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 1026 to 1050 of 4959 results

1026. Team Work is Dream Work

Psalm 133:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... alike and thinks alike. I am not speaking of unanimity; which is where everybody ought to always agree on everything. Contrary to what you may think, I do not expect neither uniformity nor unanimity always in this church. But what I do want, what God desires and what we must have, is unity. By unity, I mean a oneness of heart, a similarity of purpose, and an agreement on truth. When our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin stood up and said, "Gentlemen, now we must all ...

1027. Foundations for the Future

1 Corinthians 3:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... after number (1) and before numbers (2) and (3). In other words, we want to dwell on the making of money and the spending of money, and leave out the giving of money and the saving of money. Well I want to share with you that Jesus said God desires, and the Bible teaches, that the number one priority of money after the making of it, is the giving of it. "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase." (Prov. 3:9) Do you see the word firstfruits? That word really means ...

1028. The Other Side of Worship

1 John 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... the act of shaking hands, which prevents either man from holding his sword or weapon, evolved into a traditional greeting in western society. It shows that neither party wants to be enemies, but rather they desire friendship and fellowship.1 Everyday, by a simple gesture, we take for granted people are expressing a universal desire for friendship and fellowship, and it is more than just a want, it is a need. I want to tell you today that the best place to find both is in a New Testament church; even ...

1029. Slaying the Green-Eyed Monster

Proverbs 27:4

Sermon

James Merritt

... will receive twice as much. Do you want to be rich? You can be rich, but he'll be twice as wealthy. Do you want to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be twice as long and twice as healthy. So what is your desire?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!" Well, as we have already seen with Mrs. Holloway, jealousy will cause you to burn down your house to kill a rat. Incidentally, many many times criticism is the outward symptom ...

1030. Pulling Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... does not need to punish us of our sins. Our bodies and souls carry within them the record of our sins. “We do not break the Ten Commandments,” said Dr. Jones, “We break ourselves upon them.” God has no desire to destroy us. God is our Savior. God offers us forgiveness and the opportunity to start over. God’s only desire is to free us from the mess we’ve made of our lives. It’s like a man who one day was walking through a park, and noticed a massive oak tree. A vine had grown up along its trunk ...

1031. An All-Night Wrestling Match

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... you knew someone’s name, you had some measure of control over him. Jacob wanted to get a handle on God. We have the same desire; we are tempted to manipulate God rather than just serving him. But God would not tell Jacob his name. Many years later Moses asked for ... team listens and the quarterback alone calls the signals. Then Tom would add, “A Christian can tell the Lord his preferences and desires. The Lord loves to listen to his beloved children. But the Lord is the one who calls the plays. A Christian ...

1032. I Believe In Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Niemoller preached a sermon entitled, “Christ is my Fuhrer,” and Hitler jailed him because of it. (2) Just think what you are saying when you affirm in the Creed that Jesus is Lord! You are saying that Jesus is your towering truth, your dominating desire, your pre-eminent purpose, and your core conviction. You are saying with St. Paul, “For me to live is Christ.” (Phil. 1:21) The late evangelist Wallace Chappell used to say, “In some people’s lives, Christ is present. In some people’s lives ...

1033. Out of Solitude

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... the lawn once in a while, taking a nap. And so this summer, if you find me sprawled out on the front lawn on Maple Road, you will know what I'm doing. Again from the words of Whittier, how we need to pray: Breathe through the heats of our desires thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind and fire, O still, small voice of calm. Sabbath...a day apart from the days of our lives. Sabbath...a time apart within the days of our lives. 3. Sabbath...a time ...

1034. The Magna Carta of the Human Soul

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , manufacture “little gods.” God devoted the sixth and final day of creation to create a truly new, truly unique creation-‑a being made both of dust and divinity: a human being. In fact, the “original sin” is our refusal to submit to our humanity and our striving for divinity, our desire to be “like God.” I repeat: Jesus as the Second Adam did not come to make us more holy. Jesus came to make us more human, the original, true humans we were created to be before we messed up the garden with our ...

1035. Precious and Privileged Children

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... is good to be reminded that God comes to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In a sense, there is a parental relationship here that communicates our imperative need to be in a parental-child mode, always dependent on that for spiritual success. 3. The Father desires we huddle close to him. To cry to one's Father is a fascinating way to depict our closeness to the everlasting God. Jesus knew more about this than you and I shall ever know. There is an almost indescribable intimacy and at times we are simply ...

1036. Plea for Discipline

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... not vacations from God. We can't stop running the race and then take up where we left off two or three weeks earlier. When we do our observations of others and ourselves, don't we usually find the erosion is little by little? The monster who desires our soul is generally a timid little shrewd fellow. The Judas Iscariots of this world are among us. We identify them not to pronounce judgment but to solidify our defense. A division into sheep and goats is the Lord's business, not ours. Thank goodness for that ...

1037. Jesus Is the Recipe for Eternal Life

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , we must better understand what that recipe is and how to follow it. Jesus describes the path, the basic recipe, by addressing the idea of renewal in Christ through a greater concentration on the things of God and God's people and less on our own needs and desires. In John's Gospel, Jesus says, "Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies it produces much fruit." In the synoptics the Lord presents the same message in varied ways. Jesus told his ...

1038. Our Prayers Are Our Thanksgiving

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... and no other), and in the eyes of the world that makes us separatists and even troublemakers. But in Christian mission and service we are empowered to see beyond all that divides us. "This is right and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Such devotion is powerful. It can change the world. Pharaoh of Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Caesar of Rome, and Hitler of Nazi Germany are gone. Those who would rule with their same ...

1039. Believe It Or Not!

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? All: For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. One: For some demand signs and some desire wisdom, All: but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others, One: but to those who are the called, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. All: For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and ...

1040. Surpassing All Knowledge

Psalm 145:1-21, Ephesians 3:14-21

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... of every living thing. Men: The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. Younger: The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Older: He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. (Psalm 145:14-19) Collect Father, we bow our knees before you, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. The glory of this great salvation is yours! Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, ...

1041. A Sure-Fire Way to End Burn Out

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... daily lives, but the outcome? It's not in our hands, and the more we fret, worry, maneuver and manipulate to achieve our desired outcome, the farther we travel from God. It is also a sure-fire way to flame out and find ourselves burned out, exhausted ... Isaiah 40:28). You see, you and I are limited by our physical realities, limited by our humanness, limited by our own egos and transient desires. But God is God. God is the Creator of the Universe. God doesn't burn out. God goes the distance and calls us to put ...

1042. What Part of “You Shall Not” Don’t You Understand?

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... judgment on our own. We too easily put a charitable construction on our behavior and motives and a harsh judgment on our neighbor's. Guilty as charged. Commandments nine and ten deal with covetousness, desires of the heart to have something that belongs to another. It isn't wrong to want something. It's when that want becomes inordinate desire or envy or jealousy that we get into trouble. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or ...

1043. Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... can also be contrasted with Jesus’ earlier teachings. Jesus had already preached that “I am gentle and humble in heart” (11:29). He now locates the Pharisees’ callous lack of concern for the people’s struggles as rooted in their desire for public status and official recognition of their piety. To this end Jesus accuses them of making their phylacteries “broad” and their fringes “long.” Phylacteries were leather boxes that contained small scrolls inscribed with the words of Exodus 13:1 ...

1044. Minding Your Heart

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of what happens when "heart knowledge" runs rampant. When he saw Bathsheba David reacted without considering the consequences. He didn't mind his heart. Undoubtedly David intentionally closed down his mind for a time so that he could listen to the desires of his heart undisturbed. Had David engaged his mind he would have had to examine the ramifications of his actions, and he would have run headlong into covenantal notions of integrity, respect, honor, loyalty and commitment. But driven by an uncontrolled ...

1045. Be Happy!

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , people who can only control, are in more than spiritual jeopardy. Their health is on the line as well. The crowd that tried to quiet the boisterous blind man was evidently embarrassed by Bartimaeus' loud, direct method of expressing his needs and petitioning his desires. There were established channels by which to petition the Lord for healing or forgiveness - why didn't Bartimaeus submit to them? The crowd, like so many of us, preferred to put its trust in the Process instead of in the Spirit. But Jesus ...

1046. Grits, Grats and Gruts...Not Grunts

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... together our physical and spiritual selves, knowing that behavior emerges from beliefs and intentions. Such is the power of the will. Grits, Grats, and Gruts may seem like so many grubby fund-raising schemes. But when they arise out of an active will and desire to please God - combine material goods with a spiritual response - they reach beyond the realm of tax breaks and personal benefits. These instruments of the will empower one to reach beyond the grave of self, even time, to behave in ways that please ...

1047. Healing in His Wings

Acts 14:8-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in the crowd Paul locks his eyes, his heart and his soul onto that man. Through such concentration, Paul is able to discern that this man possesses enough faith to be healed. Paul is with this man, eye-to-eye, face-to-face, heart-to-heart, reading his desires and faithfulness as they opened up to each other. Jesus also took the time to be with those who sought him out for healing. More often than not, it was this tendency that got Jesus in trouble with the authorities and even with his own disciples. Eating ...

1048. FaithRace

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... confident and can stretch for the finish line. When we try to fit into someone else's niche, when we adopt someone else's questions, the groove becomes a grave. Our sprint slows down; our spirit stalls. Ambition: In the argot of athletics, this means "desire." A struggling young surgeon, when asked how many operations he could perform in a single day, put it another way: "It depends on how hungry you are." We "hunger" after many things - money, prestige, power - and stuff our bellies with food from which we ...

1049. A Star-Cross Christmas

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to feel the breath of the threat that accompanies a promissory note's commitment. Isaiah's glorious words in this week's Old Testament text remind us of the promise God has made, of the beauty and wonders that are possible when God fulfills our greatest desires. It is James' text that reminds us that the promise we celebrate as incarnate on Christmas morning is not just the story of the star, but is also the story of the cross. For God's work of redemption for creation - fulfilling the wish-list of the ...

1050. The Ultimate Soul Food

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to them, his corrections and counsel, were intended to make the hungering crowd search their spirits for their true motives and desires. Likewise, when we feel filled-up with power or contentments we should search our own spirits to make certain we are feasting on what God ... provides, not on what our own egos or selfish desires have cooked up. "Trust." If we are filling up on the Bread of Life, we should be able to trust in the Spirit' ...

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