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 601 to 625 of 5000 results

601. Lost Baggage: Empty Your Suitcase

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... willing to forgive. Then we dealt with the baggage of a judgmental spiritual. Unfortunately, the church as a whole and many people inside the church are too quick to judge others on the outside of the church. One of the reasons why people who are far from God don’t want to come to church is because they feel they will be walking into a very judgmental place. We made it plain the Bible teaches are we are to judge each other, but we are to reserve judgment for those in the family of God and we are to judge ...

602. Moving On Up

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... --get a reputation for service. When Thomas J. Watson Sr. started IBM, he laid out the three core values of the company. Those values were excellent products and services, excellent customer service, and respect for the individual. Watson wanted IBM to be all about service. Want to move on up in any field? Learn to serve. Note this: In the Greek, Mark uses the word “diakonos” for servant and not “doulos,” which can also be interpreted as slave. The word “diakonos” suggests one who attends ...

603. Jonah Flees from the Lord

Jonah 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... not a disturbing worry. So Jonah is an Israelite who knows all the right words but who pays his God lip-service only (cf. Isa. 29:13). He is an orthodox believer who is not acting according to his beliefs, a message that the author undoubtedly wants to convey to his readers. That Jonah is disobeying the Lord of heaven and earth terrifies the pagan sailors; they stand more in awe of that supreme God than does Jonah. And through the words of pagans, God confronts Jonah with his responsibility. “What is this ...

604. Something Different

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

James L. Killen

... to show us. The first verse says "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3). There is an attitude many people want more than anything else that might be called being "rich in spirit." This is very different from just being financially fortunate. It ... is alive and active, a relationship with the God whom Jesus made known to us, a God who loves us and loves everyone else and who wants us all to love one another. This is a God who is always requiring of us what God knows is best for us and then enabling ...

605. Elephants in the Room: Addiction

Romans 7:15-22

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... get free by remembering a three letter word that has been taught in 12 step programs for a long time: H.O.W. Honesty If you want to be set free from the monster of addiction you MUST be honest about your addiction. You must tear down the wall of denial to be ... God. You must be willing to come to the place where you are sick and tired of destroying the life God has given you and you want to become the person that God created you to be. If you are willing to do that, you can be on your way to being free from ...

606. The Cost of Discipleship

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... thinking and know exactly what to say. He is going to hang on my every word and always be patient with me. He will always just want to cuddle. He is going to rub my feet whenever I ask and surprise me with breakfast in bed.” The groom is thinking, “Oh, this ... took a different path than he had anticipated. He gave up his plans to be a vet. He gave up his ideas on the money he wanted to make and the lifestyle he would have, and he became a pastor. You would think that would be the end of the story, right? ...

607. Pop Verses: John 3:16

John 3:16

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... revealed in Jesus Christ. And that is not the God revealed in John 3:16. God loves you. You are his child. He created you. He wants you to be happy and whole. How much does God love you exactly? Take a look: “For God SO loved” To me this is one of ... if there is only one of us to love.” God held nothing back to show you how much he loves you and that he wants you whole. He wants you to live life with purpose and meaning. Believe it or not, convincing people of this is one of my toughest jobs as a pastor ...

608. Wimps or Water Walkers

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

King Duncan

... make us nervous. If you have ever been afraid, you can sympathize with poor Simon Peter. Impetuously he had told Jesus that he wanted to imitate the Master and walk to him on the water. But then he looked down at the waves and became suddenly fearful ... of Galilee. It was particularly beautiful--a full moon over the sea made for an especially romantic setting. So the Twains decided that they wanted to go on a moonlit ride on the lake. Twain approached one of the local fishermen and asked him how much he would ...

609. Chaos and Solitude

Mark 6:30-44, 53-56

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... came to visit our chaotic world. Chaos is catching, but Jesus did not succumb. There was chaos all around him because so many wanted to see him, touch him, and hear him. But there was a serenity within him that people could sense. Jesus was and is ... .' " "I've been blaming others for what goes wrong in my life," a man who said he drank too much, chimed in. "I haven't wanted to take responsibility for my own life. If the only thing I can change is my responses, that means I have to take responsibility for what ...

610. Free Indeed!

John 8:31-36

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... direction -- when Jesus comes into our lives, there is transformation. Instead of being filled with ourselves, we're filled with a new life and a new power. Instead of being slaves to ourselves and slaves to sin, instead of being contained by our own desires and caught between wanting to do good and being unable to do it, we can live a new life. First Corinthians 6:9-11 puts it this way: "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? ... And this is what some of you used to be. But ...

611. Commitment Beyond Calculation

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

William G. Carter

... afford to give out of what's left. Rather she gives it all, and then she has to figure out how she is going to live. She is committed beyond all calculation. That is troubling, for it reveals a faith so sacrificial that it scares us to death. Anybody here want to give your money like she gave hers? It would be like giving away your very life! A minister in Gary, Indiana, tells about a woman who came out of the shadows on a Sunday morning just as the worship service was coming to an end. She had two little ...

612. Are You Suffering from FOMO?

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... . If we're afraid of missing out on something, this is the experience we should be afraid of missing. If we're going to spend our lives chasing something, this is what we should be chasing. God is in this moment. It’s God we don’t want to miss. Author Dale Dauten tells a truly memorable story about a dramatic moment in one man’s life. In the 1950s, Dr. Don Cooper was working the emergency room at a Kansas City hospital. In a seemingly tragic moment Dr. Cooper accidentally injected a tranquilizer too ...

613. The Sign of Jonah

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... faces? Nightingale “dung” - you got it! What do mushrooms grow in? What makes them so succulent and tasty? Well, you know what it is! I want to challenge you to go to the fish market at Meijer and ask the guy behind the counter for a sardine. They will laugh in your ... school the first day her mother put her in a cute little pink dress. She showed up at school and the teacher said "Thelma, I want you to stand right there by your seat. You are not to sit yet." And so Thelma stood by her seat as the rest of ...

614. Holy Quail!

Exodus 16:1-36, Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ? Only eat what is sent that day….Quail in the evening, manna in the morning. After that….it will no longer be good. And people got SICK. Boy did they get sick. It was like a plague that’s how sick they got from sun poisoned meat….until no one wanted EVER to see another quail. In fact, you could say, they began to QUAIL at the very sight of quail!! God gives us everything we need. Sometimes it’s not exactly what we’d like. Sometimes, it may take longer to get to the really good part of our lives ...

615. Heart of a Pelican

Matthew 17:24-27, Exodus 30:11-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... doing that activity with him or her. We can eat foods we don’t much care for, if it means that we please the one who prepared it. We can go to the gym even if we hate it, if it means that we gain the quality of life we want and love. All of us in some way participate in a culture of “bring home the bacon” or “eat your spinach” if you will. But our true love and loyalty lies in our relationships with what most gives us joy. For some of us it’s our relationships with our ...

616. All the Pretty Horses

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:1-12, 1 Kings 3:16-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of the child –the one who loved enough to give up what was due and to value instead the life of the child over what she wanted and deserved. The end to division is love. Love is not fair. That’s why it’s love. Love is not self-gaining or self-serving, ... sell the last day of their life for a measly $1000? If you know it’s going to be the last day of your life, you want to spend it doing something other than storing up money on earth. But wait a minute! How do you know tomorrow is NOT going to be ...

617. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to love something that much as adults. When we start to love our Church more than we love Christ, we’ve become the very thing God wants to overhaul! And boy can we clutch! But once you reach that clutching phase, no matter how much you know you need to let go, ... means. What it really means in your life and in your church. Pray about it if you must. But when I say the following words, I want you to say out loud one word, “Yes.” But say it only if you mean it. Are you ready? Here it is: “As for me and ...

618. Your Wake-up Call

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... you’re the parent of a college student. This woman’s son was a high school senior, and he had a hard time getting to school on time. She was concerned that when her son went off to college, he would miss all his morning classes. So she wanted to create a music playlist of annoying songs and download them as his phone alarms. She had some success waking him up with the songs “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rock a Bye, Baby” and some disco music. But she hoped other parents on the forum would offer ...

619. Caesar or God?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... even his own safety. He cared about only one thing: doing the work of his Father. So Jesus didn’t have to struggle with his answer. He said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Now if you want an answer that’s unpopular with everyone, this is it. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Just as some people resent paying taxes, some people would rather not give God that which is God’s. Pastor Brian ...

620. The Way

John 14:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... go. All we need to do is plug into our navigation system of choice, follow the directions, and we arrive at our destination stress-free. Our navigation systems give us a sense of security, of control, of comfort, and of assurance that we will get where we want to go. They also allow us to keep our brains in partial gear. This makes navigating our journeys easy-peasy. Using our GPS makes sense to us. Maps make sense to us. Directions feel rational and help us feel that we are getting somewhere, that we have ...

621. Last But Yet First

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... of Jesus. "Father, I am one who has sinned against heaven and against you, and am not therefore able to welcome just anyone. I will, therefore, ignore some and let them alone. I will welcome whom I like, only the ones I like, and let the rest go." Would we want God to hear further echoes of Pilate's speech: "I find no fault in those others. It's not that. I just don't like them. They're not my type. I will therefore chastise them and let them go." What is our unwelcoming problem? In the Second Lesson, James ...

622. Tempted By Good

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... symbol of shame, rejection, hatred. He took that cross as his way of saying he would not compromise with evil. He calls us to carry our crosses for him, too. Do not put the Lord your God to the test. Do not try to force God into doing what you want rather than what he wills. This is an awesome rebuke of the powers of darkness. It still is. Jesus went into the desert after the high moment of his baptism. He found himself being pulled in a number of directions. He was tempted to use his powers to satisfy his ...

623. Leveling the Landscape

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... . There's not much question that if most of humanity suffers in the valley, we, the affluent, sit on a right high mountain. We may not want to hear John or get washed in his dirty little river. But what if that's the only way to get from here to Bethlehem? Nor ... manger child and institutionalizing his message. You see, we have the church, and in the church we can make Jesus be anything we want him to be. Luke begins today's text by ticking off a list of the powerful -- mountain dwellers. He starts at the top ...

624. No Shortcut To Glory

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

William L. Self

... words to the effect, "I did not know what this work was like until I got here. The romance and glamour I had in my mind when I came is gone. I have homesickness and fatigue, loneliness and disappointment. I am much more realistic than before, but I still want to give myself to the task for the rest of my life because through all of this I see the hand of God in it." She had developed spiritual eyes. She had a transfiguration. Eyes to see the invisible are developed along the way and are necessary to do ...

625. Brothers

Luke 15:1-7

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... hardhearted to even notice how much he's suffered. NATHAN: I noticed. But you were right. I didn't care. But now I do care. I want to come home and make things right. JOSHUA: How do I know you're telling the truth? Why should I believe you? NATHAN: I've never ... old? Didn't you realize how much your leaving would hurt him? NATHAN: No, I didn't. I admit it. But things have changed. I want to come home now and make it up to him. JOSHUA: I suppose that's because the money is all gone. NATHAN: (Hanging his head) For ...

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