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 3251 to 3275 of 4959 results

3251. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... century: to put food on the family table. The “daily wage” Jesus’ landowner agree to pay is the Roman denarius. Despite the primarily Jewish nature of Jesus’ (and Matthew’s) audience, the strength and popularity of Roman coinage made it the most desired recompense. In Tacitus, Annales 1.17, there is recorded an early first century rebellion by Roman soldiers who insist that they receive denarius as their fair daily wage. If the common vineyard workers in today’s parable receive as much as a ...

3252. When Life Isn't Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... ahead and live a life of sin and wait until the last moment to repent? Actually, this question is not as difficult to answer as it seems, not to people who have walked with Christ for any time at all. THE QUESTION ASSUMES THAT A LIFE OF SIN IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN A LIFE OF FAITH. Why else would we be concerned about waiting until the last moment? Let me ask you a serious question. What would you change about your life if you knew there were no heaven and no hell? Would you be less loving toward your family ...

3253. Fairness

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

George E. Thompson

... the grain of our natural expectation. It mocks our logical sense of justice. Perhaps we are more drawn to the message of the Norwegian writer Jens Peter Jacobsen in his novel Niels Lyhne, which tell about a man who rejected God. As he grew older, he secretly desired the peace of faith, but he refused to come to God weak-kneed toward life's ending. Fate had been harsh to him, with death visiting those whom he loved most. Tenaciously, he held on to disbelief and a philosophy of nihilism even though he wanted ...

3254. Sadness in the Heart of God

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

John Claypool

... abate. Late that evening, he made his third request of God: "Please, gouge out my right eye." No sooner had he said these words than the angel who had initiated the whole process appeared again and asked, "Why, son of Abraham, have you turned to such vengeful desirings?" With pent-up rage, the farmer replied, "I cannot stand to see my neighbor prosper. I'll gladly sacrifice half of my vision for the satisfaction of knowing that he will never be able to look on what he has." Those words were followed by a ...

3255. Christ’s Twin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Humility is not feeling bad about yourself. People who feel bad about themselves invariably try to bring others down to their level. Humility is focusing on others and desiring for them the same benefits as you enjoy. Humility is a win/win attitude. To be like-minded with Christ is to have a spirit of humility. BEING LIKE-MINDED WITH CHRIST IS ALSO TO HAVE A SPIRIT OF SERVICE. Paul continues, “Your attitude should ...

3256. Integrity Deficit Disorder

Matthew 21:23-32

Illustration

Otis Young

... comes in. Having integrity is about behaving in the way you promised to behave even though the mood in which you made the promises has changed or the environment outside you has changed. If you have integrity it protects you from your changing moods, desires and feelings. It even protects you from the changing moods of other people. It protects you from saying you are going to something and then not following through. One day Jesus told a story designed for people who have integrity deficit disorder. His ...

3257. Which Coaching Is Better?

Matthew 21:23-32

Illustration

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 ...

3258. Wishing to Be Like God

Matthew 21:33-46

Illustration

D. Wayne Burkette

... man who was lifted from the gutter and magically granted three wishes. First he wished for material goods and forth with became very rich. Then he wished for understanding and soon became very wise. At last he used his third wish to express his desire to become as God, and immediately he found himself back in the gutter. So it was with the wicked tenants. Dissatisfied with their role as stewards and not owners, they eventually lost the very vineyard which supported them. The tenants of the vineyard are ...

3259. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Paul’s focus is on Christ’s faith, thus making Paul’s righteousness possible first by Christ’s faithfulness to God’s salvation mission, and Christ’s obedience, even unto death, to that mission. Paul’s radical new accounting method elevates as desirable above all else not law but that kind of sacrifice, that obedience to Christ. Paul stresses that though he cannot yet claim full participation in the resurrection, that still remains his final goal. In verse 13 Paul admits that he cannot reach ...

3260. Ten Million Dollar Winners

Matthew 18:23-35

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... around that resentment." Not every relationship should be restored. Battered spouses and abused children must be rescued and freed. But, forgiveness is essential for real freedom. No type of forgiveness is easy. We may have to begin by praying God will give us even the desire to begin. But we're $10 million winners. By the mercy of God, we live in a forgiven state. So no matter how seriously another has injured us, it is a $20 debt by comparison and we can forgive. So we can forgive ourselves, others ...

3261. Transformation to the Light

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... great intellect (as far as we know) and certainly held nothing of value, at least as the world would judge. Yet, these were the men Jesus chose to be his inner circle. Why did Jesus choose those whom society would see as misfits or at least less desirable for such an important mission? There are assuredly many possible reasons, but one must be that Jesus wanted to form these men and imbue them with his message. They, like all the Jews, were living in darkness; they needed to find the light. John the Baptist ...

3262. Beware: Hypocrites on Premises

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

David T. Ball

... we also know about the catastrophes that can result from even the best of intentions. We know all too many cases of "good intentions gone awry." Think, for example, of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who sought peace through appeasement of Hitler's desire for territorial expansion in the years leading up to World War II. A good intention -- to avoid all-out world war. But gone awry -- all-out war came anyway, and only after giving Hitler more time to perpetrate his atrocities without the need ...

3263. No Substitute

John 2:13-22

Sermon

David T. Ball

... making! Out! Out! Out! He cleared them all out, those traders in things that didn’t belong in God’s house. And he had every right to do it, we tend to think. Serves them right, despoiling sacred space with their commerce — profiting off of the desire of the faithful to do something pleasing to God. Exploitation. Good riddance! That’s how I usually think of Jesus’ actions, but this time it strikes me that there’s something that’s actually a little puzzling about all of this. I mean, just what ...

3264. Seeing and Not Being Seen

John 12:20-33

Sermon

David T. Ball

... . How thought-provoking to consider that we might “see” and “be” Christ best in acts of love and care without the signs and labels, and without any expectation of receiving credit or appreciation. “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” An understandable desire. And one that we might try to help others achieve, perhaps best in unrecognized acts of love. How can we be the unseen Christ? 1. Douglas John Hall, “We Would See Jesus” ; Internet; accessed ...

3265. Coming Apart So We Don’t Come Apart

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

George Reed

... needs but because Jesus calls us to join him in his work. With all of the demands on us and the never-ending line of needs before us, we can easily lose sight of the fact that we do what we can because of our love of God and our desire to serve with Jesus. Coming apart with Jesus helps us to see once again the love in his eyes and to join once again with his mission. We need to come apart so that our needs can be met. We cannot continue to give and give without having some time ...

3266. Living Out the Promise of This Child

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... my words would prove to be poor messengers. They could not carry what was in my heart that day. I will, however, try to offer one word that might help. Promise. The birth of those children, my twins, was not only the fulfillment of many personal hopes and desires, it was, as I think all children are, a signal from God. In those tiny, brand new lives there was untold potential; limitless promise. And that pierced my heart. It is not a parade of dreams or hopes; not a whirling of empty wishing that I refer to ...

3267. It’s Good to Know Who Is Calling

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... voices calling to us. Too many, perhaps. We feel stretched and pulled by the demands and cacophony they make. My hope, my prayer is that we will all make a reasoned, intentional effort to slow down enough so that we can actually hear God's voice. My not so secret desire is that we will step out of this world's hyper achievement mode long enough to tell a joke, or listen to a child's story. My yearning is for not just quality, but quantity. Time for us to love, to play, and to listen. Then when we hear the ...

3268. Ashes for Remembering

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

In our Judeo-Christian heritage, ashes are for mourning — a symbol of loss, weeping — a signal of deep emotion, repentance — a sign of needed change and sincerity — a desire to be conformed to the image of God. But mostly, ashes are for remembering. Henri Nouwen, the Roman Catholic writer, tells us that from a biblical point of view remembering means more than recalling an event or person. Remembering means participation and actualizing former events and people.1 By remembering, ...

3269. It’s All about Jesus

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Jews, could become disciples of Jesus. That was a revolutionary thought since Peter was a Jew and Jews of that time looked down on Gentiles as heathens who were beyond the reach of salvation. When a Gentile was impressed by Jewish monotheism and morality, and desired to become a Jew by faith, he was circumcised and became what was called a “God-fearer.” Cornelius was a God-fearer. “He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to ...

3270. Lord of All!

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... as Jews, could become disciples of Jesus. That was a revolutionary thought since Peter was a Jew and Jews of that time looked down on Gentiles as heathens who were beyond the reach of salvation. When a Gentile was impressed by Jewish monotheism and morality, and desired to become a Jew by faith, he was circumcised and became what was called a "God-fearer." Cornelius was a God-fearer. "He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to ...

3271. Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... we do it sooner?" The pastor came back to the bed. "Ermil," he said. "You really don't want to wait a week, do you?" "No," the patient replied. "Why don't I come back tomorrow and teach you what the Bible says about baptism and then if you desire, we can baptize you at that time?" "I like that better," the old man said. "Fine," said the pastor. "We can review the other basics of our faith after your baptism." He was about to leave when Ermil said, "Pastor...." "Yes, Ermil," the pastor said. "Do I understand ...

3272. With Friends Like These ...

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... our words. There are no adequate words for a time such as this. The composer Beethoven, upon hearing about the death of a friend's child, hurried over to the residence to offer condolences. Due to his deafness, his communication skills left much to be desired. He had no words to speak, but he glimpsed a piano in one corner. He immediately sat down at the keyboard and began pouring his heart out through sonorous melodies and lavish harmonies. Beethoven's friend later commented that no other single act had ...

3273. Baby Blues

1 Samuel 1:4-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... give that son back to God to be in service to their Creator. This seems like a strange prayer, since Hannah is promising to return to God what she wants most in all the world, a son, if only God will give her that son. Finally, God grants Hannah the desire of her heart, and a son, Samuel, is born to her. Hannah proclaims her joy and gratitude in a song to God. "My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God," anticipating Mary's song in Luke 1 as Mary waits for the birth of a ...

3274. Write to the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... traditions they had learned from their parents and grandparents. However, others were finding that a contemporary worship service was much more to their liking. King Josiah's heart was in the right place, although his domestic and foreign policies left much to be desired. At first, Jeremiah urges the people to return to faithfulness, but when he sees that it is impossible for kings and the people to be faithful, he preaches to prepare them for God's judgment. As judgment approaches, Jeremiah looks beyond it ...

3275. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... not intimidated by anybody. Eckerd walked over to where the cooks were ladling out the food. It was a grayish‑green stew dumped over a scoop of rice. It smelled dreadful. Jack Eckerd, whose family owned the Eckerd Drug chain and could afford any pleasure he desired, leaned down, smiled broadly, and asked the server, “So! How’s the food in here?” “Oh, no,” Colson thought, “She’s going to offer us some. And we’re going to have to eat it.” Colson’s doctor had told him to avoid foods of ...

Showing results