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This is the audio from the June 28, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Reconciled!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:21-26

• Motives:  Matthew 5:21-22

  • Being reconciled with God and with one another requires us to understand our motives are as important as our actions.  God examines the heart and we must carefully examine our own heart as we really don’t have the capacity to accurately examine the heart of anyone else.  When we agree with God about the sin inside of us, we are prepared to agree with God about our need for reconciliation.

• Offerings:  Matthew 5:23-24

  • Being reconciled with God and with one another requires us to understand our offerings are not an act detached from who we are, but rather are an act of worship which requires a heart purified from the hatred and division of this world.  While we can’t always make everything right, God says that as far as it depends upon us we should be at peace with everyone.  God has set the example by sending Jesus to make things right when the division between Him and us was caused by us.  We follow that example of reconciliation when we initiate making things right with those who may have wronged us.

• Responsibility:  Matthew 5:25

  • Being reconciled with God and with one another requires us to understand our responsibility in seeking peace and reaching godly terms of agreement.  This is not a call to engage in the sinful behavior of the world in order to fit in, but rather a responsibility to “love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with our God”.  When it comes to God holding the say on the day of judgment, it is our responsibility to accept His terms so that we are reconciled to Him and not cast into “prison” to fully pay our debt.

• Eternity:  Matthew 5:26

  • Being reconciled with God and with one another requires us to understand how our eternity is determined by our choices.  Paying our way out of prison simply doesn’t work and I believe that is what Jesus was getting at here in verse 26.  We must be reconciled so that our eternal destination is one of joy and not of torment.

How will you understand MORE today as you are being reconciled?

~

This is the audio from the June 21, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Righteous!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:17-20

• Reminded:  Matthew 5:17

  • Having a righteousness in Christ involves being reminded of the inability of the law to save us and thus our need for a Savior.

• Intentional:  Matthew 5:18

  • Having a righteousness in Christ is possible when we are intentional about pursing a relationship with Him through faith.

• Good:  Matthew 5:19

  • Having a righteousness in Christ changes our view of good from being based on what we do to being a product of whose we are.

• Honest:  Matthew 5:19

  • Having a righteousness in Christ will cause us to be honest with God, with our self, and with others about the nature of our relationship and obedience to Christ.

• Transformed:  Matthew 5:20

  • Having a righteousness in Christ comes as we are transformed in our way of thinking so that our righteousness indeed exceeds that of the Pharisees because it has a different source.

How will you be RIGHT today as you make the light of Jesus known?

~

This is the audio from the June 14, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Salt and Light!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:13-16

• Supplied:  Matthew 5:13

  • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world because God is the One who supplies all that you need in order to be.

• Available:  Matthew 5:14

  • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world when you make yourself available to God for His exclusive use in everything you do.

• Loving:  Matthew 5:15

  • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world when you grow in loving people like Jesus loves you, and them.

• Truthful:  Matthew 5:16

  • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world when you are truthful about God being the One who works in you and through you to accomplish His will.

How will you be SALT today as you make the light of Jesus known?

~

This is the audio from the June 7, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Blessed!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:1-12

Questions to Consider:

Are you poor in spirit?

Do you mourn?

Are you meek?

Do you hunger & thirst for righteousness?

Are you merciful?

Are you pure in heart?

Are you a peacemaker?

Are you persecuted because of righteousness?

Are you insulted?

Are you falsely accused?

No acrostic outline, or any outline for that matter, today. 🙂

Today, how will you live as one Being Blessed in order to bless others?

~

This is the audio from the May 17, 2026 sermon, “Preparing For the Son: Prepared To Be NEW!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 4:12-25

• Near  Matthew 4:12-17

  •  

• Eager:  Matthew 4:18-22

  •  

• Well:  Matthew 4:23-25

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Today, how will you live as one prepared to be NEW?

~

This is the audio from the May 10, 2026 sermon, “Prepared To Overcome: Knowing the WORD!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 4:1-11

• Wilderness:  Matthew 4:1-3

  • We are prepared to overcome when we know the wilderness we live in.  When we realize this life we live is done so in the midst of a wilderness of temptation, we can remain vigilant in not letting the scarcity of life take our eyes off of Jesus.  We overcome when the springs of living water nourish us in the dry and thirsty land in which we live. 

• Opportunity:  Matthew 4:5-9

  • We are prepared to overcome when we know both the opportunities presented and their source.  The enemy will present opportunities to you which will sound very attractive and will often appear as shortcuts to achieving what you really want.  We overcome when we are able to see into the motivation of each opportunity where the true spirit behind them is revealed. 

• Response:  Matthew 4:4, 7, & 10

  • We are prepared to overcome when we know how to respond with God’s Word.  The enemy is good at twisting and misusing God’s Word in ways that are designed to confuse and mislead us.  Our response needs to be more than popular opinion or the way of the world.  We overcome when we become student’s of God’s Word and use it to reject the temptations of the enemy.

• Devil:  Matthew 4:11

  • We are prepared to overcome when we know the relentless nature of the devil.  A victory over temptation does not mean the battle is over.  When we know the attacks are coming, or will return, we can be better prepared to overcome.  We overcome when we know the devil and choose not to give him a foothold in our life.

Today, how will you live as one prepared to overcome by knowing the WORD?

~

This is the audio from the May 3, 2026 sermon, “Preparing For the Son: Completely WET!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 3

• Warned:  Matthew 3:1-10

  • We are prepared by the Spirit as we are warned about sin, righteousness, and the judgment. 

• Examined:  Matthew 3:11-12

  • We are prepared by the Spirit as we are examined in a way which reveals the work God is doing in us. 

• Taught:  Matthew 3:13-17

  • We are prepared by the Spirit as we are taught to know and do that which is right.

Today, how will you live by the Spirit as one completely WET?

~

This is the audio from the April 26, 2026 sermon, “Lessons From the Road: A Road of LIFE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Luke 19:1-10

• Looking:  Luke 19:1-4

  • The road of life is found by those who look for it with a whole heart.  While Jesus did come to seek and save the lost, He does so by presenting Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life to all who would look for Him and to Him.  We must ask ourselves on a regular basis what it is we’re looking for.  We must look for Jesus with such intention and focus that nothing would stop us and now excuse would shift our focus away from Him. 

• Invitation:  Luke 19:5

  • The road of life involves an invitation, but it is not our invitation to Jesus but rather His invitation to us.  While Zacchaeus did whatever was necessary for him to see Jesus, it was Jesus who invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus.  Our response to the invitation of Jesus to come and dwell in us ought to be a resounding yes! 

• Fellowship:  Luke 19:6-7

  • The road of life leads us into fellowship with Christ and with one another.  It is this recognition of our great need for a Savior which leads us into common ground with others who also need a Savior.  Jesus brings life to all who would walk in fellowship with Him.

• Expression:  Luke 19:8-10

  • The road of of life will result in an expression of our faith that gets noticed.  In all of the looking, invitation, and fellowship, Zacchaeus realized that his encounter with Jesus was to be transformational.  There is no record of Jesus commanding Zacchaeus to respond with his wealth in a certain way, Zacchaeus responded out of love towards a God who came to seek and save him.

Today, how will you walk with Jesus on this road of LIFE?