Sermons on Close Encounter:

Go To Jesus! Series

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Aug 10, 2022

1. Go to Jesus when you are desperate (vs. 21-22). 2. Go to Jesus with great determination (vs. 22-26). 3. Go to Jesus with humble devotion (vs. 25). 4. Go to Jesus with deep faith (vs. 26-28).

Go to Jesus! The Gospel of Matthew Matthew 15:21-28 Sermon by Rick Crandall (Prepared August 10, 2022; Revised May 12, 2023)) MESSAGE: *One of the great hymns from the 1700s calls us to Jesus Christ with these words: "Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, Weak and wounded, sick and sore; Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-28

Denomination: Baptist

A Sign To The Gentiles Series

Contributed by James Lyons on Aug 16, 2022

Part 4 in a series on the book of Jonah

As we begin looking toward our mission conference next month, I want to share some thoughts with you from the book of Jonah – a prophet who ran from God to avoid carrying a divine warning to the people of Nineveh. Jonah undoubtedly feared the bloodthirsty Ninevites, but in Jonah 4:2 he ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

Psalm 58 - The Doom Of The Godless Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Jan 29, 2021

Psalm 58 is classified as an imprecatory psalm {1], chiefly because of the sixfold curse in verses 6-9. In it, David is calling for judgment, but not because of some personal wrong done to him. It is rather the failure of the rulers to administer justice, and the abuse of judicial power.

Home Lessons Wednesday, December 16, 2015 Tom Lowe PSALM 58 Title: THE DOOM OF THE GODLESS (To the choirmaster; Altaschith {2], Michtam of David, according to Due Not Destroy.) Theme: An imprecatory prayer against the enemy Psalm 58 (KJV) 1 Do ye indeed speak ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 58:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

The Urgency Of Repenting Today

Contributed by Reuben Bredenhof on Feb 2, 2021

Now—and not later—is the time to begin a different way of life. And what makes this call so urgent? It is this one, undeniable fact: Christ is on his way.

The men who bring God’s Word have a difficult job. It’s not the years of study before entering the ministry. It’s not the many hours spent writing sermons. It’s not even getting over the fear of public speaking. Bringing God’s Word is difficult because of what that Word means. It’s a serious Word. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:7-9

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God With Us Brings Joy Series

Contributed by Stephen Sheane on Feb 10, 2021

Joy comes when we worry about nothing, pray about everything, give thanks in all things and think about the right things

GOD WITH US BRINGS JOY Years ago there was a farmer in Nova Scotia who owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that would come up, wreaking havoc on the buildings ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-12, Philippians 4:4-8

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Rebuilding What Matters To God Series

Contributed by Thomas Bartlett on Feb 11, 2021

Have you ever wanted to see God do something awesome? Ever think of how cool it would be to see God show up and absolutely transform lives with sweeping change? Nehemiah and Ezra saw it, let's learn from them.

No Limits building beyond ourselves Week 1 Rebuilding What Matters SERMON SERIES– Book of Nehemiah Week 1 January 24, 2021 OUTLINE/NOTES Prayer Rebuilding What Matters - chapters 1-2 (Tom and Bryan) TOM Passage background IN ORDER TO REBUILD WE MUST BE . . . AWARE Nehemiah 1:1-3 (NIV) 1 ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9

Denomination: Other

Sing Of Your Salvation!

Contributed by Reuben Bredenhof on Feb 22, 2021

The keynote theme of Scripture is the great and marvelous works of our God. In Christ, God has redeemed us from sin and death. So let that be your chorus and your refrain, each day of your life. Rejoice in the Lord!

Sometimes there’s a reality so rich and so deep we can use many different words to describe it. It’s beauty and power can’t be captured by just one term. That’s the case when talking about what God has given us through our Lord Jesus. We might call it salvation. Or redemption. But it’s also ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 15:20-21

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Love Of God-3

Contributed by Byron Sherman on Mar 2, 2021

3 of 5. Paul highlighted the necessity of self-giving love to the proper outworking of Christian living. Self-giving love is essential to true Christianity, but How or in What ways is it essential? As A Christian, the Love of God must Humble my...

The LOVE Of GOD-III—1Corinthians 13:1-13 Attention: Lost in the Translation: A husband & wife are at a recognized high-brow restaurant celebrating their anniversary. Looking the menu over, they were shocked to see a dish named, “hickory-smoked road-kill possum jowls in pancake syrup.” They ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:3, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

An Anchor For The Soul Series

Contributed by James Wallace on Mar 2, 2021

Tossed to and fro by the difficulties of persevering in the faith? What or whom do we look to for assurance and reassurance? Hebrews 6:9-20 tells us where to find an anchor for our souls.

I imagine as we come to the very middle of the Book of Hebrews it might be legitimate for any of you to ask if I’m ever tempted to quit, to just blow off the Christian life, to abandon Christ. And my answer is not so much that, though I must admit the thought has occurred to me, but always with ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:9-20

Denomination: Bible Church

The Reality Of Accidents

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 5, 2021

Christians have different views of accidents. Some feel there are no accidents, but that all is God's will. In this message I make it clear that accidents are real and seldom ever God's will.

No doubt everyone of us has had our share of accidents. If not in a car, or with a knife, or some other sharp object whereby we cut ourselves, then all of us have at some point in our life fallen down. It is a part of growing up to fall down, and so it is hard to conceive that even baby Jesus did ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:1-5

The Antidote For Depression

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Mar 6, 2021

There has been an ever-increasing rise of personal individualism that has led to multiple dysfunctional and destructive trends resulting in people either willingly or unwillingly distancing themselves from others and struggling to make meaningful personal connections.

"Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in his own image. In the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 5:18, Psalm 23:6, Ephesians 2:19, Hebrews 10:25  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Is Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 9, 2021

The implications of these three words are so vast that one message on them is like trying to harvest a million acres of corn with a comb. There is no way to get all of the infinite riches they contain, but we will at least get a taste of what this love is

Tolstoy wrote a story called "Where Love Is, God Is." It is about an old cobbler named Martin who lived alone. One night as he read the story of Jesus visiting the Pharisee, and the poor welcome he received, he prayed that the Lord would visit him. In his sleep he heard a voice saying, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-12

A Thankful Spirit Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 10, 2021

A thankful spirit encourages others to see the positive in their own lives, and so being thankful is a ministry in a world where the bad news is thrown at us so often we tend to forget the good news. We need people with a thankful spirit to remind us that light is as real as the dark

The more I study the history of man and the sea, the more grateful I become that I am a landlubber. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost in ship wrecks in my lifetime. But some sailors have much to be thankful for in spite of ship wrecks. John O'Brian, for example, was off the coast of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 27:27-37

Accidental Suffering Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 12, 2021

Let's look at this accidental death of a New Testament teenager and see what we can learn about the cause and cure of suffering.

The Cherynoble nuclear accident in Russia was one of the most headline grabbing events of the 20th century. But what we do not realize is that many accidents are not spectacular explosions, fiery crashes, or powerful events of violence. There are also very silent accidents which are equally ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:7-12

Turning The Other Cheek

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

The religious leaders of the world can quote their wise and holy men in ways that show they too have many of the values of the Sermon on the Mount. But they have nothing to match the teachings of Christ on the love of one's enemies.

Almost everybody agrees with the Sermon on the Mount in general, but almost nobody can agree to the specifics of the last part of chapter 5. Even Nikita Krushev, an atheist, when he was the leader of Russia, could say he agreed with the Sermon on the Mount, for even in Russia they do not consider ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48