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 2351 to 2375 of 4959 results

2351. FROM SOAP TO CERTAINTY

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... the rays of sunlight. There is not one person who does not need healing in some aspect of his or her life. No one can stand before the cross and say, "Jesus, like you, I have no sin." All of us know the Easter story, but what God really desires is that we all encounter the living Christ. I have seen the living Christ. I have been an eyewitness who has seen purpose enter into aimless lives. I have seen calmness overcome chaos. I have seen him strengthen the weak, bring healing to the sick, and comfort to the ...

2352. THE ART OF EXPRESSING LOVE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

The sharing of human warmth and affection is something which we all desire and need. Loving and being loved is one of the staples of human existence. Although love and physical affection enhance each other, too often the concept of love is too narrowly defined and even misconstrued when one makes physical affection synonymous with love. It simply is not! The art of ...

2353. IN THE PROVERBIAL PITS

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... the kettle black. Yet, when Jesus Christ returns to earth at the end of time, he will have to tell billions of people to "Go to hell." Why? Because all people are sinners and cannot save themselves. Until we recognize our sinfulness, we will never desire a savior. The problem is that we all think we’re pretty good people. Compared to what? - other sinners, maybe - but not to a righteous God. And what is the Bible’s standard for salvation? Jesus told us when he said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even ...

2354. FOLLOW THE LEADER

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... mind on the game. As we anticipated the next action, we were able to follow it within a split second. It is difficult to follow our Lord’s lead when our eyes and minds wander away from him by focusing on ourselves or on plastic goals and desires. By plastic, I mean things that lack substance compared to love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness which the Bible describes as the fruits of knowing Christ and following him. If you haven’t tasted joy for awhile and peace is something you have been longing for ...

2355. THE BEAUTY OF SELF-LOVE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... . Only this is completely acceptable to God, and only this is adequate for his shaping of our lives. When we give God a mere fraction of ourselves, God himself becomes a mere fraction of what he might be to us. Jesus not only wants to be in our lives but desires to be the master of our lives. He wants to be in the driver’s seat. If your life were likened to your automobile, where would Jesus’ place be in it? Would he be in the trunk like the spare tire only to be called forth in an emergency? Would ...

2356. PERFECT LOVE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... I need to give myself away to people who need help." Jesus Christ is perfect love. When Jesus Christ is the master of our lives, then perfect love dwells within us. Perfect love is a force within that enables us to be sensitive to the needs of others and to desire to fill them. It is a motivating power that enables us to give strength and peace. It is "you" love before "me" love. With a child it says, "I love you and as you grow older, I will constantly be loosening the apron strings so that you can develop ...

2357. THE WEDDING LICENSE - A SCRAP OF PAPER?

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... through the person God has given them. And as man and woman stand before the altar of God, they commit themselves to one another, seeking the Father’s blessings to help them be one in love and purpose for life. Next to the full potential that God desires for marriage every other kind of relationship falls short. For God has made one man and one woman for each other for one marriage. And when they discover each other and God’s will for their lives, they come and stand before his altar declaring it boldly ...

2358. The Call to Obedience

Luke 22:42 · Romans 1:17 · John 15:10

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... Michalson writes, "Not that we know God, but that God knows us and begins to open himself to us."3 Camus wrote in The Rebel, "We must learn to be men and not try to be God ... be satisfied to be men." And then he continues, "Man is the futile desire to be God."4 That was the problem with Adam and Eve. They wanted to take over the garden. That is the problem with you and me - we want to take over the whole universe. To people like us Micah cried out, "What does the Lord require of me?" And ...

2359. "I Don’t Want to Be Perfect - Or Do I?"

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... thirty years. He is tall, short, thin, heavy-set and handsome. He has one brown eye and one blue eye. He parts his hair in the middle. On the left side it is dark and straight and on the right side it is blond and wavy. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with older folk. He smiles all the time with a straight gaze because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously at his work. He makes fifteen calls a day on church members, spends all of his time ...

2360. The Agony and Ecstasy of Sight

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... disciples with a strong response: "His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents’ sins." Jesus says this, however, not to enter into a debate with Jewish thought. He does not intend to argue an issue or disclaim a doctrine. Rather, he desires to shift the attention of the disciples away from the theoretical issue of blindness and suffering to the man in need who lay before them helpless in his blindness. Our Lord was not concerned with the cause of suffering but with the object of suffering ...

2361. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... walk in the daylight is to walk with God, to do his will and be the person God intends us to be. It means to fulfill our destiny as a person. Jesus as divine was God’s will incarnate, and Jesus as human was a living presentation of what God desires to make of each of us. Jesus is the enabler. He not only reveals the divine will for human destiny, but he gives to us the capacity to know God’s will and to fulfill it in himself. One day at a time is all we have and it is ...

2362. I Knew You’d Come

John 6:16-24

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... stretch forth his hand, touch a drowning man and lift him up to safety. It is awe-inspiring to know that our Lord possesses the power to walk on water, but it is even more thrilling to know our Lord possesses the love to save sinking sinners. I have no desire or ambition to walk on water. But my whole being cries out for a loving God who will stretch forth his hand to touch me even when I am so unworthy to touch him. This is the real miracle of our story - not the method God uses to come to ...

2363. What Form of Church Does God Want for the Furture?

Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... our day is to be seen in the charismatic movement. Charismatic Christians are those who believe they have received one or more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, usually the gift of speaking in tongues. Certainly, the gifts of the Spirit are to be desired by all Christians, but they are intended to be unifying, healing gifts that enable the church to be stronger and more united in winning the lost and in helping the poor and abused. All too often, however, those who supposedly have received these gifts look ...

2364. Genuine Imitations

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... . I want you to help me find a faith like hers."1 That is a perfect example of what happens when Christian faith goes forth out of the life of an individual Christian or from a Christian congregation. It begets more faith, it creates a desire for faith just like it; it multiplies faith, and it happens because it is faith born, nourished, and established in love. It is faith which comes from imitating Christ, loving like Christ, doing like Christ, being like Christ, lifting up Christ. It is faith that takes ...

2365. A Liturgical Drama For Advent

Drama

Tom Eberle

... has done? Four: NO! Light: YES! My light has power, not just over you as individuals, but for nations of peoples as well. [elevates candle] Look how my light shines out in all directions. Come, make it the center of your world. Congregation sings: O come, Desire of Nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind. Bid thou our sad divisions cease And be Thyself our King of Peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. Minister: [speaking from the pulpit] And Moses spoke the words of the Lord ...

2366. A SUNDAY OF THE PASSION [PALM SUNDAY] SERMON-DRAMA

Drama

Tom Eberle

... opinion, I would not have selected Matthew. I don’t mean to imply anything against him personally. He has performed adequately. It is just that for the sake of more important goals, I do believe it would be helpful to disassociate ourselves from less desirable elements. Toga: I don’t know how much my friend from the religious press gets around, but we who are on the secular beat are also aware of the reputations of some of the women closely associated with your movement. Isn’t this scandal alone ...

2367. Manasseh

2 Kings 21:1-18

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... is death ..." But does the Christian gospel not say something at this point - about our attitude toward Manasseh himself? It does. It tells us to stop seeking revenge. We have made hell very hot at times, and it has often been a reverse masochism, a desire to see the wicked suffer, pay the pound of flesh in full. Have we forgotten Jesus’ words, "Father, forgive them ..."? The only place to leave Manasseh is with God. Let God be the judge. Who really wins in life? Manasseh, or Isaiah who was so brutally ...

2368. Mary of Nazareth

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... Much in life lies beyond comprehension. There are many mysteries. Indeed, there are miracles, and they are necessary if life is to hold any wonder. It would be awesome to be told one would become mother of the Son of God. In her desire for companionship, Mary visited her kinswoman, Elizabeth, who was likewise expecting. What a joyous meeting in the hill country of Judaea. In response to her cousin’s greeting, Mary sang her Magnificat possibly one of the earliest hymns in Christendom "My soul doth magnify ...

2369. Epilogue

Psalm 107:1-43

Illustration

Warren Thomas Smith

... of civil rights leaped forward. Our scene may be brief, but it can be significant. As Christians we have more than a highly personalized role. We have been commissioned to make a witness, to render a service. We cannot be motivated by selfish, personal desires. Ours is a cause greater than we are, and life must be lived in the light of that commitment. Adoniram and Ann Judson left New England as missionaries, reaching Burma in 1813. Years of frustration, toil, and heartbreak passed before a single convert ...

2370. IN THE BEGINNING ... THERE WAS LOVE ...

Drama

Marcia Millerf

... because at one time there was that first encounter. At the same time it must be remembered that each one of us has had that same first encounter; a time when we must admit there are other needs in the world beside our own personal needs, desires, and wants. The costuming for this play must be at the simplest level - black leotards and tights. The stage setting is also simple. On stage there are two tower-like structures which have steps on the downstage side. These should be painted white and set before ...

2371. THE WITCH OF ENDOR

Drama

Marcia Miller

... you did not obey the Lord. SAUL: I have tried to be faithful. SAMUEL: Remember Amalek. It was there that you angered the Lord. He commanded the entire nation to be destroyed. That included all of the people and all of the animals. You kept that which you found desirable. When I came to you I heard the sound of the bleating sheep and lowing oxen. SAUL: I was going to sacrifice them to the Lord. It was to be a thanksgiving offering, thanking him for the victory he had given us. SAMUEL: The Lord wanted you to ...

2372. The Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... Christ. Lead us each day through Your Holy Spirit, in all the ways You would have us share Your love. In Christ we pray. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, so often when we have been faced with choices in our daily lives we have chosen the ways of our own desires and not the ways by which You have called us to live. Forgive us, Lord, and as we move ever closer to Easter help us to remember the price You paid on the Cross that we might know how loving people truly behave. Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen ...

2373. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

... world is full of such stories. For example, when Perdue Farms, the poultry company, converted its popular slogan “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken,” into Spanish in hopes of expanding its chicken business, the results were less than desirable. Why? The translation was “It takes a virile man to make a chicken affectionate.” Not exactly what Frank Perdue had in mind. (James Emery White, Rethinking The Church, Baker, 1998, p. 38.) This is the problem Nicodemous is having. Nicodemus knows ...

2374. You Must Be Born Again

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

... " The business world is full of such stories. For example, when Perdue Farms, Inc., converted its popular slogan "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken," into Spanish in hopes of expanding its chicken business, the results were less than desirable. Why? The translation was "It takes a virile man to make a chicken affectionate." Not exactly what Frank Perdue had in mind. (James Emery White, Rethinking The Church, Baker, 1998, p. 38.) This is the problem Nicodemous is having. Nicodemus knows only one ...

2375. Can We Really Get Along?

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... despised Samaritan, helping a wounded Jew. Refuse to go along with cultural traditions that don't square with biblical truth, like limiting your social circle to one race; like evaluating a school by its racial composition, like treating whites as more desirable neighbors or business partners than African Americans, like supposing that all people of any particular race like the same worship style. We must learn to think of ourselves as Christians who happen to be white or black rather than whites or blacks ...

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