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 1976 to 2000 of 2173 results

1976. The Marks Of A Spiritual Counterfeit

Jude 1:12-13

Sermon

James Merritt

Few people know that the Secret Service has not only far more to do than to protect the President. That is not even their primary job. Working under the Treasury Department, one of their major jobs is to try to catch counterfeiters. Therefore they have to learn how to recognize counterfeit money. The surprising thing is, the way they are trained to do this is not by studying counterfeit money, but by studying real currency. The better they get to know the real thing, the easier it is to spot the phony. ...

1977. Walking on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been afraid? So afraid that you were almost paralyzed? So afraid, that words stuck in your throat and you wanted to scream, but you could not. Pastor John Ortberg wrote a book sometime back titled, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat. In it he tells a wonderful story about a ride he and his wife once took in a hot-air balloon. The balloon party consisted of the Ortbergs, the pilot and another couple. Ortberg had always assumed that the baskets hanging below hot-air ...

1978. We Need a Sign

Matthew 14:22-36

Illustration

Jon S. Dawson

Rabbi Feldman had been having trouble with his congregation. It seemed they could agree upon nothing, and controversy filled the air until the Sabbath itself became an area of conflict, and unhappiness filled the synagogue. The president of the congregation organized a meeting of 10 elders and the rabbi. They met in the conference room of the synagogue, sitting about a magnificent mahogany table. One by one the issues were dealt with and on each issue, it became more and more apparent that the rabbi was a ...

1979. I Believe In God The Father Almighty

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The most radical words in the Apostles Creed are the first four- “I believe in God.” But you might respond, “Wait a minute, brother Bill. I thought that all cultures, past and present, have believed in some kind of god. So, what’s so radical about that?” Well, that’s true. But in those first four words of the Creed, we are saying much more than just that we believe God exists. We are declaring that he is the central truth around which our lives revolve. He is our Sovereign, our supreme commander. Notice ...

1980. Bountiful Faith: Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles...Etc

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Have Faith… Strong in faith: "Just a little dab'll do ya." Ministry by faith: "Does she or doesn't she?" Saints by faith: "Good to the last drop." In a day when everything changes, some things never change. And in it all and through it all, a bountiful God of grace gives us a bountiful heart, a bountiful faith… 1. God calls us to live boldly and to give bountifully. Our theme verse for this campaign includes the phrase "Live courageously," but at least one translation says, "Live boldly." I like that! To ...

1981. The Lord's Song in a Foreign Land

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

The year was 587 B.C. The nation of Israel was overthrown, the city of Jerusalem was leveled, and the people of Israel were taken into bondage in Babylonia. The survivors of the brutality and the death march found themselves in captivity in a foreign land, cut off from the holy city and their heritage, their hope and roots, and, most important of all, from the temple, the center of their faith. No longer able to offer their worship around the Ark of the Covenant, unable to offer sacrifices on the altar, ...

1982. Where Earth and Heaven Meet

John 1:14

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It's a kid's book, really, but it's fascinating. The title is "501 Incredible But True Facts to Amaze You". For example, did you hear about the guy in Virginia who was struck by lightening seven times…and lived! I can't figure out if that is good luck or bad luck. Or the fact that a python can swallow a pig whole, and then not eat again for a year. Did you know that Beethoven used to dump ice water on his head to stimulate his brain? But even more fascinating, here are some facts about our world: The ...

1983. In the Upper Room

John 17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

What does it feel like to have someone praying for you? By name, in person, one-on-one? John Indermark remembers a childhood experience of being in the hospital for surgery when he was ten years old. He says he remembers a priest praying for him: "I seem to recall that as he came and stood at the foot of my bed, I felt a mix of wonder and fear. I did not know him, but he prayed. For me. He took time to bring my name and need before God. That I knew. That I still know. That I carry with me in ministry." [1 ...

1984. Transformation to the Light

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time, a diamond was born. He was nothing striking, but rather rough, like the rest of his family. He lived in the darkness and was very content to do just that. As a young diamond he heard tales of how some of his ancestors had left the darkness to a place of light, but that didn't concern him. One day he began to hear noise in the distance, and it came progressively closer. It was the sound of machinery with men talking and often yelling over the roar of the equipment. As time progressed, an ...

1985. Beware: Hypocrites on Premises

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

David T. Ball

Whenever I happen to be in a conversation with someone about why they don't go to church, it seems like the reason that they almost always give is that they can't stand all the hypocrites. I don't take this personally -- they aren't saying that all churchgoers are hypocrites -- just that there are usually too many hypocrites for their liking. I guess their reaction is understandable. Who would want to go to a church filled with people who don't practice what they preach? That would, at the very least, be ...

1986. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the most remarkable Christian witnesses in the world today is a man named Charles Colson. Many of you remember him as the political hatchet man for President Richard Nixon. While he was serving as special counsel to the President, Colson seemed to be a dispicable man, seemingly without a conscience. Then, quite remarkably, Chuck Colson had a thorough and complete conversion experience. It was in 1973 during the height of the Watergate proceedings. Please don’t be suspicious. This conversion ...

1987. In the Wrong Place?

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

Many years ago a pastor was invited to preach at a nearby country church he had never been to before. As he set out he was uncertain which road to take since most rural roads are not clearly marked and the directions he had been given left something to be desired. He stopped to ask directions along the way. The person he asked tried, but mistakenly steered him down the wrong road. The morning was pleasant and although the road seemed a little longer than the pastor had expected, he cheerfully continued on ...

1988. God Will Be God

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The first lesson of Spirituality 101 is that God is God ... and we are not. The CitiBank credit card commercial features a decent-looking guy sincerely "telling it like it is." His voice narrates the story of the family vacation, while scenes from that outing flick by on the screen. The family goes on a trip, stops at a souvenir tourist trap and the kids want a zillion pieces of plastic junk. The guy narrating sighs and states, "So I pay. I'm the Dad. It's my job." More vacation scenes. The family stops at ...

1989. Fingerprints of the Soul

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Unlike "fingerprints," which everyone is born with, we die with soulprints. How deep those soulprints go depends on the depth of our moral character and virtue. Do you know who your patron saint is? Maybe you didn't even know that you were born on the "feast day" of Saint Somebody-or-other. "Feast Day" refers to the death date, not the birth date, of a designated saint. Death dates, rather than birthdays, were celebrated as "feast days" because it was assumed that the saint's birthday into eternity was on ...

1990. Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The Old and New Testaments work side by side this week, underlining a shared faith instead of distinctions. From the twelfth chapter of Mark's Gospel comes Jesus' own commentary on the Deuteronomic-Levitic laws and traditions. It should cause no surprise to see Jesus involved in such a didactic exercise. His identity as a teacher, stressed throughout Mark, is made especially clear in this section of the gospel. In three out of the four potentially combative confrontations with religious leaders (Mark12:14 ...

1991. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Paul continues to offer his view of essential Christian unity amid myriad claims to the exclusivity of certain groups and their ideas. While verses 10-16 dismissed any special claims that Corinthians might make based upon their loyalty to any one individual leader, Paul now turns to the even more insidious divisiveness suggested by those who touted one form of theological knowledge or insight over another. Corinth was an extremely Greek Roman city. Its Greek heritage was long; its ...

1992. Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Ten Commandments is their essential brevity. It could be argued that every theological discourse and every God-directed thought since the day these commandments were received has been a commentary upon them. They make up the bedrock of human faithfulness. Yet these laws are presented so straight-forwardly that they seem almost simplistic. At its essence what we have in the Ten Commandments is a list of what displeases God. Except for the divine comments in verses ...

1993. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although Romans 5:1 clearly starts a new section of Paul's letter, it skillfully builds on all that the apostle has already set forth. The example of Abraham, cited in 4:1-22, surely remains dominant in the minds of Paul's audience as they continue to read about the role endurance, character and hope play in the lives of the faithful. But in 5:1-11, Paul becomes primarily concerned with demonstrating how all the spiritual gifts are in fact contained within that one gift that overwhelms all else " ...

1994. Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

There is considerable debate surrounding this week's gospel text - the rich man and Lazarus. Scholars point out this story's similarity to other Egyptian and Jewish stories. A well-known Egyptian "version" is that of Si-Osiris, the son of Setme Chamois. A young boy, who also happens to be a very wise, reincarnated soul, proves to his father that a shocking reversal of fortunes may await him in the afterlife. Having the distinct advantage of supernatural powers, Si-Osiris is able to take his father on a " ...

1995. Acts 8:26-40

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

A host of biblical scholars note that today's reading from Acts 8:26-40 stands as such a complete story in itself that it could be lifted out of the book without causing any discernible interruption in the Lukan text. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch stands almost wholly on its own. There may be no obvious narrative links between today's pericope and the text that surrounds it. But the story of the Ethiopian eunuch is necessary to balance the scales in two competing arguments presented in the ...

1996. Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

It is highly ironic that Paul, known for his pre-conversion rage against Christians, his post-conversion zealousness, his daunting Pharisaic discipline, his theological rigor and his seemingly foolhardy fearlessness of death, is also the apostle who has left us some of the most moving texts on love ever written. Of course Paul's most famous tribute to love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Christians and non-Christians alike, even those who generally find Paul's theology and personality too demanding for ...

1997. Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

"From death to life" is the appropriate heading of this section. The author of Ephesians pulls no punches in summing up the condition of people before the gift of new life in Christ: "dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived." Their spiritual condition was so bereft of substance that they were not just spiritually sick, but completely lifeless. Death had been brought about by the usual human cause sin. Without a living relationship with God, these men and women had simply followed "the ...

1998. John 6:24-35

John 6:24-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

As part of the fourth gospel's continuing efforts to disclose Jesus' identity so that people might believe, the "bread of life" discourse is crucial. Jesus distinguishes the "living bread" from all other human attempts to nourish body and soul. Not even the manna gathered in the wilderness can compare to the eternally nutritious power of the true bread of heaven. Chapter six begins with two of the most startling and impressive "signs" Jesus ever delivered: feeding five thousand hungry listeners with a mere ...

1999. About Sex

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

The mother of two daughters, ages 10 and 12, decided it was time to tell them about the birds and the bees. She sent off for a booklet recommended by the PTA and, having read it, called the girls in for a long chat. When she finished, she said, with her heart in her throat, “You may ask me any question you want to.” The oldest said, “Anything?” The mother said, “Yes, anything,” then she took a deep breath, thinking, “Here it comes.” The little girl asked, “Can we have a new baseball bat? It should not ...

2000. Where a Cross Should Be Worn

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Timothy J. Kennedy tells a wonderful true story that is perfect for Ash Wednesday. It was told to him by a colleague, Pastor Chris Mietlowski. It concerned a baptism that Mietlowski once performed on an infant named Eric. Mietlowski took Eric in his arms and traced the cross of Christ on Eric’s forehead using a special anointing oil. Following worship, Eric’s family celebrated with a big backyard party. Family and friends ate burgers and chips and played volleyball under a summer sun. Eric, being ...

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