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 101 to 125 of 127 results
Understanding Series
James R. Edwards
The general exhortation on agapē in chapters 12–13 proceeds now to a specific discussion of the “strong” and “weak” in 14:1–15:13. Paul divides the entire unit into three subsections. In the present section he argues that self-righteous judgments are divisive in the body of Christ; in 14:13–23 he teaches that responsibility for the other takes priority over individual rights; and he concludes in 15:1–13 with the servant role of Christ as the example for behavior within the Christian fellowship. Although ...
102. Accusations
2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
Understanding Series
James M. Scott
After the thanksgiving in 1:3–11, the body of the letter begins with a lengthy section in which Paul seeks to deal with various accusations the Corinthians have made against his character and conduct (1:12–2:13). By the writing of 2 Corinthians, Paul has heard the good report from Titus that most of the Corinthians have been reconciled to Paul (cf. 7:6–7). Yet, because of the discrepancy between Paul’s written word and his actions, the Corinthians have become suspicious of Paul’s motives, accusing him of ...
Teach the Text
Preben Vang
Big Idea: Personal rights must be put aside when they hinder an effective witness to unbelievers, or if they endanger the faith of immature believers. Even theological arguments that disclose certain behaviors as immaterial to the Christian faith become irrelevant in light of the greater assignment to imitate Christ. Understanding the Text The transition from chapter 8 seems quite abrupt. Is Paul taking a ninety-degree turn from a question about participation in Corinthian parties (eating meat) to his ...
Sermon
Phil Thrailkill
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We can do startling new things because God has drawn near enough to enable them." Matthew 4:17b It was an awful time in London. In December of 1952 a toxic mix of dense fog and thick black smoke killed four thousand in four days. Coffins ran out, as did funeral flowers. It was one of the deadliest environmental disasters in English history. Here is what happened: “As smoke pouring out of London's chimneys mixed with fog, the air turned colder. In response, ...
Sermon
Phil Thrailkill
Convictions and opinions are not the same, are they? Someone has said, “Opinions are many, convictions are few; opinions change often, convictions rarely do.” Opinions live on the surface; convictions go deep. Opinions thrive around the gossipy edges; convictions live near the center of life. One way to tell the difference is to ask, What would you make a sacrifice for- of real money, of significant time, of patient suffering, even of life if necessary? The more you would pay, the closer you move to the ...
Sermon
Phil Thrailkill
“Thus you will know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:20 In his novel A Painted House, John Grisham describes a pious Sunday school teacher eulogizing a character named Jerry Sisco. He was a mean guy who’d been killed just the night before in a back alley fight after picking on one person too many. In the words of the little boy who’d seen the fight with his friend Dewayne: "She made Jerry sound like a Christian, an innocent victim. I glanced at Dewayne, who had an eye on me. There was something odd about ...
Understanding Series
Larry W. Hurtado
14:12–21 These verses tell of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples and of Jesus’ foreknowledge of Judas’ treachery. The overall purpose of the narrative is to dramatize that the one who betrayed Jesus was actually a disciple who shared Jesus’ company and ate with him. Mark probably saw in this account an allusion to Psalm 41:9–10 (which is cited specifically in John 13:18). The fact that the disciples were not given a name or an address in order to comply with Jesus’ ...
108. Mercy Me!
Romans 14:1--15:13, Luke 6:27-36, Luke 6:37-42, Luke 6:43-45
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“My yoke is easy, my burden light.” --Jesus What burdens are you carrying this morning? How heavy is your heart? How weighed down is your spirit? Most of the time, when we think about that question, we think of the burdens of responsibility we carry or the weight of grief, the sandbags of unfair treatment levied against us, or hardships, such as unemployment, or health, or broken relationships. Certainly, those burdens of despair and sorrow can weigh heavily upon our hearts. But other kinds of burdens can ...
Understanding Series
James M. Scott
2:5–11 In this section, Paul explicitly mentions the person who was chiefly responsible for making his second visit to Corinth so painful and who evoked the writing of the tearful letter (v. 5). Like Moses, Paul wanted to give the rebel(s) a chance to repent before executing great judgment among the people. Since the church had now dealt with this offender, he discusses how the church should forgive him and restore him to fellowship (vv. 6–11). 2:5 The offender is introduced in verse 5 for the first time ...
Sermon
E. Jerry Walker
He walked rapidly, his long robes flowing behind him to be whipped by the brisk, dry east wind. His two servants occasionally quick-stepped to keep pace, their sandals padding softly on the dust of the deserted streets. As they turned eastward from the upper city, the declining, full moon flung their shadows ahead like long moving fingers pointing toward the white limestone buildings of the temple compound. Nicodemus’ mind was thoughtless, yet filled with many thoughts. He had no plan, no course of action ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Circumstances sometimes call us to do strange things — things-we would not otherwise do. Circumstances also cause us to do things we should have done but never got around to doing them before, like learning that we might have cancer, might provoke us to write a will. That’s really too serious an illustration for the story I’m about to tell. Two out-of-town visitors were walking along a street in New York City late one night. One of the pair, wary of the reputation of city streets at night, kept glancing ...
Understanding Series
Gordon D. Fee
Qualifications for Overseers To this point, Paul has addressed some concerns related to the community at worship and corrected some abuses generated by the activities of the erring elders. Now he turns to the elders themselves and sets forth some qualifications for “office.” He begins, in verses 1–7, with a group called episkopoi (“overseers”); then moves in verses 8–13 to a group called diakonoi (“servants,” “deacons”), with a note also about some “women” in verse 11. It is altogether likely that both “ ...
Sermon
Richard L. Eslinger
Advent rushes to a finish. You know how hectic this next week will be. "Only (you fill in the blank) more days until Christmas," and there is an awful lot to be done. There is the last-minute shopping, rubbing shoulders with all the other last-minute people. Then, toward the end of the week, the planning and procuring for the big Christmas dinner begins. But we’ll probably forget something essential to the menu and be back at the supermarket on Christmas Eve, too. Here at church there is as much bustle as ...
Teach the Text
Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Big Idea: The Lord blesses his chosen servants when they rely on his protection and seek to reflect his character in their dealings with others. Understanding the Text The narrator’s positive portrayal of King David continues in these chapters. Once David became king over all Israel, he conquered the Jebusite stronghold of Jerusalem and then turned the tables on the Philistines. He brought the ark to Jerusalem and intended to build a house (temple) for it. But then the Lord surprised David by announcing ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... the spirit, in the discerning ability that the true, God-spirit can bestow upon a faith community, was unwavering. False spirits will show ultimately their false colors. Paul knows all those who are genuinely “in Christ” will be able to recognize these false colors and “abstain” from them. Being “in Christ’s spirit,” is not predictable. It is not a safe bet. In John 3:8 Jesus stated it starkly: “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes ...
116. Thanksgiving and Prayer
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
1:1–2 Review · Epistolary Salutation: This second epistle begins exactly as 1 Thessalonians did, using nearly identical wording. The only difference between this text and 1 Thessalonians 1:1 is that God is here called “our Father” (cf. Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3–4; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; 4:20; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:3; 3:11–12; 2 Thess. 2:16; Philem. 3), echoing the prayer Jesus taught the disciples (Matt. 6:9). Paul and his associates also add here that grace and peace come “from God the ...
Sermon
King Duncan
How many dreams would you say you have each week? Do you remember them? Have you ever awakened from a dream and thought, “What was that all about?” Discover Magazine interviewed a man named Chuck Lamb who found his life’s work in a very strange—even disturbing—dream. One night Lamb, a computer programmer for Nationwide Insurance, dreamed that he was lying on the floor dead, with a detective standing over his body. How would you feel if you had a dream like that? It sounds like a bad television show. ...
118. A Child of God
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Sermon
Ronald Love
Perry Noble of NewSpring Church, the worship leader of 32,000, the largest church in South Carolina with multiple campuses, caused a theological stir with his Christmas Eve sermon in 2016, proclaiming that the Ten Commandments were not commandments, but only “promises” since the word for “commandments” is not in the Hebrew lexicon. Having this epiphany, he wrote a revolutionary sermon in ten minutes transforming “you shalt not” to “you are free …” Reputable theologians challenged the irrefutable pastor ...
119. Proper 21
James 5:13-20, Esther 7:1-10, Esther 9:18-32, Mark 9:38-41, Mark 9:42-50
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 It is a wonder that the book of Esther, written about 460 B.C., was included in the Old Testament canon, for there is no mention of God, prayer, or worship. It is the story of how a wave of anti-Semitism was halted by a brave Jewish queen, Esther, and her adopted father, Mordecai. The outcome was the institution of the Feast of Purim. Epistle: James 5:13-20 In the concluding paragraph of the book of James, we deal with sickness, sin and prayer with oil ...
120. The Assumption Of Discipline
Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24
Sermon
John N. Brittain
You don't need to be told that we live in a superficial society. We (at least men) surf the channels on the television, catching a glimpse of multiple shows without really watching any one in depth. Increasing numbers of us are doing the same with the internet, confusing access to multiple sources of information for comprehension of it. We are obsessed with physical appearance, creating a massive cosmetic surgery industry while many Americans lack basic health care. It used to be a joke when Billy Crystal' ...
121. On Being a Hot-Fudge-Sunday Church
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
There is an old Southern gospel song "There Ain't No Middle Ground." It is time the church gave up trying to find safety in big middles and risked ministry on the edges. In 1890, a Wisconsin merchant named Smithson came up with a creative way to cope with his Sunday afternoon shortages of ice cream. With no Sunday deliveries but with crowds of people with a welcome day off wanting ice cream, he thought of a way to stretch his supply. He began cutting back on the amount of ice cream he scooped and added ...
122. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
It's as the pastoral leader of a uniquely-gifted but high maintenance congregation that Paul addresses his remarks in this week's epistle text (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24). Paul's pastoral advice is both of a general nature applicable to all Christians (verses 16-18) and at the same time focuses on a particular issue pertinent to this congregation, the work of the Spirit as experienced through prophetic utterances (verses 19-22). Because much of what Paul says here has universal relevance commentators have ...
Understanding Series
W.H. Bellinger, Jr.
Offerings and Festivals: The structure of daily and special worship becomes the subject for chapters 28–29. The book of Numbers began with the organization of life as God’s people, emphasizing the spatial dimension as they journeyed (the divine presence at the center, then priests and Levites, and then the people). Soon, when the people enter the land, this spatial organization will be less relevant. So in these chapters, the Priestly tradents are instructing the people to order life liturgically around ...
Understanding Series
W.H. Bellinger, Jr.
Offerings and Festivals: The structure of daily and special worship becomes the subject for chapters 28–29. The book of Numbers began with the organization of life as God’s people, emphasizing the spatial dimension as they journeyed (the divine presence at the center, then priests and Levites, and then the people). Soon, when the people enter the land, this spatial organization will be less relevant. So in these chapters, the Priestly tradents are instructing the people to order life liturgically around ...
Understanding Series
W.H. Bellinger, Jr.
Offerings and Festivals: The structure of daily and special worship becomes the subject for chapters 28–29. The book of Numbers began with the organization of life as God’s people, emphasizing the spatial dimension as they journeyed (the divine presence at the center, then priests and Levites, and then the people). Soon, when the people enter the land, this spatial organization will be less relevant. So in these chapters, the Priestly tradents are instructing the people to order life liturgically around ...
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