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 3226 to 3250 of 5000 results

3226. A Terrorist among the Twelve

Luke 6:12-16

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... with about 10% of the passion of Simon the Zealot. Zeal is like fire; in a certain amount it warms and gives life; too much burns and consumes. When it comes to church members, I’d rather have a few over-zealous ones whose zeal must be tempered with love, than lukewarm folks who don’t get much excited about anything. It is easier to cool down a fanatic than it is to warm up a corpse! III. FINALLY, I WANT YOU TO THINK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT THE VAST DIFFERENCES WHICH EXISTED WITHIN THAT APOSTOLIC BAND. Among ...

3227. When Tradition Gets in the Way

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the way,” but rather “opens up the way” by which we approach the Lord - the way He approached us. In humility and lowliness of spirit, open to both the past and the future, and remembering what God would have us do now in the present: love one another as God has loved us. By this time you may have guessed that Presbyterian David Read of New York City is one of my favorite preachers. What a way with words he has! Here is what he says about our Christian tradition: “We all need moments of illumination ...

3228. Saintly Citizenship - Earthly Responsibilities

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... so dim. It was that when you came you brought A sense of Him. And from your eyes He beckons me, And from His heart your love is shed Till I lose sight of you and see The Christ instead." Paul wanted the congregation at Philippi to be a colony of believers under ... over several months. Finally, one night, the argument was so intense that the father became honestly afraid that he would lose the love of his daughter altogether. So he called her boyfriend back into his office. "Young man, a few months ago I told ...

3229. Goodness and Mercy

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the tension. Should I turn my prayer with Jay into a mini-lecture, trying to get in one last punch? Or should I turn tender and love the little fellow to pieces? Would that be copping out? Jay's face turned away from me, and I suppose that he was wondering as well ... I wilted, and I had my answer from God. "I closed my eyes to pray: `Dear Lord, thank You for Jay. You know how much I love him--he means the world to me! Thank You for giving him to us. May he always serve You. Now, we thank You for this night' ...

3230. The Marvelous Meaning of the Cross

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... sin. One tree represents our forgiveness from God. Somebody died that you and I might have the forgiveness of sins. On one tree we see the gravity of our sin; on the other tree we see the marvelous grace of God. We see the heart of God''s love--not the hardness of our hearts or the horrors of our actions. In Stroudsburg, PA, there is a tomb to an unknown Union soldier who died fighting in the Civil War. When President Abraham Lincoln heard of it, he had the tomb inscribed "Abraham Lincoln''s Substitute. He ...

3231. The Noteworthy Witness of a Widow

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... salesman couldn't believe it--a three-legged chicken. Immediately he dreamed of how rich he could be if he could take them back to the factory. He asked how and why he raised the three-legged chickens. The farmer replied how he and his wife and their daughter all loved the chicken leg and to prevent fights about who got the legs each time they ate chicken, he was forced to do this. He then asked the farmer, "How good do they taste?" The farmer replied, "I don't know. I haven't caught one yet." Well, I hope ...

3232. Chosen

John 15:1-17

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... . He will be heartbroken." The reporter was puzzled and responded, "I thought she was your child." The man looked at him and said, "No, but aren't they all our children?" They are all our children. They are all God's children, and Christ has chosen us to love them. Can we do it? Can we witness to God's presence in life? Can we demonstrate our faith authentically enough to attract people to Christ? Maybe not, if we are left to our own devices. But Jesus indicates that there is a power available to help us ...

3233. What Are You Going to Do with My World?

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... , to see the measure by which we have spoiled the image, the distance we have fallen from being the creatures God intended us to be. The closer we come to Christ, the more we understand the precious worth of a human soul with its capacity to respond to the love that is at the heart of all creation. And the more precious we discover life to be, the more terrible the fact of human sin becomes. Robert Luccock offers an excellent analogy.1 Suppose I hold a cup in my hand. At first glance it looks like any other ...

3234. Resting at the Mediocre Inn

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... Truth, and the Life. With his help, we believe we can live an excellent life. So let’s examine these words: “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me ... we need to recognize that it isn’t about us. Jesus calls us to a life of service. Notice these words carefully, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must ...

3235. Needy People Please Apply

Acts 4:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... before we can say that there are no needy people among us. All of us are needy in one way or another. We ought to think of the church as a large and ongoing support group where people who are hurting in whatever way can find love, acceptance and a kind and encouraging word. In late July 2002, nine men were trapped 240 feet underground in a cramped, partially flooded chamber at the Quecreek coal mine in Somerset, PA. Three days later all nine men were rescued. Reporters called it a “miracle.” According ...

3236. The Right Word For Memorial

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... forever thee memory of our last three hours together. December to London, Plane to Aberdeen. He couldn't get out of bed so we spent our 3 hours in his upstairs bedroom. When it came time to go, I read Romans 8 -- "Nothing can separate us from the love of God..." then we prayed. I hugged him -- "I'll see you John." He lifted his hand...and it was shaking...held it high and pointed to heaven in a loud rasping whisper, he said, "Tomorrow." I'm looking forward to that -- tomorrow! My brother Lloyd; my preacher ...

3237. Reconciliation: Our Gift And Our Ministry

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . But joy. Joy in the fact that we were one in Christ, and we were sharing his body and blood together in that bread and wine. Joy in the fact that nothing, not the Berlin wall, not the Kremlin fortress, nothing, absolutely nothing, could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That’s the gospel. That’s the hope of the world. That’s the reconciliation that all desperately need, and I experienced it in Estonia in the rarest of ways. You’re going to be invited to the table in a moment, to ...

3238. Such A Babe In Such A Place

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... some of that same confidence and joy and relief, we can say—I was once guilt stricken, but now I know forgiveness. I was once self-centered, but now I care for others. I was once plagued by loneliness, but now I have communion. I once knew hatred, now I love. I was bound in a hopeless habit, the tenacious chains of alcohol or drugs, but now I’m free. I was once buried in the mire of self-pity and self-condemnation, but now I’m released. I was once impotent and without power, now I can do all things ...

3239. The Eternal Question

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... How long has it been since you gave that any thought? Do you take it as a matter of fact or do you consider it all- that God is interested in every person; that God is interested in you, has divine respect for you, and is longing for a loving relationship with you. That’s the most thrilling truth I know. There’s a funny story that’s making the rounds again. I heard it a long time ago, but heard it again last week. A successful businessman brought his wife to a psychiatrist. They were both seated with ...

3240. Justification By Grace Through Faith

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , through the law, died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God. For if justification were through the law, then Christ of no purpose. Oh foolish Galatians. Who has bewitched you? Before whose very eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this ...

3241. A Christian Style Of Being And Doing

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is not ours; it is our witness of Jesus Christ. If our words, and the way we present those words, do not reflect his love and concern, then we need not be surprised when they fall on stony ground. We don't have the power to convert -- that's the ... separation from that person. When I pray for another person about whom I genuinely care, or even for a person I may not know, the power of love and caring is so generated within me that it flows out into the life of the other, or is "passed on" to the other in ways ...

3242. The Whole Load

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ourselves for our own sake. Everything in the text illustrates those two expressions. Let's look at them: I. First, extending ourselves for the sake of others. Jesus is pretty dramatic about it. Let me read it again -- verses 27 - 30: "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to ...

3243. Overcoming The Destructive Dont's That Have Shaped Our Lives

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Persian cat that was her pride and joy. All the neighbors knew if she had to choose between her husband and the cat it would be like Jack Benny choosing between his money and his wife. One day the cat disappeared. The woman was broken hearted. As an act of love and compassion, her husband read an ad in the newspaper offering a $5,000 reward for the return of the Persian cat. The day the ad came out, his neighbor read it in the newspaper and stopped him on the corner and said to him, "Friend, don't you think ...

3244. The Commitment Question: Will You Lay Down Your Life For Me?

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , and said, "Excuse me please, I want to sit here for awhile. I need to see how it feels." That's a cue for us. We need to seek to put ourselves in the place of other, feel what they feel. Not sympathy, but empathy is the dynamic of loving with the love of Christ. In a footnote in our old hymnal is a phrase which most Protestant churches removed from some of the early versions of the Creed: "He descended into Hell." The reason we took it out was that there is scant Biblical evidence for it, but I want to ...

3245. The Heart -- Our Mirror

Proverbs 25:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... look." That's where God resides -- in our hearts. If we give God hospitality in our hearts and answer others heart to heart, redemption takes place. We've said four things. One, doing what is right means at first thinking what is right. Two, we must think love to live love. Three, our will is the control center where thinking is translated into action and four, one human heart reflects another and we need to answer each other heart to heart. V. Now a final word: It's very easy to set our hearts on the wrong ...

3246. Strategic Kindness

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... adult to humanity's petulant child. God took that awful event and used it to save us from our sins. We hated, God loved. We struck out in blind fury: God responded with unconditional acceptance. We shut him out; God brought us in. If you want to ... all these years, or spent my life looking for revenge, then I wouldn't be the man I am today, the man my wife and children love, the man God has helped me to be." (5) There are many people who cannot relate to Chris' attitude, his willingness to forgive. But, in the ...

3247. What God Has Joined Together

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... you so much!" "Me, too, Dad!" said the son. The oldest son (maybe nine or ten) was next. "You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!" Then he turned to their little girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half). He kissed her and held her close. He ... his oldest son and declared, "I’ve saved the best for last!" and preceded to give his wife a long, passionate kiss. "I love you so much!" He said to his wife softly. Hargrove interrupted this idyllic scene to ask, "Wow! How long have you two been ...

3248. From Hurting to Helping

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... your life and keep yourself safe, and keep those around you safe. But it hasn’t worked out that way. And you are nearly to your wits’ end. My prayer for you is that this will be a passing thing. That healing will come to you or to those you love quite quickly. Or if this is a fatal thing, that there will come a time when you will be able to let go of your pain and you will be able to move forward again with your life. There are other people in this faith community who have already known ...

3249. The Two Ways of Life

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... skepticism toward all positions of faith. And that stance too is considered to be of no particular consequence. "It really does not matter what people believe" said one neighbor to me, "just as long as they are happy." Happiness, contentment, satisfaction, not love of God, are the ultimate goal of living. At the base of such casual attitudes toward God and Christian faith is another fundamental belief, however, the belief that we have no continuing connection with God. According to the scriptures, you and I ...

3250. The Proof Is In the Pudding

Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... was announced that I was leaving to become the president of the seminary. Jerry and I were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love. The letters that moved me most deeply were those that witnessed to the transformation that had come through the ministry of the ... some pretty freeing things to me on a personal level which I have been waiting my whole life to hear. I’m grateful. Enough said. His love for us is so rich and full and pure and I could go on and on. As I taste it, strength and grace flow in me ...

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