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 4626 to 4650 of 4962 results

4626. Barabbas - People’s Choice or Chance of Providence?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Were you there? Is that what you were singing? Yes, I was there, all right. I had no choice in the matter. I was locked up in that lousy, stinking hole that they called a prison. I didn’t think that there was any chance that I would ever get out of there alive. The Romans had been after me for some time. Once they got their hands on me and threw me down into that dungeon, I thought for sure that my days were numbered. Those stone walls were mighty thick, and the guards kept a close watch on me. They liked ...

4627. Facing the Glory Road

Matthew 20:17-19

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

Tell me, how would you like to have life served up to you? The newest neophyte among the Madison Avenue ad men will tell you. Every word of copy that they write promises to fulfill what they consider your deepest yearnings. You want it soft, just as soft as Puff facial tissues. You want it comfortable. You want it secure. You want to live in a kind of bovine, cud-chewing complacency, comfort, and contentment. You want to be born without labor pain to your mother, to live in a computerized, automated Utopia ...

4628. The ABC Gospel

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Someone has called it ABC spirituality, meaning, “Anything But Christianity.” In the search for religious meaning, our generation seems to have a limitless imagination. Past-life regressions, out-of-body experiences, channeling, mantras — the list goes on and on. The New Age (which is truly just old Hinduism warmed over), Zen yoga, seances — anything but faith in the resurrected Lord of the cross. Today’s Scripture reading has a character like that. His name is Naaman. Of all the stories connected with the ...

4629. Light for Beauty

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

David Donald’s biography of Abraham Lincoln is a special effort to help us feel along with Mr. Lincoln the thoughts of his heart and mind as he aspired to the presidency. Mr. Lincoln had an earnest desire to be of special service to the nation he knew was in deep trouble. One senses the compassion he had for all the people. He also recognized that the people could survive only as one nation. No one knew better than he that not everyone would agree with his purpose and will in leading the people. He also ...

4630. Freed From Fear

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

On May 26, 1986, People Express flight number 14 from San Francisco to Newark was ready to depart. Suddenly a wild-eyed man who "looked Iranian" bolted from his seat and ran out the door. Knocking aside startled security officers, he frantically tried to escape through the locked doors of the terminal before an airport police officer finally tackled and subdued him. Was he a terrorist? No. He was just a very average American who was afraid to fly. Unfortunately, he was so frightened of being locked into ...

4631. Justification By Grace Through Faith

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Now I’m aware of the fact that it is Mother’s day. But I’m not going to preach a traditional Mother’s Day sermon. In the early days of the Methodist Church, as a part of worship, the preacher not only preached a sermon, he usually exhorted the congregation. An exhortation is different from preaching, so just to let you know I know it is Mother’s Day before I preach I want to exhort you for a moment. There’s a marvelous verse of scripture in II Timothy, the 1st chapter, the 5th verse. Paul is writing to ...

4632. It's Thanksgiving Time!

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James W. Moore

One of the great comedians of all time was Jack Benny. He was great because he made us laugh at ourselves… at our weaknesses, our foibles, our selfishness, our greed. You remember, of course, how attached Jack Benny was to his money. I love that routine where the hold-up man runs up to Jack Benny and shouts: "Your money or your life!" There is a long pause as Jack goes into that familiar pose with his hand on his cheek. Impatiently, the robber demands again: "I said your money or your life!" Jack Benny ...

4633. Mourning Our Fallen Tormentors

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Michael Dirda is the senior editor of The Washington Post Book World, as well as a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for literary criticism. In 2003, he published an autobiographical account of his early years, telling about growing up in Lorain, Ohio. While there is much that he appreciated about his home, he also tells that his years there were colored somewhat darkly by his father, who was a cranky, difficult man. Apparently the man was not physically abusive, but neither was he easy to be around. Unhappy ...

4634. The Gospel Through the Person

Galatians 4:8-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Here is one of Paul’s most tender passages. Yet, there is in it a harshness to it. Paul is firm in his confrontation, and calls a spade a spade. Listen to him again in verse 16: “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” But despite that tough confrontation, Paul pulls back the curtain of his own inner soul, revealing his anguish and pain, his personal limitations, his feelings of failure, his overwhelming sense of appreciation. Can’t you just feel the deep emotion and tenderness in ...

4635. What the Trinity Does

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome on this Trinity Sunday, 2013. Tomorrow you can start taking down all the decorations that you put up for this special day in the church year. You did put up decorations, didn’t you? I know the children have been counting down the days in joyful anticipation of this day. I can hear them now, “Mommy, how many days is it until Trinity Sunday?” It is an exciting time. I hope each of you got what you wanted for Trinity Sunday. This is the last day we will sing all the Trinity carols that we have been ...

4636. The Reject

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

Her name was Vicky Harrison. By all appearances she was a beautiful 21-year-old perky blonde with a sweet personality, great ambition, and a seemingly bright future. Tragically she became another suicide victim. She killed herself after more than 200 unsuccessful job applications. She had dreamed of a career as a teacher or a television producer, but gave up hope for the future. A day after her 200th rejection, she wrote heartbreaking notes to her parents and boyfriend saying 'I don't want to be me any ...

4637. The Second Appearance and Its Sequel

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The scene shifts from the tomb in the garden to a locked room somewhere in Jerusalem, and from “early on the first day of the week” (v. 1) to the evening of that first day of the week (v. 19). Despite the faith of the beloved disciple (v. 8) and despite the message brought by Mary Magdalene (v. 18), the disciples as a group are still afraid. Their reaction to her message is not recorded in John’s Gospel, but another tradition appended to Mark by later scribes states that after Mary had seen Jesus she “went ...

4638. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Sometimes when we have been faithful to God and bad things still happen to us, the best and only explanation is that it is for God’s sake. Understanding the Text Psalm 44 is a community lament that follows some national defeat of Israel’s army (44:9), even though the psalmist, speaking on behalf of the king, cannot understand why this has happened, since Israel has not forgotten God or “been false” to his covenant (44:17). Psalms 42–43 celebrate the psalmist’s hope that he, isolated and dejected ...

4639. Why Doesn’t God Prove Himself To Doubters?

2 Peter 1:16-21

Sermon

Charley Reeb

If you’ve ever doubted God’s existence or know someone who has, this message is for you. If you are afraid to express your struggles with faith, this message is for you. The truth is, 99% of us are in one of those categories, and 1% is lying. So this message is for everyone! I have gone through seasons of doubt. It’s called being human. It is normal. I wouldn’t be much of preacher if I didn’t struggle with doubt. I wouldn’t have much to offer. I believe with Frederick Buechner that “doubts are the ants in ...

4640. God, Elvis, and O.J. Simpson

Psalm 139

Sermon

James Merritt

Without question, two of the most fascinating and famous (and at least in one case, infamous) figures of the 20th Century are Elvis Presley and O. J. Simpson. Until a couple of years ago no one would have said that O. J. Simpson had, or ever would achieve, the stature of Elvis Presley. But all of that was changed Friday, June 17, 1994, when an entire nation was transfixed by a television scene that was more real than any fantasy. Two men were in a white bronco, traveling, it seemed, in slow motion down a ...

4641. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time there was a great teacher, a guru, who had many followers. People came from far and wide to listen, learn, and be enlightened by this man. There were one-on-one classes and apprenticeships for those who came to learn. When the students had finished with their lessons, the guru sent them into the world to share their knowledge with others as masters in their own right. Just before each student left, the guru would give each a special gift -- the teacher taught each student the mantra of ...

4642. The Man With Two Umbrellas

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

William L. Self

The late Dr. J. Wallace Hamilton, who for many years preached at the Pasadena Community Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, tells a wonderful story about the man with two umbrellas. He said that when he crossed the Atlantic one summer he noticed a dark-skinned man sitting in a deck chair, reading the Bible. One day he sat beside him and said, "Forgive my curiosity, but I am a minister. I see you come here every day and read your Bible. I assume you are a Christian, and I am interested to know how it ...

4643. A Sign Of Divine Protection

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

There is an American insurance company whose advertisements seek to convince consumers that they are in good hands when insured by them. All companies, including insurance companies, are in business to make a profit, not to do the consumer a favor. They may receive a benefit as a result of your doing business, but if the company is not profitable, it ceases to exist. Capitalism is at the heart of the American society. The cost of protecting houses and contents, automobiles and boats as well as life itself ...

4644. Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian

Drama

Thomas A. Renquist

Reader 1: He was called “the world’s greatest living human being.” By the age of 30 he was recognized as a brilliant theologian and acclaimed as an organ virtuoso and interpreter of Bach. But the real greatness of Albert Schweitzer did not lie in any of those accomplishments but rather in his decision to give up those promising careers and become a medical doctor in the jungles of Africa. In 1875, Albert Schweitzer was born in a Lutheran parsonage in Alsace, the territory that bounced back and forth ...

4645. Journey To The Cross II: Jesus And The Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James W. Moore

One of my favorite authors today is a professor at Loyola University in Chicago. His name is Father John Powell. In addition to being a best-selling writer, he is also a highly popular lecturer, teacher, and counselor. In his book entitled Through The Eyes of Faith, he tells about his prison ministry. About once a month, he visits a prisoner in the state penitentiary. He describes how difficult that is for him personally… the atmosphere is dismal, dark, depressing… and charged with suspicion. However, on ...

4646. A Cup Of Cold Water

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Baron De Rothschild was one of the richest men who ever lived. Legend has it that the Baron once posed before an artist as a beggar. While the artist, Ary Scheffer, was painting him, the financier sat before him in rags and tatters holding a tin cup. A friend of the artist entered, and the baron was so well disguised that he was not recognized. Thinking he was really a beggar, the visitor dropped a coin into the cup. Ten years later, the man who gave the coin to Rothschild received a letter containing a ...

4647. Tiny Pencils

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Richard Dawkins is one of the most respected scientists in the world today. He is also rabidly anti-religious. In his most recent book, which he proudly titles A Devil's Chaplain (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003), he devotes 6 of his 32 chapters to denouncing religion as a malignant infection of the human mind. He condemns all religions for being dangerous and insidious illusions. "Modern theists," writes Dawkins, "might acknowledge that, when it comes to Baal and the Golden Calf, Thor and Wotan, Poseidon and ...

4648. Whistling Jesus

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

No one casts a longer shadow throughout the course of one’s life than a mother. Will all our mothers stand? We honor and celebrate you for the sheltering shade of those shadows. Back in the mid‑1950’s Theodor Geisel railed and revolted against the boringly banal primers forced on first time readers. His books, penned under the now famous name of “Dr. Seuss,” transformed reading to our little ones from dull and dreary tales of “Dick and Jane” to the lyrical fun of “The Cat in the Hat.” Adding to this new ...

4649. Community Discourse: Care for Others in the Kingdom

Matthew 18:1-9, Matthew 18:10-14, Matthew 18:15-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Jesus confronts the disciples about their preoccupation with status and teaches that the kingdom community is to be not status focused but other focused, with Jesus in their midst, caring for the vulnerable and addressing sin that might harm the community. Understanding the Text Chapter 18 is the fourth of five major teaching discourses in Matthew (chaps. 5–7, 10, 13, 18, 24–25) and is often referred to as the Community Discourse. The first half of the discourse (18:1–20) focuses on Jesus’ ...

4650. A New Possibility

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

James L. Killen

Something new, exciting, and promising is about to happen. God is about to put a new possibility before you. Get ready. That is a summary of what Jesus meant when he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." That is very important, because it is the heart of the message that Jesus came to bring to you and to all people. The passage of scripture we have just read marks a turning point in the story of Jesus. It tells us about the beginning of his public ministry. What went before was ...

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