A Not So Minor Relationship: Built On Faith! (Sermon Audio)

A Not So Minor Relationship: Built On Faith! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 11, 2026 sermon, “A Not So Minor Relationship: Built On FAITH!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Malachi 2

 

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

As we gaze into God’s instructions for His people through the prophet Malachi, we find the importance of basing our relationships with God and with people on a life of . . .

  • Fear:  Malachi 2:1-4

    • Having a relationship built on faith begins with fear.  Not a terrified fear, but a reverent fear of the Lord.  It is this fear that draws us near to Him, and to one another, in ways which honor God and His Word.  .
  • Authority:  Malachi 2:5-9

    • Having a relationship built on faith involves an understanding of authority.  When we realize that there is a God in charge of everything, and we’re not it, we learn to humbly submit to God and to one another.
  • Intention:  Malachi 2:10-12

    • Having a relationship built on faith will cause an examination and understanding of our true intention.  As we grow in faith, we grow in our understanding that God knows our heart and considers why we do what we do as well as the actual actions we take.
  • Trust:  Malachi 2:13-16

    • Having a relationship built on faith will require trust to grow in very visible ways.  Our unfaithfulness to God will create a separation, while our return to God will only come when we learn to trust Him.  Our separation from God, and from one another, can only be redeemed when God’s Spirit helps us to trust.
  • Honesty:  Malachi 2:17

    • Having a relationship built on faith will reveal an honesty that acknowledges our sin and failures in ways which promote healing and restoration.  Pretending rarely works long term in any relationship as once honesty fails, the seeds of doubt are planted in every communication.  Being “honest to God” really is the best policy because He already knows and loves us anyhow.
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Today, how will FAITH guide your relationships with God and with others?

A Not So Minor Offering: Giving Your BEST! (Sermon Audio)

A Not So Minor Offering: Giving Your BEST! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 4, 2026 sermon, “A Not So Minor Offering: Giving Your BEST!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Malachi 1

 

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)

As we gaze into God’s instructions for His people through the prophet Malachi, we find the importance of examining our offerings so that we are giving our . . .

  • Background:  Malachi 1:1-5

    • Giving your best to God involves giving Him your background so that He can use it for His glory.  Rather than trying to hide our past or live in our past, God wants to use our past in ways which reveal His great love.
  • Excuses:  Malachi 1:6-7

    • Giving your best to God will require that you give Him your excuses, not in making excuses to Him but in surrendering them to Him.  In a world of self-justification, God desires that we release our excuses to Him and find a true justification which comes through faith.
  • Sacrifice:  Malachi 1:8-9

    • Giving your best to God will result in a sacrifice which is holy and acceptable to Him.  It is a sacrifice that chooses not to give what is extra or not needed by us, but to give from the top what is the absolute best.
  • Temple:  Malachi 1:10-14

    • Giving your best to God will lead you to being prepared as the temple of the living God.  As you invite Jesus to be Lord of your life, you choose to be fully cleansed by His blood and sacrifice so that you become the holy temple of God — the place in which He dwells.
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Today, how will you give your BEST as an offering to God?

Summer With the Son: Being Obedient! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Obedient! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the September 27, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Productive!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 7:24-29

 

“But Samuel replied:  ‘Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’”
1 Samuel 15:22
(NIV)

Being Obedient is the only appropriate response to hearing the Words of Jesus.  In fact, Jesus concludes the Sermon On the Mount with clear instruction about our need to . . .

  • Observe:  Matthew 7:24

    • Being obedient requires us to observe, or look at, what God’s Word actually says.  It is important to be a hearer of God’s Word as the foundation for our obedience.  Doing what God says requires us to know what God says, so we spend time as students of the Word.
  • Believe:  Matthew 7:25-27

    • Being obedient also requires that we believe what God says.  We have a tendency to test the words of others as to whether they really mean what they say, and that often carries over into our belief of God’s Word.  When we believe what God says and that He has ultimate authority, then we position ourselves to understand the need for obedience.
  • Express:  Matthew 7:28

    • Being obedient will lead us to express with our words and our actions that Jesus really does have authority over our life.  The Word of God ought to amaze us with its accuracy, truth, and relatability.  Our obedience becomes an expression of our love for God and our desire to please Him.
  • Yield:  Matthew 7:19-29

    • Being obedient is in its very nature a willingness to yield.  In keeping with the prayer of Jesus who said, “not my will, but yours be done”, we must learn to yield to the will of God in all things.  Our obedience not only states that Jesus taught as one with authority, we choose to submit to Him as the One with authority.
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Today, how will you OBEY in a way that honors God?

Summer With the Son: Being Productive! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Productive! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the September 20, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Productive!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 7:15-23

 

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)

Being Productive is a result of God’s Spirit at work in the lives of individuals and in the gatherings of believers.  We can learn more about being productive when we look at the . . .

  • Fake:  Matthew 7:15

    • Being productive requires that we look at the fake long enough to avoid being led astray by false teachers and teachings.
  • Results:  Matthew 7:16

    • Being productive will require us to know the intended results that God wants to produce in and through our life.
  • Usual / Unusual:  Matthew 7:17-18

    • Being productive will require us to know what a usual crop would look like and what an unusual crop would look like.
  • Intention:  Matthew 7:19-20

    • Being productive will require us to have an honest intention of godly fruit in our life.
  • Truth: Matthew 7:21-23

    • Being productive will require us to face the truth in regard to the consequences of an unproductive life.

 

Today, how will you look at the FRUIT to evaluate your productivity?

Summer With the Son: Being Persistent! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Persistent! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the September 13, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Persistent!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 7:7-14

 

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”  
James 1:12 (NIV)

Being Persistent is all about God’s faithfulness being evident in the way we pursue Him and treat one another.  It is this persistent pursuit of God that leads us to live by the Golden . . .

  • Request:  Matthew 7:7-8

    • Being persistent in the golden rule will lead us to being persistent in our requests.  God’s desire and instruction is that we make our requests known to Him.  It is in pursuit of God that we learn we can and should ask, seek, and knock so that we would find Him.
  • Understanding:  Matthew 7:9-11

    • Being persistent in the golden rule will lead us to being persistent in our understanding of God’s ways being completely pure and accurate compared to our ways.  As we grow in relationship with God, we find His love is always giving us what is best even when it doesn’t look like we think it should.
  • Law:  Matthew 7:12

    • Being persistent in the golden rule will lead us to being persistent in our practice of the golden law.  While we may lean towards doing to others like they do to us, revenge being the best policy, that is not God’s way for us.  His rule is that we do to others like we want them to do to us in a way that fulfills all the teachings of the law and prophets.
  • Entry:  Matthew 7:13-14

    • Being persistent in the golden rule will lead us to being persistent in our entry into God’s kingdom as only being possible through Jesus.  While the path to eternity with God is narrow and few find it, we remain persistent because it is the only option that results in being welcomed home by Jesus.

 

Today, how will you be persistent in a way that reveals the Golden RULE in your life?

Summer With the Son: Being Kind! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Kind! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the September 6, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Kind!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 7:1-6

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

Being Compassionate is a quality God expects us to grow in as we experience and reflect His compassion towards us.  It is in this mindset that we can look at all people and choose to be . . .

  • Kin:  Matthew 7:1-2

    • Being kind will grow from our realization that in Christ we are all family and should treat one another as kin.
  • Inspected:  Matthew 7:3-4

    • Being kind requires an inspection that will examine self according to God’s standards.
  • Nurturing:  Matthew 7:5

    • Being kind will lead us to be nurturing in the way we help others.
  • Deliberate:  Matthew 7:6

    • Being kind includes being deliberate about using godly discernment in dealing with those who live as enemies of the cross.

 

Today, how will God’s compassion help you to be KIND?

Summer With the Son: Being Content! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Content! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the August 30, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Content!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 6:25-34

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”
Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Being Content is possible when we choose to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.  He is the One who helps us when we need to be . . .

  • Concerned:  Matthew 6:25

    • Being content begins with learning to be concerned about appropriate things.  It can be very easy for the normal concerns of life to become things we worry about.  The concerns are often normal and natural but the worry is what God wants us to hand to Him so that we can be chill in His presence.
  • Humble:  Matthew 6:26-27

    • Being content will follow our desire to be humble as we learn to value both God and others more than we value our own desires.  When we understand God’s care for the birds of the air, we begin to recognize that we may be special, but not that special.  It is our humility that leads to a contentment which allows us to be chill in God’s presence.
  • Instructed:  Matthew 6:28-29

    • Being content will grow in our life when we choose to be instructed by the Word of God in all things.  It is the example of Jesus found in God’s Word that shows us both God’s care and His provision.  As we learn more of God’s faithfulness through our reading of Scripture and through our own experience, we gain the instruction necessary for us to be chill in God’s presence.
  • Loved:  Matthew 6:30-32

    • Being content will flow from a growing understanding of how much we are loved by God.  It is in our relationship with the living God that we can rest in the storms of life because of His love.  God’s care of us exceeds even our own awareness of what we need, and He always provides with a view of eternity rather than the temporary view we generally have.  When we begin to grasp how loved we are by God, we find it easy to be chill in His presence.
  • Loving:  Matthew 6:33-34

    • Being content is not just a state of being, it becomes a way of life that transforms us to be loving.  It is because of being loved by God that we can even desire to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  It is His love that helps us to be loving toward our neighbors, our family, and even our enemies.  When we learn to be loving, we discover we can be chill in God’s presence.

 

Today, how will you learn godly contentment so you can be CHILL?

Summer With the Son: Being Rich! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Rich! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the August 23, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Rich!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 6:19-24

 

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:20 (NIV)

Being Rich can be important only when we allow God to define what makes us rich.  As we spend time with the Son, we learn His perspective on being . . .

  • Responsible:  Matthew 6:19-20

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  • Intentional:  Matthew 6:21

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  • Concerned:  Matthew 6:22-23

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  • Honest:  Matthew 6:24

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Today, how will you be RICH in a way that honors God?