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 3976 to 4000 of 4959 results

3976. She Looked Great, But...

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... piercings? I say this not to upset anyone here, but to ask you, who do you think is most in need of the Gospel, the prodigal who has wandered far from the family farm or the older son who has stayed at home and lived just like mama and daddy desired. We may treasure that older boy more, and he needs the Gospel just as much as his younger brother, but we should not write off the prodigal just because he or she looks or thinks differently. We’ve got a problem in the church today. I love something that ...

3977. No Longer Strangers

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the entire world that is grand enough to be seen from space is a wall. If you wanted to define human nature, a wall might be a good place to start. There is a tendency in humanity to shut others out, there is a desire to remain aloof and separate from others’ predicaments. Unfortunately for the human race, though, such separation always leads to unhappiness because we were made for community, for fellowship, for oneness. We were not created to be strangers from one another. Sometimes even in a church ...

3978. Moving On Up

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... and began to teach them. If anyone wants to be first in God’s kingdom, he said, he must be willing to be the very last--and servant of all. Note this: Jesus did not chastise them for wanting to be first. He was not condemning anyone’s desire to improve their position in life. This is a criticism that has been thrown at Christianity, that we have counseled the poor and the oppressed to be content with their situation and not cause trouble, and thus we have contributed to their lowly situation. That’s a ...

3979. When Is Enough...Enough?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... those twelve decisions, all he has to do is manage how he’ll follow through on them. He says if you make decisions in those key areas once and for all--and then manage those decisions daily--you can create the kind of tomorrow you desire. “Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily,” says Maxwell. “The people who neglect to make those decisions and to manage them well often look back on their lives with pain and regret--no matter how much talent they possessed or ...

3980. Michael Corleone and the Widow

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... .” Now, all of this seems rather harmless, though somewhat hypocritical--“flowing robes and important seats.” Who among us doesn’t like to wear nice clothes and be treated with honor--whether we are a pastor or a lay person? Who doesn’t desire the best seats in the sanctuary or the football stadium? But Jesus’ next charge is the one that is jarring. He says of these religious leaders, “They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.” Then Jesus adds, “These men will ...

3981. A Man Named Many

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about? God has done great things for us and we have come to give God thanks. We, no matter who we are, have so much more than we could ever deserve. God desires us to share our testimony as well as our bounty with our neighbors, whoever they may be. It is an unusual story for Thanksgiving Day, but it is a story that has been told through the ages. Someone who was deeply troubled found what he needed in the Master. Have ...

3982. A Voice Calls in the Wilderness

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... no longer take up arms, a day when children will no longer live in fear. And you and I are called to participate in that makeover. Are you willing to do your part? Or are you satisfied to participate only in that part of Christmas that feeds our desire for parties and presents and pleasant thoughts and cares little about the plight of our neighbors and our world? If so, then the prophet says it is time to repent. The King is coming. Prepare, ye, the way of the Lord. 1. God’s Little Devotional Book for ...

3983. Peace Comes to Our Hearts

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... threats, and after one harrowing, near-death experience, he was snake bitten! Yet these experiences could not take away his joy. It is obvious from Paul’s example that joy does not mean everything is going your way. Joy does not mean receiving everything you desire in life. Joy doesn’t mean having an enormous haul of goodies under your Christmas tree. Joy doesn’t come from fame and prosperity--as we have surely seen in the lives of some of our biggest celebrities. Joy comes from an inner assurance ...

3984. The Transforming Power of Grace

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... not sin." In that same way, you may be disappointed in yourself or in another person. It is just a feeling. It is another species of the trash of life. Get rid of it. Let it go. If you feel guilty, give it up. If you are filled with the desire for revenge, let it go. Whatever the negative emotion, don't hang on to it. Deal with it as you deal with the trash that accumulates around the house. Loosen your grip on it. Put it in the trash can. Let God, the Divine Trash Collector, take it away. Let ...

3985. Tranquil: The Blessed Village on a Hillside

John 6:25-59

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... . It was a sad scene. The once-happy people of this village became a frightened, mistrusting, miserable lot. A dark, all-consuming passion had awakened within them. Some called it greed. Other's thought jealousy was a better term. Still others claimed it was only a desire to "get their fair share." By any other name it was like a "Gold Fever" that had a powerful demonic hold on the people of the village. The abundance of golden eggs, which should have been a blessing, was proving to be a curse. Then came ...

3986. The Good Samaritan (Revised Edition)

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... a friend indeed, but he had also learned what a friend of mine believes and that is a friend in need is a friend to avoid! Wishing to avoid as many friends in need as possible, wishing to keep his life free of encumbrances and involvement, and desiring to justify himself, he asked Jesus, who is my neighbor? Many Americans have the lawyer's frame of mind. Next to Israel, America is the most litigious country in the world. We are ready to sue most anyone at the drop of a hat. Frustrated, angry, and desperate ...

3987. An Unforgettable Baptism

Luke 3:21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... , not because he was swayed by John’s preaching, not because he was a sinner. Indeed, the Bible teaches us he knew no sin. He was baptized because of his obedience to his Father. He did it to set the pattern for us. For you see, what God desires from us more than anything else is that we might be obedient, too. That’s what humility is all about. I love an analogy that Pastor Anthony Evans uses. He takes us back to the old television series “The Lone Ranger.” Some of you remember that long-running ...

3988. A Lost Boy

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... idea. Things were a little more desperate back then. There was a famine in the land and with no money, literally, he could have starved to death. But he got a job feeding pigs. To us today, that may not seem as a big deal, though not exactly desirable. But to Jews, swine were considered unclean (Lev. 11:7). No Jew would take this job willingly. But this boy was desperate--so desperate that he even considered eating the slop that was fed to the pigs. Finally, says Luke, he came to his senses. He said, “How ...

3989. A Complicated Disciple

John 18:15-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... , however, Peter was an embarrassment to the Master. Later that evening in the garden, while attempting to prevent Christ’s arrest, Peter took his sword out and cut off the ear of High Priest’s servant. This was not the kind of loyalty that Jesus desired. Never say you attacked someone in Jesus’ name. There is no greater blasphemy than that. Immediately Jesus healed the man and restored the severed ear (Luke 22:51). It was but a very short time after that that Peter the Rock hit rock bottom and ...

3990. Are You Giving Up Chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” In other words, you aren’t to worship Satan, but you are also not to worship your own selfish desires. In his answer Jesus again makes reference to Deuteronomy, this time chapter 6, where Moses warned the people about their attitude when they get to the Promised Land and begin to prosper. The temptation would be for them to subdue the land and then to sit ...

3991. What Can I Give You

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The following appeared in Home Living, May 1980: My child, what can I give you? I should like to give you everything so that you lack for nothing, not even one single desire, but I know that for want of many things I have come to be satisfied with what I have and to think of others and their needs. I should like to give you a life full of fun and games, but I know that because of many “chores” and responsibilities ...

3992. Luke 2: The Santa Clause

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... own homes, the parents shall say to one another, ‘Darn it! What a mess to clean up! I’m tired, let’s go to bed and pick it up tomorrow. Thank goodness, Christmas only comes once a year!’ And they go with haste to their cold bed and find their desired rest.”

3993. Beyond the Gate

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... the gate into the middle of my orchard, you will find a different taste.” On the edges of Christianity are some very sour apples—conviction, self-denial, and purity of life—which keep off hypocrites and mere professors. But in the middle of the orchard are delicious fruits, sweet and desirable. The nearer to God, the sweeter the joy.

3994. God's Knowability

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... by no man known. The ancient world did not doubt that there was a God or gods, but it believed that such gods as there might be were quite unknowable and only occasionally interested in mankind. In a world without Christ, God was a mystery and power, desirable but never known. Note: The exact quote from Plato is, "Now to discover the Maker and Father of this Universe were a task indeed; and having discovered Him, to declare Him unto all men were a thing impossible." It is from Plato's work: Timaeus, 28 C ...

3995. Compelle Intrare

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... C. S. Lewis illustrate the author’s esxperience with God’s grace: You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelented approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did ...

3996. No Plan B

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... ?” “No,” said Jesus. The angels next asked, “Then what is your plan?” Jesus said, “I have left twelve men and some other followers to carry the message to the whole world.” The angels looked at him and asked: “What is your Plan B?” Friends, there is no Plan B. Jesus desires to reach the world through men and women like you and me.

3997. Hospitality vs. Entertaining

Illustration

Karen Mains

... by Karen Mains in Open Heart, Open Home: Entertaining says, “I want to impress you with my home, my clever decorating, my cooking.” Hospitality, seeking to minister, says, “This home is a gift from my Master. I use it as He desires.” Hospitality aims to serve. Entertaining puts things before people. “As soon as I get the house finished, the living room decorated, my housecleaning done—then I will start inviting people. Hospitality puts people first. “No furniture—we’ll eat on the floor ...

3998. An Impenetrable Wall

Illustration

Michael P. Green

In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric hordes to the north. So they built the Great Wall of China. It was too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. Security achieved! The only problem was that during the first hundred years of the wall’s ...

3999. Limit of Two Per Customer

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... up a sign that said, “Susan B. Anthony dollars: limit of two per customer.” He said he had been previously trading two or three per day, but when he put the sign up, he traded at least fifty daily. That is exactly what the law does to us. It makes desirable what was undesirable before.

4000. Four Qualities of a Minister

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A survey of many churches was taken by the American Association of Theological Schools. Each church sampled was to list the qualities desired in a minister they would consider employing. The results: First: Humility Second: Honesty Third: Good example in daily living Fourth: Excellence in ministerial skills (i.e., preaching, counseling, teaching, etc.)

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