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 1476 to 1500 of 4959 results

1476. The Power of Belief

1 John 5:9-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... apostle closes this section of his letter by initiating the epilogue to his message. He says that he writes to those who believe in the name of Christ so that they may understand and experience eternal life. Like Jesus, John wants all to be saved; he desires to seek out the lost and provide the message that will bring both the faithful and those who are non-believers back to God. John’s message provides both comfort and challenge for all who believe. In a world that is filled with uncertainty, numerous ...

1477. Jesus' Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . So, when they "saw that the tree was good for food, and...a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise" (Are not food, beauty, and wisdom worthy human goals?), they ate the fruit of the one tree that God had ... not some cosmic Santa Claus who exists to shower us with what we want. But if God can't lower himself to give us always what our hearts desire, can't God at least give us a sign? What's the harm in a sign? Anything would be better than this silent, sign-less, two-faced ...

1478. Hungering for Some Time Off

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

King Duncan

... . It reminds me of a story about Pancho Villa, one of Mexico’s greatest rebel heroes. Villa was the leader of a rebel army that fought in a civil war that lasted from 1910 to 1920. What the history books don’t record is Villa’s insatiable desire for publicity. He took a camera crew along to most of his battles. Sometimes he even delayed a battle until the cameras were rolling. He also refused to lead his troops into battle at night, because then he couldn’t be filmed in action. For one particular ...

1479. Driven to Complete

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... person, after some other record. Someone will always be greater than you. You can waste a lot of energy, and lose a lot of joy, by always trying to stay a step ahead of the other guy. Of course, Jesus understands our need to compete. He understands our desire to be the greatest. Fear and pride drive us to put our needs first, and to compare ourselves to others. But fear and pride are cannibalistic urges. They may drive us to achieve great things, but they also steal away the joy of achievement, and drive us ...

1480. The Oath

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . He knew what he had done was wrong. He knew John was right. He also valued John and his counsel. His conscience plagued him. Knowing Herod’s conflict, Herodias is incensed and vows to have John killed. When Herod offers her daughter Salome a reward, anything she desires, to dance at his banquet, Herodias has the girl demand the head of John the Baptist to be brought to her on a platter tray. Unable to refuse or lose face in front of his entire kingdom of officers, Herod complies. Yet Herod is so plagued ...

1481. The Gift Of — Darn It! — Waiting

Hebrews 10:5-10

Sermon

Mary Austin

... have prepared for me; in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God” (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’ When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God ...

1482. Pulling Our Punches

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... human answer is correct. It is to his credit that the rich young man could answer: “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” And this is where the rich young man fell short. This was all well and good, but it was centered in the young man’s desire to “do.” What must I “do” the young man asked. This is a pretty good start, but in a real sense we can’t do enough. The love of God is ours, and the love of God is unearned. Mark told us that Jesus loved him. One translation reads “Jesus ...

1483. Are Ye Able?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... dreamers answered, to the death we follow thee.” Lord, we are able. Our spirits are thine. Remold them, make us, like thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty. (in the public domain) Ignatius spoke about earnestly desiring to share in the way of Jesus. In today’s Bible passage the disciples want a spot next to Jesus. They just don’t quite yet understand exactly what that meant. Mark wrote that James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with a ...

1484. For The Love of God is Giving

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... we have which does not come from God. God is our Creator. We are the created. God knows our needs just like parents know their children's needs. Remembering this helps us focus our thoughts and our lives upon God. A life focused upon God is exactly what God most desires for each of us. Not because God is an old meany who doesn't want us to have any fun. But simply because a life focused on God gives life joy and quality. There's a story about a little girl who climbed up in her grandmother's lap, looked ...

1485. To Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Jesus, which defines us as Christians. And through that relationship, we learn to think, act, and be different. A Christian’s primary job is not to learn rules, to memorize passages, to attend worship, or sing hymns, although these all are important and express our desire to learn about Jesus. But a Christian’s primary job is simply to love. Love God. Love Jesus. Love each other. Love all people. And God knows, we need help to do that! The Reformation in its simplest sense, reminded us what was most ...

1486. Hanging Around Jesus Changes You

Philippians 3:17 — 4:1

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... do with the cross of Christ. No surprise. Who of us wants to mess with death and suffering? Why, it’s just common sense. Cross-bearing goes against the grain of what pop culture in America tells us about life. It goes against the grain of our desire for instant gratification. After all, we’ve been taught to follow our dreams, to let nothing get in the way of personal goals.[1] This is what the prosperity gospel of today is all about. We want prosperity because things are not that good in America today ...

1487. Nobody’s Too Good To Repent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... are always trying to get our own way in everything we do. We’re inherently selfish since the fall into sin and that selfishness infects even our good deeds. Think about it: Have you ever done a deed that was not motivated at least in part by a desire to feel good about it? Is that not the reason we do good, because the deed makes us feel good about ourselves? I know my good deeds, raising kids, loving my wife Betsey, caring for students or for the poor seem selfless, until you scratch me deep enough, and ...

1488. Rejecting The Message — Rejecting The Person

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... he hadn’t noticed her. When McKinley saw this, he walked down the aisle and took her basket and offered her his seat. The other man was unaware that anyone was watching, but his total lack of kindness would later cost him the job he so dearly desired! (www.sermonsearch.com). The scriptures are filled with acts of kindness from the hands of Jesus from healing to the raising of the dead. His words encouraged people to see themselves for who they really were such as the woman at the well in Samaria (Luke 4 ...

1489. Secret Sauce

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Luther that goes, “wherever the Lord builds a church, the devil would build a chapel.” The threat of what M. Scott Peck calls the “diabolic” in human nature is always evident. As God would say, “sin is crouching at your door, and it’s desire is for you.” Or as Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me satan! You are a stumbling stone to me!” Both signify a threat to unity, a diversion away from relationship. The word “diabolic” is an interesting one. “Ballein” is a root which means ...

1490. Not As the World Gives

John 14:23-29 · John 5:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... of cynicism I insist today that this is not merely possible, it is our calling. It is indeed possible to let go of preciously held selves and imagine what it must be like to be someone else. It is possible to move beyond the narrow limits of our own desires and become open to the power of the Spirit as it gives the gift of empathy and compassion. It is possible, and again, it is our call to open our hearts and our minds to include the experience of others into our consciousness. The peace of God in Christ ...

1491. Lamb and Wolves

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... than any condemnation we might otherwise feel toward them. They need the sense that we are sent from God out of his love for them rather than as an object of some personal victory for us personally. If our name is written in heaven, it should be our desire that others should join us there. Our attitude toward them means a lot. It’s an attitude change that can only be brought about by a renewing of our minds (as the apostle Paul urged in Romans 12). We need to be aware that, when we follow Jesus into ...

1492. The Dare Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . “May your kingdom come to us, and your will [not ours] be carried out here on earth, just as it is carried out in your heavenly realm.” Once again, this sentence puts our agendas on the back burner, and propels God’s will and desire, way, and mission to the forefront of our minds and hearts. We ask essentially that God not abide by any wishes, wants, or petitions we may put forward, but that God’s will ultimately be carried out. What now? How hard is that to say when you realize what you’ ...

1493. All Dressed Up

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Christian art, clothing has portrayed characteristics of holiness. The color blue, the color red, the color purple, the seamless shift, the simple sandal, the priestly garb, the sheath of white, the armor of battle, and many, many more, all speak to us of certain desirable (or undesirable) traits. To dress for success means something specific to us. To get “all dressed up” for dinner means more than just a change of clothing. It also means a shift of mind and attitude. We are what we wear. So when Jesus ...

1494. The Best Seat in the House

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... when one needs to be heard. Sometimes, it’s a grave mistake to keep silent when things need to be said. But we can draw a fine line between healthy self-promotion, the kind of assertiveness that helps us look out for ourselves, and our desire to be and have “the best” seat in the house! For some, having the “best” life can offer signals an obsession with status which in turn often signals some kind of emptiness within. People often attempt to inflate a poor self-image by immersing themselves ...

1495. To See and Be Seen

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... relationship, companionship, and emotional intimacy which can come out in other less healthy ways. It takes courage to stand before God and those we love and to admit our faults, hoping for love, forgiveness, and acceptance, especially if we are truly repenting and desiring for reconciliation. But this courage allows us to mend the gap and salve our spirits. Restoration is loving despite seeing. In our scripture for today, we have a story of Zacchaeus, a man who strived to see Jesus, because he deeply to be ...

1496. The Sawdust Trail

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... resurrection gives us the hope that God is ultimately in control and will prevail, if not now then at the end times. It is for this reason Paul tells us that we can look to the things that are above and not be held captive to earthly problems and desires. One of the most important Bible verses we have for Easter Sunday is recorded in the gospel of John when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me ...

1497. The Greater Gift

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... best of the kingdom to those who already have undergone enough pain and yet continue to bear the kindest and most loyal of hearts to both God and others. To those who criticize, judge, and condemn, believing themselves righteous, better, or more worthy, God desires a repentant heart, a heart God will always receive with joy and celebration. I challenge all of us today to take a look at our hearts, our lives, our preconceptions of others, and the circumstances of our lives, because for us still today, the ...

1498. How Does Prayer Work?

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... from day to day, and you will find what you are looking for.” God still wants us to bring him our needs, our desires, and our questions and doubts. But God wants more than that. God wants us! God wants a relationship with us. When I make prayer a habit ... , something happens on the inside of me. I become more sensitive to God’s love in my life; and my motives and desires begin to change. For me, prayer allows the power and wisdom of God to break in -- and I begin to be transformed by God’s ...

1499. Faith or Folly

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... out on them, that they couldn’t trust God to have their best interests at heart, that they too could command the power and status of God. They were convinced to mistrust God and to trust in a manipulative voice. Why? Because it fed their desire for power through the assumption that “we are; therefore we deserve.” But God does not make deals with us. God instead invites us into a covenant relationship with him through Jesus that nourishes us, assures us, prepares us, and saves us from ourselves and the ...

1500. Sharing God's Vision

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... what challenges they faced, the believers at Pentecost lived as people of great hope. And the second great gift we receive from Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit enables us to share the truth of God with grace and power. The Holy Spirit gives us both the desire and the ability to share our faith in God, to tell our story in a way that draws others closer to God, just as on the day of Pentecost, “God-fearing Jews from every nation heard the believers declaring the wonders of God in their own language ...

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