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 76 to 100 of 357 results

76. The Rich Ruler

Luke 18:18-30

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... with his wealth than he is with following Jesus or with obtaining eternal life. Although it does not explicitly say so, the passage suggests that the wealthy ruler had failed to keep the tenth commandment, the commandment not to covet (Exod. 20:17; Deut. 5:21). Because of his covetous attitude toward wealth, he had become guilty of violating the first and foremost commandment as well: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3; Deut. 5:7, RSV). This person could not give up his wealth ...

77. God Gives the Pharisees the Finger!

John 7:25-44, John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... against God! He has broken the relationship between himself and God by not respecting God’s covenantal understanding. This is why Jesus explains to the Pharisees at one point that even thinking about taking another man’s property (a woman) is wrong! It’s covetousness. And this is the definition of “adultery” that offends God! It is the robbing of another man’s livelihood, his beauty, his ability to have children and pass on the covenant, his pride as a man, his woman! Now if that man were dead ...

78. Being Good

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

... 't kept the rules that God has given already!" But this young man was a hard-core success. That isn't what he said. What he said was, "No problem! I've kept all those commands since I was a kid. Never have I cursed, stolen, fornicated, coveted, blasphemed, killed, lied, talked back to Mom. How 'bout giving me some real commands, something a morally successful person like me can really sink his teeth into." And then Jesus, in one of the greatest understatements in all of the gospel says, "OK. You want to be ...

79. First World Problems

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... Joy Davidman was raised in a prosperous family. She was an atheist until sometime in her thirties when she became a follower of Jesus. In her book Smoke on the Mountain, she wrote, “There is . . . only one way to stop covetousness and the destruction of body and soul that spring from covetousness, and that is to want God so much that we can’t be bothered with inordinate wants for anything else.” (4) There is only one way to change our mindset of more wanting, more wealth, more stuff. And that is ...

80. The Debt of Love

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... to these important words: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.” Did you catch that? Love is what it’s ...

81. Overcoming Envy

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... million-dollar house, because they wanted to be better than their neighbors. (4) I hope I’ve given you a sense of how pervasive this problem is and how destructive it can be to human relationships. But what can we do so that we are not tempted to covet something that someone else has or is? The first step is to recognize that envy and jealousy do exist and they can be destructive to our well-being or even could cause us to harm in some way the person we envy. The composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein ...

82. Last But Yet First

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... very clear. "Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind." James asks, "Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from?" And James says about us, "From your cravings, your wanting, your coveting, your wrong asking, your friendship with the world, your pride." It is fitting that Jesus gives his second summary of his sacrifice just before pointing up this sin of wanting to be the greatest. He came to change us, to alter our constant ...

83. A Tale Of Two Cities

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... who speculated in land and drove out the poor, while they contributed nothing to the society. Alas for those who devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and take them away; they oppress householder and house, people and their inheritance (2:1-2). It is a sad thing when, through government manipulation and financial speculation, inherited land is seized and becomes a mere commodity ...

84. Proper 13

Luke 11:1-13, Hosea 11:1-11, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 107:1-43

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... an important teacher for resolution of secular problems. Jesus refused to accept that definition of his ministry. If he accepted that role, he could spend all his time making such judgments. 3. "Greed." (v. 15) Greed is sometimes translated as covetousness in other versions. Jesus does not directly attack greed, but instead attacks the foolishness of trusting one's own future to accumulated possessions. 4. "The Land ... Produced Abundantly." (v. 16) The rich man could not take full credit for the abundance ...

85. You Can Create A Godly Heritage!

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... you've left something behind. A bad impression." So many die and leave a bad impression. As Jeremiah 2:7 says, we've made our "heritage an abomination." A Good Example Now some examples of a good heritage. Certainly King David was not a perfect man. His coveting, adultery, murder, and lying show us that no heritage is untainted by sin. But still David was "a man after God's own heart." That's because he could repent. And such pleases God. King David has left us an example. His biography is included in the ...

86. The Agenda Factor

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

William L. Self

... wind blew and the rain descended? "I'll do something for God. I'll build God a house as good as my own," he announced to Nathan. "I live in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent" -- very noble indeed. People who covet power and court it constantly know instinctively that every opportunity to demonstrate the power they possess must be taken. Yes, David lived well but his God did not. Could David be so powerful and his nomadic desert God live in a battered old tent? After all, the other ...

87. Training Wheels For Life

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... other gods before me. You shall make no idol. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not kill, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet anything that is your neighbor's." Ten commandments. These are those parameters God has given us to enable us to be in a position to grow in our relationship with God and with our neighbor. I like our lay leader's term, "training wheels." Are the commandments ...

88. Service And Reward

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... laborers before sunset. Psalm 24:1 Ä The divine ownership of the earth. Jeremiah 12:10 Ä Shepherds ruin the vineyard. Malachi 3:5 Ä Judgment against those who defraud by withholding wages. Mark 7:22 Ä Jesus' teaching about the sins of the heart, including covetousness and envy. Luke 3:14 Ä John the Baptist tells soldiers to be content with their wages. Philippians 4:11 Ä Paul's contention that "In whatever state I am, to be content." Colossians 4:1Ä Paul's admonition to masters to treat their slaves ...

89. Adam And Jesus See Temptation

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David Belgum

... as long as he was a responsible steward. Things were so elemental that it was almost impossible to foul up. To whom or about whom would he have borne false witness anyway? He had no neighbors of his own kind nor any houses or cars to covet. Profanity was almost totally unnecessary. There were better ways to call the cattle or otherwise order things about. He didn't really need a sabbath for rest since God had provided him with a period of darkness every 24 hours; and since there was no cable television ...

90. Prayers for Epiphany

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... of the possible outcome of our days. We abhor the thought that we would become a shell, a front, a flat picture completely devoid of any depth or dimension. Our emptiness isn't our desire. We have run and are running now in life's race hoping to win a coveted winner's wreath. It isn't that we have set our sights on hollowness, or that we wish to become shallow. Nonetheless, we find ourselves far from the spiritual home we dreamed of -- lost and naked of spirit. O God, we have tried to see our plight as the ...

91. Uncovering Cover-Ups

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... or craving for power and notoriety. "Do your own thing so long as it doesn't hurt anybody" is the popular slogan. If it gives you pleasure or makes you happy, it's okay. Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship and recipient of the coveted 1993 Templeton Prize in Religion, will be remembered by many as President Nixon's rough and tough "hatchet man." Now a remarkable born-again Christian and tireless worker for prison reformation, Colson says that our culture has "spent the last 30 years determined to ...

92. Grapes Of Wrath Or Grace?

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... Than You Want To Stay." Nineteen words is a tad long for a song title, but it does state a succinct and compelling truth: sin will get you in serious trouble. In this lesson, Ahab is king and is married to the wicked, Baal-worshipping Jezebel, and covets the vineyard belonging to a worshipper of God named Naboth. Ahab had plenty of property of his own, but he wants this particular piece of land: probably to use for a kitchen garden, maybe for growing herbs. He offered to buy it, but Naboth refused to sell ...

93. Proper 21

1 Timothy 6:11-21, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Luke 16:19-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... would be favorable to buy houses and land again. Epistle: 1 Timothy 6:6-19 1. Contentment (v. 6). Contentment is the result of being content! If one is not content with present possessions, one will live for even more and more money. Not to be content indicates covetousness. If one is not content with a job, it means one will be looking for another. On the other hand, one dare not be content with one's life lest we become proud and smug. Progress and growth result from discontent with what we are and have ...

94. Proper 13

Luke 12:13-21

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note Jesus' caution against covetousness, his declaration that there is more to life than material possessions, and his parable of the rich fool are part of a recurring theme in his teachings, especially as reported by Luke. The contrast is between the material and the spiritual, not in any Platonic metaphysical sense, but as regards ...

95. Bad Timing

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Thomas Long

... how her drive typifies and represents what is in us, too. First, this mother's question expresses a fundamental human craving for recognition. We all want that, too. Behind even the most humble and self-sacrificial face there is a human being who covets stature and credit. Andy Warhol predicted a future in which every person would achieve the universal human quest to be famous, but only for 15 minutes. A nineteenth century lighthouse keeper at Cape Hatteras wrote this prayer in his log: "O Lord, do not ...

96. Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany

Sermon

Russell F. Anderson

... : 1. Ours is a God of peace and harmony 2. Adultery, divorce, stealing, and murder are actions that destroy the harmony 3. Jesus points to attitudes that destroy harmony -- underlying adultery is the attitude of lust -- underlying stealing is the attitude of covetousness -- underlying murder is an attitude of arrogance and scorn 4. Christ came to reconcile us to God and to give us the Spirit of reconciliation Even non-Christians can sometimes teach us a lesson about reconciliation. In the movie Gandhi, a ...

97. Lent 1

Mt 4:1-11 · Rom 5:12-21 · Gen 2:7 - 3:7 · Ps 32

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... but the serpent failed to point out the high cost of obtaining it -- a loss of innocence, a fall from grace, broken relationships and death. Outline: The necessity of forbidden fruit -- life has to have its boundaries The desire for forbidden fruit is coveting To take forbidden fruit destroys relationships To take forbidden fruit leaves a bitter aftertaste Live thankfully for what God has given you Lesson 2: Romans 5:12-19 (20-21) Sermon Title: The Power Of One. Sermon Angle: Somewhere along the line you ...

98. I Am Making All Things New (Including You)

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

... to you?" we plead. Listen closely to the answer: "Not them. You. Every time you sin, every time you lust or lie, every time you worship and follow false gods or use my name in vain, every time you dishonor someone, or hate someone, or use someone, or covet someone else's possessions . you crucify me. Not them. You." We don't know what we are doing. Jesus, what are you doing up there on the cross? "Making all things new, including you." "Including me?" "Even you!" "By my death, I am making all things new. I ...

99. What Must We Do?

Mark 10:17-31

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... : Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Left: Honor your father and your mother. Right: You shall not murder. Left: You shall not commit adultery. Right: You shall not steal. Left: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Right: You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. Leader: Jesus looked at the man who asked him this question, loved him and said, "You lack one thing." All: Lord, love us, and tell us if we lack anything. Prayer Holy God, who alone is called good, we ...

100. How Do You Remain Religious?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... : there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him." For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man." Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (RSV) "... and there are many other traditions which they observe ..." (v. 4b) The most powerful questions ...

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