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 1376 to 1400 of 2415 results

1376. Manual Labor Is Not the President of Mexico

Proverbs 6:6-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... doesn't simply hold an organization back, he destroys its motivation and drive. A lazy player doesn't just weaken the team, he destroys its spirit and diminishes its will to win. A lazy pastor doesn't merely limit a church, he destroys its enthusiasm, its passion to win souls and meet needs. Before long, everyone must do more to compensate for the sluggard's negative influence.5 If you're a businessman you know the truth of this statement: It is better to be shorthanded than to hire a sluggard. Evidently ...

1377. Seeing the End from the Beginning

Numbers 13:1-2, 17-33

Sermon

James Merritt

... could not see it. Because they could not see it, they did not do it. This passage of Scripture tells us not only why vision is a key step to greatness, but also how important vision is to victory, both for an individual and an institution. You can have passion—that is, you can want it; you can have mission—that is, you can know it; but if you don't have vision—that is, if you cannot see it, greatness will never come. I. Vision Comes From Inspiration Now before we can talk about vision we must first ...

1378. Saved to Share

Acts 26

Sermon

James Merritt

... in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities." (vv.9-11) Paul was the star of the number one TV show in that day—"Israel's Most Wanted." He had made it his fulltime passion in life to hunt down Christians. It was open season on those who were believers in Jesus Christ. He hunted them down like dogs. All because he felt that he "must do things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." Paul is a picture of every ...

1379. Repeat After Me

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... way, the word "know" does not refer to intellectual knowledge, but to practical, personal, experiential knowledge. It means to know something by real experience. Paul said, "I want to know the person of Jesus. I want to know the power of Jesus. I want to know the passion of Jesus." But don't miss what Paul said in the latter part of verse 8, "…for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." Paul lost some things when he found Jesus. He lost his family ...

1380. Why You Should Manage Your Time

Psalm 118:24

Sermon

James Merritt

The subject I am going to talk about today was described by the following: Sometimes it flies, sometimes it crawls, but it always passes in inexorably. We mark it, save it, waste it, bide it, race against it. We measure it incessantly with a passion for precision that borders on the obsessive.1 We are obsessed with it; we never seem to have enough of it; and yet scientists don’t even know how to explain it. When St. Augustine was asked to describe it, he said: “If no one asks me, I know what ...

1381. Who Would Have Guessed?

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Illustration

Mark Braun

... from the religious power center in Jerusalem. After two years he'd gathered a dozen unimpressive disciples and gained a few converts, mostly among the poor and the unlearned. During the last year of his public life he generated such passionate opposition from both the moneyed aristocracy and from religious fundamentalists that they joined forces-an unlikely alliance!-to have him painfully, shamefully executed. Who would ever predict that from such bleak beginnings a great kingdom would grow? Jesus did. "The ...

1382. A Strong-willed Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... s time for some of us to make a choice: disciple or doormat? The choice is that clear. Never give up. Always speak up. And hear the Master say, “Woman or man you have great faith! Your request is granted.” 1. Flash Points: Igniting the Hidden Passions of Your Soul (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub., Inc., 2002), pp. 149-150. 2. Bob Dole, Great Political Wit: Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House (New York: Doubleday, 1998), p. 79. 3. (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1981), p. 95. 4. Cited in Billy ...

1383. How To Be An Easter Person

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... AN EASTER PERSON IS ONE WHO SHARES THE GOOD NEWS. The women of the first Easter did. Those women were the first evangelists in history. Verse 9 tells us that they “told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.” Last Sunday, which was Palm/Passion Sunday, we pinned little lapel crosses to all our worshippers. After the 11:00 AM service, a young man of perhaps 14 or 15 years of age approached me and asked, “Pastor, do we have any crosses left over?” I said, “Yes, I feel sure that we do ...

1384. I Believe That Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... King of the Jews,” a crown of thorns was thrust down upon his head, piercing the scalp. His tormenters spat upon him and slapped his face. He was beaten by bone-studded whips until his flesh was a bloody pulp. Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ,” makes the misery of a flogging graphic and unforgettable. That line in our Creed- “suffered under Pontius Pilate” reminds us that Jesus’ death was legal. It was in conformity with Roman law. (2) Why do you suppose that the Creed includes ...

1385. God Loves Us All

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

King Duncan

I was reading recently about a tribe in Africa known as the Masai, a race of strong, tall people. This particular tribe has always believed in one god, Engai. They believe Engai is passionately involved in his people's lives. But here is what the Masai believe about their god: that he loves the rich more than the poor, the healthy more than the sick, the virtuous more than the wicked. Engai favors the Masai over every other tribe, providing them with rain and ...

1386. Good News...Really?

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... this kind of song from the high and the mighty, the grand, the splendiferous. Maybe the Mormon Tabernacle Choir accompanied by the New York Symphony, assisted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, or something set to the strains of Handel's Messiah or Bach's St. Matthew's Passion. You would expect this kind of anthem to be accompanied by thunder and lightning, cymbal crashes and rolling drums, a cloud of smoke and a pillar of fire…at least a burning bush! But the fact is, God's praise is placed on the lips of ...

1387. Saints By Faith: Good to the Last Drop

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Judy and I were considering the call to come to Birmingham. It's amazing how lives connect across the years. Ray told Judy to go to Asbury College and marry a minister. Lo and behold, she did, and I will be eternally grateful! Ray's passionate faith, his exuberant laughter, his powerful preaching, his commitment to racial inclusivity and the role of women in ministry in a day when that was not the norm, empowered the church and shaped the ministry of a generation of pastors in this Conference. Of all ...

1388. Joshua: Why These Stones?

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... to step into the stream of this church's past: the smile on the faces of people who speak of a still-beloved Dr. Runkel, the powerful pulpit of a Jim Wright and G. Ernest Thomas, the keen mind of a Bob Ward and the visionary passion of a Bill Ritter. But more, I am overwhelmed by the commitment of the people of this church: · Hundreds of Rummage Sale volunteers (and by the way, we need more!) · The building of a church in Costa Rica · Lay leadership scattered throughout Methodism · Volunteers who commit ...

1389. The Song of an Awe-Filled Life

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... song of awe and wonder: O World, I cannot hold thee close enough! Thy winds, thy wide grey skies! Thy mists that roll and rise! World, World, I cannot get thee close enough. Long have I known a glory in it all, But never knew I this: Here such a passion is as stretcheth me apart Lord, I do fear thou'st made the world too beautiful this year; My soul is all but out of me, — let fall No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call. [6] It's the "awe factor." And it makes all the difference. All praise ...

1390. Are You Ready for the Journey?

Mark 8:27-9:1

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... line, like throwing salt over your shoulder or clutching a rabbit's foot. But more deeply, what would it mean to mark our lives with the sign of the cross? To allow our thoughts to be formed after the mind of Christ To plant the cross in our guts, our passions, our deep desires and motivations To place the cross in our hearts so that every emotion, every love, and all our relationships would be shaped by the love of Christ To bear the cross on our right hand so that all we do with our hands, our work and ...

1391. A Matter Of The Heart

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... all the way to the heart of our identity. [1] He calls it "congregational cardiomyopathy": ...an ecclesiastical version of the medical condition that hardens the heart so that it is no longer able to function; it's the lack of heart-level clarity and warm-hearted passion about God's mission and vision for the church.[1] And it calls for nothing short of open heart surgery, going all the way to the center of our lives, to the heart of the matter, opening our hearts to the spirit of Christ and his compassion ...

1392. Training for a Purpose

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... that his coming brought us a whole new dimension, namely, love in action freely doing good deeds. So, the "grace of God has appeared" in the person of a Jewish baby boy. In accepting him as personal Savior and Lord with renunciation of "impiety and worldly passions" we are born anew for the benefit of others. Lives that are "self-controlled, upright, and godly" bring to the world a magnificent and yet practical way of serving humankind. The question is: Do you and I believe this? If we don't, why not? The ...

1393. Power and Compassion

Hebrews 5:1-10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... whom they have authority. Power wielded without compassion is cruel and corrupt, while sympathy without competency is ineffective and futile. Anyone facing criminal prosecution or a costly civil suit wants a lawyer not only with the highest skill level, but also with a passion to fight ferociously for the client. Likewise, when we need a heart transplant to survive, a well-meaning friend with a penknife and no medical training won't do us much good; and neither will a cardiac surgeon who chooses to vacation ...

1394. Grace to You, and Peace

Revelation 1:4b-8

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... . John, himself, was one of the casualties, exiled to the barely hospitable island of Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea on account of his testimony. The churches are struggling with many of the same issues that plague congregations today: waning passion, compromised loyalties, internal conflicts, misplaced priorities. "Church growth" was no easier then than now. We can imagine perhaps how those congregations might have felt by this personal summons. "What now?" they might have asked. "Why us?" and "How bad ...

1395. Our Prayers Are Our Thanksgiving

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... very devotion to Christ and his dominion that so often puts the church at odds with the world nevertheless demands from us a compassion that embraces that same world. Such devotion is dangerous, at least in the secular world-view that sees religious passion as divisive. In our worship we stand squarely upon our confession, "There is one mediator between God and humankind" (and no other), and in the eyes of the world that makes us separatists and even troublemakers. But in Christian mission and service we ...

1396. Lent 1

Song of Songs 8:1-14, Revelation 21:1-6a

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7) Collect Your love for us ...

1397. Nothing To Do With Me

Mark 1:21-28

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... redemption to your people. These things we pray in your name of glory. Amen. Prayer Of Confession What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. Quit drawing me away from my pale passions, and from my meditations on mediocrities. Stop pulling me back from the edge of the cliff. Leave me alone, Lord, before you change me forever! Or else, have thine own way. Amen. Hymns Praise To The Lord, The Almighty Seek Ye First Have Thine Own Way

1398. The Right Gear

Ephesians 6:10-20

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... choice we will make is where we will eat lunch or what we will watch in the afternoon. Today and every day you call upon us to take a stand, for you and against the powers of the world, for your kingdom and against the comforting lies that dull our passion for your good news. Today, Lord, in word at least, and with your help our hearts as well, we take our stand to serve you, to love you, to praise you, to choose you. Amen. Hymns I Shall Not Be Moved With Happy Voices Singing God Of Grace And God ...

1399. Heart, Soul, Mind, Spirit

Mark 12:28-34

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, All: but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Collect One: Heart. The Bible says All: Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. One: Soul. The Bible says All: Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. One ...

1400. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ’ declaration from Matthew 19:30, “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” But now theses words serve to introduce the next part of his conversation with the disciples (20:17-28), a conversation that begins with Jesus’ passion prediction. In the kingdom of God that Jesus ushers, service and sacrifice, not power and glory, will define discipleship. What first century rabbinic literature called God’s “two measures,” justice and mercy, will be brought together on the cross and turn ...

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