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 1051 to 1075 of 1245 results

1051. Church Divisions and Confusion of Allegiance

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... , is not certain.10 Any attempt to outline specific viewpoints or claims for each of the cliques is speculative (see the sidebar). Paul’s concern is the troublesome reality of the splits, not the precise content of each group. In fact, he seems eager to underscore that he and Apollos are co-workers. Paul planted, Apollos watered (3:6). Concerning Peter, it is not certain he had ever visited Corinth, although his name obviously would be recognized by the congregation.11 In terms of content, interpreters ...

1052. Wisdom and Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... status they now enjoy came as a gift from God. In fact, God chose them to shame those the world considered powerful and wise. They themselves are examples of how God’s wisdom works contrary to the very “wisdom” they now seem eager to follow. 1:30 righteousness, holiness and redemption. Since the church exists “in Christ,”[12] God’s wisdom is the only one to consider. Contrary to the wisdom that cultivated the status- and honor-driven culture of Corinth, God redefines wisdom as righteousness ...

1053. Christian Maturity

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... the keys to the kingdom. This passage speaks to a proper balance between these two. On the other side, Christian leaders can never lose sight of their own responsibility before God, regardless of their situation (2 Cor. 11:23–28). James’s warning against eagerness to become a spiritual leader (James 3:1) runs parallel to Paul’s teaching here. The lure of success and human acclaim is strong. It is quite possible for greatly loved leaders and effective communicators to build with “hay and straw.” 3 ...

1054. Leadership and Servanthood

1 Corinthians 4:1-21, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Christian leaders must remember they are mere servants who are expected to be trustworthy and eager to enhance the mission and message of their master. Understanding the Text First Corinthians 3:16 and 17 function as a bridge connecting two sides of the same argument. Still addressing the secular nature of the church’s behavior, Paul concludes his exhortation to use superior building materials with a ...

1055. The Focus of Christian Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... otherwise avoided except for Colossians 4:10. Confusing God’s word with personal agendas and removing the focus from Christ in a Christian worship service is no minor matter. The warning recalls Jesus’s words in Matthew 7:22–23. 14:39–40 be eager to prophesy . . . in a fitting and orderly way. In a final concluding remark, Paul reiterates the primacy of prophecy over tongues and reminds objectors that both are gifts from God’s Spirit designed to empower the church as Christ’s body (14:1). The ...

1056. Resurrection and Transformation (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... accepted idea in Corinth that at the point of death, body and soul/spirit will separate. His extended discussion on how God at the resurrection re-creates the body to make it fit for its new reality in God’s presence underscores his eagerness to connect believers’ present experience in the “body” with their future experience in the “body.” Resurrection does not bring an end to what God is doing in the present but brings it to its fulfillment. Since the present body is characterized by death ...

1057. Preparations for Worship (Part 2)

Num 8:1-26

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... ; Mark 12:30–31). When we hold the lens of the law up to our lives, what do we see? By allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts before we come to worship on Sunday, our songs will ring with greater joy, our ears will listen with increasing eagerness, and our hearts will burn with deeper gratitude for God’s amazing grace.

1058. The Lord Chooses a Prophet

1 Sam 3:1--4:1

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... the one sleeping nearby. 3:4 Here I am. Samuel is depicted as one who is ready to obey his master, much like Abraham (Gen. 22:1, 11), Jacob (31:11; 46:2), Joseph (37:13), and Moses (Exod. 3:4) of old. He runs to his master as if eager to carry out his wishes (v. 5). 3:12 everything I spoke against his family. By repeating to Samuel the message he has spoken through the “man of God” (2:27), the Lord places Samuel on a par with that prophet. Furthermore, there is no indication that Samuel knows of ...

1059. Jonathan’s Faith Ignites a Victory

1 Sam 13:16–14:23

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... army and Israel’s response to it invites us to recall the Midianite crisis faced by Gideon (see the comments on 13:5–7). But unlike Gideon, who needs a sign to buttress his wavering faith before he engages the enemy (Judg. 7:13–14), Jonathan is eager to engage the enemy. His waiting for a sign reflects his desire not to be presumptuous (see v. 6), yet we can tell that Jonathan is just itching to spring into action. Furthermore, his choice of a sign reflects his faith: he assumes that God will be ...

1060. Turning Up the Pressure

Job 2:1-13

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... 12; Jud. 16:24). Interpretive Insights 2:1 On another day. The narrative in 2:1–3 is nearly identical to that in 1:6–8, but it includes three subtle and significant changes. In 2:1, the adversary comes among the sons of God with apparent eagerness to continue his dispute with Yahweh about Job. In 2:3, Yahweh says that Job still maintains his integrity, even though he has been ruined “without any reason,” using the same term that the adversary stated in 1:9 (“for nothing”). Also in 2:3, Yahweh ...

1061. Job’s Hope against Hope

Job 19:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... is feeling. By citing twelve individuals or groups of people, Job indicates that his sense of community has been totally broken as his social world has collapsed. His relatives and friends have abandoned him (19:13–14). Rather than treating Job with respect and eager obedience (cf. Ps. 123:2), his servants ignore him (19:15–16). His immediate family regards him as repulsive (19:17). Even the little boys in his society ridicule him (19:18), and his closest friends detest him (19:19). Job feels that all ...

1062. “When I Awake, I Will Be Satisfied with Seeing Your Likeness”

Psalm 17:1-15

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... , “They close up their own fat.” In ancient times fat was considered a symbol of stupidity, arrogance, and rebellion (Ps. 119:70; Isa. 6:10; Job 15:27).15 17:12 They are like a lion hungry for prey. The verb translated as “hungry” means “to be eager,”[16] and, metaphorically, it describes the ravenous assault of the enemies (Pss. 7:2; 10:9; 22:13). 17:13 Rise up, Lord. See Numbers 10:35 (see also “Teaching the Text” in the unit on Pss. 9–10). 17:14 By your hand save me . . . from ...

1063. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... .” When Dad arrived, he faced a questioning son: “I’ve been talking with my school friends, and I wonder if you could tell me where I came from?” The father took a deep breath, and proceeded to tell him about the birds and the bees. The boy's eager eyes got larger and larger. When his dad finished, the lad jumped up and said, “Thanks, Dad. That was great!” My friend, Johnny, he’s just from New Jersey.” We all need to know where we came from. So in response to the question “What is the new ...

1064. If You Are Looking for a Savior...

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

James L. Killen

... the Jewish nation, he listened with great anticipation to the news of the things Jesus was doing up north in Galilee. Then John got into trouble with the governor, Herod, and was thrown into prison. He must have known that his life was in danger. Then he was even more eager to know if, in fact, the messiah for whom he was hoping had indeed come. He sent some of his followers to ask Jesus if he was the one who was to come. Jesus did not answer directly. Instead he said, Go and tell John what you hear and see ...

1065. A Celebration of Hope

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... her part that her mother thought she was going to be one of the main characters. Jana, however, would not reveal to her mother the part she was supposed to play. After much anticipation, the big night finally came. The parents were all there eagerly awaiting their children’s participation in this Christmas drama. One by one the children took their places. The shepherds fidgeted in one corner of the stage. Mary and Joseph stood solemnly behind the manger. In the back three young wise men waited impatiently ...

1066. Joseph Makes Himself Known

Genesis 45:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 24) shows that he has not forgotten what his brothers are capable of doing. Jacob is stunned to learn that Joseph is still alive. And well he should be. Actually he needs little convincing—only the Egyptian carts. In spite of advancing age, he is now most eager to see his son. It is not clear why the father called Jacob in verses 25–27 is now called Israel in verse 28. Jacob, a name overladen with pejorative overtones, would be inappropriate at a moment of ecstasy and euphoria. Israel, the new name, the ...

1067. Samson's Marriage

Judges 14:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... narrator’s comment may be precisely to highlight the Lord’s determination to deliver his people in spite of Samson. For as the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that, rather than being committed to striking the Philistines, Samson seems all too eager to form marriage and sexual alliances with their women. Therefore if it were not for the Lord’s intervention, Samson would probably never have fulfilled his mission to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines. Finally, the fact that the narrator ...

1068. David Saves Keilah

1 Samuel 23:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (23:14–18). In this final meeting between the two dear friends, Jonathan assures David that he will become king and that Jonathan will serve under him. Before parting, the two reaffirm the covenant they have made. In contrast to Jonathan the people of Ziph are eager to help Saul capture David, so they relay David’s precise location to the king (23:19–29). Saul thanks them, saying, “The Lord bless you for your concern for me” (23:21). But as in verse 7, when Saul thought that God had handed David ...

1069. Saul’s Final Battle

1 Samuel 28:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Saul (28:1–6). As a mercenary of Achish, he will have to join with the rest of the Philistine forces. Although it is unthinkable for David to fight against his own people, he has the Philistines convinced that he is ready and eager to fight Saul. His actual statements, however, are ambiguous and leave the reader wondering if he ever intended to fight against Israel. Whether David would have fought against his own people is left an open question in the narrative, since the Philistine military leaders ...

1070. David’s Success

2 Samuel 9:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... David remembers the covenant he made with Jonathan. When most kings came to power they sought to eliminate any survivors of the preceding king, but not David (9:1–5). Bound by covenant to his best friend, Jonathan, David is loyal to his oath and eager to take care of any of Jonathan’s descendants. Ziba, who was Saul’s chief steward, tells David about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s crippled son, who is living in the Transjordan with a wealthy man named Makir. We do not know if Mephibosheth knew anything ...

1071. Amaziah King of Judah and Jeroboam II King of Israel

2 Kings 14:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is probably self-aggrandizing behavior that reinforces his victory, anticipating his royal pride in the next scene. In all likelihood fortified by this triumph over Edom, Amaziah proceeds to throw down the gauntlet to his northern counterpart Jehoash (14:8–14), perhaps eager to shake off the northern yoke now that he is in the ascendancy. Jehoash shows himself adept at prophetic satire and uses the metaphors of a scrub bush (Judah) versus a towering cedar (Israel) to tell the aggressive king to rest on ...

1072. The Work Begun

Ezra 3:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... offerings as stipulated by Moses (Exod. 29:38–43), as well as the New Moon sacrifices and all the other regular sacrifices and “freewill offerings.” The people are united in their desire to worship God, trust him, and obey him. They are eager to build the temple, but they put worshiping God first. Many times Christians allow even “God-ordained” projects to come before their genuine interest in God’s glory. We must remember that genuine worship is always first in God’s priorities. These Jews ...

1073. The Israelites Confess their Sins

Nehemiah 9:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

This revival continues with the people’s heartfelt confession of sin, praise, and petition to God (9:1–37). Their attitude reveals the depth of this renewal; instead of being eager to finish the Feast of Tabernacles and get back to normal life, they gather together for another reading of the law. Not only are they sorry for their past failures; they are serious about making a definite change. They spend at least half the day in hearing the law of ...

1074. The King Rewards Mordecai

Esther 6:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... assassination plot is read by the attendant. Rather than falling asleep, the king becomes intrigued by the details of the account and asks if the hero has been honored for his bravery (6:3). The king’s attendant replies that nothing has been done to honor him. Eager to recompense the one who saved his life, the king asks who is in the court in order to discuss the best possible way to honor this brave man. The timing could not be better! Haman has just entered the courtyard to approach the king with his ...

1075. Everlasting Salvation

Isaiah 51:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... my justice,” 51:4) will extend beyond Israel to the nations. They will also see the light. The present heaven and earth must be made into a new creation, characterized by God’s triumphant and everlasting rule. Israel and the nations join together in eager expectation of the new heaven and earth. The comfort of God is limited to those who have appropriated for themselves the knowledge of his righteous rule and salvation (51:7–8). They do not wait passively; they are God’s agents in establishing the ...

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