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 2726 to 2750 of 4959 results

2726. Internal Medicine

Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... says is this: When you fast . . . When you fast . . . And he reminds us in those words that it takes real effort to keep from being swallowed up by our consumer society! Why are we "consumers"?! Isn't it because the strength of our passions is so great?! We desire, so we take! We want, and we have the wherewithal to make it happen, so we do! We're hungry, so we eat! But fasting stops us. Fasting puts the brakes on. Fasting pulls us up short. Because there is no greater craving of our souls than the hunger ...

2727. The First Easter Sermon

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... wouldn't exist in their belief system, so Acireman religion would teach that one must be fully gratified and rewarded in this lifetime. Therefore, Aciremans would be taught to "grab all the gusto they can get," to build up riches and satisfy their whims and desires as soon as they can. (4) Sound familiar to anyone? The fact the word Acirema spelled backwards is America might give you a hint. Does Easter have anything to say to our lives here and now? Obviously, it does. Because Christ lives, you and I ...

2728. Bridges Over The River Kwai

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... his deep remorse over his crimes, and his belief that he had been forgiven. But Eric Lomax would not give Takashi that peace of mind. He wrote to Takashi and told him that he had not been forgiven. Takashi wrote back a sad, gentle letter, expressing his desire to meet Eric again someday. This letter spoke to Eric's heart. He couldn't hold onto his hatred and anger anymore. The two men met again that year at the old prison camp where their paths first crossed. Nagase Takashi expressed his deepest sorrow over ...

2729. Peace, Blessed Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... of us. We need to quit picking at ourselves over sins God forgave long ago. But we also need to forgive others. How many of us are hurting right now because we are filled with resentment toward someone else? Deep in our hearts there's a simmering desire for revenge, and this seething turmoil robs us of our peace. This happens to us all at some time or another. We are filled with anger and resentment. I even heard about a pastor who had this problem. He woke up one morning, looked out the window and ...

2730. The Parable Of The Kindly Innkeeper

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the group noticed the girl and, asking if she needed help, insisted that she join them for dinner in a nearby restaurant. After hearing her story, the man took the teenager to the train station and bought her a ticket back to Cleveland. "Whatever your desire," he told her, "if you want it enough, you can make it happen." Then he gave her $20 and his address and telephone number. If she ever needed anything, she was to call him. The teenager returned to her family. Although she often thought of the man ...

2731. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... ORDER TO FIND JESUS? In other words, what is standing in the way--keeping us from saying "yes" with our whole heart, like Paul did, when we sense Jesus calling to us? We can fill in the blanks: "My social status, my material possessions, my desire for approval, my spiritual apathy, my need for control, my self-centeredness, my fear, my guilt and shame." What is it that is standing between you and a wholehearted commitment to following Jesus? For Paul there were many obstacles to overcome: the law of Moses ...

2732. Why We Gather At The Table

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... At Christ's table we are reminded that we are a community. WE ARE ALSO REMINDED OF OUR COMMON HUNGER. That is what we do at a table, is it not? We satisfy our hunger. Jesus knew that the greatest human hunger, beyond all our other hungers and desires, is the hunger for God. When we deny that hunger, or attempt to satisfy it with false and empty substitutes, we wind up with a deadly self-righteousness, and something beautiful dies within us. Christ knew that there is a hunger in our soul that only the bread ...

2733. Please Use The Servants' Entrance

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... what horrified the disciples was the thought that he was setting an example for them. Of all the people who ever lived, Jesus walked the road less traveled and now he was asking his disciples to take this road as well--a road they had no desire to take at all. It was the road of humble service. One of the most popular tourist destinations in England is Blenheim Palace, where Sir Winston Churchill was born and where his ancestors lived for years. You enter this magnificent palace through doors so large that ...

2734. The Gift Of Freedom

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

Landon Winstead

... a short time with their new identities, they begin having the same old problems. Freedom is a state of mind. YOU CAN VISIT ANY PRISON OR NURSING HOME AND FIND PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE MORE FREEDOM THAN PEOPLE WHO ARE PHYSICALLY FREE TO COME AND GO AS THEY DESIRE. I am thinking of Nelson Mandela. Would anyone have ever predicted that this man who spent over 20 years in a prison would one day be president of the very country that imprisoned him. But there was a freedom in Mandela's soul that prison bars could ...

2735. Man, Give Me Some Bread: I Want To Make Sense Out Of My Life

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... to be true to God's call in the way we best understand. We want you to feel at home here, but our most important purpose is to exalt Christ and to remind ourselves that he alone is the bread of life. Even the songs we sing reflect our desire to achieve both essential purposes in worship. Some of the hymns we sing are designed to promote togetherness within the family of God. Others are chosen simply and solely because they exalt Christ. Let me use an analogy. When a U.S. president enters a room on a formal ...

2736. Whatever It Takes

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... and his church. St. Paul was on a mission. People on a mission change the world. At the end of World War II, Robert Woodruff, president of the Coca-Cola company from 1923 to 1955, had a mission. “In my generation," he declared, “it is my desire that everyone in the world have a taste of Coca-Cola." With vision and dedication rarely matched in corporate American culture, Woodruff and his colleagues spanned the globe with their soft drink. Why is it all right for people to feel that passionate about a ...

2737. Behind Closed Doors

Joel 2:12-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... foreheads this night. It means that with God's help we have turned from our sins, and that we have been restored as sons and daughters of the Most High. So, rend your hearts and not your garments. Let the symbol of the ashes reflect your desire to restore a right relationship with God. 1. Anthony P. Castle, ed., "Christ, the Covenant of God," in QUOTES AND ANECDOTES FOR PREACHERS AND TEACHERS, sec. B4, p.152. Cited in Fuller, Gerard, O.M. I., STORIES FOR ALL SEASONS (Mystic, CT.: Twenty-Third Publications ...

2738. Destined For Greatness

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

... had or your intelligence or your personal attractiveness or whatever gift you may have been granted, do not take it for granted. You have been elected not for privilege, but for a purpose. If you are one of those who has succeeded against great odds, remember that even desire and determination are gifts of a gracious God. The important thing for all of us to remember is that when we stand before the God's throne, our lives will be measured not by what we have gained, but by what we have given. "He chose us ...

2739. Smart As A Goat

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... its bright face full of cheerfulness. “Well, little flower," said the monarch, “I'm glad to find at least one that is happy in this discouraging scene." "Your majesty, I know I'm of small account, but I decided you wanted a pansy when you planted me. If you had desired an oak or a pear tree, you would have put one in my place. Therefore I've determined to be the best flower I can be!" It's like a motto that pastor Tom Haggai chose to live by one year. In 1974, he wrote his motto like this: “I ...

2740. Who Are Your Gentiles?

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Landon Winstead

... Cornelius approached the Tanner's house, and requested to see Peter. The representatives told Peter about their leader. Remember, at this point, Cornelius had not been introduced to Christ. He was a Gentile (a non-Jew), but he was searching for the truth. The representatives desired Peter to journey with them to meet their leader, Cornelius, who was a man of prayer, righteous and God-Fearing, and respected by many Jews. Doesn't God do this to us? He prepares us for a situation just as he prepared Peter. We ...

2741. The Heart Of The Matter

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Have you ever been in your car out in a rural area and tried to tune in a radio station and instead you received competing transmissions from several stations? It is frustrating. However, the closer you get to your destination, the better you can tune in and hear the desired station. Barclay says that the pure heart is the one dominated by a single motive--to serve God. We have come to worship today so that we can be closer to the One who is the source of what we would like to be. Underneath our masks we ...

2742. Faith In Conflict

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... shock. "That's amazing" he says, "what else can he do? Does he talk?" The man says "Sure he talks. Hey, Jake, tell him about that time we were hunting in Africa and YOU CALLED THAT WITCH DOCTOR AN IDIOT!" (3) Not all conflict is healthy or desirable. But some conflict is unavoidable. "Be careful," said Jesus, "when all men speak well of you." (Luke 6:26) As the disciples went forward to do the work Christ had called them to, they stirred the soul and spirit of Herod's kingdom. His power was being challenged ...

2743. Trouble Brewing In The Kitchen

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Graham M. Bingham

... feet of Jesus"--acknowledging him as Lord of life and death. In John 12:3, at the anointing of Jesus, Mary "wipes the feet of Jesus with her hair"--preparing him for burial. Mary loved being "at the feet of Jesus." Like the apostle Paul, her desire was to "know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" (Philippians 3: 10, NIV). Sitting at the feet of Jesus--that is the first posture for the Christian disciple. The Rev. Howie Childs, a retired minister, tells ...

2744. Birdbaths and Flagpoles

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... James H. Billington, "The Religious Dimensions of Post-Modern Change," American Theological Library association of Proceedings, 52/1998, pp. 154-155."Saying Yes and Saying No" Independence Day at FUMC 7-4-04, http://www.firstchurchseattle.org/yourti90556.html. 3. "Devotion, desire drive youths to ‘martyrdom'" by Jack Kelley, USA Today, June 26, 2001, p.1A-2A. 4. John Beukema, Stories from God's Heart (Chicago: Moody Press, 2000), pp. 22-23. 5. Rebecca Cook in Teen People, cited in "Everyday Heroes ...

2745. When the Best People Were Left Out

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The young man with more natural talent gets a high school scholarship, a posh summer job, and a coach from hell. However, the constant badgering, pressure, and demeaning style of the coach slowly destroys any fun the kid ever felt in the game. Once the desire to play begins to crumble, he begins to sabotage his own success. He becomes more vulnerable to injuries, his grades drop, and he acts up socially with drugs and sex. His cry for help goes unheard. Meanwhile, the kid with less talent gets less help ...

2746. Dreaming Of Florida--awaking In Alaska

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... in Heaven. We will still know one another--and we will know God as we have never known God before. (6) Max Lucado, in his book THE GREAT HOUSE OF GOD, reminds us of the passage in Psalm 23 where David proclaims that there is only one thing he truly desires: to live in the house of the Lord forever. He doesn't want to just visit. He doesn't want to pass by, or live next door to God. He wants to live with God. He wants to belong there. (7) All Saints Day--a day we affirm our identity ...

2747. Passing The Test Of Faith

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

... to woo a wooden decoy by building fancy nests and fighting off rival suitors. He spent his days standing faithfully by the decoy's side. Japanese researcher Fumio Sato, talking about the albatross's infatuation with the wooden decoy, said, "He seems to have no desire to date real birds." I can see that happening with people. I know it happens with regard to our faith. There are many people who have an infatuation with a pale imitation of Christian faith and never experience the real thing. There are many ...

2748. Entertaining Angels

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... American boy named Squanto. Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stables of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto's desire to return home, and he promised to put him on the first vessel bound for America. It wasn't until 1618--ten years after Squanto was first kidnaped--that a ship was found. Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his ...

2749. It's A Question Of Priorities

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me." (NASB) IF YOU ARE LIKE MANY PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY, YOU HAVE A STRONG DESIRE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR CHOSEN CAREER. Never before have we had a generation to whom success is so important. We want to be at the top of the pyramid. We want to be number one. And there's nothing wrong with that. I was reading recently about a young ...

2750. Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... One of the staples of this well-choreographed sport is that there are good guys and there are villains. Each match is a morality play. Will virtue triumph? I imagine that depends on the script for the day. Philosopher Immanuel Kant believed this universal desire of human beings to see justice accomplished pointed the way to God. He called it "a universal sense of oughtness." The Hero's Adventure is what it is sometimes called in storytelling. It is the classic formula of popular fiction. A virtuous person ...

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