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 176 to 200 of 399 results

176. On Doing Beautiful Things

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... us. Ralph Sockman said: “To be sure, the perfume might have been sold for a sizable sum, which could have been given to the poor. But (people) are more than mouths to be fed and bodies to be clothed. The poor as well as the rich crave beauty. They have hungers of the soul. They have emotions to be stirred.” (Ralph Sockman, WHOM CHRIST COMMENDED, New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1963, p. 75) Christ Church Methodist in New York City was opened in November, 1933, when America was in the depths of ...

177. Paths of Righteousness

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , disease, and desperation. Isaiah 29:8 demonstrates this when it describes the unrighteous person "as a hungry man who dreams he is eating and awakens still hungry, as a thirsty man who dreams he is drinking and awakens in the morning still faint with cravings." In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord Jesus Christ does not say, "Blessed are those who are righteous," but he does say, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." In our understanding of righteousness it is best we never say or ...

178. The Dangers of Being Religious

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... , would screw their faces up in misery to call attention to their sacrificial devotion. "Don't do it," Jesus commanded. Isn't it easy to say, "Oh, woe is me! I'm the only one. Pity me, suffering for Jesus, I am. So persecuted. So misunderstood!" 6. Do you crave recognition? The Pharisees loved to grab the best seats in the synagogue or at a table feast. They sewed bells on their robes so you'd hear them coming, even provided a trumpet fanfare before they made an offering. Isn't it easy to show off like that ...

179. Who Can Ask for Anything More?

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... , rather, take away from his desires." Surely the happy ones are those who sing along with the shepherd boy in John Bunyan's song in Pilgrim's Progress: "I am content with what I have, Little be it or much, And, Lord, contentment still I crave, because Thou lovest such." After pondering over the words of our text for today, three things began to emerge. Reflecting on them, it became clear that those who perceive these concepts, and are possessed by them, are among those who can sincerely say, "Who can ...

180. Stop the Offerings!

Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... for you? For me? Are we still trying, still working at God's approval? Still holding out on loving others till they measure up? Have you ever known a child or adult who never got the love and affection and affirmation from a parent that she so desperately craved? Do you know of the effort, the striving, the work required to live a life trying with every action, every phone call, to get approval and love from a father or a mother? Not a pretty way to live. Are you one such child? The great Leslie Weatherhead ...

181. Grace in the Midst of Hopelessness

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... concluded, "People in many nations appear to be searching with a new intensity for spiritual moorings. One of the key factors prompting this search is certainly a need for hope in these troubled times." What the world needs now is hope. Thinking people crave assurance that there are good reasons for waking up tomorrow morning -- that our presence and our efforts are not meaningless -- that our being here is actually making a difference in the outcome of world history. Sadly, the grounds for hope on which ...

182. Grace in the Midst of Suffering

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... good and God is powerful. Yet suffering happens. God frequently chooses not to intervene to take our suffering away. This is where understanding fails us. God is infinite, while we are finite. We are required to endure hardship with far less information than we crave. God promises that in the next world everything crooked will be made straight, and every injustice will be made right. But now, in the midst of pain, it takes courage to live out those familiar words from Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all ...

183. The Battle of the Wisdoms

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... . James recognizes the battle of the wisdoms. While we humans do have responsibility and genuine options concerning the character of our lives, James does not minimize our difficulties. There must be no waffling back and forth. Spiritual death is a genuine possibility. Our cravings for the material things of the world can take over our lives and win the battle over our love for the God to whom we have promised our devotion. James suggests that submission to God produces more than good behavior. It produces ...

184. The Gift Of Sleep

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Wayne Lamb who told me about a couple who had been married many years, and they reached a point in their life when it became difficult for them to remember certain things. Even the slightest tasks were hard to keep straight. In fact, one evening the wife got a craving for ice cream -- but there was no ice cream in the house. So she said to her husband, "Will you please run down to the corner market and get some ice cream?" The husband agreed -- being the loving husband that he was -- and began to put on his ...

185. The Rest Of The Story

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... in her ear, Eve must decide whether the command to leave the tree of knowledge alone is a parapet, a protective wall to keep them from falling into a terrible abyss, or whether it is a barrier preventing them from experiencing their full happiness. "Satan flung a crave in on Eve. She simply must have the forbidden fruit! So our parents in the Garden decided God's command was a barrier. They decided Satan's promise was true -- they believed it a lie and were damned." (Earl C. Davis, "Satan's Empty Promise ...

186. Faith Working In Love

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , maybe you get a smile," she tells a visitor. "So you know the baby's trying too. You keep loving it -- and you wait." Clara Hale is 79 years old, a tiny, birdlike woman with nut-brown skin and a curling halo of white hair. "The baby craves something he doesn't understand," she explains. The "something" is heroin, and it may take a month before the baby is cleansed of the addiction that began in his mother's womb. A physician, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a social worker have examined the infant and ...

187. Rejected at Home

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... employers started treating their employees like eight-cow employees. Even Jesus was affected by how the folks at home treated him. If that is true of Jesus, how much more is that true of the people we interact with each day? The people around us crave to be treated with respect, dignity, love. I see families that are torn apart unnecessarily. All that is required is for family members to offer one another a little respect, to take one another seriously, to listen and show appreciation. If you are one of ...

188. Some Healing Is Up To You

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... was in the arrow, who was going to administer the cure, and what was going to be the medication. Needless to say, he died before his questions were answered. The Buddha concluded that in the same way, people need to be rescued from suffering, craving, and ignorance, no matter how the issue of God’s existence may fare among the philosophers. Now the Buddha was right, but the legend has another truth. Debate and argument, precise doctrine, and rational understanding are not the answer to our salvation. And ...

189. Some Healing Is Up To You

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... who shot him, what sort of poison was in the arrow, and what kind of medicine would be administered.. The man died before the questions were answered. Buddha concluded that in the same way, people need to be rescued from the burdens of suffering, craving, and ignorance, no matter how the issue of God’s existence fares among the philosophers. (William E. Reiser, Into the Needle’s Eye, Notre Dame, Ave Maria Press, 1984, p. 31) Now the Buddha was right, but the legend suggests another truth. Debate and ...

190. What Is Required of Us?

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... and the pathways of sin and ignorance and evil are fairly predictable. Yes, life is fearful, and they want to feel safe. Yes, life is painful, and they want some relief. Yes, life is hard, and they wonder what went wrong. Yes, life is confusing, and they crave simplicity. They heard along the way that the church and its leaders had answers, and so here they are. “Fix me. Show me the way. Listen to me.” Some stick and follow through on assignments. Others float in and out. Some weigh the costs and go off ...

191. Facing Fears, Kingdom Style

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... with our stuff, tax specialists to keep the government from getting our stuff. Worries to remind us of our stuff. Needing a regular fix of new stuff to keep our mood lifted and neuro-chemistry adjusted. Shopping not for things we need but to satisfy a craving, wandering malls just to see if anything makes an appeal, cruising catalogs or shopping channels in an easy chair to see what strikes our fancy. It is a symptom of spiritual bankruptcy and a lack of attraction to the kingdom of God. We are simply not ...

192. Look Who Is Standing at the Door

James 4:1-12; 5:1-12

Sermon

James L. Killen

... . It is life committed to material gain and dominated by envy and competitiveness. Listen to some things that the letter said in the passage just before the one we read. "Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not ...

193. Epiphany 8

Isaiah 49:8-26, Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... In Charge (6:24). Need: In this sermon we face the question and the problem of who is in charge of our lives. Most people today are aware of credit cards. Do we charge the Master or does the Master charge us? Who is the "Master" - the bank, the craving for material things, or the person with the card? Who is in charge here - here in your life? In this sermon we want to look at some of the possibilities. Outline: Some options we face. a. No master - no dominating force or interest in life. The result is ...

194. What Is Success?

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... . In the twentieth century Adolf Hitler ruled more of the modern world than any other person. Both men had great width. But who would want to be like Khan or Hitler? Yet, we are so convinced that width is a measure of success today. We crave power, influence, control as if to have these proves we are somebody. Why do you think a small college professor pushes himself to write a book, interview for employment with a bigger university, and eventually control a large research budget, all the while abusing his ...

195. Influence!

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger." You bet church shoppers expect gracious childcare when they enter, but don't ask them to help (v. 4). They are here to "be seen" (v. 5), but not to commit and serve. They crave the "place of honor" but not the basin and towel of washing dirty feet. The better way to enter a room is with the attitude "There you are!" Jim Leet is an elder. For years I watched him walk into Sunday night fellowship and turn on his "people radar ...

196. Don't Make Me Come Down There

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... Nothing comes easily for Bobby. Bobby always lives in the shadow of his brother’s successes. One day, the boys’ mother makes three cinnamon rolls for breakfast. This is the boys’ favorite treat. They each have one roll, but it’s not enough to satisfy their craving. When Mom steps out of the room, Billy announces that he is taking the last cinnamon roll. He is older and smarter and he gets to choose. And so he snatches that roll off the plate and devours it in front of his disappointed little brother ...

197. Los Posadas

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... nine long months. Ask any woman who has carried child: "How long does pregnancy last?" The expectation is never measured in days or months. The ups and downs, the highs and lows of a pregnancy are (in)famous. Think morning sickness. Think bizarre cravings. Think weight gain, swollen ankles, uncomfortable days and nights. Think all the variables medical science has taught us to help control and limit. Think all the variables medical science has taught us we can't control or limit. Nine months seems nothing ...

198. Still in One Peace

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... experienced, and enjoyed. These are vacationers who rest by doing new things in new places. Both types of vacationers are celebrating their time of rest in the way that suits them, relaxes them, fulfills them, and restores them. What kind of rest do you crave? What is your ideal resting place? In both cases this rest involves an emptying-out and a re-filling or re-fueling. A vacation empties-out our stuffy stockpile of routines, rat-races, and regulations. But a vacation - whether luxuriously languid or jam ...

199. A Brand New Church Out of an Old Brand

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... whether you trust in it enough to make a purchase. Whether it's cherry-flavored, or diet caffeine-free, you know any Coke is still going to deliver that same old familiar battery-acid-and-fizzy-sugar-water taste that we all crave. The brand Coca-Cola makes our decision-making much easier, much clearer, much less complex. When Christians make Jesus the touchstone for all things, all decisions, all issues in their lives, a similar familiar feeling of security and relief results. When Christ-crucified ...

200. Deep Faith

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , torture, and even death. These are the ones who walk among us, who live, and move, but have no being, no soul that quickens and stirs within them. It's as though their souls have dried up and blown away for lack of water. The soul craves spiritual water – clear, deep pools; swift, running rivers; vast, unbounded seas. Without these deep waters the soul shrivels, becomes puny and spindly, stunted and fruitless. We're living in a world of shallow waters. "If you swim in the ocean of most men's souls ...

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