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 401 to 425 of 4977 results
Sermon
James Merritt
... that can plea bargain your sin away with God. You can try to prove the glove doesn't fit, but he'll still want to quit. Technicalities don't work in God's courtroom. This verse does not say, "Be sure your crime will find you out." It says, "Be sure ... this point, let me share with you one verse of scripture that I hope you will never forget. "The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after." (I Timothy 5:24, NASB) In other words, pay me now, pay ...
Sermon
Stan Purdum
... similar. I especially like it when people say those kind of things in the presence of their spouse, for in their own way, those compliments have as much power as the poetry of young love. Several years ago, I attended a retreat at one of our church camps. There were quite a few people there, and early on, the leaders broke us up into groups of about eight. They asked each group to sit in a circle, and, as a way of introducing ourselves, we were to go around the circle and each tell of one thing that was a ...
Sermon
Gary L. Carver
... those who said that if the Japanese had decided to do so, they could have not only run through Pearl Harbor, but on into Los Angeles as well. One wonders if that would have altered in some way the outcome of the war. Some historians are quite adamant that Hitler would have gone not only through Europe, but on into Britain if he had not paused to go on military parade. One wonders! A small decision. A large decision. Sometimes seemingly insignificant decisions, but yet these decisions are the essence of life ...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... 's great cathedrals. Indeed, it is testing time for that Jewish fellow barely into his ministry. As usual, the devil is crafty and insinuates that it's time the Son of God prove to the world that no one can hurt him. This could turn out to be quite a media event! It could even be promoted in such a way that gamblers would have their odds and people across the globe would have their eyes glued to the tubes. Human nature is drawn to physical miracles. We like it right there before our eyes. If Jesus takes ...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... cut from that fabric and, praise God, sometimes we see miracles happen. The grace of God is allowed to work and a powerful love becomes there for all to view. It was a time of poking serious fun at Herod Antipas. A pastor taught me long ago nothing succeeds quite like well-placed and intense humor. There is a real art to this strategy of ministry. One who is not skilled in this area and out of step with the Holy Spirit most likely will find he/she is on the agenda to be ousted! Acquiring such a method ...
406. The Two Prodigals
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... growth situations? We are here to stretch and not atrophy. How long did it take him to squander his inheritance in sordid living — days, weeks, months, or years? Apparently, no answer is to be found in the holy scriptures. Frankly, it sounds like it might have taken quite a while. There are similar situations all around us. Who among us cannot cite the young man or woman who headed out with Dad's (or Mom's) money in hand to some exciting place to have a really good time? Perhaps, like the younger son, the ...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... it on Jesus' feet! Maybe if we didn't already know Jesus, we would have bought into the treasurer's comment. After all, he was an apostle and there were only twelve of them. Yes, he was posing for good and, if you didn't know him, he made quite a good impression. We know some people like that, don't we? Sometimes their posturing is a sight to behold! You and I can be gullible. We focus our attention on people resembling the fellow in question. Apparently, he kept the common purse and used to steal from it ...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... and some sense of justice motivated him, he did the only thing that made sense at the time. What would you and I have done? Would we have been seriously interested in good politics? Each of us has to answer for himself or herself. It must have been quite an ego trip to have Jesus before him and be able to convict or acquit this amazing fellow. It was an opportunity made in a pagan heaven, filled with idols and self-congratulatory weapons. He had, some would call, God in his presence, the power to destroy or ...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
... accounts of such experiences coming out of the Second World War. Death was imminent and God was told that if he would just spare us, we would go home and live exemplary Christian lives. Some of those promises bore rich fruits for others. Perhaps that is not quite the same as a doubting Thomas but don't miss the similarity. In a way, there is a childlike simplicity about Thomas. If you show me the goods, count on my acceptance of his resurrection! We might view him as a small boy who wants to be convinced ...
Sermon
David R. Cartwright
... with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,' and he goes. And to another, ‘Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,' and the slave does it" (Luke 7:8). The centurion knows how Jesus must feel inside, being a man of authority himself. He is quite clear that he knows what it means to be under authority and to exercise it himself. He knows how to take orders and how to give them, something he feels that he and Jesus have in common. When Jesus hears this, he turns to the crowd and says, "I tell ...
Sermon
David R. Cartwright
... next best thing. He wrote a check to the innkeeper to cover whatever the man needed. And if, as it turned out, that was not quite enough, he would settle up when he returned. Then the Samaritan went on his own way to take care of whatever it was he ... showed him mercy" (Luke 10:37). Nothing wrong with that; or is there? You see, old ways die hard sometimes. The young man still cannot quite bring himself to say outright, "The Samaritan is the neighbor, for he's the one who took care of him." I can see that word ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... , certainly one of the more dramatic moments in his ministry, he chose these three to go with him. Jesus nicknamed James and John the “sons of thunder.” That’s quite descriptive. My guess is that they were quite dynamic individuals. They had been fishermen when Jesus called them. Undoubtedly they were quite successful in their fishing enterprise. “Sons of thunder” sounds like a pair of leaders, entrepreneurs, movers and shakers. It is only natural that they would move into a leadership role ...
Sermon
Stan Purdum
... I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." (Actually, that was quite an exaggeration. There were thousands in Israel who remained faithful to God, but when we are exhausted, we often fail to see the hopeful reality of a situation.) God tells Elijah to go outside the cave and witness what God is about to show him, but ...
Sermon
Lee Ann Dunlap
... sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols." Hosea's portrait of God as Father is not new to the biblical tradition, but it would seem to be unique amongst world religions. No other deity relates to human beings in quite the same manner or with quite the same passion, with the same loyalty or the same jealousy. Threaten a child and you will arouse a parent's strongest fighting instinct. Betray their love and you unleash their greatest heartache. God's passion is no less intense, Hosea reveals ...
Sermon
John Wayne Clarke
... comfort to us because those who heed it find eternal peace and fellowship with God. The message of the last chapters of Isaiah is the glorious good news that God is at work, restoring what has become broken in our lives and in the world. The passage says quite literally, "For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth" (65:17). The idea here is that God is already at work and that this process will come about shortly. What is both glorious and troubling about these final chapters is that we discover ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... successful. Once he flew out in his private plane, to hear one of Hinson’s sermons, to see if his investment had paid off. (7) My guess is that young boy became successful because he became disciplined quite young in the use of his money including giving his money to good causes. That’s a lesson in itself. But think what a difference his small gift made in the life of a struggling young seminarian. He couldn’t have known, of course, that his egg money would yield ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... of the excitement and said, Maxie, for people who have been the champions of democratic institutions for over 200 years, in the presence of royalty we’re quite beside ourselves. And we were – we were. It was no royal occasion, really, that happened 2000 years ago on Palm Sunday, but those people were quite beside themselves too. They were quite beside themselves because King Jesus, a king unlike any other king, was turning their world upside down. A poet reflected upon the meaning of it all because ...
418. Count the Stars
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Sermon
King Duncan
... on their hearts. Roberts suggests we call them the “love-gifted.” (8) Some of you may be a caretaker for someone with limitations, or someone who is ill or someone who is aging. Or there may be some other circumstance in your life that is quite burdensome. Can you find a blessing in that burden? “Look up at the heavens and count the stars . . .” Count your opportunities, not your obstacles. Look for the blessings hidden in your burdens. Most of all God is saying to us, “Look to your Maker and ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... did not go well for Jeremiah. Indeed he is known as “the broken-hearted prophet” because the people of Israel rejected his prophecies and ridiculed him. He was taunted, put in jail, and at one point thrown in a pit to die. Sometimes Jeremiah became quite bitter. He expresses the anger and frustration he feels in his writings. Some believe Jeremiah was murdered in Egypt by those angered by his prophecies. Still, up until the time of his death, he persisted in doing what God wanted him do. Here’s what ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... all with one unanimous voice bear witness: The thick darkness where God was.” The saints are not liars. This thing is true. Don’t lose heart in the dark hour! For the God who himself went through the darkest hour of all to redeem the world is quite certainly there.” (James S. Stewart, The Wind of the Spirit pp. 98-99) III THE DARKNESS OF DEATH We’ve talked about the darkness of history, the darkness of the human experience in the catastrophic events that invade our lives as well as that dark night ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. That is also part of our lesson for the day. You remember the story. A Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to have dinner with him. It will be helpful in imagining this scene if we remember that the mid-eastern table was quite low. There were no chairs. Guests reclined to eat on the floor. A woman, Luke tells us, who had lived “a sinful life” learned that Jesus was at the Pharisee’s house. She somehow gained entrance and she stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping. She ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
... to be very far away. If you have any trouble at all, just ring this bell, and I’ll come right back.’ He kissed her goodbye and disappeared into the jungle. “Five minutes later he heard the bell ring. He dashed back to camp and found his wife seated quite comfortably with a tall cool drink in her hand. He asked what had happened, and she said that she had begun to worry whether he would really be able to hear the bell. She just wanted to try it out. He was patient and explained again that he would be ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
... old and stopped winning, get treated badly?’ He raised up on his paws as if to say, ‘I still got some race in me. I won over a million dollars for my owner. I was treated royally.’ ‘Then what happened?’ He laid down and grunted, ‘I quit.’ ‘Why did you quit?’ I asked. ‘I discovered that what I was chasing was not really a rabbit.’ Then the dog raised up and stared me in the eye as if to say, ‘All that running and running and running and what I was chasing was not even real.”’ A ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
... once more at 3:00. Then at the bewitching hour of 5 p.m., one hour before closing time, he still finds stragglers on the corner, so he sends them to the vineyard to work as well. Here our story takes a strange twist. At 6 o'clock quitting time, Joe instructs his foreman to pay the workers starting with the last hired and pay them first. Now you know something is going on in this story, that's exactly the opposite of the way things would normally happen. The one hour workers receive a denarius, the normal ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... one thing worth really boasting about and that is the cross on which Jesus Christ died. Paul writes, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” This is quite a remarkable statement for many reasons. To begin with, Paul had many things about which he could have boasted. He could have boasted about his Roman citizenship, for example. We think it’s grand to be a citizen of this land, but imagine what it meant to ...
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