Fairfield Church of Christ Sermons

Ever look around and see that you’re in the pits and it’s because of the hurts of others?  We’re going to be in Genesis 37 as we continue looking at the life and times of Joseph, understanding that God’s detour in our lives are good detours.  That is such an incredibly difficult principle for us to learn sometimes.  So many times, especially in our lesson today, we’ll see that God’s detours can be hard, taking us places where we don’t always want to go.  They involve pain and sorrow, trials, and tribulations.

There’s no question that God moves in a mysterious way. His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And so, to the reader of of this betrayal of Joseph by his brothers, it I believe as you get a clearer picture you might say, "Our God is not like us, but His plans are better than ours for sure. We would never envision how this cruel twist of events is going to result in the ultimate salvation of our people." So maybe this is what you need to see when you are in the pits.

Know these three things in the pit of betrayal – 1. God cares for you; 2. God comforts you; and 3. God is committed to saving you.  His plan always prevails.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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Genesis 35, 37:1-11

(Brian) - Dreams were highly respected in Bible days as a source of divine revelation.  God had given this gift to Joseph.  Joseph is the character we will study, and I pray we will see how God’s plan continues to move forward.  God allows this gift to used so His purpose continues to move ahead.

In this part of the story, Joseph will have 2 dreams which do not require much imagination to interpret—he obviously thinks he will rule over his brothers. The brothers are offended; they interpret the dreams as “delusions of grandeur”. Joseph indicates that he will gain supremacy over his entire family. His dreams came true in Egypt.  And the gift of the dream showed that God will use even this gift,  as a beginning to see how God’s purpose always prevails.

What do we do when our lives get turned upside-down? Where is God when our hopes are shattered? He’s still around, still involved, still has a purpose for our lives, even our trials. Despite everything he suffered, Joseph seems able to accept God’s will; rather than ask God “why?”, his main concern is “What do I do now?” We learn from Joseph that with God’s help, any situation can be turned around and used for good, even when others intend it for evil.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You can GET BETTER:  God ‘s Answer to Hopelessness – Matt. 14:22-33; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; Ps. 78:5-7; (Brian) – Life can feel like a storm sometimes.  Peter gets himself into several storms.  But he always discovers that things get better when you put your Hope in the One who dishes out Hope regularly.  The general rule to feeling hopeless is to pray the Word of God, to pray the truth about God, and pray the promises of God.

In Psalm 78, God’s people are commanded to rehearse the stories of God’s power and intervention in their lives, specifically so that the coming generations would “set their Hope in God” (Psalm 78:7).  Hope comes alive when we hear the Big Promises of what God has done for others.

Discover more about how you can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges with a promise that things can be better – God has an answer to hopelessness.

There is hope in your future.  Things may look dark.  They may look dark in the region where you live.  They may look dark in the country you reside, in the city you live in, or in your personal life.

It may seem like the clouds of hopelessness have just come over your life and see. To be shading out everything that is good and positive.  But live reminded of the big promises during these times.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You can DO MORE THAN YOU THINK:  God’s Answer to Despair – Phil.4:13; Psalm 77; Psalm 40:1-3; Rom. 15:4; Col. 1:11– (Brian) When you review the great names and personalities of Scripture, you become quickly aware that almost all of them knew, at one time or another, great discouragement, and deep despair.

Job is singled as a man of God, blameless and upright, whose staggering losses and long and painful illness brought him low.

Then came a time when Moses would feel the crunching weight of his assignment and cries out in Deut. 1:12.

Elijah the prophet, asked for his love to be taken.

David, in his efforts to hide sin, made journal entries that speak of the total loss of strength, the ebbing away of all that is worthwhile in life, and groaning all day long. (Ps. 32:2)

Jonah, the first foreign missionary, became deeply despaired when God did not destroy Nineveh.

Jeremiah was so profoundly sad that he is known to this day as the weeping prophet and confessed that he wishes he’d never been born.

Then Nehemiah, Ezekiel and Peter and others followed in Scripture.

All our lips have spoken the words of discouragement, despair, and depression.  All our hearts have felt it.  Every one of us has known, at one time or another, the slap of setback, the grief of loss, or the disheartening effects of stress.  To be human is to feel that numbing, exhausting, de-motivating fog of depression.  And when we do, what happens to us?  To whom or what do we turn to?  Why not send out a S.O.S. To God?  He has sent one out to us through the promise He has sent to each of us.  He is our Hope when we are in despair so we can do more than we think.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You can MOVE MOUNTAINS:  God’s Answer to Impossibility –  Matt. 17; Mark 11:20-25 (Brian) – We all have mountains of difficulty in our lives.  They come to us and seemingly, have little personal strength to meet them. Sometimes those “mountains” are broken relationships or habits of sin. Your “mountain” may involve believing God regarding a health issue or a loved one who is far from the Lord. Or it may mean trusting God amid a failing marriage.

So, when Jesus says a mountain can be talked into the sea, should we take him seriously? Ever seen a mountain cast into the sea?  Don’t we all have the same question when we read these words:  Is this for real?

It would be hard to find a bigger promise than this one. But let’s take a journey of biblical exploration together. Let’s see if we can locate and understand what Jesus is saying to us.

I guess what I believe God is saying is “Talk to your mountain!”  I submit that the hardest part is having the courage to talk to the mountain in the first place. What kind of person looks at a mountain and talks to it?  

Maybe Jesus is saying, “If you want to release God’s power in a unique way, put the impossible issue on the table where everyone can see it.”  Impossible is just waiting to happen.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You can LEARN TO FORGIVE:  God’s Answer to Resentment – Matt. 18:15-35; Eph. 4:29-32 -  (Brian) - C. S. Lewis made this telling remark: “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive.”  Then it becomes difficult.

One day Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive someone who sins against us (Matthew 18:21-35). Jesus told him, “Seventy times seven.” Do the math in your head. That’s 490 times. That’s a lot of sin and a lot of pain and that’s a whole lot of forgiveness. It seems impossible and impractical but that’s what Jesus said.

Forgiveness begins in the heart and eventually works its way outward. There is a profound sense in which all forgiveness, even forgiving someone who hurt you deeply, is between you and God. Other people may or may not understand it, or recognize it, or own up to their need to receive it.

Forgiveness in its essence is a decision made on the inside to refuse to live in the past. It’s a conscious choice to release others from their sins against you so that you can be set free. It doesn’t deny the pain or change the past, but it does break the cycle of bitterness that binds you to the wounds of yesterday. Forgiveness allows you to let go and move on.  God wants to help you with a promise so resentment will dissipate.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You HAVE A GREAT FUTURE:  God’s Answer to Failure –John 8:1-1;  Rom. 3:23; Jer. 29:11;  (Brian) - God will not always do what we expect him to do, but He will always do what He says He will do.  God is always interested in what’s next for you.  That’s the miracle of the gospel.  Jesus Christ can give away a future from any failure we can fall into. He can take a life that is down and raise it up. He can take a life that is sinful and he can straighten it out. He can take a life that is broken, and he can make it whole again. He can take a woman who is an outcast and he can make her accepted. He can take a hated tax collector and make him one of the best citizens in the community. He can take a woman who is living with a man, and he can make her a flaming evangelist for his gospel. That’s what Jesus Christ can do!

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You have A WAY OUT: God’s Answer to Temptation – (Brian) Eph. 2:1-3;  1 Cor. 10:12-13; Matt. 11:28 - We struggle because temptation tends to come when we least expect it. If we could schedule our enticements, we’d do much better. “I’ve decided to fight against lust next Saturday at 4 PM,” we would say. Unfortunately, those wrong desires often show up unannounced at 9:30 Wednesday morning when our guard is down.

Temptation is the seductive little voice that twists what you want into what you need. It distorts your thoughts until you’re trapped—and when you’re trapped by temptation, it’s not the time to listen to yourself. Learn to put your trust in someone who knows A Way Out. God always gives us a way out. We won’t try to manage temptation but eliminate it. We will attack temptation from a positive perspective by focusing on living by the Spirit.

The good news about Jesus is that He offers us a way with promises a way out of a dead-end life! He offers us a way out of darkness and bondage into His marvelous light! God is able to take impossible situations and turn them around and he does it using those things that you possess.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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You are NEVER ALONE:  God’s Answer to Fear- Joshua 1:1-9; Heb. 4:14-16 (Brian) So many people in the world feel lonely or they feel alone. You can be in a large crowd of people and still feel alone. And a lot of people feel that no one understands them. Do you ever feel like that? Nobody really gets me. You know, first of all, we rarely understand ourselves so I don't know why we can expect anybody else to understand us.  Do we trust God enough to follow God, even when we don’t know where the path is going?

We are afraid of failure.  God says 365 times in scripture “Do not be afraid.” We are afraid that we can’t do what God has called us to do.  And we must get past that.  We can’t let near dictate our actions and our lives for God.  And God’s Promise to Joshua is a perfect example of what we need to remember when times of fear come.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

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Check out our original music!

You are FORGIVEN:  God’s Answer to Guilt – Ps. 51; Heb. 9:11-14;  Is. 43:25 (Brian) -Guilt is a powerful emotion.  It can leave people feeling depressed, as beamed, and rejected.  They may feel isolated and unworthy of love.  Many desperately try to prove they are good enough.  Feelings stemming from false guilt can cause people to fell burdened by impossible standards.  The emotion can keep them away from a close relationship with the Lord and hinder their peace and productivity.  Guilt has been a problem for long time for many.  Guilt has had a solution for a long time

Take hold of the Solution to forgiveness so that you can live in the power of Jesus’ purity.  See yourself as God sees you – Forgiven!  Thank God that He has provided a promised and perfect Way for us to find lasting freedom from guilt.

Sundays @ 8:45 & 11:15

745 Symmes Rd

Fairfield, OH 45014

Learn more at www.werfcc.com ! 

Check out our original music!