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 426 to 450 of 609 results
426. Shame on You
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
A sense of guilt and shame can sometimes be spiritually healthy. Dogs are great at guilt. The moment you walk into the house, a dog will telegraph to you with its whole body the sin it has committed. The eyes squint and dart this way and that. The ears are flattened. The head is lowered. The tail trails. Pathetically ingratiating behavior usually accompanies all this - desperate little hand licks, half-hearted tail wags, general obeisance. When you discover the actual crime - a mistake on the rug, a broken ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Some of the disciples felt double-crossed. They expected perks, priority, position. Instead they got a double-cross in which the more VERTICAL their relationship to God, the more HORIZONTAL their relationships with others. We all have a favorite restaurant. What's yours? [Make this an interactive moment in the sermon by having the people call out their favorites.] What's the one restaurant in which the food is just to your liking, the service gracious, and the ambiance enfolds you in comfort and well-being ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
How do you measure life? In worldly weights and measures like dollars and cents, or using spiritual scales of love, service and friendship? In our local supermarket, there are several different candy counters. A big display of all the old favorites greets you just as you turn your cart into the first aisle. At the opposite end of the store is half a wall of bulk candy big packages for big families or big sweet tooths. There are racks of typical "movie candies" at the video rental desk. Finally, there is ...
429. Luke 4:1-13
Luke 4:1-13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
All three of the synoptic gospels agree that Jesus experienced a period of temptation; all three give us similar versions of the incident. In addition, Hebrews 4:15 also testifies to Jesus' temptation episode. The author of Hebrews used the temptation narrative to show that Jesus, like us, faced threats to his own fragile humanity. Luke, however, has a different agenda. Seeking to address both the Jewish and Christian worlds, Luke's explicit reference to Jesus' "40 days" of temptation would surely ring a ...
430. Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Martin Luther may be most remembered for rediscovering Paul's message of "justification by faith through grace" in the epistle to the Romans, but Luther himself held a different letter of Paul's closest to his heart. Luther called Galatians "my own epistle, to which I have plighted my troth. It is my Katie von Bora." Clearly, Luther discerned something more in this epistle than just another of Paul's lectures to a fractious, fragmented congregation of would-be Christians. The whole of Galatians forms a ...
431. James 5:7-10
James 5:7-12
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
The so-called "Letter of James" has never gotten very good press. It suffers from scholarly and spiritual slights on almost every count. Scholars dispute both its actual authorship and its intended authorship (i.e., not only are they not sure what person or persons wrote these texts, there is some debate over what "James" this supposedly came from). Even if this James is "the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:19), there is little to suggest that he or any other one person wrote these texts. These five chapters ...
432. Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 2:1-10
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
"From death to life" is the appropriate heading of this section. The author of Ephesians pulls no punches in summing up the condition of people before the gift of new life in Christ: "dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived." Their spiritual condition was so bereft of substance that they were not just spiritually sick, but completely lifeless. Death had been brought about by the usual human cause sin. Without a living relationship with God, these men and women had simply followed "the ...
433. Ephesians 5:15-20
Ephesians 5:15-20
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
After spending considerable time on the woeful ways of those untouched by Christ (5:3-14), the Ephesians' author now moves to the positive characteristics that distinguish Christian behavior. Although the general tone of these passages is more upbeat than downcast, the author continues his established pattern of citing a negative example followed by a positive Christ-inspired condition or action. The tightly woven, tersely interlocking nature of separate texts and ideas is quite evident throughout this ...
Sermon
Mike Ripski
We’re still sitting on the hillside with those whose lives Jesus’ has changed with the miracle of God’s love. He’s teaching us about God’s new world, where God’s love reigns. Jesus has just told us that he came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. For example, “The law says, ‘Do not murder.’ But I say that not killing someone doesn’t go far enough. God is concerned about how you feel toward others, how you perceive them, how you relate to them. Therefore, beware of your anger toward others. Beware of ...
435. Epiphany 6
2 Kings 5:1-27, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Mark 1:40-45
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:1-14 Elisha was a prophet of Israel in the ninth century. He was known as a miracle worker among prophets. In the cleansing of Naaman, the Syrian general, Elisha is in the background that Yahweh might receive the glory. When Naaman humbles himself and obeys Elisha's directive to wash in the Jordan, he is healed. The passage brings to the forefront the superiority of Yahweh over the gods of Naaman and God's graciousness which is extended to Gentiles. Epistle: 1 ...
436. The Regenerating Work of the Spirit
John 3:1-21; Acts 2:1-41
Illustration
Phil Newton
John Tennant, a contemporary of Jonathan Edwards, and who died faithfully preaching the gospel when he was twenty-five, identified eleven evidences of the regenerating work of the Spirit. I will adapt these for our attention [edits in brackets]. The understanding is renewed…a light from on high shines into it, whereby its natural darkness is in some measure dissipated, so that it [has] new apprehension of things. He has a new assent, his understanding being enlightened to perceive the precious truths of ...
437. Proper 8
2 Kings 2:1-18, Psalm 77:1-20, Luke 9:51-62, Galatians 5:16-26
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
READINGS Psalter—Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 First Lesson—Elisha, the successor to Elijah, is demonstrably blessed with some of his predecessor’s spirit. 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Second Lesson—Christian freedom is not to be an opportunity for self-indulgence but for growth under the guidance of the Spirit. Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Gospel—The call to discipleship can be avoided with a variety of excuses. Luke 9:51-62 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. ...
438. Proper 20
Matthew 20:1-16, Psalm 106:1-48, Exodus 16:1-36, Philippians 1:12-30
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
READINGS Psalter - Psalms 105:1-6, 37-45 First Lesson - When the Israelites complain of hunger to Moses and Aaron, God sends bread from heaven. Exodus 16:2-15 Second Lesson - Paul shares with the Philippians the conflict between keeping on or being relieved by death from present suffering. Philippians 1:21-30 Gospel - Jesus suggests that those of us at this late hour of the Christian day may still be rewarded for our work as if we had been there at the beginning. Matthew 20:1-16 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The ...
439. Proper 23
Exodus 32:1-14, Psalm 106:1-48, Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:2-9
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
READINGS Psalter - Psalms 106:1-6, 19-23 First Lesson - Aaron and the people succumb to idolatry in the absence of Moses, who is communing with God on the mountain. Exodus 32:1-14 Second Lesson - Paul urges the Philippians not to get bogged down in petty quarrels but to find joy in the appreciation of good qualities in people and in themselves. Philippians 4:1-9 Gospel - Jesus continues speaking in parables to stimulate human readiness for divine judgment. Matthew 22:1-14 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Question: Do you ever feel as if the whole world is against you? Well, I've got news for you. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, it is! If you are a friend of God you are an enemy of the world. God expects you, from the moment you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night, to "go out and whip the world." For the next four weeks I want to share with you exactly how to do that in a practical personal way. I want to deal with a problem that we all face every day. It doesn't matter whether you're ...
Sermon
Stan Purdum
In our reading for today, we find King David, after having consolidated his kingdom and moved into a palace for himself, deciding that he'd like to built an impressive house for God as well. Now David wasn't so theologically naive as to think that God needed a physical dwelling as though he were merely a super human, but he did know that the Ark of the Covenant, that special box containing the tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, was a unique symbol of the presence of God among the ...
442. Buying Grace?
Mark 10:17-31
Illustration
Debbie Royals
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this Gospel? Do you wonder if you are one of the rich people whose wealth will make it next to impossible to get into heaven? Have you ever heard this Gospel used in stewardship campaigns in which the prescribed fix or remedy for wealth is to give it to the church, ensuring that God would look favorably on you? Does this sound familiar? As far back as the early Church, there have been suggestions that good graces and favor with God are obtained by ...
Sermon
John Wayne Clarke
On this Reformation Sunday, it is useful to look back in time and remember one of the most important elements to come from the Reformation period. Luther, who is credited with being the first true reformer, was, above all else, a preacher. Luther preached from about 1509 until just three days before his death in February 1546. On Sundays, he preached sometimes three or four times. More than anyone else from that period, he understood that preaching should be central to worship and should be all-inclusive. ...
444. Living By The Spirit
Galatians 5:16-25
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
When I was a boy, back in the Stone Age when we rode dinosaurs to school, one of the things my brothers and I looked forward to was when my Mom bought fruit cocktail. That might seem odd for some of our young people because today, in our global economy, we can walk into the store and buy almost any fruit or vegetable any time we want. But back then, we were dependent upon fruit and vegetables being in season. Besides, fresh fruit (other than apples) was seen as a luxury of sorts. That why having fruit ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
If you ever doubt the power of art to capture the imagination and revive a dead city, take a trip to Providence, Rhode Island. Some years ago the “town fathers” of Providence, Rhode Island were desperate to find a way to revitalize the city’s downtown, and especially its dangerous waterfront. So what did they do? They hired an artist. The artist they chose was a multi-media public artist named Barnaby Evans, who is known for combining science and art, nature and the senses, especially soundcapes, to ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Let's see, if you followed the advice of all the Super Bowl commercials, if you're a guy, you get up, shave with your Schick Quattro, jump in your State Farm insured pickup truck with the Michellin tires and the Garmin GPS navigation system. You head to your job which you found through Career Builder, wearing a VanHuesen shirt and Izod pants. You get to the office, fire up your HP computer and get on the internet through Sprint's wireless network so you can register your company's IP address through ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Maybe you've heard about the family who was asked by their pastor how much time they spent together in meaningful discussion. The father said that they spent about two-and-a-half hours a day in meaning discussion. The pastor was impressed. "That's wonderful! That's more than I spend with my own family, a lot more! What kind of things do you discuss?" Mom rolled her eyes and then volunteered additional information left out by the father. She said, "We only discuss one thing: who gets to hold the remote ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
What makes the world go ’round? Do you ever ask yourself that question? In our global economy, many people would say that money makes the world go ’round. How else can one explain our obsession with the stock market and the federal manipulation of interest rates? Some might say that power makes the world go ’round. That might be why two smart men would spend 2 million dollars each trying to be elected mayor of Nashville. A job, mind you, that pays $136,000 a year! Hunger for recognition and status is in ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
The famous preacher and poet, John Donne said nearly 500 years ago, “No man is an island; no man stands alone. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. Any man’s death diminishes me.” When God Almighty created the world and everything that is in it, he failed to get it just right the first time around. He who made the beasts of the field and the birds of the air discovered Adam lacked a suitable helper. The Lord God said to himself, “It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helper ...
450. Chosen by God
Ephesians 1:1-14
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
My dad is 75 years old and lives with my 76 year old Mom in Perry County, Mississippi. Now if you have not been to Perry County, you haven’t really missed anything n the way of exciting life or beautiful geography. But you’ve missed a unique culture. More than that, you’ve missed knowing two great people. My dad didn’t even go to high school, yet I’ve moved among the high and mighty of the land, and have hobnobbed with some of the brilliant people of the country, but I’ve met few people whose wisdom ...
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