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 1326 to 1350 of 4959 results

1326. The Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-14, Matthew 12:15-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... on the Sabbath (e.g., Num. 28:9–10) to clear his disciples of the charge of lawbreaking when they glean grain to eat when hungry (12:1–5). Jesus also alludes to his own priority over the temple and its regulations and cites Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (cf. 9:13). While Jesus’s words at 12:6–8 could be construed as abolishing the law, his use of Old Testament precedent to prove his disciples “innocent” (12:7) indicates that it is one’s interpretation of the law that is again ...

1327. Judgment on Jewish Leadership

Matthew 23:1-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Bible). Jesus indicts “this generation” in his conclusion to the woes to Pharisees and teachers of the law, as he has done earlier in Matthew (12:38–45). In the conclusion of chapter 23, Matthew describes Jesus’s lament over Jerusalem and his desire to gather the people of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks. The unwillingness to be gathered by Jesus echoes the unfaithfulness of this generation that Jesus has already lamented (17:17). Jesus’s prediction of judgment is that “your house is left ...

1328. The Temptation of Jesus

Luke 4:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... his Father with three different temptations. In the first temptation (4:3–4) the devil tries to persuade Jesus to use his status as God’s Son to satisfy his own physical desires, instead of trusting in the Father to provide his needs. Jesus’s answer (from Deut. 8:3) implies that the satisfaction of physical desires cannot take precedence over faithful obedience. In the second temptation (4:5–7) the devil promises Jesus authority over all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will consent to worship him ...

1329. The Parable of the Tenants

Luke 20:9-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... an allegory. The end of the parable (20:19) tells us that the parable is directed against the religious leaders. They have been given the responsibility to tend the vineyard (symbolizing Israel; cf. Isa. 5:1–7). When the owner of the vineyard desires to collect some of the fruit, he sends messengers (representing the prophets). In each case the messengers are wounded and ousted. The repetition of the same pattern three times is for rhetorical purposes, building the narrative to a climax. The owner of the ...

1330. The Children of Abraham of the Devil

John 8:31-41, John 8:42-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... tenure there is limited, and they have another father. Being a descendant of Abraham (8:37) and being a son (8:35, 38) are two different things. Jesus claims that lineage has no effect on spiritual status before God (so Paul, Rom. 2:25–29). But their desire to kill Jesus is telling: they have a spiritual father other than God (8:38–43). At once they see where Jesus is headed: at issue is not only Jewish lineage (8:39) but also their sonship. Jesus is challenging both. The lethal attack is launched in ...

1331. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for the glory of God. They must recognize that they are no longer controlled by sin, which always results in death. Now God is their master. The implications of this new reality are spelled out in verses 11–12. Believers must not allow sin and desire for sin to take over again. Paul acknowledges that sin can be tempting, that both temptations and acts of sin continue to be possibilities for believers, and that both sin and temptations are not ideas but realities that affect the person of the believer (and ...

1332. The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14:1--15:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... believers living together, which requires perseverance and encouragement; the constant orientation by Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah; and the desire to honor God with one voice. 15:7–13 · Paul summarizes the section on the controversy between the strong and ... he prays that the joy of the Lord and peace with God may result in an abundance of hope, which is the present desire for the future reality of life in the immediate presence of God (Rom. 5:2). The hope of sharing the glory of God, and the ...

1333. Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , it is to be supplemented by prayer that can be understood by the mind (just as the song that springs spontaneously from our spirit is to be supplemented by that which is composed purposefully by our mind), and recognized as a form of prayer that is less desirable in corporate worship because it does not allow others to join in its praise. The weight of Paul’s own practice is now thrown behind the argument. For even though Paul himself can give thanks to God for the ability to speak in tongues, a gift he ...

1334. Paul’s Explanation of His Conduct in Recent Matters

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . But it is also just this kind of faithfulness that has motivated Paul to change the manner in which his plans should come to pass. Not out of a faithless, fickle sense of self-importance, but out of a merciful desire not to grieve the church (2:2), Paul has changed his plans; his desire is to work with the Corinthians rather than to act based purely on his own original agenda (1:24). This goal has led Paul to set aside his previous plans and to work out a different schedule for their eventual fulfillment ...

1335. Support for the Appeal

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 11:1–6, that of faithfulness to the gospel) at stake in this contest for authority. To do this, however, he must engage in the foolishness of an apology in defense of himself and his preaching. But because of his jealous love for the Corinthians, and his desire as their “father” to present the church to Christ as a “pure virgin” bride, untainted by the errors of others, Paul is willing to make his appeal on any terms (11:2). Paul’s chief concern, however, is not his own status but the minds of ...

1336. Introduction and No Other Gospel

Galatians 1:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... by an attempt to win a vast following for his ministry. Those who held a view that gave an important place to a righteousness based on good works would quite understandably have believed such a “do-nothing” gospel to have been formulated by a desire to be popular among the Gentiles. Paul’s previous anathemas (which could potentially include himself; 1:8) were designed to show that it was not popularity he sought but faithfulness to the gospel as he understood it. The final statement of the verse ...

1337. The Mystery of God’s Will and God’s Threefold Blessing

Ephesians 1:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God (1:12). The place we have been allotted was hinted at already in verses 5 and 10. It is a place in God’s new family, whose head is Christ. Again, God himself is the author, decider, planner, and accomplisher of this; he has desired it when we did not. And desiring it, he can and will do it. Indeed, he has already done it. Up to this point, Paul has been speaking in the first person plural, meaning that he includes his readers—or possibly, contrasting them instead with some other group to which he ...

1338. False Teaching

2 Timothy 2:14-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , it is worth noting that Timothy is to conduct his campaign for the truth with a gentleness that keeps the door open for his opponents to repent.The commandment to flee “the evil desires of youth” (2:22) is probably aimed, in the first place, at sexual temptations. (The same Greek term translated “evil desires” here Paul elsewhere associates with sexual sin; see Col. 3:5; 1 Thess. 4:5.) Intriguingly, Paul notes that individual purity of heart (see Matt. 5:8) is experienced in the fellowship of ...

1339. Trials and Temptation

James 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that his readers will confuse these two and attribute temptation to God. Scripture indicates that God does “test” or put his people through trials (cf. Gen. 22:1). But, James emphatically asserts, God never tempts his people (1:13). He never entices them to sin or desires that they fail in the trials he may bring. Believers must never excuse their sin by blaming God for the temptation. Rather, James points out, believers need look no further than within themselves for the problem. It is our own “evil ...

1340. The Hidden Spiritual House

1 Peter 2:4-12, 1 Peter 2:13-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and to commend those who do right” (2:14; cf. Rom. 13:3–4), but Peter is as aware as we are today of the possibility of corruption in high places. He even calls Rome “Babylon” in his closing greeting (5:13). Yet, just as we abstain from fleshly desires and still remain committed to ordinary human society (2:11–12), so we submit to worldly authority even though it is to pass away under the judgment of God. We know that God’s world is fallen, but we submit to his ordering of it, keen to testify by ...

1341. Making One’s Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ). This enables us, on the one hand, to “participate in the divine nature” (a bold statement that we can become like Jesus/God) and, on the other, to “escape the corruption in the world” that is caused by desire. (“Evil” is not in the Greek text; for the Hellenistic world all desire was problematic and is the root of evil.) One cannot participate in the divine nature without escaping from the corruption in the world. Therefore, the second part (1:5–11) is about the virtues (not listed in any ...

1342. Accept His Peace

John 4:1-26, Romans 5:1-11, Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... and being an insensitive clod caring only about yourself! In the words of Patrick Henry, “Gentlemen cry, ‘Peace, Peace,’ and there is no peace.” In a self-centered generation we must continually be on guard that our desire for peace does not cause us to ignore our responsibilities as soldiers of the cross. Still the desire for peace is one that God has planted in our hearts. Jesus said on one occasion, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not ...

1343. A Jiffy for Eternity

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... . It usually is given on the basis of what the lover wants in return. God's love is different. It is, in fact, so different, so much bigger, that it takes a special Greek word to describe it. That word is agapao. Human love may be motivated by self-centered desire and say, "I love you for what I can take from you." The implied message is "when I receive from you what I want, my love may well dissipate like the morning fog." Or human love may be motivated by hope of mutuality and say, "I love you so long ...

1344. Live Spelled Backward

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... ; up beyond the sun, the moon, and the stars; all the way up to a throne room in glory where cherubim chant and seraphim sing; where elders cry out, "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of hosts." Isaiah tells us that evil began there. Lucifer, one of heaven's angels, desired to usurp the established divine authority and had the temerity to say, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God... I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14 ...

1345. Falling Into Faith

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... a living out of the expectation that God’s promises will be known by us in the future. Through our thoughts, attitude, and actions, we become the very substance of that for which we hope. Our faith provides us with a vision of what God desires for us and the strength and conviction to live out that vision. In The Baltimore Sun, there was an article about an artist suffering from macular degeneration, a disease which deteriorates the eyes and affects vision. You would think that an impairment of this kind ...

1346. A Happy Ending

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... will not allow you to embrace growth. Do yourselves a favor. In the name of the God and the person God calls you to be, embrace the changes and growth God desires for you! Did you know that lobsters must leave their shells in order to grow? Apparently, this is frightening for lobsters because the shell protects them from their predators who desire to tear them apart. Yet as they grow, the old shell must be abandoned. If they do not leave the old shell behind, it will soon become their prison and, finally ...

1347. Can You Hear It?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... to face your challenges and are just plain terrified. If any of this touches you where you live, Isaiah is chomping at the bit to speak to you. In fact, Isaiah is leaping off the page to tell all of us how he has handled life and won. Isaiah eagerly desires to tell anyone who will listen how he has been able to stand victoriously amidst the booming blows of life. Listen to Isaiah’s insights: The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by ...

1348. I Wonder about God’s Will for My Life

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... chose to reveal himself in Jesus Christ so we could understand what his nature is like. Through Christ, God communicated to us that he forgives us, loves us, and wants what is best for us—he went all the way to cross to prove that to us! What God Desires for Us Romans 12:1-2 is clear about God’s intentions for us. What God has in mind for us comes in three words in verse 2: “Good, acceptable, and perfect.” God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. First, God’s will is good. This means that ...

1349. The Power of Patience

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... you. If you are honest, you are growing really impatient with God. You don’t get it. You have done everything you are supposed to — brought your need to God, prayed faithfully, examined your heart, and the bottom line is you have a need, a problem, an issue, a desire, and there is still no answer from God. You are discouraged and getting ready to give up on your prayers and maybe even give up on your faith. Don’t give up. Don’t quit on your prayers. Don’t quit seeking God. The message I have will ...

1350. Prayer Changes Things

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... was excited because an expert in human behavior was telling him what he knew all along — prayer is powerful! Do you desire power for living? Try prayer power! In Acts we read that in God “we live and move and have our being ... The book of James says that we “have not because we ask not.” Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Jesus tells us in John that if we “abide in him” he will give to us what we ask. We read these passages and believe ...

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