Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. Above the Noise

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

There is so much noise in the world today. There are so many voices competing for our attention. If you want to be heard, you almost have to shout. I once read that during a typical lunch hour at the University of California at Berkeley, spokesmen for a dozen different causes can be found on the plaza, trying to outshoot one another. One day a lone figure sat down defiantly in the middle of the cr...

2. Above the Noise

Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-6; Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

There is so much noise in the world today. There are so many voices competing for our attention. If you want to be heard, you almost have to shout. During a typical lunch hour at the University of California at Berkeley, spokesmen for a dozen different causes can be found on the plaza, trying to outshout one another. One day a lone figure sat down defiantly in the middle of the crowd and held up ...

3. God on The Run!

Matthew 2:13-23

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

My copy of the Bible entitles this sub-section of Scripture, "The Flight into Egypt." Cruel Herod the king had been threatened by the birth of Jesus, apparently fearing that Jesus would become a competitor for his own crown. Since that was an intolerable possibility to him, and since he could not be absolutely sure which baby boy was Jesus, he ordered that all the male children in and around Bethl...

4. God’s Kind of Happiness

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

God’s kind of happiness, as defined in the Beatitudes of our Lord, represents a radical reversal of almost everything we have ever been taught about the meaning of happiness! Look at the Beatitudes again and contrast them with what we have been taught. "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor." We have always been taught to define happiness in terms of wealth. "Happy are those who mou...

5. He is the One We are Looking For

Matthew 11:1-19

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

You see, God through Jesus Christ is still bringing good news to the poor. He is still bringing those who were dead back to life again! He is still healing those who were broken! In the May, 1982, issue of Guideposts magazine, Norman Vincent Peale tells of a woman who came to him for help. Her husband had been killed in a tragic car crash, and as a result, she felt numb, hopeless, and "broken. P...

6. No! I am not a virgin!

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

We call it the virgin birth, and it is one of the most incredible ideas that was ever introduced to the world. Many of us may accept the virgin birth of Jesus on the basis of biblical authority, but we do not understand it. I have a beautiful little friend in the seventh grade whose name is Kristin. She is a very bright and sensitive girl, but she does not understand everything she hears in church...

7. The Difference between Cowards and Heroes

Matthew 2:13-23

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

John Thomas Randolph offers this modern story of running and returning to illustrate our Lord's circumstances. Here is the difference between cowardice and heroism. The coward runs away and stays away. The hero runs away but he always returns at the appropriate time. I have a biography of General Douglas MacArthur that was written by Bob Considine. The picture on the front cover shows the genera...

8. The Saving Power of a Baby

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

Harry Emerson Fosdick told the story of General Pickett's baby. It was during the last slaughterous days of the Civil War when the Confederates locked horns with the Union soldiers outside of Richmond. It was the cruelest time of the whole war. Then one night the Confederate lines were lighted with bonfires, and the Union guards discovered that the Southern troops were celebrating General Pickett'...

9. Turn Your Other Cheek

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

I think of Jackie Robinson and the real service he provided to millions of people - players and fans alike - when he broke a long standing barrier and opened the big leagues to black athletes. As Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, prepared Robinson to sign a contract, he wondered if the young player would be equal to the challenge. Would Robinson be able to stay out of fights, both on a...

10. What Goes Up Must Come Down

Mk 9:2-9 · Mt 17:1-9 · Lk 9:28-36

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

A little boy was out in his backyard, throwing a ball up in the air. An elderly passerby, not accustomed to such youthful delights, asked the boy what he was doing. He replied, “I am playing a game of catch with God. I throw the ball up in the air and he throws it back.” I am in no position to comment on God’s ability to play ball, but I do know that whatever goes up must come down. There may be ...

Showing 1 to 10 of 10all results

Showing all results

1. Above the Noise

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

2. Above the Noise

Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-6; Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

3. God on The Run!

Matthew 2:13-23

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

4. God’s Kind of Happiness

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

5. He is the One We are Looking For

Matthew 11:1-19

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

6. No! I am not a virgin!

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

7. The Difference between Cowards and Heroes

Matthew 2:13-23

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

8. The Saving Power of a Baby

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

9. Turn Your Other Cheek

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

10. What Goes Up Must Come Down

Mk 9:2-9 · Mt 17:1-9 · Lk 9:28-36

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

Showing 1 to 10 of 10all results