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 4276 to 4300 of 4962 results

4276. Clear to Enter

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18, John 20:19-23, Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12, Hebrews 10:1-18, Hebrews 10:19-39, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

You’re “clear”! Cleared for entry! Those are the words you hope to hear when passing through the security section of our airports today. Fly recently? If you have flown recently, you went through a security check before being allowed to enter the secured part of the airport where the flight gates are located. Depending upon your “clearance” level, you either waited in a very long line which sometimes can take a very, VERY long time. Or if you didn’t want to stand in the long line, you could qualify to go ...

4277. How Does Prayer Work?

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

Charley Reeb

If you grew up in the church, I am sure you were taught that prayer is important. Even if you don’t have much of a religious background, there is a good chance you have heard about the benefits of prayer. If you need something, ask God for it. If you need guidance, ask God for it. If you are worried, pray about it. If you need strength, pray for it. But maybe you struggle with prayer because you never seem to get the results you are looking for. You pray and never seem to get an answer. You are frustrated ...

4278. Let's Go Fishing

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

An old-timer sat on the river bank, obviously awaiting a nibble, though the fishing season had not officially opened. A uniformed officer stood behind him quietly for several minutes. “You the game warden?” the old-timer inquired. “Yup.” Unruffled, the old man began to move the fishing pole from side to side. Finally, he lifted the line out of the water. Pointing to a minnow wriggling on the end of the line, he said, “Just teaching him how to swim.”[1] Mark Twain once spent a pleasant three weeks in the ...

4279. When a Member of the Family Dies

John 11:17-37

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother's death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for." "Your brother will rise to life," Jesus ...

4280. The Road Less Traveled

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

James Merritt

Are most people going to heaven? Well, most people think they are. According to researcher, George Barna, 98% of Americans believe they are going to heaven. When read the statement, "When you die you will not go to heaven," only two out of a hundred agreed.1 The Lord Jesus disagreed. He said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there ...

4281. Prophet or Profit?

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

I shall never forget the night that Mae June came to church. Mae June was a workingwoman who, in our little community, was often seen in the late hours of the night in some of the darker places of our little town. The rumor circulating over breakfast every morning at the city cafe, was that Mae June had a male companion. Mae June had a boyfriend. They were seen quite often, not only at night, but in the daytime and on the streets of the little city. Then came the night that Mae June came to the church ...

4282. The Expectant Parents--And An Unexpected Baby

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Some time ago I read a story in a church newsletter written by a pastor in Tennessee. He told about his congregation's being in a new sanctuary for their first Christmas there. It was going to be a great Advent Sunday. The choir had put in extra time working on their music. He had prepared a sermon on "The Unexpected God." The church was full that Sunday, and the service began with the singing of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Just as the affirmation of faith ended, a boy announced from the back of the ...

4283. Dollar Signs and Life Symbols

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Rev. Donald R. Shank

Today is Stewardship Sunday. It marks the beginning of our Every Member Canvas campaign for financial support of our church's ministry. It will culminate next week on Loyalty Sunday with our members affirming their loyalty to Christ through their membership vows and their support of His Church. I am well aware that for the pastor to speak about stewardship, especially as it may relate to money, makes some members a little up tight, nervous and uneasy. Uneasy, perhaps because things are getting a bit too ...

4284. Natural Or Supernatural?

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

Text: Luke 9:29-31 - And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerasalem. I am sure that there is no one within the sound of my voice who was not vitally aware that a few weeks ago we celebrated Super Sunday. For at least three weeks before that event, every news media, every form of mass communication, had ...

4285. Super Sunday

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Super Sunday. Super Bowl this afternoon. Are you going to watch? Most of us will, even those who have little interest in football. The Super Bowl, as an annual spectacle, has transcended its own sport and becomes the focus of national attention beyond reason. Churches recognize the impact. In bulletins across America today are no doubt a zillion sermon titles similar to the one in our own. On PresbyNet last week was the description of one of last year's services on Super Bowl Sunday. The ushers were ...

4286. The Terrible Burden Of Judging Others

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

King Duncan

Years ago there was a Jules Feiffer strip that went something like this: A man is speaking into the telephone and you hear only his side of the conversation. "Yes, mother, I've had a hard day. Gladys has been most difficult ” I know I ought to be more firm, but it is hard. Well, you know how she is. Yes, I remember you warned me. I remember you told me she was a vile creature who would make my life miserable, and you begged me not to marry her. You were perfectly right. You want to talk to her? All right ...

4287. Please, I'd Rather Do It Myself

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

This is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is an interesting and puzzling concept--God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But it fits in nicely with our theme for the day which is interdependence. It is impossible to think of God as Father without also thinking of God as Son and God as Holy Spirit. It is also impossible to think of creation without a Creator, and a Creator without created beings. And thus we come to our lesson for the day. You are probably familiar with the modern telling story of the creation from ...

4288. Saying Yes To Forgiveness

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Joe E. Trull tells of a primitive tribe located deep in the South American jungles. Anthropologists learned the most important role within the tribe was the "keeper" of the flame. Since fire is so precious -- and takes such effort to recreate -- one member is entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the flame alive. During the night the flame keeper adds wood to the fire. He keeps the fire alive whenever the tribe moves to another location -- carrying it in some vessel in order that the very difficult ...

4289. Adam's Legacy

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye is the Jewish father of five girls living in a Russian village who finds himself going through a period that is continually challenging his traditions. First, his oldest daughter, Tzeitel does not want to accept the man picked for her by the village matchmaker. But Tevye has already struck up a deal with this man to marry his daughter. And so Tevye goes through a mental wrestling match with himself that goes something like this: "On the one hand ... I'm the papa, ...

4290. Proper 9

Gen 24:1-67, Zech 9:9-13, Rom 7:7-25; 8:1-17, Mt 11:1-19, 25-30

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Isaac marries Rebecca. Abraham, being very old, was anxious to get Isaac a wife before he died, a wife from his own people. He sent a trusted servant to go back to his homeland to look for a wife. The servant succeeded in getting Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham's brother, Nahor. When Rebecca arrived, it was love at first sight. Epistle 1 – Zechariah 9:9-12 Jerusalem is promised that her king is coming to bring peace to the ...

4291. When God Speaks You Better Listen

Jonah 1:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

There is an old saying that "truth is stranger than fiction." Many times that is true. The book of Jonah proves that very point. When a man catches a fish, we accept that as truth. But if a fish catches a man, we would think that is fiction. Jonah is a story of truth that sounds like fiction. One reason I know it is true is because Jesus Christ believed it was true. He said in Matt. 12:40-41: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days ...

4292. Uh-Huh!

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Long ago Hosea gave some advice: "Take with you words and turn to the Lord." Today we take some tragically misplaced words such as "character," "honor," and "integrity," as well as their post-modern reincarnations as the "right thing," the "right stuff," and the "right one," and once again turn to the Lord. At the time of this writing probably the hottest new media blitz is the stylish and witty Diet Pepsi commercials. With the aid of jazz great Ray Charles, these musical ditties proclaim, "You got the ...

4293. On the Road with the Rich Young Ruler

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin with three true stories. The thread that runs through them and links them together will be obvious. (1) The first story comes from the Winter Olympics of 2006. It was one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history,… but it was not the memory that Lindsey Jacobellis had dreamed of, hoped for and wanted. She was way ahead in the snow-board cross finals… so far ahead that some say she could have crawled across the finish line and won the Gold Medal. But, she got carried away… caught up in ...

4294. Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

Judges 1:1-36

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Judges 1:1–21 sets the stage for the book. It focuses upon the primacy of Judah, which will appear again at the close of the book, as a lead into the story of the united monarchy. Judah, in response to divine guidance, takes the lead in obeying God’s command to possess the land and is for the most part successful. The themes of leadership, unity, and land are especially highlighted, along with an introduction of the theme of disobedience (sin), which will develop into a dominant theme in the rest of the ...

4295. The Birth of the Bridegroom

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” (Exodus 4:22) “For I am married unto you.” (Jeremiah 3:14) One of the first things we learn as a young child is our name. Even pets learn to recognize their names. Names call us into relationship with others. Names anchor us to families and places. Names are powerful. Names are markers of identity that sometimes signify a change in relationship, identity, meaning, or mission. When some of you married, your name changed. Some wives will take the surnames of their ...

4296. Advent 1

Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Jeremiah 33:1-26, Psalm 25:1-22

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The Sprouting Fig Tree The season of Advent prepares us for the coming of the birth of Christ. While our celebration is usually associated with expectation, hope, and joy, the events themselves have an underlying tone of tragedy and sorrow. Tragedy and sorrow are most explicit in the account of the slaughter of the innocent children at Herod's orders in his attempt to eliminate a potential rival to his throne. A less evident underlying theme of sorrow is the injustice existing in the world when babies have ...

4297. Proper 22

Luke 17:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-2:13, Lamentations 1:1-22, Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The Servant's Duty Question is sometimes raised about the lack of condemnation of slavery in the New Testament. Jesus never seems to have opposed it. In fact, in the parable about the servant's duty, Jesus uses the duties of a slave as a model. Elsewhere he uses the term for the proper relationship among persons, though it is frequently translated as servant rather than as slave. In a time when governments did not provide a safety net for the unemployed and people without land to farm or other means of ...

4298. I Am The Door

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." -- John 10:7-11 (NRSV) ____________ Doors are interesting ...

4299. The Man Born Blind

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: One of the real treats I've had as a minister is to have my daughter help me with one of my story sermons. In her spiritual pilgrimage, she had found herself in a group of youth led by a charismatic. The youth were good friends, and the charismatic was a nice person, as far as I knew, though he was not affiliated with any local church. In preparing the text, I found myself using that bit of history. I asked her to read it over and see if it was okay. She agreed to do this little drama. She read it ...

4300. The Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Drama

Jerry Eckert

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