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 3651 to 3675 of 4959 results

3651. What Would Jesus Say About Marriage?

Matthew 19:3-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... was a single person, over thirty who modeled a life of deep and intimate friendship without being married. Why is it better for some people to be single? I suggest three reasons. Some are created for singleness. By genes or sexual orientation or personal opinion, the desire to be married simply is not there. I have a heterosexual friend in her late sixties who answers the endless question of why she never married by saying, “No man deserves to be as happy as I can make him!” To be forced by cultural ...

3652. How Can We Stand on Holy Ground?

Psalm 24:1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... King of glory coming. It is not always simple to remember that He is on His way. Life leaves us forgetful. Worship causes us to remember. The power of the Psalms is not that they speak to us. It is that they speak for us. They put into words the desires of our hearts. Psalm 24 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his ...

3653. The Forgiveness Which Oils the Human Machine

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... that collect call home. After listening to my feeble confession my dad said, ‘Well, these things happen. That’s why I gave you that card. I hope you have learned a lesson.’” We err and stray from God’s ways like lost sheep. We follow too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We do those things which we ought not to do and leave undone the things we should be doing. But, it is the nature of God to give us credit where credit is not due. II. IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST WE ARE FORGIVEN ...

3654. Using the Best Materials

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... at least that much defending himself against a sexual assault case with a 19-year–old in a Colorado hotel room, with whom he has already admitted committing adultery. Paul said life is a struggle. We are constantly dealing with take-over bids fueled by desires, addictions, anger and the forces of evil. But we are called to keep in step with the Spirit. We are called to resist temptations of immorality, impurity, and debauchery by enjoying the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace. Character is a ...

3655. Finding the Courage to Believe

John 20:24-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... give me the right medicine to make me well. We get on jets believing pilots know how to fly the plane. Even though I was stuck on an elevator for over two hours once, I still board elevators believing they will take me up or down to my desired destination. Beliefs—you can't leave home without them. When it comes to belief in God as revealed to us through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I ask you on this Easter Sunday, where are you? According to a 2003 Harris poll: 90% of American ...

3656. Repent

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... -throwing, name-calling, fire-flaming preacher have for us? It’s contained in one word. That word is Repent. I. REPENTANCE: WHAT IS IT? To repent is to turn around. It is a change of mind followed by a change of life. You cannot reach your desired destination by traveling faster in the wrong direction. Life demands U-turns. Several years ago our family was vacationing in Virginia when I found myself on the right road traveling in the wrong direction. Had I been smarter, I would have proceeded to the next ...

3657. The Door of Service

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Jesus lived by different values. Sometimes I wonder if we get it any better than the disciples. We have heard it all before. We have practiced it, we have read it and yet do we really get it? Life is not about you, or your wants, your wishes, your desires, your needs. Life is not about me or my plans, my goals, my aspirations, my dreams; Life is about serving God by serving others. Paul calls himself a love slave of Jesus Christ, a slave being set free who chose to freely devote himself to his master in ...

3658. The Door of Forgiveness

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... her daughter? The Bible says sin is a deadly disease; we all suffer from it. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no not one. We err and stray from God's ways like lost sheep. We follow the devices and desires of our own hearts too much. We have broken God's laws. We have left undone those things we ought to have done, and we have done those things we ought not to have done. May God have mercy. That is what He does. God invented forgiveness as a remedy ...

3659. Making Sure Our Robes Are Washed

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of Christ’s cleansing power and nourishing presence made known to us in the sacrament, I want to fall to my knees and say, “Give me more juice. Give me more juice.” Only the pure in heart see God for only the pure in heart have any desire to see God. Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow? Who are these dressed in white? III. THEY ARE THOSE WHO SERVE GOD DAY AND NIGHT. If you think heaven is one eternal retirement plan, you had better think again. Resurrected bodies are not intended to ...

3660. Don’t Look Back

Luke 9:57-62

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Frankly, none of us are going to make the cut to follow Jesus. Our desires for soft pillows and comfortable beds, for fulfilling family and social obligations, will frequently have higher priorities than following Jesus especially following Jesus all the way to the cross. We might be willing to give up some evils in our lives to follow Jesus, but to give up all these ...

3661. The Power to Begin Again

Acts 3:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... was proved to be a heresy and a lot he had to do in copying a book in 1982. The spiritual forces of wickedness - Peter says, “Renounce them." II. REPENT AND TURN TO GOD SO THAT YOUR SINS CAN BE WIPED OUT. We are not likely to reach our desired destination by traveling faster in the wrong direction. Sometimes the best thing we can do is stop and turn around. Several years ago I was coming home from a fast trip to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina when I ran into a horrific traffic jam at the tunnels on I ...

3662. Develop Leaders—Humbly

Colossians 3:12-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... needed to hear it, but I've met a few lay people who could benefit from it as well. It was Sigmund Freud back in 1923 who introduced the id, the ego, and the super-ego to the world. Down in the human psyche, there are primitive desires and norms of morality which the sense of self must manage and direct. So the ego is the “I" or “self" of any person. The greatest obstacle to effective spiritual leadership is people pursuing their own agenda rather than seeking God's will. Spiritual leadership is not ...

3663. Pray

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... find it easy to thank God for unanswered prayers. Prayer is a mystery, yet over 80% of Americans pray and over half of Americans pray every day. Even 0ne-fifth of the atheists in this country say they pray daily. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, unuttered or expressed, and prayer is more than that. It's the “more than that" dimension of prayer I want to discuss with you today. I. PRAYER IS COMMUNICATION WITH GOD When I try to give couples tips on communication skills, I talk about two basic things ...

3664. By Faith

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and cooling down. The flames make us tender so we can bend without breaking, be shaped without shattering. And the cooling teaches us the fine art of waiting until we are strong enough to live into our new reason for being. May the Refiner's fire become our desire. III. OUR FAITH FILLS US WITH INEXPRESSIBLE JOY! “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy" (I Peter 1:8). It is joy, unspeakable ...

3665. Brightening the Corner Where We Are

1 John 1:5-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of trouble. Jim used to say, “When one of my sons calls and says, ‘Dad, we have a problem,' I know its going to be a bad day." We have a problem. We err and stray from God's ways like lost sheep. We follow too much the devices and desires of our hearts. We do those things we ought not to do and leave undone the things that need to be done. The Bible calls that problem sin. Notice the second two-letter word in every one of these conditional statements. “If we." Most evangelists would preach this text ...

3666. Making the Most of Small Beginnings

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the flesh could still his deepest hunger. Riding on, he saw a home, its opened door a promised welcome and in the door there was a beautiful woman, her eyes innocent and kind. Surely the love of a woman and the sweet shelter of home are my heart's desire, reasoned the knight; “But when I touched her, Lo! She too, fell into dust and nothing, and the house became no better than a broken shed." His soul still craving, he traveled on. He found a warrior clad in golden armor. But he also turned to dust. Then ...

3667. Greed or the Gospel?

Acts 8:9-13, 18-24

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... that is the Sunday school translation of that phrase. If you want the literal translation look at J.B. Phillips or one of the newer translations. In effect, Peter tells Simon where he can go. You can get the drift of what I am trying to say. Greed is desire that has gone amuck. Actor Alan Alda says, “It’s not necessary to be rich and famous to be happy. It's only necessary to be rich." Gordon Gekko, the business tycoon in the movie Wall Street is bent on success at any price. During his takeover bid at ...

3668. The Humble King

John 12:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... you doing?" asked the shocked seeker. “Teaching you a lesson," replied the Rabbi. “You come seeking spiritual guidance, but your life is already full of many things. How can I pour more into an already full cup? You must empty yourself of other things if you really desire spiritual things." We often come to church saying, “Fill my cup, Lord, fill it up," but in reality the best thing that we could do coming to church sometimes is to pour it out, pour out the many things in our lives so that there is ...

3669. By Humbly Doing Good

1 Peter 5:6-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is helping our children understand they are special without being convinced they are superior. There is a difference between positive self-esteem and arrogance. All children begin life self-centered. When you are a baby it's all about me — my needs, my wants, my desires. It's all about ‘me' when you are a child. Some of you are discovering that it's somewhat the same with teens. So the task of every parent is to help our sons and daughters embrace “belonging to the universe" without having to be ...

3670. Living in Gratitude

Philippians 4:4-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... ? Who are the people who hurt me? Life is hard. Paul says we should think on these things: the true, the honorable, the just, the pure, the pleasing, the commendable. This is not a list reserved for the saints. This is a pagan list of desirable virtues. He took it from the Roman world in which the Philippians lived. Even unbelievers aspire to the finer thoughts of life. Whatever is just, right and pleasing, set your mind of things like that. Great British preacher, John Henry Jowett, said, “Gratitude is a ...

3671. The Broken Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 11:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... a probe of the soul, I would like to pass. But the Lord doesn't let me off that easily. So we come to Communion with confession on our lips, “We have erred and strayed from God's ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have not loved our neighbors and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray." The one we meet at Holy Communion is the one who was broken for us. II. HERE WE ENCOUNTER THE BROKEN CHRIST “The body of Christ ...

3672. The Good Samaritan - Sermon Starter

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

... you have worded it succinctly. The question had been asked and the answer given. You would think that the man would be pleased and go home. But lawyers are never happy. A lawyer's responsibility is to define the limits of liability. "But he, desiring to justify himself, asked ‘Who is my neighbor.'" In other words, where does my responsibility stop? Who exactly am I responsible for?" At this point, instead of further defining the question, Jesus tells a story. A way of indirect teaching. A certain rich man ...

3673. The Nearest Willing Hand

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Carveth Mitchell

Two women were sitting in church. One woman said to the other, "I've always wished that God would touch me, but I suppose that's too much to ask." The other woman replied, "That sounds like a reasonable desire. Have you prayed about it?" "Well, no. Of course not." "Why not? There's certainly nothing wrong with a prayer like that. You should pray about it." "All right. Maybe I will sometime." "Not sometime. Now. What better place to pray than here in the Lord's house?" Thus persuaded, ...

3674. Dancing with the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... from dancing “for family reasons” he couldn’t use the word “religious,” for some reason)]. Others of you reclaimed your dancing feet in later adolescence. I suspect that even for the most cha-cha challenged here this morning, you still have a secret desire to reclaim the freedom enjoyed as a small child spinning and twirling and swaying with complete abandon to the rhythms of the music. What else could explain the crazy popularity of a three-hour weekly ABC special called “Dancing with the Stars ...

3675. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ). They were very ordinary men. It was with people like ourselves that Jesus set out to change the world. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, p. 263) So, it’s an issue with which we all must deal, even as the disciples of Jesus had to deal with it - the desire to be Number One, and what happens when we’re not Number One. I Before we get to the heart of this, let’s go back a bit. Jesus had dealt with the question before. The first part of chapter 10 Jesus had talked about receiving the Kingdom as a ...

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