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 651 to 675 of 1164 results

651. Our Own Mountaintop Walk

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Matthias was the 13th of the 12 disciples! He had been chosen by lot to fill the 12th spot when Judas had removed himself from the close circle of Jesus' followers. Matthias had followed the crowds down from the Galilee and had been close to all the disciples through much of the teaching years. And so, with the casting of the lots that picked him, Matthias joined the inner circle of disciples. He was a serious man, trained in the religious law, and certain that Jesus was the expected Messiah. So certain ...

652. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Taking God to Court 23:1 One can hardly call Job’s words in chapters 23 and 24 a response to Eliphaz’s third speech. Job takes no notice of his friend or his argument, but he begins instead to consider the feasibility and benefit of bringing God to court so he might hope to find just resolution to his complaint. In chapter 23 Job reflects, at first confidently but ultimately with increasing terror, on the difficulty of locating God and securing his presence for the legal proceedings. 23:2 Job says, my ...

653. Second Thoughts

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Sooner or later the spiritual journey we make as followers of Jesus Christ leads us to a Jericho Road. The Jerusalem-Jericho Road of Jesus' day was the scene of one of the most compelling stories our Lord ever told. To this day, the actual road is little more than a strip of rocky terrain which leads us from Jerusalem south to the village of Jericho. What is remarkable is that in just 15 miles, the elevation drops from 2,400 feet above sea level to 1,400 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea. (I will always ...

654. Religion In A Nutshell

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Robert Allen

Mildred was a fine lady. She was 64 years old when the doctors discovered that she had terminal cancer. She was in and out of the hospital several times receiving her treatments, and each time she seemed to be a little weaker than the time before. Mildred was married to one of the roughest roughnecks in Oklahoma. He was a big, burly man, and one look at him told you that in his younger days, he was the kind of fellow who didn’t step aside for any man. However, around Mildred, he had become quiet and almost ...

655. From Tears To Triumph

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

It was difficult for Jesus to watch people he loved experience such heartache. Never was there a heart more tender than his. When the crowds begged for healing, he complied. When Mary and Martha wept for their brother Lazarus, he called forth Lazarus from the tomb. When the multitude hungered, he gave them fishes and loaves. When they cursed and crucified him, he asked the Father to forgive them. Now his closest friends were grieving. They were grieving because he had been nailed to a cruel cross on a hill ...

656. Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

All three of the synoptic gospels agree that Jesus experienced a period of temptation; all three give us similar versions of the incident. In addition, Hebrews 4:15 also testifies to Jesus' temptation episode. The author of Hebrews used the temptation narrative to show that Jesus, like us, faced threats to his own fragile humanity. Luke, however, has a different agenda. Seeking to address both the Jewish and Christian worlds, Luke's explicit reference to Jesus' "40 days" of temptation would surely ring a ...

657. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Back in the early 1980's, there was a best- selling book entitled Blue Highways. The novel chronicles one man's adventures along the back roads and secondary highways of America. His journeys took him into crossroad villages and almost forgotten towns where he met all kinds of interesting people, including a few hitchhikers whom he befriended. Among the hitchhikers was a Bible-toting self styled evangelist, who passed out religious tracts and confronted everyone he met with questions about their salvation ...

658. A Way Made Ready

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Darrick Acre

Have you been out to see the Christmas lights yet? It is time for the annual excursion, when you pack the car with people on a chilly December evening, and drive around to all the neighborhoods and parks made beautiful by cities or neighborhood associations with lights, lights, and more lights, in a variety of colors and hues. There are bright reds, blues, and greens; beautiful, pastel pinks and yellows; and of course the brilliant elegance of white. As you drive along, there are elves and carolers, Santa ...

659. Hello!?

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When we find ourselves shrinking, shirking, shivering and sniveling in fear and doubt, God breaks through to say: "Hello!?" A Harris survey commissioned by United Airlines found that 38 percent of passengers never use the lavatory during a flight, 60 percent do, and another 2 percent aren't sure. "Hello!?" I'm fascinated by that 2 percent. But I sure hope I never sit next to one of them on a flight! "Hello!?!" Did you read about Julee Sharik, from Orem, Utah. She gave birth to a 7-pound, 5-ounce son, just ...

660. Total Recall

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

Sermon

James Merritt

On June 24, 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Roger C. Weightman, declining an invitation to come to Washington, D.C., to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last letter that Jefferson, who was gravely ill, ever wrote. In it, Jefferson says of this date celebrating America's independence: "May it be to the world, what I believe it will be...the signal of arousing men to burst the chains...and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That ...

661. Table Manners

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

Perhaps it is the oddity that I am writing this on the Monday before Thanksgiving or it is my proclivity to identify food with each passing holiday that, as I approach these texts, I find myself thinking of another text from Psalm 23: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July and I am dreaming dreams of sugar plum fairies, turkey legs, chocolate bunnies, and barbecues. This is definitely a job hazard for clergy. Most congregations revel ...

662. Paul: The Man and His Message

Romans 9:1-29

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Hans Lietzmann, noted New Testament scholar, once remarked that no one has correctly understood Jesus except Paul and no one has correctly understood Paul. The attempts to understand Paul are legion. The literature on him is immense and the interpretations of his thought are varied. To Bultmann he is "the founder of Christian theology," while to Morton Enslin he is not a theologian at all but simply a "practical and forthright man" who taught new life in Christ but had little regard for logical consistency ...

663. Jesus, Our Hope

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Darrick Acre

So this is Christmas. You’ve heard the song haven’t you? “So this is Christmas and what have you done? Another year over; a new one just begun. Let’s hope it’s a good one with plenty of cheer.” We can always hope, can’t we? Or can we? So this is Christmas. Have you ever said that with more resignation than excitement? Have you ever said it with more disappointment than joy? “So this is Christmas?” Somewhere in a family gathering there will be a moment when hearts are torn because the place at the table is ...

664. Never Underestimate The Power of a Cup of Cold Water

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Brett Blair

Now I would like to stop the world for just one minute and ask you to think back. Think back with me to the first century. Think about those 50 years after Jesus’ death and what it must been like for Jesus’ disciples. Before the last one died their efforts had brought 500,000 men women, and children into the ranks of the church. But what they had to suffer in order to accomplish this task is seldom discussed. We like the outcome of their discipleship but we don’t want to hear the cost of discipleship. So ...

665. Easter 5

Jn 13:31-35 · Acts 13:44-52; 14:8-18; 21-27 · Rev 21:1-5

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Acts 14:8-18 After a miracle of healing, the people consider Paul and Barnabas to be gods. In this pericope we have Paul's first miracle and his first sermon to pagans. It is very unlike Paul because no mention is made of Jesus and the resurrection, nor the name of Jesus as the power of healing. The account does not say that the faith of the cripple was faith in Jesus, the Healer. Moreover, a miracle usually ends in the people's glorifying God, but here the people give the credit to Paul and ...

666. Proper 10 & Pentecost 8

Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 65:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Exodus 2:11-25, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE As the first third of the Pentecost cycle/season approaches its conclusion, the preacher must keep in mind that the theological framework of the season continues to be eschatological; the church continues to wait and work in anticipation of the Parousia. The Gospel for the Day, supported by the first reading, continues to provide the primary theme for worship and preaching, depending on whether or not one reads the shorter or longer lection, while the second reading continues to go its own ...

667. Christmas 1

Isaiah 63:7--64:12, Colossians 3:1-17, Colossians 3:18-4:1, Galatians 3:15-25, Hebrews 2:5-18, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 63:7-9 (C); Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (E) The prophet counts Israel's many blessings. When the Exiles returned to Jerusalem, conditions were far from good. In today's Lesson 1, the prophet recalls God's blessings on Israel in the past and asks, "Why not now?" On the basis of past "steadfast love," the nation should take courage and hope that Yahweh's blessings will continue. The covenant made at Sinai means they were the people of Yahweh, and as such he saved them from the bondage in ...

668. Freedom Song

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Not long ago, a group of youngsters was questioned at random on what they liked about the United States. Here is a sample of the answers: Jackie, age 9 "We've got more stuff and things in America than anywhere in the world. We have pizza as well and it don't grow any other place on earth except maybe Italy." Heather, age 5 "America is the best because people in other countries are smaller and they get trodden on easy." Elliott, age 9 "Everybody wants to live in America because we own the moon. The ...

669. A Blast from the Past

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard about a man who had retired, and he got up one morning and the first thing he did was read the obituary column to find out who had died. Well, on this particular morning he read that column and the newspaper by mistake had put his name in the column and reported that he was dead. He was not only shaken he was irate. He called the editor of the newspaper and fussed him out. Finally the editor said, "I'll tell you what we'll do. In the morning we'll put your name in the birth column and give you a ...

670. Beyond a Friendly, Cuddly Christmas

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

King Duncan

This is the season for returns is it not? . . . Especially for returning unwanted or impractical Christmas gifts. I was reading something interesting recently about Costco, the giant members-only warehouse store. Costco is the second largest retailer in the world after Walmart. What you may not know is that Costco has one of the most generous return policies in the retail world. They will allow customers to return just about anything they buy there . . . for a full refund. As you might guess, that kind of ...

671. On the Wrong Plane (New)

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

King Duncan

Trudy Rosenfield left England in good spirits, looking forward to landing in sunny San Jose, California, after an all-day flight. Little did Ms. Rosenfield know that her travel agent had made a computer error in booking her flight. The travel agent had accidentally put the seventy-year-old woman on a flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Ms. Rosenfield fell asleep on the plane, blissfully unaware that she was headed for the wrong destination. When she never arrived at the California airport, Ms. Rosenfield's ...

672. The Upside-down Kingdom of God

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Johnny Dean

Doesn’t it seem to you that our whole culture (when we’re not tuned in to catch the latest nonsense coming out of Washington) is devoted to reminding us that our chief goal in life is to be happy? ("Yes, what he did was wrong. But the economy is good and I’m happy.") There was even a song about the importance and preeminence of being happy a few years ago. Do you remember it? "Here’s a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note: Don’t worry. Be happy!" Advertising sells products based on ...

673. What the Maid Said to the Fisherman

Mark 14:66-72, Mark 14:53-65

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I THINK ST. PETER HAS GOTTEN A “BUM RAP.” As a result of our Scripture lesson of the morning, St. Peter is often pictured as being a coward, cringing in the courtyard before the onslaught of a serving maid’s questions. Sometimes it seems as though Jesus called Peter “the Rock” not because of his standing qualities, but because of his sinking qualities. Actually, it took a great deal of courage for him to be there at all. None of the rest of the twelve were there. Gone were the crowds who, on Palm Sunday, ...

674. The Love of a Father (Father's Day)

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

It is not easy being a father. One cynic, speaking from his own experience, noted that children go through four fascinating stages. First they call you DaDa. Then they call you Daddy. As they mature they call you Dad. Finally they call you collect. Today we salute fathers. Dads, we love you. The role of a Christian father is more important in today's world than ever before. It is a different roll than in earlier generations. In most households today Dad is called upon to play more of a nurturing role in ...

675. Piercing A Hole In The Darkness

Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

King Duncan

Series on the Book of Job, #3 Suggested music: "A Few Questions" (See the forward to this series) Author Sheila Walsh tells of meeting Debbie Arden. Debbie's husband was the agent for golfer Payne Stewart. He and Stewart died in a freak airplane accident a few years ago. Debbie Arden claims that her husband's death led her to a new place of assurance and faith in God. As she said, "God used the death of my beloved husband to, as Oswald Chambers said, "˜Pierce a hole in the darkness so that I could behold ...

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