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 1251 to 1275 of 1838 results

1251. Know Fear: The Fear of God

Proverbs 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... , the tower of Israelite power. Kings and queens traveled the world over to sit at his feet and learn from him. Solomon blew a big part of his life getting away from the fear of God. It cost him and it cost him dearly. He wrote about that bitter experience in the book of Ecclesiastes. After burning up four decades of his life, he looked back in the rear view mirror and wrote these words. "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person." (Ecclesiastes 12:13 ...

1252. Kill Them with Kindness

Proverbs 3:3, 19:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... doesn't need a kind word. It is impossible, not to be unbelievably blessed when somebody sends a kind deed or a kind word your way. There is an old saying that goes, "Kill them with kindness." You really can do that with people. You can kill animosity, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings with just a little kindness. As I was trying to think of a good definition of kindness, I came up with this thought. Kindness is treating others the way God treats you. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one ...

1253. The Driver’s Seat

Proverbs 16:4

Sermon

James Merritt

... those failures and those mistakes. Some people are driven by grief, because of some loss in their life or the way they were mistreated in the past or because of a parent that never gave them approval. Their lives are driven by grief and resentment and bitterness. Some people are driven by greed. They want to go to the top of the ladder. They want the corner office, the Mercedes-Benz, the million dollar mansion and they never understand that self-worth and net-worth are two different things. Some people are ...

1254. Eating in the Echoing Hall

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... so focused on our own failures that we can lose sight of who God continues to call us to be. Recall Peter's denial of Jesus after Jesus had been arrested. When Peter realized what he'd done, and when he saw that it could not be undone, he wept bitterly. Those were tears of regret. But later, the resurrected Jesus came and asked Peter if he loved him. When Peter said he did, Jesus told him, "Feed my sheep." In other words, "Do my will. Don't wallow in the regret. Learn from it, repent of your part in it ...

1255. Only the Lost and the Least

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... his ring finger was bare. He had lost his wedding ring. The game stopped. An extensive search was made, but the ring couldn't be found. When he got home that night and told his wife, she was terribly upset. "How could you have lost that ring?" she said bitterly. "How could you? That ring was one of our most precious possessions." "You're right," he replied. "I really feel bad about losing it. We searched for two hours, but just couldn't find it. I posted a notice at the ball field. Maybe someone from one of ...

1256. Carrying the Burdens of Others

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... a man named Sundar, a convert to Christianity who decided to go to India to be a missionary and bear witness to others about Jesus. One day, late in the afternoon, Sundar was traveling on foot high in the Himalaya Mountains with a Buddhist monk. It was bitterly cold and darkness was rapidly starting to fall. The monk told Sundar they would be in danger of freezing to death if they did not reach the monastery before nightfall. As they crossed a narrow path above a steep cliff, a cry for help was heard. Deep ...

1257. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... before he experienced only boredom and suspicion, now he lived in wonderment and trust, and where before people had irritated him, he now saw in them something that reminded him of the stranger. And he knew that the stranger lived.1 The old man was bitter, arrogant, and resisted change, but through the persistence and love of the fruit seller he came to realize his need for transformation, conversion, and a new way of thinking. He needed the new eyes which the stranger had given the fruit seller. In the end ...

1258. Becoming as a Child - Sermon Opener

Mark 10:1-12

Illustration

... taking such a position. It strikes us today as rather uncaring and cold. I can assure you, however, that I have been in churches that, in their own subtle way, are not child friendly. I well remember a congregation where a group of people bitterly fought opening up the annual children's Easter party to the community. Their reasoning went something like this: We don't know who these kids are, they will run wild through the building, they will damage the building. Now, doubtless they thought they were ...

1259. Gateway to Grace

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... was not simpler. It was full of tremendous drudgery, of hard work from dawn to dusk just to scrabble out survival. If historical dramas and books show us the glittering world of the very rich in ages past, we forget that most people were bitterly poor. They did not live long lives. The slightest infection could cast them into eternity. They were subject to the whims of rulers who believed they were descended from gods but whose personal morals suggested they were more likely descended from demons. Those who ...

1260. Have We Been "Slicked"?

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... the living water is nothing less than the Spirit of Christ himself. "Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). He redeems our broken lives, our fractured integrity, and our empty promises and offers us joy and peace and truth. The bitter waters of despair are made sweet by hope and the toxic waste of anger and resentment is replaced by forgiveness and love. Cheap pottery becomes priceless treasure as he trades our useless attitudes and behaviors for what is precious and enduring. "Invest in ...

1261. In All Things Be Thankful - Sermon Starter

Ephesians 5:20

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to have no end and the very nation struggled for survival. Perhaps in your own life, right now, intense hardship. You are experiencing your own personal Great Depression. Why should you be thankful this day? May I suggest three things? 1. We must learn to be thankful or we become bitter. 2. We must learn to be thankful or we will become discouraged. 3. We must learn to be thankful or we will grow arrogant and self-satisfied.

1262. History of Christ the King Sunday

John 18:28-40, 1 John 2:15-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

... and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences. We lamented these in the encyclical Ubi Arcano; we lament them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate ...

1263. Good News about Thanksgiving

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... falling apart and Lincoln’s political future looked bleak. “Many of the members of his own cabinet openly despised him, and joked about him in public. His wife had been investigated as a possible traitor a process which Lincoln personally found to be bitterly wounding. In the face of such personal and national circumstances, Lincoln’s call for a day of prayer would have made sense. But Thanksgiving? At a time like that? What must he have been thinking of?” (2) No wonder historians count Lincoln as ...

1264. Goodness and Mercy Will Win

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Erskine White

... the Depression, and he was quite a character. He would ride the city fire trucks, take entire orphanages to baseball games and whenever the city newspapers went on strike, he would get on the radio and read the Sunday "funnies" to the children. At any rate, one bitter cold winter's night in 1935, Mayor LaGuardia turned up in a night court that served the poorest ward in the city, dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. After he heard a few cases, a tattered old woman was brought ...

1265. The Power of Purpose

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... one of them, who would not toil at their present job another single day if only they could be relieved of the burdens and responsibilities of supporting their family; or if they could find another more meaningful way to do it. For some, going to work is a bitter task; leaving work is like dropping a heavy load off their shoulders. I have great sympathy for such people. I’m sorry that I can’t identify with them more than I can, because I don’t know anyone who finds more meaning in what they’re doing ...

1266. I Am the Ressurection and the Life

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of an incurable disease. His mother and father had sought out every specialist that they could find, seeking to save the life of this child, but had not been able to find any help. The mother had become reconciled to the inevitable, but the father was bitter and unaccepting and cynical. It was Christmas Eve and the father couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned and finally went out to the living room and the tree was there. It had a lot of presents around, many presents for the little boy who would probably ...

1267. What the Lord Does Best

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. From a life that sustained and enriched by the good of all the land, now the people of Israel had to serve with rigor, they were involved in slavery and life for them became bitter and tough. They had to choose what was to be placed between living today and dying tomorrow. And they did. And here comes one of the most thrilling movements. The third movement in God’s story of dealing with us – that issue being confirmation and certainty ...

1268. A Bethany Blessing

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of Wonder, God of Grace, Hear our prayer today. Pour out your blessing On this your precious child, Pour out your unconditional love And your soul deep forgiveness. Take whatever binds them Take whatever holds them in uncertainty Take whatever holds them in bitterness Take whatever anxiety grips them Take whatever fear defines them Take whatever holds them captive And set them free. God of Power, God of Might, Fill them with your Holy Spirit Renew both their soul and their faith. Lord, Hear our prayer today ...

1269. Living In The Spirit Of Peace

Galatians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... his mother before she died. It was one of his most treasured possessions. But suddenly and unhappily he lost the ring. He searched for days but never found it. It so broke his heart that he was almost inconsolable. He told his sister and they both cried bitterly. After a few days of grief, this devout young man suddenly stopped crying and stepped aside to pray. His sister, who didn't have the same depth of faith, laughingly said to him, "What's the good of praying about a ring? Will praying bring back your ...

1270. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Others

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... precedence over winning. We saw God In The Ordinary because Love Was Offered Without Limits. Conclusion The story is told about a young person, whose heart was torn and wounded by seeing all the suffering in the world. This young person went to God in prayer and complained bitterly to God: "Even I could make a better world than this one." And God's answered "That's what you are supposed to be doing." There's debate by some, but John Wesley is attributed to saying: "Do all the good you can, by all the means ...

1271. The Power of Small Things

Luke 3:1-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

A young girl by the name of Sofi was born in Siberia, a bitterly cold and desolate area of Russia. A difficult place to be a child but Sofi's life was going to be even rougher than most. She was an orphan. Then suddenly at the age of 2 she was adopted, sight unseen, by Laurie Collis a single mother in Scottsdale, Arizona. ...

1272. A Chance To Sing

Matthew 9:32-34

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . D. HAVEN'T FOUND OUR VOICE: Some us don't sing because we haven't Found Our Voice. We have no clue what God is calling us to do. We don't know what part to sing. There was a little boy who loved to listen to music but was bitterly disappointed because he could neither play nor sing. Luckily there was a kindly gentleman who encouraged him with these words: "There are many ways of making music. What matters is the song in your heart." That little boy took the man at his word. And he learned to make music ...

1273. Cleaning House

Mark 1:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . Let me share a poem with you. It's titled: Cleaning Out The Heart I tried cleaning out my own heart one day. So many memories and feelings piled in the way. I knew it was cluttered but oh, what a mess, Seeing all that garbage fueled my distress. Bitterness, fear, anger and strife, Lay in the dust of my tarnished life. Pettiness, jealousy, old words I regret, Hadn't been swept out since, well, I forget. Down on my knees I started to scrub and to scrape Trying to get my heart back into shape. But no matter ...

1274. John 2:1-11

John 2:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In the middle of January it is imperative to dress in layers. The past week a bitter cold blasted its way through the mid-section of the US and even sank its icy claws into the citrus crops in Florida. That meant layers of warm winter clothing were necessary just to survive. Layers help us in two ways. First, they block cold air from penetrating to our ...

1275. Motivated for Life

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... not go well for Jeremiah. Indeed he is known as “the broken-hearted prophet” because the people of Israel rejected his prophecies and ridiculed him. He was taunted, put in jail, and at one point thrown in a pit to die. Sometimes Jeremiah became quite bitter. He expresses the anger and frustration he feels in his writings. Some believe Jeremiah was murdered in Egypt by those angered by his prophecies. Still, up until the time of his death, he persisted in doing what God wanted him do. Here’s what’s ...

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