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 1901 to 1925 of 4961 results

1901. Moving On

Luke 6:12-16, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: dusty bowl This bowl hasn’t been used in a long time. You can tell, because it’s covered in dust. It hasn’t been touched, cleaned, moved, because it’s been here in this church on this shelf a very long time. [You could also refer to something in a glass case or anything that has sat around for a while.] It’s not being used in ministry or worship. It isn’t something that is used in healing people or baptizing them. It’s here on the shelf, gathering dust. This is perhaps one of the best metaphors we ...

1902. The Thrill of Victory Beats the Agony of Defeat

Judges 7:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

The United States is known around the world as a "Christian nation." There are several reasons why one might think that is true. In America there are: 1,485 Christian radio stations 300 Christian television programs 96% of all Americans are "believers in God" 70 million born-again believers 148 million professing Christians 62% of all Americans say they have "made a commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today." Now if America is indeed a Christian nation, you would think that God ...

1903. Don't Stop Praying!

Luke 18:1-8, Luke 18:35-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: “job” application with pre-made questions / petition to the court for financial assistance I need some volunteers this morning! Come on up! Well, I have here an applications that I’d like you to fill out. The first one….I’ll let you do this one….is a job application. It’s for a “position” in a make-believe church…. not this one of course (smile). For those of you listening….. ____is going to read off some of the questions on the application, and maybe you can help him/her answer them. Okay? Here we ...

1904. The Source Of Joy

John 3:22-36

Sermon

Eric Ritz

One cold, rainy morning a teenager awakened on a farm and walked out to the back of the barn where she kept her favorite pet ” her animal friend, the mule. The mule was standing outside in the rain, and as the drops of water rolled off the end of the long nose of that ugly animal, the mule seemed discouraged and depressed. She looked at her favorite friend and said, "You know, Betsy, you would make a wonderful Christian because you look like so many Christians I know! You look like you have lost your last ...

1905. The Greatest Ability Is Dependability (Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

There are over two hundred geysers in Yellow Stone National Park. But there is one geyser that stands out from all the others. It is not the largest geyser, nor does it reach the greatest height. Yet it is by far the most popular geyser. Its popularity is due to one thing—its dependability. Because once every sixty-five minutes it shoots a stream of boiling water over 170 ft. into the air. You can practically set your clock by it. They call it "Old Faithful." There are many things in life that you could ...

1906. Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“If you call the Sabbath a delight then you will find your joy in the Lord.” --Isaiah 58:13-14 “Happy is he who is aware of the mysteries of his Lord.” --Abraham Joshua Heschel Visuals: Have Hubbel Space Images scrolling on screen during your sermon / Psalm 92 may be spoken with a musical background or sung You may also opt during or after your sermon to have people sing the psalm (you can find tunes with words on youtube) https://youtu.be/1I_X2bxfAq8 (This version by James Block is particular beautiful.) ...

1907. Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

Proverbs 16:1, 9, Philippians 3:12-15

Sermon

James Merritt

Some years ago, Newsweek magazine reported a fortune tellers' convention in Dublin, Ireland. Palm readers, crystal ball gazers and astrologers from all over the world gathered for a week to compare notes, learn techniques, and make new predictions. While they were all together in one of the convention meetings, a thief broke into their hotel rooms and stole all of their crystal balls and tarot cards. When the police investigated the crime, they asked the fortune tellers the obvious question: "Why didn't ...

1908. Jephthah

Jud 10:6–11:40

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Jephthah: Ammonite Oppression · Jephthah is not mentioned by name, but this section sets the stage, both generally and specifically, for his entrance on the scene. The author describes Israel’s deteriorating spiritual condition and interaction with God about their circumstances (vv. 6–16); more specifically, he begins to focus attention upon the events that directly led to Jephthah’s rise to leadership (vv. 17–18). The obvious emphasis in this section is upon the general, spanning as it does eleven verses ...

1909. Every Person’s Great Possessions

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

Jesus was confronted by a man who ran up and knelt before him. You know what? Part of me was right there with that man! I know how he felt, because I have also found reason to kneel before Jesus. What about you? Don’t you know, too? Haven’t you been there along with us? Tempted to follow Jesus, this man was nevertheless compelled by his great possessions to hold back. We are all able to identify with him. We may think, at first, that the only possessions hard to let go of are riches, power, and noble ...

1910. Some Said It Thundered

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

A number of years ago there was a television drama titled See How She Runs, which told the story of Betty, a 40-year-old schoolteacher who decided to run in the Boston Marathon. Betty’s daughter Kathy was surprised, shocked, and not a little fearful. The play contained the following dialogue between Betty and her daughter Kathy on the subject of fear: Betty: “There are worse things than being scared.” Kathy: “Like what?” Betty: “It’s worse never to be scared.” Kathy: “Is it?” Betty: “If you’re never scared ...

1911. Only the Neighbors’ Kid

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In his excellent little book, How Can It be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong?, Professor Lew Smedes says that one source of our salvation is to cultivate a sense of wonder. He reminds us that Jesus was a source of wonder to all who came into contact with Him, from the humble shepherds who were struck with wonder at the sight of blazing angels sashaying around the Judean hills to the Wise Men from the East who came and laid their gifts at Jesus’ feet and wondered. All His life Jesus made people wonder ...

1912. All By Myself: The Fear of Loneliness

2 Timothy 4:9-21

Sermon

James Merritt

Last week we introduced a series of messages that I am calling - fear factor. I am dealing with fears that are common to all of us that many of us will face at some time in our life. Today, I am dealing with the fear of loneliness. If you have ever been lonely or felt lonely, you know it is one of the most terrible feelings in the world. Celine Dion re-did a classic song a few years ago entitled, "All By Myself". The lyrics themselves are haunting. Here is just a part of it. Livin' alone I think of all the ...

1913. Handling Objections

Psalm 1:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the concerns that anyone brings to the table when they are going to be in a witnessing encounter is the possibility of objections being raised. Particularly objections that may prove to be difficult or at the time unanswerable. The first thing to remember is this: Objections are to be expected, but they are not to be feared. Much of the message that Jesus Christ Himself gave was objected to by those who heard it. The Book of Acts is full of people who objected (at least initially) to the message of ...

1914. Chapter II

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; You will have no other gods before me. You will not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you will not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but ...

1915. The Game Is For A Team

Colossians 4:7-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Clarence Forsberg tells a story about what it means to be a part of a team. It is a story of Al McGuire and Butch Lee. McGuire was a great basketball coach, who retired from Marquette after winning the NCAA tournament in 1976. Butch Lee was a kind of prima donna player on that team. The story is about McGuire trying to teach Butch Lee about team basketball. This was the coach's word. "Now, Butch, the game is forty minutes long, and if you divide that between the two teams that means there is twenty minutes ...

1916. Fishing Buddies

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Sermon

James Merritt

When two people get married, the man, as you know, plays the part of the groom and the woman plays the part of the bride. From the very beginning of this union, anybody can see an outstanding difference already between the perspective groom and the perspective bride. All the bride can think about and all the bride is excited about is the wedding. From the time she gets the ring and sets the date, she and usually her mother and about forty-five hundred other women eat, breath, and sleep the wedding. It is ...

1917. Jealousy: Cancer of the Heart

Proverbs 27:4

Sermon

James Merritt

Channelview, Texas is a neat middleclass suburb of Houston. It is a typical bedroom community of nice homes, nice cars, and nice families. Competition is fierce in all sports, but recently the competition got more than a little intense not in football or in basketball, but in cheerleading. Amber Heath and Shanna Holloway lived right around the corner from each other. They had been friends for years. Amber was president of the Student Council and Shanna was Vice President. Their mothers were also wonderful ...

1918. On the Ropes: Round 1 - Doubting God

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

On Saturday, March 25, 1911 at 4:40 p.m.—just ten minutes before closing— a fire broke out on the top floors of the ten story Asch building in New York. 145 of the 500 employed there died that day, trapped in the building by locked doors and collapsed escape ladders, or jumping to their deaths from the eighth and ninth stories. The investigation of the tragedy resulted in rules like fire exits and sprinkler systems that have since saved many lives. But that did not save the lives of people’s sons, ...

1919. What Can I Get By With?

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A son at college was seeking to apply pressure for more money from his dad. In a letter home he wrote: “I can’t understand why you call yourself a loving father when you haven’t sent me a check for three weeks. What kind of love do you call that?” The father wrote back, “That’s unremitting love!” [1] We smile at that. Some of us may even chuckle, though not out loud, because we have all been there. But who has ever really defined love that way? Unremitting. We usually think of it in completely opposite ...

1920. The Death of John the Baptist

Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

On the news one day a short while ago --some of you may remember this—we heard that eight young high school boys viciously attacked and gang raped an 8 year old girl, a special needs child. One by one, they took turns raping her and beating her until at last she died. The town was shocked. These were their star varsity players…their A students...their church acolytes...their beloved sons. How could this happen? It's called “peer pressure.” A similar thing happened in the case of a young college freshman, ...

1921. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Contrasting Knowledge and Love At this point in the letter to Corinth Paul enters into the discussion of an issue that will engage him, in one way or another, through 11:1. While the concrete concern that calls for his attention is the issue of “food sacrificed to idols,” at a theological level his focus is Christian rights and responsibilities, especially regarding “knowledge” and “freedom” in lifestyle practices. Interpreters trace the course of Paul’s reflections in slightly different ways, for at one ...

1922. The Babel Disaster - You Are There

Genesis 11:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: Up to this time, I had tried to handle the story sermons myself. With the encouragement shown for my dramatic efforts of the earlier weeks that summer, I decided to try to involve the congregation in a more direct way. That year, a large hotel in a major U. S. city had collapsed, killing scores and injuring hundreds. I saw the story in a periodical which, unfortunately, I did not keep. The first interview in the script, the woman's experience, comes from that. With a few bits remembered from that ...

1923. Sitting at the Big People Table

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Psalms 100 [1] Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. [2] Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. [3] Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. [5] For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 1 Tim. 2:1-7 [1] First of all, then, I urge that ...

1924. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

How Can a Mortal Be Righteous before God?: Job’s response to Bildad’s speech moves the discussion in a new direction. Up to this point in the book Job has largely been addressing the extremity of his suffering and raising the agonizing question as to how a righteous person can be allowed to suffer so horrendously. Now, however, in response to Bildad’s suggestion that the resolution of Job’s suffering lies in his willingness to “look to God and plead with the Almighty” (8:5), Job begins to consider the ...

1925. Stuffed Bodies and Skinny Souls!

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a ...

Showing results