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 551 to 575 of 5000 results

551. Christmas and the New Family

John 1:1-18

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... can we begin to touch a fair measure of their grandeur. "In the beginning," the inspired writer says, "was the Word." It doesn't seem a likely way to introduce the Christmas story; but John is anxious for us to understand that Christmas had its beginnings long before Joseph and Mary, and in a place utterly beyond Bethlehem. He wants us to realize that the One he is about to introduce was always with God, possesses the same divine nature, and that eternal part of God became one of us human beings in order ...

552. The Baby Leaped

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... waiting down on the floor below. The cue came, and the floating baby hovered over the manger, lowering precariously and swinging ever so slightly. But a good 4 or 5 feet above the crib, the descent came to a halt and baby Jesus hung suspended for ever so long above the manger. Pastor Dahlrimple repeated the cue, hoping Elder Fred would let out more line, but to no avail. What the good pastor could not know was that Elder Fred had come to the end of his fishing line. So there baby Jesus hung, floating above ...

553. The Proof Is In the Pudding

Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that is a hinge on which a great truth about Jesus and a great truth about life swings. John had proclaimed Jesus the Messiah long before. So what’s going on here? John is in prison, about to be executed, and it seems as though he’s having second ... what we believe makes a difference. Not a sentimental Pollyanna substitute for tolerance which says, “You believe what you please, as long as you’re sincere,” but an honest respect for others, and a valuing of them enough to enter into honest dialogue ...

554. The Authority of Scripture: God's Breathed Word

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... you should. Secondly, you don’t go to church any more and you don’t read the Bible every night. And thirdly you have got that long hair and you won’t cut it.” “Well, what do I need to do,” asked the son, “to be able to get my car?” “It ... You need to study hard and raise your grades. You need to go to church and read your Bible every night and you need to get that long hair cut.” Six months passed and the young man came back to his father. “Dad, It has been six months now and I want you to ...

555. With Jesus In The Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... of camping tips by a man named Bruce Cochran which was printed in the Sept. ‘96 issue of Backpacker magazine. The list is too long to read in its entirety, so I’m only going to mention a few: When using a public campground, a tuba placed on ... a sweater out of starwort, which is this pesky nettle that buries its spines in one’s skin. She is told that the way will be long and hard to redeem her brothers. Furthermore she has to gather this plant herself and spin it into thread by hand. She herself is not ...

556. The Curriculum of God’s Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... gesture I remember from that boyhood drama. On horseback, the trail boss would lift his hand, index finger up, make a rapid circling motion in the air, then point ahead with these words, “O.K. boys, head ‘em up, and move ‘em out.” It was a call to a long, tough, trail ride and along the way the promise of adventure and a pay out at the end. That is the gesture I see Jesus making in these call stories. “Simon, Andrew, James, John, head ‘em up, and move ‘em out.’ Follow me, and I will help you ...

557. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... message because they are in the media or have a book out. Be careful about whose spiritual table you eat at; there’s a lot of junk food out there. Anyone not willing to accept criticism or submit their teaching to review is someone to stay away from. Long rangers are suspect. And if they are popular and have an entourage, you ought to be immediately suspicious. I am. In an old Peanuts comic strip it’s the first day of school. The students are told to write an essay about returning to class. Lucy wrote ...

558. Joy in the Journey

119:129-136

Sermon

Michael Milton

... them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. Keep ... our adoption as sons, and grace keeps us in that relationship. The reason so many of us are concerned about grace is that for too long in evangelical Christianity it seemed that right moral living was the way we related to God. It seemed that this gave us our standing before ...

559. A Place of Honor

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... it high in the air above American congregations and say, ‘Brothers and sisters, this is the American Bible, full of holes from all we have cut out.’" We might as well have taken that pair of scissors and just cut out all that we have ignored for such a long time. In America, the Bible that we read is full of holes." (4) Do you think, perhaps, that Jim Wallis got the attention of his listeners? Did he get your attention? Most of us don’t want to be made to feel guilty when we come to church. Neither ...

560. Shalom Shattered

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... This duo, Reuben and Judah, show a gleam of human compassion, set against so much that is cruel and malevolent. Joseph is lifted out of the waterless pit and sold for twenty pieces of silver. Though this was the beginning of salvation for Joseph in a long, long saga, the bond of brotherhood is still very cheap. Twenty pieces of silver for a brother's life? The prophet Amos in 6:6 bemoans and connects the poor who are afflicted with the suffering of Joseph. "Alas ... for those who drink wine from bowls, and ...

561. Proper 11

Genesis 28:10-22, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... for both people and nature. Now the whole creation is in travail but in the end there is birth as God's offspring. Outline: In this period of temporary loss - a. We wait for redemption - vv. 19, 23. b. We groan because of suffering - vv. 22, 23. c. We long for permanent gain - v. 19. Epistle: Romans 8:26-27 1. Let God Do Your Praying (8:26-27). Need: For many, praying is an impossible task. Not knowing how to pray we often use prayers learned in childhood as a substitute for our prayers, or we ask others ...

562. Are You Willing to Be a Donkey?

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... into the world, then each of us is called to be a donkey. There's no particular glory in being a donkey. There's only long trails, steep roads, heavy loads, and little or no recognition for a completed job. But look at what we're carrying. The King of Kings. The ... Jesus' choice of the donkey - a stubborn little steed with a mind of its own, even though it would work hard and long. Sound familiar? So I end this morning with a question: Will you be a donkey? Will you carry Christ? Wherever he goes? However ...

563. The Lamb's Book of Life

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... this not bother anybody? Or consider the delicious excitement circulating in scientific circles when it was discovered, as the decoding work continues, that human beings are not quite as unique as we thought. A gene is a stretch of DNA, about 5,000 letters long on average. While biologists predicted a figure of about 60,000 to 100,000 genes for humans, only about 30,000 genes could be found in the human genome sequence that was published in February of last year. Some biologists are revising that number ...

564. Living Outside the Box

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... its box. Never. Ever. If kept inside the box, the crocodile would never grow any bigger than the box in which it lived. Even though there was nothing genetic to keep the baby dime-store crocs from growing to enormous sizes, as long as they remained inside their boxes, as long as they were never exposed to greater space and freedom, they would stay the same small, kid-friendly size. The human mind and soul is a lot like those little crocodiles. Given unlimited food, nurturing environment, and a safe place to ...

565. The Counter Intelligence of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and ours, however, is to look at how you drive in winter. Winter driving is hazardous for lots of reasons. Not too long ago the wild fires fanned by the Santa Ana winds blew black smoke across bumper-to-bumper California freeways. Then last ... read the story recently about a busy airport, where a line of travelers were waiting to buy tickets. The line grew so long and moved so slowly that patience was wearing thin. At the worst possible moment, two boisterous women carrying large suitcases started elbowing ...

566. Advent 3

Psalm 146:1-10, Isaiah 35:1-10, James 5:7-12, Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... be overthrown as Israel moved into a position of supremacy. But Jesus was no Jewish Caesar, and he did not pour out wrath universally in repudiation of evil. Though John recognized enough of God's power at work to indicate that Jesus might be the long-awaited messiah, still he had reservations about identifying Jesus with the terms of his expectations. Yet, John showed an open-ended attitude of faith. He did not sit in judgment on Jesus, but rather he asked Jesus himself whether he was the coming one. Next ...

567. Changed Lives: Adam and Eve

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... within us is messed up. Who among us is without sin? We say things we do not mean to say. We do things we do not mean to do. Our relationships with those we love most are sometimes strained. We live in a veritable paradise and yet our hearts long for more. We are the most privileged and protected people who have ever lived and yet fears and worries haunt our dreams. We have relegated God to a secondary position in our lives, and we wonder why our lives are not more fulfilling. Yes, there is something in the ...

568. Send Workers Now!

Matthew 9:35-38

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

... minutes or ten minutes or fifteen minutes. The action is now. We need some extra workers now. Same song, second verse. Have you ever been grocery shopping on Friday late afternoon about 5:30, when the lines are long at the cash register? The lines are so long. Do you enjoy standing in line for a long time, waiting for your turn at the cash register? Of course not. And so there is a sigh of relief when you hear the voice of the manager of the grocery store speaking through the loud speaker system: "Cashiers ...

569. The Door Is Always Open

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... younger brother was a shirker, and the older brother was a worker. That's always the mark of a Pharisee. They work hard, they labor long hours. They punch in at 8:00 AM and punch out at 5:00 PM and only take an hour for lunch. But Pharisees don' ... , no arguing, no pleading, no debate. That wise father understood that the heart of that boy had been in the far country for a long time, and he knew the boy was going to leave sooner or later anyway. That tells me something about our Heavenly Father. God will never ...

570. The Fellowship of Joy

Philippians 1:3-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... things he asked God to do in this church, through this church, and for this church. As we look to the future, ever how long that might be until the Lord tarries, I pray these same three things for this church: a. Love With Intensity "And this I pray, ... put a label on their porcelain sine cera to show that it was without wax, without a crack, without a flaw. It is my prayer, that as long as I pastor this church the world can hold us up to the light of the Word of God, and we will be sine cera, without wax, ...

571. Who's In Charge Here

Judges 21:24-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... as far as he is concerned, it is now 15 inches. You will have some idea of the type of society in which these words were written. You would have also seen political chaos. Someone has said that a lot people believe in law and order, as long as they can lay down the law and give all the orders. That was the situation 3,000 years ago. The police had become afraid of the criminals. There was no respect for the law. The political process had completely broken down. Guilty criminals were being acquitted because ...

572. When the Pressure Is On

John 6:1-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night. But then there is another problem. Every time they camped at the end of the day, a campground 2/3 the size of the State of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles long. Now I want to ask you a question. Do you think Moses figured all of this out before he left Egypt? I think not. But I'll tell you what Moses did do. He believed in God. He trusted the Lord to meet his needs, and God took care of ...

573. The Supreme Test

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... rich son of privilege from Hyde Park, graduate of Harvard. At that time she noted a certain easy arrogance about him. But later, after he was stricken by polio, she saw a different FDR. After his body had been twisted by paralysis, after he had endured a long nighttime of pain, there was a new tenderness in his heart and a new compassion in his soul. (2) God cannot grow great people of faith unless they spend some time in the school of stress. Hard times refine people of faith just as fire refines precious ...

574. The Revelation Code II: Crash, Crisis and Christ

Revelation 5:1--7:17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Lord of history and the human story; that in Christ alone we find meaning for our lives and hope for the world in which we live. In the face of the eternal question which comes from the very depths of the heart and soul of the saints, "How long, how long?", he hears the anthem of hope and the promise of God's coming kingdom, an anthem already being sung by a multitude which no one could number, from every nation, from every tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne, singing in the name of the ...

575. Secret Revealed

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... few of his people believed. Then, the Gentiles are invited and guess what? They began to be believers and followers in the millions. This is so like God, isn't it? The way is being prepared and finally is concluded with John the Baptist. The Jews had long been hungry and thirsty for their fulfillment to an already great religion. After all, didn't Jesus say quite directly that he came to "fulfill and not destroy" the Law? It is like a momentous evolutionary force was set in motion after the fall of man and ...

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