Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
Showing 2776 to 2800 of 4935 results
Sermon
Mark Trotter
When I see a bumper sticker, I like to pull up along side the car and see if the message fits the driver. Sometimes it's a surprise. I saw an off-color bumper sticker on a car. I pulled up along side, and saw a little old lady driving. It makes you wonder what's happening to our world. Jean saw a car with a bumper sticker on it that said, "Honk if you love Jesus." So she pulled up along side and honked, and the man flipped her off. So you never know. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Life is too short to ...
2777. Easter Vigil
Genesis 1:1-2:3, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 28:1-10
Sermon Aid
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament lessons for the Easter Vigil represent a wide sweep of texts that explore the mighty acts of God as both savior and creator. The central text for the Easter Vigil is the account of Israel's salvation at the Reed Sea in Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21. The actions of God in our world—from creation to the full realization of a distant future salvation—are all viewed in light of the reality of Israel's salvation at the sea. This event will also be our lens as we read through ...
Sermon
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal. Later at night, as they lay in bed, they listened to the roar and squeal of the old ...
2779. Losers, Weepers
Isaiah 49:8-16a
Sermon
Tony Everett
All of us have experienced the pain of loss in many different forms. We have lost wallets or purses; keys or address books; tools or toys. Some of us have even lost our automobiles in crowded parking lots. Have you ever watched young children participating in their first organized athletic competition? Winning brings loud cheers and high fives. Losing brings jeers and tears. Losing hurts. It can be devastating to lose even what seems to be a trivial object or a meaningless game. Losing can often shape the ...
2780. Being a Blessing
Genesis 12:1-4a
Sermon
Schuyler Rhodes
Have you ever been blessed by someone? By this I mean has someone ever stopped, placed a hand on you, and declared a blessing on you in some enterprise or undertaking? I know that in the life of our church, we often pause to lay hands on sisters and brothers who are about to take leave of the community. Sometimes they are leaving on mission trips. Sometimes they may be moving away to a new job or opportunity. Other times they may just need a blessing as they encounter struggles on their journey. Sometimes ...
Drama
Arley K. Fadness
Theme: Searching for the newborn babe Characters: Leader Asher Innkeeper (nonspeaking) Innkeeper’s Wife (nonspeaking) Innkeeper’s Child (nonspeaking) Joseph (nonspeaking) Mary (nonspeaking) Shepherds (two or three, nonspeaking) Shopper 1 Shopper 2 Carolers (six to eight) Child Reader 1 Reader 2 Tone: Devotional, thoughtful, joyful ending Setting/Props: Appropriate biblical costumes Simple stable scene Papers Shopping bags for Shoppers Stools Approximate time: 15-30 minutes Production notes: Asher may use a ...
2782. The Real Underdog!
1 Samuel 17:1, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49
Sermon
William J. Carl, III
Every boy I knew growing up in the Midwest loved this story. We acted it out. We imagined ourselves as David, the shepherd boy, with nothing but a sling and a few smooth stones. Goliath represented for us every neighborhood bully who had ever picked on us. Of course, we only had dime-store slingshots. You know the kind where you pulled back the bungee cord-like launcher with the little patch in the middle and tried to nail your target. The idea that David pegged Goliath with nothing but a leather strap and ...
Sermon
David J. Kalas
In the century and a half that cameras have been around, pho­tographers have done us the great favor of capturing moments. Previously, artists could endeavor to recreate great moments on canvas, in wood, or in stone. Photography, however, enables us to capture the actual instant, and to show us certain individuals at significant and telling moments. In 1945, Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed the celebration of VJ Day in Times Square in New York City. With his camera, he captured the sight of a sailor ...
Understanding Series
Timothy S. Laniak
The Authorization of Purim: Having explained current practice (v. 19), the narrator turns his attention to the events that led to the establishment of Purim as a permanent, regularized institution. Though the festival legislation may be historically secondary to the Esther/Mordecai story, the book in its totality appears to follow deliberately the pattern found in Exodus. First, there is a story of threat and deliverance featuring a Jew with unlikely royal connections and a precedent-setting ritual (Exod. ...
2785. Challenge and Counterchallenge
Luke 20:9-19, Luke 20:1-8
Teach the Text
R.T. France
Big Idea: Jesus’s dramatic arrival in Jerusalem provokes the religious leaders to question his credentials, but Jesus in turn uses a parable to challenge their legitimacy. Understanding the Text After the long journey southward (9:51–19:44) Jesus has deliberately entered Jerusalem as the Messiah, and his actions and teaching in the temple have thrown down the gauntlet to the religious authorities of Jerusalem (19:45–48). Now they take up the challenge, and the rest of chapter 20 will continue the public ...
2786. Various Laws
Leviticus 19:1-37
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Instructions in Worship and Ethics: Leviticus 19 contains a remarkably diverse group of laws, mixing moral or ethical injunctions with religious or ritual instructions. Such a combination of categories is not found elsewhere in the ancient Near East, where religious and ethical laws are separated in different collections. This combination of ethics and religion in the Bible emphasizes that for God’s people, every aspect of life is holy and under his control. Thus, the heading in 19:2 calls for the ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
5:12 · Oaths: James introduces his final section with a typical literary device: “above all” (cf. 1 Pet. 4:8 and Paul’s use of “finally” in this way). James’s prohibition of oaths is similar in wording and content to Jesus’s prohibition in Matthew 5:34–37. Many think that Jesus and James intended to forbid all oaths; hence some Christians will refuse to take an oath in a court of law, for instance. But it is doubtful that such a situation is envisaged. From the emphasis on telling the truth in both ...
Understanding Series
Gerald H. Wilson
Rejection of Discipline 20:1–3 Zophar, in his second (and final!) speech, makes little attempt to respond to the words Job has just spoken. After an initial angry reaction to what he perceives as Job’s attempts to “discipline” (NIV rebuke, at the beginning of v. 3) an already established group of sages, he launches into a traditional wisdom discourse on the fate of the wicked. His obvious assumption is that Job is firmly entrenched in this category and has little, if any, chance of avoiding a similar fate ...
Sermon
Michael L. Sherer
Author Bruce Bawer, a layman within the Episcopal Church, has written a book with a provocative title. Stealing Jesus is a cautionary tale. It argues, convincingly, that within the past fifty years or so the clear intent of the Christian message has been taken hostage and perverted by elements within the American church community, groups determined to redefine what it means to be Christian. Bawer’s main argument is that when a movement takes a classic tradition and reinvents it for its own purposes, ...
Sermon
Harold Warlick
Back in the mid 1970s to early 1980s hypnosis was viewed as a major cure for many of society's ills. If you had a problem with being overweight, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much, or being a juvenile delinquent, many professional hypnotists would, for a hefty fee, offer their services to hypnotize your problems away. The church I pastored in Texas at the time contained among its members some overweight women with a passion for improving their bodies. These women had apparently tried everything they ...
Sermon
"... if two of you agree ... about anything ..." - Matthew 18:19 The inimitable Will Rogers was once asked, "What's wrong with the world?" And he replied, "People!" Of course, the famous humorist was being humorous. Others have been seriously cynical concerning the human race. One said, "The world would be a pretty good place to live if it weren't for the people in it." But when all the cynics have had their say, I will still believe, that in general, we human creatures really have some pretty good things ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Here again chapter divisions do not adequately communicate content and continuity. Verses 24—26 of Chapter 5 could easily be a part of this chapter because Paul is talking about how the Spirit governs our lives in our social relationships. As indicated in our commentary on Gal. 5:13—15, Paul calls us to be servants. This requires more than service when, where and to whom we choose; it is a style of life. We willfully become servants. The constraining force of Christ love replaces the binding force of law ...
Understanding Series
Arthur G. Patzia
The Opening Greeting 1:1 Except for the omission of Timothy, the opening of this greeting is quite similar to Colossians 1:1. The letter claims to be from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. This term was one that Paul used frequently to indicate that he was “one who was sent” (apostellō, “to send”) as a missionary or special envoy of God. It is used of the twelve disciples as well as for others who fulfill an apostolic function, such as Andronicus and Junias (Rom. 16:7). At times, it is applied to ...
Sermon
King Duncan
I understand President Ronald Reagan used to tell story about a very timid little man who ventured into a biker bar. The little man cleared his throat nervously and asked, “Which of you gentlemen owns a black Pit Bull which is chained outside to a parking meter?” A giant of a man, wearing biker gear, turned slowly on his stool, looked down at the quivering little man and snarled, “It’s my dog. Why?” “Well, sir,” squeaked the little man, obviously very nervous, “I believe my dog just killed your Pit Bull.” ...
2795. The Surrogate
Matthew 1:1-17
Sermon
Lori Wagner
Props: Ring (engagement ring preferably) or letter from a prior wartime soldier (if you can find such) Have you heard the riddle? Question: In a bacon-and-egg breakfast, what's the difference between the Chicken and the Pig? Answer: The Chicken is involved, but the Pig is committed! Commitment is sometimes a “dirty word” in our culture today. People are wary of making commitments that may not last. Our marriage rates are going down. More people are renting homes than buying. Many are buying gold, fearing ...
Sermon
Kent Moorehead
We have talked so much about winning an "all-out" victory during the years of World War II that our attention has been focused and our interest centered upon mass behavior. We speak of the world as having gone mad. But madness is a malady of the human mind. The world outside cannot go mad; only the world inside is capable of sanity and insanity. We talk of the Government’s having full responsibility for making all the decisions. But the Government is not an abstraction. It is composed of individuals. And ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
The original invitation to deliver this Johannaber Lecture included the general instruction that the lecture theme have something to do with spirituality and/or spiritual formation. The more I thought of that in the context of a “ministers week,” the more certain I was that I wanted to focus on leadership – the vocation of leadership. Pastors are leaders, but they are specifically Christian leaders. So that’s my focus: leadership from a Christian perspective. I begin with three pictures. The first is out ...
2798. I'm Listening
1 Samuel 3:1--4:1
Sermon
King Duncan
[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Name: I'm Listening New Name: The Power of Listening Legend has it that President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House ...
2799. The Greatest Of These
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Sermon
Richard A. Jensen
In the midwest the summer of 1993 was the summer of the "great flood." The rains, it seemed, would never cease. Rivers all across the central section of our land broke from their banks, broke through retaining walls and laid waste to ten thousands of acres of farmland and many cities besides. It was a summer of horror for great numbers of our citizenry. Many of them lost just about everything they had. Tom and Donna Starr manage several hundred acres of farmland in western Illinois adjacent to the ...
Sermon
Tony Everett
A young college student was searching for a summer job to help defray the rising cost of his education. He finally found one with the State Transportation Department, where he was given the task of hand-painting the white lines in the middle of the road. The supervisor informed him that she expected him to complete ten miles per week, and took him to the job site. "Place your paint buckets right here," she instructed, "and begin painting white lines from this spot." The first day went very well. The ...
Showing results