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 2176 to 2200 of 5000 results

2176. On-Beyond-Zebra Living

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and desires, then God cannot be a God of love, but a God of commands. If God’s will for you and for me did not bear any relationship to our own deepest longings and desires, we should be obliged to ignore the longings of our hearts and to put our trust in some authority external to ourselves.” (God in All Things [London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2003], 113.) But we find the desires of our hearts by laying down our own desires and trading them up for God’s desires, and in so doing we ...

2177. A Mother's Love

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , falls ten feet, and lands on its back. Within seconds, it rolls to an upright position with its legs tucked under its body. From this position, it views the world for the first time and shakes off any remaining birthing fluid. “The mother giraffe lowers her head just long enough to take a quick look at her calf and then she does what seems to be a very unreasonable thing: she kicks her baby, sending it sprawling head over heels. If it doesn’t get up, she kicks it again and again until the calf finally ...

2178. For What Are We Hungry?

John 6:24-35

Illustration

James L. Mayfield

... . And even a casual observer of human behavior is aware of the power of desire—not only sexual lust, but also that almost irresistible urge for one more piece of that delicious chocolate cake. The drive toward pleasure is powerful. Alfred Adler did not deny that longing for pleasure is definitely one of the motivations of human behavior; however, he was convinced that our basic desire or hunger is for power; we want to be in control. Certainly, we all know what it is to want to be in control, and to feel ...

2179. In Search of Jesus

John 6:16-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... She had found Jesus! He was in one of her Daddy’s magazine. Emma proudly held out her new Jesus. Marlene gasped as she took the picture from Emma’s hands. It was a picture of a tall, bearded homeless man dressed in rags. Because of his long hair and beard, he did resemble Emma’s paper‑doll Jesus. As Marlene reflected on Jesus’ own words about the poor and powerless, she agreed that her little girl had found Jesus. (1) Emma’s experience reminds me of a dream that Sister Rachael Hosmer tells about ...

2180. Tinctures of Truth in the Tincture of Time

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Raise your hand. . . . My parents never used mercurochrome because it didn’t sting, and thus it couldn’t possibly be working to wipe out bacteria. Those of you who put your hands up know that these killer fluids came in tiny brown bottles with a long glass dropper inside. [If you don’t have the real thing, you will need to make sure they can picture it.] The glass dropper would hover over whatever wound was being treated, a scraped knee, a sliced toe, a de-slivered finger-tip, while the howling ...

2181. Ordinary or Extraordinary?

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... church full of wonderful people, a church that I loved, a church where I could have easily spent the rest of my life and came here is because I really believed, here, I could enlarge my territory. Here I could have a greater impact. Here in the long run, I could reach even more people for Christ. I am convinced that too many churches and too many Christians live under a cloud of complacency and sleep in a cocoon of comfort. They are satisfied with walking when they could be running. They are satisfied with ...

2182. The Message That WILL Save Your Life

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... not far from here and the four caddie that was playing with us was riding in the back of my cart. I asked him if he went to church and he told me that he did and mentioned a very well known church, a large church. I asked him how long he had been going there and he said, "Every since they opened their doors." I then just casually said, "Well son, have you been saved?" He said, "No, but I have been thinking about it." That got my attention. I said, "Son, do you know for sure if you were ...

2183. Culture Shock

1 Kings 18:21-40

Sermon

James Merritt

... Be Ashamed Of The True God Elijah believes in a "put up or shut-up" theology, so he proposes a test. "So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Now ...

2184. God's Christmas Tree

1 Peter 2:24

Sermon

James Merritt

... beautiful their tree was, he said, "No. This is not the most beautiful Christmas tree ever." The children said, "What?" "Yes, it is!" The dad said, "Would you mind if I told you about the most beautiful Christmas tree ever?" The kids said, "Oh yes Daddy tell us." "A long time ago, long before the very first Christmas, God said, 'One day, I am going to send my son to this world and He will show all the people in the world how to live for Me and how to worship Me. He will give His life for them and if they ...

2185. Put Me In Coach!

1 Peter 4:10

Sermon

James Merritt

... verse carefully. God created you to do good works. God made you to make a difference. Do you know what this means? What matters is not how long you live, but how you live. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life. You were created to serve. ... can, by all the ways you can, in all the places you can, and all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." That is what it means to be ready to serve God. I have said all of my life and will always say ...

2186. A Higher Priority

John 6:56-69

Illustration

Brett Blair

... wife's side when their first child was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain behind. Bill's wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, he had been working towards this for all these years. It was the culmination of a life-long dream. Clearly the decision was not easy for Bill to make. Finally, after much soul searching, Bill decided to withdraw from the competition and remain behind with his wife so that he could be with her when their first child arrived. Bill considered being at her side ...

2187. What If It Happens To Me? The Fear of Suffering

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... remote look on his face, totally detached from the suffering of this world and then I thought about the God that I worship, the very son who suffered in agony on the cross, not only for me, but with me. There is a play let entitled, "The Long Silence" that says it all. At the end of time billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God's throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them, but some groups near the front talked heatedly - not with cringing shame, but with belligerence ...

2188. At Your Service Lord

Ephesians 4:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... harder way to the top. As I was gazing at that monument I remembered my good friend Zig Ziglar telling the story of going to Washington, DC and visiting the Washington Monument. He said as he approached the Monument there was a line that seemed like it was a mile long. He walked up to the front to hear what the guide was saying, and the guide announced that there would be a two hour wait to ride the elevator to the top of the Monument. Then with a smile on his face, the guide said, "There's no one waiting ...

2189. Member Means Minister

Ephesians 4:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... . In order to qualify, you would fill out a lay-ministry profile and then our staff will contact you to try and match you up with your experience and your gifting. Again, you don't have to be a member to serve. Ministry- This area is available to long time and new members of the church, who either have been active in service in a previous church or have experience in a certain area. This track could be involved in anything from being an assistant or associate teacher in preschool or Kidz's ministry or adult ...

2190. Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Genesis 5:21-24, Hebrews 11:5

Sermon

James Merritt

... From the very moment that Methuselah was born, Enoch knew that God's judgment was on the way. In fact, Enoch knew that as long as Methuselah was alive the judgment of God would not occur and that is exactly what happened. The moment Methuselah died, God sent the ... that you would give me a home and be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day when I made the long journey of ten miles to your house in North Killingsworth. I can still recall my disappointment when instead of coming for me yourself; you ...

2191. Minority Report

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... with Bill Jones prayed to receive Christ into his heart. Bill Jones was so elated! What an impact this famous gangster could have for Christ; not only because he was Jewish, but also because of the influence he could have on the underworld. It wasn't long after his so-called profession of faith, he dropped Bill Jones and began hanging around with his underworld mobster buddies again. Well, this very much upset Jones who went to see him one day, and said, "Mickey, you're a Christian, and as a new Christian ...

2192. The King and His Castle

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... B.C. The final temple, Herod's temple, was build in A.D. 19 and destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Today the Muslim shrine called "The Dome of the Rock," stands on that very temple site. You see, what man builds for God won't last very long, but what God builds for man will last forever. The reason why we ought to be excited about the church, and about her future, is because of the church's foundation. You see, Jesus is not only the founder of the church, He is the foundation of the church. He ...

2193. A Sense of Place

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 6-10

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... strong connection to your community. But some of you may not. Some of you, if your job required a move to a new state, as long as it didn't separate you from your loved ones, would easily move there. There is no right or wrong about this; it's just ... me, memory blazing, I'll cope & make do.4 That view is all fine and dandy, but it wasn't enough to keep Berryman, not long after writing those lines, from leaping to his death from a Minneapolis bridge into the Mississippi River. The truth is, if we try to live ...

2194. Leaping from Recognition Point

2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... that not every communiqué from God comes head on, and that there is always the possibly when we read the scriptures or hear about a "certain man" or a "certain woman," that we too are them. When that happens, it's critical not to just linger too long at recognition point, but to leap off in the direction of what that recognition calls us to do. 1. Quoted by J. I. Packer, I Want to Be a Christian (Middlesex, UK: Kingsway, 1977). 2. Come Sunday: The Liturgy of Zion (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1990), p. 101 ...

2195. April Love

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... with business concerns doesn't notice her, either. Likewise, her brother, in his own world, does not acknowledge her. Emily is disappointed and, long before her time is up, she asks to be taken away. It is too painful to be where people do not notice each ... were either single or were there without our spouses, but there was one married couple in my group and they had been together a long time. When it came the husband's turn to speak, he said "The most positive influence in my life has been my wife," and ...

2196. Leaving Before the Invitation

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... practice is becoming firmly established. These are good days. John has called a meeting of the family, and Mary has in the back of her mind an idea of what it's all about. She feels that John is going to announce that he has made preparations for a long-awaited vacation to Europe - a full month! Mary has dreamed of a vacation in Europe all of her life. The children will never forget it. She is so excited. John stands and says, "Well, family, I have an announcement to make. I feel that God is calling me to ...

2197. The Two Prodigals

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... sons and daughters is no disgrace. To continue to be — even when the Holy Spirit pleads with us — is the major problem of every precious human being. Lent is an exceptional time to fall on our knees and unhurriedly seek the riches of the Christian message, delivered long ago. Yes, softly and tenderly Jesus is calling us home. Yes, oh, gentle Savior, pass me not and hear my humble cry. Yes, he touched me and made me whole. Our days are numbered but praises be to the living God there is today and maybe ...

2198. Holy Extravagance

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... When we get up every morning, that should be our theme song. He walks with us and talks with us in our joys and sorrows all day long. There is a blessed fragrance that fills the air. We don't know if it is costly or not and it doesn't seem to be ... had best look again. This is not a pessimistic view. It is realistic and finds its source in holy scripture. Admittedly, we have come a long way in racial and gender equality. Yet, even then, we forget or refuse to admit that our primary goal is to accept the fact ...

2199. Those Who Doubt

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... t imitate him. The eyes of faith must prevail as the Father works and weaves his ways and will among precious people. What a glorious history it is, as you and I are recipients of the greatest story ever told. We are to see with spiritual vision. In the long run it is invariably superior to any other type of eyesight. Give thanks for the means of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. There seems always to be a significant place for a word of caution. In brief, don't slip back into a mode of requiring the ...

2200. A New Continuing

John 14:8-17, 25-27

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... languages, yet somehow they were all able to understand one another. More astounding than all this, was that barriers that had long existed between people of different nationalities were broken down that first Pentecost. Think of it, three thousand souls were added to ... he just didn't wake me up, he replied, "Well, I thought at least one of us should get some sleep." Needless to say, I long for those days when I could sleep that soundly, but there's a down side to being able to sleep like that. You miss all ...

Showing results