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This is the audio from the March 17, 2024 sermon, “Good News: The Ultimate MEAL!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 22:7-53

This morning’s message continued our Good News series from the gospel of Luke. This section of the series 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 His trial and crucifixion loom large on the horizon, Jesus gathers with His disciples to share a Passover meal that would become more meaningful than the disciples could have awareness of at the time.    In fact, this meal was not just for them but it was to become an invitation to all believers to join with Jesus in a time of remembrance.  When Jesus invites us to dine with Him we discover a result that is beyond ordinary.  As He shares with His disciples on the night of His arrest, we find that He sets before us the ultimate . . .

• Memorial: — Luke 22:7-23

  • At the heart of this twenty-second chapter of Luke is the gathering of Jesus and the disciples for what has become known as the Last Supper.  Within that meal, Jesus takes the ordinary elements of bread and wine to become an ultimate memorial for all believers to remember the broken body and shed blood which paid the penalty for our sin.  This ultimate memorial is designed to help us remember not just the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but also the promise of His return.

• Example: — Luke 22:24-38

  • After being told that one of them would betray Jesus, the disciples get into an argument about which one of them is the greatest.  While this wasn’t the first time this discussion would take place, I suspect that the motive this time was an attempt by each of them to clear themselves of being suspected as a possible betrayer.  While they argue about who was the greatest, the One who was greatest among them continues to set the ultimate example of what kingdom greatness looks like.  The ultimate example set by Jesus is one that chooses to serve others regardless of how much they may or may not deserve being served.

• Action: — Luke 22:39-46

  • As the events in the upper room come to a close, the “after party” follows Jesus to the Mount of Olives.  We find from the text that this was a usual practice of Jesus and, at least on this occasion, the disciples followed Him.  While it was His usual practice, it was not necessarily a usual night.  It is important to realize that Jesus knew what was about to take place not only that night, but also in the days ahead.  It is with this awareness that Jesus engaged in the ultimate action of prayer.  The ultimate action of Jesus as He leaves this ultimate meal is to not only spend time in prayer with His Father, but to call His disciples to engage in that ultimate action of prayer also.

• Love: — Luke 22:47-52

  • While the entire record of this final meal Jesus has with His disciples is filled with example after example of His love, perhaps nothing proclaims His ultimate love quite like what occurs as a crowd comes out to arrest Him.  In an attempt to protect Jesus, a sword is drawn and swung by the disciples with the result being a servant of the high priest having one less ear than he began the evening with.  In a stunning example of putting into practice His own teaching of loving your enemies, Jesus heals the man who had been struck by the sword.  As surprising as that might be, the ultimate love of Jesus wasn’t an act of kindness shown to one servant but rather the surrender of Himself without a fight so that the spotless Lamb of God could atone for your sin and my sin.

As you receive the good news of Jesus, how will you engage in the ultimate MEAL?

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This is the audio from the March 10, 2024 sermon, “Good News: Understanding the SIGNS!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 21

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, there was often a great difference in what He noticed compared to what others noticed.  As we get to chapter twenty-one of Luke, Jesus notices a person’s sacrificial gift while the disciples notice the beauty of the temple.  It is in that context that Jesus chooses to teach about our need to become better at both noticing and understanding the signs that accompany the coming of God’s kingdom.  When we choose to notice what Jesus noticed, we will grow in our understanding of the . . .

• Sacrifice: — Luke 21:1-6

  • Understanding the signs begins with an understanding of the sacrifice that we’re called to as followers of Jesus.  In fact, it is the sacrifice made by a poor widow which gets the attention of Jesus when His followers are enamored with the outward beauty of the temple.  While the sacrifice of Jesus is essential to us having the ability to be made right with God, the response He expects from us is one of complete surrender of all that we have.

• Information: — Luke 21:7-26

  • Understanding the signs includes paying attention not only to the facts of the moment, but to living with discernment when it comes to what is really going on around us.  The enemy works his tools of deception in an attempt to divide us from God and from one another.  Good information only comes when we are willing to filter all information through the Word of God and His Spirit.

• Glory: — Luke 21:27-28

  • Understanding the signs is only possible in the context us knowing the glory of Jesus that is His alone.  While the increasing signs of the end of all things is enough to cause fear and terror, living in relationship with Jesus leads to a very different view of those signs because we know God is victorious.

• Need: — Luke 21:29-35

  • Understanding the signs should bring us to a recognition of our need for Christ in all things.  While the troubles of this world lead to many attempts to escape the reality of our situation, and leads to anxiety when we can’t escape, the solution is found in Jesus.

• Son: — Luke 21:36-38

  • Understanding the signs is built on the foundation of knowing Jesus as the Son of God.  When we are willing to submit to His authority, we find peace when the world is filled with turmoil and confusion.  Understanding the Son is a continual process as we spend time each day in God’s Word and prayer, learning from His Spirit who leads us into greater wisdom.

As you receive the good news of Jesus, how will grow in understanding the SIGNS?

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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

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?

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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

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?

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This is the audio from the February 18, 2024 sermon, “Immeasurably More Scripture: The WORD of Truth!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

This morning’s message concluded a sermon series designed to help us look at some of the immeasurably more God desires to do in us, through us, and for us.  Often when we think about immeasurably more, it focuses on what we want to receive.  God, on the other hand, is more concerned about what He will do to make the good news of the kingdom grow.  So far we have looked at the immeasurably more that God wants to do in our prayer life, in the way we love, in our serving, in our giving, in compassion, and in our gratitude.  Today we gazed into God’s Word to consider the immeasurably more Scripture that ought to be active in our life because of Jesus.  While the quantity of Scripture which we have remains constant, the immeasurably more aspect of it has to do with our response to God’s Word and our allowance for it to direct every aspect of life.  It is through the acceptance and application of God’s Word that we discover the . . .

• Wisdom of Truth: — 2 Timothy 3:14-15

  • Paul instructed Timothy to continue in what he had learned because there was great wisdom in the things of God which had been taught to him throughout his life.  Having already addressed a form of godliness which left out Christ and therefor had no power, Paul makes it clear that the wisdom which comes from God will lead us to the way of salvation.  When we encounter the Word of truth, we discover a wisdom that reveals the nature of God to us through Jesus.

• Origin of Truth: — 2 Timothy 3:16

  • After having warned Timothy about false teachings and those who would spread such, he wants Timothy to consider the source of all information and find God as the origin of all Scripture.  Understanding and accepting that all Scripture is God-breathed should convey the urgency in our acceptance and practice of what it says.  When we encounter the Word of truth, we come face to face with an origin that is without fault.

• Restraint of Truth: — 2 Timothy 3:16

  • Few people like to be told what to do or to have any restrictions placed upon them by someone else.  At least not until those restrictions are shown to be for our protection and good.  Paul makes it clear that all Scripture is useful in providing the boundaries we need in life through using it for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.  When we encounter the Word of truth, we benefit greatly by the restraint it brings to our life.

• Doing of Truth: — 2 Timothy 3:17

  • Scripture was never meant to simply be a body of information to be studied, memorized, and dissected.  In fact, Paul makes it clear that the wisdom, origin, and restraint of Scripture was all designed to equip us for the doing of it.  God’s Word tells us that we should not simply be hearers of what it says, but that we should do what it says!  When we encounter the Word of truth, we are compelled and equipped to do every good work God would call us to.

Today, how will you apply the WORD of truth in your life?

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This is the audio from the February 11, 2024 sermon, “Immeasurably More Gratitude: GIVE Thanks!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Colossians 3:12-17

This morning’s message continued a sermon series designed to help us look at some of the immeasurably more God desires to do in us, through us, and for us.  Often when we think about immeasurably more, it focuses on what we want to receive.  God, on the other hand, is more concerned about what He will do to make the good news of the kingdom grow.  So far we have looked at the immeasurably more that God wants to do in our prayer life, in the way we love, in our serving, in our giving, and in compassion.  Today we gazed into God’s Word to consider the immeasurably more gratitude that ought to be present in our life because of Jesus.  Being a more thankful person in a world filled with disappointments and discouragement can be difficult.  It is only through God’s Spirit that we find the ability to give thanks when our natural response to a situation may not be thankful at all.  As we choose to grow with immeasurably more gratitude, we do so with . . .

• Generous Thanks: — Colossians 3:12, Colossians 2:7, 2 Corinthians 4:15

  • As Paul gives instructions about being more thankful, He does so in the context of God’s generous nature toward each one of us.  When we clothe ourselves with the things of God’s Spirit, we are able to see others as the valuable creation of God which they are.  Being generous with out thanks comes from an attitude which looks for the good of Christ in others.  We grow in gratitude when we learn to be generous with the thanks we offer to God and to one another.

• Intentional Thanks: — Colossians 3:13-14, 1 Timothy 2:1, Ephesians 5:20

  • Because we live in a world of imperfect people, ourselves included, we must learn to be intentional about living with gratitude.  Our need to forgive and be forgiven can become a hindrance to being thankful unless we are willing to acknowledge just how much God has forgiven us so that we would be deliberate in looking for ways to thank others.  We grow in gratitude when we learn to be intentional with the thanks we offer to God and to one another.

• Vertical Thanks: — Colossians 3:15, 1 Timothy 1:12, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 9:15

  • The strength or weakness of our relationship with God will have a lot to do with how we interact with others.  When we first give ourselves fully to God, we find that His Spirit leads us to value the things He values.  When we teach and admonish one another, and sing praises to God, we find a gratitude that is growing in us through His Spirit.  We grow in gratitude when we learn to put God first in our vertical thanks to Him.

• Expressive Thanks: — Colossians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 9:12

  • Just as we tend to give and receive expressions of love in a variety of ways, our expressions of thanks ought to be offered in ways which benefit the one we are thanking.  When it comes to thanking God, scripture tells us that everything we do ought to be done with an attitude of gratitude.  The same is true at a different level in how we thank one another.  Our many expressions of thanks ought to done in a way that builds up the body of Christ and makes Him known.  We grow in gratitude when we learn to be expressive with our thanks in whatever we do.

Today, how will you GIVE thanks?

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This is the audio from the February 4, 2024 sermon, “Immeasurably More Compassion: A Time To CARE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 1 Peter 3:8-17

This morning’s message continued a sermon series designed to help us look at some of the immeasurably more God desires to do in us, through us, and for us.  Often when we think about immeasurably more, it focuses on what we want to receive.  God, on the other hand, is more concerned about what He will do to make the good news of the kingdom grow.  So far we have looked at the immeasurably more that God wants to do in our prayer life, in the way we love, in our serving, and in our giving.  Today we gazed into God’s Word to consider the immeasurably more compassion He has toward us and that He desire for us to have toward others.  Compassion is one of those traits that we are often more comfortable in receiving than giving.  We want someone who is willing to suffer with us — not in the sense of a pity party, but in a way that provides companionship and help.  Not only did Jesus join in the suffering of individuals as He walked this earth, He joined in our suffering as He went to the cross to become payment for our sins.  We reflect the immeasurably more compassion of God when we choose now as a time to . . .

• Comfort: — 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

  • When we choose to enter into the sufferings of others in order to be with them, we model the actions of Jesus who entered into this world as “God with us”.  As a people who deserved to be condemned, we should find comfort in a God who came to save.  It is through this comfort that we receive from Christ that we not only are told to comfort others, but we are given the ability to do so.  When we choose to care for people with immeasurably more compassion, we find ourselves equipped by God’s Spirit to be instruments of His comfort.

• Appreciate: — Romans 15:7

  • When we choose to enter into the sufferings of others in order to be with them, we find the importance of accepting one another in ways that show appreciation and value.  To accept others just as Christ has accepted us doesn’t mean we ignore or overlook sin, but rather we value people for who they are as one created in the image of God and we desire to see the work of God transform each person into the fullness of that image.  When we choose to care for people with immeasurably more compassion, we learn to appreciate the people around us in ways that lets them know the great value they have.

• Restore: — Galatians 6:1-2

  • When we choose to enter into the sufferings of others in order to be with them, we understand the need for each of us to be restored in every way possible.  God warns us to be careful in this process so that we don’t get caught up in the sins of others, but the reward of seeing a person restored to Christ and to the fellowship of believers is a great thing.  The compassion to restore isn’t an us versus them thing as we all sin and need to experience the full restoration that only God can accomplish.  When we choose to care for people with immeasurably more compassion, we live as those who have been restored to restore others.

• Embrace: — Luke 15:20

  • When we choose to enter into the sufferings of others in order to be with them, we find ways to embrace one another in a manner that brings healing.  The culmination of our learning to be with others in ways that comfort, appreciate, and restore will be an embrace of belonging whether that takes place in the form of a physical hug or something that gives the same result.  When we choose to care for people with immeasurably more compassion, we find ways to embrace them with the love of God that never fails.

Today, how will the compassion God calls you to lead you to CARE?

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This is the audio from the January 28, 2024 sermon, “Immeasurably More Giving: A Great GIFT!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Corinthians 8 & 9

This morning’s message continued a sermon series designed to help us look at some of the immeasurably more God desires to do in us, through us, and for us.  Often when we think about immeasurably more, it focuses on what we want to receive.  God, on the other hand, is more concerned about what He will do to make the good news of the kingdom grow.  In the first message of this series we considered what it looks like to experience immeasurably more in our prayer life.  In the second message we addressed the immeasurably more love that God has for us and expects us to share with others.  Last week we talked about serving in immeasurably more ways because of what we experience through our increased prayers and love.  This combination of prayer, love, and serving brings us to today’s message about the great gift of immeasurably more giving.  When we think of immeasurably more giving, it should be evident that God set the standard with the giving of Himself for all mankind.  As we recognize God as the source of every good and perfect gift, we discover His desire that we live with a great . . .

• Generosity: — 2 Corinthians 8:1-7

  • We often think of generosity as a subject focused on what we do with our extra . . . our extra money, extra time, extra whatever it is that we don’t really need or want.  God, however, looks at our generosity based on what we do with what He has given.  We live with a great generosity when we learn to give beyond what we think is possible.  This is not an over-extending of giving what isn’t real, but rather a giving based on what God provides rather than on what we evaluate as reasonable.

• Instruction: —  2 Corinthians 8:8-15

  • As Paul sets forth the Macedonians as examples of great generosity, he provides great instruction to the Corinthians on how to also excel in the grace of giving.  The instruction given focuses on giving according to what God has provided rather than based on what anyone else is doing.  We live with a great instruction when we take God at His Word and choose to give in ways that mutually meet the needs of each individual, including yourself.

• Faith: — 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

  • To excel in the grace of giving requires a faith that the seeds being planted by what we give will bear appropriate fruit in due time.  We choose to give, not because it necessarily produces the immediate results we desire but because it displays a faithfulness in using what God has already given to each of us.  We live with a great faith when we understand the source of every good and perfect gift, and then trust that Source to accomplish His will in us and through us.

• Testimony: — 2 Corinthians 9:12-15

  • The immeasurably more giving that God does, and calls us to do, is designed to give testimony to who He is.  When the generous nature of God is displayed through us, it results in great thanksgiving by those who recognize His hand at work in their midst.  When we choose to follow God in a way that leads us to excel in the grace of giving, we give testimony to God’s goodness at work in a generous way.  We live with a great testimony when we give to others in the same way God has given to us.

Today, how will you share in this great GIFT?