Bible Lessons

Good News: A Great FULL Life! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: A Great FULL Life! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the September 3, 2023 sermon, “Good News: A Great FULL Life”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 7

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10 (NIV)

Today I continued a series from the gospel of Luke as we gaze deeply into God’s Word to find the good news of Jesus shared with us by Luke the physician.  As we continue our Good News From the Doctor series, we find Jesus encountered many people who looked to Him for an understanding of both God and life.  When we look at Jesus we see the fullness of God dwelling among us so that we can experience a full life.  Our response is one that ought to be of great . . .

  • Faith: (Luke 7:1-10)

    • The story of a Roman centurion coming to Jesus and being declared to have great faith is powerful!  This man not only believed in the ability of Jesus to do what was being asked, he was willing to accept the word of Jesus as proof enough that his request would be granted.  The good news of Jesus calls us to live with a great faith that learns to trust God simply because we believe His Word is His authority.  When we seek to live a great full life, we learn to trust all the promises of God as we take Him at His Word and live with great faith.

  • Understanding: — (Luke 7:11-17)

    • Bad things happen to people regardless of whether the person is good or bad in our eyes, or even in their own eyes.  The religious leaders in the days of Jesus had many debates with Jesus over the cause of a person’s trouble as they were convinced that most physical sickness, disease, or disability was some form of judgment for sin.  In fact, if you followed the logic of the religious leaders far enough, it would be easy to assume that God was against the people.  As Jesus lived on earth doing good as He loved and served people, there arose a great understanding that God had come to help His people.  When we seek to live a great full life, we take on a great understanding that God has not only come to help us, He has come to help us help others.

  • Light: — (Luke 7:18-18-35, Matthew 4:16)

    • As Jesus went about the land teaching the good news of His kingdom, his cousin, John, had been imprisoned and he began to wonder if Jesus was indeed the Messiah which had been promised.  In response to John’s question, Jesus sent word back that really only answered the question if one were to know and believe the prophecies from Isaiah about the Messiah.  Things were happening that were not business as usual kind of things and they lined up with what Isaiah said would be a great light shining on those who lived in darkness.  Not only were the miraculous deeds of healings taking place, but this light was shining on all people as the good news was being preached to the poor.  When we seek to live a great full life, we do so as a great light to the world as the light of Jesus shines through us.

  • Love: — (Luke 7:36-50)

    • I’ve not done any research in the matter but I suspect that there may be more songs written about love than any other topic.  We try to explain, understand, and define love but always come up short in doing so if Jesus is not at the center.  In our text from Luke 7, we find a woman who seems to be an uninvited guest making a spectacle of herself as she weeps, washes the feet of Jesus with her tears, and anoints them with perfume.  Her reputation was less than stellar as pointed out by the Pharisee who was hosting the party thinking to himself that Jesus could not be a prophet because if he was he would never allow such a woman to touch Him.  The response of Jesus, to the man’s thoughts, was a question of the connection between forgiveness and love.  The man understood that the forgiveness of financial debt would likely result in love proportional to the debt forgiven.  In a similar way, Jesus said that the one who understood the greatness of their sin, and the forgiveness being offered, would love much.  When we seek to live a great full live, we must have great love, for our self and for others, which reflects the greatness of God’s forgiveness.

Today, how will you live a great FULL life?

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Control Self! (9/1/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Control Self! (9/1/23)

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This is the audio from the September 1, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.

“Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable.”
1 Thessalonians 4:4 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray that you would pay attention each day to the things you do with your body.  Pray that you would learn self-control in order to conduct your life in a way that is holy and honorable.  Pray that you would represent Jesus well as you learn and practice self-control.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn From Jesus! (8/31/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn From Jesus! (8/31/23)

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This is the audio from the August 31, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:29 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray that you would live life yoked together with Jesus in order to learn from Him.  Pray that you would learn the complete care that Jesus extends as He offers rest for your soul.  Pray that you would learn to be gentle with others as you learn from Jesus.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Do Right! (8/30/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Do Right! (8/30/23)

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This is the audio from the August 30, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.

“Learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”
Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray for a heart and mind that is inclined to know and do what is right.  Pray that you would always look out for the needs of others, particularly those who have no one, because it is the right thing to do.  Pray that you would learn to live with compassion.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn the Commands of God! (8/29/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn the Commands of God! (8/29/23)

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This is the audio from the August 29, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.

“Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.”
Psalm 119:73 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray that your awareness of God making you would increase your desire to learn His commands.  Pray that God would fill you with the understanding necessary to both learn and follow His commands.  Pray for the courage to live according to God’s commands in a way that helps others to learn what God desires.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Revere God! (8/28/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Revere God! (8/28/23)

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This is the audio from the August 28, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray that you would pay attention to the many ways God attempts to instruct you each day.  Pray that you would look for the lessons to be learned in every situation you face.  Pray that you would know the value of learning so that you would be more active in seeking it out.  Pray that you would be a teacher of the things you learn from God.  Pray for a spirit of unity within your church congregation and within the body of Christ as a whole.

“Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”
Deuteronomy 31:12 (NIV)

Pray that you would always be open to hearing God’s Word, both to learn and to teach to others.  Pray that you would learn to revere God by being both a student and teacher of His Word.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Good News: Learning Something NEW! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: Learning Something NEW! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the August 27, 2023 sermon, “Good News: Learning Something New”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 6

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

Today I continued a series from the gospel of Luke as we gaze deeply into God’s Word to find the good news of Jesus shared with us by Luke the physician.  As we continue our Good News From the Doctor series, we find that as Jesus went about life on earth He used the everyday activities of life to teach lessons about God and how we can live in ways that please Him.  While all of His teaching was based on the truth of God’s Word that many of His listeners would be very familiar with, He taught in such a way that they would constantly be learning something . . .

  • Necessary: (Luke 6:1-5)

    • Many of the lessons Jesus taught the crowds were designed to teach them the necessity of living in relationship with God.  When the religious leaders watched Jesus and His disciples, they often observed actions that seemed contradictory to their understanding of what God required.  In our text today, Jesus makes it clear that the necessity of life and caring for the needs of people was the application of God’s Word.  When we choose to be taught by God’s Word and the example of Jesus, we find that we learn what is truly necessary.

  • Eternal: — (Luke 6:20-23)

    • Because the world we live in is full of trouble, it is very easy to get caught up in the difficulties of life and even begin to question God’s goodness.  When Jesus begins to teach about the blessings of things that don’t sound that desirable, he does so with the purpose of teaching us to see with an eternal perspective.  Jesus made it clear in His teaching that all who would follow Him would face troubles and opposition of various kinds.  But He doesn’t just warn us of the troubles, He reminds us that He has overcome the world and that an eternity with Him awaits all who persevere and are faithful to the end.  When we choose to be taught by God’s Word and the example of Jesus, we find that what we learn is eternal.

  • Wise: — (Luke 6:46-49)

    • Because most people want to be thought of as wise, we often define wisdom according to our standards and thus struggle to understand the nature of true wisdom.  As Jesus teaches the crowds, He addresses the fact that many want to claim association by calling Him Lord but few want to actually do what He says.  Jesus teaches that the one who hears the Word of God and does what it says is the one who truly understands the transforming power of God’s wisdom.  When we choose to be taught by God’s Word and the example of Jesus, we find that we learn to be wise by applying to our own life everything within Scripture.

Today, what will you learn that is NEW?

Encouragement and Prayer: Powerful Work! (8/25/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Powerful Work! (8/25/23)

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This is the audio from the August 25, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

This week we will pray about the new job we have as Christians and what God wants our work to look like.  The good news of Jesus says there is a job for each of us to do and our job is one that not only benefits us, but it is designed to benefit the body of Christ.  We learn to work for the Lord when we carry a new journey, observation, and belief into our work.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

As you pray this week, consider the work you do, as well as the ability that God gives you to do that work.  Pray for the courage to see the bigger things God has called you to.  Pray for the humility to allow God’s power to work in you.  Pray that the people around you today would recognize the powerful work of God as they see His work in you.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom