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 2599 results

1. The Iron, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Titanium Rules

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... theology in short form: “Have it your way!” None of these metal mental mantras [ed: you may need to practice saying “metal mental mantras” a few times, or leave out the word “mental”], not even The Golden Rule, are pure enough for Jesus. None of these metal mental mantras are free enough for Jesus of the dross of self-centeredness. Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum — Jesus called for a “plague on all your houses.” A few years ago American Express quietly introduced its most exclusive new card ...

2. Anything Better Than the Golden Rule?

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

William G. Carter

... said, “Oh, really? Well, do you know what troubles me most?” The student said, “No, I don’t know what troubles you the most.” The rabbi said, “How can you say that you love me if you don’t know what troubles me most?” If I take the Golden Rule seriously, it means that I am going to take you seriously. We share our burdens because we know what it is like to carry a burden. We listen to others because we know how it feels to be ignored. Like the Good Samaritan, we reach out to others because ...

3. Rules for Basic Living

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... real, but spiritual poverty can be replaced. As Christians we are to reach into human poverty and get our hands dirty by helping those in need. This is also true of spiritual poverty. As Christians we are to help others find the richness of God’s grace! Second basic rule for living — hope in our weeping and need (Luke 6:21b). Where does hope stem from in life? It stems from help from God. Dr. W.T. Purkiser said that the future belongs to those who belong to God and that this is the foundation of hope. A ...

4. Rules For Living

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Robert Allen

... it is worth noting that the first four deal with our relationship to God, and the last six deal with our relationship to other people. Before any of us can live rightly, we must have some principles within which to guide our lives. In these rules for living, there are three things which I believe are important. I. The Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God. The first four commandments clearly deal with our relationship to God. The first commandment affirms the supremacy of God by declaring, "You ...

5. Rule Breakers

Matthew 5:21-37

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... He used that phrase, or some variation of it, four times in this passage. Jesus isn’t undoing the Law and the teachings of the Prophets. He is illuminating them. He is showing us what it looks like when our inner being and our actions are guided, not by rules, but by the nature and love of God. And buried in this list of “You have heard that it was said . . . But I tell you that …” is the heart of this passage. This is the teaching that I believe illuminates this whole passage. It’s in Matthew 5 ...

6. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

... , the programming credits cut in during the climatic action scenes. The ending is unknown. The viewer is left to write their own ending. This is also the good news in Mark’s gospel. We get to write the ending of our own lives - regardless of past mistakes. The rules have changed and yes, we may feel like we are being abandoned by those who we thought were our friends. We get to write the final chapter of our own life journey in Mark’s gospel. This is how Mark presents the good news while realizing the ...

7. Playing Outside the Rules

Luke 6:27-38 · Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... all your heart, mind, and soul, throwing yourself at the feet of Jesus: Lord, have mercy. You pray that God gives you mercy, forgiveness, love, and redemption. We are a fickle kind of people. So, says Jesus, if you really want to live by your own rules instead of God’s rules, then apply them to yourselves: You want an eye for an eye? Do you really want God to reward you with what you’ve done? You want justice for what’s been done to you? Do you really want God to exact justice from you for everything ...

8. Rules for the Road

Joshua 3:7-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... was brought down to the water's edge and carried forward before anyone crossed. The ark headlighted and illuminated their way forward. Road Rule #3: Stay on the Road One thing is certain about the 21st century: It will veer off in directions we cannot now ... way. By sticking to the road, the people of Israel found a path of dry, safe ground on which to cross into the uncertain future. Road Rule #4: Stay Awake at the Wheel. There are times to rest. There are times to stop the car and get out. But don't get out ...

9. Rules For A Happy Life

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... live in? Jesus said we should "do unto others as we would have them do unto us." That's playing the game of life by the rules. Knute Rockne had a poem on the wall of the Notre Dame locker room that may sound a little dated now, but its message belongs ... A practical, down-to-earth formula against which to measure the daily choices of our lives. Does it make good sense? Is it faithful to the rules in which I believe? Is it true to the person I want to be? Would I mind if other people knew? Could I be pleased if ...

10. House Rules, Forgiveness, and Why Rat Poison Is not Good for You

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Roy Howard

... a new public school teacher what’s the most important thing on the first day of school she said, without hesitation, “Setting the common rules for the classroom. That creates the tone for the whole year, in one day.” Then she went through a list of the expectations ... , of course, but with a common structure to handle them when they occur. Like the well-ordered classroom, the Rule of St. Benedict provides a tone for the whole community. Everyone knows the expectations and this has proven successful ...

11. Rule of Love

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

... of Scripture by Scripture. In other words, you can’t cherry pick one verse here and another there and claim that those verses, isolated from the message of the Bible as a whole, constitute God’s will and God’s truth. Yet another guideline is called The Rule of Love, and as you can see, I have borrowed this phrase for the title of this sermon. This is at the heart of what I would say to that Baptist minister from Arizona: The fundamental expression of God’s will is the twofold commandment to love ...

12. Changing The Rules

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... ball instead of having to volley the ball. This enabled all of the children to be part of the game. In our text Jesus is concerned that all of his children are a part of his kingdom life. And he would go so far as to change the rules and regulations and laws in order to integrate as many of his children as possible. The Pharisees and teachers used the law to exclude people from the kingdom. This angered Jesus to the point of remembering what Isaiah had written: "These people honor me with their words, but ...

13. Changing The Rules

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

14. What about Laws and Rules?

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... . ...Women can’t speak in church. ...Women can’t be pastors or teach men. ...The only valid baptism is by immersion. ...The only music appropriate for worship is acapella. You see, we have this need to justify ourselves by being right according to some list of laws and rules that we can tell we’ve kept and others haven’t. But Jesus teaches us that when we do that, we sever the relationship we have with God in which we are dependent upon God’s grace, on the Holy Spirit. We can make the law an idol ...

15. When the Golden Rule Isn't Enough - Mother's Day

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... we are healthy emotionally, love our children as we love ourselves. We love them far more than we love ourselves. The Golden Rule is insufficient for the relationship of a parent and a child. We love our children as Jesus loves them. Our love can ... ’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command . . . This is my command: Love each other.” The Golden Rule, as wonderful as it is, is insufficient for this task. We are not simply to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. ...

16. When God's Rule is Taken Out of the School

Job 21:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... , Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said, "Education, without religion, is like the solar system without the sun." What happens when God's rule is taken out of the school? Well, consider this: Compare what classroom teachers identified as the greatest threats to the ... good thing if, in restructuring the school curriculum, the education specialist included teaching of religion in our schools.23 When God's rule is taken out of the school, the children suffer most. God doesn't need the schools, but the schools need God. ...

17. Jesus’ Four Surprising Road Rules for the Missional Highway

Luke 9:57-62, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... into a pillar of salt. You cannot walk backwards down the stairs and expect to get higher. As disciples travel the road to Jerusalem with Jesus we must face forward, no matter how harsh the view. So here, one last time are Jesus’ Four Surprising Road Rules: 1) To be on the road with Jesus isn’t a breakneck superhighway to success and superiority, but back-alley pathways and appalling byways of sacrifice and service. 2) There is no road map, only road pals - a relationship with the One who is The Way ...

18. Playing By A Different Set Of Rules

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

... certainly against the advice of most country agents: let the weeds grow! Leave the weeds alone for now, for in due time, they will be destroyed by the one who is in a better position to judge than are any of us. God plays by a different set of rules than our human standards and emotional zeal might prefer. Leave the weeds alone! But why? Why not purge society and our community of all the evils that surround us and make light of the ways of Christ? Is not the church supposed to be just a little bit militant ...

19. The Problem With Keeping All The Rules

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... home forgiven! For the proud shall be humbled, but the humble shall be honored." (LB) This is a shocking ending for it goes against everything most of us believe about Christian faith. We believe it is about righteousness, morality and keeping all the rules. It is about not playing hooky, staying away from drugs, and abiding by the speed limit. All of these are important, of course. Without these virtues we cannot have a functioning society. Without these virtues our families would be endangered and our ...

20. The Five-a-Day Rule

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... have figured out what we need to do to nurture a healthy body. For our bodies’ health, we have the food pyramid a structure that has undergone a lot of remodeling in the last few years. The key to nutritional health is the “five-a day” rule five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Most of us barely make three, many of us one or two. And if french fries and ketchup didn’t count, the numbers would be embarrassingly lower. But it takes “five-a-day” to maintain optimal physical health ...

21. Revolutionary Rules For Living

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Author Bob Welch observed that in Les Miserables that the uprising that Victor Hugo observed occurred in June, 1832 as a small Parisian insurrection that lasted only a short time. It was more of a street riot with a tragic outcome. Quoting Hugo, Welch said that the uprising was a defiance against the royalist government of France as a reaction to three problems of the day. First it was a defiance of man by the exploitation of his labor. Second, it was in opposition of the ruination of women by starvation ...

22. When Is Being Right Wrong?

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Rick Brand

... hitter has failed six out of ten times. The law may inspire us, but the law exposes our sin, our missing of the mark. The rule about eating crow when it is warm is a clear reminder that you will fail. The law inspires. The law condemns by pointing out the ... us want what we have earned. We have kept the law the most, we have earned the most, and we want the most. Whatever the rules, we keep them because we want to be known as the best. It is not an attitude that brings us together. You remember the news ...

23. Ignite: Fire Extinguishers

Acts 15:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... you want to be a Christian you not only have to be circumcised, but you’ve got to keep all of these laws and all these rules and you’ve got to obey the Law of Moses.” Today, we have substituted bylaws for the Law of Moses. We’ve substituted our made ... they would make it illegal not to do it out of a hymnbook. They really don’t care about relationships. They just care about rules. They really don’t care whether people come to church or not as long as they come dressed the way they think they ought ...

24. The Heart's Deceit

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... any child who dares set foot in the immaculately kept house. Think of the man who longs for a dog but when gets one sets so many rules that the dog cannot do that there’s no chance they will ever bond together. He can’t sit on the sofa. He can’t get ... from God. We get so tied up in our faults, our fears, our guilt, and our shame that we can hide behind facades, and rules, and walls, and excuses that prevent us from truly living the authentic and beautiful lives that God has given us and blessed us with ...

25. The Blessing Of Bondage

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... have some 350,000 laws by which we must live. In 1980-81, there were some 1,500 new laws passed for us to live by. The IRS checks on us as do other law enforcement agencies in our country. We have reports to make, federal regulations to follow, rules upon rules to which we must conform. I know someone who wanted the "Remove Under Penalty of Law" tag off of her new mattress, but she was scared to do it because of the warning label. So laws are not new to us, and our best judgment declares that we could ...

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