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 3776 to 3800 of 4959 results

3776. Love in Action

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... that when it comes to giving to the poor, we have this little internal monitor that we aren't even aware of. That monitor allows us to give just as much as we need to in order to feel okay about ourselves, but not so much that it affects our desire to first take care of ourselves in the way we think we deserve it. Lately, I've been reflecting on the way we respond to the poor and wondering if it's done in a loving way or a judging way. Loving and judging are opposites. If you're loving ...

3777. Life in The Spirit

Romans 8:22-27

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... the one in Corinth that has given him so much trouble and yet he loves so dearly. In the midst of this kind of birthing process, Paul asks the Romans and himself (and us) to trust in this process of the Spirit of God producing that which we need and desire: to be grounded in the presence of God. In these verses, Paul emphasizes that it is the Spirit of God who will keep us grounded in the presence of God. It is the Spirit who will give us hope and life. The Spirit has many manifestations, but we should note ...

3778. Be Careful How You Live

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... time thinking about money, you will become selfish and grasping. A wise parable is that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least. Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart. The desire for money and possessions is dangerous and terrible, knowing no satiety. It drives the soul that it controls to the heights of evil. Anna Quindlen was asked to present the graduation speech at one of America's pre-eminent universities. You may have seen excerpts of ...

3779. Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:13—4:8

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... copywriters of consumerism, whose evangelism is advertising, whose church is the mall, and whose values are appearance and affluence. Listen to the voices of heavenly wisdom that whisper to us: Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart. For the desire for possessions is dangerous, knowing no satiety. It drives the soul which it controls to the heights of evil. Let's do an inventory of our values. What is of ultimate importance to you? To find out look at another book. It's shorter ...

3780. Praying in Boldness and Faith

Hebrews 4:12-16

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... of his humanity. Fully human, this man, Jesus, knows our weaknesses. Fully human, this man, Jesus, undergoes even temptation. Fully human, this man, Jesus, is like us in all things except sin. Because this man knows our frailties, our needs, our hopes, and our desires, the author of Hebrews urges us to turn to him in prayer. For like the high priest of ancient days, this high priest named Jesus stands at the very point between heaven and earth, between the sacred and the earthly. That earlier high priest ...

3781. The Eternal Sanctuary

Hebrews 9:11-14

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... marked humankind as it seeks to find holy places in which to worship. Whether in groves of trees, the tops of mountains, massive stone structures on a plain such as Stonehenge, or temples built with human hands, places and buildings have defined and delineated the desire of men and women to set aside some place as holy, wherein the gods could be remembered among their people. For the Hebrew people of old, however, there was no sacred place in the beginning, no place where their God had come to walk among ...

3782. The Perfect Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:11-25

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... end, such sacrifice is useless since it can never take away the sin of God's people. The priests can shed the blood of animals, make their offerings and their prayers, engage in their rituals from morning until night, but it does no good. For "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice," says the Lord through the prophet Hosea, "the knowledge of God rather than burnt offering" (Hosea 6:6). Again and again in scripture we hear the word of the Lord through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and in the mouth of ...

3783. The Great Thanksgiving

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... , our thanks are universal because the sacrifice of the Son was offered for all. Prayer is urged for all not just for some. Prayer is offered not only for the needs of the believing community but for all humanity. There is but one God over all and God desires all to be saved because the cross was for all. That is why such prayers are offered for kings and all those who are in high places. Writing to Timothy, Paul knows that it would be easy for such rulers to cause disruption in the life of the community ...

3784. Reconciliation Day

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... of his son and how proud he now was of this young man beside him who was willing to testify in this manner, to other drivers, in such a painful and costly, but powerful way. The reconciliation between this father and this teenage driver was born out of their mutual desire to see some kind of “saving possibility” arise out of the death of a precious loved one. (8) I don’t know about you, but when I hear of an act like this, I have to believe God is at work. All of us are tempted to strike back at ...

3785. Are You Willing to Live in Hell?

Matthew 18:15-20

Illustration

Randy Hyde

... day in July before I accept his apology." That's all well and good, I suppose... if you don't mind living in hell. Are we really so willing to give up our relationships with others – relationships that have come about and been forged by our desire to follow Jesus? Nowhere, and I do mean nowhere, in the New Testament gospels will you find Jesus saying that the first order of things is always to be right. But he does have a great deal to say about forgiveness, about relationship, about reconciliation, about ...

3786. A Four Word Memoir

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... again. Listen to his words, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so ...

3787. Clothing and Spiritual Change

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Clothing is a common New Testament metaphor for spiritual change. Paul wrote in Romans, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Rom 13:14). And in First Corinthians, "The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53). In Colossians, we read, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness ...

3788. Prepare: An Advent Play

Matthew 24:36-51

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... TV Guide. TV shopping is on channel (number). (brightly) And the malls are open ’til 10 o’clock every night. Wow! Can you believe it? Such convenience. (shouts) Bring your little ones, I’ll be there — lap and all — I’ll promise ’em whatever they desire. John: Stop it, Mr. Claus. Santa: Just call me Santa Claus. John: Santa Claus, Santa humbug. You’re out to lunch. I came to tell these folks here, to prepare for the coming.... Santa: (interrupts) Cool it, John B. Take it easy. Everybody knows ...

3789. The Christmas Message of Hope

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... what is necessary in our lives to be the person God wants us to be. The gift we bring to the Lord will cost us nothing in a monetary sense, but it may cost us much in a spiritual sense. However, the one and only thing that Jesus desires is our hearts. Let us not disappoint him. On Christmas Day, when we welcome the light and hope it brings, we must be bearers of hope to others in our troubled world. Let's take up the challenge, dispel the darkness, and welcome the light. May the Christmas mystery ...

3790. Recognizing the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... in his own Jewish people. Jesus' long conversation with a Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42), his encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30), and his numerous encounters with lepers (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 17:11-19) demonstrated his desire to reach out to others but especially those on the margins of society. Jesus took his message outside Israel as well, to the regions of Tyre and Sidon, and numerous times to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Clearly, Jesus made every effort to ...

3791. The Need for Transformation

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... be good friends with all people, but it does mean that we will demonstrate respect and basic kindness to all. Loving our neighbor, therefore, necessitates for almost all a sense of transformation. Too often today, we focus on our needs and desires; we are insufficiently concerned about others. At times, we perceive that our actions are appropriate, but even then, transformation is at times necessary. A little story illustrates this point quite well. One day, on his lunch hour, a businessman was strolling ...

3792. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, died and went to heaven. Saint Peter was directing the activities and explained to him, "Each Friday we have a get-together for the new members. To break the ice, every new member must make a speech to all the others here, on any subject desired." The man from Johnstown said, "I think I'll talk on the Johnstown flood." Saint Peter replied, "I think it's all right but I'd better warn you; Noah will be in the audience." The story of Noah's ark has its origins in ancient history ...

3793. God, The Good Ally

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... of the favor gladly agrees to the conditions of the contract because of (usually extreme) gratitude. But, of course, the usual categories can't possibly illuminate precisely the covenant between God and the Hebrew refugees. God here reveals an otherworldly grace not capable of human desire nor effort. At first glance, it might appear that God, in effect, said, "Look at what I did for you; now you do this for me!" God didn't really make any kind of offer. He saved the hides of the Hebrews and now he ...

3794. Hope Lifted Up

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... fell upon the words, "let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:13-14). Further inspired by Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, the young man gave up his concubine and became the Bishop of Hippo, perhaps the greatest Christian thinker the world will ever know. Augustine was driven by the fiery poison of his ...

3795. Death Meets The Lord

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... months that they had become different. On one side was wealth, democracy, and materialism; on the other side was a people who had learned to live unto themselves into their private lives with far less material resources, and, perhaps an intensity of faith and a desire for peace that left the free world behind in the dust. But the wall came down! In the years since the "fall," the two peoples have become one again. The incarceration is a memory that belongs to the past. A rebirth, of sorts, has occurred ...

3796. Getting Through the Grief

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... oration over these dead was delivered by the brilliant and charismatic general, Pericles. His famous eulogy demonstrates a classic statement of Athenian ideology when he says, "Such was the end of these men; they were worthy of Athens, and the living need not desire to have a more heroic spirit, although they may pray for a less fatal issue." Lincoln's Gettysburg address provides another stellar example: "We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave ...

3797. Finding the Right House for God

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... B. Phillips is right — our God is too small. That's why God offers this gentle rebuke. David's plan for a house is seen as a threat to God's freedom in an effort to control God's presence. Third, David's own self-interest pokes through in his desire to elevate his own status as a king by building a temple for God, something that will sanction his own reign as king. Tents represent a nomadic culture, the bottom rung of the social ladder. David wants to build something that will last as a way of saying that ...

3798. Death Is Swallowed Up Forever

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... as a symbol of what God plans for us. The description, of course, is time bound — a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow ("Yuck," the kids say), of well-aged wines strained clear. Of course, you have to translate it into your own desirable form of cuisine (my entree is lobster) — though I doubt if fast food will qualify! This banquet should not be seen as an escape, as self-indulgence, or a place to be seen, the way we often pervert our mealtimes. It is not a fund-raiser where the ...

3799. Your God Shall Be My God

Ruth 1:1-18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... she decides to follow her mother-in-law back to Judah. How are we to apply such an idealistic story? Part of the beauty of our salvation is its universality — it is for all; but only in a complex and paradoxical way. For, as much as we desire a God who is universal, it is in the nature of God's work to be particular. God makes choices. God chose Israel; God did not choose Egypt, Assyria, or Phoenicia! God is very particular on behalf of Israel. God promises to come with recompense against those oppressing ...

3800. From Emptiness to Fullness

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... she should try to find security for Ruth, who has been so faithful. So she has a plan for Ruth. "See, our kinsman Boaz will be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes (be attractive or desirable), and go down to the threshing floor" (3:2b-3 cf). Now here comes the important point. Don't make yourself known to the man while he is preoccupied with work, tired, and dirty. But wait until he has finished eating and drinking. "When he lies down ...

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