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Sermon #1179

Nearer My God to Thee

A Sermon on John 4:27-30

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Scripture

John 4:27-30 ESV KJV
Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a …

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Sermon Description

Is communion and fellowship with the Lord possible? How does the Christian gain this experience? In this sermon on John 4:27-30 titled “Nearer My God to Thee,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones assures the believer that it is possible to encounter God and enjoy fellowship with him. Not only is it possible, it is his desire that the Christian should know him and draw near. The means to do this are given in Scripture: diligently seek the Lord in the Scriptures, partake in the Lord’s Supper to realize his spiritual presence, pray and ask God to reveal himself, and be obedient and responsive to his encouragements. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds the listener that now, more than ever, Christians have the time and means to seek the Lord but they must create and fight for this time. They must not allow themselves to be overcome by other responsibilities as if drawing near to God is the lesser priority. Set aside everything else to commune with the Lord and experience his fellowship.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon focuses on John 4:27-30 and the story of the Samaritan woman leaving her water pot to tell others about Jesus.
  2. The main point is that it's possible for us today to have the same experience of fellowship with Jesus that the early Christians had.
  3. We must believe this fellowship is possible and seek it diligently.
  4. We should seek Jesus in the Scriptures, in prayer, in the sacraments, and by reading about the experiences of other Christians.
  5. We must be obedient to Jesus by responding when he draws near to us and by listening when he rebukes us.
  6. We must resign ourselves completely to Jesus and let him determine how and when he will manifest himself to us.
  7. We must persistently and consistently seek Jesus through discipline and by making him our priority.
  8. Although persecution or suffering can help us focus on Jesus, we don't have to wait for that and can pursue him now.
  9. Jesus is just as ready to manifest himself to us today as he was to the Samaritan woman. Fellowship with him is possible for all believers.

The Book of John

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.