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 326 to 350 of 1354 results
326. Passion Sunday
Mt 26:14–27:66 · Phil 2:5-11 · Is 45:21-25; 50:4-9 · Ps 31
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... silence of Jesus. He asks a simple question: "Are you the king of the Jews?" Yet, the response is an ambiguous: "You have said so." But when he was confronted by the Jewish elders, he uttered not a word. The governor couldn't comprehend Jesus' reticence to defend himself. The Lord lets each person draw his or her own conclusions about himself; otherwise, there would be no need of faith. There are many times in our lives when God seems mute, when we cry out for God to make himself known. The probable reason ...
327. Proper 21
Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Exodus 17:1-7, Ezekiel 18:1-32, Philippians 2:1-11
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... . Sermon Angle: The Lord is accused of being unfair by God's suffering people (v. 25). Many times God's children are gripped by the feeling that the Lord hasn't dealt fairly with them. Like Job, they would like to bring God to trial, to make him defend some action that he has taken which doesn't seem fair. C.S. Lewis wrote a book that deals with these thorny issues titled God On The Dock. However, it's one thing to consider these issues from a detached philosophical perspective and quite another to have to ...
328. Proper 8
Romans 6:1-14, Romans 6:15-23, Jeremiah 28:1-17, Genesis 22:1-19, Matthew 10:1-42
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... could survive without religion is a delusion," he says. Mainline Protestant churches are no longer equipped for the task of lifting up the truth of the gospel because they are too accepting of contemporary culture and are not defending Christian claims to truth in secular settings. Pannenberg predicts that mainline churches will be eclipsed by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and evangelical churches unless they distance themselves from secular culture and regain their Christian identity. (Based on an ...
Sermon
Jerry Eckert
... like I haven't done anything with myself compared tothem. And I find it easy to agree with them! God: YOU'RE NOT A BLESSING. (Right. I'm not a blessing.) Abram: But I have tried, Lord. I try to be helpful,forgiving, understanding, fair, forthright. I defend myfriends, speak up for what is right. God: AND ALL YOU GET IS FLACK. (Flack is right!) Abram: Lots of flack. It's scary. God: HOW BAD? (Well, awful scary.) Abram: It seems like every time I turn around, Lot'swife gets to me. God: ANYONE ELSE? (Anyone ...
Sermon
Harold Warlick
... experience. In the garden of Gethsemane, he experiences his loneliest spot in the loneliest of hours. He prays. He is not pretending. He is not running madly around to hire lawyers to represent him at his coming trial. Nor is he looking for an army of angels to defend him with swords and spears. The shepherd is in agony. He is sweating. He is bundling up his guts and laying them in prayer at the feet of God and saying, "Help me!" If we want to walk on the Way God has prepared through our earthly wilderness ...
331. Standing Firm
Isaiah 50:1-11
Sermon
E. Carver McGriff
... the same advice we did in seminary, that unless you have someone upset with you, you're not taking very strong positions on some of the crucial issues of the day. This is not to commend the idea of flaunting one's point of view, nor to defend inflexibility which refuses to hear other points of view. It is, however, to recognize that firm convictions often expose one to various kinds of criticism and opposition. For a moment, let's think about the kind of criticism Isaiah felt he was facing -- the wrong kind ...
332. Acquaintances Or Friends?
2 Samuel 16:15--17:29
Sermon
Arthur H. Kolsti
... years wrote a daily column for the Chicago Daily News, was right on the button when he commented one day: "Strangers can only be polite; it requires friends to quarrel. When strangers have an argument about politics, religion, or art, they are but defending their personality rather than their point of view. Two friends can come to grips with the subject honestly and rudely. This is why so many social arguments are fruitless and shallow. Each contestant is secretly trying to prove his or her supremacy to ...
333. The Demanding Crowd
Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39
Sermon
John A. Stroman
... is so busy and so consumed by the bridge he builds that he forgets his responsibilities as an officer, the battle he is fighting, and the human lives for which he is responsible. The purpose of his life at that moment is to lead his men and not to defend his bridge. How easily we can develop a fortress mentality regarding our church and forget the human needs that exist on our doorsteps! Are We Busy Doing The Wrong Things? In our busyness are we the church that God intends for us to be? Are we busy doing ...
Drama
Jerry Eckert
... me feel like I haven't done anything with myself compared to them. And I find it easy to agree with them! God: YOU'RE NOT A BLESSING. (Right. I'm not a blessing.) Abram: But I have tried, Lord. I try to be helpful, forgiving, understanding, fair, forthright. I defend my friends, speak up for what is right. God: AND ALL YOU GET IS FLACK. (Flack is right!) Abram: Lots of flack. It's scary. God: HOW BAD? (Well, awful scary.) Abram: It seems like every time I turn around, Lot's wife gets to me. God: ANYONE ELSE ...
335. Joseph's Pit
Genesis 37:1-11
Sermon
Jerry Eckert
... qualities of storytelling is that it opens up vistas of opportunity to engage others, church members and non-church members alike, in the creative process of preaching. By the way, the "fight" scene described in the story actually occurred. A young church member successfully defended himself in the Rock County (Wisconsin) jail back in 1970. Genesis 37:2-8 Slaves aren't suppose to be able to write. Hebrews aren't supposed to know about anything but sheep, according to the nations of the world. So my ability ...
336. Runaway Lives
2 Samuel 18:1-18
Sermon
Robert Noblett
... ’s son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, “For my sake don’t harm the young man Absalom.” But if I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it he hears about everything and you would not have defended me. (2 Samuel 18:12-13 TEV) This man’s motives were mixed, but I still say we give him three cheers because he wouldn’t allow himself to be kept by the forces that were keeping everyone else. He exercised his will and said no to them. It was ...
337. Renewal of the New
Jeremiah 30:1--31:40
Sermon
John R. Brokhoff
... exclaimed, “Here I stand.” It is a faith that puts trust in God’s protection and providence. At the Diet of Worms a Cardinal said to Luther, “The Pope’s little finger is stronger than all Germany. Do you expect your princes to take up arms to defend you? No! And where will you be then?” “Then as now,” replied Luther, “in the hands of almighty God.” Where can we get a faith like that? It is not a human achievement but a divine work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit creates faith. But where ...
338. Gunda
John 6:60-71
Sermon
Robert Salzgeber
... the sacrifices he had made thus far. He had been away from his family every evening for the last six months; the meetings, the speeches, the time and the money. "Was it all worth it?" he continued to consider. "At every turn I've had to defend my reputation, respond to smear tactics," his thoughts rambled on. "To become a leader one somehow has to put one's self in compromising power positions," Paul's thoughts continued, "Money, power, prestige, a good old boy in the community ... is that what it really ...
339. God As Wisdom
Proverbs 1:20-33
Sermon
Sue Anne Steffey Morrow
If someone like me were to ask someone like you, "How do you imagine God?" what would you answer? What is the first word that comes to your mind when I say God? Creator? Love? Mother? Friend? Jesus? Help? Shepherd? Defender? How do you imagine God? When you are praying, how do you experience God? As strength? As light? As comfort? All-encompassing? How do you imagine God? Is God someone with a large protective shoulder to lean on, when you are more than a little scared? Is God a strong ...
Sermon
Leonard H. Budd
... - "but should have eternal life." Nicodemus was on the road moving into that spirit world. He had sought Jesus, even if in secret. The gospel story tells more. Nicodemus continued on that spiritual road, for John mentions Nicodemus twice more. Once this nighttime student defended Jesus before his fellow Pharisees. It was a bold stand, taken in the beginning of the plot to have Jesus silenced. And later, as the body of Jesus is removed from the cross, it is Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who care for the ...
341. Easter 4
Psalm 23:1-6, Acts 4:1-22, 1 John 3:11-24, John 10:1-21
Sermon Aid
William E. Keeney
... who cares for the sheep, a particularly vulnerable animal. Contrary to other animals which have sharp teeth or fangs, claws with talons, or other means for aggression or defense, a sheep has very little in the way of means for inflicting injury on another or defending itself. They need a shepherd to care for them. People need to know that at the heart of the universe there is care for the person. Jesus' identification of himself as a shepherd points to a God who is compassionate and caring. Persons often ...
342. All Saints' Sunday
Jn 11:32-44 · Mt 5:1-12 · Isa 25:6-9 · Rev 7:9-17; 21:1-6 · Ps 24
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... charge enacted the prescribed ceremony, formed centuries before. "Open!" he cried. "Who goes there?" replied the Cardinal. "We bear the remains of his Imperial and Apostolic Majesty, Franz-Josef I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Defender of the Faith, Prince of Bohemia-Moravia, Grand Duke of Lombardy, Venezia, Styrgia...." The officer continued to list the Emperor's thirty-seven titles. "We know him not," rejoined the Cardinal. "Who goes there?" The officer spoke again, this time ...
343. Christ The King
John 18:28-40, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, Daniel 7:1-14, Revelation 1:1-3, Revelation 1:4-8
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... be a glorious sight for those who believe but a fearsome sight for those who have rejected his reign (pierced him). Gospel: John 18:33-37 Who's on the stand? (v. 33). Jesus is brought before Pilate for judgment but who is really in the hot seat? The defendant (Jesus) answers Pilate's question with a question. "Do you say this of your own accord?" Jesus was the free man but Pilate was a pawn of the Jewish leaders. Not of this world (v. 36). Jesus answered Pilate that his kingship was not of this world. We ...
344. Proper 16
John 6:25-59, John 6:60-71, 1 Kings 8:22-61, Ephesians 6:10-20
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
... hosts of wickedness...." Paul realized that the real enemy of Christianity was not Rome, by whom he was imprisoned, nor the Jews, who opposed the preaching of the gospel. Underlying human conflicts we find a war between good and evil. To defend ourselves, we must be able to identify our real foe, not the ostensible enemy. The spiritual foundation of human conflict can be seen in the dissolution of the communistic system. It imploded because its spiritual infrastructure was rotten. Launch the offense. The ...
Sermon
Larry R. Kalajainen
... for ourselves. The Sadducees who came to Jesus brought a similar kind of question. Their question is an attack question. It's a question designed to destroy the other person's viewpoint so that one's own viewpoint wins without ever having to be defended. Its purpose, like the other, is to prevent them from having to change. The Sadducees weren't really interested in what Jesus believed about the possibility of resurrection from the dead. Their question about one bride for seven brothers was not a question ...
346. God's People Are Rescued From Harm
Esther 8:1-17, Esther 7:1-10
Bulletin Aid
James Wilson
... us from those who would try to keep us from sharing the Good News of Christ throughout the world. Be with us, O Lord. In Christ we pray. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, so often we have placed our faith and our security in our own ability to defend ourselves through the devices made with our own hands. Too often, Lord, we place more stock in our ability to negotiate peace than in Your divine ability to establish it in our hearts or in the world. Forgive us, Lord, and use us in Your special and wonderful ...
Sermon
David M. Oliver
... arose because the man had been healed on the Sabbath; work of any kind, including good work, was considered to be unlawful on the Sabbath. What began as something worthy of praise and thanksgiving became ugly and controversial. Those who saw themselves as defenders and preservers of the faith became resisters of God and deniers of Jesus the Messiah, God's Son. So certain were they of their own ability to discern truth from falsehood, good from evil, they stopped trusting in God and, instead, trusted in ...
Sermon
Larry R. Kalajainen
... squarely against the grain of a world which practices a very different brand of politics. The world says "The strong survive, the weak perish." It's the law of nature, and we make it the law of society. Christian politics says, “The strong have an obligation to defend and protect the interests of the weak, so that the weak become strong." We don't practice survival of the fittest, but care for the neediest. The world's politics says, "Grab all you can and hang on to it." The politics of Jesus says, "From ...
Eulogy
Bob Kaul
... and had to change his travel plans. This made the folks in Corinth mad and they accused Paul of being wishy washy. They even went to the extent of calling into question the gospel that he had preached. So Paul wrote back and tried to explain the situation, and he defends the gospel. In the first chapter of 2 Corinthians he says, "As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been yes and no. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, was not yes and no; but in him it is always ...
350. Which Ones Were Lost?
Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10
Sermon
Merle G. Franke
... Again my protest fell on deaf ears. It was a standoff. I kept referring to the fact that the church council had, a few years earlier, adopted the policy of open doors with no restrictions on who could or could not enter the building, and I intended to defend that policy. Of course. I was the one who proposed it. And as the months passed, we saw signs that some people were indeed often using the building for prayer and quiet time. As evidence of this, we collected the thank you notes that people had written ...
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