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 1451 to 1475 of 4490 results
1451. Reading for Ash Wednesday
Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4
Bulletin Aid
Craig M. Sweet
Reader 1: Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. Reader 2: But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who ...
Sermon Aid
Clement E. Lewis
Instrumental Meditation Words Of Preparation from Psalm 15 O Lord, who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart; who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up reproach against his neighbor. Hymn: "Wonderful Words Of Life" A Brief Prayer: Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Grant that we shall remember that a ...
1453. Proper 15
Mt 15:21-28 · Ex 16:2-15 · Rom 11:13-16, 29-32 · Ps 78
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
The Miracle Of A Woman's Faith In the miracle of Jesus' healing a Canaanite mother's demon-possessed daughter, we confront a different kind of Jesus. Is he the same Jesus whom we often describe as "meek and mild?" Can this be the same man who blesses little children, gives sight to a blind beggar, forgives an adulterous woman, heals a lady by her touch of his garment, and tells the story of a Good Samaritan? Here we experience a Jesus who does not seem to fit into this portrait. He ignores a woman's cry ...
Sermon Aid
John M. Braaten
(Name) and (name), the word overwhelming was made for a day like today. No words will ever be able to describe how you feel. Yet the closeness you feel toward your Lord and toward each other on this day is only the beginning of a lifetime of surprises, and gifts, and joys, God has in store for you. Knowing this, we, your family, relatives, and friends, have gathered to celebrate this momentous and sacred event with you. We are here to assure you of our affection and to undergird you with our prayers. In ...
Sermon
George Johnson
It has been difficult for me to decide what sermon I should preach today. I had planned to preach on the lectionary text in Acts which is assigned for this Sunday. That story of Peter and Cornelius has been occupying my thoughts for several days, and I had a pretty good idea of how the sermon would be developed. But the present historical crisis has been capturing the attention of us all. My sense of call as a pastor has urged me to set aside the sermon on Peter and Cornelius and speak about following ...
Sermon
James Garrett
Jesus began his public ministry in a crowd that surrounded John the Baptist, at the Jordan. John was a fiery young preacher who attracted the crowds. He told people what they had to do as well as what they had to be. When John emerged from the desert preaching repentance and baptism, the people flocked to the Jordan to be baptized. He was baptizing everyone who would change their ways. Jesus stepped forward to be baptized. Why would the sinless One be baptized? Jesus was there to provide the fullness of ...
Sermon
Sims Robert
The people of God are strong people. We are not weaklings who tremble and quake every time a new threat comes into our lives. We stand with boldness to face whatever life has to offer. Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, the woman from the land of Moab, was not a weakling. The death of her husband broke her heart but not her spirit. She was determined to make a new life in a new land. Somehow, the text does not tell us how, Ruth learned to believe in the God of her husband and of her mother-in-law. She ...
Drama
Thomas A. Renquist
Reader 1: In the Pacific Ocean of southeastern Asia lies the country known as Indonesia. You may remember some of the Indonesian islands from your geography class back in grade school: Borneo, Java, Sumatra. It is on the island of Sumatra, specifically the northern part, where the Batak people live. For centuries the Bataks lived in isolation from the world; not too many foreigners wanted to penetrate that mountainous tropical jungle region. As far back as Marco Polo, the Batak people were characterized as ...
Sermon
Robert V. Dodd
Epilogue: Some Early Witnesses to Christ Joseph and Mary were the initial human witnesses to Christ. They had experienced angel visitations concerning their first-born son. And they knew for certain that he was God's special Child - unlike any other person who ever walked the face of the earth. They were privileged to watch him grow and to help him grow in his own understanding of who he was and what he was to accomplish on this earth. Other early witnesses were the shepherds on the night of our Lord's ...
Sermon
A prose layout for preaching: Lent is that season of the Church's year when we as Christians dwell on the Mystery of the Crucifixion. And what the Crucifixion tells us is this: God Himself died upon a cross, to pour out His love for us, to forgive us our sins, to share His life with us now, and eternally. Most of us associate this as the theme of Lent, and yet, we also associate Lent with other things: as a time of solemnity in the Church, as a time when we should be especially more aware of our sins, as a ...
1461. Talents and Trust
Matthew 25:14-30
Sermon
A half-generation ago, Joseph Heller’s book Catch-22 was all but required reading on every college campus. The title of the book refers to a certain clause in military law, a clause having to do with grounding mentally unstable combat pilots. At one point Yossarian, the book’s main character, talks with Doc Daneeka about grounding an obviously unstable pilot by the name of Orr. Yossarian learns how the rule works: The doctor can ground Orr if Orr claims he’s unstable and asks to be grounded. But if Orr ...
1462. Repentance
Matthew 3:1-12
Sermon
One of the towering marks of this age is the absence of guilt. Not many people would deny that startling fact. Some are pleased that guilt has been dethroned; others see it as a bad sign. The absence of guilt is one of the reasons that it is difficult to talk about repentance. If there is no feeling of guilt, the need for repentance is greatly minimized, if not extinct. A few years ago, I was involved in experimental worship. I tried many innovative ways to enable worship to be more experiential and less ...
Sermon
I would rather not mention it. Centuries of rabbis have spilt gallons of ink thinking up excuses for him. The author of Chronicles doesn’t waste a jot or tittle in telling the tale. After all, who enjoys slicing another hefty chink in a hero’s armor? Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell told Sir Peter Lely to paint his portrait with the warts and all. Yet I have trouble brushstroking out the black deeds of David. Shortly after he had been convicted for throwing the 1919 World Series, the great outfielder ...
1464. Christ Our High Priest
John 18:28-40, Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Sermon
Good Friday is a day of conversion. It is a day that focuses on the stark symbol of the cross, upon which our Lord sealed the New Covenant in the shedding of his blood. Just what was accomplished on the cross? The answer to that question is summarized in one word: Atonement. Atonement means a reconciliation of two parties. You can remember this by breaking down the word by syllables: atone-ment. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross achieves an at-one-ment of humankind with God. How did this happen? Down ...
Sermon
Christian unity believes in immortality and the promise of heaven. The victorious stories of the saints in the early centuries of the church can hold anyone spellbound. The heroism and total commitment to the faith of their resurrected Lord have provided permanent images in the Body of Christ for all time. In a sense, they are very much our brothers and sisters in Christ, even at this moment. Their flesh and blood left an aroma which rose above all the crudities, bestialities, and horrors that animal-like ...
1466. Jacob’s Jabbok
Genesis 32:22-32
Drama
Richard F. Bansemer
The sermon text is Genesis 32:24-25: "And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him." Have you crossed the stream named Jabbok? Another way to ask the same question is: "Have you been left alone to struggle with God?" Or, it could be asked: "Have you moved beyond the spiritual experience of your youth to encounter ...
1467. Bezaleel
Exodus 35:30--36:7
Sermon
Warren Thomas Smith
Life is often dull. It can be for moderns; it certainly was drab for many ancients. It is difficult to realize how ashen life has been for a majority of people: unspeakable monotony. These are the impoverished masses, not the wealthy few. Most Egyptians could not enjoy the pageantry of the Pharaohs. Certainly not the caplive Hebrews. For them it was daily toil in the brick pits. LIBERATION Suddenly, we have the march to freedom. Bondage in Goshen is past, and there is the wilderness experience. A lofty ...
1468. This Adulterous Generation
Matthew 5:27-30, Exodus 20:1-21
Sermon
Bill Bouknight
A cartoon in a national magazine showed Moses with two stone tablets under his arm coming down from Mount Sinai. He said to the Israelites, "I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that I got Him down to ten. The bad news is that adultery is still in there." The seventh commandment is very simple: "You shall not commit adultery." The word adultery means the sexual involvement of a married person with someone other than his or her spouse. In the original Hebrew it meant to add something to a ...
Sermon
James Bjorge
Night can be beautiful when dreams of sugar plums dance through your head. When worries have wandered away and left you relaxed, the descending darkness comes like a billowy blanket of down. God has washed behind your years and you feel clean and content as you slip into the freshly washed sheets for a long winter’s nap. No doubt about it, night can be nice. But it is not always that cozy and comfortable. Night can be blacker than a hundred midnights in a southern swamp. Anxiety, fear and pain become like ...
1470. WHEELWRIGHT
1 Kings 7:33; Nahum 3:2
Illustration
Stephen Stewart
1 Kings 7:33 - "The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs, were all cast." Nahum 3:2 - "The crack of whip, and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!" In the fourth millennium B.C., some Sumerian craftsman built the first known wheeled vehicle. With wheels on axles, one ox could now haul two to three times as much weight as before. The Sumerians’ solid wooden wheel, which has been called the greatest mechanical invention of all time, ...
Sermon
Durwood L. Buchheim
"You will go to prison for six months," said the Judge. So John Bunyan went to prison for nothing worse than preaching in the little Bedford Baptist Church. "Baptist" preaching was against the law. But Bunyan persisted in breaking the law. He told Justice Keeling, "If I was out of prison today, I would preach again tomorrow, by the help of God." So it was back to prison. This time for twelve years. And again for six months. John Bunyan, who gave us the great classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, spent one fifth of ...
Sermon
Brett Blair
We are continuing our series this morning on the Ten Commandments. Why is it so important for us to take a fresh look at this ancient code? After all, some might argue, that was then and this is now. I hope that in this series we see that there is a timelessness about these principles, which makes them just as relevant today as they were for the Hebrews centuries ago. They are not just a set of social mores that had their day but have long since faded away. A page from the 1905 Book of Discipline of the ...
Sermon
James W. Robinson
There is something rather appealing in the way the rich young man intercepted Jesus as he journeyed to Jerusalem. He greeted the Master with the enthusiasm of a child throwing himself into the outstretched arms of a father returning home after a long day at work. And, like a child, the words came tumbling out of his mouth. "Good Teacher," he exclaimed, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" In his sincerity, the young man knelt when he asked the question. Jesus was greatly impressed by the young man’s ...
Sermon
O. Garfield Beckstrand, II
During these Lenten Sunday mornings we have been thinking together about some of the things which Jesus shared with his disciples on the last night of his earthly life. These teachings of our Lord are recorded for us in chapters 13 through 17 of John’s Gospel. If you will read these chapters carefully, you will find they contain everything that is most precious in our Christian heritage - every gift, every promise, every commandment, every warning, every spiritual resource that the living Christ gives to ...
Sermon
Daniel G. Mueller
For seven days King David fasted. Day and night he went without food as he prayed desperately for the life of his newborn child. The baby had been born as a result of his affair with Bathsheba, an adulterous affair that had led to the murder of Bathsheba’s husband. From the moment the baby was born, it was evident the child’s life was hanging by a slim thread. So David prayed for the life of the child. He prayed with great intensity. He fasted as part of his prayers, hoping that by his petitions and by his ...
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