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 1676 to 1700 of 3108 results

1676. The Widow and the Unjust Judge

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We all do it. The door of heaven’s House of Bread, the ultimate pastry palace, is standing open. But we keep trying to break in the back door of the local bakery. A parable by a well-known rabbi tells the story of a moth and a fly. One day a moth and a fly were together near a window. The moth sat comfortably on the side peering out, watching as the fly relentlessly flew up and around and straight into the window. The stunned fly would fall, then get up and try again. On and on the fly tried to find a way ...

1677. A Faith that Will Transform You

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

The news service Reuters carried a story sometime back about a man in Poland who was up a tree literally. He was trying to avoid paying a cab driver. The man jumped from the cab with driver in hot pursuit. He must have been amazingly athletic. After climbing a tall tree, he jumped from branch to branch and hurled bananas from a shopping bag at a crowd which had gathered at the scene. More than a dozen firefighters were called in. They spread out an airbag under the tree as a police psychologist was sent up ...

1678. Outpouring and Indwelling

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Springtime is the season of uncontained optimism. As the days grow longer, and the sun grows stronger, it feels time to do something outrageous. We dig into the earth, carefully plow and pulverize hard clods into fine loam. We remove the weeds and grasses. We add extra nutrients to enrich the prepared soil. Then into that lush, fertile mixture we gently deposit . . . dried up, shriveled, little (sometimes downright tiny), seemingly completely dead bits of matter. We call them “seeds.” Nothing looks less “ ...

1679. For Troubled Hearts

John 14:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a silly story about a couple who were on their honeymoon. They are staying at the Watergate Hotel, made famous by White House shenanigans during the Nixon Administration. Remembering what happened in that dark time, the new bride was concerned and asked, “What if the place is still bugged?” The groom said, “Hmm . . . Good point. I’ll look for a bug.” He looked behind the drapes, behind the pictures, under the rug. “AHA!” he shouted! Sure enough, under the rug was a small disc shaped plate, with ...

1680. Pastor, Don't Talk About That!

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

It is very difficult to reconcile the attitudes of modern day society, including modern day church goers, with the teachings of the Gospel. For example, in a recent survey of church goers, a majority of those surveyed said that the church is very important, but a majority of that majority said, and I quote, “the church should never try to influence my thought or behavior.” (1) That’s a bit worrisome. “The church should never try to influence my thought or behavior.” That means many of you want me in my ...

1681. Appetites and Desires

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A mother was preparing breakfast for her two-year-old daughter. She asked the toddler, “What would you like for breakfast a bagel or a bowl of cereal?” The little girl answered, “Chocolate.” “No,” her mother replied, “You can’t have chocolate for breakfast. Do you want a bagel or cereal?” Again the little girl said, “Chocolate.” Slightly exasperated, the mother said, “No, honey. You can’t have my chocolate until after lunch. Now what do you want . . .a bagel or cereal?” The little girl said with a grin, “ ...

1682. On the Ropes: Round 3 - Defending God

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

It is a man that I have never heard of before until I came across his name preparing this final message in Habakkuk. You would know him very well if you were a devote Anglican or if you knew very much about South Africa. He was the founder of the South African Mission Society. An Englishman, he felt the call of God to go to an unreached tribe in one of the most remote parts of the world to preach the Gospel in the middle of the 19th Century. Alan Gardiner set sail in 1851 with five other missionaries. ...

1683. Family Re:Union - Great Expectations

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

James Merritt

There are a lot of things in life you can buy that will help you get ahead in life. They are for sale and if you’ve got the money to buy them they will return a dividend and many times a big one. For example, you can buy education and no one denies the value of having a degree. Even in this day and age it helps to have education to get ahead. You can buy knowledge. In many fields including ministry, sometimes hiring an outside consultant can bring a fresh set of eyes to an old set of problems and get a new ...

1684. Lost Baggage: Empty Your Suitcase

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

James Merritt

If I have ever done a series of messages in my life that struck home, hit a nerve, scratched an itch or met a real felt need it is the series that we are concluding today that we have called “Lost Baggage.” As we have said repeatedly, everybody has baggage. Even if you grew up in what you would consider a perfect environment, that environment itself may have loaded you with baggage. What kind of baggage do people carry? Many times it’s relationships baggage. Maybe a failed marriage in your past. Maybe you ...

1685. The Knot: Frayed (Part 2)

1 Peter 3:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

There is a man in Chicago by the name of Slats Grobnik who sold Christmas trees. One year he noticed a couple on a hunt for a Christmas tree. Someone told him the couple was barely making ends meet. After looking at all the expensive trees they found a Scotch pine that was okay on one side, but it was really bare on the other one. They picked up another tree that was not much better. It was kind of full on one side and scraggly on the other. She whispered something in her husband’s ear and he walked over ...

1686. Get Off Your

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Sin is less something we succumb to or fall into than it is something we are seduced by. And the greatest seduction is pride. Pride is holy halitosis. Like all bad breath, you’re the last person to know you have it. Last week in Zurich, the pride of a gold medal champion, a 3000 meter steeplechase runner, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. French runner Mahidine Mekhissi, already a two time European champion, found himself in the final 100 meters of his race. He was well ahead of the rest ...

1687. Seventy-Seven

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Most adults recognize it is their “job” to teach children right from wrong, good from bad, safe from scary, yes from no. But there are some lessons that children are better at teaching us. Think about celebrations like birthdays (especially Christmas), and Easter, and any other special days that have the possibility of “presents” attached. Kids LOVE them, anticipate and adore them. Children love and accept presents with unabashed enthusiasm. Receiving a gift is “all good.” For adults it is a bit more ...

1688. The Three Shower Gifts

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What’s in a name? Well, in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare thought that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But in San Quentin Live, Johnny Cash sang a ballad that showed how one guy’s life was completely skewed because he was a “Boy Named Sue.” Sometimes names really do matter. “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” In the Western Church we call this Sunday the “Second Sunday After Christmas.” The day after tomorrow, January 6, will be “Epiphany,” the official ...

1689. The God of Second Chances

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

A national magazine for pastors once carried a rating system for sermons similar to the rating system we’re all familiar with for movies. It went something like this. The person who designed it was a little bit cynical. Here is the rating he gave to various kinds of sermons: “G” - Generally acceptable to everyone. Full of inoffensive, childlike platitudes; usually described as “wonderful” or “marvelous” by those who leave church to shake the hands of the pastor. “MC” - For more mature congregations. At ...

1690. Starting Over

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

A college professor presented his class syllabus on the first day of the new semester. He pointed out that there were three papers to be written during the term, and he showed on which days those assignments had to be handed in. He said that these dates were firmly fixed, and that no student should presume that the deadline did not apply to her or him. He asked if the students were clear about this, and all heads nodded. When the first deadline arrived, all but one student turned in their papers. The one ...

1691. Show Me Your Baptismal Certificate

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

At your baptism, you are given an identity as a follower of Jesus. For the past thirty years or more, the church has tried to find its identity, not in baptism, but in leadership. Leadership is a function. Being a disciple is an identity. Let’s explore this morning why this confusion of categories is so important, and so debilitating to the body of Christ. “What’s in your wallet”? That is the take-away line for a credit card company that wants their card to be front and center in your wallet. Forget the ...

1692. The Good Life

John 10:11-18

Sermon

James Merritt

I read a story the other day id never heard before about Abraham Lincoln. He was surprised one day when a rough looking man drew a revolver and put it right in his face. Trying to remain as calm as he could Lincoln simply asked the man, “What seems to be the matter?” The stranger replied, “Well some years ago I swore an oath that if I ever came across an uglier man than I am I’d shoot him right on the spot.” Lincoln smiled and said, “Well then please shoot me for if I’m an uglier man than you are I don't ...

1693. What Do You See?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

A businessman was returning to the U.S. from Asia and had a connecting flight in Iran. After deboarding the plane he stopped by the bathroom. After washing his hands he looked down to realize his bag had been stolen. That is a problem for anyone, but for him it was a disaster, because his wallet and passport were in it. He rushed out into the terminal to see if he could spot someone running away, but he found no one. He was relieved that at least he was traveling with a co-worker, but his supposed friend ...

1694. Can Two Become One?

Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

I recently came across a fascinating article called “The Top 10 Inventions That Changed The World.” Whenever I come across lists like these it is always fun to see how many of these I can guess. I am going to put 10 blanks up on the screen, beginning with number 10. Here are the top inventions in order from 10-to-1: 10. The Plow 9. The Wheel 8. The Printing Press 7. The Refrigerator 6. Communications (Telephone, TV, etc) 5. The Steam Engine 4. The Automobile 3. The Light Bulb 2. The Computer 1. The ...

1695. Right Answer - Wrong Conclusion

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the most important frontiers being explored by today’s scientists is that of artificial intelligence--that is, teaching computers to think like humans. In fact, there are many reputable scientists who believe that by the middle of this century computers will be able to think more efficiently and effectively than human beings. At that point the sci-fi horror movies of robots taking over the planet will have some credibility. But there are skeptics. The great computing science pioneer Alan Turing-- ...

1696. How the Gold Has Lost Its Luster

Lamentations 4:1-22

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

The Luster Has Faded for the People of God: The fourth poem of the book is also an acrostic, but of a different structure than the previous three chapters. Each verse starts with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in this way is similar to chapters 1 and 2. But a simple comparison of the verses in English or Hebrew shows that the verse-stanzas thus formed are much shorter (comprising two rather than three bicola per verse). Thus, this chapter is about a third shorter than chapters 1 and 2 and ...

1697. Adam, the Law, and the Curse of the Covenant

Romans 5:12-21

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul presents another new-covenant blessing: Christians are part of the new humanity created by Christ, the last Adam. Sin and death, instigated by the old-covenant law, began with the fall of the first Adam. This is the curse of the covenant. But Christ has undone the consequences of Adam’s sin by obeying God and thereby creating the new humanity. Understanding the Text Romans 5:12–21 continues the theme begun in 5:1–11: the blessings of the new covenant have replaced the ineffective old ...

1698. “Blessed Are Those Who Have Regard for the Weak; the Lord Delivers Them”

Psalm 41:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Irrespective of the cause of our illnesses, the Lord cares for us in our vulnerability. Understanding the Text The literary type of Psalm 41 has been the topic of much discussion, since the poem does not seem to fall easily into any single type. Perhaps Kraus’s “prayer song of the sick”1 is appropriate for this psalm, although we might simply designate it as an individual lament. The psalm, in fact, begins with a benediction on those who “have regard for” the sick (see the comments on 41:1). ...

1699. The Rise of Media, Persia, and Greece

Daniel 8:15-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: God reveals with measured detail a future that includes suffering for his people, but he assures them that he will triumph over the forces of evil. Understanding the Text See the unit on 8:1–14 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of this chapter. Against this backdrop, 8:15–27 begins and ends with the resumptive “I, Daniel” and another reference to the Ulai Canal (8:16). The explicit mention of the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks in the interpretation—with an ...

1700. Can It Be Sin to Be Shy?

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story from long ago about a man in Maine named Ike who was exceedingly shy. Ike fell in love with a beautiful young maiden named Anna. Anna seemed to Ike to be too wonderful for him to ever ask her to be his wife. So, he went on loving her in silence for ten years. He remained single, as did she. During this time, he built a fine house, with a barn and outbuildings, and a beautiful rock garden. Still, though he was very much in love with her, he hadn’t yet dared to propose. Finally, ...

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