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 2826 to 2850 of 5000 results

2826. The Knot: Bound

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... God had a bad idea. Marriage is His ideal idea. The problem is we get married and turn an ideal into an ordeal and then we want to look for a new deal! It really shouldn’t surprise any of us that marriage is under such attack today and in such trouble today ... comment from a mountain climber who said the reason mountain climbers are tied together is to keep the sane ones from going home. God wants to tie the knot in our marriages so tight that no matter how tough things get we will keep climbing and we won’ ...

2827. That's Not Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... ruin the crop and it was important to get the harvest in as quickly as possible. So for a time, anyone who wanted a job could have one. The work was hard; working hours were from dawn to sunset, which in a Mediterranean country means a ... alive, no more and no less. So a day’s work and a full day’s wage were essential to survival. During the grape harvest, men who wanted to work would go to the marketplace and stand around; it was like going to an employment center in the morning to look for a job for ...

2828. A Lesson from Jay Leno's Mom

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’t it also mean that we would desire to spend time with God? Isn’t that what we do when we love someone? We want to spend time with that person. Remember when you first fell in love? You simply could not spend enough time with your beloved. So ... with respect the things of God, including His name; spend time in His presence in prayer and worship; and live the way God wants us to live. One day a Pharisee, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment ...

2829. An Announcement for a New Year

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

... to celebrate the year 2015? I hope we are approaching the New Year with a positive attitude. It is said that Christopher Columbus kept a diary on his way to the New World. It was not an easy voyage. The men were on the verge of mutiny. Many of them wanted to turn around. Yet every day the last entry that he would write in his log was: “Today we moved westward!” I hope you were able to write in your journal each day this past year, “I moved forward.” Though it hasn’t been an easy year, and some of ...

2830. Jesus Is Baptized

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... know as the blameless and spotless Lamb of God needed to be baptized? He didn’t, of course. He was without sin. But we need to be baptized. He was setting an example for us. He also identified himself with the kingdom that John was announcing. But, what I want you to notice today is how beautifully the doctrine of the Trinity is portrayed in these few words in Mark’s Gospel: “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the ...

2831. Love Sender

John 3:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... Jesus because of what He could give you. Still, there is one other thing that God has done. III. God Has Delivered His Love To Me God did not just give His son to the world. He did more than just lay that son at the world’s doorstep. He wants that son to be delivered into your very heart and into your very life. Listen to the last part of that verse. “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16b, ESV) Jesus didn’t come just so we could all enjoy a Christmas story ...

2832. One-Way Street

John 14:5-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... have no chance. I was reading about a teacher who was trying to help her kids learn how to spell. She told the class she wanted each one of them to tell what their father did for a living and spell his occupation and then tell what he could do for ... to pay to get on; it is a freeway that has already been built and paid for and anybody can get on it anytime they want to. Every other religion in the world is based on some system of righteousness. Every other religion in the world is a Home Depot religion. ...

2833. Reliable Witness

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

... who did see it. Listen to their testimony. In today’s lesson from Luke’s Gospel we discover that when Jesus was seen after he was resurrected from the dead, some of his closest friends reacted with shock and disbelief. They thought he was a ghost. They wanted to touch him and hold him. We can’t blame them. How could he be resurrected from the dead? United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcano tells about a parishioner in a church she once served who had not seen his family in over 20 years. There had been ...

2834. Who Is Right

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... the front of the house are bay windows where the pastor kneels to pray every morning hoping that his neighbors will see him, because he wants to be a witness. The minister says, “Dear God, I am so grateful for who I am and what I have. I am so grateful ... God the Pharisee would have won by a unanimous landslide, but there is only one vote that counts and that is God’s. If you want to know who is right, it is who God says is right. The most important word in this story is that word “justified.” To repeat ...

2835. Can Two Become One?

Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... 19:6, ESV) That word “separate” means to “divide.” Abraham Lincoln was walking down the street one day with his two sons who were having a terrible argument. Somebody asked Mr. Lincoln what the problem was. Lincoln said, “The same problem the whole world has. Each boy wants an apple and I only have one.” You can divide two apples, but you can’t divide one. You can divide two people, but you can’t divide one. Can two become one? Yes, they can, because God makes them one. To summarize, God has ...

2836. Seismic Shift

2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... a 180. You turn away from your sin like the woman who was caught in adultery. Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.” That determination to do everything within your power and God’s help not to commit that same sin again is the spirit of repentance. I want to close by talking to two different groups of people today. There are some of you here who have done all the things necessary on the outside to be right with God, but you have never done the one thing necessary on the inside to be right with God ...

2837. Don't Forget the Bread

John 6:25-59

Sermon

... week we dealt with the feeding of the 5,000. At the end of the story, the crowd is so excited about Jesus that they want to crown him King. This, of course, was not the purpose for which he was sent. So he withdrew to a nearby mountain. Today’ ... her so much that he was willing to do anything for her, including help her gain her sight. She knew of his love but never wanted to burden him with being in a relationship with someone who was blind. She kept insisting that he should choose someone else and move on ...

2838. I Don't Get No Respect

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... , it never came back . . . With my dog I don’t get no respect. He keeps barking at the front door. He don’t want to go out. He wants me to leave . . .” Said Dangerfield, “I asked my old man if I could go ice-skating on the lake. He told me, ‘Wait ... Mark ever looked in my direction, he could have me at a moment’s notice.” This was information this pastor did not want to have. This was a dangerous situation. But then Bob’s wife added, “Of course, Mark never would take advantage of this ...

2839. Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... be “counted among” the “real widows,” first of all, because they will not remain as widows—their sensual desires make them want to marry. And despite verse 14, it seems equally clear that this desire to remarry is seen as a judgment against them ... he does the widows of verses 9–10. But secondly, he says that when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. One often tends to read verse 11 in light of a certain understanding of verse 12 that implies that their very ...

2840. Paul’s Request for Onesimus

Philemon 1:8-25

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... this by virtue of their common faith. Hence Paul is reasoning that, if Philemon really regards him as a partner, there will not be any problem in honoring the request. But Paul goes one step further, for he identifies himself so closely with Onesimus that he wants Philemon to receive his slave as he would the apostle—as you would welcome me. Partnership in the Lord has broken down all barriers. Paul epitomizes in his life what he has verbalized in his letter. 18 The if should not be taken as setting up ...

2841. Samson’s Marriage

Judges 14:1-20

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... the dual themes of knowing and ignorance also play important roles in the Samson cycle. So much of the episodes involve interaction between clued-in-one(s) and those who haven’t a clue, those who think they know and don’t, those who don’t know and want so desperately to know that they will do whatever it takes. The word “see” has both a physical and a perceptual connotation; to see is to know, to not see is to be ignorant. Therefore, we could say that the theme of seeing overlaps with knowing and ...

2842. Boaz Marries Ruth

Ruth 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... land for himself, and so, by inserting this precondition last, he reckons that Mr. So-and-So will gag on the deal? (Gunkel thinks so, calling this “pure peasant-farmer thinking,” Ruth, p. 79.) Is it because he has genuinely fallen in love with Ruth and does not want to lose her (Ruth Rab. 7.9)? Or is it because he knows that Naomi is unable to bear a child for the continuance of Elimelech’s line (1:12)? And what about Mr. So-and-So? Does he subscribe to a nativistic interpretation of Deuteronomy 23:3 ...

2843. Saul Takes His Life

1 Chronicles 10:1-14

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... changing the “tamarisk” of 1 Samuel for some unknown reason into an oak. 10:13–14 The last two verses are the Chronicler’s own material, since the information is not attested in 1 Samuel 31 (MT or LXX). It is clear that the Chronicler wanted to give a theological interpretation to Saul’s death. According to 10:13, Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD (literally “because of his unfaithfulness in which he has acted unfaithfully against Yahweh”)—the noun and verb are from the root ma ...

2844. Jesus Teaches at the Feast

John 7:14-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... in verse 20 is an honest one. They really do not understand why Jesus thinks someone is out to kill him. This is possible only if Jesus’ identity is unknown to them, that is, if they do not realize that Jesus is the notorious healer of Bethesda wanted by the authorities. A few verses later, in an apparent reversal, some in the crowd will say, Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? (v. 25). The contrast between this statement and the disclaimer in verse 20 indicates that their question is not merely ...

2845. Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... that his day of doom is coming soon (Rev. 12:12). He cannot overpower the saints but works through deception (Rev. 12:9; 20:3). Still, he wants to destroy us (1 Pet. 5:8, cf. Luke 22:31), and he controls the powers of darkness to this end (Eph. 6:12), “blinding the minds ... person’s life. I would apply this lesson/sermon to four groups in the church today: those who do not want to believe (the hard-packed road), seekers (the rocky soil), quasi Christians who come regularly and think they are believers ...

2846. A Call to Servanthood and Suffering

Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:32-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... :15, 31; discipleship failure continues. They still long for greatness and status. The hubris of James and John here is hard to comprehend. Jesus again has talked about his coming death, and they are saying in effect, “Great, so when you die and are resurrected, we want to reign with you!” They have listened only to what he said about coming in glory with the holy angels (8:38). They understand who he is—the Messiah—but they realize neither why he has come nor their part in it. Mark places the guilt ...

2847. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... for God’s knowledge. Even if Elihu were accurate in his analysis of Job’s situation, it would be very hard for Job to accept counsel from one who seems so smug and sure. By failing to maintain a humble spirit, we can dilute whatever positive effect we want to have on those to whom we minister. That is why Galatians 6:1 warns us that in restoring one who has sinned, we must do so with gentleness. Elihu emphasizes that God uses affliction to correct sinners. This is a principle that can be observed many ...

2848. The Power of Persistence

Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to do. Many of us quickly take one “no” or even a “maybe” as a final answer to any request. Both parables we are studying in this chapter tell us to persist, to keep on asking and seeking and knocking until we receive what God wants to give us. Prayers give God the opportunity to meet our needs. IV. Life demands persistence; life rewards persistence. The more we know about human psychology and physiology, the better we are able to appreciate Jesus’ wisdom in insisting on persistence. How often do ...

2849. How to Escape Being Possessed By Our Possessions

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ego identity? Read the story and notice how many times the word “I” and “My” occur. The rich man uses “I” six times, and he used “my” or “thine” addressed to himself six times…the language of a self-centered, selfish, egotist. Is that the reason we want more? To satisfy our ego, to give us status? The question comes around to a fourth one: What would I like to be remembered by? Someone has said that there are 3 kicks to every dollar: the kick of earning it, the kick of having it, and ...

2850. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... once to hear those humble native Christians bearing witness to the grace of Jesus Christ.” Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [4] That’s what we have to keep in mind—that this is who Christ is—the one who wants to give new birth. Nothing pictured this more clearly than the parable of the Prodigal son. The central truth of the parable of the Prodigal son is this: When the prodigal returned home, his father accepted him as though he had never been away. It will ...

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