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 3901 to 3925 of 5000 results

3901. The Value of Doubt

John 20:19-31

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... band of his closest followers cautioned Jesus. Lazarus lived in Bethany, just a few miles from Jerusalem. Jesus had many enemies there. If they went to Bethany, there was a chance that Jesus would die. When this danger was presented to Jesus, he was unconcerned. He wanted to go to Bethany and see his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Thomas spoke up and said: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). There are a couple ways to interpret Thomas’ comment. It might be an expression of ...

3902. Can We Really Love Our Enemies

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... someone tells me they love me. I am not talking about an honest affirmation, but about a critic who has just taken my hide off and concludes the shellacking with an account of her godly affection. "Brother Bayer, you are a rotten, no good, pagan, secular-humanist, but I want you to know that because I am Christian and I love you." Thanks just the same, but I'd rather be despised. Occasionally someone that I have a difficult time loving will cross my path. When I'm honest I admit I would be just as happy if ...

3903. The Trajectory of God’s Grace

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... part without exerting any brain power at all! You have a lot of time to think while mowing a yard, but you don’t want to have to think about anything as mundane as where you should mow next. Whenever I have told the following story about repairing the ... on my Kalamazoo house, people have assumed it was a story about a deck. Actually, it is a story about lawn mowing. My wife and I wanted to have our deck rebuilt. So, we tore up all the old boards and then had a man come and hammer down new ones. I came home ...

3904. If Your Cry for Help Is Loud Enough...

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... life to others. The first step in their faith journey is that the lepers came to Jesus with a need. Many of us start out our faith journey with a “tow truck faith.” We’re stuck. We’re broken down. Our spiritual engine has failed us, and we just want a quick tow back to our old life. So we cry out to Jesus with our needs. Henri Nouwen was a priest and a professor of psychology who taught at some of the most prestigious universities in the world. One day, he gave up his comfortable life of teaching ...

3905. Just a Little Bit of God

Illustration

King Duncan

... book When I Relax I feel Guilty, writes some insights of what most people want from God: “I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to ...

3906. A Poor Banquet

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

George Reed

... the offering plate at church. God gives because it is the nature of the God of love to give. God gives because God loves us and wants us to be whole and joyful in our lives. Since we are created in the image of God, it is part of our nature to ... were created to be when we think in terms of gift reciprocity. We must be the kind of gift givers that God is if we truly want to be happy. Unfortunately most of us know the frustration of feeling hurt and angry because someone has slighted us by either not giving us ...

3907. Recognizing Who God Is

Job 42:7-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... He is repeatedly rejected by the team. Rudy enlists a caring priest as his spiritual advisor during this time. The priest hurts for Rudy, and wants very much for his prayers to be answered. In this clip, Rudy has run out of options. He is desperate. So he goes to the ... not Him." Here is an educated man, a man who has spent his life in service to God. What kind of answers can he give people who want to know about the Lord? "There is a God, and I'm not Him." Is that all? If we were to ask Job what he knows about ...

3908. The Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:44

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... to give you your own TREASURE MAP so that you will always remember what you almost paid for it. I am going to give all of your valuables back also because Jesus promised us that God's world is free and we don't have to buy it. But I want you to know how valuable God's world really is. If you had all of the money in the whole world it would not be enough to buy God's world. But because He loves us so much He doesn't charge us anything at all. God's world is ...

3909. Patches

Luke 5:36

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... than it was to begin with. That's bad. If a patch makes the hole bigger rather than making it so that there isn't any hole at all, then that is bad. Right? Right. When I take a patch (hold up the patch) to cover up a hole I want to shrink it first (show them the little patch) and then sew it to the hole. That is the only way that it will work. New patches on old cloth just don't work. There is no way that you can make it work. Now why have I told you ...

3910. The Garden of Betrayal and the Garden of His Burial

John 18:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... come for Jesus, John tells us “his enemies drew back and fell to the ground.” That’s interesting, don’t you think? They drew back and fell to the ground. Maybe they needed all those soldiers after all. Again Jesus asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go,” referring to his disciples. This happened, John says, so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not ...

3911. Jacob's Well

John 4:1-26, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... It’s mouth-watering fresh and thirst-quenching pure. It’s water untouched by humanity. Its sources are mysterious to us, its nature and how it gets to be so pure, only a secret of the rocks and the earth itself. This is the kind of living water that Jesus wants to give us –to nourish our stagnant minds and dry souls. This is the message had for the woman he met at Jacob’s Well that hot day outside of Sychar. And it’s the message he still has for us today. Samaria where Jacob’s Well was built by ...

3912. A Taxing Encounter

Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... each team would choose from the lot until only one or two were left. And the teams were forced to take one of them. No one wanted to be that kid who was picked last. Imagine the good news that “last kid” had when one day, he stood in that line and ... . Jesus is looking at YOU. That’s the impertinence of your importance. God chooses YOU. YOU are important to God. And all God wants is to be important …to you. Talk about impertinence. Choose this day whom you will serve. Life is a matter of Choice and ...

3913. Revised and Revisioned

John 8:48-59, John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41, John 10:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an ...

3914. Praise God! Selah!

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... refuse to glorify God when things aren’t wine and roses. This is the lesson of Job! Even when we pray. Listen to our prayers: we want this; we desire that; God give us this; God fix that; God help us here; God make this happen! But how many times do we ... They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his ...

3915. Here I Am

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... subway car, and jumped down in pushing her out of the way. It’s like that time a young girl stood on the ledge of a building wanting to jump, and a young firefighter pulled her to safety, losing his own life in the process. It’s like that time God called from the burning ... our Creator. We are our truest selves when we are vulnerable before God. Hineini. “I’m here God. I’m ready for whatever you want me to be or do. Here I am…in all of my foibles and fickleness. Yet weak and sinful as I am…. I’m ...

3916. What Kind of Sheep Are You?

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of the sheep and watch for predators, but also at the base of the tower was a special stone rock cleft, called the “manger,” into which lambs when born were placed, so that they would not injure themselves just after birth. Upon birth, the baby lambs [you may want to try this with your lamb] would be wrapped in swaddling clothes (strips of cloth that would bind the lamb’s legs, so he wouldn’t hurt himself), and he would be laid into the manger to be nurtured and fed. [You can try to put your lamb ...

3917. Apples, Onions, and Cheese

Mark 7:1-23, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... not so good just to eat it, is it? We may like a little onion here and there, but it’s not the kind of thing we want to just bite into. In fact, that would probably make us all a bit teary. [lol] In fact, I’m getting teary right now just handling ... matters to God. What matters to God is what is going on inside your heart and soul. Is there hunger in your heart for God? Do you want a deeper and closer walk with God? Is Jesus the light of your life? Do you live each day with Jesus as part of your life? As ...

3918. Are You a Lemming or a Lassie?

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:54-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked ...

3919. Masks Off!

John 7:25-45 and 8:11-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own ... . Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. ...

3920. Even in Our Hiding

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... hiding until it came time for him to confront the idolaters with God by his side. David would hide from Saul….until it came time that he felt he needed to confront his accuser. And God was with them, in their hiding, and also in their confronting. And I want you to hear this today, hear this very well, because I too often hear people say, “It’s God’s will that this person hurt me.” Or “It’s God’s will when bad things happen.” No! It’s never God’s will when people hurt other people. It ...

3921. Oh That Cookie Jar Goodness!

Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the help of God! Following Jesus is not about having the right answers. It’s not about mastering the right principles. It’s not about following the law to the max. It’s not about being perfect. Or building the perfect kingdom that we believe God wants. For only God is perfect. And only God can build God’s kingdom. We are not granted eternal life by our own methods of attainment, our own goodness, or our own perfection. But we are granted eternal life by God’ pure grace, love, and recognition of ...

3922. The Funeral Crasher

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14, John 14:15-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Father, because the Father is greater than I am. “I’m telling you this now before it happens. When it does happen, you will believe. The ruler of this world has no power over me. But he’s coming, so I won’t talk with you much longer. However, I want the world to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father has commanded me to do. Get up! We have to leave.” Image Exegesis: House of Many Rooms: The Coming of the Holy Spirit “After this I looked, and there before me was ...

3923. Deep Faith

Genesis 6:1-8:22, Genesis 5:1-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... creatures and places that only a primeval fish could reach, where God’s womb began. The deep was a place where you didn’t want to go. And yet the sea calls us. The truth is, most of us never explore that undersea world. Decks and docks are about ... Gentiles (Acts 10) [Read Genesis 5-8: The Story of Noah. I will not print it here due to space. You may also in addition want to read the story of Jesus’ baptism from John.] Image Exegesis: The Redemption Box / From Out of the Deep The story of Noah is a ...

3924. Wave Riders and Deep-Sea Divers

Jonah 1:1-17, Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah 3:1-10, Jonah 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... God was right there with him. Frustrated, Jonah jumps overboard where he’s sure God can’t make him do what he doesn’t want to do, but lo behold, God arranges for him to be swallowed by a giant fish! Now, we all love this part of the ... know those situations and those people in our own lives who we really love to protest, the ones, we think are just plain wrong, and we want nothing to do with them. Well, guess what? God loves them too. And God is here, nudging Jesus’ Church, saying, there’s a time to ...

3925. The Writing on the Wall

2 Samuel 11:1-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, John 7:25-44, John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’s not like me at all! Why did I do that? Anyone identify with what I’m saying? It’s not just me? [You may want to give people the opportunity here to share their own stories.] But…you know…there are other times, when we do things, and we entirely ... thing about a Bathsheeba kind of blind spot. Pretty soon, things seem awfully simple. Forget complications. Forget integrity. It’s very easy. He wants her. He takes her. And so, he did. But that wasn’t the end of it, was it? Now David had a problem ...

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