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 51 to 75 of 334 results
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
4:17–32 · Therefore walk in newness: Efforts to walk in unity succeed to the degree to which they reflect the indwelling influence of Christ. Confident that he communicates the very counsel of the Lord, Paul negatively urges his Gentile readers to conduct their lives no longer as their fellow unconverted Gentiles do (4:17). This does not imply that Paul recommends a “Jewish” lifestyle; by “Gentile” here he means “pagan,” “Christless.” That is, he warns against living life apart from Christ, according to ...
Sermon
Will Willimon
Today we inaugurate the Joseph Harrison Jackson Preacher Fund, established by Professor Kenny Williams in memory of her distinguished father. Dr. Jackson led one of this country's great churches. He preached for a lifetime. I expect he preached on today's gospel. I wonder what he said about it. For my money, this has to be the toughest of tough biblical texts. An employee goes to the boss and snitches. “Boss, your manager has been cheating you.” The boss calls the dishonest manager on the carpet, tells him ...
Sermon
Richard Hasler
Erma Bombeck, in her book titled When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time To Go Home, observes: "You can always tell when vacationers are going or coming. Travelers who are at the beginning of a trip laugh and tell jokes. Their clothes match ... Those returning are impatient. Every plane they board is like the last one out of Baghdad and they are going to be on it." Erma's scintillating wit reminds us that there is a right time for action in all walks of life. Farmers know a right time exists for ...
Sermon
Jerry Eckert
January 8, 1984 Comment: This was the first story sermon for adultsthat I wrote and dramatized during worship. I had written anumber of story sermons for children, but the breakthoughcame because an old sermon I had been revising every half-dozen years was not taking shape. I started to write.Usually, I have just outlined sermons and "talked" them tothe congregation. When I got started on this one, I found atext forming with which I decided to stay. There were two major problems that I had with this one. ...
55. The Wisemen
Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon
Jerry Eckert
I hate it when Christmas is over. There's so much good music, such tasty foods, so much color and warmth. And presents! I love presents! I wish we celebrated all twelve days of Christmas. I could be dissuaded from that last enthusiasm if it meant that I would be given all the presents from that funny Christmas carol: 22 turtle doves 30 French hens 36 calling birds 40 gold rings 42 geese a'laying 42 swans a'swimming 40 maids a'milking 36 ladies dancing 30 lords a'leaping 22 pipers piping 12 drummers ...
Sermon
George Johnson
A young mother in her 30s with three children came to her pastor to talk about her husband's impending death. He was dying of cancer. "I'm afraid," she said. The pastor listened and asked a few questions to help her express her fear. One of the questions he asked was, "Are you afraid of losing your faith?" There was silence. "Yes," she said. And then there were more tears. There are times when one feels abandoned by God. If God really loved me would this be happening? Prayers don't seem to be answered. All ...
57. Robert Paul, You Were Right!
Daniel 7:1-14, Daniel 7:15-28
Sermon
Richard Hasler
Professor Robert Paul and his family had just returned to Hartford Seminary from a trip to the Rocky Mountains. As a doctoral student in church history studying with him I had always been stimulated by his lectures and seminars. Now, I was anxious to talk with him and with his gracious and perceptive wife, Eunice, to get their impressions of the trip. Paul, a native of England, was ecstatic about the natural beauty of America, but he also was appalled by the lack of appreciation for what he called “a sense ...
Sermon
Erskine White
And the Lord spoke all these words, saying "I am the Lord your God ..." (Exodus 20:1-2) Imagine that your job in life is to get up each morning and prepare an egg for someone else to eat. There are many different ways to prepare an egg: hardboiled, soft-boiled, poached, fried, baked, scrambled, benedict, souffled, and so on. Now, if you didn't want to get bored and were willing to take a risk, you could constantly be striving for new ways to prepare an egg. If you wanted to play it safe, and you knew that ...
59. The Importance of Unity
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Sermon
Hubert Beck
Sometimes want to cry when hear non-Christians say that they have rejected the church because of its divisions. They may mean denominational divisions on occasion, and that is bad enough. But more frequently they mean the internal strife that characterizes all too many congregations. For it is, after all, on the local level that most people encounter the church, and when they see discord and argumentation marking a congregation, they want nothing to do with that. I want to cry because the very body of ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Several men were dressing in the locker room of an exclusive health club. A cell phone sitting on one of the benches began to ring. A man picked it up and the following conversation ensued: "Hello?" "Honey, it's me." "Sugar!" "Are you at the club?" "Yes." "Great! I am at the mall two blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful mink coat . . . It is absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?" "What's the price?" "Only $1,500.00." "Well, OK, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much . . ." "Ahhh, and I also ...
61. God's People Will Receive Power
Daniel 7:15-28, Hebrews 12:1-13
Bulletin Aid
H. Burnham Kirkland
Call To Worship Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Come, let us worship! Collect O Lord God, eternal and everlasting, we give you thanks for all the saints who surround us this day. We have benefited by their faithfulness and their example of a godly life. Give us grace to follow in their footsteps to your honor and glory. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, ...
Sermon
James Merritt
I don't know of anyone that disputes the fact that John Wooden is the greatest basketball coach who has ever lived. His UCLA basketball teams won ten NCAA National Championships in twelve years, including seven in a row. In his book entitled Wooden, he begins with this story: My Dad, Joshua Wooden, was a strong man in one sense, but a gentle man. While he could lift heavy things men half his age couldn't lift, he would also read poetry to us each night after a day working in the fields raising corn, hay, ...
63. Epiphany 2
Psalm 40:1-17, Isaiah 49:1-7, John 1:29-42, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
READINGS Psalter - Psalms 40:1-11 First Lesson - The servant of the Eternal is a light to the nations. Isaiah 49:1-7 Second Lesson - Through Jesus Christ we know God's grace, receive all spiritual gifts, and are sustained to the end, when we will be found guiltless. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Gospel - John the Baptist titles Jesus the Lamb of God and heaven declares Jesus to be the Son of God who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John 1:29-42 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
There is a down home story about a small town veterinarian who had invented an instrument with which, he boasted, even a child could administer a capsule to a horse, no matter how unruly or reluctant the horse might be. One summer the vet went to county fair to demonstrate his new invention. They couldn’t find anyone who would permit his horse to be a part of the experiment, but they did find a mule, and soon a crowd had gathered to watch. Undaunted, the veterinarian inserted a long glass tube into the ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Two strangers attended the same church for several Sundays. No one spoke to either one of them, so one lady decided, “I’ll give this church one more chance. If nobody speaks to me next Sunday I’ll never go again.” The other lady said, “I don’t like this ‘no speak’ situation in church. If no one speaks to me next Sunday, I’ll break the ice and speak to someone myself.” The next Sunday the ushers happened to seat the two strangers on the same pew. Once more nobody spoke. But, as the first woman rose to stalk ...
66. The Narrow Door
Luke 13:22-30
Drama
Robert F. Crowley
Theme: Without faith it is impossible to please God, and impossible to do what he asks. Summary: It's the day for the 10K race and the announcer from the local radio station is there to interview the runners. She talks to Rahab, who shares a secret: "The Narrow Door" strategy. It's about how to run the race of life. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Starting line at the 10K race Props: None Costumes: Rahab -- running shorts, top, and shoes Time: The present Cast: Announcer Priscilla Rahab -- a runner ...
Sermon
Maurice A. Fetty
Jesus began his earthly ministry preaching, teaching, healing and forgiving sins. And now at the end of his earthly ministry in his post-resurrection appearance to his disciples, Jesus is passing on to his disciples the ministry of preaching, teaching, healing and forgiving sins. Through the gift of the Holy spirit they are to be empowered to continue the work he inaugurated. We often overlook in the gospels the connection between forgiveness and healing -- healing that is both physical and spiritual. ...
Sermon
Lee Griess
There's a story of a man who went to his doctor complaining about terrible neck pains, throbbing headaches, and recurring dizzy spells. The doctor examined him carefully and pronounced, "I'm sorry but I have bad news for you. The diagnosis is not good. But from what I can tell, you must have an unspecified brain tumor causing the problem. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do for you. It seems that you have only six months to live." The doomed man left the doctor's office shaken and crushed, but he ...
Sermon
Rolf E. Aaseng
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But know this: If the owner of ...
70. Authority Through Servanthood
Matthew 20:20-28, Matthew 20:17-19
Sermon
Dean Lueking
The Question Of Our Time Today’s sermon is on the subject of authority, based on the text above. It is no overstatement to say that authority is the question of our time. Wherever one looks in our world today, in family, government, business life, and the church, the conclusion seems unanimous. Authority is in a bad state of erosion. Why is this so? What can be done about a matter so vital to people in every aspect of life? The story St. Matthew tells us in today’s text speaks directly to the problem of ...
71. Communion Is Reunion
1 Corinthians 10:14-22
Sermon
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for all partake of the one bread. When I think about the world we live in, the one descriptive word that leaps forth in my mind is "division". Nations are divided against other nations. It's East versus West. Jews versus Arabs. Communism versus Capitalism. The Haves versus the Have-nots. ...
72. Giving Up Our Monkeys
Hebrews 12:1-13
Illustration
Several years ago the news media reported on a man who was, for a prolonged period of time, marooned alone on a small Pacific island. A passing ship was prepared to rescue him, but he refused to go. It seems that while there he had acquired a pet monkey which he was unwilling to leave behind, and the ship's regulations would not permit it on board. Here in church today we meet Christ, our rescuer, our deliverer. He says, "Come, go with me." He comes to set us free - and he will, if we are willing to give ...
Sermon
Once a minister was speaking of the difference between fact and fantasy. "That you are sitting here before me in this church is fact! That I am standing here in this pulpit speaking is fact!" Then he paused, and continued, "However to believe that anyone is really listening to me may be fantasy." You know, sometimes it is fun to be a preacher. After his return from church one Sunday a small boy said, "You know what, Mommie? I’m going to be a preacher when I grow up." "That’s fine," said his mother, "but ...
74. Epiphany 8
Matthew 5:38-42
Bulletin Aid
Theme: Emulating God's love Exegetical note These last two of Jesus's so-called antitheses ("You have heard it said..., but I say ...") continue Jesus' radicalization of the righteousness of (in the first instance) the Old Testament statutes and (in the second) conventional wisdom. The closing demand for perfection (v. 48) should not be taken literally or our of context, but in light of vv. 43ff., as an exhortation to emulate God's perfect love, which, like the sunshine and the rain, benefits even the evil ...
Sermon
King Duncan
He was one of the greatest soldiers of his time. He lived at a time when his country needed great soldiers! Yet his past so discouraged him that he almost never became the leader that his country needed. Hiram was born to a father who was harsh and cold and would always see him as a failure. His mother was not a source of emotional comfort to him either; he never once saw her moved enough to shed a tear. Hiram was always small for his age. He grew up ashamed he was not the kind of leader his father ...
Showing results