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 2101 to 2125 of 4959 results

2101. The Call of the Disciples - James, A Fisher of Men

Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Drama

Thomas Blowers

... saying "Follow me." We puzzled over the fact that our dream, whatever the dream was, had faded then turned into a nightmare. At first we couldn't figure out what had gone wrong and why. We couldn't figure out why our dream, so vivid at first despite our desire to keep it suppressed and hidden deep within us, seemed to lose its form and shape the longer we sat and listened to him speak, the longer we watched as he did those strange and dangerous things he insisted upon doing. Why had he let us down? The ...

2102. Remember That You Are Not Alone

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

... God, a person could be saved. She said that since she now knew the one true name of God, she was sure of her salvation. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with that kind of theology, it does serve to demonstrate the fact that many people desire to have the assurance of personal salvation. A few years ago a tourist was driving through downtown Asheville, North Carolina, trying to find a particular street. He finally pulled over to the curb and consulted a street map. As he sat there in his car with ...

2103. Epilogue: Some Early Witnesses to Christ

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

... us has ever been successful at keeping the Ten Commandments. Nathaniel probably resented this young man's hurling Scripture quotations at him. But Philip was alert enough to know what was going on, so he backed off and came at him from another angle. He appealed to the desire for personal experience. He said, "Well, Nathaniel, you'll just have to come and see this man for yourself. Just come with me and take a look at Jesus and you'll see a God who is on your side, a God who is in the business of forgiving ...

2104. Getting The Facts

1 Corinthians 15:3

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... who are our enemies. So remember, the law is like Clyde Crutch -- necessary, but only temporary. Jesus brings us love and it lasts forever. GUIDES FOR OUR LIVES Galatians 5:16-24, verse 16: I mean this: if you are guided by the Spirit you wil not fulfill the desires of your lower nature. Object: A ruler or a circle compass and a Bible. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this very last Sunday in August? It won't be very long before the summer vacation will be over and the new school year will begin ...

2105. Our Actions Reveal Who We Are

Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

... branches and see the faithful. He looked out among the palms and saw what he had seen for the last three years. A people whose understanding was dim and whose hearts were filled with malice and vengeance toward Rome. Their voices shouted Hosanna but their hearts beat with a bloody desire for war. Is it any wonder that they crucified him? No. Not with the disappointment they must have felt when he was arrested and his kingdom movement came to an end.

2106. Two Small Upper Rooms

John 13:1-17

Illustration

Lee Griess

... years later, Karl Marx would proclaim that strife among people, rigid control of possessions, strict limitation of personal freedom and a move toward a godless society would bring about the perfect world that humanity was seeking. Karl Marx could not see that the kind of life that you and I desire had already been given us. Given to us there in the words of Jesus in that upper room.

2107. Death and Resurrection

John 20:1-18

Illustration

... , but it leaves you nothing at an icy graveside. It is precisely at that point that Christianity responds: Yes, we shall see our loved ones again and all be reunited. Some demand that they need proof and documentation. I wonder what kind proof that they desire. There is more documented evidence that Jesus Christ rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived. There is more evidence of the resurrection than there is that Alexander the Great died at age 33. I have always found it interesting ...

2108. Love One Another

John 13:31-38

Illustration

Lee Griess

... great flourish brought it down. Lo and behold, nothing happened! The band brought forth a resounding silence. Sometimes we in the church are like that junior high band, unsure of our parts, tentative in our roles, reluctant to trumpet forth the music of faith that God desires of us. And that's because we have trouble deciding what's most important. An incident a couple of summers ago in San Antonio, Texas, illustrates what I'm talking about. It was a hot, 99-degree August day when a ten-month-old baby girl ...

2109. Mommy, Was That God?

John 14:15-31

Illustration

John M. Braaten

... a moment of silence and then, in hushed tones a little voice asked, "Mommy, was that God?" Jesus, in offering peace, does not say, "I'm here, the Holy Spirit's here and God is here, now be at peace!" The peace that Jesus offers cannot be had simply by desiring. The peace of God is a gift, it can only be received as a by-product of faith. That's why the world is largely a stranger to it.

2110. Members of a Family

John 17:20-26

Illustration

John M. Braaten

The genius of God's plan is obvious. If we recognize that we are all members of the same family, if we acknowledge that God desires to hold us in a single peace then, ideally, we will stop fighting with each other and destroying one another and instead begin standing with one another and working together to bring people to Christ and to become an answer to prayer for those who cry out to God for ...

2111. Holy Trinity Sunday

John 16:12-15

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

... through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Amen. Pastoral Prayer O God, who in fatherly wisdom has given us freedom to lock our heart's door: teach us the secret of an open heart. Let our waiting for your knock become a reverent desire to please you as loving children. When words fail us and our thoughts are barren, teach us to be still and know that you are all in all. If our soul's image of you is uncertain, put your arms around us. May we feel the strength of your ...

2112. Let Your Light Shine

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... though it were unimportant or, even worse, as if we were ashamed of it. Forgive us, Lord, and restore our passion to serve and live for You and to share Your Gospel with all who will hear. In Christ we pray. Amen. Hymns "Abide With Me" "Jesus, Joy Of Our Desiring" "He Touched Me"

2113. The Demons Within - Sermon Opener

Luke 8:26-39

Illustration

Staff

... other worldly creature. It ravages individuals while others seek to pretend it will go away if one ignores it long enough. Greed is a demon, threatening to make us slaves of want. Avarice has always been one of the deadly sins, but today the desire to have and to hold is something that many in our society prize and encourage. Things are often more important than people, more important than faith. As the scripture passage reminds us, the demons are legion. They enslave the individual, destroy the valuable ...

2114. The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... have worded it succinctly. The question had been asked and the answer given. You would think that the man would be pleased and go home. But lawyers are never happy. A lawyer’s responsibility is to define the limits of liability. “But he, desiring to justify himself, asked ‘Who is my neighbor.’” In other words, where does my responsibility stop? Who exactly am I responsible for?” At this point, instead of further defining the question, Jesus tells a story. A way of indirect teaching. A certain ...

2115. What Jesus Saw In Martha

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... rebuke, but nevertheless He did speak words that compared Martha unfavorably with her less practical sister Mary… and the question that explodes out of this story is “Why?” Not for a moment should we imagine that Jesus was unappreciative of Martha’s intense desire for a job well done. Not for a moment should we imagine that Jesus thinks artistic poetic philosophers are better than detailed planners. No! Not that at all. If Mary had been seething, he would be rebuking her. You see, Jesus was not ...

2116. The Friend At Midnight

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... up to him and greeted him with the words: “Oh, how I wish that I could play the piano like you.” She was rather taken back with his response. He said in a firm but gentle voice: “Oh no you don’t.” Of course, he was right. What we desire is the finished product. Who among us would not like to get in front of thousands and display a marvelous talent and then wait for the applause? But how many of us are willing to spend the literally thousands of hours that it takes to become an accomplished pianist ...

2117. Come From Anywhere

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

... this point the whole scene abruptly changes. Suddenly (I think), Jesus springs alive, a vibrant vitality replacing the assumed air of indifference he has maintained up to now, and he fairly shouts, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." The disciples have not expected this; it takes them by surprise. This woman is one of the "outsiders," yet Jesus has let her in -into the scope of his caring, into his blessing, into the benefits of his power. A wave of consternation flows through ...

2118. A Change of Direction

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

... have been. And all of this is important. But let us hear the comment of a wise man, Oliver Wendell Holmes, who said, "I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving." This is true. For however desirable our present state may be, we can lose it all simply by going in the wrong direction from here. And however dismal is the place we are, we can leave it all behind simply by following a direction that takes us beyond it - and there is one, there always is ...

2119. An Everyday Theology

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... of the many parables as drawn from the common stuff of everyday life. How often our theological perplexities are solved by resorting to an everyday theology. Take the question of ultimate destiny. One might ask if there really is an everlasting hell, apart from one’s desire to have it that way. Does God send some to eternal separation from his love? If we run that question by our everyday theology it might come out something like this: No, there is not an everlasting hell, as far as God would have it so ...

2120. The Two Fires

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... , they were different persons, the sort that C. S. Lewis was talking about. In personal meditation, or in coversation with the other followers of Jesus, they found themselves professing that they really did trust God, that they did forgive others, that they had an intense desire to please God. Most of all, they felt compelled to take up the message and work of Christ again. Without fanfare, the second fire of Christ’s spirit had done its work of change. If we have any gospel good news at all, it will ...

2121. Do I Give Up Praying Too Soon?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... on the sly. It was a master stroke; she caught our Lord in his own words. A dog, was she? Well, she was hanging on like a pet bulldog. Her persistence paid off. Jesus exclaimed, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." The gospel writers report that her daughter was healed instantly. Do I give up praying too soon? There are some striking pictures in the Old Testament about hanging on in prayer. There’s Jacob, having run away from home because he’d cheated his brother Esau out of ...

2122. The Footwashing

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

... . Not only that, she was a woman with a reputation; everybody knew that she was a "sinner." But that knowledge didn’t stop her from entering Simon’s home uninvited and unannounced; rather her self-knowledge - her awareness of her sinful estate and her desire to gain forgiveness - compelled her to do what she did. It was a case when actions speak louder than words; she doesn’t say a single word in this episode, but her intentions were perceived by Jesus, and he responded with recognition and respect ...

2123. The Call of the Cross

Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

... of failure, consists of those who are quite willing to pay the price of succeeding, however high it may be, have no scruples of any kind about doing what is necessary, nor any conflicts dragging on their energies, but who are nonetheless denied success. Desire is not wanting in them; some decisive element is (missing.) ...3 Could it be our inability, or our unwillingness, "to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily" that interferes with our commitment to follow Christ and "serve him to the end?" Could it ...

2124. Lord, I Believe - Or Do I?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... prayers. It has its focus on our Lord’s return for judgment and salvation and the vindication of his own. The story of the widow and the judge is a sequel to the teaching that Saint Luke recorded just ahead of this, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it." The days are coming when you would give anything to see the slightest evidence that God is working out his will and that his purposes are ripening, some sign of kingdom progress ...

2125. The Gospel of the Little Man

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

... and climb the sycamore we cannot say, except that in his curiosity he sought a passing glimpse of this strange character from Nazareth whose name was on the lips of people everywhere. That he was prompted by a sense of personal need, or by a strong desire in his heart for mercy and a healing of his personal relationship with God and with his fellow citizens in Jericho - this, it seems to me, would push the story much too far. People do strange things and sometimes lose their dignity for lesser reasons, like ...

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