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 2076 to 2100 of 5000 results

2076. Fickle Folks

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . Now, the Lord was not trying to say that this should be the universal standard for offerings; after all, the standard had been set centuries before — it was the tithe, the first tenth of all income, and that same standard is the one we have today. What Jesus wanted to convey was that, for religion to be what it ought to be, a real commitment is required — it cannot be something that is half-hearted or taken lightly or something to be taken care of once everything else is done. It has to be willing to ...

2077. Be Careful What You Wish For...You Just Might Get It!

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... may have seen anything wrong, but the prophet has — thus, the warning to act before it is too late. So Samuel does. In spades! Be careful what you wish for ...you just might get it! "This is what the king who will reign over you will do"(v. 11). You want a warrior king, one to lead you in battle? Okay — guess who will be driving the king's chariots and riding the king's horses into the fray. Your sons! Guess who gets to be the king's infantry. That's right, your sons again! And, of course, the king ...

2078. They Call It Grace

2 Peter 3:8-15

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... don't. This party is not about you being good enough. It's about my joy to have you home. Now, come and eat." Grace always comes as a shock to the sinner. We are used to finding a catch or a string attached to every promise. We want to be frugal with God's grace, like the older brother in the story who thought his younger brother didn't deserve a second chance. Contemporary preacher, Fred Craddock, preached a sermon on the prodigal son but with a twist. Instead of the father honoring the younger, rebellious ...

2079. The Wisdom of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... thinking. Both are seeking something to convince them of the truth of the gospel. Greeks are moved to action by persuasion. Jews, on the other hand, are moved to action by a sign from God. We can see this in the gospel accounts, when the Jews come to Jesus and want him to give them a sign. "The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be ...

2080. Living in The Present

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... pretty depressing, causing you to think the worst of yourself as though you just stole something from Wal-Mart and need to make amends. But repent means to turn around. Watch out and don't let your life be stolen from you by what you do. The Lord of life wants you to have life and have it abundantly. Scientists tell us that we employ only a small part of our brain. We also use only a small part of our faith power. I am crowned with honor and glory? Me? My goodness, think what I can do with that! Nothing ...

2081. Finding the Right House for God

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... s presence. Third, David's own self-interest pokes through in his desire to elevate his own status as a king by building a temple for God, something that will sanction his own reign as king. Tents represent a nomadic culture, the bottom rung of the social ladder. David wants to build something that will last as a way of saying that his kingdom will have more of a sense of permanence about it. God sees right through David's ruse, and seems to be saying, "I don't need a temple now. I'm doing just fine without ...

2082. Oh, That I Knew Where I Might Find Him

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... as our buddy, who, "though it makes him sad to see the way we live, he always says, ‘I forgive.' " Our text makes it clear, however, that things are not that simple. God is not at our beck and call. God does not show up in court just because Job wants to defend himself. In his wishful thinking, Job imagines that all would be made right if God would just explain himself. "I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me" (v. 5). (Job assumes that God would be a font of wisdom ...

2083. The Need For More

Illustration

Bill Hybels

... fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history ...

2084. How Much Is That Preacher?

Illustration

Jean Shaw

... wearing awfully thick glasses. For $420 more we put in contact lenses. I don't know. He might study too much. We don't want a man who's in his office all the time. Of course. How about this minister over here? Comes from a management background. Trained ... used model, we can sell him at a reduced price. Well, we had hoped for someone brand-new. We just redecorated the sanctuary, and we wanted a new minister to go with it. Of course. But with a little exterior work, and a fresh suit, this man will look like he ...

2085. Holy Smokes! God Is Here

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’m sorry. Please help me.” And with those words, he saw a pinprick of light a great distance away‑‑and then, just as suddenly as the light appeared, it was with him, and he was filled with warmth, and love and joy‑‑and he knew he was with Jesus. He wanted nothing more than to stay there, but Jesus told him he must return to earth. When the man said he could not go back and be as he was before, Jesus assured him he would not be. And he has not been. But he has preached and made known the ...

2086. What If the Disciples Had Email and One of the Disciples Was a Woman?

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

... Priscilla To: Priscilla@galilee.net From: Mom&Dad@jerusalem.org Dear Priscilla, Well, I really don't know what to say. You know that your mother and I disapprove of your escapades with this charlatan or magician or sorcerer or whatever he is. More than anything, we just don't want you to get hurt. We're hearing every day from people who think that he is bad for us, that he is simply getting the Romans in an uproar and that he might have to be dealt with, if you know what I mean. Please come home. All will ...

2087. Proper 11

Genesis 18:1-10a, Psalm 15:1-5; 52:1-9, Amos 8:1-12, Luke 10:38-42, Colossians 1:15-28

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... Confession We do know that deep within us is an urge to be connected to what is eternal. In this very moment, we want to be free from anything that retards our journey to the Holy Mystery and psyche peace. Transform our priorities and our goals; ... maimed and brutalized. We pray for the kingdom of God to come in our time to all the world! God of Singers and Speakers — we want to be free from worry like the psalmist 4,000 years ago. We say we’ll do and be whatever it takes to feel secure and to have ...

2088. Obedience: Our Gift to Jesus

Hebrews 10:5-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... what our gift will be to the newborn king of the Jews. In short, as stated earlier, Jesus is not interested in anything we can buy or make, but he is very interested in seeing us attain the fullness of our Christian call, to be the person God wants us to be. Today, the author of the letter to the Hebrews suggests the best possible gift we can give to Jesus is our obedience. Society today creates many difficulties, roadblocks, and barriers that hinder us from being obedient people. As a society we stress the ...

2089. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... hilarious and humorous situations. Sure enough, it transforms him into a great lover who knows exactly what to do and when to do it to please a woman. Likewise his ability to read women's minds enables him to advance his career by developing ads for products that women want. But his ability to read the minds of women also has a down side. He is horrified to find out that many of the women in his office pretend to like him but really don't. The whole premise of the film is based on the assumption that what ...

2090. The iPod Vs. The Larynx

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... We come not to just sit in seats to watch and listen to a "show" that is taking place before us on a stage. Worship is not like going to a concert where we are entertained by performers on a stage. If it were, then we would want our churches to be modeled after a good concert venue, such as good sight lines, visually stimulating, good sound amplification that enables us to clearly hear the music of the performers and eliminates any distracting noise from the audience. The audience is welcome to sing along ...

2091. Endurance

2 Corinthians 11:24-27, 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... you break through those quitting points when it would be a whole lot easier just to cash in, walk away, and quit? For that, I want to turn to a favorite passage of mine in 2 Timothy 4:7. Paul is in prison awaiting his execution. He knows that the time ... for pride and ego and greed. Those are not good fights. What is? I'm thinking about an alcoholic I know who struggles each day wanting a drink but has not taken one for the past nineteen years — he fights the good fight. I'm thinking about the lawyer in our ...

2092. The Place of Prayer

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... In the morning, Paul and Silas set out for the place of prayer. In the middle of the night, they were in prison, praying. Do you see? It was not where they intended to be. It was not where they expected to be. It surely wasn't where they wanted to be. They began by looking for a place of prayer, and they ended up making a foreign dungeon into precisely that: a place of prayer. A number of years ago, driving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, my attention (and imagination) was captured by a large billboard by the side ...

2093. Are You in Labor?

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... sharing our faith with a stranger. Perhaps you’ve heard the hilarious story about the man who prayed the same prayer every morning: “Lord, if you want me to share my faith with someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is.” One day he found himself on a ... ’s not very effective. In fact, it’s a good way to get shot in today’s world. People don’t seem to want strangers knocking on their door. A woman who worked at home invited a friend over for coffee. She told her, “Ignore the sign ...

2094. Lost, But Not the TV Show!

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... weakness. St. Paul once described his own situation: “I do not understand my own actions,” he wrote. “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). He’s describing us. The Bible is very realistic about the nature of ... Christ, and we should, but that does not give us license to reject those who may not be as fortunate as we. In fact, Jesus wants us to care for our brothers and sisters who are lost as much as he cares for them. How much does he care for them? every ...

2095. When God Tests Us

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Argile Smith

... something had to be done to assuage their fear. If he didn’t try something, they would jump ship on him just as quickly as they bailed out on the God who used him and Moses to get them this far on their journey to the promised land. They wanted Aaron to help them get on with their lives so they could move forward from there. Taking that step meant crafting a deity that would give them a measure of comfort. They had grown accustomed to the Egyptian idols that they could see and touch. Aaron told them the ...

2096. A Faith to Move Mountains

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... and real power is. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who did turn this world upside down, understood that. In his last address before his death he issued this triumphant statement of faith, “And I’ve seen the Promised Land. And I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. I have a dream this afternoon ...

2097. A Man of God

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christmas presents the kid received? In his room he has a TV, an iPod, an iPad, an Xbox and 3 new electronic games. If we want to punish him, we have to send him to our room.” (1) How very different is our world from the world into which the Christ ... paternity testing, so there wasn’t any way to know for sure, but there was enough to give his friend an out, if he wanted it. He weighed the pros and cons and decided to ask his girlfriend to marry him. She accepted, and they got married. Shortly after, she ...

2098. In the Shadow of His Brother

John 1:35-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... to an interloper in the family if she believes the new baby isn’t a permanent member of the family, but belongs to someone else. I did hear about another family, however, that had a strange twist on the reality of sibling rivalry. “I don’t want a new baby,” said Brian, the older of two brothers. Brian was adamant when his mother told him that they were expecting a new addition to the family. The family had survived the first round of sibling rivalry when Brian’s younger brother, Damian, was born ...

2099. When Fishermen Don't Fish

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... Zebedee’s sons [James and John] came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left ... nothing. Why did they catch nothing? Metaphorically, it is because a boat was the wrong place for them to be. Jesus had told them he wanted them to be fishing for people and they were still content fishing for fish. We understand that, don’t we? It’s a lot more ...

2100. What If You Truly Were Born Again?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... , to grasp, to hold. We are born into this world utterly self‑centered. Recognizing that babies are cute, cuddly, and loveable we also must confront the fact that nature has fashioned the human infant to be utterly focused on its own needs. A new baby wants what it wants when it wants it. It doesn’t matter whether you are watching your favorite program on television or reading a newspaper, or doing some chore that badly needs to be done if a baby needs to be fed or to be changed, or even just to be held ...

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