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 4351 to 4375 of 4959 results

4351. The Rich Man And Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... clearly refers to a place of torment. Possibly this parable teaches that sheol is divided into two realms, one of blessing and one of punishment. But the parable should not be pressed too hard for such information since this is not the main point of the story. As Lazarus desired the crumbs from the rich man’s table, now the rich man wants just a drop of water from Lazarus (16:24). But he is denied. A chasm exists between Lazarus and the rich man, and now the rich man is reaping what he sowed. There is a ...

4352. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Again, it is hard to detect the relationship between the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector (18:9–14) and the preceding parable. Perhaps this parable illustrates the kind of faith (cf. 18:8) that God desires. Luke again begins the parable by making an editorial comment (18:9). This parable is addressed to the self-confident and self-righteous—those who look down on others with contemptuous disdain. On the one hand, the Pharisee, confident of his moral superiority, approaches the temple to pray. ...

4353. The Rich Ruler

Luke 18:18-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to the law. There is no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the ruler’s assertion of obedience to the law; Jesus does not accuse him of blatant hypocrisy. Instead, he probes deeper. The ruler has placed one thing above God, namely, his riches. If he really desires eternal life, he must sell all and follow Jesus. Obedience to the law does not merely consist in the ability to refrain from certain sins; it means that one has placed God above everything else in one’s life. God is not supreme if one is not ...

4354. Entrance into Jerusalem

Luke 19:28-44, Luke 19:45-48

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the future judgment of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple. The cleansed temple does not become the location of Jesus’s teaching, and it probably solidified the opposition to Jesus, convincing the leaders that it was time to do away with Jesus. Nevertheless, the popularity of Jesus frustrates the immediate desire of the leadership.

4355. Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Luke 22:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jesus (22:1–6) is the crucial break that the religious leaders need. He discusses the matter and makes plans with the chief priests and the temple police. The only explanation Luke gives for Judas’s disloyalty is the work of Satan (cf. John 13:2, 27), and perhaps the desire for money (22:5). No crowd could be present when the transaction was carried out because the arrest of Jesus could have fomented a revolt among the people (22:6).

4356. The Last Supper

Luke 22:7-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... unleavened bread, the lamb was eaten with the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and the third cup was drunk after the meal; (4) the rest of the Hallel psalms were sung. (There is disagreement over whether there was a fourth cup.) Jesus expresses his intense desire to partake of the Passover with the disciples (22:15). Some scholars have said that Jesus abstained from the meal, but the most natural meaning of verse 15 is that Jesus did eat the Passover with the disciples. This Passover meal, however, is the ...

4357. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... condemnation (3:18–19, 35). This sums up the worldview characteristic of John’s Gospel: one is either attracted to or repulsed by the light (3:19–21); one pursues either truth or evil. There is no equivocation here. Yet the coming of the Son was not inspired by a desire to condemn—it stemmed from love (3:16–17). But judgment is an inevitable result. Light brings exposure (3:20): it reveals who we really are.

4358. Testimonies about Jesus

John 5:31-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is not intellectual—it centers instead on inner disposition. “You do not have the love of God in your hearts” (5:42). Jesus is angered not because they refuse to glorify him (5:41) but because they refuse to glorify God (5:44). The desire for human praise, affirmation, and prestige has crippled them, and they cannot love God (5:44a). Human noteworthies are esteemed (5:43b), but the Son, who bears divine credentials, is rejected. The very Scripture used to condemn Jesus will soon bring the severest ...

4359. The Triumphal Entry

John 12:1-11, John 12:12-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... from an impure heart (12:6), its spiritual value evaporates. Jesus’s final visit to Jerusalem is recorded in 12:9–50. Before long the presence of Jesus in Bethany becomes public knowledge, and crowds arrive to see both him and Lazarus. Although the Sanhedrin desired to seize him when he appeared (11:57), the crowds may have interfered with a clean arrest (cf. Luke 19:47–48). The Johannine account introduces a new element. Lazarus’s death is planned too (12:10–11) because he has become a celebrity ...

4360. Jesus the Way to the Father

John 14:5-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that every prayerful request will be granted but that the character of Christ’s relationship with God at this level may be ours. But here we must recall Jesus’s consistent submission to his Father’s will (5:19, 30; 6:38; 7:16–17; 8:28–29) and his desire simply to glorify (12:28; 17:4) and please God (8:29).

4361. Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... redefined and found in the disciple’s heart (14:23). Jesus provides further reassurance by predicting beforehand the impending crisis (14:29–31) and affirming that he will indeed return (14:28). But as we have seen, this is a redefined return. The chief attribute he desires for them is peace (similarly, Paul in Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:17), and this will come about through the Spirit (John 14:26; cf. Eph. 2:18). On Easter Day, when Jesus appears to the disciples, “peace” is his first word (20:19, 21), and ...

4362. Jesus Prays for All Believers

John 17:20-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Just as we noted the importance of Jesus’s final public words (12:44–50), now we read his final private teachings for his disciples before his arrest. John 17:24–26 sweeps up subjects from the entire Farewell Discourse but emphasizes one central theme: Jesus desires that he and the Father indwell the believer, conveying to that person the certainty of God’s love. While God’s presence will be experienced at the end of time (17:24), the Holy Spirit will manifest the reality of Christ in us in this ...

4363. Jesus Before Pilate

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (19:10) is completely demolished when Jesus explains how the governor actually derives his power from God. Furthermore, Pilate has been the unwitting pawn of other powers, the Jews, who have instigated this trial (19:11). The round ends with Pilate’s earnest desire to release Jesus (cf. Matt. 27:18–19). As Pilate readies himself to come outside, already voices meet him. But now a new threat is hurled at him, and his stamina collapses (19:12–16). “Friend of Caesar” (19:12) was a technical term ...

4364. Jesus and Peter

John 21:15-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a feature of John’s Greek style—the other synonym pairs suggest this—or it bears some meaning. If the latter is true then two options are possible. Either Jesus consents to Peter’s verb and we find in phileō an affectionate love Peter desires to express, or agapaō is the greater love (a sacrificial love), and Jesus is challenging the quality of Peter’s affection. In this sense Peter confesses some limit to his love. Above all it must be recalled that these verbs were interchangeable in the ...

4365. Persecution in Jerusalem

Acts 12:1-19a

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... I, the grandson of Herod the Great, who in AD 41 gained control of the entire reign of his grandfather. A popular ruler among the Jews (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 19.328–31), he ruled until AD 44. His popularity was probably rooted in his constant desire to please the Jews; this is supported by Luke’s statement that Herod persecuted the early apostles to strengthen his standing among the Jews (12:3). In listing the evil deeds of Herod, Luke mentions Herod’s execution of James the brother of John (12 ...

4366. Paul Before Agrippa

Acts 25:23--26:32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 26:17; cf. Jer. 1:7–8, 19), “from darkness to light” (26:18; cf. Isa. 42:6; 49:6; Mic. 7:8–9), and “forgiveness of sins” (26:18; cf. Isa. 58:6; 61:1). This again shows that his encounter with the risen Lord only strengthens his desire to see the fulfillment of the hope of Israel. The emphases on the role of God as well as the fulfillment of the Old Testament are extended through his description of his ministry after his encounter with the risen Lord (26:19–23). His preaching is to turn people ...

4367. Introduction

Romans 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , and he is certain that he would be encouraged and strengthened himself (1:12). But he recognizes that the fulfillment of his wishes has not been God’s will so far (1:10). Paul the missionary strategizes future movements and projects, Paul the pastor desires to strengthen the believers in Rome, and Paul the believer prays that God would allow him to carry out his plans, while Paul the theologian rests assured that God’s sovereign will determines what actually happens. In 1:13–15 Paul describes the ...

4368. God’s Wrath against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... which were depicted in altars, temples, and statues, as well as in art and architecture and on coins. God’s reaction to the suppression of the truth is described in 1:24. God handed over the human race to the control of their own desires. They are thus forced to suffer the consequences of their willful distortion of the truth about God. The result of human beings left to their own resources is polluted behavior, which separates them from God, whom they have dishonored through idolatry, and which dishonors ...

4369. An Illustration From Marriage

Romans 7:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the reality of the resurrection). This new reality is conditioned by the revelation of God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ, by the presence of the Holy Spirit, by the fulfillment of the promises that in the new covenant God’s Spirit will give to God’s people the desire and the ability to keep the statutes of the law (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:26–27). Paul explains 7:5–6 in the next two sections: the old life in the flesh (7:5) is explained in 7:7–25, and the new life in the Spirit ...

4370. God’s Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the sovereign Creator of the world. Paul’s argument again proceeds in two stages. First, the freedom of God’s mercy revealed to Moses (Exod. 33:19) demonstrates that affiliation with God’s election is the result of God’s mercy, not the result of human desire or effort (9:15–16). Second, the freedom of God’s power and judgment visited on Pharaoh (Exod. 9:16) demonstrates that history is the work of God’s sovereign omnipotence (9:17–18). God grants mercy to some, while he decides to harden the ...

4371. Israel’s Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ). The reason for Israel’s exclusion from salvation is unbelief in Jesus Christ, who brings God’s promised salvation (cf. Rom. 3:21–26; 10:4) and in whom all people are to trust, both Jews (Israelites) and Gentiles. 10:1–13 · Paul asserts again that he desires and prays for the salvation of his fellow Jews (10:1; cf. 9:1–3). In 10:2–5 Paul explains why the Jewish people need salvation. He attests that they are zealous for God (10:2). They are passionately determined to do God’s will and ...

4372. All Israel Will Be Saved

Romans 11:25-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ; 11:1–10). The suggestion that there is a separate path to salvation for Jews and for Gentiles, with the former being saved at the end through their faithfulness to the (old) covenant and their obedience to the law, is impossible in view of Paul’s burning desire for the Jewish people to be saved (9:1–3; 10:1), which happens when they no longer stumble over Jesus the Messiah (9:32–33). Most suggest that “all Israel will be saved” means that there will be a large-scale conversion of Jews to faith ...

4373. Love, for the Day is Near

Romans 13:8-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is given in verses 8b–10. Believers who love others have fulfilled the law; they have properly done what the law asks (Rom. 8:4; cf. Matt. 5:17–20). The commandments of the law, which establish human relationships—no adultery, no murder, no stealing, no envious desires (cf. Exod. 20:13–17; Deut. 5:17–21)—are summed up in the commandment to love others as much as one loves oneself (Lev. 19:18, the most frequently cited passage of the Pentateuch in the New Testament; see Matt. 5:43; 19:19; 22:29 ...

4374. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... clear, and the same as that of 3:5–9. The church is to learn “from us” (Paul and Apollos together) the “meaning of the saying” and is to apply it to their lives without taking “pride in one man over against another.” Indeed, pride, the desire to be different and better and boast of what wisdom one has come to possess, seems to Paul to lie at the root of all the church’s present difficulties. “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that ...

4375. Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... among some of the Corinthians the saying, “Food for the stomach, and the stomach for food” (6:13). Again, Paul’s point is not so much that he disagrees in principle, but that they should remember that the freedom to eat whatever one desires is inconsequential in light of the coming destruction and transformation of our bodies, and therefore is not a freedom one should cling to or defend at all costs. A final rationalization, unrepeated by Paul, probably underlies the words that follow these and ...

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