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 1526 to 1550 of 4959 results

1526. A Faith That Overcomes

Acts 9:32-43

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... and purpose he sought. He trusted that God still held them in God's hands and that God would provide accordingly for their needs. How often in the face of adversity do we kneel immediately and seek out God? Is communion with God the first thing we desire when we encounter difficulties? Too often we allow too much time to pass before we seek out the assurance of God's presence. As a result, we endure anxiety alone more than is necessary. We allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking we can handle things by ...

1527. In Pursuit Of The Promise

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... they awaited Christ's return. It is impossible to read the New Testament record of the early Church and not come away with a recognition of the integral role of the Holy Spirit in the Church's growth and the effectiveness of its ministry. If we desire our churches to have similar effectiveness, then we too must pursue the promise of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that our churches will receive much needed guidance and power. It is through the Holy Spirit that our churches will become God's ...

1528. A Maturing Faith

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... surface level. There is no depth of understanding or application or commitment. In many ways, this is a self-serving faith. Superficial faith is only interested in faith to the extent that it can be used for selfish purposes. There is little or no real desire to grow in the teachings or the spirit of Christ. Faith becomes merely another tool for achieving some other more-highly-sought-after objective. Consider the woman in this passage. She was "a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her ...

1529. New Wine

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... hit you one by one. But if you cross together, they think you will hurt the car!" There is always much to be said for unity, particularly the unity of the Spirit. Contentious people cannot receive the Spirit's presence. If, as individuals, and as a church, we desire the Holy Spirit, it might be well to ask ourselves: "Am I in unity with God? Is everyone forgiven? Has restitution been made? Am I holding a grudge? Am I in love and harmony with God and neighbor?" Until we are of one mind and heart, until we ...

1530. Holy Wisdom From On High!

Proverbs 8:1-36

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). He also charged young Timothy to study the scriptures "which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). In J. S. Bach's masterpiece, Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring, he called Jesus the "holy wisdom from on high." What does this Wisdom mean as related to the Trinity? What does it do for us today? I. God The Father God the Father is the Omniscient One: all-wise, all-knowing. Nothing escapes his eye. He was ...

1531. Walking On Our Hands

John 8:31-41

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... day. Luther, Calvin, Knox, and others who struggled against the rigidity of the church walked on their hands. Of course, they did not suddenly decide to begin walking on their hands and lay the foundations for a new Church. They were faithful Christians and desired above all else to reform the Church according to what they believed was the biblical order of the community of faith. Nor were they the first to challenge the status quo of the Roman Church. Others had preceded them. Some, like Patrick Hamilton ...

1532. The King On A Cross

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... will be vindicated by God and ushered into his proper place in the divine scheme of things. He believes that Jesus reigns over a kingdom where forgiveness and pardon can be found and where condemned criminals like himself can find restoration rather than recompense. He greatly desires to enter into such a kingdom and be ruled by such a king. Now hear the regal proclamation in response to the sinner's prayer and confession. "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Paradise is a symbol of a ...

1533. The Ark -- Found

Luke 9:18-27

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... Soldier -- a German soldier (INDIANA SMITH AND JANE ENTER) JANE: Indiana, you finally found the lost Ark of the Covenant, and then you lost it again to the Nazis. Now they are going to use the power in it to conquer the world for their evil desires. INDIANA: Follow my lead. (NAZIS ENTER WITH ARK AND PLACE IT CENTER STAGE) HEINRICH: We have won. With the power contained in this mighty ark of God we will certainly conquer the world. Open up the ark. (SOME SOLDIERS OPEN THE LID. EVERYONE COWERS AND HIDES ...

1534. Beware Of Your Piety

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... church. Two early church fathers, Augustine and Tertullian, related that the Lenten fast originated with the Apostles. However, the fast of which they wrote was neither the season nor the fasting that we know. What the fathers were undoubtedly referring to was the desire of the early Christian community to sense anew the deep sorrow and pain they experienced during the period that our Lord lay in the tomb. The time was calculated as forty hours and was suggested, therefore, to be the appropriate span for ...

1535. The Little Boat

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... are still on this dangerous voyage. Frail is our vessel, and the ocean wide; but as in your mercy you have set our course, so pilot the vessel of our life towards the everlasting shore of peace, and bring us at last to the quiet haven of our heart's desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 1. David Adam, Tides and Seasons (London: Triangle, SPCK, 1995), p. 99. 2. Ibid., p. 42.

1536. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... us to hold onto it, grows in stature and control, begins to take possession of our life, and eventually says, "You are mine; you belong to me." Unless this demon is cast out, division sets in. Lust is a demon too. Starting naturally as a sexual desire, it can take over the mind of a person, gaining control, making everything stand behind it in importance and ruining many a life. Martin Luther said: "You can't keep the birds of temptation from flying over your head; but you can keep them from building ...

1537. Look How You Listen

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... you heard the words of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit -- the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people." Is not this what all of us, in our best desiring, want to become? All of us who have perceived in Jesus Christ the power and love of the Son of God, do we not long to be, fully and completely, beloved children of God? You who, like the twelve, have been following faithfully, do you not with the ...

1538. The Taught Can

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... when we repent and believe the good news that already means we are denying ourselves. Do any of you claim that God owes you eternal living? Or do any of you claim that you can sin in order that grace may abound? Or do you do everything your foolish heart desires? Sometimes you do some of those things, but even then you deny yourself: "It is not I that do them, but sin that dwells in me." Of course, we pass the test of "let them deny themselves." We are not hearers only. As for "taking up your cross," which ...

1539. No Box Seats In The Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... "Teacher, we want you to put us on your right and on your left. But keep it quiet. Don't make it too obvious. Others may become offended that we asked first." By telling us this story, Mark knows what you and I know: we are prone to the same desire for privilege and protected status. We want a Jesus who will give us what we want, a Lord who can shower a little power on us, a Savior who can make us better than we are. A number of years ago, a small book appeared for ministers. Titled The Penguin ...

1540. Can You See Where We're Going

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... the street. One of our greatest needs is to bridge the gap between affluent members who commute to worship and the neighborhood where our building is located. Our last pastor was instrumental in beginning a chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and we desire a new minister with similar energy, imagination, and interest in urban ministry. People of courage are invited to apply. Would it surprise you to learn that those are two potential advertisements for the same church? Both advertisements are true of one ...

1541. It's OK To Stir Up God

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Richard Patt

... how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Yes, even a human father doesn't usually treat his children cruelly. If that's true, think of how much more the heavenly Father desires to bless us all. In other words, Jesus wants us to be convinced that God is unquestionably on our side. From the beginning of our prayer, God is ready to listen for the sake of bringing us the best possible blessing. What a promise! Even before we get ...

1542. Rich In God's Sight

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Richard Patt

... come to know Christ; I did what I could to bring Christian values to the young people of my church." Children will generally follow effective leaders. They will listen to those who take time to listen to them. They stand on tiptoe in their desire to make meaningful commitments. Young people are ready; they are always standing near the edge of responding. They are eager souls. But at this point a lot of adult persons would claim that they have a heart for children, their own and youth generally. Concerned ...

1543. Sabotaging The Sabath

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Richard Patt

... in this story for trying to guard the observance of the sabbath day. He had good intentions. What happened here is that good intentions were carried too far. In fact, they were carried so far that something altogether good and lovely became an ugly occasion. We can desire to guard a good thing so much that we suffocate the goodness of it in the process. So the religious leaders took God's masterful idea of the sabbath and pushed it too far. They pushed it so far that, believe it or not, it became acceptable ...

1544. Echoes

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... on the morning commute when we can suddenly hear the echo of God's voice and realize that those same words are the words God uses not only for Jesus but for us also. May the blessing of that echo lift you to receive the love that God has always desired to give you while your attention was elsewhere. Amen. "

1545. Love Your Enemies--It Will Drive Them Crazy

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave." The story goes that a torrent of tears cleansed the face of that boy who had stolen, and the desire to steal was banished from him forever in that decisive moment. I know a very sharp person in southern California who gave me a gift at Christmastime -- a very interesting book. It is called A Ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in History. It is intriguing because of ...

1546. Tiny Town: Promised Power

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Tony Everett

... with that name spell it K-A-T-I-E. I wonder why yours is different." "I don't know," said Katy. "That's just the way Jesus wants it. I guess I'm just special." Well, Katy might not always enjoy the success that either she or her parents desire. Yet she will always know that she is special because that is the way Jesus wants it. And so will we. That's what God has promised. With Katy, we know that this promise is sure and certain, and forever. Micah proclaims, "And they shall live secure, for now he ...

1547. Unexpected Joy; Undeserved Gift

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Tony Everett

... business. ... and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (v. 6) Here Isaiah lists ceremonial names given to the king at his coronation. These names reaffirmed the Lord's covenant with David 200 years ago. These names expressed desire that the people's hopes for renewal of spirit and restoration of power would occur. These names express a yearning for a new identity, a new vision that will emerge during the reign of a wise and powerful king. These names are full of ...

1548. Who's In Charge Here, Anyway?

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Tony Everett

... brothers talked with him" (v. 15). Someone has to be a Joseph here. God is in charge here. Not you. Not me. We must "stop standing on our brother's head." God calls us to reach out with the open arms of forgiveness. God asks us to put aside our desires to get even. God calls us to allow peace to begin in our own hearts. God calls us to love as we have been loved in Christ. God calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven by Christ. Why not here? Why not now?

1549. How Long Will You Limp? (Because God Is Tired Of The Bull)

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... went back to his old ways without the thought of ever pleasing God. Appeasing God is all form and no substance. Pleasing God is both form and substance, doing what is righteous and good in God's eyes. God may then respond on God's terms to the desires of our hearts. Elijah understood as a prophet of God he must do what was pleasing to God. The bull he presented was consumed by fire, which at least gave the people bull burgers because it was offered as atonement, while the bull of the priests remained what ...

1550. A Tale Of Two Cities

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... lost all moral and spiritual authority as a priest and therefore did not possess the power to deter the prophetic imperative to prophesy unto the nation. The priest was appointed. The prophet was anointed. Only God has the power to affirm or quench the prophet's desire to speak the truth on behalf of God. We today need to retrieve such moral authority in doing God's will and work as both priest and prophet by standing on and speaking the truth. We must claim our authority and vouchsafe our right to speak ...

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