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 1426 to 1450 of 1838 results

1426. A Resume of Righteousness

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... from what had been his homeland and the land of his ancestors. He moved Abraham to a foreign land and promised that he would give him much land and many descendants. To date, however, he owned no land, and he had no descendants. I don't necessarily hear bitterness in Abraham's voice. But he does have a concern, and he is not reluctant to voice it to God. Meanwhile, the only other words ascribed to Abraham in this scene form another question. The Lord says to him, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur ...

1427. A Tale Of Two Peters

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... Then, finally, a third person connected the dots between Peter and Jesus, at which point Peter swore emphatically that he did not know Jesus. The sound of the rooster awakened Peter's conscience to what he had done, and he disappeared into the darkness, weeping bitterly. That wasn't so long ago. There really weren't very many weeks between Scene One and Scene Two. In the first scene, Jesus was on trial in the austere chamber, and Peter waited timidly outside. He was so frightened by what was happening to ...

1428. The Healing Fountain of Tears

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... tears. Hagar wept, Esau wept, Jacob wept, Samson’s wife wept, Jonathan and David wept with each other, David wept over Jonathan’s death, Elijah wept, the people of Israel sat down and wept when in Babylon and they remembered Zion, Peter wept bitterly when he denied Jesus, the Magdalen wept at his tomb…Peter wept. Paul, not often portrayed as an emotional person, wept, was wept over, and challenged Christians to “weep with those who weep.” He thanked the Ephesian elders, and testified to serve them ...

1429. On God's Side Or In God's Way?

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... would destroy family religion. Every progressive step that has ever been made in human society has first of all been opposed by somebody in the name of Christ. During the early days of the Salvation Army, General William Booth and his associates were bitterly attacked in the press by certain religious leaders. Can you imagine religious people opposing a group that has no other reason for existence except to help the down and out? When his son Bramwell showed General Booth a newspaper containing an attack on ...

1430. The Keys to Effective Praying

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Can you not see, however, that no matter how eloquent your prayers, you cannot be spiritually whole until you are able to forgive those who have wronged you? No matter how many physical blessings you have, if you are still carrying around anger and bitterness and resentment in your heart because someone has done you some wrong, you are carrying a cancer in your soul. An expert on Divorce Recovery says that the major breakthrough for persons recovering from the brokenness and the pain of divorce is the ...

1431. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... about her life. She had experienced problems at work; she struggled financially, often fought with friends, and ended romantic relationships. She remembered having a disagreement with her sister the day before her accident. In the hospital she was feeling unlucky and at times angry and bitter over what happened to her. “I just let it go,” she says, “I realized how lucky I was.” When she was able to return to her home she stated that she wanted to meet the men who came to her rescue and saved her ...

1432. Divided We Fall

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... couch was placed behind the pulpit. The huge chair featured massive curved arms with dark mahogany legs, each carved like the claw of a lion. As the years passed, the church as well as the community changed, and that couch became the subject of a bitter dispute. Members of the Clyde family wanted to keep the couch where it was, while newer members thought the couch did not belong in the sanctuary. This debate sparked tension between the established members and the newer families who had moved to the country ...

1433. A Faith that Will Transform You

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... represent the attitude of Jesus toward people who are self-righteousness and judgmental. This is not to say that Zacchaeus was without blame. As we noted Zacchaeus was a tax collector the chief tax collector. As you know, tax collectors were bitterly hated by the Jewish people. Tax collectors served the Roman conquerors. Most tax collectors were Jews, but in the people’s eyes they had denied their Jewish heritage and betrayed their country. They were thus ostracized, completely cut off from Jewish ...

1434. Nicodemus: A Young Old Man

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David O. Bales

... about theology and if Jesus can enlighten you, then it’s almost worth coming; but, if he can’t detect the deeper intent, the question behind the statement, the fear behind the face, then depart quickly to arrive home before the wind blows more bitterly. If Jesus can’t sense the searing heart problem, Nicodemus will dismiss his suspicions about the man’s powers. He’ll return, almost relieved, to his sad, old world, yielding to his original faith as threadbare as it is, assuming that faith can’t ...

1435. What If Joseph Were the Patron Saint of 2014?

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of a familiar homeland and into a strange new land. The angelic warning Joseph discerns in a dream is to journey on a “reverse exodus” to flee to Egypt for refuge and the safety of their newborn child. Let’s pause here for a moment to let the bitter irony of this directive sink in. With the future of the Messiah in his hands, Joseph flees from the Jewish Promised Land and returns to the despised regions of Egypt, the land of Hebrew slavery. Why does he take this drastic step? Why does Joseph embark on ...

1436. A Miracle Story

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... text from Acts demonstrates once again how far that mind set is from God’s relationship with creation. Peter was called, along with his brother Andrew, as Jesus’ first disciples. He was with Jesus from the beginning of his Galilean ministry, until the bitter end at the cross. He was present at the empty tomb and witness to the risen Christ. He experienced the vision of Ascension and the vortex of Pentecost. And yet, throughout this life-altering sea of experiences, something inside of Peter had refused ...

1437. When Fishermen Don't Fish

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the words the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. Peter, the big fisherman, ran when times got tough, and how often we do the same! When we lose sight of our call, we run away from every problem! Little things make us cut and run! I was reading recently about the turmoil that came to ...

1438. Expect the Unexpected

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... his sight. Can you imagine that as a young man to become blind? Subsequently George Matheson’s fiancee broke off their engagement. He struggled to finish his education with his eyesight gone. He was assigned to a small, rural parish. It would have been so easy to grow bitter. Yet it was he who wrote one of our most beautiful and most meaningful hymns, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” I particularly love the third verse: O joy that seekest me through pain I cannot close my heart to thee. I trace the ...

1439. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... precisely what these words mean, but we know Saul disobeyed God and we know that many people before and since have been tormented by a guilty conscience. Paul Wellman in his novel, The Chain, tells of a young man who, in the midst of a bitter argument, killed his own brother. Later this same man became an Episcopal priest. All through his adult life, however, he could never rid himself of the guilt of his terrible deed. Some years later he was critically injured in an automobile accident. Attended to in ...

1440. What Difference Does it Make?

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Tony Everett

... in cardboard boxes? To those who are waking up with drug or alcohol hangovers? To those who live in constant fear of being beaten by a family member? To those in harm’s way in distant lands? To those whose families are broken by bitterness and misunderstanding? To those who are excluded and ridiculed because of their race or gender or nationality? You know, in many churches today, there are folks who just don’t get this Christian stuff. They are physically here, all right, but still feel like they ...

1441. The Life of Your Table?

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Temple was still offering the Passover sacrifices for the Jewish faithful. There was no “Seder supper” for these Temple-era Jews. The “Passover” meal was a feast on the Paschal lamb that had been sacrificed at the Temple — not some memorial meal with bitter herbs, eggs, and matza. It was not until the Temple was destroyed that the home table became the new altar for observant Jews — a way to commemorate the history of Jewish history. For those who follow Jesus, a new tradition was launched in ...

1442. For Troubled Hearts

John 14:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

... you don’t have enough? “Do not let your hearts be troubled . . .” said the Master. Boy, that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? To be totally untroubled? If I asked you to describe a troubled heart, what are the words you would use? Fearful? Angry? Envious? Stressed out? Bitter? The list could go on and on. A heart may be troubled by many things. My guess is that most of them could be boiled down to one word, though: fear. What is envy, but the fear that we don’t measure up because we do not have ...

1443. Of Peace and War

Deuteronomy 20:1-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... Christ-followers, who do have a biblical worldview that even in the middle of the war we can never forget who we are. William Temple said it best, “We Christians in war are called to the hardest task of all – to fight without hatred, to resist without bitterness, and in the end if God so grants it, triumph without vindictiveness.” Even while we fight we are to pray for our enemies, love our enemies, and pray that somehow God can use even war to change the hearts of our enemies and turn them toward Him ...

1444. On the Ropes: Round 3 - Defending God

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

... see the strong hand of the promises of God, the provision of God and the plan of God. You keep one thing in mind above everything else – when tough times come into your life they will either take you lower or they will take you higher. You will become bitter or your will become better. If you will trust God no matter what He will set your feet like the feet of a deer and He will enable you to walk above your circumstances so you can keep your eyes on Him. In California a sharp looking businessman stands ...

1445. Treasure Hunt

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... to use the dressing room of a local department store. It was reserved for whites only. Her family attempted to eat at a restaurant after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. They were greeted with silence and stares. Some people would have become bitter, but not Sweetness. It only made her more determined. It was her faith in God that made the difference. She trusted God. She says she “approached each setback, each insult, and each failure as part of the wonderful script that God was writing with her ...

1446. Trust

John 4:43-54

Sermon

James Merritt

... dying son that brought him to a divine Savior. Do you realize that if this man had not known grief, he may never have known grace. If he had not experienced tragedy he might never have experienced triumph. So often when trouble comes our way we will get bitter toward God, and ask the question: “Why did God allow this trouble to come into my life?” Well, many times, in fact I believe any time trouble is brought into your life, one purpose is that the trouble might bring you closer to God. I heard about a ...

1447. An Announcement about Our Future

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... down in the parsonage garage, to the church. They went to get her about a half hour before performance time. Due to her delicate condition they carefully lifted her into the bed of the truck, and Dick rode in the back with her. It was a bitterly cold night and the ewe evidently decided she had other plans. When the truck stopped at a light, she bolted and jumped over the tailgate. She started running down the busy city street away from the church with Dick in hot pursuit. Passing cars slammed on their ...

1448. An Announcement from Our Lord

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Even though, says Rev. Pritchett, the church folks were tentative at first about this approach (after all, they were supposed to be helping and giving to those less fortunate at Christmas) the brave women of the church agreed to this experiment. It was a cold, bitter rainy day when the cerebral palsy class performed the Christmas pageant at their church. There was Mary and Joseph, one little black boy and one little white girl, in wheel chairs. The angel could not keep her arms from flying in the air. The ...

1449. The Condemning Heart

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? Remember the shame that used to be attached to a young woman pregnant out of wedlock. Her sin was public. It was out there for all the world to see. But Jesus knows there are people who carry invisible sins all the time sins like envy, sins like bitterness and hatred, sins like having a condemning heart. But God sees those sins. So Christ instructed in Matthew 7: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will ...

1450. A Family Celebration - Maundy Thursday

John 13:18-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... who experience this kind of tragedy, this loss severely damaged their relationship. As time passed the husband and wife grew apart. Their love for each other just wasn’t the same any more since their little daughter was killed. Finally their love got cold. A bitter hatred came into their lives. Finally they agreed to separate and to divorce. As they were in their home one day going over the various items they had accumulated over the years of their marriage, they got tired and sat down a moment to rest ...

Showing results