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 5000 results

4351. Righteousness Exalts a Nation - The Fourth of July

Sermon

James McCormick

... us and gave us certain rights as a part of the act of creation? He made us free people. And He placed in our hearts a longing to be free. All our highest ideals and all our noblest intentions have come to us from God. When we are faithful to those ideals, by ... are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.” That’s the covenant. That’s the covenant God made ...

4352. Home Is with the Father

John 14:1-4

Illustration

Scott Grant

... across the Atlantic, I landed in New York. Bleary-eyed after the 13-hour flight, I passed through customs and held out my passport for the agent. He took a quick glance, noticed how long I'd been gone, handed my passport back to me and said, "Welcome home." There was nothing special in his voice. He had probably said the same words hundreds of times already that day. But something about those words awakened me out of my comatose state. I experienced a strong ...

4353. Relative Truth & Trust

John 14:1-4

Illustration

Daniel D. Meyer

... Who Are Uptight about It, But Our Engineers Aren't So Narrow"? How excited would you be about going under the scalpel of a surgeon who told you: "You know, I never bothered much with anatomy in Med school, since all medical truth is relative anyway"? How long would you leave your child in a school where the chemistry teacher said to her, "You're free to drink from either that container of H2O or that beaker of H2SO4. After all, they're both clear liquids and we're only talking about a couple of molecules ...

4354. Wide Enough for All (Mother's Day)

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... church still do not understand the significance of that truth. Fleming Rutledge tells about crossing the street near his parish in New York City. A taxi came roaring around the corner and knocked him to the pavement. A crowd gathered and an ambulance was called, but it took an unusually long time to arrive. It was forty minutes before he was actually put on a gurney. In the meantime, he lay on the asphalt. He was aware of a lot of people standing around looking down at him. What he remembers most about that ...

4355. Someone Had Tripped the Switch

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

James W. Moore

... the door. They were arrested and loaded into a cattle car to be taken to one of the notorious death camps. All night long the Dutch pastor and his family rode along in heart-breaking anguish, jostling against one another and against the other prisoners who ... being taken to one of Hitler's extermination centers. But which one? Would it be Auschwitz, Buchenwald, or Dachau? Finally, the long night ended and the train stopped. The doors of the cattle car were opened and light streamed into that tragic scene. ...

4356. The Easiest Part of Being a Mother Is Giving Birth

2 Timothy 1:5

Illustration

Erma Bombeck

... considered motherhood a temporary condition - not a calling. It was a time of my life set aside for exhaustion and long hours. It would pass. Then one afternoon with three kids in tow, I came out of the supermarket pushing a ... Reed would have brushed away his tears and granted him absolution on the spot. I wasn't Donna Reed. I told him he would never see another cartoon as long as he lived, and if he didn't control his temper he was going to be making license plates for the state. He tried to stifle his sobs ...

4357. The Play's Playbook for the Game of Life

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a teammate who was prepared for the unexpected, ready to take the ball and run with it. The power of a community of faith can move the presence of Christ into places a singleton could not. But the game is not the huddle. In fact, spend too long taking care of each other’s needs, holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes, and you will be penalized for “delay of game.” You will find yourself moving the wrong way down the field. In any contest victory is gained through a combination of strength ...

4358. Building a Successful Life

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

King Duncan

... the dining hall he encountered a young woman who was a student at that esteemed institution. He asked her what she was studying. “Theology” she replied. “Oh really,” he said. They talked more. She was a Roman Catholic nun but had not been one for very long. Formerly a buyer for Macy’s in NY, she said, “I had a nice apartment and everything was going my way. In fact, I was engaged to be married. About two months before the wedding I prayed and thought, thought and prayed, and then called my fianc ...

4359. Sent to the Lost Sheep

Matthew 10:24-39

Illustration

Samuel Zumwalt

... his new little rural congregation to obey the call of Christ Jesus. He gave them all index cards in worship and asked them to write down the names of every family member, every neighbor, and every co-worker they knew that didn't go to church anywhere. He stopped long enough for them to do just that in worship. When they got through writing, they had identified 1200 names. Then the preacher asked them to begin to pray for all the people on their card – to place it on the refrigerator or in their Bible as a ...

4360. What's Your Hospitality Quotient?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... , “but we thought that in this way we could do something for the folks who pass our way.” (3) That’s the kind of hospitality Christ had in mind. It’s a simple thing, “a cup of cold water,” but more rare than you might think. Not long ago a couple visited a church, a large and prosperous church, for the first time. As they walked down a corridor they smiled at a number of people, but no one smiled back. In fact, no one greeted them. Everyone was preoccupied with something else herding the choir ...

4361. A Not So Simple Story of Demons and Pigs

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

... a part of an old folk legend, stitched onto the story for the purpose of adding to its drama. The presence of slaughtered swine would certainly appeal to a Jewish mindset. Since Jews viewed pigs as unclean, they would cheer their demise. Or, as long as we are speculating, consider Emery Percell's observation that Luke's readers would have understood the word "swine" to be a euphemism for "Roman soldiers" ... in much the same way that the SDS protestors in Chicago (circa 1968) referred to the Chicago riot ...

4362. If I Only Had One Wish

2 Chronicles 1:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king wisdom and knowledge ... of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." I repeat: Proverbs is God's treasure chest of heavenly wisdom. You don't have to look very long to find it, and when you do find it you don't have to unlock it. All you have to do is open and enjoy the ...

4363. The World Needs Less Mother Goose More Mother Teresa

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... churches today, which major in principles and minor in relationships. As the head of a rescue mission said to me not too long ago, “Our biggest problem with Christians is that they all want to take stands for the poor, to come here and visit the ... Sabbath, he read from the scroll of Isaiah (see Luke 4:16-21). It is a text that both proclaims divine authority and describes that longed for “Jubilee” year good news. You know this text. Many of you can recite it by heart: The spirit of the Lord God is upon ...

4364. The Church: The Health of a Godly Family

Hebrews 10:22-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... was very much in love with a woodman's daughter. The fair maiden referred him to her father and the lion applied for the girl. The father said, "Your teeth are too long." So the lion went to a dentist and had them all pulled. He returned and asked again for the daughter's hand in marriage. The woodman said, “No, your claws are too long." He went back to the dentist and had all of his claws pulled. When he returned to claim the bride, the woodman, seeing that the lion was totally unarmed, beat his brains ...

4365. The Truth about Truth

John 8:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... captured the spirit of our age perfectly: We today believe in Marx, Freud, and Darwin (the holy trinity). We believe everything is okay, as long as you don't hurt anyone, to the best of your definition of "hurt," and to the best of your definition of "knowledge." We ... Satan can no longer have dominion over you. "Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world." (I Jn. 4:4) A poet long ago once wrote this couplet: Oh that a man may arise in me That the man I am may cease to be. There is such a man, and ...

4366. Heaven: The Home of a Godly Family

John 14:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... in length, breadth, and height. While a furlong is an eighth of a mile, which means that this is a city which is 1,500 miles long and 1,500 miles wide. In other words, this is a city that would stretch from Florida to Maine, and from New York to the ... that is a pretty good size city. Now imagine what this city would be like because it is not only 12,000 furlongs wide and long, it is also 12,000 furlongs high. Because its height, length, and width are equal. Now let's put this in perspective. The Empire ...

4367. Turning Doubt Inside Out

Luke 23:39-43

Sermon

James Merritt

... Year. By all accounts, he has a tremendous future ahead of him. This 18 year old phenom signed with the San Diego Padres right out of high school for a $1.3 million bonus. He has been called the best high school catcher in twenty years; the best since long time Atlanta Brave, Dale Murphy, in 1974. He has been labeled a "Can't Miss Prospect." He is absolutely certain he will play in the big leagues. But when asked his greatest fear, he said: "That I might not make it to heaven." Ben Davis has a problem. It ...

4368. Just the Right Touch

Mark 5:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... save is not the unbelieving atheist, not the drunk in the gutter, not the prostitute on the street, not the out-and-out sinner; the hardest person for God to save is the so-called "good" person who does not understand his badness apart from Jesus Christ. This woman had long ago lost her pride. She didn't care who, when, or how, she just wanted to be healed. A patient will never be cured until he admits he is sick, and a sinner will never be saved until he admits he is lost. I am so glad that somebody told ...

4369. Going the Second Mile

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

James Merritt

... to give more than he's asked. Oh, it may cost you more in the short run, but it will gain you a lot more in the long run. III. Be Willing to Go Farther Than You're Required "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two." (v.41) Remember ... my daughter was murdered this past year and I just really need you to pray for me." All of a sudden that second mile didn't seem very long to me at all. You will find that when you go that second mile, you will not only be a blessing, but you will be blessed. IV. ...

4370. The Lord of the Harvest

Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

James Merritt

... us that "Jesus went about all the cities and villages." The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that at this time there were over two hundred cities and villages in the region of Galilee, which was an area about forty miles wide and seventy miles long. Because the land was so fertile it was a booming area for farmers, which was the number one occupation of that day. He estimated that the smallest villages and cities contained at least 15,000 people. So based on that assessment, Galilee probably contained ...

4371. What to Do When Life Is the Pits

1 Peter 5:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... We have a promise that grief one day will, by grace, be transformed into glory. Have you ever heard of James Cash? You may think you haven't, but you have. He was a bright young successful salesman from Hamilton, Missouri. He was so successful that within a year the long hours of hard work broke his health, and his doctor told him either to go West or die. Well, he did go West, and he got well and started back to work for a dry goods firm in Wyoming. He was such a good worker that his employers allowed him ...

4372. The Truth about Trouble

2 Timothy 4:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... , Tarzan was right. It is a jungle out there. You know there is one thing that's true about the jungle—you don't have to look long nor hard for trouble. In fact, in certain parts of the jungle trouble will come looking for you! I would like to ask all of you a ... powerful purpose for your life is to deliver you from everything that is contrary to His will for your life. A verse I memorized a long time ago that I lean upon as much as any verse in the Bible, is Ps. 138:8 that says, "The Lord will perfect that ...

4373. I Believe in Easter

Acts 9:1-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... Edith sat down, she took one look at the doctor and said: "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Why do you have such a long face? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" Dr. Phillips said, "Now Edith, I'm the doctor, you're the patient." He laughed. But ... heavy heart. He said, "Edith, your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very long." Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes a mistake? You have just told me ...

4374. Once Save - Always Saved

John 10:27-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... went on to say in v.39, "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." A wonderful Bible teacher pointed out that a shepherd who embarked on a long journey with a flock of sheep, was considered successful if he arrived with more than fifty percent of his sheep.2 The reason for this is that the dangers to sheep were so incredible; disease, poison grass, floods, and wild animals were just a few of the things that killed ...

4375. What Are Your Chances of Going to Heaven

John 14:6

Sermon

James Merritt

... answered the question: "How can I be satisfied?" To the lost person He is the way. To the learning person He is the truth. To the longing person He is the life. He made it plain that "without Me there is no going, for I am the way; without Me there is ... what I tell you." He said, "What's that?" He said, "I want you to take hold of my coattails." Moody was wearing one of those long coats with those swan tails that reached almost to the floor. He said, "You just get ahold of my coattails and don't let go, ...

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