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 1126 to 1150 of 5000 results

1126. An Army Officer Deeply Concerned

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... into the house and slammed the door. In the last frame you saw a confused Snoopy looking toward the house, shivering and hungry and utterly baffled. (6) In the third chapter of John’s first epistle we read these words paraphrased in the Living Bible: “We know what real love is from Christ’s example in dying for us. And so we also ought to lay down our lives for our Christian brothers. But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well and sees a brother in need, and won’t ...

1127. Timothy’s Encouraging Report

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” (3:9). This is the third thanksgiving in the letter (see 1 Thess. 1:2; 2:13). The thanksgiving implies that, though Timothy did his job (3:2) and the Thessalonians continued in faith, love, and hope (3:6, 8), God was the one who produced the believers’ stability in the face of adversity. The way Paul poses the question recalls Psalm 116:12. Here, as in the psalm, thanksgiving to God is regarded as a debt to be paid, yet one impossible to ...

1128. Tale of the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to judge, to sentence, to pronounce upon others –Jesus tells us ‘no!” All God’s children deserve a chance! Let them grow together with you! They cannot poison one true to God. But you who have faith that can move a mountain and uproot it with the strength of your love –you can heal even the weediest sinner! You will do even greater things than I. Such is the power of God! What is it like to be a tare? We all have a little bit of weed tangling in the beautiful seeds God has sown in us. We all have ...

1129. Sword of Truth

Luke 2:22-40 · Hebrews 4:12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... as a “sword of truth,” which would discern the hearts of all humankind. That truth would be painful, especially as it comes from divine origin. And that two-edged blessing would come to pierce Mary’s own heart as well, for the son she would love so dearly and purely would cause her intense anguish and unimaginable pain. One day, she would watch her son die on a Roman cross. Not only that, but his actions throughout his ministry would at first confuse her, confound her, embarrass her, and challenge her ...

1130. What Power Fears Most

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’t do their will, a time when Israel lay subject not only to the forces of Rome but to their own cruel leaders who ate from Rome’s hands and grew drunk on its wine of prestige and power. How would God fight this perversion of power? With love. Unconditional love. The only thing that power can’t fight. The only thing that power fears. Most of us scoff at this simple answer. We look at the ravages and crimes of our world still today and feel that this answer is too simplistic, naïve, ridiculous in fact ...

1131. The Rant

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... compassionate ways. Nothing but giving your whole self in service will do. He doesn’t hold back. He lets the Pharisees and scribes have it full force with all of the passion and anger he has within him, because he and God are on the same page: God loves the people, all of the people, and so does Jesus. Jesus sees the way the teachers and enforcers of Jewish law act about themselves. They keep apart from other, and they have no compassion for the ill, the weak, the poor, or the foreigner. They know the law ...

1132. If God Is For Us

Romans 8:31-39

Eulogy

George Reed

... is for us. God is the one who did not withhold the only begotten but gave him for us and for our salvation. The one who has given us the most precious gift imaginable is definitely for us. This great love of God for us has been shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. He has lived among us to teach us how much we are loved by God and how we can live into wholeness and healing as part of God’s reign here on earth. He died so that we might know the depth of God’s ...

1133. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

... Old Testament reading from Hosea, the prophet is speaking on behalf of Yahweh. Listen again to some of the phrases. When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son…. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms…. I ... like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them (from Hosea 11:1-4). Here God speaks as a loving parent. Notice that God could be either a mother or a father in this passage. There is no way to tell which. But the point I ...

1134. Godly Sexual Passion For An X-Rated World

Song of Songs 2:1-17

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... with the church his bride (Matthew 9:15). And Scripture teaches in Revelation 19 that history will end soon at the wedding supper of the Lamb when Jesus comes for his church. In Ephesians 5, Paul calls marriage "a great mystery." He explains that married love is a picture of God's love. It is an earthly example of a heavenly reality. With this in mind, see how the maiden in Solomon's song begs her suitor, "Do not gaze at me" (1:5-6). Her complexion is ruined by the sun and hard work. This is interpreted ...

1135. 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

... fire that burns the dead branches. The joy in Christ and the glorification of God does not come from the motive of fear. Joy comes from the awareness of approval of God in Christ. It comes from awareness of being in fellowship and under the care of a loving God. It comes from the awareness that our life is empowered and directed by the very source and meaning of life itself. It comes not so much because of what we do, but who we are as persons connected to God in Christ. ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Abiding and Acting ...

1136. Wedding: With Communion

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... share my joy and ask for your support in sorrow for as long as we both shall live. (Bride), I love you! Pastor: (Bride), repeat after me: Pastor (Bride Repeats): I accept your pledge of love. I marry you, (Groom), because I want you to be a part of my life. I pledge to you that ... Communion Pastor: As a Christian couple, (Bride) and (Groom) would like to begin their marriage with communion to signify their love for God. This time will help set a pattern for their new journey and give them a sense of commitment ...

1137. Wedding: To Join Your Paths (for a widowed/divorced, older couple)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... your pasts. You wouldn't want to. For even in the painful times you experienced, you grew and found strength to live through them with dignity and integrity. They changed you and helped to form you into the person standing here today -- the person each of you fell in love with. So you cannot escape the past, but like Ruth and Naomi, you can move beyond it. It is not the last word. A whole new road called the future is opening up before you. And how we rejoice in your readiness to share the journey into that ...

1138. Wedding: Miracles Of Marriage

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... those individual parts of yourselves together into a new entity, a brand new branch off of your two families. As Genesis says, "A man leaves his father and mother, and the two become one." Of course, you won't leave everything behind. You wouldn't want to. The love of your family is a big part of who you are today. And your unique individuality is what drew you to one another. You don't want to lose either of those, but your focus will be different from now on. Instead of thinking mostly about pleasing your ...

1139. Proper 19

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the notion of finding and killing his father's murderers. He got appointed to the New York Police Department and night after night he roamed the streets of the Bronx, driven by a blinding hatred. His wife wept as she saw the light of life extinguished in the man she loved. One night he caught one of the men he had vowed to kill. He pointed the gun at the man's head but his finger was paralyzed. He could hear the gentle voice of his father speaking in his heart. With his baton, he knocked the knife from the ...

1140. Have You Heard The Good News?

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... in such lowliness and unpretentiousness. Today Christ comes to those shadowy and barren places of our lives and brings the light of God's love and grace. It was good news for the first century and it is good news for our century. This is the hope and joy ... of Christ, blotted out of the Book of Life forever? Why is it that God has not given up on us? We have spurned God's love, polluted God's creation, and mocked God's purpose with cruel acts of inhumanity. Why doesn't God just go ahead and allow us to self ...

1141. The Fruitful Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

1142. Your Journey Of Life - A Wedding Ceremony

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Mark P. Zacher

... and difficulties that we might endure; through it all we can be confident and hopeful and filled with joy because there are three things that are eternally sure and certain and that we can carry with us forever. There is faith and there is hope and there is love! The faith of both of you is what has brought you through the difficult experiences that you have had. Your faith is what has enabled you to continue along the path of life, even when the road got difficult and the way got rough. It was the hope ...

1143. Inner Warmth

1 John 4:7-21

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... it will expand, so to speak; then the result of that expansion will be seen. We sometimes say that a generous person is one who has a big heart. In the letter of John, we are reminded, "We love, because he (God) first loved us." (1 John 4:19) John also wrote, "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7) We are to be kind and courteous and helpful, not only to our parents, but to our brother and sister; and to all we meet. Let the ...

1144. Wedding: How God Blesses a Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... . The psalmist is telling us that the content and meaning of life, including the rewards of marriage, do not come from the sweat of our brow or from the things for which we work so hard. They come as we relax in the knowledge of God's great love for us and share his love with each other. Indeed, God's most glorious gifts often come when we least expect them, in areas we would never have guessed, at a time when they are most needed. What it means is this: the avenues of joy will be hidden from our eyes as ...

1145. Peace as Shalom

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

... man, in his twenties, had a history of minor felonies. "He just has never grown up," said my friend. "Why not?" I inquired. "Well, his father belongs to the Mafia. And he has always made it easy for him ... but I think if I showed him some Christian love, I could help turn him around. That's what the Bible seems to be telling me." My friend had been through an agonizing personal struggle with drugs and lack of self-discipline. At one point, other people had had to govern his life because he refused to rule ...

1146. Encounters With Christ VI: Jesus and Caiaphas

Matthew 26:57-68

Sermon

James W. Moore

... little brother Linus goes over and says to her, “Lucy, you and I are brother and sister. We should get along better. We should love and respect and protect each other. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” No response. Lucy totally ignores him. In the ... to each one of us right now. Can you hear Him? Can you? If you listen closely, you can hear Him saying, “It’s O.K. to love ALL the people; it’s O.K. to think; it’s O.K. to speak out for others.” The question is, how will you respond? Like a ...

1147. Proper 17

Lk 14:1, 7-14 · Heb 12:18-19, 22-24; 13:1-8 · Eze 18:1-9, 25-29 · Prov 25:6-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... to God - as a creature before the Creator B. Second to Christ - as a slave before the Master C. Second to neighbor - as one who loves others more than self, cf. Romans 12:10 Lesson 1: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 Watch Your Step. Need: The perils of pridefulness ... Lesson 2: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 1. The Population of God's City. 12:22-24. Need: Can we know who is in heaven? Are our loved ones there? Will I be there some day? Will we know each other in heaven? Is there a limit to the number in God's city - say, ...

1148. The Call to Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

... our bread with the hungry and giving shelter to the homeless. We are called to obey the commandments of God, the statutes and ordinances which the Lord has spoken, and to walk in the ways of the Lord God. In choosing life, we obey the command of God to love the Lord with the totality of our lives in every today of our lives. The call to chose life promises us that we shall live in a world free from hatred and contempt, lusting and lies, a world into which God in Christ continually calls us and for which ...

1149. The Spiritual Fitness Demands of the New Age

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... all-powerful reality. When we yield to God, God reveals himself as a friend whom we have violated, but who is now ready and anxious to restore us in life. When we as we are accept God as he is, he accepts us as we are; and by his love and discipline (now desired by us) he brings us into an ordered life, "a meaningful arrangement," acceptable to him and effective in and through our lives. This can be illustrated by a unique story told by Reuel Howe. A little girl had disobeyed her mother. She felt guilty and ...

1150. To Be Perfectly One

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

... And the glory which thou hast given me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me." Christ prays here for the universal church ... its unity in God, that it may share that fellowship which the Son has with the Father. This spirit of unity in the church is to convince the world that Jesus was indeed commissioned by God. Now, this unity ...

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