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 1601 to 1625 of 2415 results

1601. From Lust to Love

1 Corinthians 13: 1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... each other with a holy kiss, but his feelings for his new-found girlfriend were certainly different than the feelings he had for the elderly ladies at church. After a date or two, the girl, tired of waiting, just grabbed the shy student and locked him into a passionate embrace. When he finally came up for air all he could say was "Scripture, scripture, what's the scripture?" That's when the girl came onto him a second time saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Love knows how to get ...

1602. Reaching Up—Reaching Out

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... wisely. Maybe the finest treasure we hold is not only our funds, but our time, our talent, our spiritual gifts that can be used in service to others. William Booth was a Methodist minister who left the church and founded the Salvation Army out of his passion for the poor of London. One day a reporter asked General Booth the "secret to his success." This soldier of the Lord replied, "There are people more intelligent than I. Many people have more money and greater opportunity than I, but from the day I got ...

1603. Love

John 15:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... burning buildings, sitting on roof tops, pleading for help, or clinging to trees in some far away tsunami? It is easy to be touched with such trauma and grief. Is this compassion? Compassion comes from two words com meaning “with," and passion meaning “suffering." Compassion is to suffer with another. It is not a feeling of detached pity, but sharing the pain. Henri Nouwen says, “Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, powerless with the powerless." Compassion ...

1604. Be Silent

Luke 1:11-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to speak. You ought not to talk until you have been silent said Henri. There is a difference between having to say something, and having something to say. Henri Nouwen says it's only those who have spent quality time in silence that can speak with authenticity and passion. Silence makes you able to speak. When Zechariah finally got out of nine months of silence and had the chance to speak again, he sang a song. You can read it in the last part of this first chapter. He had something to say. Blessed be the ...

1605. Surprise

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... that question over the next 33 years of her son's life? Has your soul lost its elasticity? Is there stretching space inside your soul? Can you still imagine things that never were and ask why not? Do you still dream of justice and mercy, and feel a passion within to bring it about? Have you still the faith to proclaim that “Nothing is impossible" when you put your trust in God? Does your soul have that kind of elasticity? Will it stretch big enough for the power of the Most High to come upon you? It ...

1606. The Joyful Provider

John 2:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Fear can be a friend of reindeer, rabbits, and humans when danger is near. But we will never be intimate friends with those we fear. One year ago this Lent, Mel Gibson made millions of dollars by encouraging churches to rent out whole theaters to see The Passion of Christ— a blood, guts, and tears rendition of the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. That's why none of us need suffer alone. But Jesus was also a man of joy, acquainted with celebration, one who seldom ...

1607. Honoring God in a Pluralistic Society

Matthew 22:37-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... their convictions. While I may question the wisdom of the Alabama judge who refused to remove the Ten Commandments from his Montgomery courthouse and even theologically wonder if he is breaking the second commandment by defending his graven image, I cannot doubt the passion of his heart nor his willingness to put his treasure where his heart is. Love God with all your mind. God is more than our minds can comprehend. Mind has to do with intellect, understanding. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now let us reason ...

1608. Finding Plenty in the Midst of Scarcity

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... most likely said the Jewish grace that all men prayed: “Blessed art thou, Jehovah our God, King of the Universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth. Amen" Do we pray to get out of a pickle or do we pray to glorify God? We do not pray with much passion until we are between a rock and a hard place. The rest of the time we do not think a lot about prayer. We don't pray for health until we get sick. We don't pray for help until we get in trouble. We don't pray for guidance ...

1609. Males or Females?

Acts 18:1-3, 18-19, 24-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... ministry to men. John Elderidge in his book Wild at Heart says men are looking for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, a beauty to rescue and all they get in church is a general suggestion that they be nice. Men want to be dangerous, passionate, alive, and free. Meanwhile the church teaches them to be passive and bored to death. Men have settled for killing time and it's killing them. Howard Macey says, “The spiritual life cannot be made suburban. It is always frontier and we who live in it must ...

1610. Greed or the Gospel?

Acts 8:9-13, 18-24

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... he ever hoped for except a sense of purpose. Gibson felt he was drowning in fame, wealth, drink and despair. This led the one-time “sexiest man alive" to his knees and back to God. Of course, not everyone was ready to embrace his conversion. When his movie The Passion of the Christ hit the theaters, many were ready to crucify him with Christ. If Simon can be forgiven, so can I. So can you. Our sins can be washed away, our wrongs can be pardoned, our lives can be made over anew. Why shouldn’t we hope to ...

1611. Living on the Easter Side of Life

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... less than the moon and the stars. You have a purpose for being here! You were made to glorify God and serve others. Maybe it's time to enlarge your vision, change your way of thinking. That is what true repentance is all about. II. EASTER PEOPLE HAVE A NEW PASSION FOR LIVING. Look in the middle of this text, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Our country is in an uproar this week over the definition of life. It had to happen sooner or later and now it is here. The tragic story ...

1612. Hot Air or the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , churches are not country clubs; they are not designed to protect the interests and convenience of present members to the exclusion of outsiders. Even if it means sitting a little closer, parking a little farther, waiting a little longer, we must never lose our passion for seeking and saving the lost. Or, to put it in the words of Thomas Jefferson, “A candle loses nothing when it lights another candle." II. WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE IS COMMUNICATION. Each one heard them speaking in his own ...

1613. Giving Our Gratitude

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... The time for making disciples is now. God's goal is greatness. Give of your best to the Master. Give Him first place in you heart. Give Him first place in your service, consecrate every part. You know what I love about this congregation? I love your passion for excellence. You will not settle for mediocrity. It doesn't make it an easy place to work. Your expectations of the staff are high. Our buildings bring glory to God. Our programs are second to none. Our lay leaders are dedicated and responsive. That's ...

1614. Fanning the Flames of Family

Ephesians 5:8-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , for parents, for grandparents, and even aunts and uncles and anyone who claims any kin to one another. Love one another as Christ loves the Church. Love is more than a second-hand emotion; love is first-hand devotion. Love is more than an act of passion; love is an act of the will that leads to service. Love is grounded in mutual respect. Comedian Rodney Dangerfield who died last year at the age of 82, made a living joking about disrespect. “I tell ya, I get no respect," growls Dangerfield. “Last week ...

1615. Embracing Christ—The Light of the World

John 8:12-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of Christianity is that we find the revelation of God primarily in a Person. Jews have the Torah (Law of Moses). Muslims have the Koran (revelation of Mohammed). Buddhists have the teachings of Buddha and Christians have Jesus Christ. He is the revelation of God's character and passion. He is God with us; He is the love of God made visible. In our very midst, He is the word of God, the revelation of God in a human form. So the first question at the door of any Christian Church is, “What will you do with ...

1616. Three Basic Attitudes about Life

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... Dr. Magee and his wife to found an organization called Operation Smile. Operation Smile sends volunteer doctors to perform reconstructive facial surgery for children worldwide. “It wasn’t a strategic plan,” said Magee. “It was just a matter of emotion and passion to make sure children didn’t have to live this way.” The group, which already has treated 50,000 children worldwide, also trains doctors in other nations to perform the procedure. Magee hopes to use satellite technology in the future ...

1617. You Can't Stay on the Mountain Forever

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... experience. In fact, “we need moments of ecstasy, for we are more than rational beings who think and conceptualize. We’re also who feel and resonate. There are…dimensions of life beyond the obvious which are not reached through logic or reason, but through passion, through awe. We love and are loved; we laugh and we cry; we dream and our imaginations take flight to realms beyond the conscious. We pray and experience God’s presence as a creative urge we cannot explain, as resilience we cannot account ...

1618. A Faith That Transforms, Not Just Adorns

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... loves, depends, exists on this “but.” BUT we do have “hope.” The problem with this “hope” is that too often it is rooted in “hype.” Unlikely. Unproveable. Unrepeatable. Unreliable. Hope based on hype leads nowhere at best, hell at worst. The passionate preacher of the “Letter to the Hebrews” didn’t give his spiritually exhausted congregation a message of “hope” based on hype. He didn’t weave them a yarn about a perfect life that was just around the corner. Instead, he spoke about ...

1619. Be Square

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... us pray for all Saints, especially those who we name now as we remember your love made known to us through them... We thank you, God, for round halo saints, people like . . . We thank you, God, for square halo saints, people like . . May our love be as strong, and our passion for your reign as fierce, as those we remember this morning. Amen. SUNG RESPONSE: HEAR US, O GOD (or some other such chorus)

1620. Having Fun with The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... God who is naturally social and who has made you that way. It is kind of hard to be unconcerned about society and the things of the world when you know who you are. People created in the image of God are not loners. They are people passionate about social relations as God originally created them. There is another aspect to the nature of the Triune God that is relevant here. Yes, God is three, and is always socializing. But do not forget that he is also one. His communal character is also concerned to bring ...

1621. Hunger and Politics

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... unless God does a miracle. Desire leads us on the quest, but only a miracle of grace will keep us from dying there. Food is a very big part of our lives. Hunger can be a time clock ticking inside, regulating the hours of our days with calculated passion. Or it can be a biologic need, demanding fuel stops on our restless race. Even more, hunger functions as a psychological drive, forcing us to crave chocolate when we lack love, or driving us to drink, drugs, and sex. But deeper than all of these things is ...

1622. Restoration Frustration

Isaiah 63:7-9

Sermon

Tony Everett

... return to your home? Were you alone then and still alone today? What happened to your hopes for renewal and restoration? What is it like for you to experience restoration frustration? Where is God in all this? How do we find renewed energy and passionate faith? Good questions! Isaiah proclaims God's response in today's lesson. Restoration comes from God's action and not our own efforts. Restoration for the returning exiles, and for us, begins with remembering what God has done, is doing, and has promised to ...

1623. I Don't Do Windows

Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28

Sermon

Tony Everett

... cartoon of a man with a rope around his neck, standing on a tall stack of self-help books. He had tried the advice in each book and found only emptiness, futility, and failure. In the wilderness of the present, God does not abandon us. God persists with passion. It is in the wilderness of the present that God forms us as a community, immune to the seductive temptations that bombard us from all sides. In the wilderness of the present, God cleanses us from the stain of sin on the inside. In the wilderness of ...

1624. Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... where the next step will lead? Hear the word of the Lord! God says I am going to open up your graves and bring you forth. Even now, we can dare to hope again. Even now, we can crack open those deep and hidden places so that vision and passion can flow again. Even now, God promises new life. Look. The bones have come together and a multitude stands before us! We can let go of tattered, old, boneyard photos. We can release the litanies of hurt and pain. We can give over to God those ancient wounded places ...

1625. Breakdowns and Breakthroughs

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... morning, but I mention these studies about racism to highlight its important conclusion about our ability to modify our emotional responses by how we think. That also means that in other areas of life, our minds can take us beyond gut reactions and beyond passionately held conclusions. Chances are I am not telling you anything you don't already believe. But here's where we may be breaking some fresh ground: This same principle of our thought processes carrying us forward in terms of how we live together as ...

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