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 1701 to 1725 of 5000 results

1701. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... his people, the new Jerusalem is also depicted as a bride beautifully adorned for her husband (cf. 19:7–8; 21:11–27; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23; Isa. 61:10; 62:5). The wedding imagery reflects God’s relational presence among his people as one of faithful love and intimacy. 21:3–4 Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no ...

1702. “Show Me Your Ways, Lord”

Psalm 25:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... used twice to make a positive request and once to implore God negatively (see table 1). In light of the psalmist’s earnest desire to know God’s ways, that is, his will, it is not surprising to hear him plead that the Lord will remember his “mercy” and “love” (25:6, 7b), two covenant terms flowing out of God’s character of goodness (25:7, 8). The negative side of that coin is to ask the Lord not to remember the sins of his youth (25:7a), a plea that he will forgive the suppliant as he forgave ...

1703. “Why Do You Boast of Evil, You Mighty Hero?”

Psalm 52:1-9

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... 4) 2. He, the God of judgment (52:5) 3. They, the righteous (52:6–7) 4. I, the psalmist, confident in God’s unfailing love (52:8–9) Historical and Cultural Background The title is the second in a row that associates the psalm with David’s life. The ... on 52:6–7, below). Like a “sharpened razor,” the tongue has the power to do evil or to do good. 52:3 You love evil rather than good.The hero’s ethic is turned upside down (see Ps. 53:3). In Hebrew thought “goodness” (tob), that which is ...

1704. In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Isaiah 55:1-3, Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... future more dreadful than what has already happened to me in the past. And I’m alive. And I can do my work. And by the grace of God, I will continue.” She is still there today, doing her work, keeping her vigil, trusting God and growing in love because Jesus has her heart. Because He has her heart, He has her devotion. What about you? [3] What does Jesus want? He wants us to be persons of compassion and forgiving persons. He wants our heart because when He has our heart He will have our attention and ...

1705. I am the Door

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Christ is the door to a trustful relationship with God, which sees us not only through life but also through death. Now the other part of this truth. Not only is the door that Jesus opens to us a life of trustful relationship with God—it’s a life of loving service to one’s neighbor. Through Him we go in and out and find pasture. That going out is as important as the coming in. The Good Shepherd was willing to lay down his life for his sheep. If He is our door to life, nothing is more characteristic of ...

1706. Dealing with Difficult People

1 Peter 3:8-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... this way. In fact, it may embarrass the difficult person. When we rise above the crowd and respond to insults and criticism with love and goodness people are going to notice and there is a good chance they are going to wonder what is different about us. ... us can be abrasive and insensitive. All of us can be impossible to deal with. And how did Christ respond to us? With unbelievable love, grace and mercy! We repay evil and insults with a blessing because that is what Christ has done for us. So often we forget ...

1707. I Wonder about Life after Death

John 14:1-3

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... his lap and responded, “Ellen, before you were ever born you were in your mother’s tummy, tucked away very near your mommy’s loving heart. At that time, let’s suppose someone had said to you, ‘Ellen, you can no longer live in your mommy’s tummy. It ... don’t want to die. You don’t want to leave here. You don’t want to leave here because you know you are loved by mommy and daddy, your grandmas, and your brother and so many, many others, including me.” Ellen thought for a moment about the ...

1708. Elephants in the Room: Abuse – I Have a Secret

Matthew 11:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... know he was abusing her. Even though he held loaded guns to her head, pushed her down stairs, threatened to kill her dog, poured coffee grinds on her head as she dressed for a job interview, she never she was being abused. Instead, she saw herself as someone in love with man who had a lot of demons and only she could help him. Leslie said that the other questions she gets asked a lot is, “Why didn’t you just leave? Why didn’t you walk out?” She said this is the saddest and most painful question that ...

1709. Does Easter Really Matter?

Mark 16:1-8, John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... matter? Would you be surprised if I answer with a hearty, “Yes, it really does matter?” It matters if you have ever truly loved somebody and lost them to death. Isn’t that right? A pastor named Chris Heckert tells about an experience he had when he ... of the man from Galilee. Does it matter that Christ was victorious over the grave? It does if you have ever lost someone you loved. It does if you love life and want it to go on forever. It does if you want to make any sense out of life at all. Are we ...

1710. Grace Upon Grace

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... knew what it meant. What exactly is this grace of God that we hear so much about in the Christian community? Christian theologians have spent much of the last two thousand years trying to define it. Saint Augustine said that grace is the unmerited love and favor which God makes available to all human beings.1 Martin Luther believed that God’s grace was God’s mercy and forgiveness that is given freely to human beings without any merit whatsoever. Thomas Aquinas said that grace was any gift freely given ...

1711. Do you need a Pharisectomy?

Matthew 9:27-34, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 12:15-21, Matthew 12:22-37, Matthew 12:38-45, Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... not see. What does your “house” look like? Is it tidy and untouched, draped in plastic protection? Or is it “messy” with the love and change of the Holy Spirit’s movement? Jesus tells us in the scripture today that too “tidy” a house is an invitation ... The church is about people. The church is about relationships. The church is about spending time with people who need Jesus’ love and grace the most! The moment we fall into attacks, and judgments, and name-calling, and worst of all, calling the ...

1712. Apples, Onions, and Cheese

Mark 7:1-23, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... outside or what goes into the stomach. Are you greedy or generous? Selfish or giving? Are you impatient or patient? Are you cruel or loving? Are you open to change or immovable? Or are you rigid in your thinking? If you are any of these things….you are at ... way we sit? Really? Is it the order of worship? Really? Or is it the state of our hearts and the depth of our love for God? Really! How is it…with YOUR soul? Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text Mark’s Witness to Jesus’ Teaching on Defilement ...

1713. The Catch

John 21:1-14, John 21:15-25, Acts 10:1-8, Acts 10:9-23a, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full ...

1714. What is Your Golden Calf?

Exodus 32:1-33:6, Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... on a business trip for three months. And for the entire time, you have no contact. You don’t hear from him or her. No “I love you’s.” No “I miss you’s.” No “I’ll be home next week.” Pretty soon the time gets close to passing when surely ... of Monetary Retribution to the King of Assyria (2 Kings 18) Advice on Storing Up Treasure in Heaven from Father to Son (Tobit 4) Love Your Neighbor with the Entirety of Your Means (Sirach 29) The Book of Jubilees Psalm 15: Who May Live in the Lord’s ...

1715. Why Can’t I Have It All?

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... spend your life? How will you see your purpose? Will you again be lured by the tempting voice that says, “you deserve to have it all now without effort?” “You deserve a garden, risk-free, easy, entitled life?” Or will you take a risk an invest? In relationships, in loving, in worshipping a God who is wiser and greater than you? In Jesus, who asks you not to go your own way but to yoke together and travel your path with Him? Why can’t you have it all? You can. But not on your own. Not without cost ...

1716. When Someone Disagrees with You

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... that drinking is bad for him, we try to find out what he or she is running from. When we discover a promiscuous teenager, who has sacrificed his or her self-respect on the altar of peer acceptance, our task is not to condemn but to counsel in a loving way. The body of Jesus Christ is not only to deal with symptoms, but with causes of those symptoms. We see humanity’s basic problem as being that of sin, that of a broken relationship with God. We recognize that humanity does not so much have a problem as ...

1717. The Museum of Failed Products

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... clear: God walks with us through the terrible firestorms of our lives, and we are lifted unharmed out of the ashes. We may be marked in some way, like the cross of ash placed on our foreheads during Ash Wednesday. However, that mark is a symbol of God’s love and protection.” (5) Remember that the next time you see a rainbow in the heavens, will you? God’s plan to save the world started before God ever created it. He sealed his promise with a rainbow. Then made good on the promise with a cross. None of ...

1718. The Eleventh Commandment

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... feet but my hands and my head as well!’” Peter is only a few hours from denying that he ever knew Jesus, but still Peter’s heart shows his good intentions. Peter wasn’t guilty in the same way Judas was. He was more like you and me. He loved Jesus. He wanted to be all that Jesus wanted him to be, but he was a man, a human being like you and me. He had weaknesses, flaws, imperfections. One day he would be the rock that helped steady that newly emerging group of followers that would become the church ...

1719. Jesus' Tears

John 11:32-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... would see her again. Then as the end got very close, Rebekah asked Nurse Pinkston to help her make one last audio tape. She said it was the most important tape of all. “On this last tape this dying young mother spoke her last words to her daughters whom she loved so much. She explained to them that one day their daddy would bring home a new mommy, and she told them to make their new mommy feel very special and, most important, hug her often. She said she hoped that they would not be sad for long. Then she ...

1720. Public Sex

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Will Willimon

... she said. ''Really? Is that because Millard is a Presbyterian?'' I asked. ''Doesn't want people to have a good time?'' ''No. I don't think so," she said. ''Millard says that there are just too many poor people without adequate housing for us to be wasting time." I love that. That's putting sex in its place! Sex is a good gift of God. Like money (Mark 10:17-31), power, knowledge, the goodness of sex is for us relative to our attempt to be faithful disciples of Jesus. It makes all the difference in the world ...

1721. A Fruitful Life

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... God wants for us. It’s too easy to waste our life in selfish, apathetic, unfruitful behavior because we don’t realize how short life is. Here is the second insight for the day: Fruitfulness is the measure of how much our life reflects God’s character and love. Here’s a question we all confront at some point: do you measure your life by the length of your years, or by the positive impact you’ve made? I think we would all agree that it’s the second condition, the positive impact, that is the true ...

1722. Hanging Around Jesus Changes You

Philippians 3:17 — 4:1

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... image. Couples, is it not true that you are not the same since you met or since the wedding day? And has not a lot of your lover rubbed off on you? Hasn’t your mate taken on a lot of your ways of doing things? Living together in love changes you, makes you more like your lover. And that does not happen by imitation or design. It just seems to happen without your thinking about it. It just somehow mysteriously happens. It is the same with a parent-child relationship. Those of us who are parents, from the ...

1723. Nobody’s Too Good To Repent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... we are doing as Christians. You won’t want to hear the answer. How are we doing as Christians? Paul says: Not very well. Let’s review what he said. Paul says in our lesson that the ancient Hebrews sinned, even though they had received signs of God’s love, just like we Christians have to this day (vv.3-6). If the devoted followers of Moses sinned, people who had trusted God enough to leave their Egyptian homeland, if they sinned, is it any surprise that we are sinners too? Let’s take a look first at ...

1724. True Worship

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

... between them cut right through the middle of that little town. At his funeral, to the older pastor who assisted me at the service I said, "He took that rift, that resentment with him to his grave.'' "They usually do," said the older pastor, "we get over some of our loves, but hardly ever do we get over our hates. We take them to the grave.'' No wonder that our hymn singing is a bit off key, our praise a bit hollow, our prayers not too earnest. Paul might say, We're not yet ready to worship, caught as we are ...

1725. Rule Breakers

Matthew 5:21-37

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... . He is showing us what it looks like when our inner being and our actions are guided, not by rules, but by the nature and love of God. And buried in this list of “You have heard that it was said . . . But I tell you that …” is the heart of ... against them--our anger, our contempt, our lust, our self-centeredness—as violations of their sacred worth, violations against the God who loves them. The second thing Jesus teaches us here is that when we see the sacred worth of others, it will thoroughly change ...

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