Sermons on Closer:

5 Rewards To Pain

Contributed by Jamie Wright on Dec 6, 2004

God does not cause painful experiences in our lives, however, He allows them. Why? To test our faith, to mature us and to bring us into a closer relationship with Him.

Rewards to Pain Pastor Jamie Wright * MFC * Pain- to hurt, wound, damage, offend, upset, insult, impair, and cause suffering! Types of pain: Physical pain- arthritis, from abuse Emotional wounds- grief, depression, anger, revenge (brought on by words) Mental anguish- paranoid, Relationship ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:71

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Wrestling With God Submitting The Devil

Contributed by Michael J Mcinally Jr. on Aug 8, 2015

This was my first time preaching, I shared this message with the young adult group at our church I pray that someone will find it useful and it helps you grow closer to God.

Wrestling with God Submitting the Devil Before I was saved, I definitely was living for the world. I was trying to make as much as I could so I could get as much stuff as I could. The more I got the more I wanted and but I never was truly satisfied. I spent a lot years living for me but with no ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33, John 1:14, Psalm 68:19, Psalm 61:8, Isaiah 58:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: *other

Reach Out And Touch Someone

Contributed by Chip Blackshear on Dec 3, 2016

Although He didn't need to, Jesus usually healed people by touching them. Human touch is very powerful and it can actually bring us closer to God.

This morning I want to talk about a very “touchy” subject. No, I don’t mean politics. For the past couple of months we have been discussing off and on the five senses and how we use them to know God better and today we’ve come to the fifth and final message in this series. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:12-16

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Fading Vision Series

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 24, 2011

We are never farther from Jesus than when we are satisfied with ourselves, and we are never closer to him than when we have nothing and no one else to rely on

All of you are familiar, I’m sure, h the Hans Christian Andersen story about the Emperor’s new clothes. It begins, “Many, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Things That Make Christians Different From The World: Prayer Part Ii Series

Contributed by Terry Frazier on Jul 21, 2012

This sermon is a closer look at the way Jesus prayed for Himself, those who were with Him at the time and for us today. Also a look at the need to pray for ourselves, others and the lost of this world.

Things That Make Christians Different From The World: Prayer Part II Last week’s message was about how differently Christians look at prayer from the way the world looks at prayer. We talked about the fact that there are major differences in the way we pray, who we pray to and the results of ...read more

Scripture: John 17:1-26

Denomination: Baptist

'outside The Camp' Prayer Series

Contributed by David Paulson on Jul 18, 2017

A closer look at Moses spending time with God in the tent of meeting. A call or exhortation to believers to seek a deeper intimacy with God. This is just a few points I jotted down on the topic.

Based on Exodus 33 "Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp." Exodus 33:7 I'm assuming that you all are ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:1-23

St. Patrick, Faithful In Turbulent

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Mar 10, 2018

St. Patrick said “Am I willing to draw closer to God in turbulent times.” It was during St. Patrick’s time in slavery that he grew to have faith in prayer.

St. Patrick, Whose He? Faith in Turbulent Times One of the great leaders of New Testament is the Apostle Paul and he gives us this exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) Psalm 116:8-9 says, “For you O Lord, have delivered ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Which Branch Do You Want To Be?

Contributed by Ian Bullock on Apr 28, 2021

As we think about Jesus being The Vine, this sermon challenges us to think about our relationship with Christ and how we move into closer relationship through our lives.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. One thing that I am not is green-fingered, I know how to mow a lawn, and how to pull up weeds, although if I’m being honest they are more likely to be flowers, and I know that roses should be pruned. I don’t know why this is the case, I just ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Denomination: Anglican

Should Christians Use Imagination In Prayer And Worship?

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Jul 8, 2023

Since the first century, every Born-Again Christian has a desire to draw closer to God through prayer and worship because the Holy Spirit occupies their spirit, mind, and body.

Prayer is part of the daily sanctification process by the Holy Spirit to prepare us to meet Jesus face-to-face when we leave this world and enter eternity (John 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:16-21). Many 'techniques' have risen to help people along the path ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 15:6, 1 Corinthians 2:9, John 1:1-3, Proverbs 29:18, Hebrews 11:1, Joshua 1:8, Philippians 4:8-9, Mark 7:20-23, Genesis 6:5, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:15  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He Provides Series

Contributed by John Dobbs on Nov 17, 2023

Reconnecting with God is crucial for us - as humans we often make the kind of choices that end up moving us farther away from God rather than closer to Him.

Reconnect With God: He Provides       Isaiah 5:1-7 Introduction Reconnecting with God is crucial for us - as humans we often make the kind of choices that end up moving us farther away from God rather than closer to Him. In our series Reconnect with God we are focused on four ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 5:1-7

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Does The Bible Teach Meditation?

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Apr 12, 2024

There is a resurgence of the word 'meditate' being used in churches today about personal devotional prayer as a way to draw closer to God as a person contemplates His divine attributes.

Many 'techniques' have risen to help people along the path of daily sanctification by learning how to pray and worship, which has resulted in something called contemplative spirituality, also known as meditation, centering, or listening prayer, using imagination and visualization. Since ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:8, 1 Timothy 4:11-16, Romans 12:2

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Submit And Resist PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 25, 2023

Encourage believers to recognize the source of conflict in their lives, submit to God's authority, and resist worldly temptations in order to draw closer to God and become the people He created them to be.

Good morning, church family! Today, we are going to dive into a passage from the book of James that speaks directly to our hearts and our daily struggles. Before we dive into this passage, I'd like to share a quote from C.S. Lewis that captures the essence of what we will be discussing today. He ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7-10

Topics: Elements Of Repentance

The Man Who Discovered What He Already Knew Series

Contributed by Tim George on Feb 5, 2001

Many people spend their whole lives searching for something of value when it is closer than they could ever imagine. James was such a man who needed to discover what he already knew.

Once there was a band of poor Brazilian goat headers who decided to make a long journey to California in search of gold. They took with them bags of rocks they used in a gambling game. Unfortunately, most of them died on the dangerous journey. One young man made it to San Francisco with nothing but ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1

Denomination: Baptist

The Wonderful Birth Of Promise Series

Contributed by Todd Leupold on May 29, 2007

Join me in taking a closer look at the heavenly message declared to an unsuspecting teenage girl. It is a message about “the wonderful birth of PROMISE” that we can all learn and be encouraged by!

Heavenly Messages of Christmas #3: “The Wonderful Birth of PROMISE” INTRODUCTION: For the past two weeks, Pastor Ellison has started us in a wonderful series of messages reflecting on the heavenly messages proclaimed in the days surrounding the very first Christmas. We have reflected ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38

Denomination: Baptist

A Tale Of Two Mountains Series

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on May 11, 2007

which mountain are you hanging around? One full of misconceptions about God that keep you far away, or one that draws you irresistibly closer by the very nature of its goodness?

A Tale Of Two Mountains: Hearing God Through Hebrews 12 Heb 12:18-24 Mar 11, 2007 (3rd week of Lent) Intro: Do you ever feel afraid to come to God? Maybe it is because we are afraid of punishment – we are aware of some place that we have messed up, something we’ve done that was wrong, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist