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 4959 results

76. If You Had But One Request

1 Kings 3:1-15

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... name it and you can have it." The youth demanded, "All I want is to know the guy who shoved me into the pool!" If you were given only one request by God, you would not want to answer on the basis of an immediate or impulsive need or desire. To answer wisely, you would want to think about it, determine your scale of values, and ask for something that would be permanently a blessing to you. In our text, Solomon is put in this predicament by God, who comes to him shortly after Solomon ascended to the throne ...

77. A Prayer for the Faithful

John 17:6-19

Sermon

George Bass

... filled, it is removed, and there is nothing but emptiness - a return to futility, despair, and groaning. Take not, therefore, of Paul’s description of the resurrection as that which produces hope and waiting with "patience." If anything, desire is impatient, a possessive drive. Hope waits and longs to receive.57 And so, our business as Christians is to communicate the good news that offers hope to the world, not only in the face of its threats of self-destruction but also in the face of the one certainty ...

78. The Lord's Prayer: "Thy Will Be Done"

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... after he made his prayer, he rose up from his knees and was the calmest one in the garden. He knew his Heavenly Father was in control, and that made all the difference. "Thy will be done." Our concern is NOT with disaster or disease or decrees, but rather desire - God's desire for you and me and all the world. To pray it and MEAN it may be difficult. It may mean that we, with some embarrassment, will see areas of life where OUR will is in conflict with God's will, that we are not being or doing what God ...

79. A Soap Opera For Saints

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... is the way the human brain works, isn't it? That is the way our sinful nature operates. If we are determined to do so, we can justify almost any of our actions. A dull husband, a lonely, lovely wife, a king with a reputation to protect, a desire to hide the truth from one's neighbors and loved ones. Woody Allen produced and directed a disturbing motion picture a few years back with this very theme. Titled CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, it is the story of a family man, a successful business man, a religious man, who ...

80. The Wondrous Possibility Of Change

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... can lead to change. These are four very simple, very practical essentials for change to take place in our lives. The first is desire. Do you really want to be more than you are? Are you sufficiently dissatisfied with your present state that you are willing to ... one year from now I will be 182 hours better informed about God ™s Word than I am right now. Change takes place through desire and design. But we also need a dynamic for change. That is, we need power-power that is not our own. Of course this is ...

81. WaterFire Disciples

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... James Hillman talks of a "blue fire" within us that haunts and hounds us. Canadian theologian Ron Rolheiser, a member of a religious congregation called the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, refers to a "holy longing" within each person that shapes our dreams and desires. "If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, rev. and enl. ed. [New York: MacMillan, 1960], 137.) Conclusion: Do you burn? Julia "Butterfly ...

82. The Living Stone and a Chosen People

1 Peter 2:4-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... of Isaiah 8:14, a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, a fate which is also what they were destined for. The last clause has caused difficulties, since it appears to suggest that God has foreordained some people, whatever their own desires might be, to be unbelievers, and that as such they are already predestined to be condemned. That thought, needless to say, fits ill with the NT perception of a God of love (John 3:16), or for that matter with the OT concept of God as perfectly ...

83. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... with him. 1:23 I am torn between the two, he says; more literally, “I am hemmed in on both sides.” If he had only his own interest to consider, then it would be better by far for him to depart and be with Christ; and this was his personal desire. Paul speaks in several of his letters of the resurrection of the believing dead at the time of Christ’s advent (cf. 3:20, 21). He has less to say about the state of the individual believer immediately after death, but what he does say is quite plain. So far ...

84. Walking in the Light

1 John 1:5--2:14, 1 John 2:15-17

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... Greek New Testament, such as the UBS text and Nestle’s, and in most modern translations, v. 14 begins at v. 13c. The NIV and NASB are exceptions. 2:14 On the repetitive language of 2:12–14, see Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, pp. 66–79. 2:16 “The desire of the flesh” (NIV, the cravings of sinful man) is a phrase common to Paul’s writings but does not occur elsewhere in John’s. In the letters of John, “flesh” (sarx) occurs only here, in 4:2, and in 2 John 7, where the reference is to the full ...

85. Freedom from the Law through Christ, Enslavement to the Law through Adam

Romans 7:7-25, Romans 7:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... the law exposed sin, only for sin to use the law to bring about transgression and death. Sin’s perversion of the good law of God is thereby shown to be the real culprit behind death. 7:14–20 the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual . . . I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. The thesis of 7:13 is developed in 7:14–23, which divides into two parts: the divided “I” (vv. 14–20) and the two laws (vv. 21–23). Because verses 14–20 contain parallels (see the outline ...

86. Introduction and “Hello”

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... believers are not free to determine right and wrong from what benefits themselves; rather, they must be shaped by the Christ, who surrendered his own desire in order to accept God’s will on the cross (1:17–18). by the will of God. The structure of the Greek text, ... from a life in his presence. Illustrating the Text Recognize the difference between a call to serve and a desire to gain prominence. Quote: Prophetic Untimeliness, by Os Guinness. For when society becomes godless and the church corrupt, the ...

87. Struggling With Sin

Romans 7:7-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the law (after the encounter between the “I” and sin) is twofold. (1) The law reveals sin as sin. It proves that sin misuses God’s good gift of the law. It uncovers sin’s deception of human beings. It shows that following the desires suggested by sin leads to death, not to the fulfillment of the promises made by sin. (2) The law increases sin “beyond measure” (NIV “utterly”). As the law unmasks sin with regard to the consequences of sinning, the true character of sin is demonstrated—it ...

88. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... personal discipline. Cf. 2 Pet. 1:6; Acts 24:25; 1 Clement 38.2; 1 Cor. 9:25. Paul’s use of pyrousthai (infinitive passive of pyroō, “to be burned/ inflamed”), creates discussion among interpreters. Could Paul mean that those who do not marry, despite their desires, will be subjected to the fires of final judgment—so M. Barré, “To Marry or to Burn: pyrousthai in 1 Cor 7:9,” CBQ 36 (1974), pp. 193–202? Or does Paul mean, as the majority of scholars agree, that those aflame with passion should ...

89. Walking in the Light and the Problem of Sin

1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 1:5--2:14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

90. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... specifically linked to the people’s request and God’s answer at Horeb, precisely as recorded here (18:16f.). Thus God’s intention to continue a line of prophets who will carry on Moses’ role as spokespersons for God is grounded in the people’s own desire to have it so. Their commitment to hear and obey God’s word through Moses is likewise carried forward as an ongoing commitment to hear and obey it as delivered by those whom God will raise up to be “like Moses,” (18:19). The two passages ...

91. How Angry Are You?

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... on the other hand, is that most primitive drive that empowers us to push ourselves away from danger, discomfort, or pain. Anger is also a kind of moral instinct that identifies obstacles to the good, and provides energy to strive against those obstacles in our desire for a good and whole life of love. The “chariot” of the Christian life is moving toward a goal, and that goal is the love of God, love of neighbor, and proper love of self. In this metaphor, the charioteer is reason. In ideal circumstances ...

92. Unreasonable Mercy

2 Kings 5:1-27, Matthew 8:5-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... our hearts. God created us to be human beings, and human beings are created to be in relationship with others, to get to know others, and to live in (not of) the world. When we instead live in critique of the world, in dispute with the world, when we desire the world to change not by God’s grace and love, but to measure up to our conditions, our standards, our expectations, and our rulers, we betray God’s great mercy and grace. God’s grace and mercy and love are free and without condition. I like to ...

93. Heaven

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

... story. Augustine, was obsessed with the possibility that we might be alone in the world, on our own. And he was astounded to discover that we are not. He was astounded not only that there was a God, but this God was out looking for him, desired him even more than Augustine desired God. It changed his life. You could think of the whole Bible that way, if you wanted, as a love story, an account of God's yearning for us, God's determination to have a family. Each of us has one pressing question which persists ...

94. The Fruitful Vine

John 15:1-17, 1 John 4:7-21, Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... matter of the will and intent to act than it is of a sentiment or emotion. To God in Christ mutual love in the church represents a response of gratitude for the way his love is given for us. That gratitude is also more than a sentiment. It is a desire and a willingness to be like Christ, to have him control our life. We then become his emissaries, reaching out to others with concern for their welfare, as Christ has expressed his toward us. That leads us to obedience to God's commands as given to us by Jesus ...

95. Lent 1

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

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... of any tree in the garden. It was only the tree in the middle of the garden which they couldn't eat, as Eve pointed out. However, the damage had been done; the seed of doubt had been planted. The attraction of forbidden fruit. Why is it that we always desire that which is forbidden? Does not the appeal lie precisely in its forbiddance? As a kid, I was forbidden to smoke and so I would steal my dad's cigarettes and light up in some secret place. The allure of that which was off-limits was strong. It's the ...

96. Proper 5

Genesis 12:1-8, Hosea 5:1-15, Hosea 6:1-6, Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew 9:18-26, Romans 4:1-25

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... quite another thing; ephemeral as the morning dew on a summer's day (v. 4). The loyalty and faithfulness of God and that of his people are on two entirely different levels. We can always count on God's faithfulness, but can God count on our loyalty to him? God desires that we know and love him as we grow into an ever deepening level of loyalty. Outline: 1. God's love for us has always been there for us but our love for God has often been lacking (v. 3) 2. Loyalty is not highly valued in our individualistic ...

97. The Fruitful Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

98. Augustine, Defender of the Faith

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... us who live 1,600 years after the "defender of the faith." It is always a struggle to be a Christian. If we are not struggling, we probably don’t yet have the correct concept of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Those evil desires of our imperfect nature tempt and convince us, also: • that lust to possess others sexually; • that greed to get and keep all we can; • that self-centered ego which tells us to tramp on others to get ahead; • that lack of self-esteem which drives us to be ...

99. Facing the Glory Road

Matthew 20:17-19

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... against coming into the world and leaving the peaceful comfort of the mother’s womb, where all of its wants have been satisfied without effort or struggle. The memory of that peaceful, prenatal existence lingers, the theory tells us, in the unconscious, and there is the desire all through life to get back to it, to that peaceful, passive paradise. Life in this world is a battle from the cradle to the grave, from the womb to the tomb; and something in us is unwilling to face the hard fight. It is forever ...

100. A Shocking Revelation

Revelation 1:9-20

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... find out who they really are, and what they really wanted. So he started out on page one with this grand title, The Great Desire. And his research went like this. He would stop people on the street and he’d ask them this question: "What do you want?" ... was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, says John. And all of a sudden, there he was! I wanted him! I needed him! The greatest desire of my heart, way down deep, was to see God, to find God, to know God. And there he was! And somehow we know that’s true ...

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