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 526 to 550 of 622 results

526. Walking in the Light

1 John 1:5--2:14, 1 John 2:15-17

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... it is a way of feeling, looking, and expressing oneself. This approach to life is self-centered: the thoughts, decisions, and activities of everyday life are dominated by the cravings of one’s own “flesh” (sarx; NIV, the sinful man), the longings (NIV, lust) of one’s own eyes (TEV, “what people see and want”), and the personal boasting in material possessions (tou biou; cf. 3:17, where the phrase ton bion tou kosmou, lit., “the life of the world,” means the material possessions of this world ...

527. The Flood

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... human society (v. 5), a secondary issue is to determine what transgression these marriages caused. There are three leading proposals for the identification of the sons of God. The first is that they were heavenly beings. Consumed by lust, angels cohabited with human women, thereby transgressing the boundary between the divine and the human realms. The offspring from these unions possessed extraordinary abilities. Lacking moral constraints, they used their abilities to promote wickedness. A second proposal ...

528. God’s Covenant with Noah

Genesis 9:1-17

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Gentiles do God’s will by keeping these commandments. 9:6 It is possible that the second line is better translated “for a human shall his blood be shed” instead of “by a human.” This human, then, is the victim, not the executioner (J. Lust, “ ‘For Man Shall His Blood Be Shed’: Gen. 9:6 in Hebrew and Greek,” in Tradition of the Text [ed. G. Norton and S. Pisano; OBO 109; Freiburt, Switzerland: Universitätsverlag, 1991], pp. 91–102). 9:13 Hb. qeshet means both “bow” and “rainbow ...

529. Dinah and the Shechemites

Genesis 34:1-31

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... –13). Her behavior went against custom, for girls of marriageable age in small shepherd clans were not permitted to go about unescorted. Shechem son of Hamor . . . saw her. Drawn by her beauty, he raped her. Afterward he longed for her to become his wife. His lust appears to have turned to love, for he spoke tenderly to Dinah in order to win her affection. Since in that society a marriage had to be negotiated, Shechem pressured his father, Hamor, the ruler of that area, to take the necessary steps to get ...

530. Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

Genesis 39:1-23

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... and duties in his care. He kept only his own food, or his private matters, under his own control. Joseph matured into a well-built, handsome man. 39:7–9 Joseph’s success and position attracted the attention of Potiphar’s wife. She began to lust after him. Eventually, she became so aggressive that she entreated him to go to bed with her. Joseph refused, saying that he had been entrusted with everything in the house of his master except her. He tried to dissuade her with a rhetorical question, asking ...

531. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... terms with the content of the prophet’s vision, and so to be a sign of multiple layers of expansion and revision (e.g., Zimmerli, Ezekiel 1, pp. 254–56, and M. Dijkstra, “The Glosses in Ezekiel Reconsidered: Aspects of Textual Transmission in Ezekiel 10,” in Lust, Ezekiel, pp. 75–77). 10:5 Cherubim. Ancient Near Eastern art portrays examples of cherub thrones (e.g., on an ivory plaque from Megiddo from the 13th to 12th c. B.C.; see the illustration in HBC, p. A4). 11:1 Leaders of the people. The ...

532. An Unholy History

Ezekiel 20:1-29, Ezekiel 20:30-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... of their idolatry, so the Lord has expelled Ezekiel’s community from the land. However, this generation is in exile not because of their ancestors’ sins, but because of their own. Ezekiel asks, “Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images? When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your sons in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day” (vv. 30–31). The language is strongly reminiscent of chapter 16, where Ezekiel also ...

533. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Chr. 20:15). Additional Notes 38–39 We can raise questions about these chs. on several grounds. In Pap. 967, the best witness to the old Gk. text of Ezek., chs. 38–39 precede ch. 37, which is then followed immediately by chs. 40–48 (see Lust, “Shorter and Longer Texts,” p. 14, and “Ezekiel 36–40,” p. 518). Similarly Codex Wirceburgensis, one of the oldest and best Latin witnesses, has ch. 37 immediately followed by ch. 40. A single page, or folio, of the Codex bearing 38:8–20 survives, but ...

534. Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... (Matt. 6:25–34) and can be dissolved only by a complete trust in God that leads one to prayer (Phil. 4:6–7). Wealth “deceives” or seduces one into thinking that it will satisfy when it actually chokes out the spiritual life. “Desire” or “lust” for possessions is at the heart of “greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5 [cf. Eph. 5:5]); in other words, possessions become the true “god” that one reveres. 4:20 accept it, and produce a crop. The fruitful soil is the antithesis of the ...

535. Spiritual Blindness and the Way to Overcome It

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 8:14-21

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... -centeredness, worshiping self, the creature rather than the Creator. It began with Cain, jealous over his brother and wanting it all for himself. It continued with Abraham, asking his wife to pose as his sister so he would not be endangered by Pharaoh’s lust for her. Jacob tricked Esau to get his birthright. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery because he was his father’s favorite. Again and again throughout Scripture we see the ugly specter of self eroding people’s walk with God. The disciples ...

536. The Exorcism of a Child Develops a Humble Model for Faith

Mark 9:14-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... is held firm and secure, regardless of the tide, wind, swells, or storms. In the same way, faith in God’s promises provides hope that holds our souls firm and secure regardless of the storms that we face in life. Faith and hope help us battle worry, guilt, shame, regret, lust, bitterness, and so on. Have you put your trust in the promises of God?

537. The Story of Israel and the Story of Gentiles

Romans 1:18-32

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... upon those who reject him as the Creator often takes the form of letting people suffer the consequences of getting what they want. To put it another way, we become like that which we worship. 1:26–27 God gave them over to shameful lusts . . . due penalty for their error. For a second time Paul says that God gave over/up the Gentiles to judgment, this time with reference to sexual perversion—homosexuality and lesbianism. The apostle to the Gentiles minces no words concerning homosexual behavior; it is ...

538. The Whole World Is under the Curses of the Covenant

Romans 3:9-20

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis. In the fourth chapter of this book (1950), one sees the downward movement of Edmund after he has followed his wicked heart and come under the White Witch’s power. He becomes progressively self-focused in his lust for the Turkish Delight. He spirals out of control, finally becoming indiscreet, vain, antisocial, and alienated from everyone, including his own siblings, whom, in his self-focus, he betrays and endangers. In short, he can think of nothing but his addiction to self ...

539. The Reversal of the Deuteronomic Curses and Blessings: Replacing Law with Faith

Romans 9:30--10:21

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... and what is evil, having only your image before him as a guide.”10 Literature: The Great Divorce, by C. S. Lewis. In chapter 11 of this book (1945) is a well-known account in which a “little red lizard” riding on the ghost’s shoulder represents lust. What becomes clear is that the ghost must choose whether or not to accept an angel’s offer to kill the lizard. The ghost makes several excuses, including that the lizard is asleep and bothering no one, and that the process will cause too much pain. In ...

540. The New-Covenant Ethic of Love

Romans 12:9-21

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... written about the artist Vincent van Gogh (1853–90). His troubled life even became the subject of Don McLean’s popular song “Vincent,” the first line of which, “Starry, starry night,” is borrowed from the title of one of van Gogh’s paintings. A film, Lust for Life (1956), was also made about him. Van Gogh began his life wanting to teach the Bible to poor and working-class people. In London he went to the darkest parts of the city, to the poorest inhabitants. He read his Bible daily, wanting to ...

541. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... the Parthians, the mounted archers from the east who defeated the Romans in battle as recently as AD 62. They were formidable warriors, and their sacred color was white. Even if the Parthians are in the background, the general impact of the image reaffirms the human lust for war and conquest. 6:4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. Warfare or violence results in bloodshed ...

542. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... and clean” worn by God’s holy people (19:8; cf. 21:9–21). The golden cup full of “abominable things,” further defined as the “filth of her adulteries,” represents her idolatrous and immoral ways, especially her materialistic self-indulgence and lust for economic power. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. The name on the forehead reveals one’s true character and allegiance, both for those allied ...

543. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... two witnesses, now the heavens and God’s people (and her leaders: apostles and prophets) are commanded to “rejoice” over his judgment of Babylon (cf. 12:12; Jer. 51:48). They are not rejoicing at the suffering of the wicked or satisfying any kind of lust for revenge but celebrating God’s victory over evil and his faithfulness to his suffering people. Their faith wasn’t in vain. God is faithful. Evil will not win! They rejoice “because [NIV: “for”] God has judged the judgment of you from her ...

544. Sexual Discharges

Leviticus 15:1-33

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... Bible also teaches that sexuality has been marred by human sin and impurity. The ideal sexuality of the garden of Eden changes with the fall of Adam and Eve. In place of openness comes shame (Gen. 3:7). Joy and love are replaced by pain, lust, and domination (Gen. 3:16). Sex can be wonderful, beautiful, and wholesome, but it can also be an expression of denigration, sadism, and perversion. Those who engage in wanton sex, such as prostitution, are stigmatized as outcasts by these laws. Note that it is not ...

545. Victory and Serpents

Num 21:1-9

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... God opened a door for us but we refused to enter it? Was there a time when we failed to achieve what God would have had us do because we were too afraid to act? Was there a time when sin reared its ugly head—whether pride or lust or envy or anger—and derailed our walk with and ministry for God? Such occasions can create profound, long-term regrets whereby we keep saying to ourselves, “What if I had handled that differently?” Israel had regrets from its earlier failings, but the nation moved on, and ...

546. The Second Census

Numbers 26:1-65

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... ’s fulfillment in Joshua 13–20. That God’s pronouncements to his people in the past have proven true motivates us to heed God’s warnings and trust in his promises today. God’s warnings and promises are numerous: we are warned that sins such as unbridled lust can bring punishment from God (1 Thess. 4:3–6) and that if we neglect salvation in Christ, fall away from belief, or repudiate Christ, we will face God’s severe judgment (Heb. 2:1–3; 6:4–8; 10:26–29). But Christians are also promised ...

547. Making a Successful Future

Numbers 34:1-29

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out. . . . And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off” (Matt. 5:29–30). These words, while not to be taken literally, show how seriously we are to act to purge sin. An inappropriate touch with the hand or a lustful glance with the eye can be the first step toward the act of adultery itself. We are to stamp such things out before they take root. Failure to root out the causes of sins will result in those sins being a barb in our eye and a thorn in our ...

548. “O Absalom, My Son, My Son!”

2 Sam 18:1–19:8

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... David as sending (shalah). In chapter 11 the narrator portrays David as possessing absolute sovereignty: he sent people where he willed (vv. 1, 3–4, 12, 27) and by a mere message accomplished his desires (vv. 6, 14). But he used his power to satisfy his lust and cover up his crime. In chapter 13 he continued to exercise his authority over others, but now it backfired on him as the Lord providentially brought to pass the fulfillment of his self-imposed penalty. He first sent Tamar to her brother Amnon’s ...

549. Disrespect Can Be Deadly

1 Sam 2:12-36

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... work (1678), Bunyan (1628–88) tells of a man locked up in an iron cage, full of despair. When asked how he came to be this way, unable even to repent, he replies, “I left off to watch and be sober. I laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts. I sinned against the light of the Word and the goodness of God. I have grieved the Spirit, and He is gone.”7

550. The Lord Is with David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... Saul. Jonathan knows what God has decreed for Saul and his family (1 Sam. 13:13–14; 15:26–29). Though apparently unaware of what has taken place at Jesse’s house (16:1–13), he senses David’s destiny. Saul, due to his pride and his lust for power, resists God’s program in his quest to destroy David, but Jonathan, who stands in line to inherit his father’s throne, rejects personal ambition and is loyal to David.9 For exilic readers anticipating a time when the Lord will restore their nation ...

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