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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 151 to 175 of 4964 results

151. Lost Hope

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

King Duncan

... out by such a fatalistic act. And yet there are people everywhere who are slowly killing themselves because they have grown hopeless about their lives. They may not drink unboiled water but they are killing themselves nonetheless. Unhealthy lifestyles, senseless risk taking, oppressive stress, and all because they have lost hope. But here is the good news for the day: Change is possible! Baptism tells us so.

Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime: therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone, therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

Reinhold Niebuhr

153. Loss of Hope is Deadly

Illustration

Michael P. Green

In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl, successor of Sigmund Freud at Vienna, argued that the “loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect on man.” As a result of his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, Frankl contended that when a man no longer possesses a motive for living, no future to look toward, he curls up in a corner and dies. “Any attempt to restore a man’s inner strength in camp,” he wrote, “had first to succeed in showing him some future goal.”

154. Enough For Fifty Hopes

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... has his philosophies all worked out, and none of them include God. But then he admits to an older friend: Just when we are safest, there’s a sunset-touch, A fancy from a flower-bell, someone’s death, A chorus-ending from Euripides. And that’s enough for fifty hopes and fears; The Grand Perhaps.

155. Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 31:1-9, Isaiah 32:1-8, Isaiah 32:9-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the major emphases in these chapters. In response, God’s people wait for the fullness of redemption. As Christians, we believe the day of redemption is closer since the coming of the Lord Jesus. Yet, along with the saints of the Old Testament, we must have a real sense of hope and longing for the fullness of redemption to which the prophet bears witness.

156. Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Hope

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... and nine thousand miles later, Vietnamese refugee Nguyen Van Hoa leaned down from a tiny, crowded boat and plucked the bottle from the South China Sea-amazed to find a name and address, a dollar for postage and the promise of a reward. "It gave me hope," said Hoa, who had escaped from a prison camp in Vietnam. Safe in a UN refugee camp in Thailand, Hoa wrote the surprised Peckhams. For two years they corresponded; Hoa married and had a son. Five years later, the Peckhams agreed to co-sponsor the emigration ...

157. Hope on the High Seas

Humor Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

You may remember the story of the long and rough Atlantic crossing where the seasick passenger was leaning over the rail of the ocean liner and had turned several shades of green. A steward came along and tried to cheer him up by saying, "Don't be discouraged, sir! You know, no one's ever died of seasickness yet!" The nauseous passenger looked up at the steward with baleful eyes and replied: "Oh, don't say that! It's only the hope of dying that’s kept me alive this long!"

158. A Garden of Hope

Illustration

Author Unknown

In his book for young readers, A Child’s Garden: A Story of Hope, Michael Foreman tells the story of a boy living in a war-torn land strewn with rubble and bordered with a barbed-wire fence. The boy noticed a tiny green plant, began to care for it, and soon had a beautiful grapevine that not only hid the wire but also ...

159. Desires Bring Hope

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

John G. Lynch

An old man died in a Manhattan brownstone some years ago. No one in the neighborhood knew much about him. Some neighbors thought he was odd and eccentric. Most ignored him altogther. Just a silly recluse, they said. When he died the newspapers sent a reporter to his brownstone home. Inside they found newspapers and magazines stacked to the ceilings. Narrow corridors wound in a maze throughout the house. When the papers and magazines were removed, furniture of all kinds, including 17 grand pianos were found ...

160. Liquid Hope

John 7:25-44

Sermon

James Weekley

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.' " Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive. John 7:37-39a (RSV) Our bodies contain the following percentages of water: muscles, 75%; blood, 92% ; bones, 22%; the enamel on our teeth, 2%. That liquid with two parts hydrogen and one part ...

161. Hope For The End Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

Humorist Lewis Grizzard writes about a man in his hometown named Luther Gilroy. Luther claimed he was out plowing his field and saw a sign in the sky that said THE END IS NEAR. So Luther let his mule and his cow out of their pens, gave all his chickens away, and climbed on top of his house to await the end. When it didn't come, he pouted and refused to come down off the roof. Finally, his wife called the deputy sheriff, who came over and said, "Luther, you idiot, I saw that same sign. It didn't say, `The ...

162. Hope For A New Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A letter Boys and Girls: Suppose a member of your family--your grandparents or an aunt and uncle--lived hundreds of miles away. Suppose it was not possible for your family to visit them or for them to visit you. And suppose they had never seen you. Your parents are very proud of you. Now imagine that they want to tell your family members all about you. How could they do it? They could send a letter like this one, couldn't they? They could describe the color of your hair and your eyes and how tall ...

163. Is There Hope for the Hapless Wedding Guest?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Darrick Acre

Strange parable. Great beginning; catastrophic ending. Yet I find myself drawn to the hapless wedding guest because nobody else is. The first sermon I ever heard in a Nazarene Church was when I was in high school. Pastor Roy Hoover preached on this wretched wedding guest. It so chilled me out that I didn’t go back for a year. I’ve never forgotten it. I’ve never heard one on it since! When preachers come to this miserable fellow, like the Jews of old meeting a leper on the road, they give him a wide berth. ...

164. THE HOPE HE LEFT BEHIND

Drama

Angela Akers

SUBJECT: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day CHARACTERS: Martin Luther King, Jr., Angel SETTING: On their way to Heaven PROPS: None (Martin walks into the area where the angel is. He is disoriented by the sight of the angel). Martin: "Wha....Where am I? Am I dead?" Angel: "Yes, Martin, you''re dead. It''s my job to take you to Heaven." Martin: "Wait a minute! There''s a problem here. I need to go back. I can''t go now. My work is not done." Angel: "I''m sorry, Martin, but you have to." Martin ...

165. Hope Is Medicinal

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The story of the healing of the leper is a wonderful story of Jesus' power over the destructive forces in this world. It comes at the conclusion of the first chapter. The first chapter of Mark is there as an introduction to who Jesus is. The first chapter of Mark has four healing miracle stories in a row, back to back. In fact, there are five in this series. The fifth one opens up the second chapter, the story of the healing of the paralytic, who is lowered down to Jesus through the roof of a house. Jesus ...

166. Hope for a Lost Cause

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Illustration

Andrea Martin

Summertime is here, so I've taken up gardening. Old hat to many of you, but it's new to me. So a few weeks ago, when a friend told me nasturtium seeds would be easy – a gardener's instant gratification she promised – I decided to start there. I bought nasturtium seeds and potting soil and planted some in a peat pot the size of a small votive candle. I checked a reference book I'd bought and read up on how much water and sunlight the nasturtiums needed. Each day afterwards, I checked for sprouts. After ...

167. Hope From the Grave

Illustration

Warren W. Wiersbe

While waiting in a cemetery to conduct a funeral service, Charles Simeon walked among the graves, looking at the epitaphs. He found one that arrested him. When from the dust of death I rise, To claim my mansion in the skies, E'en then shall this be all my plea "Jesus hath lived and died for me." He was so impressed with that gospel message that he looked for someone in the cemetery with whom he might share it. He saw a young woman, obviously distressed, and called her over to read the epitaph. He took her ...

168. Forever Hopeful

Romans 8:18-25

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: An acorn Good morning, boys and girls. I brought this acorn with me this morning to remind me of a little saying: Every great oak was once a nut that stood its ground. That saying is somewhat of a play on words, but it is true. A tiny acorn falls to the ground. If it takes root and does what an acorn is suppose to do, some day it will be a giant oak tree. That's amazing, isn't it? We're kind of like that acorn, aren't we? If we live like God intends for us to live--if we take care of our bodies, ...

169. Psalms of Hope and Praise

Micah 7:8-13, Micah 7:14-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The prophecy of Micah concludes with four sections (7:8–10, 11–15, 16–17, 18–20) united by their psalmlike style and their forward look to the time of restoration. Micah continues to speak in the first-person singular, but now he stands for the whole nation. He envisions the time when Israel will be downtrodden and taunted by her enemies. He warns these nations not to rejoice too much, since God will deliver his people from their distress. The prophet proclaims that, though now the people of God are laid ...

170. Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 66:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Yahweh’s Closing Critique and Vision: In these last two chapters of the book, once more we cannot discern an order or structure. The succession of phrases that look like introductions to prophecies (65:8, 13, 25; 66:1, 5, 12, 22) and the movement between verse and prose suggest that here it is not because a prophet let a stream of consciousness have its way. It is, rather, because a number of separate prophecies have been accumulated at the end of the book. These different prophecies have overlapping ...

171. Speaking Truth to Power and Hope to the Powerless

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

Let's get this story straight; Jesus and his disciples were making their way to the town of Capernaum, and as they were walking along three things happened: First, Jesus told his disciples that things were going to go downhill in a big hurry, that he would be betrayed, killed, but three days later, he would rise again. That's the first thing that happened. The second thing that was going on was that the disciples didn't understand what in the world he meant, and they were afraid to ask him. It makes sense ...

172. Hope for the Future

Illustration

Michio Kaku

Consider the words of Benjamin Franklin, America’s last great scientist/statesman, when he made a prediction not just about the next century but about the next thousand years. In 1780, he noted with regret that men often acted like wolves toward one another, mainly because of the grinding burden of surviving in a harsh world. He wrote: "It is impossible to imagine the height to which may be carried, in a thousand years, the power of man over matter. We may perhaps learn to deprive large masses of their ...

173. Hoping for a Different Outcome

Humor

Boy to friend on school bus: "This morning I woke up with chills, sore throat, headache, and an upset stomach." Friend: "So what!" Boy: "Nothing, I guess except that it didn't work."

174. What Will He Find ... When He Comes?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... already, you are not going to make it." That's the question Jesus addresses in this parable and its conclusion. Are we going to make it? Do we pray constantly, keeping our eyes fixed on him whose will is our guide and whose faithfulness is the root of our hope? Do we live in the faith, expecting great things to happen in our lives, in our congregation, and even in our world? It was a Scottish preacher who once observed that to say something is hopeless is to slam the door in God's face! Again, it's Lucy ...

175. Ring Those Bells

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... all want to do better. We all want to be better. We all know that we have “fallen short” of the glory of God. We just need some motivation, some goal besides Wall Street or Rodeo Drive to make the “better” happen.” Hope in Christ is that motivation. Hope in Christ is that promise. Because Jesus is the ultimate “something better.” This has not been an easy week for some of us. We have lost…[mention someone in your congregation who died recently]. We had a wonderful witness to the resurrection ...

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Showing 151 to 175 of 4964 results

151. Lost Hope

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

King Duncan

Reinhold Niebuhr

153. Loss of Hope is Deadly

Illustration

Michael P. Green

154. Enough For Fifty Hopes

Illustration

Michael P. Green

155. Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 31:1-9, Isaiah 32:1-8, Isaiah 32:9-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

156. Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Hope

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

157. Hope on the High Seas

Humor Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

158. A Garden of Hope

Illustration

Author Unknown

159. Desires Bring Hope

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

John G. Lynch

160. Liquid Hope

John 7:25-44

Sermon

James Weekley

161. Hope For The End Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

162. Hope For A New Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

163. Is There Hope for the Hapless Wedding Guest?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Darrick Acre

164. THE HOPE HE LEFT BEHIND

Drama

Angela Akers

165. Hope Is Medicinal

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Mark Trotter

166. Hope for a Lost Cause

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Illustration

Andrea Martin

167. Hope From the Grave

Illustration

Warren W. Wiersbe

168. Forever Hopeful

Romans 8:18-25

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

169. Psalms of Hope and Praise

Micah 7:8-13, Micah 7:14-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

170. Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 66:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

171. Speaking Truth to Power and Hope to the Powerless

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

172. Hope for the Future

Illustration

Michio Kaku

173. Hoping for a Different Outcome

Humor

Boy to friend on school bus: "This morning I woke up with chills, sore throat, headache, and an upset stomach." Friend: "So what!" Boy: "Nothing, I guess except that it didn't work."

174. What Will He Find ... When He Comes?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

175. Ring Those Bells

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

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