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 483 results

76. The New-Covenant Ethic of Love

Romans 12:9-21

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul, like Jesus, says that the new-covenant ethic is love. The thesis here is simple: love sincerely. Love should be shown toward God, fellow believers, and even nonbelievers who persecute Christians. Thus, Paul’s ethic continues the radical call by Jesus to his disciples to love one another. To love others is to sacrificially accept the new-covenant stipulation to love. Understanding the Text Romans 12:9–21 continues the theme of being a living sacrifice (12:1–2) by loving others. Romans 12:9 ...

77. Lust

Mark 8:31--9:1, Mark 8:27-30

Drama

James F. Crowley

Theme: The evil one has ways of ruining our lives. If we don't have Jesus -- we don't have hope. If we don't believe in Jesus all things are not possible. Summary: Things are calming down at the Pesky home, or so they think. Rena has taken care of sewing the buttons on Sam's shirt and he has finally painted the bathroom, but Bill, their son, has been looking at pornography. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: The Pesky home Props: Sam -- an empty can of interior latex and a paint brush Rena -- a shirt with ...

78. The Eureka Experience

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

A psychology professor at Yale University has listed the 12 most persuasive'' words in salesmanship. Third on his list is the word "new" as in "Buy it, it''s new." We like the word new, don't we? We like it in the cars we drive and the houses we live in and the clothes we wear. "Give me something new," may be the slogan of every American. And that is what our message is about today. What a magnificent opportunity Christ has given us—the opportunity to make new starts and fresh beginnings. The word "new" ...

79. From Father Failure to Divine Father

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

One of the most significant steps in our growth as human beings is the discovery that our earthly parents, contrary to our childish notions, are imperfect. A friend remembered well an incident in that process of discovery in his own life. He always thought his father was the perfect driver and that he was absolutely safe riding with him until one day he almost hit the side of a bridge. His father was a very good driver, but he was not, he was discovering, perfect. Eventually, the discovery of the ...

80. Titus' Task on Crete

Titus 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Salutation What is striking about the salutation to Titus is its considerable differences from those in 1 and 2 Timothy, especially its lengthy elaboration of Paul’s apostleship (vv. 1–3), a phenomenon found elsewhere only in Romans. These verses, which form a single, extremely complex sentence in Greek, conclude with a note about his apostleship as a trust. The main thrust, however, emphasizes the purpose of that apostleship: to bring God’s people to faith and truth, and thus to life. That life, he ...

81. Food For Thought

1 Peter 1:13-21

Sermon

James Merritt

The most powerful part of a human being is not the part that he can see, but the part that he cannot see. That is true even for a bodybuilder. You may think that the most powerful part of a bodybuilder is his muscles, but really the most powerful part is his mind. The Bible says you are what you think, and the old saying is true, "You're only as old as you think." An old man walked into a doctor's office and said, "Doc, I've got to have a blood test, I'm going to get married." The doctor looked at him with ...

82. Going For the Gold

Joshua 1:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

We have just finished two weeks here in Atlanta watching over 10,000 athletes from 197 countries "Go for the Gold." There were plenty of heroes to go around. Who will ever forget Kerri Strug, a little pixie, who courageously vaulted on a severely sprained ankle, to secure the first team gymnastics gold medal in U.S. history. Then there is Carl Lewis who, at 35, won the long jump for the fourth consecutive Olympics, and secured a record time ninth gold medal. Then, of course, the person that Sports ...

83. Bad Timing

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Thomas Long

Some people are masters of bad timing. These are the people who burst into a party wearing a lamp shade and a hula skirt just as the conversation has taken a serious turn, a turn, say, toward a discussion of human rights or world hunger. Masters of bad timing buy high and sell low. They are the folks who try to rouse the hayriding young people to one more chorus of "She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain" just as the mood has shifted to the romantic. They telephone with questions about corrections to the ...

84. God, The Good Ally

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

A group of American tourists once listened to a story told by their Jewish guide. The guide, Moshe, claimed that his story would explain why the commandments were published on two tablets of stone. Moses came down from the mountain with a tablet of stone listing some of the commandments. He first met a group of Kenites. "Do you want the commandments of God?" he asked. "What do they say?" asked the Kenites. "Thou shalt not kill," replied Moses. "Thanks, we think we'll pass," responded the Kenites. Next, ...

85. How Shall We Prepare Ourselves For Christmas

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

One Sunday morning, a neatly dressed man disrupted a worship service in a suburban church. Right in the middle of the service, the man stood up in the balcony and shouted in a clear voice, "I have a word from the Lord!" Immediately alert and ready, ushers sprang like gazelles up the balcony stairs and escorted the man out the front doors of the church and into the street. Thomas Long of Princeton Seminary, commenting on this event, says, "There's a kind of irony here. Week after week, those of us who ...

86. Come Home For New Year's

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

"Phil, I heard you flew to California on vacation," said Irlene. "I'll bet that was great!" "No, Irlene," Phil replied, "that was bad. When I got there, I missed the bus from the airport to my hotel." "Oh," said Irlene, "that's bad." "No," Phil replied, "that wasn't bad. I got a taxi, and the driver was very friendly." Irlene: "That's good." "No," said Phil, "that's bad. The transmission in the taxi broke before we even got away from the airport." "Oh," said Irlene, "that's bad!" "No," Phil replied, "that ...

87. The Nations Judged

Joel 3:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

God’s Case against the Foreign Nations (3:1-8): 3:1–3 The NIV has eliminated two important words in the translation of verse 1. In the Hebrew, the verse begins, “For behold,” which not only connects this passage with the preceding poem, but also emphasizes the content of verses 1–4. In 2:28–32, Joel has announced those signs that will precede the coming of the day of the Lord. He now tells what will happen at the time of the day itself. When the day comes, God will save Israel (v. 1) but will gather ...

88. His Baptism and Ours

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

The theme of the first Sunday after the Epiphany is the baptism of our Lord, the event by which the quiet carpenter of Nazareth became consecrated to be the Kingdom-building Son of God and began his Messianic career. The event becomes meaningful to us when we see what bearing this consecration has upon our own baptism, that sacramental act by which our lives became dedicated to him and his Kingdom. The baptism of Jesus takes place in connection with the "Kingdom of God" movement led by John the Baptist, ...

89. Facing Up To Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Thomas Long

Searching the aisles of the hardware store the other day for a tube of "Super Glue," I couldn't find it, so I went up to the customer service desk to ask for help from the young man standing at the cash register. He was on the telephone and, when he saw me coming his direction, he turned his back toward me. I could tell he was making a personal call, but I just waited. The call went on and on ... "So did you like the movie ... really? ... Oh you're kidding! ... What did Susan say? ..." Finally I cleared my ...

90. Caiaphas and Pilate

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting The balcony of the Herodian Palace at Jerusalem overlooking the city. A coffee table or cocktail table covered with a linen cloth holds a silver dish of fresh fruit - grapes, olives, your choice. There is a small bowl of fresh flowers in the center of the table. Stage right of the table there is a chair befitting the position of Pontius Pilate; it may be an overstuffed chair, a chancel chair as found in some liturgical churches, or another highbacked chair covered with gold or violet cloth. Stage ...

91. What Are You Seeking?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

What is it that you are seeking? Everybody is seeking something. That is why Google is one of the most profitable companies on earth. People go to Google every day to search for information about an astounding array of subjects. People are seeking more info on the latest crisis in the news. They are seeking gossip about their favorite celebrity. They are seeking information about a specific model of car that they are considering buying. Even terrorists go to Google, we are told, to find terrible new ways ...

92. The Remote

John 14:5-14

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: "Show us the Father." Summary: Susan is getting ready to watch television after a hard day's work. She is interrupted by a strange person who invites her to think instead of just accept all the world hands her. Playing Time: 9 minutes Setting: Susan's television room Props: Susan -- a small remote Fly -- a large remote Costumes: Susan -- contemporary, casual Fly -- fright wig, tutu, tennis shoes Cast: Susan -- a normal average person Fly-- an industrial-strength entity 11 voices on the television ( ...

93. The Business Of The Church

Galatians 1:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Is there one simple answer to the question "What is the business of the church"? I was curious so I Googled™ "the business of the church" to see what might be out there. The first hit was an article from the March 17, 1952, issue of Time magazine, which was appropriately titled "The Business of the Church." At issue was the Washington advocacy activity of the Council for Social Action of the Congregationalist church that was considered somewhat left of center by some prominent church people. Dr. Walter ...

94. The Whole World Is under the Curses of the Covenant

Romans 3:9-20

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Israel fares no better than the Gentiles in being enslaved to sin, because sin stirs up disobedience through the law. In other words, both Jew and Gentile are under the curses of the covenant. Understanding the Text Romans 3:9–20 is the climax of Paul’s argument in 1:18–3:8, concluding that both Jew and Gentile are under sin (implied) because they try to keep the old-covenant stipulation of the law (Jews by way of the Torah, Gentiles by way of the overlapping of natural law / Noahic law with the ...

95. Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

The Old and the New Life Up to this point in the epistle there have been only occasional references to the ethical life of the Christian (2:10; 4:1–3, 15). In 4:1 it appeared that the apostle was preparing a lengthy description of the new life in Christ, but this led, instead, into a further exposition of the unifying elements of the church (4:4–16). At 4:17, however there is a clear break from the theological aspects of unity to an emphasis upon the ethics of unity and how that unity can be maintained ...

96. Hell under Fire

Matthew 5:22; 28-30

Sermon

James Merritt

We are in a middle of a series that we have entitled "The War of the Worlds" and today the series is really going to heat up (no pun intended!) What we are talking about is the war of the world views. Remember, every person has a world view; a lens through which they see the world they live in, the life they live and it is the guide they use to make the crucial decisions about how they are going to live and what they are going to believe. There are basically only two world views the Christian world view ...

97. Great Reasons for Great Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Newspapers a few years ago carried a funny though sad story about a man in Florida who sued his pastor and his church for fraud. He claimed the pastor had said God would make him rich if he gave 10-percent of his income to the church. When it didn''t happen, the man sued. History repeated itself just recently. Another man, A. B. Cash of Burkesville, Kentucky, filed suit to retrieve offerings he put in the collection plate at a local church. According to Gannet News Service, Cash charged that the Living ...

98. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: As Christ opens the first four seals, God allows human sinfulness to run its course, resulting in warfare, violence, bloodshed, economic hardship, and death. Understanding the Text Just as the vision of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1 leads into the messages to the seven churches in chapters 2–3, so the throne-room vision of Revelation 4–5 prepares the way for God’s righteous judgments that commence in chapter 6. Jesus, the worthy one (5:2–5), now begins to open the scroll by breaking the ...

99. Courageous Preaching

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

Suppose reliable word came that within hours this area of the country would be attacked by enemy missiles. Orders from the military broadcast over the emergency stations tell us to evacuate our town and literally run for our lives. Perhaps we would quickly plan some strategy of escape, maybe with some close friends and relatives. Or we might hold a hurried congregational meeting and decide to leave in some sort of protective caravan. No matter what our specific response, all of a sudden we would experience ...

100. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

Jesus of Nazareth had his own agenda. From the beginning, it had confounded even those closest to him. * We think of Joseph and Mary searching anxiously up and down the caravan line for their twelve-year-old son, only to discover that he had remained in Jerusalem to sit among the teachers at the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). * We think of Jesus standing as a young man in the synagogue at Nazareth reading from the book of Isaiah, concluding the reading with the astonishing claim, "Today, this scripture has been ...

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