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 376 to 400 of 4943 results
Sermon
James W. Moore
... prospects for a life of bitterness, misery and loneliness. Some years ago, Mark Trotter, told a beautiful story about a boy whose parents were missionaries to India. When the boy was twelve years old, his parents left him and his younger brother to go to India and take up their tour of duty there. Their intention was that once they got settled, they would send for the boys. But, shortly after they left America, World War II broke out. They couldn’t get to the boys and they couldn’t get the boys to them ...
Sermon
David R. Cartwright
... , "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you" (1 Kings 19:20b). In this story from 1 Kings, Elijah gives his permission. He agrees that it's only right for the newly chosen prophet to say farewell to his family before he leaves to take up his new occupation. On the contrary, Jesus will not allow this man so much as a thought about all this. Jesus draws the line in the sand and tells the man that he has to make a decision then and there whether or not he's going to work for ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... to God. But even Jesus couldn’t keep everyone happy. He didn’t try to. He wanted only those who were committed to the cause for which he was sent. When he started talking about the cost involved, his broken body and shed blood, and calling them to take up a cross, his words fell on unreceptive ears. But those who stayed with him, those who were committed to the end are still celebrated to this day. Without them there would be no church 2,100 years later. It hurt Jesus to see many who been with him ...
Understanding Series
Louis C. Jonker
... the Levites is explained—had already been emphasized by another small change to the source text in 2 Chronicles 5:4. There it is said that the Levites took up the ark, although the source text in 1 Kings 8:3 refers to “the priests” taking up the ark. The active role of the Levites is therefore emphasized in the Chronicler’s version. It is interesting to note, however, that the Chronicler kept the Deuteronomistic version in 2 Chronicles 5:7, which states that the priests then brought the ark of the ...
Understanding Series
Arthur G. Patzia
... way that God prepares the believer to fulfill his ultimate purpose. This statement reverses Paul’s usual terminology concerning the believer’s union with Christ by emphasizing that Christ dwells within the believer. This indwelling is to be perceived as Christ taking up residency in the believer’s heart, that is, in his or her inmost being. Furthermore, it is a relationship granted through faith, a thought reminiscent of 2:1–10 and the baptismal passages that connect faith with the indwelling Christ ...
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
Saul’s First Escape: Saul, having returned from an encounter with the Philistines, takes up his preoccupation with destroying David. 24:1–7 He knows that David is located in En Gedi and can be looked for not too far away from the water source. With three battalions of crack soldiers Saul may expect to deal with David’s six hundred scratch troops. It is ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... . There is the baptism of water, but there is also a baptism of the Holy Spirit. That happens when we consciously invite Christ to take up residence in our lives. We often say at this time of the year that we wish the Christmas spirit could stay with us all year ... long. This is the secret of maintaining the Christmas Spirit. It is to pray that God will send His Holy Spirit to take up a permanent residence in our lives, and that is the greatest gift that we can receive. Pastor C. Thomas Hilton once read of ...
Sermon
Robert G. Tuttle
... , and says, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." When some complained that no one could forgive sins but God, Jesus asked, "Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘stand up, take up your bed and walk’?" And to convince them of his power to forgive sins, he commanded the paralyzed man. "I say to you, stand up, take up your bed, and go home." And before the astonished crowd, the sick man got up, took up his stretcher, and went out in full view of them all. Jesus said to the paralytic ...
384. All in God’s Time
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
... this way, this divine sense of timing that is so different from ours. A devout Jew who lives far from Jerusalem has his heart set on getting to the Wailing Wall during his lifetime. He dies without having made the journey. His children then take up the wish and the dream. They do not make it. Then the grandchildren. They are not successful. Then the great-grandchildren, the great-great grandchildren and the great-great-great grandchildren. At last one of the great-great-great-great grandchildren makes it to ...
Sermon
Thomas C. Short
... More and me. I read his biography and marvel at his commitment to our Lord. He did it all. All the way to the guillotine, he held Jesus Christ to be first and foremost in his life. There is a great distance between Mother Theresa and me. She is taking up her cross daily to serve the Lord. He is first in her life. One of my heroes is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a disciple. Leibholz was right when he concluded his memoir of Bonhoeffer with these words: He has set a model for a new type of true leadership ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... , unalterable fact. Many of us do not realize that pain and joy run together. When we cut ourselves off from pain, we have unwittingly cut ourselves off from joy as well.” How can we even speak about taking up a cross and following Jesus to a generation that has been raised up to believe that life can be pain-free? Taking up a cross means doing whatever it takes even if it is far outside our comfort zone to make it obvious to others that we are a follower of Jesus. Of course, we must be careful at this ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... July/August 1985, p. 15). The woman was right. God has made us that way. We can't be totally fulfilled with a cause for which to live and die. So the cross meets that need. Listen to Jesus: "If any persons would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me." He's talking about nothing less than the Kingdom. When we pray "Thy Kingdom come", we are taking on an apparently impossible task. "Dr. Chad Walsh pointed out, in a preface to a book by C. S. Lewis, that "the forces of evil ...
Sermon
John E. Harnish
... Colossians 3:10) St. Paul's words on marriage and family are set in the context of the two preceding paragraphs where he tells us what it takes to build healthy families, homes, human relationships, community. He tells us what to take up and what to leave behind. Put to death infidelity, promiscuity, evil desires, selfishness. Put away anger, gossip, foul talk, lying. Instead put on compassion, kindness, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and above all, put on love which binds everything together. And then he ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... even hearing God's whisper or God's song. He shut himself off from everything but himself. There was no room in his heart for God or for Jesus. The Repentant Thief finally heard and acknowledged God's love and gave God his heart so Jesus could take up residence. There on the cross he threw open the doors of his heart and invited Jesus in. In December 1997, a young man in West Paducah, Kentucky, took a gun to school and killed seven of his classmates. Parents came from all over the community were frantically ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... Christ. They were to stand fast in the Gospel and not be intimidated by adversaries. They were to count it a privilege to suffer because they believed; they were to entrust their lives to Christ. Now in the first four verses of chapter 2, Paul takes up the theme of the church and gives a succinct, radiantly clear description of our common life in Christ, that is our life together in the church. Thus he underscores the challenging fact that the Christian life is always a shared life; with one mind striving ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... , doesn’t it?” It was what he wanted me to say. “Yea, Preacher Will. It lays eggs. But they all lay eggs. Who needs an Easter chicken for that? And the Rotary Club serves coffee. And the 4-H Club says prayers. The Red Cross takes up offerings for hurricane victims. Mental Health does counseling, and the Boy Scouts have youth programs.” (Will D. Campbell, Brother To A Dragonfly, The Seabury Press, New York, 1977, p. 219—220) I share this story for two reasons. First, to raise the question about the ...
Sermon
Robert A. Hausman
Today, we learn from two women. The first is the woman we met last week, Ruth. Her story takes up a whole book of the Bible. We hear her speak, listen in on her deliberations, and follow her story. The second woman is nameless and speechless. She appears in only one short vignette in Mark and functions as an object lesson that Jesus uses in the gospel narrative. We are ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... the sands of life or in the sands of time. But the price of this desire, the desire to love as God loves and the desire to be the beloved of God, is very high. The price of love is a broken heart. Or as Jesus put it, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” By the way, Pizarro’s raggedy remnant of men responded to his challenge and went south. Will you choose to follow Jesus to a new heart’s desire this morning it may be south, the more difficult path, but the King travels with you.
394. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30
Understanding Series
J. Ramsey Michaels
... v. 11; cf. 6:64, 71). The brief aside anticipates a somewhat longer reflection on the betrayal theme in verses 18–20. The entire conversation between Jesus and Peter takes place in the course of carrying out the procedure described in verses 4–5, and verse 12 takes up where verse 5 left off. But when Jesus asks the disciples Do you understand what I have done for you? (v. 12b), it comes as a surprise because he has already stated that they will only understand later (v. 7). More surprising still is the ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Ahab’s War against Aram: Elijah has recruited Elisha, and we expect to read now, perhaps, of his anointing of Hazael as king over Aram and of Jehu as king over Israel (19:15–18). Instead, we find a story in which a different prophet takes up the running (Elijah does not appear at all) and in which a different king of Aram (Ben-Hadad) loses a war with Ahab. The message of chapter 19 is thus underlined. Elijah is not the only servant of God left, in spite of what he has claimed (19:10, 14), ...
Teach the Text
Joe M. Sprinkle
... laying of hands by church leaders or elders on those being ordained (Acts 6:5–6; 13:2–3; 1 Tim. 4:14), publicly recognizing the call of God to those persons. Such ceremonies encourage the laity to support those new leaders and to let them take up the ministry roles to which God has called them, so that they, like Joshua, can lead their people in and out (Num. 27:21). Illustrating the Text Godly leaders practice what they preach. Science: From the earliest age, we are creatures who learn by imitating. A ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Ahab’s War against Aram: Elijah has recruited Elisha, and we expect to read now, perhaps, of his anointing of Hazael as king over Aram and of Jehu as king over Israel (19:15–18). Instead, we find a story in which a different prophet takes up the running (Elijah does not appear at all) and in which a different king of Aram (Ben-Hadad) loses a war with Ahab. The message of chapter 19 is thus underlined. Elijah is not the only servant of God left, in spite of what he has claimed (19:10, 14), ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
Ahab’s War against Aram: Elijah has recruited Elisha, and we expect to read now, perhaps, of his anointing of Hazael as king over Aram and of Jehu as king over Israel (19:15–18). Instead, we find a story in which a different prophet takes up the running (Elijah does not appear at all) and in which a different king of Aram (Ben-Hadad) loses a war with Ahab. The message of chapter 19 is thus underlined. Elijah is not the only servant of God left, in spite of what he has claimed (19:10, 14), ...
399. For the Glory of Christ
John 12:20-33 · Hebrews 5:5-10
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... the servants He has called us to be. And we bring glory to God. That's our whole purpose as the Church. Whenever we reach out to help someone who is struggling in the faith, struggling to make it or struggling in whatever situation, we are not only taking up OUR cross but helping to bear the cross of a fellow pilgrim. And in doing so, we are serving Christ. And Jesus said, "Whoever serves me, God will honor." CONCLUSION: In the cartoon Dennis the Menace, Dennis is in his mother's lap, enfolded in her arms ...
400. More Than a Popularity Contest
Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:54-59
Sermon
King Duncan
... toward the Atlantic or the Pacific.” As Varner considered David’s comment, he realized that the decision to follow Jesus is that kind of decision. It’s a watershed moment. Once you commit to following Jesus’ example, you leave your old life behind and take up a new life that is not under your own control. There is a great quote from British philosopher Gordon Graham. He writes, “Decision is a sharp knife that cuts clean and straight; indecision is a dull one that hacks and tears and leaves ragged ...
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