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 2173 results

1. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

Wisdom for Life’s Tests 1:1 The letter from James opens with a simple and direct greeting. The writer identifies himself simply as James, a servant of God. There was only one James so well known in the early church that he would need no other form of identification, and that was James the Just, brother of Jesus, leader of the church in Jerusalem. The readers are expected to recognize the name. Yet for all his prominence and important position in the church (so important that the letter from Jude begins, “ ...

2. Listening and Doing

James 1:19-27, James 1:1-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

3. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Sarcastic Introduction Job’s response to Bildad’s third speech is extended (six chapters long)—even for the usually loquacious Job! Many commentators divide up the chapters attributed to Job to supply an extension to Bildad’s brief speech, as well as to wholly reconstruct a missing third speech for Zophar. Such reconstruction, however, can only proceed on a presumptive assumption of what each speaker would have said—and is thus controlled ultimately by the reconstructor’s theory rather than challenged and ...

4. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... The Heb. translated worthless (ʾelil) sometimes describes pagan idols in a contemptuous manner, stressing their lack of existence or worthlessness. 13:5 The Heb. construction for if only you would be is the interjection mi yitten, “who will give,” expressing a strong desire unlikely to be fulfilled except by divine action. See the discussion on 14:4 in §47. 13:7 The word remiyyah (here deceitfully) most often means “slackness, looseness,” as in a bow that is not stretched tight, or the slack hand ...

5. The Fall of Man

Genesis 3:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Fall: The interchange among the man, the woman, and the serpent provides dramatic movement, and captures how motivation to disobey God rises from an inversion of the order of responsibility that God had established. 3:1–5 Act 2 of the drama begins with the introduction of a new actor, the serpent, one of the wild animals the LORD God had made (2:19). The serpent is described as more crafty (’arum) than the other animals. ’Arum makes a wordplay on “naked” (’arummim), which occurs in 2:25, and thus ...

6. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... accept”), probably referring to the wisdom teaching that has formed Job’s education and understanding. 11:5 How I wish that God would speak (emphasis added), Zophar exclaims with the Heb. idiom mi yitten, lit. “Who will give.” This idiom expresses the strong desire that someone would take the action suggested in the verb attached to this phrase (in this case dabber, “to speak”; see the discussion on 14:4 in §47 with regard to mi yitten). Here Zophar identifies God (Heb. ʾeloah) as the speaker ...

7. Job's Second Reply to Zophar

Job 21:1-34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Inexplicable Prosperity of the Wicked In chapter 21, Job responds to Zophar’s accusations by thoroughly deconstructing the foundation on which they rest. Zophar has claimed that the wicked perish both in an ultimate sense and in their relentless quest for that which does not satisfy—the gnawing greed that consumes the wicked from the inside out. Job assesses Zophar’s claims as so much “nonsense” and “falsehood” (v. 34) when held up to the mirror of real life as Job both knows and describes it. Far from ...

8. Made Alive in Christ

Ephesians 2:1-10

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Christ and the Salvation of Believers Chapter 1 of Ephesians is dominated by the theme of praise and thanksgiving. In verses 3–14 the apostle utilizes a redemptive eulogy to praise God for all the spiritual blessings that he has bestowed upon the believer. These blessings are mediated through the Son and are confirmed in the believer through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. The use of baptismal themes suggests that the hymn may have been connected with the celebration of baptism in the early church. ...

9. A Call to Persevere

Jude 1:17-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Peril Foretold by Apostles 17 Jude now turns from his series of illustrations provided by OT types and prophecies (vv. 5–16) to remind his readers of a much more contemporary voice. They are urged not only to recall what the inspired writers of earlier centuries have foretold, but to remember that in their own day the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ have warned of the rise of false teachers. The constantly needed admonition to remember is frequently repeated in the Scriptures. Forgetfulness of divine ...

10. Miracle Four: Healing A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... their annoyance. Truly Wanting Christ's Blessings · Perhaps it was the cripple himself who urged his friends on, or maybe it was the friends who possessed the indomitable will to see that their friend reached Christ. Our Lord taught that we must have a strong desire, an overwhelming urge, to receive his blessings or we will probably become disheartened and fail to receive what he offers. Christ told of a woman who wanted a judge to hear her plea. But he refused. Instead of giving up she kept repeating her ...

11. Driving Out the Nations

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... ”—that is, having an undefined, inexplicable nature. These verses come closest to expressing that. Two different words describe God’s love. God set his affection (ḥāšaq). This word denotes passionate, committed love; in human relationships, this love is often tinged with strong desire (cf. Gen. 34:8; Deut. 21:11; cf. 10:15). The other word is the commonest, ʾāhab, which we encountered in 6:5. The running sentence from the beginning of verse 7 to the beginning of verse 8 thus reads, (lit.) “Not ...

12. Unfaithful Israel

Jeremiah 3:6-4:4

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Israel More Righteous Than Judah (3:6-11): 3:6–11 We now have a prose oracle that is set during the reign of Josiah. Jeremiah 1:2 indicates that Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry began in Josiah’s thirteenth year (626 B.C.) Since Josiah’s reign came to a close with his death on the battlefield in 609 B.C., this oracle should be dated between these two dates. The oracles are not in chronological order so we cannot use this rare dating to fix the time of the surrounding oracles. Josiah was the first king to rule ...

13. Job's Second Reply to Eliphaz

Job 16:1-17:16

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Miserable Comforters Job returns to the discussion even more hopeless than before. Whereas he had expressed a determination to carry his case before God when he last responded to Zophar (chs. 12–14), he now seems almost resigned to defeat and rejection by human beings and by God. By the end of this response to Eliphaz, Job declares his hopelessness and prepares to go down to Sheol unrequited (17:16). 16:1–3 As often before, Job’s response begins with a critique of his friends’ lack of compassion and ...

14. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

1 Kings 8:22-61

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Solomon’s Prayer: Solomon now turns to address God in a prayer that is of great importance for our understanding of the book of Kings as a whole. After further attention to the link between temple-building and Davidic promise (vv. 22–26), he offers us significant reflections on the nature of God’s “dwelling” in the temple (vv. 27–30; cf. v. 13), followed by a seven-fold petitionary prayer about the response of God to those who will approach through this new medium (vv. 31–51), and a brief summarizing ...

15. The Dedication of the Temple

1 Kings 8:62-66

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

16. The Lord Appears to Solomon

1 Kings 9:1-9

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

17. The Sign of Jonah

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . He was a Jesus wannabe, but often without the seasoned faith to sustain his commitments. We see this in his predictable denials of Jesus at his trials when fear drove him back to behaving as his former self. Simon has a strong personality and a strong desire to be the kind of disciple Jesus wants. But it is hard for him to go “deep” and to truly “be” the solid and faithful disciple that his personality suggests he could be. Just as Jesus jokingly calls the sons of Zebedee (also fishermen) “sons ...

18. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... , rather than gold. Interpretive Insights 23:3–4 If only I knew where to find him! Job does not follow the counsel of his friends, who urge him to repent of sins that Job knows he has not committed. Confident of his own innocence, Job has a strong desire to meet God face-to-face, so that he can present his legal arguments before him (23:4). Job is prepared to argue for his own innocence, but he cannot find the Judge. Job does not suggest that he can manipulate or deceive God into doing his bidding ...

19. The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 10:1-32

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

The MT includes the title (“the proverbs of Solomon”) as part of 10:1 and it applies to the collection in 10:1–22:16 a total of 375 proverbs (375 is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew name šlmh, or Solomon). The breadth and meaning of m e šālîm, or proverbs, is illustrated particularly in the following collections that are mainly one-line sayings. This is in contrast to the lengthy wisdom poems that characterize chapters 1–9. On the nature and style of the proverbial sayings, see the introduction above ...

20. The King Who Exalts Himself

Daniel 11:36-45

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Final Revelation--The Body: We enter now into the body of the last main revelation of the book of Daniel. There has been some progression in the visions of the book from a more general scope, encompassing larger blocks of history, to a more narrow focus on shorter periods of time. So, for example, Daniel 2 spans four and a half centuries by outlining the four human empires of Babylonia, Media, Persia, and Greece, which are swept away by the fifth—the eternal kingdom of God. Aside from the fact that the ...

21. Six Nails of the Cross II: The Nail of Infidelity

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... and women were expected to be friends as well, and to treat each other with respect and generosity. A common blood shared with other men and women, brothers and sisters, was and is an advantage to friendship and not an obstacle. Friendship, fidelity, is strongly desired by God and never overlooked in the teachings of humankind. There are many true stories which tell the meaning of friendship better than any definition. The time will never come that the story of a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, both ...

22. Shameless Passion

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... Passion Week. We thank Jesus for enduring his passion and pain for us. But can we not also, just for the next few minutes, read this text and see the dictionary definition of "passion" in Jesus too? The definition of passion is "that for which one feels a strong desire or liking." You know a lot of people who are very passionate about certain things. Golf is the passion of many men and women. They spend lots of money to belong to a club, spend a whole morning chasing a little white ball, twist a club after ...

23. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... for worship by expecting to meet the Lord! Desire God. Theological Book: When I Don’t Desire God: How I Fight for Joy, by John Piper. Piper writes about fasting as a way to deepen our hunger for God. He quotes William Law: “If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great ...

24. From Rooftop to Valley and to Heaven Again!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Donald Zelle

... to observe someone sunbathing! David knew that! It was customary for people to walk on their roofs in the cool of the evening. Many did. But to make one's business what took place in the private courtyard of another was wrong! King David was a man with strong desires. Many of them worked out for the good of the nation and its people. Many of them God used in his plan of salvation. Some of them David used to construct a whole kingdom around him. But some of them brought him down from rooftop to valley! It ...

25. A New Beginning for Everyone

Exodus 35:4-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... love for this church is unabated. It will go to the grave with me. It is to that end that I now talk about— II. Passion There is a reason why we are taking a two-pronged approach to our Capital Fundraising Campaign. It is my strong desire to multiply this work because not only does this community, by the consensus of all, need a spiritual anchor called First Baptist Snellville. But neither can anyone deny the unbelievable opportunity that we must take advantage of to reach thousands of people to Christ in ...

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