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 926 to 950 of 1199 results

926. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... inflicted this suffering and pain on him were deserving only of his disdain. But Jesus did not look at them like that. Instead he looked at them through the eyes of the kingdom of God. He could only see people crushed by the weight of their own hatred. This was no time for revenge. This was time for reconciliation. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). An auctioneer holds up an old violin, battered and scarred. He looks at it wondering why anyone would ever think that it was ...

927. Running the Race

Philippians 3:4-11, 2 Timothy 4:7

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... to run has become the burden we cannot bear. The innocent bending of the rules has become a cancer destroying not only the joy of competition but our relationships with our friends, our neighbors, and our fellow competitors. Infected with distrust, suspicion, jealousy, and even hatred, friendly competition has become a war. Some of us like to compete because we like to win. We are proud of the fact that we do it fair and square. We can point to our great successes and manifold victories. We have a fine ...

928. A Bloody Cheer!

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... up to in Christ. God in Christ empties himself, takes the form of a servant, and immerses himself totally and deeply in this broken world. Christ carries all that is wrong and ugly with this world. He bears ALS, strokes, thefts, the most distasteful of sins, jealousy, hatred, and even those impersonal economic forces that crush so many, that bites them off, grinds them up, spits them out, and then calls them "a tax write-off." Even Jesus dies on a cross. He goes all the way to the cemetery and joins us in ...

929. Meal of Death

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... mouths at the colonel's, we don't realize all the brutal bloodletting it took to get it there. Jesus died because that is the bloody fate we all must suffer for being such sinners and scoundrels. Jesus died because he became entangled in the maze of lies, fears, worries, hatreds, and sins that make up the fabric of human life. Jesus died because we all must die. No one likes to admit that our world is so flawed, so fallen, and so doomed. If the Son of God was to become like us in every way, then he had to ...

930. Thicker Than Blood

Galatians 3:23-29

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... bridge these divisions in the church today? Can we live out such a transcendent vision of unity in Christ Jesus? If we think of this as a new "law," it becomes clear how much we have failed! Our world is full of examples of racial hatred, ethnic cleansing, the wealthy oppression of the poor, and other situations of hostility and conflict. Even in the church, there is division, quarreling, one-upmanship, and other behaviors contrary to our unity. If being one in Christ Jesus were a new law, clearly we have ...

931. Freedom Calling

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... our freedom to love our neighbor as ourselves — within our own households and church, and in the world around us. Our scripture text challenges us to turn away from "what the flesh desires" to "the fruit of the Spirit." That means replacing hatred with love, replacing strife and quarrels with peace. On a very practical level, it means refusing to engage in adultery or domestic violence, out of respect and faithfulness to our marriage partner. It means saying no to excessive drinking, to recreational drugs ...

932. The Call of Holiness

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... ready God is ready to challenge them to serve as disciples. There are definite similarities between humanitarian effort and Christian service. Each sees people in need. People on this earth have endured tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes, diseases, famine, floods, injustices, hatred, and war. Compassionate people care and see the incredible needs of fellow human beings. Each cares about people in need. People have been touched to their very souls about people in need. This care is genuine and part of ...

933. When We Don't Know God

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... in your life that you cannot imagine being part of Christ’s life, then no matter how much scripture you have memorized, how faithful your attendance in church, how sincere your prayer life, probably you do not know God. Particularly, if your heart is filled with hatred and resentment, there is probably not much room there for Christ. This brings us to our second question: how can you and I come to know God today? And the answer is simple just say “yes” to God. That’s it. There is nothing else you ...

934. Pet Peeves and Pet Pleasures

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... people.” Over the years “Rachel’s Challenge” has organized thirty different speaking groups to go out into schools, speaking positive words of joy, and hope, and love, to teenagers who might have otherwise fallen into the abyss of despair and hatred and violence. In place of despair “Rachael’s Challenge” has offered a vision of compassion and kindness, of love and acceptance. “Rachael’s Challenge” offers struggling teens a glimpse of what it means to experience in their own lives God ...

935. So Send I You

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... know My love alone So send I you to leave your life's ambition To die to dear desire, self‑will resign To labor long, and love where men revile you So send I you to lose your life in Mine So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred To eyes made blind because they will not see To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not So send I you to taste of Calvary We are the sent ones. "As the Father sent me, so send I you" __________________________________ COMMENTARY Easter morning is a synonym for ...

936. Blessed Are Those Who Believe

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love . . . “When evil men plot, good men plan. When evil men bomb and burn, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glory of love . . .” A prominent newscaster once put it like this: “A successful [person] is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” Where are you this morning--on the side of ...

937. The Healing Fountain of Tears

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... .” They were those who had gone through the torments, tortures, and tribulations that this world could dish out. Given the state of the human soul, undoubtedly many of those torments and tortures came from within — self-abuse, self-loathing, self-incrimination, self-hatred. Those too are the torments and tribulations of this world. That is why the Psalmist says “I water my couch with my tears . . . tears have been my food day and night.” That is why “tears are liquid prayers.” That is why this ...

938. A Matter of Trust

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” When you think about it, it is amazing that people in the early church ever trusted Paul at all. Suppose we had somebody show up at our church who was known for his religious hatred, known for his proclivity for violence, was even known to have participated in the murder of a dear friend of ours, a highly respected member of our church. Would you ever trust him? Or would you say, “I’ll never trust him. You can’t change human ...

939. The Two Ultimate Questions of Life

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... will be an injustice to those who truly deserve to be loved. As for loving a stranger, Freud states, “Not merely is this stranger on the whole not worthy of love, but, to be honest, I must confess he has more claim to my hostility, even to my hatred.” (5) Sigmund Freud and Jesus were in two different camps. Is it possible for me to love my neighbor if he is somehow different from me? Freud said no. But Jesus says, “Yes.” The boundaries of our love can be extended. “Do this and you will live.” Do ...

940. The Story of Christmas

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... . There have always been generous hearts and souls in every generation. Still, on the whole, humanity’s record upon earth was a dismal one. There were times, even as today, when evil seemed much stronger than good when love seemed to be swallowed up by hatred when men ruled by the sword and might was often mistaken for right. The world was in darkness and the greatest darkness was in the heart of human beings. Only the Hebrew prophets could see that God was not finished with His creation. God’s love ...

941. A Faith that Will Transform You

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins,” said Lewis. “All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing . . . the pleasures of power, of hatred . . . That is why,” according to Lewis, “a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute.” (1) That states it pretty strongly, but it seems to accurately represent the attitude of Jesus toward people ...

942. A King Like No Other

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... know not what they do.” I believe he was praying for everyone in history who has ever acted cruelly, who has ever lashed out in anger, who has ever caused anyone else pain. What is there in the human heart that causes us to lash out in hatred and violence even within our own household? Why do husbands and wives abuse one another? Why do parents slap, scold and belittle their own precious children? What is there in the human heart that causes us to act with such cruelty? Why has every generation in history ...

943. A Topsy-Turvy Gospel

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... dealt with. His death was not only brutal, it was intentionally belittling to every part of the human being body, mind, emotions, spirit. Jesus’ death turned the world upside down. His lifting up on a cross made weakness a strength. His love made the heat of hatred a cold shower. His death was not futile. His death was fertile giving life and a life to come to all of humanity. The downheartening is the uplifting; the upside is the downside, and the downside is the upside. The legal process of Rome thought ...

944. Hitting the Boss Key

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... Bible, with no Christian relationships and watched what happened to her life. She fell right off the table. Her character began to change, the way she talked, the kind of words she used, the ugly words she used. The attitudes she had toward others, the jealousy, the hatred. All of it immediately came into her life. She told Greg Lauri, “I didn’t realize how weak I really was.” (4) Guys, we are all weak. That is one reason to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures. It is so we can have support in the time ...

945. Prelude to the Passion

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... If you think I am simply being politically correct, it shows how messed up you are in your spiritual life. I am not being politically correct; I am being true to the teachings of Jesus. He came to take upon himself all the evil in the world including the hatred and the cruelty and the bigotry in our hearts. That was the only way he could show us the nature of agape love, the love that created this universe, the love which God has for each of His children. Barbara Brown Taylor recalls one of the legends of ...

946. In the Mood for Murder

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... sympathizing and saying, “Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks.” (6) And that’s true. No matter what anyone has done to you, sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks. And that’s when we need to surrender our anger, surrender our hatred to God and allow him to replace these negative emotions with love and forgiveness. This brings us to our final guideline for today: unresolved anger is a spiritual problem. Anger not only affects our health and our relationships with others, it is important ...

947. Right in Front of Our Eyes

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... , not to participate. He watched the unspeakable indignities of selling and buying human beings. His response was a mixture of disgust, sadness and outrage. As he stood there a young woman was brought to the block, her eyes and body language screaming defiance and hatred. She had been used and abused by her previous owners and now it was going to happen all over again. The bidding began, and to everyone’s amazement, Lincoln offered a bid. As the price went up, so did Lincoln’s bids until the auctioneer ...

948. Peace Be With You

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... Let’s deal with this beautiful story this morning and apply this experience to our lives. Let’s begin with those locked doors. Why were they locked? Out of fear, of course. Jesus had been put to death by his enemies. Would they now turn their hatred toward his followers? It was a reasonable question. I read a humorous story this week about a couple who were vacationing in Yosemite Park. The wife expressed her concern about camping because of bears and said she would feel more comfortable in a motel. The ...

949. Hemlock and Hyssop

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... drugs that would dull his senses and lessen his suffering (Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23). That’s one reason why suicide bombers can never be called “martyrs.” They are dictating an exit from earth on their own terms. It’s all about control, and hatred. When you take other people with you in your self-choreographed death, you can never be called a “martyr.” Only a blood-thirsty louse, mouse and coward. It’s not true that Jihadists don’t drink. Blood is their brandy. Jesus never revealed his true ...

950. Breaking News: The Middle East

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... the world does. I know that because it is a war that has been going on in practicality for well over 4,000 years and the war has its roots in this region. It is the hot-bed of terrorism, a cauldron of violence, and a rumbling volcano of hatred that constantly erupts in rivers of bloodshed. It is the region known as the “Middle East.” It stretches from Egypt to Iran. It includes countries such as: Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. It is a place where they have six days of unrest and on the ...

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