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 2226 to 2250 of 4961 results

2226. Shockproof

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

James Merritt

Dawn Smith Jordan was selected Miss South Carolina in 1986 and was the second runner up to Miss America that year. An event took place the year before that caused an emotional and spiritual earthquake in her life that shook her to the very core of her being. On May 31, 1985, her 17-year-old sister, Sherrie, was kidnapped while walking from her car to the mailbox. She was just two days from her high school graduation. They didn’t hear anything for a few days and then they received a letter in the mail from ...

2227. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: As Christ opens the first four seals, God allows human sinfulness to run its course, resulting in warfare, violence, bloodshed, economic hardship, and death. Understanding the Text Just as the vision of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1 leads into the messages to the seven churches in chapters 2–3, so the throne-room vision of Revelation 4–5 prepares the way for God’s righteous judgments that commence in chapter 6. Jesus, the worthy one (5:2–5), now begins to open the scroll by breaking the ...

2228. This Verse Says It All

John 3:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

In the late 1980s, artist Jim Sanborn was hired to create a piece of art to be displayed at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. This was a big commission! What an honor to create a unique piece of art for the CIA. Sanborn thought he would have a little fun with this project. He contacted Edward Scheidt, the retired chairman of the CIA’s Cryptographic Center. Scheidt is an expert in encryption and cryptology. Sanborn wanted Scheidt to help him create a message in code for his CIA art piece. On Nov. 3 ...

2229. "Can Do" Christianity

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Those who lived through the long years of World War II remember a remarkable group of men called the Seabees. "Seabees" was their nickname, based upon their official designation as the U.S. Naval Construction Battalions. These were the men who went ashore right behind the Marines during the Pacific island battles, constructing the new facilities necessary for the support and establishment of our nation's combat forces. They referred to themselves as "can do" people, and were often quoted as saying, "The ...

2230. Where's the Fire?

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Jean and I have just gotten back from a three-week vacation trip up in Northern California. When I returned to the office I discovered that a lot of people thought that we were in Germany. That is because four weeks ago this weekend, there was a wonderful event here at this church celebrating my twenty years as one of the ministers on the staff. That evening it was announced that we would be given a trip to Germany. That was the first we had heard of it. It was a surprise. So we have yet to even start to ...

2231. With Our Own Eyes

2 Peter 1:16-21

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Leslie D. Weatherhead, the great British preacher who served many years at City Temple on Holborn Viaduct in London, told the story of the elderly gentlemen who sat on the benches near the church trading stories. As one might expect, in addition to the good old days, a popular topic of conversation was their aches, pains, and ailments. "I have heard that such-and-such a clinic has a very effective regimen of treatment for this," one fellow would say. "Well, I understand that Dr. So-and-So is very ...

2232. Paradise Lost

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

James Merritt

Vesna Vulovic made history on January 26, 1972 and in doing so made the Guinness World Book of Records. It is not an honor that she wanted, was looking for, or particularly enjoyed. She was a flight attendant on a DC-9 that was flying over what is now the Czech Republic when a bomb went off and blew the plane apart. She fell 33,330 feet and going 122 miles an hour landed on the side of a mountain and even though she suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, and two broken legs, and was in a coma ...

2233. Mary Magdalene’s Day

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Mary Magdalene may very well be the most enigmatic and controversial figure in the resurrection story. In a way the holy scriptures give us just enough information to excite our curiosity in regard to her personal relationship with the man she adored, Jesus of Nazareth. We still wonder what kind of person she was. Fiction writers have had a field day, especially in recent years. Was she really married to Jesus and did they have children? Did they establish a bloodline that is with us today? Such inquiries ...

2234. Seeing as the Lord Sees

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

In the story of David’s selection to be the second king of Israel, we see an important distinction between the ways we look at ourselves and others, and the way that God sees us. The Lord said to Samuel, "The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks in the heart." That is an important distinction, and an encouraging word for us who are on the journey of faith. Samuel had been called of God to anoint the first two kings of Israel. The first king was Saul, a man who had ...

2235. The Christ Connection

Colossians 1:9-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It has been there for my entire lifetime—a neon sign on a narrow country road piercing the darkness with these simple words—CHRIST IS THE ANSWER. As a child, I used to wonder what kind of magic pen God used to write it on the side of the barn. As a teenager, I drove so fast I did not have time to see it at all. But, as an adult, sometimes I take the long way home so I can make sure it is still there, shining on the foggiest of nights. So out of place in one way and yet, such a revelation in another. CHRIST ...

2236. Please Pass the Resurrection Biscuits

Luke 24:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Susan Sparks tells a wonderful story about her grandmother whom she and the rest of the family called Ganny. Ganny lived in a tiny town in South Carolina, says Rev. Sparks, and when they’d go to visit, the aroma of all kinds of good things cooking would float through her screen porch and out into the yard to greet them: delicious Southern dishes like creamed corn, collard greens and hopefully cornbread. She says “hopefully, cornbread” because the one thing Ganny could not cook was biscuits. Now, ...

2237. On Getting the Gospel Out

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In 1988 former Presidential candidate Pat Robertson got extremely upset when a reporter referred to him as a “former television evangelist.” In Robertson’s camp this was considered slander. I can understand that - given the recent publicity some evangelists have gotten.One of the things which I find so puzzling is that, even after a television evangelist has been discredited, disgraced, defrocked, fired from his denomination, told not to preach, and cancelled by many of the religious TV networks, he still ...

2238. A Tale of Two Dancers

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Our lessons for this morning tell of two dancers: one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. The one in the Old Testament is the king, David; the one in the New Testament is the step-daughter of the king, Herod. Both stories have to do with political intrigue. They are not commonly read as lessons in the Sunday worship, but during these dog days of summer, this is the kind of stuff they give us to read. So we will faithfully look for the word of God speaking to us in these two stories. Let us ...

2239. It's A Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Have you ever said something really dumb? Have you ever opened your mouth and stood there one legged like a flamingo, with all the grace of an elephant on roller skates with your other foot stuck firmly in your mouth? I remember one time when I did. About ten years ago I was serving the little United Methodist Church in Eureka, Texas. We were in the middle of building a new Sanctuary. The pews from the old Sanctuary were solid oak and over a hundred years old. Money was tight and we couldn't afford new ...

2240. It's a Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

2241. Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

Daniel 7:1-14

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Four Beastly Kingdoms and God’s Kingdom: Daniel 7 is centrally located in the book; it is also of central importance. It functions as a transitional unit, providing a hinge that connects the two halves of the work. Chapter 7 is tied to what precedes by its language: it is part of the Aramaic section, which runs from Daniel 2:4b through 7:28. It is also part of the chiastic structure of chapters 2–7 (see “Stage Three” under “Language Problem and Literary Development” in the Introduction), which have ...

2242. The Great Divide

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the most fun trips I have ever taken in my life was years ago when my wife and three sons went out west to Colorado, and spent a week in a part of the country we had never been in before. We did everything from horseback riding to white water rafting, to just exploring the great outdoors. But one of the highlights for me, strangely enough, was driving up to a top of one of the Rocky Mountains and standing on what is called by some, "The Continental Divide," and others "The Great Divide." Geologists ...

2243. Table For Talkers

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

The success of a dinner depends as much on fellowship as on food. This fellowship takes place through conversation. A banquet of friends buzzes like a beehive. Did you notice it or maybe you were too busy talking to have heard it? A dinner is a miserable occasion when two or more people sit down and eat their meal in a cold, bitter silence, because there is nothing for them to communicate. This dinner conversation need not be pleasantries or chit-chat, but it can be talk of substance. This was the case ...

2244. Count Me In!

Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." He drew a circle that shut me out - Heretic, Rebel, a thing to flout! But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in! The world is forever drawing circles that shut people out. In a polite way we say, "By invitation only" or "Reserved." Books are copyrighted so that no one, except by permission, may duplicate any portion of them. Trade names, such as "Coca-Cola" and "Orkin," are registered to prevent others from copying ...

2245. The Need for Transfiguration

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Hubert Beck

Who has not felt the need for transfiguration? Who has not felt the Cinderella in them needing to be transformed from a deprived stepsister to a beautiful princess? Who has not felt so drab, so hum-drum, so dull, so boring even to one’s own self that one could hardly stand it? In moments like that - and for some people a good part of their life seems to be spent like that! - we feel that we simply must get beyond ourselves. We want to feel transfigured at least, to feel bright and cheery and extraordinary ...

2246. The Incomparable Christ

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Life was difficult. It always was for prisoners. Meager rations. Hard labor. Sometimes restrained and tortured by the stocks or collar. Left with festering wounds in damp, abandoned cisterns converted to maximum security dungeons. Why was he here? His only crime was criticizing the king for stealing his own brother's wife, Herodias. Herodias wanted John killed, but Herod Antipas was reluctant - he knew the people thought highly of John. John's ministry had begun in the wilderness where he subsisted on an ...

2247. Timing Is Everything

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

Mark Trotter

There was a joke that came out of the Soviet Union many years ago about a Russian who stood on the street corner in Moscow, and shouted, "Down with Khrushchev!" He was arrested and sent to prison camp for ten years. While he was in prison he had a change of heart, and came to see that Khrushchev was a great leader after all. The only problem was, while he was in prison the times changed, and Khrushchev was deposed from office and publicly denounced. When the man was released, he went back to that same ...

2248. Love Each Other (Mother's Day)

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy watched, fascinated, as his mother gently rubbed cold cream on her face. “Why are you rubbing cold cream on your face, mommy?” he asked. “To make myself beautiful,” said his mother. A few minutes later, she began removing the cream with a tissue. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Are you giving up?” Welcome on this Mother’s Day. It’s not easy being a Mom. Those of you who have children know it’s not easy, regardless of their age. One Mom says that she’s going to try something different next ...

2249. Stuff!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

It's everywhere you look. Stuff! From garage sales, to trunk sales and flea markets, to dumpsters, to folks riffling through your trash to find something of value ... and if they're lucky, something with your social security number on it. Stuff is everywhere. Don't get me wrong. I love stuff. By most measures I have too much of it. When Nancy and I were first married the only reason she could drag me to garage sales was the fact that I wanted to be with her all of the time. But standing there, looking at ...

2250. Melchizedek the Priest

Hebrews 7:1-10, Hebrews 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Enigma of Melchizedek and His Priestly Order In order to make the argument about Christ’s high priesthood as convincing as it can be, the author begins by establishing the great importance of Melchizedek, who resembles the Son of God in many respects and hence serves as a type of Christ. His superiority to Abraham and Levi is then made plain. This in turn leads to a discussion of the significance of his priestly order, which in recent history had found a new and definitive representative in fulfillment ...

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