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 all results

1. Get the Picture?

John 18:1; 19:42

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... silence as the second nail was snatched from the bucket and the Roman soldier moved to the next hand. The thump came again. Another cry of anguish and another gasp from those watching. You look over and see the smug faces of the religious leaders. They feigned sadness, concern, or even a distaste for the actions before them but all along they lobbied, pressed, and lied to get this rabble rouser to the cross. Jesus had called them whitewashed tombs. He had pointed out that they had followed the letter of the ...

2. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

... clergy as one "who undertakes the management of our spiritual affairs as a method of bettering his temporal ones."1 The specific problem with religious hypocrites is that they are not only "holier-than-thou"; they are also "holier-than-themselves." They feign devotion, but it is mostly counterfeit. As virtually every Youth Sunday sermon is quick to observe, hypocrites sit piously in pews (or stand piously in pulpits) on Sunday mornings praying the prayers and singing the hymns when, truth be known, they are ...

3. Our Living Hope

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... been ducking hostile questions, weaving through discussions, and jabbing back with knockout punches throughout this 20th chapter of Luke's gospel. Three times thus far in this chapter, hostile questions have been raised, sometimes as open challenges and sometimes with feigned sincerity. Each time Jesus has turned these combative questions to his advantage. A Procession Of Opposition First come the chief priests, the scribes and the elders. This is no mere visit of the temple guard; Jesus is confronted by ...

4. Peace as Shalom

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

... of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery, but let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism. "Be yourself, expecially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of acridity and dis-enchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. "Nurture strength of spirit to shield you from sudden ...

5. Acceptance: The Keynote

Ruth 2:1-23

Sermon

... share in completing the trio. Grateful Response Gratitude is the hallmark of the closing portion of the passage. We read about it from both Boaz and Ruth. Acceptance is a two-way street. He is not superimposing his will upon her and she is not feigning for the sake of conformity. We can hardly speak of gratitude separate from the Eucharist. Christian unity, in its limitless forms and shapes, is overjoyed today by the old/new emphasis on this sacrament being the central feature of our worship together as his ...

6. An Old Plan For New People

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

... :1-19 is that God had business to transact with Abraham, a covenant to establish. Let us now expand upon the obvious, for the transaction with the Chaldean contains certain affirmations relative to our own cases. 1. God Can Use Us Where We Are Abraham feigned senility, implying that old age had rendered him incompetent, unable to dream new dreams or embark upon extended undertakings. Was it not in his memory that Adam had become the father of Seth at 130 years of age, had other sons and daughters, and died ...

7. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... turned all her attention to their visitor. A minute or two of this sort of thing was all it took for the steam to start coming out of Martha's ears. We do not know exactly how long it took, but finally, with teeth barely unclenched and a fake smile feigned on her face, she comes in and asks, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Here is where we come to the problem. Instead of Jesus saying, "Martha, you're right. It is not fair ...

8. On Being Mistaken For A Mannequin

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan

... at the age of fourteen while standing motionless in front of a Christmas tree as a joke. A woman touched him and exclaimed, "Oh, I thought it was a real person." Doing nothing is really impossible ” even for the Motionless Man. Fuqua attributes his feigned paralysis to hyper elastic skin, an extremely low pulse rate, and intense concentration. He may not laugh at your jokes, but he readily admits that he still has to breathe and blink ” occasionally. (1) I read about Bill Fuqua, the motionless man, and ...

9. We Know Where You Came From

John 6:41-51

Sermon

King Duncan

... that everyone assumed it was real. Benny did nothing to discourage it, because it gave him a ready device for comedy. One day he was having lunch with Edgar Bergen of "Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy" fame at the Brown Derby. Benny demanded the check. The waiter feigned surprise and said, "Mr. Benny, I'm surprised to hear you ask for the check." "So am I," Benny said, "That's the last time I'll ever eat with a ventriloquist." (2) Once people think they have you figured out, it is difficult to change their ...

10. Body Language

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the shoulders, crossing the arms over the chest, all may tell us what the other party is thinking far more accurately than the words that come from his or her lips. In fact, some business books advise people to feign interest by deliberately using specific body language. For example, one source states that "steepling of hands is usually interpreted as a sign of deep thought. Doctors and psychiatric professionals traditionally steeple when listening to patients. Result: Someone who deliberately steeples ...

11. What Fragrance Are You Leaving?

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... moved him toward saying, "Yes!" his head said, "Maybe we shouldn't rush into this." So, when Jesus did not meet Judas' mental standard of what a Messiah should be, it was easy for Judas to forget just how much Jesus had done for the very people Judas feigned to protect--and Judas sold him out. Mary, on the other hand, was full of joy because of her encounter with Jesus, and her life and spirit had to express it. If it had not been with precious ointment, she would have found another way. Different people ...

12. Worried About Her Child

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Jesus says, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Was he calling this woman a dog? I refuse to believe that. More likely he was citing a common expression of his time. Perhaps he shrugged his shoulders in feigned hopelessness as he said it. Maybe there was a playful expression on his face. We don't know. The Scripture does not record body language. However Jesus stated his reluctance, this woman was not put off. "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs ...

13. Beautiful Words Of Life

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... into a coma-like state, which can last up to six hours. Most wild animals will not eat a dead animal, so the predator often leaves the opossum alone. (5) In the southern U.S. people use the expression, "playing possum." It means that people are immobile, feigning death. That reminds me of many Christians. It's like the old joke about the man who died in church. Paramedics carried out six people before they got to the right one. Our lives lack spiritual vitality. They lack joy, they lack life. I believe the ...

14. Children Of Dust Or Children Of God?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." There was a strange story in the news sometime back. It was about a fifty-three-year-old man who was convicted of defrauding the Veterans Administration for more than $700,000 by feigning paralysis for more than twenty years. He had been faithfully reporting to VA facilities during that time in a wheelchair after having bound his arms and legs tightly for days before visits so they would temporarily atrophy. (5) Now, imagine that. Here is a man ...

15. What Is Required of Us?

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... Old Testament is not contrary to the New; for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard who feign (who falsely teach) that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the law given from God by Moses as touching ceremonies and rites doth not bind Christians, nor ought the civil precepts thereof of necessity be received in any commonwealth; yet ...

16. The World's Greatest Cover Up

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... disguises your true feelings, your genuine concerns? Some of our cover ups are insignificant, even benevolent. How many times have you listened to your uncle ramble on about the eternally on-going renovation of his old sailboat? How often have you feigned fascination with the various powers and proclivities of the hundreds of Pokemon creatures for your five year old? How many times have you smilingly sampled incredibly inedible experiments that your spouse has concocted? The problem is that too often that ...

17. What's Holding You Together?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... been given. Remember: you can’t escape the cross. But you can escape being in a relationship with the Christ of the cross. You don’t have to sing “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.” You don’t have to sing “Beneath the Cross of Jesus, I Feign Would Take My Stand.” You don’t have to sing “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” You don’t have to sing “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?” You don’t have to sing “In the Cross of Christ I Glory. . . . Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure ...

18. Uh-Huh!

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the final word. Not one person or group with power could bring themselves to stand against this snowballing forfeiture of justice. It was easier for the religious authorities to pass Jesus over to the Roman political machine. The civil rulers then feigned ignorance of the injustice because they were not Jewish and thus were incapable of properly understanding the issue. Notwithstanding everyone's protestations to the contrary, Jesus stood alone in the room as the only person with a clear conscience. It is ...

19. Tested, for God’s Sake

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Mike Ripski

You had those teachers, who were so susceptible to their students’ feigned interest that they could be enticed to use up the whole class period on some esoteric topic and run out of time for the intended the pop quiz. There’s something about a test that makes us anxious. We may fail. Our weakness, inadequacy, ignorance will be exposed. We know ...

20. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... turned all her attention to their visitor. A minute or two of this sort of thing was all it took for the steam to start coming out of Martha's ears. We do not know exactly how long it took, but finally, with teeth barely unclenched and a fake smile feigned on her face, she comes in and asks, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" (Luke 10:40). Here is where we come to the problem. We would expect Jesus to say, "Martha, you're ...

21. Prison Theology: Bait and Bail

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... friends that preferences execution to executive action necessary in running the church. Paul’s hedging over "I do not know what I shall choose" is not so much Paul’s thinking out loud as it is a writing skill known as "diaporeis," or "feigned perplexity." Paul knew he was not going to bail on the Philippian Christian community. But he wanted to showcase the fearlessness of faith while assuring them he would stick around as long as possible to introduce as many as possible to Christ. Paul showed ...

22. Let It Loose!

Mark 7:31-37, Exodus 4:1-17, Exodus 4:18-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... creatures. Our minds harden like fossils so much that God nearly has to break us apart just to get us to see clearly, hear Jesus’ voice, and be willing to follow Him into the places where He wants us to go. We protest, we cajole, we make excuses, we feign weakness. But you see, God doesn’t buy any of it. That’s like telling your mom you have a fever after heating up the thermometer under the faucet. Moms always know, don’t they? Why? Cause she’s mom! Dads too! So does God. We can’t fool ...

23. The Invisible Robe of Righteousness

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ourselves, so to speak, in a new robe of righteousness, a wedding robe celebrating the Son of God, a pure robe of intent, a robe of praise. We can turn to God, honor God, and pay homage to his Son Jesus as Lord and Savior. We not only need to feign our loyalty to God, or just show up at the venue, but we need to “dress” for the part! We need to put on clothing that indicates the kind of character inside, at least the kind of intent we have to follow through. To understand Jesus’ parable, we need to ...

24. What Jesus Saw

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... of faith. Faith is not an outward show of piety but an inner trust that God will provide you with everything you need. The widow in the temple had that kind of trust in God and gave her all to God. The religious leaders, for all their feigned piety and theological training, didn’t have a clue about the real meaning of faith. And Jesus said that one day they would regret their hypocrisy. The religious leaders put on a show for the people who were under their care. The poor widow had only an audience ...

25. Don't Worry, Be Peaceful

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

Scott Bryte & Kimberly Miller van Driel

... to celebrate how God came to us at Christmas. We gear ourselves up to joy in the coming of Christ. There is more to our waiting however than just a countdown to Christmas. In Advent we don’t just pretend to wait for something that happened millennia ago, and then feign surprise at the birth of Jesus. Advent is a time of real waiting. It is a time of real anticipation and expectation. It is a time to look toward what comes next. It is a time to look forward to the promised return of our Lord. We all know ...

Showing 1 to 25 of 25all results

Antonyms: do nothing

Showing all results

1. Get the Picture?

John 18:1; 19:42

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

2. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

3. Our Living Hope

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

4. Peace as Shalom

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

5. Acceptance: The Keynote

Ruth 2:1-23

Sermon

6. An Old Plan For New People

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

7. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

8. On Being Mistaken For A Mannequin

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan

9. We Know Where You Came From

John 6:41-51

Sermon

King Duncan

10. Body Language

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

King Duncan

11. What Fragrance Are You Leaving?

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

12. Worried About Her Child

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

13. Beautiful Words Of Life

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

14. Children Of Dust Or Children Of God?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

15. What Is Required of Us?

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

16. The World's Greatest Cover Up

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

17. What's Holding You Together?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

18. Uh-Huh!

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

19. Tested, for God’s Sake

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Mike Ripski

20. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... turned all her attention to their visitor. A minute or two of this sort of thing was all it took for the steam to start coming out of Martha's ears. We do not know exactly how long it took, but finally, with teeth barely unclenched and a fake smile feigned on her face, she comes in and asks, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" (Luke 10:40). Here is where we come to the problem. We would expect Jesus to say, "Martha, you're ...

21. Prison Theology: Bait and Bail

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

22. Let It Loose!

Mark 7:31-37, Exodus 4:1-17, Exodus 4:18-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

23. The Invisible Robe of Righteousness

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner