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This is the audio from the July 12, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Honest!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:33-37

• Glory:  Matthew 5:33-35

  • Being honest with God will be visible when we choose to be honest with the glory we give Him.  Invoking God’s name in an attempt to give importance to our own desires and plans will lead us away from the honesty God desires from us.  Whatever good that is seen in us, heard from us, and/or practiced by us are things which flow from God and He is the One who deserves the glory for them.

• Our Self:  Matthew 5:36

  • Being honest with God will not happen until we learn to be honest with our self.  Yes, we have ways to temporarily change the color of our hair, and many other things about our self, but God expects an honesty from us about our true inability to change how He created us.  It is in this honest with our self that we understand the need to rely fully on God as the source of all truth.

• Decisions:  Matthew 5:37

  • Being honest with God will lead us to greater honesty with our decisions.  Giving answers that we think people, or even God, want to hear can be filled with fraud if we’re not honest in keeping to those decisions with the best of our ability.  Perhaps one of the difficulties in being honest with our decisions is that we give answers that we’ve not really prayed about or considered fully.  Our yes can be yes and our no can be no, only when we are honest about why we give the answer that we do.

 

Today, how will you be honest with GOD?

 

Here’s the text of the poem I shared to introduce this sermon:

Honest To God!

There’s something I’ve noticed
     that really seems strange.
When it comes to truth,
     we think there’s a range.
There are bold lies and white lies,
     and “honest to God”.
And all kinds of gray space
     that really seems odd.
Whatever happened
     to yes and to no?
And keeping our word
     wherever we go?

To keep to my word,
     and make sure it’s true.
Should be how I live,
     when I talk with you.
I must be careful
     to weigh every word.
So only the truth,
     is that which is heard.
To make up a story,
     so I don’t look bad.
Will only bring problems,
     the worst that I’ve had.

Image is everything,
     at least we’ve been told.
So we make up a story
     and hope that it’s sold.
Our yes isn’t yes,
     and our no isn’t no.
We consider our image
     and we answer so-so.
We hide the true facts,
     that we don’t want seen.
And tell a new version,
     where the truth is quite lean.

This doesn’t mean
     you should tell all you know.
Some things are private,
     from your mouth should not go.
But that is a story
     for another day.
About speaking the truth,
     this poem will stay.
When we cover up
     the truth with a lie.
Our reputation
     has begun to die.

We must be careful
     that we don’t deceive.
By the impression
     that we try to leave.
We should not have to
     swear this is true.
Our word should be good
     when given to you.
The things that we value
     will carry more weight.
When we are honest
     in all that we state.

So when you are thinking
    that truth can’t be found.
Open the Bible,
     take a good look around.
The truth that is Jesus,
     does show us the way.
And calls us to choose;
     in our speech, there’s no gray.
To be fully honest,
     in word and in deed.
Is a teaching of Jesus
     that we ought to heed.

© 2015  by Tom Lemler