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 1576 to 1600 of 4943 results
Sermon
Mark Trotter
Noah Webster, for whom the dictionary was named, was a lexicographer. He is responsible for the standardizing of American English at the beginning of the 19th century. As you might imagine, he was a stickler for the proper definition of words. One day his wife opened the kitchen door and discovered Noah kissing the maid. Mrs. Webster exclaimed, "Why Noah, I'm surprised!" He said, "No, my dear. We're surprised. You are amazed." A surprise refers to the unexpected. Amazement refers to being made speechless, ...
1577.  Jesus Brings Life
Mark 5:21-43
Illustration
Will Willimon
With whom do you most identify in today's gospel? There are plenty of characters here who are being stung by death. There is a woman whose whole life has been caught, dominated by a terrible, life-demanding illness. There is a distraught father. A little girl whose young life is being cut short. There are the baffled disciples, the crowd who doesn't know what to think of all this. Where are you? And yet, intruding into the story is another face, the strong, live-giving face of Jesus. Mark says that Jesus ...
1578. Eyes Up!
Luke 21:25-36
Sermon
David E. Leininger
A bit of a contrast, isn't it? The sweet strains of "Away In A Manger" followed by "... nations will be in anguish ... the roaring and tossing of the sea ... People will faint from terror ... the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Ho, ho, ho! Where is Santa when we need him? Why in the world would the church choose a gospel lesson such as this to begin Advent and our preparation for the coming of the Christ Child? Good reason. The sad truth that all of us who are old enough knows is we do not live in a " ...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. --Genesis 28:12 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. --John 14:6 MAX (formerly HBO) has seen huge success recently with its show scripted by Julian Fellowes (author of the popular Downton Abbey), called The Gilded Age. Set in late 19th century New York, the show’s season two finale featured the opulent opening of the newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge. ...
Sermon
Lee Griess
This morning's Gospel reading sets the theme for us today, an appropriate theme as we begin our observance of Lent -- the theme of sin and temptation. It's an appropriate one because it is one with which we all struggle. I recently read a story about a little boy named Bobby who desperately wanted a new bicycle. His plan was to save his nickels, dimes and quarters until he finally had enough to buy a new 10-speed. Each night he asked God to help him save his money. Kneeling beside his bed, he prayed, "Dear ...
Children's Sermon
Wesley T. Runk
Objects: Some light-bulb packages with the light bulbs. Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a good day for us to continue to understand something about the person of John the Baptizer. We are only a short time away from the day when Jesus will be born again into our world as the Christmas child, but before then we need to get ready, and no one helps us more to get ready than John the Baptizer. John knew who he was. He did not try to kid anyone into thinking that he was the most important person in the ...
Sermon
Various Authors
Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. (v. 35) After his resurrection, Jesus promised that he would be with us everywhere. We can be assured and conscious of his presence in the private place of prayer, but also the rush of daily routines, including a classroom or a crowded restaurant; or even in the midst of a rabid crowd at a sports event. But without a doubt there are circumstances and settings where we are more likely to meet our Lord, ...
1583. Night and Light
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Sermon
Wayne Brouwer
A friend of mine had rewritten a familiar proverb and used it ominously. “Just remember,” he said, “things always look the darkest before the lights go out completely.” There was something of that threatening anticipation which always washed over us on this darkening night. We join Jesus and his disciples as dusk falls. They did not know it yet, but within hours the blackness would become very bleak. Jesus would be arrested, they would be scattered, and even Peter would deny and reject his relationship ...
Sermon
Wayne Brouwer
A friend of mine taught ethics at a Christian college. Several years ago, there was a scare on campus because a student had been raped. Since my friend wanted his students to deal with actual ethical situations, he began the next class session with a question: “If a friend came to your room in tears, telling how her date had just raped her, what is the first thing you would do to help her?” After a moment’s reflective silence one student raised her hand and asked, tentatively, “Pray?” The whole class ...
1585. Forgiven!
John 12:1-11
Sermon
Lee Griess
On a recent religious talk show the hostess was interviewing a young woman who had just recently come to know Christ and had been received into the church. Until her recent conversion, she had lived on the wrong side of the tracks, lived in the fast lane, and teetered on the brink of destruction. So overwhelming was the sense of forgiveness that this young woman practically gushed with joy as she spoke. "I can't express," she said, "the sense of gratitude that I feel that God has changed my life." The talk ...
Sermon
James R. Tozer
We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Recently a letter came from a man who had lost his job. Though he faced discouragement and uncertainty, he refused to give in to despair. In his letter to me he said, "I feel as low as ever in my life, but I know this is not the final word ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Someone once asked the profound question, “How many [Presbyterians] does it take to change a light bulb?” * The correct answer is, of course, “Change the light bulb? Why, my grandfather donated that light bulb!” (1) Well, [Presbyterians] are not the only ones who have trouble with change. Anytime change takes place in any institution, particularly the church, there is resistance. Pastor Pete Kontra tells about a small-town church in upstate New York. They’d had a rector in that church for over thirty-five ...
Sermon
James Merritt
The world of information is now connected through the Internet, but in 1860 the fastest way to send a message was by a newly developed innovation called “The Pony Express.” Young men who loved adventure were hired to ride 8 hours and 80 miles a day on horseback. The 1,946 miles between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California were linked together by 190 stations so that mail delivery could be reduced from 25 days to just 10. These riders rode 6 days a week, for that time, at a very high salary of $ ...
Understanding Series
Mary J. Evans
Saul Falls on His Sword: 31:1–3 The scene moves from David’s successful reclamation of captives and property in the south to the major battle taking place in the north. There was no parallel success for the main Israelite army. Perhaps as a result of Saul’s lack of conviction (ch. 28) lessening their confidence, the Israelite army was unable to repel the Philistine attack. Most fled and many were killed. Saul’s family was targeted, following the maxim that an army without leaders is easier to defeat and ...
Sermon
Richard Patt
The key verse of the parable Jesus tells here has a way of sending a chill down the spine. In that verse God exclaims, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you ..." (v. 20). Hearing that dramatic warning, maybe you have surmised, "Will I ever get caught in a situation where those stern words are addressed to me?" Generally we tend to feel we have our lives on the right track. We try to keep a pleasing balance between material things and the things of the spirit. But when we look objectively, we are ...
1591. On Being Salty
Matthew 5:13-16
Sermon
John Jamison
I don't remember ever meeting my Uncle Peacock. Apparently I did, but it was when I was so young that I really don't remember anything about him. But I have heard enough stories about him that I feel I know him very well. Uncle Peacock died several years ago, though all I know about his death was that it was the result of a long Saturday evening in town with a 20-pound watermelon and a chicken. It seems that somehow he ended up falling off the levee down by the river. I don't know how it all fits together ...
Children's Sermon
Object: A pitcher of water, a glass. Good morning, boys and girls. Today I want to tell you about a fantastic day that we call the birthday of the Church. Did you know that the Church had a birthday? (Let them answer.) How old do you think the Church is? (Let them answer.) It might be a little hard to get the exact year, but I think that it is almost 1,960 years old. That is pretty old isn't it? It was a day like this long ago when the Holy Spirit came to people like you and me, and made them Christians by ...
Children's Sermon
Wesley T. Runk
Object: Detergent used for washing clothes or dishes and a jar of hot water. Good morning, boys and girls. A few days ago a little boy asked me if I had ever heard of the Dead Sea. When I said yes, he wanted to know what had made it sick and how it died. That is a very interesting question. The Dead Sea is in the Holy Land and it is the lowest spot on earth. In the water there is a lot of salt, just as there is in the ocean, but the water in the Dead Sea has nowhere to go and the Sea just gets saltier and ...
1594. Make Up Your Mind!
1 Kings 18:16-46
Sermon
Robert Leslie Holmes
Why hasn’t Hollywood made this into a major motion picture epic? 1 Kings 18 is surely one of the most dramatic accounts in all literature and one of the most significant historical records in the Bible. Its message and natural application are timeless. William Penn said, “Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.” In our Scripture reading for today the people of Israel came together to decide no less a question than who would govern their personal and national lives, who would be their ...
Sermon
Curtis Lewis
Our story opens with Naaman, the military Chief of Staff of the Aramean army. Naaman is a very great man who has received the favor of the King of Aram, Syria, because of his victory over Israel. Anytime Israel lost a battle or a war, the disaster was felt to be the hand of God at work. In the theology of ancient Israel, no foreign army could be victorious over Israel unless it was God's will. As we read this story in 2 Kings 5, we come to the conclusion that Israel's defeat is in accordance with the will ...
Sermon
James Merritt
In the 1950s, one of the most popular TV shows was a game show called "To Tell the Truth." A person in a certain profession was brought in, along with two other people, and they were asked questions by a panel of celebrities to determine who the person really was. The job of the three contestants was to try to fool the celebrities into selecting the wrong person. When the celebrities made their choice, the MC would then say: "Would the real ___ please stand up?" After a moment of suspense, the real person ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Dr. Carlyle Marney once remarked that a person can be understood as being similar to a house. We have our living rooms, where we entertain, and our basements, where we hide the trash. The way to observe All Saints’ Day, he suggested, is to walk out into your front yard and salute the people on your balcony. The balcony people in our lives are those who have gone before us, who have been our encouragers, who have left a legacy. (1) That’s what we do on this Saints’ Day. We salute all the saints who have ...
Sermon
Richard Patt
For a moment, call to mind Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. Green pastures. Still waters. A cup overflowing. Oh, yes! There is a serene side of being a Christian. But this Gospel reading in Luke crashes in on our spiritual serenity. The spell of a peaceful religion is shattered. We become startled as we hear Jesus speak these uprooting words. Some believers have admitted to being shocked and puzzled by what Jesus says here. How about you? How do these words strike you? If anyone comes to me and does not ...
Sermon
Richard Patt
For a moment, call to mind Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. Green pastures. Still waters. A cup overflowing. Oh, yes! There is a serene side of being a Christian. But this Gospel reading in Luke crashes in on our spiritual serenity. The spell of a peaceful religion is shattered. We become startled as we hear Jesus speak these uprooting words. Some believers have admitted to being shocked and puzzled by what Jesus says here. How about you? How do these words strike you? If anyone comes to me and does not ...
1600. The Bond Between Us
Luke 24:36-49
Illustration
Lee Griess
Rebecca Manley Pippert, in her book Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World, gives an example of that kind of bond. She tells about a brilliant college student called Bill who became a Christian. He was part of that generation who dressed differently from their parents. For instance, he never wore shoes, no matter what the weather, and no matter where he went, he dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. In fact, even when he visited the campus church he was always dressed that way, in a t-shirt and jeans and, of ...
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