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 951 to 975 of 1838 results

951. Generous Religion

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... to be rejected and ostracized everywhere he goes. Finally, he stumbles on the house of a kindly bishop. The bishop treats Valjean with kindness, feeding him and allowing him to spend the night at his house. That night, Valjean is restless, still battling the anger and bitterness in his heart. He leaves the house that night, stealing all the bishop's fine silver utensils. The next day, soldiers come to the bishop's house with Valjean in tow. They have found the silver, and are ready to throw him in jail. But ...

952. The Rock

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the tomb, denying access to Jesus. To the women on this mournful sunrise journey to the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the Rock was profoundly disturbing. The Rock, soon to be the anchor of their resurrection faith, was at that moment a bitter and unyielding witness to death's power. The Rock was a symbol of death's relentless, stubborn pursuit of humankind. Even Jesus? Yes. Even Jesus. Jesus, Lord of Life, was dead. Jesus, too, walked through the valley of TZALMAVET, "the shadow of death" (Psalm ...

953. Finishing In The Top 10%

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... but to teach that life is good and holy. People who view life with gratitude are the most secure people in the world. They know that the spotlight doesn't always need to fall on them so they can express true gratitude. Insecure people are ungrateful and thereby bitter. In his book, The Person Reborn, Paul Tournier writes, "The farmer sows his wheat in the gray days of autumn. He knows in the springtime his field will be green with thousands of little shoots and that in the summer it will turn to the gold of ...

954. When The Going Gets Tough

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... writes, "no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me." Can you imagine that? Here was the greatest Christian teacher who ever lived, and he could not count on the support of his friends and fellow believers in the church. A lesser person might have become bitter. It's one thing for your enemies to turn you into a human piÃ±ata, it is another for your brothers and sisters in Christ to turn their backs while it is happening. A man named Gary Shank saw a church sign that carried an unintended message ...

955. Bracing For The Rough Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... ; a cultural terrorist at worst) made the decision to cut from the ball game to show the children's movie Heidi. During those two minutes Oakland snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. New York blew their 10point lead. It was a stunning ending to a bitterly fought athletic contest but the nation's football fanatics could only read about it in the paper the next day. They had been deprived in the most heartless way of seeing the conclusion to the game, all because of a children's movie. The response of ...

956. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... CRUNCH, MUNCH . . . Now, I ain't never read them books you read . . . CRUNCH, MUNCH . . . and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek . . . CRUNCH, MUNCH . . ." He finished the apple. "All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate--was it bitter or sweet?" The theologian paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple." The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked ...

957. Yes!!!

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Sermon

King Duncan

... behalf. God is the God who says "Yes" to our lives. A young Irish immigrant, Joseph Scriven (1820-86) was deeply in love with a girl, and their marriage plans had been made. Not long before their wedding day, however, she drowned. For months Scriven was bitter, in utter despair. At last he turned to Christ, and through Christ's grace, he found peace and comfort. Out of this tragic experience he wrote the familiar hymn that has brought consolation to millions of aching hearts: "What a Friend we have in Jesus ...

958. The Bridge Builder

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... rift in 40 years in farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man With a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here ...

959. What Are You Tied To?

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , as well as the progeny of my friends, I can attest to its authenticity: Start with one child. Add a little hot air--Two hours of "when I was your age" will get a rise out of him. Stir in some sarcasm--It will bring out the bitter flavor. Fill with bad examples--preferably your own. Instruct the child how to lie about his age so you can sneak him into the movie at half price. Take "souvenirs" from restaurants and hotels. Towels are nice. Pillow cases are better. Season with indifference--Most families have ...

960. Worriers Or Warriors?

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... on a bicycle, precariously balancing a basket of oranges on the handle bars. He was bumped accidentally by a porter who was so bent over, carrying a heavy burden, that he had not seen him. The burden dropped, the oranges were scattered, and a bitter altercation broke out between the cyclist and the porter. Angry words, threats, hostilities were shouted. A crowd gathered to watch what was certain to become a bloody fight. The enraged cyclist moved toward the porter with a clenched fist. But just then, a ...

961. Wrong Way. On Purpose

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

... friend a villain or a rascal, or worse. Our smile and tone take all the sting out of it and fill it with affection. We can be quite sure that the smile on Jesus' face and the compassion in his eyes robbed the word of all insult and bitterness." (3) In other words, perhaps Jesus said, "Oops, I've come the wrong way," in the same sense Corrigan spoke identical words to the Irish. But the world suspected . . . no, the world knew. They knew with a single glance into Corrigan's excited eyes that he had fulfilled ...

962. On "supersizing" Our Vision

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

... her small gift can do. In other words, Jesus' point has nothing whatsoever to do with how much is given, but rather in what spirit it is given. Dr. Thomas Lane Butts tells the story of six people who froze to death around a campfire on a bitterly cold night. Each had a stick of wood they might have contributed to the fire, but for reasons satisfactory to themselves each person refused to give what they had. A woman would not give her stick of wood because there was an African-American person in the circle ...

963. Look Who's Giving Thanks!

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... things that could happen in our lives, then maybe we would have an appreciation for how many good things we do have. Many years ago, Dr. Arthur Caliandro was asked to visit a woman who was hospitalized after a devastating plane crash. She was angry, bitter, and depressed. Dr. Caliandro tried to comfort her, but the woman rejected every positive thing he said. According to Caliandro, her philosophy seemed to be, “This is the day the devil has made, let us complain and be miserable in it." Even after the ...

964. Through The Storm, Through The Night

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... with cancer. A few days later, this man's wife called Tony. She wanted him to know that her husband had died. Tony was discouraged by the news. But the wife added that Tony's prayers were not in vain. For the last few years, her husband had been bitter over his diagnosis. But after Tony prayed with him, the man found a measure of peace. His last few days of life were the happiest he had ever spent. "Tony," she said, "he wasn't cured, but he was healed." (4) The third thing that prayer offers is assurance ...

965. When Your Lips Are One Place But Your Heart . . .

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... to whitewash their hearts discover that when the rain of adversity comes, the whitewash fades and people see that it wasn't Jesus after all. It was just old Willie. Religion is the perfect place to hide a heart filled with hate, with doubt, with bitterness. EVEN WORSE, RELIGION IS THE PERFECT WEAPON TO USE AGAINST THOSE WE DESPISE, THOSE WE FEAR, THOSE WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND. The December 1998 issue of Life magazine carried a full page picture of a group of about a dozen protestors. These people with twisted ...

966. Entertaining Angels

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... --that a ship was found. Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his way home. But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out Squanto's entire village. If ever a young man had reason to be bitter, it was Squanto. If ever a young man had reason to hate whites, it was Squanto. But Squanto had given his life to Christ and, a year after his arrival home, a shipload of English families arrived and settled on the very land once occupied by ...

967. All My Children

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... Dr. John Trent tells of a childhood friend who came from a tough home environment. Roger's father was an alcoholic. His erratic behavior while drinking kept the whole household on edge. When Roger was fifteen, his father died. We might assume that Roger would be bitter about his upbringing. Therapists tell us that Roger had a high probability of following in his father's sad footsteps. But just the opposite happened. Roger was one of the most stable, caring young men Dr. Trent ever knew. He grew into a fine ...

968. Ready For A Change

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... , claiming that she wanted to interview for a job. But as soon as she entered his office, Maria made her intent clear. She was the secretary to the Communist Party in Ecuador. She denounced everything having to do with God or with Jesus Christ. Her bitterness overwhelmed him. But Palau listened respectfully and replied gently to everything Maria said. Soon, Maria was telling him her life story. It was a tale of pain and suffering and sin. And she ended it all with one question, "Supposing there is a God ...

969. Life Is What Happens When You've Made Other Plans

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

Dr. Robert E. Lair

... what it means to have the unexpected happen to us. Theologian Reinhold Niehbuhr used to call such unexpected intrusions "the vicissitudes of life." Such intrusions of the unexpected evoke a variety of responses from us: irritation, frustration, anxiety, rage, grief, bitterness, or despair (usually according to the severity of the unexpected intrusion). Intrusions of the unexpected, however, are not the unusual. They are the usual. "Life is what happens when you've made other plans." One does not have to ...

970. Set Free Through Forgiveness!

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... ," he explained. "I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, will you forgive me?" A conflict raged in Corrie's heart. The Spirit of God urged her to forgive. The spirit of bitterness and coldness urged her to turn away. "Jesus, help me," she prayed. Then she knew what she must do. "I can lift my hand," she thought to herself. "I can do that much." As their hands met it was as if warmth and healing broke forth with tears and joy ...

971. There's Something About A Mystery

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... his library. He was astounded that his black chauffeur could read. And he was positively dismayed when he learned that Jordan was attending college, studying to be a lawyer. Black people aren't supposed to be lawyers, Maddox said. Rather than lashing out or turning bitter, this kind of attitude inspired Vernon Jordan to work harder to reach his goals. (5) The reason things will work out fine, says St. Paul, is because all of us are God's children. If salvation was a matter of intelligence, or merit, or skin ...

972. An Invitation To Know God

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... was a deeply religious woman, so it was only natural that she should take her despair to the Lord. At the temple of Shiloh she knelt to pray. Eli the prophet was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple, and he saw this woman weeping bitterly. Her lips were moving but her voice could not be heard. Eli wrongly concluded that she was intoxicated, and he went over to her and scolded her. Eli could not know the anguish in Hannah's heart--the unspeakable sorrow she felt. She was not intoxicated. She ...

973. A Penny For God

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... of God's grace in our lives. It is a reflection of the condition of our inner selves. Some unknown poet who understood that the willingness to share is a matter of one's spiritual condition once put it this way: Six humans trapped by happenstance in dark and bitter cold, each possessed a stick of wood, or so the story's told. Their dying fire in need of logs, the first woman held hers tight, for one face around the fire was one for whom she felt spite. The next man looking "˜cross the way saw one not ...

974. The Perfect Antidote For Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... of self-fulfilling prophecy. The more we worry, the less likely we are to see God's hand at work and to experience God's blessings. The perfect antidote for worry is gratitude. Gratitude is the opposite of fear, the opposite of self-centeredness, the opposite of bitterness. Gratitude springs from faith, and faith results in joy, hope, and peace. When we are able to say, "Thank you God for the gift of life and all the blessings of life," and then to trust God for all our lives--then, and only then, will we ...

975. Two Women Of Faith

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... was in the news many years ago. It occurred on Cyprus, the island in the Mediterranean that is divided between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. Ever since the Turks invaded Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish and the Greek Cypriot people have been bitter enemies. Today, Cyprus is split into these two factions. The north of Cyprus is controlled by the Turkish Cypriots. The south of Cyprus is controlled by the Greek Cypriots, the original citizens of Cyprus. But the two communities came together in a stunning ...

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