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 1 to 25 of 102 results

1. Tying Up A Strong Man

Mark 3:20-30, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 3:31-35, Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... mistake was discovered after the death of one of the two children. Who are the true parents in such cases? C. Custody battles in divorce often do not show that either parent really has the child's welfare at heart. The child becomes a pawn in the antagonisms of the parents. The issue is not what is best for the child but who wins the battle between the parents. What is the true parent? 5. Casting Out Demons. The novel by George Orwell, 1984, proposed that the future society would have as slogans: IGNORANCE ...

2. Life Isn’t Fair

Amos 5:18-27

Sermon

Sims Robert

... the devil and all his works?” O’Riley, who was fully conscious, thought for a moment and said, “Frankly, Father, considering the condition I’m in, I’d rather not antagonize anyone right now.” The children of Israel were having a tough time and given the conditions they were in, they could ill afford to antagonize anyone, especially God, but they did. Amos, the prophet, pleaded with them to return to God with their whole heart. He reminded them that they had abandoned God and forsaken his ...

3. Image and Inscription

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

... his countrymen and women who staggered under the yoke of Roman oppression, who resented paying any sort of tribute or tax, no matter how trivial, to the government occupying their homeland against their will. But to say "No" would be to antagonize the Romans themselves who cared little about First Century Palestine except for maintaining order there and collecting taxes thence to finance their enormous empire and feed its gluttonous military monster. Jesus rejects the simple either/or. "Show me the coin of ...

4. The Christian’s Style - 1960

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

... projected. What do you think would happen? What almost always does happen? His utter selflessness, his exaltation of character qualities above everything else - in short, his style - would be and is decidedly offensive. Some it would merely annoy, others it would seriously antagonize. "Blessed is the man who finds nothing that repels him in me" (Matthew 11:6). Finally, and this is the conclusion of the whole matter, we must sooner or later recognize that the only valid test as to whether we, his so ...

5. Luke 3:1-6

Luke 3:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . He was neither well-loved nor respected. Pilate rose from the obscurity of Roman "middle-management" to his position as procurator of Judea in 26 A.D. From the moment he began his rule, Pilate seemed to have a gift for insulting and antagonizing his Jewish subjects. Knowing that his hold on Judea was tenuous, Pilate made up for his weakness by periodically unleashing his soldiers on the citizenry. He was both despised and feared. Herod was an unbalanced and dangerous ruler, designated as "King of the ...

6. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... flight—pregnancy and nursing children; winter, when the rains make the roads impassible and food becomes more scarce; the sabbath, when fleeing Christians would stand out like sore thumbs and would antagonize other Jews.3 24:24 false messiahs and false prophets. First-century history indicates that Jewish antagonism toward Rome (culminating in the war of AD 66–70) produced any number of false messiahs or zealots promising the defeat of Rome. For example, Josephus mentions “deceivers and imposters ...

7. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... whenever it proves impossible to meet with others in worship—and not only, of course, in times of persecution. In quoting the passage from Isaiah, Peter is doing more than simply claiming the OT promise on behalf of the early Christian community as it faced antagonism in its own day, like Judah of old. He is also, though quite incidentally, claiming divine honor for Jesus Christ with his use of the term Lord. Do not fear what they fear. While Christians are not exempt from troubles, neither are they the ...

8. The Way, The Truth, And The Life Style

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Thomas Long

... a "life," between fitting the pieces together to make a pleasing whole and finding in the whole of life that which makes for peace. As he considered the dilemma, he cited Tolstoy's moving reflection on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, in which Tolstoy wrote, "The antagonism between life and conscience may be moved in two ways: by a change of life or a change of conscience." Tolstoy chose to preserve his conscience; he began to live like a peasant. But such a fearsome choice, this young man admitted, was out of ...

9. Proper 7

Mt 10:16-39 · Rom 5:12 – 6:11 · Jer 20:7-13 · Gen 21:8-21 · Ps 86

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Jeremiah was born about 650 B.C. and began his ministry in the 13th year of King Josiah's reign. As the Babylonian threat mounts, the prophet warns his nation to repent or face destruction at the hand of the enemy. His message is met with great antagonism and consequent isolation. In great distress of soul, Jeremiah accuses God of being deceitful with him and taking advantage of his weakness. The prophet makes a pact with himself not to speak any longer in the name of the Lord, but the word of the Lord is ...

10. What's In A Name?

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

Merle G. Franke

... shrugged and said, "That's fine if you want to do things that way, but I like my real name to be used." "But Antonio ... Antonio ... it sounds so stiff. Why can't we just call you Tony?" the neighborhood veteran insisted. Antonio didn't want to antagonize the other boy, nor spoil his own chances for getting acquainted with others in the neighborhood. "I don't like a nickname for myself," he said with some hesitation. "It doesn't have the same meaning for me." "What does Antonio mean for you?" the other ...

11. Proper 28

Mk 13:1-32 · Heb 10:11-25 · 1 Sam 1:4-20 · Ps 16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... . Sacrilege no longer offends because we have lost our sense of the Holy. Christ and crisis. This entire lection lists a host of crises that are to presage Christ's rule in power and glory. To name a few: religious breakdown (v. 2); nationalistic antagonisms (v. 8); breakdown of the family (v. 12). Day and Date (v. 32). Countless believers have gotten themselves and other people in trouble by claiming to have access to God's appointment calendar. Jesus warned that nobody knows the day or the hour of ...

12. Easter - Fact And Fiction!

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... . All of this Easter bunny, Easter eggs, Easter clothes, Easter sales may seem like harmless fun, but if it diverts our attention from the central truth of what the resurrection of our Lord is all about, then it is no longer harmless. I have no personal antagonism against a cute, little bunny who lays eggs for children - (Do you suppose they really believe that stuff we tell them?) - but it is life and death business (no pun intended) if we allow the rabbit to eclipse the fact of the resurrection! Jesus did ...

13. Redemption Near And Dear

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Erskine White

... during a season in which it seems that everyone but them is headed home to be with family and friends. I also think of those who face real turmoil when they do go home for what will be, at best, a bittersweet reunion. Their families suffer hurts and antagonisms which date back many years, and holidays always threaten to bring these tensions out into the open. For these people, there will be signs of fear and foreboding during a season which is supposed to be warm and sweet. Finally, I think of all of us who ...

14. Who Is Your King?

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

... burdens, but you yourself do not lift a finger!" (Matthew 23:20. "Woe to you, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear clean and beautiful, but inside are full of the bones of the dead" (23:27). In four short days, Jesus has antagonized both the Roman political leaders and the Jewish religious leaders. He has united them in opposition to Him. If they feared or disliked Him before, now they want Him dead. Jesus knows that regardless of what He does or fails to do, the world is ...

15. Wedding: The Joy of New Beginnings

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... goes he brings newness, replacing the past with exciting possibilities for the future. ________ and ________, we do not know what the future holds for you. We have, of course, our dreams that you will find a shared life of great joy with a minimum of friction and antagonism. We pray that you will fulfill each other's expectations of what it means to be a husband and wife and that you will find a life of wedded bliss. We hope you are spared serious illness or tragedy and that your way spreads out before you ...

16. The Season of the Nativity

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... following quotes printed in the bulletin: Beginning: "In despair we cry, 'Look at what the world has come to!' In joy, we shout, 'Look at what has come to the world!' " (author unknown) Ending: 1. P. T. Forsyth has said that "Christ arouses antagonism in the human heart and heroism does not. Everybody welcomes a hero. The minority welcomes Christ. We do resent parting completely with ourselves. We do resent Christ." (Positive Preaching and the Modern Mind, P. T. Forsyth, Wm. B. Eerdman's Pub. Co., used by ...

17. Shake It Off!

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... to our spiritual progress is our inability to shake off the things done to us by others. We can't get on with our lives because we are still angry and hurt by another's sin against us. We must find ways of redirecting our antagonism into something higher. We must channel our hurt, our anger, our despair, and our disappointment into something positive. Let go. Unpack the baggage. Stop wallowing in the quagmires of the past. Get your passport stamped and move on to higher ground, to your next destination ...

18. Dim Visions And Blind Guides

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... in that part of Michigan and Indiana. I dreaded it. I just knew some professors would call in questions I couldn't answer. Or worse yet, some nut would call in a crazy question and get me in a trap that would demand an answer certain to antagonize half the viewers. The interview began with the host asking me, "Uh, what shall I call you: Doctor, Father, Reverend or Preacher Warlick?" Rather innocently I said, "I prefer to be called Hal." You would have thought I had struck him between the eyes with a club ...

19. From Inferiority To Fulfillment

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... took the form of panic and flight. "Basically," he said, "I'm always looking for a place - for somewhere to be." The boy had felt rejection by his parents. Vainly he struggled to reconcile to his parents, but the effort proved hopeless. Anger and antagonism were felt by the boy to such an extent that he felt he had no home. The parents' divorce complicated matters considerably because, like many children of divorced parents, he felt he was responsible for their problem. Unconscious forces kept him in a ...

20. The Nearest Hand

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... programs, in all the frantic busyness of modern life, we are apt to forget: the need for personal daily kindness and compassion has not diminished. We must not let our zealfor social programs take the place of our personal witnessing, nor let our antagonism to social programs poison our personal compassion. It’s no use saying, "let them fend for themselves." The people who need us most are those who in one form or another have been beaten until they are no longer able - mentally, physically or financially ...

21. The Nearest Hand

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

22. Paul’s Midnight Ride

Acts 22:30--23:11

Sermon Aid

... out that he was being put on trial because he was a "Pharisee and a son of Pharisees," and that the whole dispute was over his belief in the resurrection of the dead. Those were fighting words that stirred up all the ancient antagonisms between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection, while the more secular Sadducees denied it. (see Matthew 22:23) Who knows whether Paul was a Pharisee? However, he agreed with the Pharisees in their belief in a resurrection, because the ...

23. Do I Dare Be Different?

Matthew 5:10; 10:1-42

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... are three words that we must not ignore: "Blessed are you if you are persecuted ... for righteousness sake." Persecuted not for the sake of self-righteousness, but the sake of righteousness. I think a lot of us feel at times that some of the antagonism toward Christian people and the church might be spared if Christians would not deliberately go out of their way to provoke it. Sometimes our dogmatism turns us into intellectual bullies. I am always suspicious of the self-professing Christian who knows it all ...

24. Can We Really Get Along?

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... country of Galilee up in the northeast corner of Israel. Normally Jews took a circuitous detour on this trip so they could avoid a region called Samaria. The people who lived there, the Samaritans, hated the Jews and the feeling was mutual. The antagonism was even worse than what prevails today between the Jews and the Palestinians. This hatred was all in the family. Both Jews and Samaritans claimed Abraham as their ancestor. But whereas the Jews had kept themselves racially pure by not marrying foreigners ...

25. The Hard-to-Believe Promise

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... was weakness. That which he thought was weakness was strength. Today our greatest danger, beloved fellow citizens and fellow Christians, is not our weakness. Our greatest danger is our strength! Consider the dangers of power. When Laval asked Stalin not to antagonize the Pope, Stalin merely retorted: "How many divisions does the Pope have?" One of the dangers of power: it makes men overconfident. It blinds their eyes to reality. Samson, in the Old Testament, was supremely confident of his own strength and ...

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