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 4526 to 4550 of 4962 results

4526. When We Feel Lost

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

A certain aged Catholic priest had become deaf. So members of his parish would write out their sins on a piece of paper before going to confession. One day, a parishioner slipped a piece of paper to the priest which read, “Two loaves of bread, a gallon of milk, a box of detergent and a pound of bananas.” The puzzled priest scanned the note, then passed it back to the parishioner. The parishioner looked at the note, then exclaimed with horror, “Oh, no! I’ve left my sins at the grocery store.” Well, where ...

4527. Last Impressions

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Last week we spoke of the power of “first impressions.” From a chronological standpoint, Paul’s “First Letter to the Thessalonians” was his first written words that have come down to us. It is the “first impression” of a life of Jesus discipleship written in the New Testament. In this week’s gospel text from Matthew, we have a kind of closing bracket to that “first impression,” a bookend “final impression,” a last word from Jesus to the various Temple authorities. We have the third and final confrontation ...

4528. Where It Ends

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

John Jamison

All of the plans and preparation had been completed and they were all gathering together in the room. As they entered, they each paused to look at the long, horseshoe-shaped table with the cushions spread out around the outside, and could not help but show a brief smile. Even with everything that had happened and with the risks they faced out in the streets, the sight of that table and cushions took all of that away for a few seconds. Before they were disciples, they had all been part of good Jewish ...

4529. Jesus' No-Nonsense Guide to Being Rich

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

April Yamasaki

How would you like to be rich? The Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol has offered a $10,000,000 Prize. A recent email read, "Want a six-figure second income? Get rich now!" A local financial institution was giving away copies of the international bestseller by David Bach: The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich. Many of these offers go straight to my recycling bin or get automatically trashed by my spam filter. But The Automatic Millionaire -- in spite of its rather ...

4530. The First Songs of Christmas

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

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-20) Everyone loves Christmas carols! As the seasons of Advent and Christmas approach, and we begin to hear those familiar songs on the radio, in stores, on loudspeakers, in our worship, our hearts leap a little for joy. Let’s face it. Carols instill joy in ...

4531. Epiphany 3

Lk 4:14-21 · 1 Cor 12:12-31a · Isa 61:1-6 · Neh 8:1-10 · Ps 19

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the returned Exiles. The book of Nehemiah tells the story of the return of the Exiles under Governor Nehemiah during the reign of Artaxerxes. Under Nehemiah the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt and various reforms were introduced. He is known for his relationship with Yahweh and his frequent prayers. Today's pericope tells us of the gathering of the people for the reading of the Mosaic law by Ezra, the priest and scribe. ...

4532. I Saw a New Heaven

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Two ninety-five-year-old sisters died at the same time and went to Heaven. There they were overwhelmed by the magnificence and glory of heaven. They ooh-ed and ah-ed at the wonders they saw. They couldn’t get over what a matchless place it was. Then one said to the other, “You know, we could have been here five years earlier if you hadn’t insisted on our eating oat bran.” If you’re going to Heaven, the earlier the better, but let God appoint the time. There’s a barbershop quartet song that has these words ...

4533. Advent 3

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:19-28, John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme For The Day: Joy and anticipation concerning what God was about to do. Isaiah promises the oil of gladness (Isaiah 61:3) as God brings the captives of Israel back to their homeland. In Thessalonians, Paul charges the church always to rejoice (v. 16). In the Gospel, John delineates his message as pointing to the One who was to follow him: the One who would be much greater than he. All of these messengers were filled with a sense of joyful expectancy. The third Sunday in Advent has in some traditions ...

4534. Receive The Holy Spirit

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Larry Powell

"It is my heart-warming and world-embracing hope," said Mark Twain, "that all of us - the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, and the savage - may eventually be gathered in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone." Mark Twain obviously held a great dislike for the telephone, probably because, among other things, it renders a person to be easily accessible, even when they prefer to be inaccessible. ...

4535. Epiphany 3

Lk 4:14-21 · 1 Cor 12:12-30 · Neh 8:1-10 · Isa 61:1-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the returned Exiles. The book of Nehemiah tells the story of the return of the Exiles under Governor Nehemiah during the reign of Artaxerxes. Under Nehemiah the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt and various reforms were introduced. He is known for his relationship with Yahweh and his frequent prayers. Today's pericope tells us of the gathering of the people for the reading of the Mosaic law by Ezra, the priest and scribe. When the people ...

4536. God Is Not Fair (Grumbling in the Vineyard)

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Years ago there was a golf tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee that had a fascinating ending. It was a hole-in-one tournament. The rules said that whoever came closest to getting a hole-in-one on the 90-yard hole was the winner. You didn't have to actually make a hole-in-one to win. Just come close. One man hit a terrible shot. It was so bad that it ricocheted off the scorer's tent, then miraculously bounced onto the fairway, where it hit another golfer's ball, and ricocheted again, finally coming to rest ...

4537. A Forgiving Presence

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I think it is significant that these young people have been confirmed in the midst of the particular series of sermons that we are preaching these days, because hopefully, in this sermon series, we are providing that which will sustain them and give them a clear vision of what the possibility is for their life in Christ. Let us pray. Take the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts, make them acceptable in your sight, because you are our strength and our redeemer. Amen. The promise of the gospel ...

4538. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:3-13, Psalm 104

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 2:1-21 On Pentecost the disciples receive the Holy Spirit and Peter explains the happening. Luke gives an account of the Spirit's coming upon the gathered disciples in Jerusalem on Pentecost accompanied by a mighty wind and tongues of fire. Then the reaction of the crowd is given - the disciples are accused of being drunk. Peter responds by explaining the experience as a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy that, at the end of the era, the Spirit would come to all. The overall purpose of ...

4539. The King and His Castle

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

There were seven of them, and in their day they were the greatest tourist attractions in the history of the world. What were they? Well, here is the list of them: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Stature of Zeus at Olympia The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus The Mausoleum in Egypt The Coliseum of Rhodes The Lighthouse of Alexandria The Great Pyramid of Gaza You may recognize this list as comprising what is now known as the "Seven Ancient Wonders of the World." The reason why they were called wonders is ...

4540. Repentance Is Relationship!

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

Repentance is relationship. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a short story titled, The Birthmark. It is a story about a man who married a very beautiful woman who had a birthmark on her left cheek. She had always thought of it as a beauty spot, but her husband saw the birthmark to be a sign of imperfection, a flaw. It began wearing on him so much that all he could see was that birthmark. He could not see her beauty, her graciousness, or her great personality. He could only focus on what he perceived to be a flaw ...

4541. Superman: More Than A Super Hero

John 1:1-5, 9-14; John 13:31-32; John 20:30-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of the greatest icons of the 20th and 21st Centuries is Superman. As a boy many of us daydreamed about having Super Powers like Superman. But if you've followed any of the movies, cartoons, comics or TV shows, you know that even with all his super powers, Superman and very other Super Hero has personal problems. But that doesn't negate the fact that we can learn some things from Super Heroes or the portrayal of Super Heroes such as Superman. Introduction In 1978, we were living in Midway, Missouri, ...

4542. Honk If Something Falls Off

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Peter Barnes tells about a radio preacher that he listened to while he was in college named the Rev. Apostle J.R. Chambers, Jr. Quite surprisingly for a radio preacher, Chambers had a decided speech impediment. Each week he recited the verse from the Bible on which his entire ministry was based. It was Matthew 5:48, “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Because of his impediment each week the verse came out like this: “Yyyyou must . . . You mmmmust be . . . You must bbbe . . . You ...

4543. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

Naomi’s Strategy: Naomi is Ruth’s mother-in-law (khamot, 2:23). This feminine form of kham (“father-in-law”) is widely perceived by lexicographers to be a nominal derivative of the unattested verb *khamah. Cognates of this word appear in extrabiblical literature (Arabic khamay, “to protect, defend”; OSA ?mh, “sacred precinct, protective association”), and the root idea seems to be protection, shelter, or refuge. An Arabic attorney, for example, is a mu?amin (“protector”), while an Egyptian “protector” is a ...

4544. The Coming of the Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20-37

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The kingdom of God is already here, but there will be a future appearance of the Son of Man for which people will be unprepared. Understanding the Text The kingdom (reign) of God has been at the heart of the preaching of Jesus and his disciples since 4:43 (see note there). In 10:9, 11 it was said to “have come near” (cf. 11:20), while in 11:2 Jesus taught his disciples to pray for it as apparently something still future (cf. 9:27). Now a question from Pharisees invites Jesus to clarify this ...

4545. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: One of the great dissimilarities between humanity and God is that we are needy people, but God needs nothing. Understanding the Text Psalm 50 is a perfect example of the kind of liturgical piece that might be recited in the seventh year when the Torah was read at the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 31:9–13).1Yet when the Book of the Covenant was discovered in the temple during Josiah’s reign (622–609 BC), it seems that this practice had not been observed for some time (2 Kings 23:1–3). In form- ...

4546. Saints With Crooked Haloes

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Most of you know that great country comedian from McComb, Mississippi, named Jerry Clower. He is a former fertilizer salesman and a devoted Baptist layman. Jerry tells about a lady he knew down in Amite County. She lived near a construction site where workers were putting a tar roof on a building. This lady had sixteen children--or "young'uns," as Jerry called them. One day she lost one of her children. She hunted around and found that he had fallen into a fifty-gallon drum of black roofing tar at the ...

4547. The Gospel In Miniature

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Robert Allen

It was in the springtime and I was speaking at a church in a small town in southeastern Oklahoma. We had a large crowd of people in that small church when the thunder began to roll in the distance. Once the service was over, there was a reception in the fellowship hall. It was one of those occasions when I was in a hurry to get my car and start home before the thunderstorm dropped its rivers of water. However, since the reception was in my honor, I could not slip out early. After a short while, the claps ...

4548. The Cure

Luke 4:31-37, Luke 4:38-44

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“I am the Lord who heals you.” (Exodus) Prop: Symbol of Medical Oath and/or Hippocratic Oath on screen (you can also use a rod or staff and rubber snake) And the Lord said unto Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live. And so Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers) In that ...

4549. The Problem With A Promise

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

You have all made promises; and kept them, but some you have broken. Maybe you didn't intend to break it, but when the time came to fulfill it, it simply wasn't in your power to keep it. Or, upon re-thinking it, you decided it wasn't a good promise, so you reneged upon it.And, you've had promises made to you; and they've been kept - some of them, but who has not been hurt by having a promise made, and then broken? What parents have not heard their child exclaim at some point, "But you promised me!" ...

4550. Good News about Faith

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

We all are inspired when an individual overcomes great odds and accomplishes extraordinary things. A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured a group of skiers being trained for slalom skiing. We’re talking alpine skiing here, not water skiing. For those unfamiliar with alpine skiing, the skill known as slalom involves skiing between poles spaced close together thereby causing quicker and shorter turns. You’ve seen skiers zigzagging between flags down a hill. That’s slalom. The unique ...

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