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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 701 to 725 of 1249 results

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701. Looking for Shoots or Roots?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... I can discover the “gifts” of Christmas not just by opening presents under a tree, but by giving to the local food bank, or providing for a child in need from the local “giving tree,” or joining KIVA.org or Heifer International, or by adopting a child from one of the international child-care services, or by putting the family on a recycle regimen, or by planting seeds that will sprout “adventitious roots,” or by getting a pound puppy instead of a “designer dog,” or by sending water filters ...

702. In Life Nothing Works but the Impossible

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and bear.” Finally, in Matthew’s gospel it is Joseph who ultimately gives the name of Jesus to the child. Through this naming ceremony Joseph clearly makes Jesus a member of his family lineage. In Jewish law there is no distinction allowed between adopted and biological children. Joseph’s naming of the child makes Jesus a full member of the house of David, regardless of the uncertainty surrounding his conception. Jesus the Messiah is both “from the Holy Spirit” and from the royal house of David ...

Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 23:1-6, 1 Peter 2:13-25, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... when all was well. Unfortunately things have never been so good again, or at least it seems that way. But lest we join the many others before us who have longed to return to this time and have sought to recreate the Jerusalem context by adopting the patterns of community life mentioned in these verses, we should remind ourselves bluntly that those first Jerusalem disciples sowed the seeds of their own demise by doing some of the striking things that we read about in this text. We refer especially to the ...

Jn 17:1-11 · 1 Pet 4:12-14; 5:6-11 · Ps 68 · Acts 1:6-14

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , one might choose a short unit of thought rather than the entire psalm. Verses 32-35 are quite doxological. Significance. The kingship of God and the Lord's assumption of kingship in Zion is the theme of this psalm, no matter what view of the structure one adopts. The God of the psalm is a mighty but compassionate king named "the Lord." The divine king of Israel is presented as one with the power to overwhelm enemies and as one in whom the righteous can rejoice. Thus the standards of God's reign are those ...

705. Epiphany 3

Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... absurd rhetorical questions (1:13) and by making a set of seemingly shockingly cavalier remarks about baptism (vv. 14-16). Finally, the apostle declares his commission to preach and the purpose of his style of proclamation (v. 17). A sermon that adopted this movement could be very powerful: Call for the good. Criticize the bad. Expose the fallacy of the problem. State the proper position. And offer the theological validation for the point that you are advocating. Significance. Paul addresses the problem of ...

706. Epiphany 4

Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... we know is true. Micah 6:1-8 makes this point through a legal confrontation between God and Israel, while Psalm 37:1-11 presents a series of wisdom sayings that are meant to bring the reality of God more clearly into focus by encouraging us to adopt the moral way of life. Micah 6:1-8 - "Controversy in the Congregation" Setting. Micah 6:1-8 uses the imagery of dispute as the setting for the prophetic oracle. The setting of the disputation or controversy is common in prophetic speech (see for example, Isaiah ...

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43 · Rom 8:12-25 · Ps 139 · Gen 28:10-19a

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... speak about the significance of such life. Life in the Spirit is much more than an identity; it is a relationship to God that has come as a gift from God. For now, the distance between (sinful) humanity and (righteous) God is overcome as God adopts us as God's children. And Paul continues that since we are now God's children, we will be heirs. This expansion of the metaphor accomplishes at least two things: (1) It introduces a profound eschatological cast to the meditation—we are experiencing grace, and ...

Genesis 29:15-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52, Romans 8:28-39, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... us hearts and tongues of fire, To pray and praise and love. Spirit of light, explore And chase our gloom away, With luster shining more and more Unto the perfect day. Spirit of truth, be thou In life and death our guide; O Spirit of adoption, nowMay we be sanctified. The Old Testament lesson suggests the following confession of sin: M: Let us confess our sins before God and one another. [silent recollection] M: For those times we have actively deceived others for our own benefit: P: We ask forgiveness, Lord ...

Exodus 3:1-22, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... the entire history of salvation to provide a new perspective for Israel's future savior. In fact, one could argue that in Exodus 3 Moses does not even know who God is, much less who his ancestors were, since he is introduced to us as an adopted Egyptian who has now fled to Midian and married into a priestly family. Third, the commission from God is always very specific and task oriented. Biblical characters are neither called to have a particular state of mind or attitude toward the world nor to abstract ...

710. Transfiguration

Psalm 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... the heavenly rule of God. Third, Exodus 24:12-18 and Psalm 2 underscore how transfiguration is not an otherworldly experience but is about the descent of God, and that transfiguration is not complete until all aspects of our world are remade. The language of adopting the king, now the son of God (v. 7), is the psalmist's way of describing how all of reality must eventually be transfigured to the new standards that accompany God's presence in this world. NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS The passages from both II Peter ...

711. Do You Have It?

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... It"? Animations, Illustrations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications Although Nassau Presbyterian Church pastor David A. Davis (Princeton, NJ) didn't have "It" in mind when he wrote this (in A Kingdom We Can Taste: Sermons for the Church Year [Eerdmans, 2007], 18), you can you adapt and adopt this to illustrate the "It" factor: "I see it in the faces of the men and women standing in the cold at 7:00 am, waiting for the church to open to go to an AA meeting, deciding daily to live another day of hopeful ...

712. Don't Look Back, Remember Lot's Wife

Genesis 19:24-26

Sermon

James W. Moore

... on our past sins and failures. His name was Christopher. He was 9 years old. He was an orphan. Christopher had spent his whole life moving from orphanages to foster homes and back again to orphanages. And then one day a wonderful Christian family came and adopted him. Suddenly, Christopher found himself in the loving embrace of this terrific Christian family. Now, he had a mom, a dad and three sisters who loved him and wanted him. Christopher was happy, but he was worried sick. He couldn’t believe that he ...

713. Paying Taxes

Matthew 9:9-13

Illustration

King Duncan

SEE, this man eats with sinners and tax collectors." Tax collectors are never popular. Many want to adopt a flat tax and dismantle the Internal Revenue Service. "I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States," said Arthur Godfrey. "The only thing is I could be just as proud for half the money." "President Clinton said he looks forward to the day a citizen can call ...

714. Embracing the Gracious Gift

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

... faith is founded not upon your action or my action, but upon God's action: God loving us with a love that will not let us go; God choosing to dwell among us in Christ, taking human form; God seeking relationship and reconciliation with all the world; God adopting persons of faith as daughters and sons. Our task is but to receive the gift, to recognize and live in the assurance that all that we have in life—and indeed, all that we are—comes as a gift from God. Once we embrace this gracious gift which ...

715. Sleep With the Lions Without Being Eaten

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes; and when He comes to get his own, He will have no problem recognizing me; my colors will be clear. If you will adopt that as your creed, and sell out to it today, I'll guarantee you two things: Whenever there is a lions' den, you'll walk in it with faith, and you'll learn to sleep with the lions without being eaten. [1] Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of ...

716. Is Sunday Just a Fun Day?

Exodus 20:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... you that He wants you to finish. You have not been put here to take up space; you have been put here to be fruitful, to be productive, and to make a contribution to this world. In the last sixty years we have almost ruined this nation by adopting governmental policies that encourage laziness and slothfulness, while rewarding people who refuse to work. The Bible says that a man who will not work should not live. II Thess. 3:10 says, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not ...

717. After the Casket Is Closed

Luke 23:46

Sermon

James Merritt

... things carefully about this question. God becomes your Father when you become His child. "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!'" (Gal. 4:4-6) You become His child when you receive His Son. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right ...

718. Just the Right Touch

Mark 5:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... .33-34) This is the only time Jesus ever addressed a woman with the term "daughter." Now he could have used the word woman, or the word lady, or the word madam, or even the word friend; but rather it was "daughter." You see, Jesus not only acknowledged her, he adopted her. He not only healed her, he saved her, and she was now a part of the family of God. She had not only accepted Jesus, Jesus had accepted her. "But as many as received Him, to them He gives the right to become children of God." (Jn. 1:12 ...

719. How to Connect With God

1 John 5:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... I read this final statistic: Only 15% regularly receive definite answers to their prayers. Now that tells me something. A lot of people are praying, but very few people are connecting. I am reminded of a story about a children's Sunday School class, who adopted as a project to write letters to foreign missionaries. The teacher told them that these were real live missionaries and they were very busy, and might not have time to answer their letters. So you can imagine the surprise of one missionary when he ...

720. A Deserter in God's Army

1 Timothy 4:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... , to leave in the lurch. In short, when the battle was raging, and the bullets were flying, and the bombs were exploding, Demas deserted. I tell you it is one thing to desert man's army, but it is another thing to desert God's army. I wish we would adopt, as soldiers of the cross, the motto of the foreign legion. Their motto is: "If I falter push me on; if I stumble pick me up; if I retreat shoot me." Did you know that one deserter can cause the defeat of an entire army? Did you know that when ...

721. Saving Private Ryan

Acts 1:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... military policy provided that a soldier would stay in the U.S. only if he was his family's sole surviving son. Only after the third son was killed, did the Army devote its resources to returning Private Anthony Campagnone to his parents. Our church is adopting a brand new Mission Statement, and the very heart of that Mission Statement is to save the "Private Ryans" of this world and bring them into the family of God before they become a casualty of the war called life. This is our Mission Statement: Our ...

722. Better To Be a Loner than a Loser

Daniel 1:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king." (v.5) Now the king's meat and the king's wine represented the pleasures of this world. He wanted these young men to adopt a "eat, drink, and be merry" playboy kind of lifestyle. Daniel was being tempted to do three things: to learn the world's wisdom, to live the world's way, and to love the world's wealth. I am reminded of a mental patient that walked up to the new ...

723. Never Let Them See You Sweat (Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control)

Galatians 5:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... play you ask? It depicts Jesus as a homosexual with the twelve disciples as his traveling lovers. A group of homosexual men begins the play by drawing lots for the different roles they will play. One plays "Joshua" the Hebrew version of "Jesus," while the others adopt the role of the various disciples and the Virgin Mary is in drag. When they come to the passion scene, they give it a homosexual twist. Pontius Pilate asked, "Art thou the king of the queers?" To which Joshua responds, "Thou sayest." I make it ...

724. The Thrill of Victory Beats the Agony of Defeat

Judges 7:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." (Ps. 33:16-17) No, friend, do you know where victory comes from? Do you know where deliverance comes from? "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord." (Prov. 21:31) In 1775 the U.S. Marine Corps was founded, and they adopted as their recruiting slogan: "We're looking for a few good men." Well, so is the Lord. As a matter of fact, He wants you. With the Lord before, Jesus beside us, the Spirit within us, and the Bible behind us, there is no foe we cannot face. There ...

725. The Client

Zechariah 3:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... the baby. But the mother didn't want the baby. She didn't want any part of it. She would lower her head and push it away. Well, some of the men here got the idea that if the mother thought that the little lamb was really hers, she would adopt it and make it as her own. She would nurse it and raise it and solve the whole problem. So they took the skin off the little dead lamb and they put it around that little orphan lamb. We tied it on and that is why you see four front ...

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