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 576 to 600 of 679 results

576. Imitation and Role Modeling

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... be applied indiscriminately, he places two statements before his audience that force them to think in terms of imitation: Does the aspiration to do a certain action arise from a desire to seek personal benefit? Or does it arise from a yearning to do good toward others (10:24)? 4. Making permissibility rather than helpfulness one’s guide for Christian behavior makes it possible to disconnect Christian doctrine from Christian living. Turning faith into a set of propositional statements to which Christians ...

577. “Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave”: Power Poisons the Conscience

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... capable of the most heinous crimes. After assuming the throne of Israel, David has been, for the most part, a model of a godly king. But eventually David’s power gets the best of him. In the end both his successes and his failures leave us yearning for a godly leader. Surely the exilic readers experience this desire, especially as they reflect on the prophets’ visions of an ideal Davidic king to come. (2) The account also reminds us that the omniscient God sees all that human beings do and assesses all ...

578. David’s Mighty Men

2 Samuel 21:15-22

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... brought about a great victory” (23:10), much like he had done for another solo Philistine killer (cf. Judg. 15:18). Illustrating the Text God supports those to whom he assigns challenging tasks, often through the actions of dedicated and loyal helpers. Story: Yearning: Living between How It Is and How It Ought to Be, by Craig Barnes. Barnes is the president of Princeton Theological Seminary, where he is also a professor of pastoral ministry. Barnes tells the story of the church in which he was involved ...

579. Job’s Hope against Hope

Job 19:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... to be inscribed permanently can be illustrated by Emma Lazarus’s memorable poem inscribed on a tablet at the base of the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. Some of the famous words from that inscription read, “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Just as Job’s words “I know that my Redeemer lives” become the rallying cry of his life, a cry based on what he knew about God, so too Emma Lazarus’s words, based on a nation’s stated goals, have given hope ...

580. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... will I seek thee”). For “I thirst for you,” compare Psalm 42:2. The verb translated “longs” occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. However, in parallel with the verb “thirst” in the previous colon of the verse, the meaning seems to be “to yearn.”7The memory of the Israelites’ thirst during the wilderness sojourn (Exod. 15:22–27; Deut. 8:15) may be in the psalmist’s mind, a crisis whose remedy is mentioned explicitly in Psalm 78:15–20. 63:2 I have seen you in the sanctuary ...

581. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . Every generation and every individual must embrace the faith for themselves. “You must be born again, or you will never see the Kingdom of God.” William Gibson, in his autobiographical book, Mass for the Dead, relates how after his mother’s death, he yearned for the faith that had strengthened her during her remarkable life—the faith that had upheld her during her courageous dying. So he took his mother’s gold-rimmed glasses, her faded and well-worn prayer book and sat in her favorite chair. He ...

582. Unnoticed at Your Own Party

Isaiah 35:1-10, Matthew 11:2-11, James 5:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... Herod. Was it for a crime that he had committed? Hardly. John was a man of flawless character. Indeed, Jesus said that no better man had ever lived than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). But that did not keep him from needing a back door. All true prophets yearn for a back door at some time in their lives, as we all do. The writer of our lesson for the day from the Epistle of James reminds his readers of the patience of the prophets who suffered much because of their commitment to God. There are times when ...

583. Job's Second Reply to Bildad

Job 19:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... hereafter will never again mention such a figure. Here on out, when Job returns to the courtroom with God (Job 23; 31), he speaks only of wanting to be in front of God. Though he is confident that his case will be heard in court one way or another, Job yearns for a face-to-face confrontation!

584. Psalm 63

Psalm 63:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The third of three consecutive psalms in which David expresses no anguish and few problems, Psalm 63 emphasizes David’s yearning for and complete reliance on his glorious God. Throughout much of David’s life, his spiritual nature trumps his physical nature. In Psalm 62, he prefers God to the powers of this world and to his own desires (62:9–10). Here (63:1–6), he declares that God is ...

585. How Beautiful are You

Song of Songs 4:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... remains a virgin (who has stored up her “delicacies” for her lover [7:12–13] and stood like “a wall” against the amorous advances of the king [8:10]) until she is reunited with her lover at the end of the poem. The maiden imagines and yearns for the breezes of fate to waft the fragrance of her love to her true lover, alluring him to deliver her from the confines of the royal harem. Interestingly enough, this very sequence of events constitutes the maiden’s second night-search fantasy (5:2–8 ...

586. God’s Judgment

Isaiah 24:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Gentiles together constitute the blessed remnant. Isaiah returns again to the theme of universal judgment (24:16b–23). “I waste away” in verse 16b is variously translated as “woe to me” (NASB) or “I pine away” (RSV). The prophet represents all God’s children, yearning for the day of redemption and yet fearing the momentary expression of God’s great wrath on earth. It is a day full of “terror and pit and snare” (24:17), from which no one can escape. It is like a violent earthquake and ...

587. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... —they are “Israel” and will be saved if and when they come to faith in Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and Savior. Second, Paul’s ministry also aims at the salvation of Israel (cf. 1:16). The salvation of the Gentiles is meant to provoke a yearning for salvation among the Jewish people so that some of them might be saved (11:13–14). Paul hopes that unbelieving Jews will become jealous when they see what happens when Jews (the remnant) and Gentiles come to faith in Jesus Christ, forming communities in ...

588. Adoption: Removing the Barriers

Ephesians 2:11-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the second spiritual blessing: adoption. Just as the word “redemption” does not occur in 2:1–10, although redemption is its theme, so now the words “adoption” and “inheritance” do not appear in this text, but those themes predominate. One of the deepest yearnings of the human soul is to belong. We instinctively draw circles that include ourselves and exclude others, giving us coveted membership in a group others wish they belonged to. There can be no “inner ring,” in C. S. Lewis’s terms ...

589. You Shall Be My Witness

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... reluctance to talk with others about God. I really believe that people do want to talk about God. Once the silence is broken, once the superficial barrier is penetrated, people want to talk about things that matter—their deep feelings and yearnings about love, about death, about the purpose of life, and where life is headed. “Experts who study these things tell us that most of our conversations consist of what they call ‘middle language,’ safely superficial and jocular, which we keep disconnected ...

590. Can You Hear It?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... as a baby needs the security of a parent’s arms. Oh, how we need the same kind of wisdom — the wisdom to recognize our need for God. So why don’t we recognize this crucial need more? Why don’t we pay more attention to the vacuum within which yearns for the Spirit of God? The truth is that we drown it out. For some of us, this drowning out is innocent enough. We overbook our days and schedules with activities in order to satisfy a culture which rewards a breakneck pace. But we pay so great a price ...

591. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... That won’t stop me!” Jesus is relentlessly in love with the world. And thank God for such love. Where would we be without such love? For if the truth be known, all of us, to one degree or another, are on the outside, where it’s cold and lonely, yearning for Christ to pull us inside and wrap his warm arms around us. And would you believe there is enough room in his arms for everyone? There is room. There is plenty of room. 1. Thomas G. Long, Pulpit Resource, ed. by William H. Willimon, 29.1, p. 16. 2 ...

592. I Wonder about God’s Will for My Life

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... in and say, “This is what I want you to do.” A lot of us would love to hear from God in such a clear way. Then again, depending upon the message and the state of our lives, some of us would not! Overall, though, most people I speak with yearn to hear God’s voice and want to know God’s will for their lives. God’s will is one of the biggest issues I deal with as a pastor. People continually come to me, desperately wanting to know God’s will. They often say, “I have a big decision ...

593. Pop Verses!: Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... face life with power and wisdom and confidence – to experience strength beyond you? I think this is one of the reasons why this is a favorite verse for many people. It expresses a deep hope and desire to find strength. We like the verse because we hope for strength. We yearn for it. We long for it but many of us don’t experience it. Well, you have come to the right place today. I am going to share with you how you can find the strength in Christ you need to do all things. I am going to share with ...

594. Pop Verses: John 3:16

John 3:16

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... . How much does God love you exactly? Take a look: “For God SO loved” To me this is one of the most overlooked words of this verse. Go SO! God SO loved. God so loved the world. Not just America. Not just Britain. Not just Mexico. God SO loves. God yearns for us. He loves us SO much! My mom used to say, “Charley, I love you so.” I like what Max Lucado says. God loves us so much that if “he had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.” But for God it wasn’t just lip service. God ...

595. Pop Verses: Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... always know how to pray. Sometimes a sigh is all we can get out! And I understand that! Most of my prayers this week have been sighs. How about you? But the great thing Paul says is that God knows what we need. The Holy Spirit within us senses our yearnings at the deepest level and lifts up our prayers to God. It is then that Paul gives our pop verse: We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. –Romans 8:28 What Paul is saying is that ...

596. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Luke 9:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... of being received by fellow believers as one of the family (see Josephus, War 2.124; and note below). So it is in the case of the Twelve; they are not to carry provisions, but are to enjoy the hospitality of those who are repentant and yearn for the kingdom of God. Where they are not welcome, however, the apostles are to leave and to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. This warning would be understood as a statement of reciprocal rejection: the people who reject the apostles ...

597. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... contexts of summons and response (9:15–16; 13:22), the legal aspects recede in this passage where God will call seeking Job’s answer, but in a context of longing (you [God] will long). The verb “long” (Heb. ksp) has the sense of “yearn, long for; be hungry,” and indicates passionate concern and desire bordering on need. In 10:3, Job confronts God for “spurning” the work of his hand and oppressing Job. The change in divine attitude towards his creature described here makes all the difference ...

598. Woes and Judgments

Isaiah 5:8-30

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... khemah (42:25; 63:3; 66:15) which indicates burning rage, and with ‘ebrah (13:9; 14:6) which implies an overflowing outburst. Anger is an aspect of the passion of Yahweh, who is a real person with all the feelings that a human being has—from yearning love (vv. 1–4) to fierce wrath. To put it another way, believing that human beings are made in the image of deity, Middle Eastern peoples do not hesitate to attribute all the facets of human personality to deity. Unlike human passion and the passion of ...

599. From Fear to Overflowing Joy

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... reunion. At that reunion he met a former classmate on whom he’d had a secret crush. She was beautiful and confident even in high school, and Dyer could never muster up the courage to ask her out. To his surprise, at the reunion this woman whom he had yearned to date confessed to Dyer that she’d had a secret crush on him all through high school, and she would have been thrilled to go out with him if only he had asked. His adolescent fear of rejection had robbed him of an incredible opportunity to date ...

600. United We Stand

John 17:11b-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... that one day I will too.” (4) That is a beautiful and refreshingly honest response. I wonder if a TV character would say that today. Television has become somewhat hostile to organized religion. Some of us have experienced God in quite a profound way. Others of us are yearning for such an experience. Regardless, we are united in our belief that Christ is the way to God. And we gather here each week in the hope that God will make Himself known to us--that, if we have not already done so--we will one day ...

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