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 3326 to 3350 of 4959 results

3326. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... work quietly and with dignity to create a community based upon divine love and respect. Finally in 5:1 Paul encapsulates the mandate which establishes the believers' uniqueness they are to be "imitators of God." Christians demonstrate their love for God with their desire to be like God as children mimic their own parents' behavior and attitudes. God has shown us the divine attitude towards all creation with the sacrifice of Christ for its sake. Paul's directive that we imitate this behavior is then no small ...

3327. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... with James and John. In a pathetic attempt at cleverness, these two disciples first try to wheedle a promise out of Jesus before revealing what is at issue. Jesus, of course, refuses to give blind assurances and forces them to articulate their desires plainly. Even when the brothers' brazen, selfish wish is fully explained, Jesus does not chastise them about the content of their request. He sees it simply as a demonstration of their incomprehension. When Jesus quizzes James and John about the depth of ...

3328. Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... "in the same way that." Thus our active love will be demonstrated as we make all the same allowances for the neighbor that we do for ourselves. Understanding what motivates the neighbor's actions and what causes the weaknesses, strengths, wants, desires, follies, and foibles of the neighbor - that is loving neighbors as ourselves. The unique character of this particular scribe among all the others in Mark is made apparent by his reply to Jesus' words. The scribe wholeheartedly agrees with Jesus' insight ...

3329. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and celebrations (the center of prestigious social life). In all these situations Jesus has already entreated his disciples to always take the "lowroad" (see 9:35; 10:31; 10:4344), insisting that to be "last," to be a "servant," must be the desire of a true follower. Scribes and disciples are thus easily positioned (too easily for the historian) as exact opposites. Verse 40 indicts the scribes even more thoroughly, for it focuses not just on the pompous exterior cultivated by religious functionaries, but ...

3330. Philippians 4:49

Philippians 4:49

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... into full members of the community - worthy of and capable of praise. The reward, the gift from God of redemption, also takes a gentle form here in Zephaniah. Rather than dwelling upon the victory and the vanquished enemy, the prophet focuses on what every lost heart desires. God, it is promised, is the one who still "brings you home, at the time when I gather you" (vs. 20). Zephaniah's song is bursting with confidence in the mercy, love, and compassion of God and God's complete ability to turn a disastrous ...

3331. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... suffered from "unclean spirits" also experienced a complete withdrawal of those troubling presences from their lives. Given the power of Jesus' preaching, teaching and healing, it is not surprising that the large diverse crowd was suddenly possessed by a single desire - to touch Jesus and experience the presence of his power with their own fingertips. In the midst of this melee, Jesus suddenly begins to speak - apparently settling the crowd down and successfully shifting the focus of his work from healing ...

3332. Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in 14:22. Philip's question to Jesus in 14:7 reveals just how resistant the disciples still were to the truth they were witnessing. Yet the occasion of Philip's denseness gives Jesus a chance to talk about the unity of the Father and the Son. Philip's desire to see the Father is answered in Christ, who reveals the Father. The oneness that Jesus articulates in vv.10-11 is a singularity of purpose, for Jesus' works reveal the origin of his words in the being of the Father. Words and works are one just as the ...

3333. Galatians 6:7-18

Galatians 6:7-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , many which focused on physical pleasure and immediate gratification through sex or food or frivolous behavior. Thus there was a real temptation to these Galatians of growing "weary" of always thinking in line with the Spirit, of carefully processing their thoughts and desires and measuring them against the Spirit's high standards of excellence. Paul knows that sometimes it's just hard to be good! By emphasizing the chasm between acts of the flesh and those of the Spirit, Paul tries to convey the critical ...

3334. Colossians 3:1-11

Colossians 3:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and prohibitions in the law as the body has members. The vices or negatives sketch out to the reader what a Christian is not. First, individual traits (v.5), typically identified as "pagan" in character, are listed: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed. The writer follows these with five more negatives (verse 8) that are evils that emerge when humans live in community with one another: anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language. The double-listing of five virtues are not given ...

3335. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

2 Thessalonians 2:13 – 3:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on their lives. The authenticity and current canonical location of 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 has often been questioned. These five verses are somewhat general in character and their ideas are only loosely connected to one another. Verses 1-2 express Paul's desire for intercessory prayer, first for the gospel's sake, and then for the protection of his own and others' missionary work - shielding them from the "wicked and evil" who would thwart them. Verse 3, however, abruptly shifts from the forces that challenge ...

3336. Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... new "shoot" of Jesse will be marked by "wisdom," "understanding," "counsel," "knowledge" and a "fear of the Lord" (vv.2-3). All of these traits will be practiced by this new young ruler who will incarnate this prophet's and the Lord's desire to establish true justice. Verses 3-4a declare that wealth and influence will no longer determine the course of "justice" - instead, the poor will be dealt with on an equal basis with the rich and powerful. In this redeemed time, Isaiah declares, righteousness, mishpat ...

3337. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -be believers. Jews, as the Old Testament amply demonstrates, demand "signs" from God - signs of power, deliverance, chosenness. Greeks - or Gentiles - don't want to see, they want to know - to be filled with self-acquired wisdom. In response to those very separate desires, Paul offers a common solution - Christ crucified. Little wonder that his news is perceived as a roadblock on the way to deliverance by Jews, and a foolish inconsistency in logical progressivism by Greeks. But it is only in the way of the ...

3338. Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... he keeps this company. Jesus describes himself as a "physician" and sinners as those who are "sick" and thus the ones in need of the physician's healing presence. Matthew, unlike Mark and Luke, adds a text from Hosea 6:6 to his version "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice" further reminding his readers that God's nature is to be merciful. It is this mercy Jesus embodies when he associates with these sinners and thus offers them healing. In conclusion, Jesus maintains that he came to "call" or "invite ...

3339. Matthew 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... reading the "instructions" Jesus gives for dealing with conflict within the church, however, one should note the two parables that Matthew brackets on either side of today's text. At one end (18:10-14) lies the parable of the "Lost Sheep," stressing God's desire that all should be "found," none lost. On the other end (18:23-35) lies the parable of the "Unforgiving Servant," which records that those who refuse to forgive may be dealt with even as harshly as those who commit transgressions. The precise focus ...

3340. Matthew 21:23-32

Matthew 21:23-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his father's will is "the first." This correct identification opens up the way for Jesus to denounce the chief priests and elders as so many "second" sons. In verse 32, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the one bringing the requests and desires of the "father" to the children of Israel. But while the apparently disobedient children the tax collectors and prostitutes hear John's message and repent, those in positions of religious authority who mouth platitudes of obedience reject John and refuse to accept ...

3341. Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... cloth for the Israelites' new culture. But one more commandment is still added. This final commandment once again requires explanatory sidebars. The command not to "covet" seeks once again to measure and judge what is in the human heart. Desire is not necessarily a discernable quality or an obvious act. The commandment itself gives specific examples of what should not be coveted but finally concludes with "or anything that belongs to your neighbor." The indefinite term "neighbor" enables this commandment ...

3342. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his father's house was not his first option _ his first choice had been feeding the pigs of a Gentile for a handful of food. The reader is given no indication whether this first choice was based on pride and obstinacy, or anger or a still-strong desire to be away from the home and family in which he had grown up. And while the son's "confession" in verses 18-19 sounds contrite and genuine enough, a careful examination of the thought process that led him to this confession reveals only one clear motivating ...

3343. John 14:23-29

John 14:23-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... direct opposition to each other. Jesus' peace is offered while the tribulation of the world stands waiting. What is this "peace" that Jesus mentions? Already in the Old Testament the term means much more than a greeting. It describes rather, a special and desirous gift from God. In John's gospel, the term is equated variously with "light," "life," "joy" and "truth." Peace should not be thought of as the absence of something war, strife, hardship, conflict but rather as a positive, enactive presence. All the ...

3344. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... believer can now "boast" or "rejoice" in anticipation of a uniquely blessed experience "the hope of sharing the glory of God." Both "hope" and "glory" mean specific things for Paul. His is not a response riddled with doubt or some cautious couching of desire. Christian hope implies confidence in events which are sure to take place. One may genuinely "boast" in "hope" and anticipate in confidence because there is no doubt about the arrival of that which is hoped for. In this case, Paul identifies "sharing in ...

3345. Philemon 1-21

Philemon 1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... no evidence any theft has occurred. In his role as reconciler between Philemon and Onesimus, Paul agrees to put his money where his mouth is. Once again, Paul stresses the unity of all in Christ when he directs his final words to Philemon, his "brother" (v.20). Ultimately, what Paul desires of these two men both of whom have shown the ability to uplift and encourage Paul in his ministry is that they now join their gifts together, enabling Paul to "refresh my heart in Christ."

3346. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the wilderness is a determination, bordering almost on an obsession, to find and reclaim his lost sheep. There is, of course, great significance to the number 100. It is a complete and whole number. One hundred (or multiples thereof) is traditionally the most desired number of sheep for a shepherd to have. With 100 sheep, a shepherd is well-to-do and secure. Some scholars have suggested that since 100 was such a significant "cutoff" number, it was actually more psychologically imperative for a shepherd who ...

3347. Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... what happened to Lazarus' mortal remains on earth because he is immediately "carried away by the angels to be with Abraham." The rich man, however, is simply "buried." Lazarus is not only welcomed into paradise, but he is given the most desired spot - at "Abraham's bosom." This phrase suggests Lazarus has been gathered to his ancestors in the closest way imaginable. The rich man proceeds directly to "Hades," where he begins to experience "torment" and "agony." The "great reversal" has been accomplished ...

3348. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... will not come from "false teachers" who threaten the faith, Paul cautions, but from within the fold of the faithful. Instead of listening to "sound doctrine," people will soon begin to concoct their own "doctrines," ones that "suit their own desires." Paul diagnoses the cause of this contentiousness as "itching ears" - i.e., a kind of malignant, unsatisfied curiosity like that which killed the cat. Timothy will witness former faithfuls turn "itching ears" away from truth and toward the old "myths ...

3349. Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... have no true sense of God's grace. Luke may very well have made sure through verse 14a that his listeners saw that the tax collector's attitude, while a rather one-sided presentation itself, is indeed an attitude that merits God's approval. While neither extreme in behavior is desirable, Luke's final words define the underlying principle guiding his judgment: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

3350. Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... was no fruit borne of repentance, and John would have none of it. He taunts these super-spiritual elitists by insulting the uniqueness of their genetically inherited moral superiority, hooting that God could make "children to Abraham" out of rocks if God so desired. The distorted poisoned-fruit existence of these religious leaders, John claims, is about to come to an end. "Even now," he promised, the ax is ready to hew them down. Images of fiery judgment close out Matthew's introduction of John the Baptist ...

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