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 1551 to 1575 of 1838 results

1551. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that your well is poisonous and you have tried to remedy it by painting the curb. You have found that the clock of life does not keep good time and you have spent endless care polishing the hands. You have found the fountain of the heart sending forth a bitter stream and you have tried to remedy it by pulling up a few weeds that grew around it. Nicodemus, you must be put right at heart. That is just. That is fundamental.” “So Jesus declared to this pious and earnest and honest man the one supreme and ...

1552. Claiming Hope

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

James L. Killen

... the disease, the doctor eventually said, "Bill, we can't cure you. You have only about a year to live." Again, Bill felt himself being drawn toward the depths of anger, despair, and hopelessness. Bill was human. He spent some time dealing with those bitter experiences. Eventually, he again chose to take hold of hope. He did a lot of talking to himself. Bill instinctively hoped that something would happen to change things, but he knew better than to count on that. He began to intentionally make the most ...

1553. A Lesson Learned from a Snake

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... that they murmured among themselves. Nominally religious people always murmur among themselves. Have you ever noticed that? God save us from people who are converted just enough to criticize everyone else. Mark Twain was famous as a humorist, but he was bitterly cynical about religion. He said on one occasion that if Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be --a Christian. Unfortunately Twain was confusing deeply committed followers of Christ with the half-converted and that makes a tremendous ...

1554. A Celebration of Hope

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... cope with one of his most vexing problems. One evening he came home from a very difficult meeting, exhausted and quite depressed. Actually he was very angry at someone at that meeting. He wanted in some way to express his anger. He thought of writing a bitter, cruel letter to crush his opponent. He constructed horribly mean phrases in his mind. He took great delight in savoring the anticipated effect of each cruel word. He tried to pray about the matter, but he found that he didn’t really want to turn the ...

1555. Jacob, Leah, and Rachel

Gen 29:15--30:24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the proper name. Most intriguing here are the births of Levi and Judah. From these sons come two of the most crucial institutions of the Old Testament—priesthood and kingship. Both institutions have their origin in an unwanted marriage laced with deception and bitterness. Paul is correct; God does work in all things for good (Rom. 8:28). The competition between Leah and Rachel means more children for Jacob (30:1–24). Reflecting an allowable custom of her day, Rachel gives her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob ...

1556. Jacob and Laban

Gen 30:25--31:55

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s blood. Jacob has his chance to rebuke Laban. Note his interesting reference to the Lord as the “Fear of Isaac” (31:42), a name for God that appears in the Old Testament only here and in verse 53. Rather than part in bitterness, Jacob and Laban choose to part amiably, and this is to their credit. Accordingly they make a covenant. To memorialize this moment they raise a pillar of stones, which Laban names “Jegar Sahadutha” (Aramaic), and which Jacob names “Galeed” (Hebrew; both terms mean ...

1557. God of Israel Versus the Gods of Egypt: The Initial Request

Exodus 5:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and prevents shrinking and cracking. The Israelites’ situation deteriorates, but there is a purpose: Instead of sanctioning a temporary journey into the desert, Pharaoh will drive the Israelites out, and the mighty hand of God will accomplish the task. Notably, however, the purposes of God are accomplished through difficult and bitter experiences.

1558. Deliverance at the Sea

Ex 13:17–14:31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... may refer to the region north of the Gulf of Suez, which, in antiquity, was characterized by large, shallow lakes and extensive swamps. The water level was higher four thousand years ago, and the north end of the Gulf of Suez may have merged with the Bitter Lakes region, all of it being called yam sup. It would not have been navigable without the miracle that dries it up and allows the Israelites to walk across on dry ground. Furthermore, this body of water is deep enough that the Egyptians are engulfed ...

1559. Ten Commandments and the People’s Response

Exodus 20:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... drastically than others. Part of the honor accorded them is, in those cases, forgiveness and exerting every effort to live at peace (cf. Heb. 12:14). Maligning parents who have been a severe detriment to one’s life only leads to bitterness. The punishment for cursing parents is death (Exod. 21:17); rebellion and disobedience receive a like punishment (Deut. 21:18–21). The Hebrew word translated “honor” literally means “to be heavy” or “give weight to” and may be directed to those children ...

1560. The Golden Calf

Ex 32:1–33:6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... or not metal burns is not the issue. There are possible parallels with the later legislation regarding the wife suspected of adultery (Num. 5:5–31). Curses are written on a scroll and washed off into water, and the woman must drink this bitter water. If she is guilty it will enter her and cause suffering. In this case, the idolatrous Israelites have committed spiritual adultery by breaking their marriage covenant with the Lord. Here, unlike Numbers 5, the Israelites’ guilt is not in question. Aaron does ...

1561. Quail from the Lord

Numbers 11:4-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... situation under the leadership of God and his servant Moses (11:5–9; cf. v. 20). Still slaves at heart (cf. Acts 7:39), they rebel against the cost of freedom. God is angry again, but this time Moses is upset too. Rather than interceding, he bitterly objects that God has laid the burden of all the people and their unreasonable request on him (11:10–15). The Lord treats Moses with patience and understanding (cf. 1 Kings 19:4–8), providing two solutions for his dilemma. First, God has him appoint ...

1562. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... She interprets her pitiful condition (once full but now empty) as caused by both “the Almighty” and “the Lord,” in personal opposition. This explains why she requests they no longer call her Naomi but Mara, a name change that in Hebrew reflects the bitterness she has experienced. The notification that their arrival in Bethlehem (1:18–22) coincides with the beginning of the barley harvest in March to April confirms the correctness of what Naomi heard in the fields of Moab (1:6). But the women’s ...

1563. Nathan Rebukes David

2 Samuel 12:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah, starting with the death of Bathsheba’s baby. For seven days David prays and fasts for the sick child with the hope that in his grace, God might also spare this little one. But the child dies, and David tastes the first bitter fruit of his sins. In spite of his pain, David accepts the death of the child as the Lord’s will and does not continue to lament (12:20–25). Encouraged by the knowledge that his own sin is forgiven, David goes into the house of the Lord and ...

1564. Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 Kings 2:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the beginning of Elisha’s public activity, as he retraces the journey (Jordan River, Jericho, and Bethel, then on to Mount Carmel and Samaria) of Elijah at the beginning of the chapter. The healing of water with salt is somewhat offset by the bitter curses and bear-mauling of the forty-two youths from Bethel, yet both illustrate that a prophet’s response to “evil” can bring both healing and destruction. The entrance of the female bears as agents of judgment reminds us of the devouring lions earlier ...

1565. Eliphaz

Job 4:1–5:27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , one with no known or unknown sin, experiencing calamity. For all of Eliphaz’s experience and understanding, then, Job’s true situation remains impossible in Eliphaz’s worldview. That worldview leads Eliphaz to offer words of encouragement that are, in fact, bitterly cruel to Job: “Where were the upright ever destroyed?” (4:7); “[A fool’s] children are far from safety, crushed in the court without a defender” (5:4); “You will know that your children will be many” (5:25). Words meant ...

1566. Psalm 73

Psalm 73:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... : prosperity and peace (73:12–14). His theology and his reality are in conflict (73:15–16). Asaph, a worship leader at the temple, gains a new perspective on reality: there is a different destiny for the wicked than for the righteous (73:17–20, 23–24, 27). Regretting his bitterness and foolishness (73:21–22) and remembering God’s faithfulness (73:26), Asaph declares that he will proclaim God’s truth (73:28).

1567. Psalm 81

Psalm 81:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In 80:4–6, God’s people complain that he does not answer their prayers, but allows their enemies to triumph over them, forcing them to eat bitterness. In Psalm 81, God responds: despite my delivering you from slavery (81:5–6, 10) and guiding you through the wilderness (81:7), you serve other gods—you do not obey me. Turn to me, and I will resolve your problems (81:14–16). In Psalms 77, 78, 80, and ...

1568. Warnings Against Folly, Especially Sexual Infidelity

Proverbs 5:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... an irresistible combination, but in 5:4 the woman is unmasked. In reality she is like gall and a double-edged sword. The NIV’s “gall” is literally “wormwood” (5:4; cf. Jer. 23:15; Lam. 3:19), a nonpoisonous (despite NLT’s “poison”) plant known for its bitter taste and use in eradicating intestinal worms. The phrase “in the end” introduces an important concept in Proverbs (5:4; cf. 5:11; 14:12, 13; 16:25; 19:20; 20:21; 23:18, 32; 24:14, 20; 25:8; 29:21). The wise person sees beyond the ...

1569. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 26:1-28, Proverbs 25:1-28, Proverbs 27:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and is contrasted with the reticence of a so-called friend and a foe’s feigned affection (27:5–6). Two general proverbs follow. Verse 7 may simply illustrate how circumstances dictate tastes (although both are distorted); however, in context, the sweet-tasting, bitter food may refer to the “wounds from a friend” (27:6). The Hebrew verb nadad (27:8) designates one forced to flee (NIV) from home like a bird (rather than one unfaithfully straying, as in NIV 1984) and thereby being deprived of the ...

1570. Judgment

Isaiah 5:1-7, Isaiah 5:8-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . They have no sense of the holiness of God and even scoff at the thought of the coming judgment. The fourth woe(5:20) is pronounced against those who corrupt religious values. They do not know the difference between good and evil, darkness and light, bitter and sweet. They confound their own conscience and the consciences of others. The revelation of God is no longer a light for their path because their standards have confused the clarity of God’s revelation. The fifth woe(5:21) is to those who have ...

1571. Jerusalem

Isaiah 22:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Jerusalem was lifted. Judah lay in ruins and Jerusalem had paid a dear price for freedom. The leaders had not been loyal, and the soldiers were butchered without honor. While the people rejoice in their freedom, Isaiah is disconcerted. He must weep bitterly over what has happened to his people. The prophet speaks of another day, a day determined for the destruction of Jerusalem. The recent events, catastrophic as they were, are a picture of the Valley of Vision that God is preparing for all those who ...

1572. Addressing Prophets and their Audiences

Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 23:33-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Zedekiah. Lying suggests that these are special “con men.” Jeremiah warns of disaster, but false prophets speak soothing platitudes of presumptuous optimism. They tell people what they want to hear. In this crisis of prophetic ministry, each side accuses the other. Bitter food and poisoned water (23:15) are both results of army invasions. Food will be in short supply; water sources could be poisoned by the enemy. The false prophets’ messages are misleading and wrong; they are self-induced and not God ...

1573. Exhorter, Sentry, and Arbiter

Ezekiel 3:16-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in exile—he is already there! Ezekiel is by himself at the river (1:1). He is now told to join his community of exiles at Tel Aviv (“mound of the flood”). This place was formed over years by silt thrown up by storm floods. Ezekiel’s bitterness and anger are either reflections of God’s attitude toward his people or, more likely, a reflection of the prophet’s realization that he has to pronounce doom on those he loves. God further instructs Ezekiel to be a sentry (3:16–21). He is to warn his ...

1574. The Sword of Judgment

Ezekiel 21:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , Ezekiel is intentionally employing hyperbole in speaking of undiscriminating calamity, all for the sake of persuading the whole community to return to God. God once again calls on Ezekiel’s thespian skills. He is to groan before the people with broken heart and bitter grief (21:6). This acting in turn prompts the people to inquire, and Ezekiel is only too happy to enlighten. In verse 9 the repetition of the word “sword” is for emphasis. The sword is sharpened and burnished (21:10) and placed by ...

1575. Vision and Exhortation about the End

Amos 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , causing people to mourn and fear for their lives (cf. Isa. 24:1–6, 19–21). God’s judgment will turn the present optimistic songs of joy in Israel into words of mourning. The few remaining people will lament in sackcloth and ashes. The severity of their bitter agony is expressed by comparing their mourning to the wailing of a family that has lost its only son (8:10). The final paragraph (8:11–14) indicates that during this period of divine judgment people will try to find a word of comfort from God ...

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