment Against Evil Kings

Jeremiah 22:1-30, Jeremiah 23:1-8

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... we do not know what induced him to do so (2 Kgs. 23:36–24:7). He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, which at a minimum indicated that he did not pay annual tribute. When he heard of this, the Babylonian king mobilized his troops and began the long march toward Jerusalem. Before he reached the city, however, Jehoiachin was king. It is unclear whether he is co-regent with Jehoiakim or the sole king, or what forces led to Jehoiakim being thrust to the side. The different biblical texts are also difficult to ...

2497. A Message About the Philistines

Jeremiah 47:1-7

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... order is likely determined by geographical considerations in that Philistia was next up the coast from Egypt. The Philistines have a long history in the Bible. We first hear about Philistines in the book of Genesis (Gen. 10:14; 21:32, 34, etc.). Many ... in the flat land before the rolling hills of the Shephelah and the hill country of Judah proper. The Lord asks them how long will they cut themselves. Such cutting is an ancient mourning practice mentioned in 1 Kings 18:28 when the Baal priests cut themselves ...

2498. A Message About Babylon

Jeremiah 50:1--51:64

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... intention of this reference is to present a hopeful picture of the whole people of God, though the people of Israel had been exiled in 722 B.C. never to be heard from again. It would be the people of Judah, who likely had elements from the now long-dead north with them. Their repentance is signaled by the fact that they seek the Lord in tears. While the tears may be the product of their plight, it probably also indicates sadness over their sin. That they were reversing the earlier course of rejecting God is ...

2499. The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

Nahum 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... of being swept into the darkness of death, the only realistic option is to flee to the one who brings the trouble. We have noted that there is no overt suggestion in verses 2–6 that the declaration concerning Yahweh’s punishment relates to Judah’s own longing for redress; it relates to the putting down of Yahweh’s enemies, not Judah’s. If Judah appears in chapter 1, it is here in verses 7–8. What Judah is encouraged to look to Yahweh for is not vengeance but protection. Yet even here Judah is ...

2500. Habakkuk’s Complaint

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... do not deserve it, but why God does nothing about the wrongdoing people do to one another. Addressed to Yahweh, How long? is a question characteristic of the Psalms, though Habakkuk’s particular expression (ʿad-ʾanah) comes only in Psalm 13:1–2 ... . Habakkuk’s words make clear that these have indeed been his two pleas, but Yahweh has ignored both, and he wants to know how long Yahweh will carry on doing that—or rather, he wants Yahweh to stop doing it. But whereas a psalm would regularly utter such a ...

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