Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: take action, take steps, take measures, take the initiative, move, make a move, react, do something, proceed, go ahead, behave, function, perform, operate, work, take effect, serve, be efficacious, play, play a part, take part, be an actor, be an actress, be one of the cast, appear, pretend, play-act, sham, fake, feign, put it on, bluff, pose, posture, masquerade, dissemble, dissimulate, deed, action, gesture, feat, exploit, performance, undertaking, maneuver, stunt, operation, venture, effort, enterprise, achievement, accomplishment, law, decree, statute, bill, Act of Parliament, edict, fiat, dictum, dictate, enactment, resolution, ruling, rule, judgement, canon, ordinance, proclamation, command, commandment, mandate, measure, stipulation, direction, requirement, division, section, subsection, portion, part, segment, component, bit, turn, routine, number, item, piece, sketch, skit, playlet, dance, song, pretense, false display, show, front, facade, charade, guise, affectation, appearance

Antonyms: do nothing

Showing 1 to 25 of 568 results

1. Division of the House

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

William G. Carter

... did he know? Our world has been visited by the Son of God. The stunning response is that his visit has created all kinds of problems. Just when we were touched by grace, sin grabbed hold and didn’t let go. Just when we saw glimpses of unity, division disrupted our better intentions. Just when we thought we knew the way beyond hatred, a sword started swinging. How did Jesus know? How did he know that, in the year 1850, 46 members of the Presbyterian church in Owego, New York, would split off to form their ...

2. Our Splintered World

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... castle was a wooden cross On which he hung so high His helmet was a crown of thorns Whose crest did touch the sky. - Author unknown This is the man that brought the judgment of God upon the people. This is the man that divides families, communities and nations. The division he brought extends from his day to our day, and each person must decide which side he or she is on. There is no neutrality. "He who is not with me is against me." (Matthew 12:30) So it comes right down to the personal question: in the ...

3. Our Splintered World

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

4. Spirit Signs

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... great upheaval due to the issues of the times. And yet he knew he had no choice but to carry it out. The head-in-the-sand “amnesia” of Jesus’ contemporaries may seem odd to us now, but when one is in the midst of divisive upheaval, paradigmatic change, cultural shift, even within an atmosphere of oppression and revolution, that person often will, either consciously or unconsciously, not see it for what it is. When it comes to what’s going on around us, we tend to practice “selective comprehension ...

5. The Spirit Of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... just individually. This means that the whole body of believers were immersed in the energy and power of the Spirit. Can you conceive of such power when true believers come together in one accord for Christ? Can you imagine the walls that are knocked down, the divisions that are mended, the strife and impediments overcome for the Glory of God? Can you imagine the joy God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost had at such a willing display of humility and obedience to the things of God? Can you imagine how ...

6. Peace And The Peacemakers

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Richard Patt

... voice here. A little later we will talk about the deeper meaning behind the words that capture our ears here, phrases like, "I came to cast fire upon the earth," and "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division...." Coming from Jesus, these words demand explanation, because we would expect Jesus to say the opposite of what we hear him saying here. But for now let us try to understand these words in light of what was going on in Jesus' life at the time. That is ...

7. The Importance of Unity

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... say that, and we cannot squirm out from under the charge quite so easily as we might wish. Much as we may justify our divisions and discord, the world rightly looks to us for a modeling of unity, a place where people can live together for the common good ... is hard enough when we have the mutual support of all of God’s people, but when that support is eroded by the wash of divisions and strife, our task is all but impossible. We need one another to do the will of God, and when the church is turned over ...

8. Binding Up the Fractured World

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... in these chapters. The wisdom of God is not gauged by intellectual content or by particular kinds of knowledge. The wisdom of God is humble obedience. It is to "know the Lord" and to follow the path he sets before us. It is to trust and to act accordingly. Division is caused by people insisting on their own way, on promoting their own thought and well-being, even if it is at the expense of others. "Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool ...

9. Time to Pick a Side

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

King Duncan

... constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will ... because of her choice. (4) Sometimes you have to choose. Let me give one more example of how total commitment can cause tension and even division: Ron Luce’s parents divorced when he was a child. When he was 15, he moved in with his father. His father was not the ...

10. Look What Happened On The Cross!

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... , because Jesus put us all on his shoulders and died this day for each and every single human being. No room for squabbling on Jesus’ shoulders no matter how broad those shoulders are. That’s what makes this Friday good. His sacrifice burns away all the divisions among us, burns down all the pettiness of the present order of things, and sets you and me and all the faithful on fire with his love! His fire turns us into subversive rebels towards the ways of the world. [1] Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The ...

11. The Man, the Message, and the Mission

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

George Bass

... came to cast fire on earth, and would that it were already kindled?" How could he declare, "I have a baptism to be baptized with," and then go on to say, "Do you think I have come to give peace on earth?" - and then announce, "No, I tell you, rather division"? How does all of this fit into the plan for his life that was sung by angels, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will?" Something strange is going on here, isn’t it, as Jesus engages in his teaching-healing journey that ...

12. Communion Is Reunion

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Sermon

... , because of such spiritual snobbery, those Christians will have little to do with the likes of you and me. They will not even share Holy Communion with us at the Lord's Table. Now that's sad when the Lord's Supper becomes a symbol of division. This is not only true between differing denominations but it is even true within denominations. The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church will not allow other Lutherans to partake of the Lord's Supper in one of their worship services because they are not a member of that ...

13. The Mud Room

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... set forth by the Pharisees will be sanctioned, declared clean, and allowed into that community! This is the ultimate in exclusivity! Shunning is about control and order. “Believe as we do or get kicked out!” It’s alienation. And this kind of intolerance and division creates collateral damage. It creates a “fragile” culture. Think for a moment about a piece of pottery. Pottery is made by combining mud (clay) and water and forming it into a jar or bowl. As long as the pottery is messy and moist, it ...

14. The Art of Reconciliation

Luke 12:49-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to pay attention to what was happening within their time. He then further challenges them to take on the responsibility for reconciliation – with those around them, within communities, among those around them, even with those who disagree with them! Jesus’ presence may have caused division, but this was a consequence of his message, not an intent. Jesus’ intent is clear – be a messenger of peace. Be a healer and a reconciler of God’s people. In doing so, you will do the restorative work of God’s ...

15. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... your head; but you can keep them from building a nest in your head." He was talking about sexual temptations which can become lust. When we don't stop sexual temptations early, they make their home in our minds and become demons. People are subject to the divisive invasion of the demons called lust. If you are still not sure of the reality of demons, ask a recovering alcoholic how his or her condition was produced, or how difficult it is to overcome; or ask someone who is trying to recover from the power of ...

16. Heal the Sick; Cast Out the Demons

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... soul. A person who has not been able to whip the addiction recently told me, "I don’t know why I did it again. I don’t know what made me do it. I felt out of control, as if there was another me fighting what I wanted to do." Division sets in. Lust is a demon too. Starting naturally as a sexual desire, it begins to take over the mind of a person, soon gaining control and making everything stand behind it in importance and ruining many a life. Martin Luther said: "You can’t keep the birds of temptation ...

17. God's Prescription for a Healthy Christian

Jude 1:17-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... am reminded of the story of two brothers who got into a fight. The mother ran upstairs to break it up. She said, "What happened?" One of the brothers said, "It all started when he hit me back." Friend, it is not the person who stands for truth that is divisive, but rather the person who stands against the truth. One of my favorite stories is of an old farmer who was driving down the road in his old pickup truck. His wife was sitting all the way on the other side of the cab. She looked at him and said ...

18. The Great Divide

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

... we didn't and still don't see evidence of that." Good answer, I thought. How do we reconcile that expectation with the reality we face? And while we're at it, how do we reconcile it with Jesus proclaiming that he came as a fire starter, a division bringer? Part of the answer for me is not found in contentious church board meetings, or wars in the Middle East, or starving children all over the world, but in the potential I see at meetings like the ones I shared. There we experienced a time of peace when ...

19. Death: Commonality Explored

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

... the phrase good grief. For one thing, it is a means of pointing to pain with purpose, hope encased in travail. It is right, necessary, and therapeutic to grieve. As the early Christians knew so well, death is not the end. Their Lord proved it wasn’t. The divisions in Christ’s church are not the end of the story. Grief will bring us to a new and better day. There is a final point to be made. Transition Once death occurs, things are not the same. Moses was gone and Joshua had taken over. The importance ...

20. A Woman's Place

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... Dole said, "I wrote back.`Buddy you don't know the half of it. The only reason that she was helping me is that the photographer was there.'" It is a new world, and anybody who doesn't think that there has to be some adjustments to the division of labor in a modern home is not looking realistically at the situation. When Paul says to men, "Men love your wives." he is establishing a principle that cannot be ignored in this new society in which we live. There needs to be some adjustments. There are differences ...

21. Removing Obstacles

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sermon

James L. Killen

... of the Christian faith so that the Corinthian Christians would know what to do about them. The things that Paul said to the Corinthians can help us to get things into proper perspective, too. Paul stated the problem. He had heard that there are divisions in the church and that the people are quarreling with one another rather than being united in the same mind and purpose. At first glance, it appeared that something like denominations were emerging as the churches meeting in different houses in the city ...

22. The Counter Intelligence of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Paul even breathes a sigh of satirical relief that he performed so few baptisms. At least there are a limited number who might misunderstand their baptism as “in the name of Paul,” instead of in Christ’s name. Now Paul asserts why this divisiveness is so wrong among the Corinthians, and reveals the greatest threat to the church. First, Paul testifies that he was sent by Christ, and that he was specifically sent “To proclaim the gospel.” This “gospel,” the unique message of Christ, is presented ...

23. Dividing Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... and saw that I was not in Bangladesh but rather in the United States, in a county on the affluent north side of Atlanta. It was a stunning and difficult revelation. In today's passage, the author of Ephesians makes a direct attack on these kinds of divisions, and he affirms that in Jesus Christ, there is a whole new vision — a whole new world — that we are asked to enter and to explore. He proclaims that God has broken down the dividing walls in Jesus Christ, and in this movement, we are called into ...

24. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... raises another question, “How do we know that the Old Testament that we have is the Old Testament that they wrote?” We know it, because it is the same Old Testament that Jesus quoted from. When Jesus referred to the Old Testament, He used that same threefold division. “Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’” (Luke 24:44, ESV) But that raises ...

25. True Worship

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . Jews, Gentiles, together. Paul says he falls to his knees in wonder that such a fresh new day has dawned for these Jews and Gentiles in the church in Ephesus. Paul doesn't say that God will break down these walls someday or that God ought to heal our divisions. Christ has already done this. From the cross Christ reached out and embraced all, forgave all, loved all. That's done by God. "What's not yet done is our comprehension of what Christ has done. So Paul prays for us that one day we will get it into ...

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