Fairfield Church of Christ Sermons

John 5:1-17; Psalm 103:1-5 (Brian)  - As Jesus surveys the crowd, He spots a man who had been lying at the pool for a long time, 38 years, John tells us.  Jesus approaches the man and asks:  “Do you want to be made well?”

On the face of it, the question is absurd.  Do you want to be made well?  You are lying on the brink of healing for 4 decades without receiving it, when this stranger walks up and asks if you want to be made well? Of course, you want to be made well!  

It is easy to get stuck in pain.  It is easy to become mired in our wounds…not because we LIKE the pain and the wounds, but because they are familiar.  And because the prospect of going through the healing process is just too overwhelming.  Too scary?  Why not take your fears to Jesus?

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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John 1:35-42; Psalm 119:37 – (Drew) –

“What are you seeking?” That’s kind of a funny start to a conversation, when you think about it. Jesus apparently doesn’t like small talk.  And even the wording of the question is odd. It would seem more logical for Jesus to ask, “What do you want?” But maybe this question cuts deeper than wants. It implies a longing, a searching, a yearning for something.

So, “What are you seeking?”   “What are you looking for?”  Jesus asks you. I’m not talking about when you’re browsing on Amazon or shopping at the grocery store or standing in front of the fridge late at night. It seems there are many times in our lives when we’re looking, but we’re not really sure what we’re looking for. But if you come looking for nothing, I’m afraid that’s what you’ll find.  Jesus wants you to look at your soul and respond with honesty – that you seek…Life!  “Come and you will see!”

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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John 13:1-17; Phil. 2: 1-8; 1 Peter 5:5-6 (Brian)  -  Jesus gives us an important key to living a fulfilled life, living an abundant life. The key to living a fulfilled life is to not focus on living a fulfilled life. That means not to focus on finding ways to be happy, to be fulfilled. It means to develop the attitude of a servant.

A servant is not cowardly, indecisive, weak-willed, or whatever other negative idea we may have. A servant is a person with a clear purpose for living, whose personal agenda is to lift up others, to love and care for the needs of another.=

Jesus, in the passage we just read, once-and-for-all elevated servanthood to a profound and purposeful level. When you serve, you follow the example of the Creator of the world. When you consider another person’s well-being ahead of your own, you follow the example of the Saviour of the world.

When you put your immediate desire for lifting up your own reputation, second to supporting and serving another, you follow the example of the Redeemer of all mankind.

The spiritual disciplines of submission and servanthood are the testing ground. They are the foot-on-the-ground, real life opportunities to apply what we gain through prayer and reading the Word.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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Psalm 100:1-3; 9:9-10; Matt. 14:24-33;  (Brian)  - So you can worship God when you’re happy – giving Him praise and honor for all the good things He’s doing and for the joy you feel in His presence.  But you can also worship Him when you’re hurting, which may take the most faith of all.  Worship in the dark times remind you of God’s goodness even when we can’t see or feel it.  Worship is something you do with life in the highs and lows.  You don’t have to wait for a quiet moment in life or even figure out whether you’re in a high or low.  You can worship God right in the middle of life’s biggest storms – when nothing makes sense at all.  If worship is more than singing three songs on Sunday morning or queuing up the latest worship album on Spotify.  Then what is it?  To answer that question, you need to reframe the way you think about worship.  It’s not simply something you do.  Worship in the Bible is the way to be, a state of mind, a posture of our heart.  If you wanted to experience you true worship, your aim should be more than just check it off your list. You don’t have to wait for a quiet moment in life or even figure out whether you’re in a high or low.  You can worship right in the middle of life’s biggest storms.  Worship isn’t limited to a particular space, time of day, or emotion.  No, true worship is a response – a response simply flowing from a sense of awe.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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John 15; Mark 1:12, 35-39, 45; 3:7,13; 14:32; John 10:39-41 (Brian) – Maybe this sermon should be called “Spending the Day with God” because I’m not always silent during mine.

The point of silence and retreat is to set aside an extended period of time to engage with God and rest in Him. It does not mean that you have to check yourself into a monastery and take a vow of silence all day (although you can if you’d like, and I bet that’d be fabulous). But it is an experience that you plan in order to intentionally connect with God in a more intimate and private way than you normally might. These are not primarily times for problem-solving or fixing because not everything can be fixed or solved. These are times to be in God’s presence and to wait for him to accomplish what is most needed within.

Setting aside time for silence and spiritual retreat is “one of the most strengthening and reinforcing experiences of your life. You need to yield. You have to bend. Once you embrace this discipline, you are carried along, often, by a storm of grace. Giving way to the power of this spiritual discipline becomes a step towards freedom, a movement into the wide-open spaces of the sons and daughters of God.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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There is incredible power in the biblical practice of prayer and fasting. Jesus tells us that we can find the spiritual breakthrough we’ve been seeking.  

God doesn’t need anything from us to move in the world—God can do anything. But for some reason, God chooses to invite you to partner with Him—He calls you to pray and fast. And He moves on your behalf and increases your faith when you do.  

-When you are burdened by the problems in the world, pray and fast

-When the greatness of the problems in the world overwhelms you lead you to a desperation for God to move, pray and fast.

-When you are hungry for more of God, pray and fast.    

-When you need a breakthrough, pray and fast.

-When you sense God is preparing you for something new, pray and fast

Prayer and fasting are spiritual disciplines that, when practiced together, can deepen one's connection to God, strengthen faith, and bring about spiritual breakthroughs. 

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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Psalm 119:18; 2 Tim 3:16-17; Psalm 19:17

Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could go to the Scriptures and become so preoccupied with God's Truth, so absorbed in the stories, totally engrossed in every detail, that we hang on every word? What if our Bible reading were never dull, never boring, ever again? What if we came to the Scriptures and agreed with the psalmist that the Word is “wondrous” (Psalm 119:18)?

Here’s the good news: God loves to show us Truth. Sometimes He does it through an intense season when we question what the Bible means. Sometimes He does it through our heartfelt meditation on the verses that keep us going. And other times, He does it by letting our imaginations run wild. All three of those ways of coming to the Scriptures are valuable: inquisitive, inspirational and imaginative.  No matter what, just know that wants to speak to you, but we must be willing and able to take the time to hear.

May God spark a holy curiosity in all of us.  May we want to love and delight in our Bible-reading times.  May our interest be piqued and grab our attention and hold it.  Let’s find passions to study His truth and open our eyes to experience the wondrous things from God’s Word.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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John 20:5-7;  Eph. 1:19-20 Life itself can sometimes feel like a cave—cold and dark. Disappointments come. Hurts happen. Tragedy strikes. You’re left wondering what hit you and when the light will shine again. I want to encourage you today:  Hold onto hope because God does His best work there

For the disciples, Death extinguished The Light. The Messiah gave up His spirit, and hope died on a cross. The future looked as dark as the cave holding the body of the One we loved and trusted.  Those followers experienced God’s power in the cave. On the third day after Jesus’ burial, the disciples visited the cave and found it empty.

The disciples and us discover beauty in the cave. Jesus’ grave clothes lay there undisturbed, minus His body. Darkness gave way to light!  Death gave way to life! Despair gave way to hope!  

When you land in a cave, remind yourself that Jesus has gone before You. He’s already there. He knows this place can feel lonely, scary, void of light and hope. But He also knows the cave is not your final destination.

The cave could not hold Jesus. Neither can it hold you. Do not fear it, but consider it a place to experience God’s beauty and resurrection power.

Hang onto hope, my friend. God does His best work in the cave. You’re there for a purpose—a rich, glorious purpose indeed. You’re in a hard place, but it’s the best place to see God do His best work! A life-lasting way!

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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It’s Palm Sunday.  Jesus will ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Make no mistake, Jesus could have walked into town.  He walked every where else.  That’s what everybody else did in getting to Jerusalem.  But Jesus is purposefully making a show of it.  By riding into Jerusalem on a donkey He is publicly claiming to be king in the line of David, yet a humble king.

This little donkey was part of the great plan of redemption that God has for all of creation.  When riding the is little donkey, He was fulfilling prophecy.  Jesus used the donkey to move closer to Calvary and to sacrifice.  The pure animal was a sign and symbol of the holiness of the moment and what Jesus was about to do for all of humankind.

This I know, God can do a lot with a donkey in the right hands, in His hands. So, be a donkey for Jesus.  Whatever He asks of you, go and carry the King with you.

If God can use even the most humble and lowly creature for His glory, how might He use you if you are willing?

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

Learn more at www.werfcc.com ! 

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Lamentations 5:1-8, 14-15, 19, 21

The final and closing prayer of Lamentations is an appeal through prayer, for restoration. The word “restore” means to turn back or to cause to return back to a better position or state. It is the promise that God would bring His people back from their destruction. The word is so important that it is used twice in verse 21.

The people desperately needed restoration.  The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon to encourage them to keep following after

the Lord.

How does the gospel relate to lament? Through Christ the problem underneath every problem, our sin, was dealt with such that the New Covenant has been inaugurated. Christ’s death brought the end of condemnation, judgment, and God’s wrath. Christ’s death and resurrection made it possible for us

to be born again and for Christ’s Spirit to dwell in us. So while we still live in a broken world, we look forward to the promise in God’s word that one day all lamenting will cease.

To cry is human, but to lament is Christian -- but not forever. Jesus bought our restoration, and one day soon, He will bring an end to your lament!  Even so come,  Lord Jesus!

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

Learn more at www.werfcc.com ! 

Check out our original music!