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 276 to 300 of 5000 results

276. Family Re:Union - Great Expectations

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

James Merritt

... that I know both husbands and wives are thinking right now. If I meet God’s expectations in this marriage and I surrender to Him and I sacrifice for her who is going to meet my needs? Who is going to meet my desires? Who is going to meet my wants? The whole point of this fantastic passage of scripture is this: When you start treating your spouse the way God treats you, you can trust God with your needs. I came across something the other day that I have never thought about in my life. When I first heard it ...

277. Trust

John 4:43-54

Sermon

James Merritt

... little old lady who was deathly ill in the hospital, and her doctor came in and said, “Mrs. Smith, I have done all I can do. Now you’re just going to have to trust the Lord.” She screamed out and said, “Dear God, am I that sick?” Well, I want to make a strong statement to you about troubles and tragedies that are going to come into your life. Anything that drives you closer to Jesus is a blessing, whether it be cancer, the premature death of a child, the loss of a job, or the desertion of a spouse ...

278. Up Close & Personal: Coming Into Focus

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... didn’t have a mint in her mouth or she had not just swashed some mouthwash or feeding herself fresh chewing gum. Even when she would talk to him she would always make sure that her mouth was directed away from him. He had a similar secret he didn’t want her to know. He had a tremendously bad case of smelly feet. He would never take his shoes off around her, because he feared if he ever did she wouldn’t marry him. Even though they could not bear to tell each other their bad secret they did get married ...

279. Lost Baggage: Flying Standby

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... standard and still be judgmental if you judge someone with the wrong spirit. We are going to learn this next week, so I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. If you are a parent you can relate to this. Sometimes your children need to be corrected. They need ... down a splinter in one’s man eye while he has a 2x4 sticking out of his own. There is a real irony here you don’t want to miss. Do you know what a splinter is? It is just a piece of a log. What Jesus said we are really doing is criticizing a ...

280. I Wonder about Life after Death

John 14:1-3

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... the doctor said, “And that is what death is like. We have never been there. We don’t know what is on the others side. But one thing we do know: our master is there, and because of that everything is alright.” Perhaps that is not good enough. Maybe you want me to be more specific. Well, the experience of death could be compared to something I experienced as a kid. In fact, most of you have experienced this. I would fall asleep in front of the TV or at an event. And my mother or dad would carry me to ...

281. I Wonder about God’s Will for My Life

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... most convincing evidence for the good nature and will of God is God’s revelation to us in Jesus Christ. God chose to reveal himself in Jesus Christ so we could understand what his nature is like. Through Christ, God communicated to us that he forgives us, loves us, and wants what is best for us—he went all the way to cross to prove that to us! What God Desires for Us Romans 12:1-2 is clear about God’s intentions for us. What God has in mind for us comes in three words in verse 2: “Good, acceptable ...

282. Flying High

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” (5) Why is this important to us? It is because changing the world is what following Christ is all about. Obviously James and John were ambitious for the wrong things. They wanted positions of power and prestige, whereas Jesus wanted them to be servants of the Word and the world, but at least he would not have to spend his time trying to motivate them. He knew that they had an inner drive that would cause them to seek to do great things. All ...

283. The Great Dinner

Luke 14:1-14, Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... table, ….or not. But how much more will God smile upon you, if YOUR door is open, and YOUR table is set for anyone who wants to eat with you. For when they come to share a meal with you, Jesus is already at the table. I’d like to invite ... crosses that say “Jesus loves you.” Take one or more of those with you as you depart. As we celebrate this love feast today, I want your prayers to be that you might bless someone else this week with something of your best, whatever that may be. And to give them a ...

284. I Need

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... ), he was also implying that what I was doing could be taken away from me — it could be lost. Really? I was the one waiting on him hand and foot and it amounted to nothing? In today’s world I would have been thinking, “Shots fired!” I wouldn’t want to get into it with the creator of the world, but it would have been quite tempting to do so. Unfortunately for Martha, Jesus was exactly right. Her need to see that her guests were fed on time was, primarily, a desire. It may have been a desire driven ...

285. Seeing the Truth of Jesus

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... a snit, Kathy complained to her husband that her colleague took pain meds and got an A- while she had delivered her baby naturally and only got a B+. Kathy’s husband rolled his eyes and replied, “Kathy, that’s your blood type.” (2) We all want to be at the front of the pack, don’t we? It’s human nature. Fortunately, Jesus didn’t have that problem. In our Bible passage this morning, Jesus and his disciples have traveled to the region of Caesarea Philippi. It’s a primarily Gentile region. In ...

286. Proper 18

Psalm 139:1-24, Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... a king going into battle. Jesus indicated the kind of warfare he could engage in and sufficient troops for the battle when he told Peter to put up his sword since Jesus could call down twelve legions of angels if that were the kind of warfare he wanted to fight (see Matthew 26:53). 9. "Give up All Your Possessions." (v. 33) Jesus did not require that all his followers dispose completely of their possessions. He did expect them to dedicate all that they had to the cause of the kingdom and his mission. They ...

287. Led By The Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... and in our baptisms. "The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29)." Even when we are enemies of God, he loves us and wants to save us (Romans 5:10). However, we have not been making use of the gift that God has given us. Perhaps the gift of the ... or entrance for the sheep, the Good Shepherd (John 10:7, 9, 11; cf. 1 Peter 2:25; Psalms 23:1). He is the man who wants to lead you and me - to point us to the abundant life (John 10:1Ob). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is putting his claim on you and ...

288. But I Don't Wanna!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Joann Hary

... and always was there for me ..." And God said, "You know, you really should go to Sunday school, administrative meeting, Bible study. (You fill in the blank.) The church needs you!" And that other side of your heart, that old "I don't wanna" side, says, "But I don't want to do that. Why, it is the same time as one of my very favorite television shows. I can't miss that. I'd have to make a special effort to be there; besides that I've already done all those things. Let someone else take their turn." And God ...

289. The Cost of Being Christian

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

... which can hide the evidence of the cancer or I can do radical surgery, and I can help you get rid of it. Which do you want?" Jesus said, "Unless you are willing to take up your cross and come after me, you cannot be my disciple because you are not going where ... himself but for us that we might be healthy and whole. Second, Jesus made very clear in the Parable of the Final Judgement that if we want to have the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven as we pray, it is going to cost us something also. If we ...

290. Growing in God's Freedom

John 8:31-41

Sermon

... by practice to distinguish good from evil. -- Hebrews 5:12-14 The Peter Pans in the Letter to the Hebrews did not want to grow up. Here is an example of frozen spiritual development. Here are people who have been professing Christ for years. By ... is true of faith. A tree grow one ring at a time -- gradually -- so it is with faith." Depends on environment, on nourishment. I want to be a tree. I want to celebrate that God's Son has made me free to grow. I expect to grow ring by ring. Thirdly, we can rejoice ...

291. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR PENTECOST

Drama

Tom Eberle

... decided where you are going. Voice 3: We know where we are going. Voice 2: Do we? We are upset because we are stuck in mid-air, and yet we aren’t really going anywhere. Voice 4: Wait a minute! Maybe this is some kind of experiment. Perhaps the government wants to know what would happen to people suspended in mid-air. The CIA might be doing this to us. Voice 3: What right does Washington have using us as guinea pigs? Voice 2: Maybe it’s not the government. Suppose God did it? What about it, H.S., is this ...

292. To Bethlehem and Beyond

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... Mene, Tekel Upharsin." The message really was this: "God has numbered your kingdom and finished it; you are weighed in the balances and found wanting; the kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Petsians." But the proud king was unable to read a word that was ... the language he had taught them to understand was not an all-purpose one. When he had to trim from it what he didn’t want the preacher to hear, it didn’t impress the mules at all. I have tried to say here that, like the shepherds, we need to ...

293. What Do We Do Now That We’re Happy?

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... next year I will reach the peak and sustain it long enough for it to sear into my soul." We are rehearsing in our lives the reality of our two sayings: what do we do now that we’re happy? and, the only thing worse than not getting what we want is getting it. Now that we’re happy - Christmas builds up to such a frenzy that the crush of discarded paper, broken toys, hurt feelings, slighted hopes, and shattered expectations cause the day to slide out from under us just as the earth does to a skier on a ...

294. Coping When It Seems Impossible

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... of suffering, a God who has borne a cross himself. Here is a portion of a letter I received recently from a former parishioner who is obviously suffering from deep depression: I am writing this letter to keep from going insane! Every morning I wake up moaning and groaning! I want to run away! But I am not even able to dress and pack, and I would never be able to get my belongings together. But I’d rather die than live out the rest of my life here. Actually I am dead. I can’t function here! I can’t ...

295. On Having The Right Attitude

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the pastor's dismay, only one person showed up for the prayer meetings--the president of the congregation. "We don't want to pray about it," the president stated flatly. "We already know what we think about these new developments, and if we pray, ... frantically through life. This, of course, brings us to the fourth response we can make to the life of faith: "I got it, I want it, thank God for it!" There are people--Jesus called them "good soil"--who are receptive to the Good News of Christ. They understand ...

296. Family Survival

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

Stephen DeFur

... So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept this matter in mind." We'll stop the story right there for now, because we want to talk for a few moments about the robe. The robe is an expression of a father's love and affection for his child. The ... 5-month-old and I already catch myself falling into the trap. You maybe have never talked to anyone about it--maybe you don't want to even acknowledge it to yourself, but you have a child who speaks to your heart in a way that another does not. And very ...

297. Something To Die For

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... cautious whenever someone approaches you with a request like that, because they're getting ready to ask for something major. This probably amused Jesus, because, as usual, his disciples were clueless. The Master may have had a sly smile on his face when he asked, "What is it you want me to do for you?" They answered him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." (NRSV) Well, that's certainly not us! We're definitely not glory hogs. We don't have to be, or need to be, in ...

298. The Vocation of Leadership: A Prophet Among Them

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , and immediately ran down the mountain, and hurried to the coast. I found a ship about to set sail; and although the captain did not want to take me, one of the old sailors smuggled me aboard. I was overjoyed to see my family again, and at first thought I should ... emergency – it is really a stressful and tedious job. So, when this young woman left me, I begin to pray for her. Now I want you to know that I don’t always do that. I am not always that intentional. But I sensed something was going on in ...

299. Where's the Fire?

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the voice of God, saying, "I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, I have heard their cry; I know their suffering." What I want you to see is that that is what Moses could have said. That is what was on Moses' conscience. "I have seen the affliction of my ... They are all dragged to it. They are all summoned and they all demur. God had to practically drag them to their job. They didn't want to do it. Moses is no exception. Listen to his excuses. He says, "I'm not qualified to do this. Who am I that I ...

300. Million Dollar Christmas

Matthew 19:21

Drama

Matthew Powell

... afraid that spoils you. No, I won't ask you for even a dollar. You can't afford it, poor man. They've robbed you of all the riches of life and given you instead another man's cast-off clothes. It's all nonsense, this practical business. Mrs. Gulpins wants a canary in a cage. She has been dreaming of having one in her sunny bay window for years, but she's never bought herself one because she thinks it's frivolous. You and I think she ought to have potatoes and a winter coat. Well, perhaps she should. If ...

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