Life Lessons

Good News: The Lord of ALL! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: The Lord of ALL! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the March 3, 2024 sermon, “Good News: The Lord of ALL!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 20:1-39

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 2:36 (NIV)

This morning’s message continued our Good News series from the gospel of Luke. This section of the series we will take us to Resurrection Sunday as we gaze into the life of Jesus during His final week leading up to, and through, His resurrection.  As Jesus taught during the week leading up to His crucifixion, He continued to proclaim the kingdom of God.  In doing so, He would call for the people to acknowledge the One God had sent as Lord.  Instead of leading people to repentance, the religious leaders were furious and began in earnest to look for ways to kill Jesus.  Even faced with such opposition, we find Jesus showing that He is indeed Lord of . . .

  • Authority: — Luke 20:1-8

    • As the religious leaders pressed Jesus to explain the source of His authority, He turned the tables and asked what they thought about the authority of John to do the things he had done.  They refused to answer because they had not obeyed John’s teaching but the crowds were convinced it was from God.  As Lord of all, Jesus is Lord of authority over all things.

  • Love: — Luke 20:9-19

    • After being questioned about His authority, Jesus tells a parable of a master who went away and left his farm to be managed by his workers.  At the time of harvest, the master sends a servant to collect from the harvest what belongs to him.  The workers not only refused to give to the master what was his, they beat the servant each time the master would send one.  Finally, the master sends his own son and the workers kill the son believing that the entire farm would become theirs.  The religious leaders immediately understood that Jesus was talking about them and the way they had treated the prophets and their intent for killing God’s own Son.  While this story may not sound like Jesus being Lord of love, it does give a glimpse of the love of God which continually gives people a chance to repent and come to salvation.

  • Life: — Luke 20:20-39

    • It has been said there are two things certain in life . . . death and taxes.  In this chapter of Luke, we find Jesus addressing both of those issues as the Lord of life.  Jesus told those who were trying to trap Him by questioning Him about paying taxes that they should “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  This statement was in response to the image stamped onto the coin.  As those who have been created in the image of God, the expectation of Jesus is that we would give our self to Him as the Lord of life.  When questioned about relationships after death, Jesus made it clear that He is in charge of that also and it is different than what life is here on earth.  Whether related to death or taxes, or anything in between, Jesus is indeed Lord of life.

Today, how will Jesus be Lord of ALL in your life?

Encouragement and Prayer: King Over Judgement! (3/1/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: King Over Judgement! (3/1/24)

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This is the audio from the March 1, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (NIV)

Who’s in charge?  How much authority has Jesus been given by His Father?  What do you and I do about the authority of Jesus?  How does it apply to us?  This week  in our Lifestyle of Prayer emphasis we will look at some scriptures about the authority of Jesus.  When Jesus is proclaimed as King of Kings, God is stating He has authority over all other authorities.  Pray that your obedience would grow in a way that represents Jesus well to all you meet.  Pray for a greater understanding of the eternal nature of God’s authority and how that authority has been revealed in Jesus.  Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

“And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”
John 5:27 (NIV)

As  you pray, ask God to help you be submissive to the authority of Christ in all things.  Pray that you would have no reason to fear the authority of Jesus to judge.  Pray that you would leave the eternal judgment of people to the King who has the authority to do so.  Pray that the people around you would understand His authority to judge all things.

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: King Over Evil! (2/29/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: King Over Evil! (2/29/24)

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This is the audio from the February 29, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (NIV)

Who’s in charge?  How much authority has Jesus been given by His Father?  What do you and I do about the authority of Jesus?  How does it apply to us?  This week  in our Lifestyle of Prayer emphasis we will look at some scriptures about the authority of Jesus.  When Jesus is proclaimed as King of Kings, God is stating He has authority over all other authorities.  Pray that your obedience would grow in a way that represents Jesus well to all you meet.  Pray for a greater understanding of the eternal nature of God’s authority and how that authority has been revealed in Jesus.  Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

“All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!’”
Luke 4:36 (NIV)

As  you pray, ask God to help you be submissive to the authority of Christ in all things.  Pray that you would look to Jesus as the One with authority over evil spirits and over the attacks of Satan in your life and in the lives of others.  Pray that you would submit to the authority of Jesus in a way that leaves no room for evil of any kind.

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: King of Forgiveness! (2/28/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: King of Forgiveness! (2/28/24)

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This is the audio from the February 28, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (NIV)

Who’s in charge?  How much authority has Jesus been given by His Father?  What do you and I do about the authority of Jesus?  How does it apply to us?  This week  in our Lifestyle of Prayer emphasis we will look at some scriptures about the authority of Jesus.  When Jesus is proclaimed as King of Kings, God is stating He has authority over all other authorities.  Pray that your obedience would grow in a way that represents Jesus well to all you meet.  Pray for a greater understanding of the eternal nature of God’s authority and how that authority has been revealed in Jesus.  Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….”
Mark 2:10 (NIV)

As  you pray, ask God to help you be submissive to the authority of Christ in all things.  Pray that you would live with confidence because of the authority of Jesus to forgive sins.  Pray for a willingness to identify your own sins in order to submit them to the authority of Jesus.  Pray that you would help others to know the authority of Jesus over sin.

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: King of Teaching! (2/27/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: King of Teaching! (2/27/24)

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This is the audio from the February 27, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (NIV)

Who’s in charge?  How much authority has Jesus been given by His Father?  What do you and I do about the authority of Jesus?  How does it apply to us?  This week  in our Lifestyle of Prayer emphasis we will look at some scriptures about the authority of Jesus.  When Jesus is proclaimed as King of Kings, God is stating He has authority over all other authorities.  Pray that your obedience would grow in a way that represents Jesus well to all you meet.  Pray for a greater understanding of the eternal nature of God’s authority and how that authority has been revealed in Jesus.  Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

“The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”
Mark 1:22 (NIV)

As  you pray, ask God to help you be submissive to the authority of Christ in all things.  Pray that you would accept the teachings of Jesus as having authority in your life.  Pray that you would let God’s authority be present when you share scripture.  Pray that you would greatly value the teachings of Jesus as you recognize Him as King over all things.

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: King of Heaven and Earth! (2/26/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: King of Heaven and Earth! (2/26/24)

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This is the audio from the February 26, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (NIV)

Who’s in charge?  How much authority has Jesus been given by His Father?  What do you and I do about the authority of Jesus?  How does it apply to us?  This week  in our Lifestyle of Prayer emphasis we will look at some scriptures about the authority of Jesus.  When Jesus is proclaimed as King of Kings, God is stating He has authority over all other authorities.  As  you pray, ask God to help you be submissive to the authority of Christ in all things.  Pray that your obedience would grow in a way that represents Jesus well to all you meet.  Pray for a greater understanding of the eternal nature of God’s authority and how that authority has been revealed in Jesus.  Pray for discernment and wisdom to see beyond and through the divisiveness of this world so that you would love others as God loves both you and them.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
Matthew 28:18 (NIV)

Pray that you would open every aspect of your life to the authority of Jesus.  Pray that your life would be lived with Jesus as King.  Pray for a submissive spirit that finds contentment and joy in your obedience to Christ.

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: The King of KINGS! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: The King of KINGS! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the February 25, 2024 sermon, “Good News: The King of KINGS!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 19:28-48

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (NIV)

This morning’s message returned to our Good News series from the gospel of Luke.  In this section of the series we will lead up to Resurrection Sunday as we gaze into the life of Jesus during His final week leading up to, and through, His resurrection.  In today’s message we considered the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as the crowds hailed Him as king.  While they were looking for a different kind of king, everything Jesus did during that procession into Jerusalem showed Him to be the true King of . . .

  • Knowledge: — Luke 19:28-30

    • As Jesus prepared to send His disciples to accomplish a task, there was an absolute knowledge of what they would find.  The good news of Jesus in our life is that He knows things that no one else can know.  He knows us more fully than we even know ourselves.  Because Jesus is the King of knowledge, we can trust Him to know what’s best for us in all circumstances.

  • Instruction: — Luke 19:31-33

    • Not only did Jesus know His disciples and the circumstances they would encounter, He gave instructions which were expected to be followed.  The things which were soon to take place could only happen as the instructions of Jesus were believed and followed.  As we come to a knowledge of who Jesus is, we must learn to heed His instructions in all things.  Because Jesus is the King of instruction, we can know that what He calls us to do is for our best.

  • Nature: — Luke 19:40

    • While the majority of the crowd was excited about Jesus coming into Jerusalem, not everyone shared in that joy.  In fact, the religious leaders demanded that Jesus tell the people to be quiet as they loudly proclaimed Him as king.  In response, Jesus declared that if the people were to be quiet then the rocks themselves would cry out in praise.  The authority of Jesus extends to all things such that nature itself exists in submission to Him.  Because Jesus is the King of nature, He has authority over our nature as the creator of all things.

  • Goodness: — Luke 19:41

    • Even in the midst of continued rejection, Jesus could look out over the city of Jerusalem and weep.  His goodness was often displayed throughout His life on earth as He interacted with great compassion for all who were lost and harassed.  His longing was great for those who would soon yell, “Crucify Him!”.  His desire is that we would learn that level of goodness, not because we are so good but because He is good to us and through us.  Because Jesus is the King of goodness, we can experience and share His compassion which is far beyond what any of us deserve.

  • Service: — Luke 19:45-47

    • Jesus made it clear throughout His ministry that He came not to be served, but to serve.  His reaction to those in the temple courts who should have been serving the people, but were instead cheating them, gives us insight into how He wants us to interact with all people.  Even knowing what was about to happen, Jesus continued teaching in public every day.  His desire to serve was based on what would benefit His hearers rather than Himself.  Because Jesus is the King of service, we are not only served by Him we also learn how to serve Him as we serve others.

Today, how will you lift up Jesus as the King of KINGS?

Encouragement and Prayer: Scripture For Training! (2/23/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Scripture For Training! (2/23/24)

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This is the audio from the February 23, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

This week’s prayer focus is about the usefulness of God’s Word in our life.  As we pray about experiencing immeasurably more scripture, it isn’t about finding additional scripture that has not yet been revealed rather it is about growing daily in our application of God’s Word to everyday life.  In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, we have a list of some of the things that God says Scripture is useful for if we were to value it and apply it to everything we do.  Sadly, many have come to view Scripture as more inspirational than transformational.  In reality, it is only truly inspirational if it inspires us to draw near to God and be transformed.  Pray that your love for God’s Word would grow as your understanding of its usefulness grows.  Pray that your life would be guided in every way by the truth of God’s Word.  Pray that the usefulness of God’s Word in your life would cause you to share it at every opportunity.

“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.”
1 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

As you pray, ask God to help you accurately evaluate how much time you spend reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God.  Pray that you would reject the myths of the world and seek to be trained by God’s Word.  Pray that you would cling to God’s Word as the true source of training in godliness.  Pray for wisdom in using God’s Word to train others in godly ways.

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

In prayer,
Tom