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 3676 to 3700 of 4959 results

3676. Conversation of The Hear

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

Carveth Mitchell

... . She was surprised, however, to hear the child conclude her prayer with these words: "Now, Jesus, what would you like for me to do for you?" The little girl had grasped the relationships of the Christian life: conversation of the heart (worship) with Jesus issues in the desire to do something for Jesus. One listener of a morning radio program wrote the following verse: Dear God, Each day, When I come to pray I ask so much of Thee. In supplication I bow But seldom stay to see What you might ask of me. Today ...

3677. The Prayer Life of Highly Effective Christians

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Some of us may feel we’re too sophisticated to pray. Others may feel they’ve see too much tragedy in life to feel prayer does much good. O friend, keep praying. You need to spend time with God each day. You need to voice to God the deepest desires of your heart. What have you got to lose? Start today setting aside some time each day for communion with God. Pray silently, or raise the rafters like that janitor. But pray. You are a follower of Jesus. Jesus prayed. There are all kinds of reasons why he ...

3678. Oh, No You Do Not

Luke 11:1-13

Illustration

... up to him and greeted him with the words: “Oh, how I wish that I could play the piano like you.” She was rather taken back with his response. He said in a firm but gentle voice: “Oh no you don’t.” Of course, he was right. What we desire is the finished product. Who among us would not like to get in front of thousands and display a marvelous talent and then wait for the applause? But how many of us are willing to spend the literally thousands of hours that it takes to become an accomplished pianist ...

3679. Lessons from a Fool

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... the shells in Roberts’ hand. Roberts accepted the shells, but he wondered how they could help hungry children. A few weeks later, Roberts spoke to another congregation. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the seashells and told about that boy and his desire to feed hungry children. At the end of the service, a man approached Roberts and said, “I would like to purchase those shells for $100!” Bob Roberts added this comment, “My freckle-faced friend may never know that his sacrificial offering ...

3680. Making the Situation Worse

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Charles Hoffacker

... according to Jordan: "You all be careful and stay on your guard against all kinds of greediness. For a person's life is not for the piling up of possessions." In these few words, Jesus rejects much of what keeps our society humming. He warns us against greed, avarice, the desire to possess more than we need, more than we can use, more than we want. In other words, be content with what you have. Greed will just make your life worse.

3681. William Barclay on the Rich Fool

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

William Barclay

... I shall not buy any more, while so many around me want bread." The Romans had a proverb which said that money was like sea-water; the more a man drank the thirstier he became. And so long as a man's attitude is that of the rich fool his desire will always be to get more-and that is the reverse of the Christian way. Note: It would be effective to read the parable once and then re-read it again punctuating the personal pronouns. Don't tell your congregation directly what you are doing, just tell them you want ...

3682. Six Small Seashells

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

... the shells in Roberts' hand. Roberts accepted the shells, but he wondered how they could help hungry children. A few weeks later, Roberts spoke to another congregation. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the seashells and told about that boy and his desire to feed hungry children. At the end of the service, a man approached Roberts and said, "I would like to purchase those shells for $100!" Bob Roberts added this comment, "My freckle-faced friend may never know that his sacrificial offering provided ...

3683. A Faith That Transforms, Not Just Adorns

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Hope floats. But faith lets you travel the circumference of the earth, to venture into space, or to burrow deep beneath the world’s surface and yet never strain the strength of its roots. Hope floats — on currents of hospitality, and momentary dreams and desires. But faith has roots that hold it steady and feed it fully, no matter what the weather. Faith has wings that keep it soaring, send it forward, and give it freedom, no matter how dismal the present surroundings. Faith gives hope a reason to ...

3684. Light and Hope for the New Year

John 1:10-18

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... and human interaction were not enough, too often the two manifestations of evil work together. AIDS, caused by a virus but spread with the help of human irresponsibility on multiple levels, threatens to wreak havoc on the entire continent of Africa. The desire for sexual gratification teams up with government arrogance and passivity to block the light from reaching the darkness. AIDS affects more than those who die directly from it. Innocent children by the millions have been left orphaned. So many of the ...

3685. A Strange Way in and a New Way Out

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... him know the whereabouts of the child. Herod represents all those in power who claim a noble purpose, but who act out of self-interest and greed. He stands in for all who clutch at power without regard for who might be hurt. When he claims a desire to pay homage to Jesus, he becomes the ancestor of all politicians and leaders who have used religion to gain votes and exert control over others. Herod's plan would have worked, except for God. Speaking to the Magi in a way they could understand — through a ...

3686. A Salvation Army Parade

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Lee Griess

... told, they were still his faithful followers, those who had dedicated their lives to him. When Jesus marches past us, he doesn't look for bystanders. He looks for followers. That's what Palm Sunday requires of us. That's what this Salvation Army parade Grand Marshall desires. If we choose to follow Jesus, we must give him our devotion. We must march to his destination. It's not easy to be a Christian in today's world. It's not easy to be a follower. Daily we are bombarded with a different message. Daily ...

3687. The True Shepherd

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Lee Griess

... who cares for the flock comes even more clearly into focus in the New Testament. Jesus once told a story about a shepherd who had 100 sheep, but one of them went astray. In our way of thinking, a 99% return on our investment would be fine, most desirable, in fact. But not for the shepherd. In Jesus' teaching, the shepherd leaves the 99 alone in the wilderness to go in search of that one lost sheep. Later, when Jesus was speaking to the crowds who flocked to him, the gospel writer, Mark, tells us that Jesus ...

3688. Wonderful Opportunities for Mission

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... result, you and I no longer need all those commodities to prove anything. We no longer even need to do good deeds to prove to ourselves and others that we are religious. Martin Luther put it so well in one of his 1522 sermon series. He wrote: ... If someone desires from me a service I can render him, I will gladly do it out of goodwill ... All our works should be of such a nature that they flow from pleasure and love ... since for ourselves we need nothing to make us pious.10 Think of it, friends. With the ...

3689. Hunger and Politics

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... us meaning. And like the crowds in Jesus' day, we lack the resources to take along anything of lasting value. We would die in the wilderness, left to our own devices. As with the crowds around Jesus, there is no food to keep us alive unless God does a miracle. Desire leads us on the quest, but only a miracle of grace will keep us from dying there. Food is a very big part of our lives. Hunger can be a time clock ticking inside, regulating the hours of our days with calculated passion. Or it can be a biologic ...

3690. The Road No One Wants to Travel

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... next astounded the fledgling reporter. The pastor shook his head and said, "Son, I can't do that. We've already prayed to God. We can't do it again. It wouldn't be right." But that's what Peter wanted, wasn't it? That's what the other disciples desired as well. With Phil Donahue they wished the moment of truth to linger. They craved for the passion to last. They wanted to hold hands and speak kind words and sing those songs of love. They begged for the cameras to roll, and then they hoped to play the video ...

3691. Testing, Testing

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... all equally be remembered and obeyed?" Test ... test.... Haven't you ever felt life tugging at you with similar questions? Is it more important to be truthful or to be kind? To fully develop the capacities God gave me to use in this world, or to sacrifice my desires to the needs of others? As a Christian am I primarily supposed to care for and be kind to others, or am I primarily supposed to stand up for my beliefs and the Lordship of Jesus Christ? How does this religion I've inherited work? Test ... test ...

3692. Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll!

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Tony Everett

... is that we do not always get what we expect or even want from our carefully constructed plans for our children, our lives, our families, even for our congregations. We are not always in control. God is. Life is not about what we want and desire. Rather it is about what God wants and promises. Perhaps you have heard this statement before: "If you want to make God laugh, tell God your future plans." Pastor Terry and her congregation certainly experienced this lesson on that fourth Sunday in Advent. In our ...

3693. Restoration Frustration

Isaiah 63:7-9

Sermon

Tony Everett

... post-Christmas empty spaces in our hearts. For most of us, Christmas preparations and celebrations rarely meet expectations. Not everything goes smoothly. Not every gathering is joyful. Not every program and worship service is as spiritually uplifting as we would have desired. Not every gift was given with grace-filled love. Not every gift was received with festive thanksgiving. Exchange desks in malls and department stores are in a frenzy of activity on December 26, perhaps their busiest day of the entire ...

3694. What Were You Thinking?

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Tony Everett

... . "Pay your fine on the way out. And by the way, as long as you're not thinking, don't even think about teaching your son how to drive." Poor, humiliated, Pastor Bill. How many times do we also find ourselves so pre-occupied with our own dreams and desires that we forget what is going on around us? How many times do we neglect the needs of others while we strive to attain our own personal success and happiness? How many times do we forget and neglect the desperate concerns of those on the margins of society ...

3695. Preaching Peace By Jesus Christ ...

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... , our hungry and war-scarred spirits go to the logical location. "Preaching peace by Jesus Christ," pulls us inexorably toward visions of a world where the guns are silent, and where no more children are blown to bits by landmines. Who among us does not desire such a world? In truth, this isn't the "peace" that the writer of Acts is describing. The "peace" described here has been translated from the Greek word, eirene, which really means "unity." In other words, what the writer of Acts is calling for is ...

3696. The Ladder from Our House

Genesis 28:10-19a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... cut off from people we love or to know that some of our actions have troubled or even ended certain relationships. We ought to note, however, that there is nothing in Jacob's demeanor as he camps out that night to suggest that he had a guilty conscience or desired to mend his ways. He may have been apprehensive for, as far as he knew, his brother could have been pursuing him. He was probably despondent. And since he wasn't at home, there was no chance of him actually receiving the inheritance he had won by ...

3697. Endless Line of Blunder

Exodus 1:8

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... , or is the racism born out of insecurity? Whatever the chicken and egg, the pharaoh devised a plan — "Come, let us deal shrewdly with them" — in order to solve the perceived problem. Our fears, distilled, are not necessarily hateful or unreasonable. And our desire to maintain the status quo, our way of life, or our sense of security, is not innately sinister. But when our fears carelessly personify the threat that they feel, they turn into sloppy and odious prejudices. Then begins a vicious cycle: Our ...

3698. A Change of Mind

Exodus 32:1-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... . "You miss your family," he told her. She admitted that it was true as tears rolled down her cheeks. She said she knew that all along but needed someone to tell her. "God has a way of bringing us what we truly need, when we follow our hearts desires," he told her. A month later, Martha moved home, returning to her old church, catching up with her brother and sisters. "It was like my life went from black and white to color again," was how she described what she was feeling as she reaffirmed her faith.1 ...

3699. Not All of This Is Me

Deuteronomy 8:7-18

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... and did not need her. It never happened before, he explained, but with an ad on the radio, over 200 people volunteered. The gentleman invited Linda to stay for the meal. Linda, by her own admission, had very little contact with homeless people and truthfully had no desire to eat with them. She got in line to eat, still feeling that she did not belong. "Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless you, darling," a man told her as he handed her a plastic cup of apple juice and a corn muffin. Linda found a seat. A ...

3700. A Disconcerting Sight

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... find this encounter between God and Cain: Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:6-7 NIV) Whatever else is in this story, two things are clear: the active presence of evil in the world, colorfully crouching, like some fanciful gargoyle from a medieval cathedral, ready to spring and trip us up and ...

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