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This is the audio from the September 24, 2023 sermon, “Good News: Go and Do Likewise”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 10

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.  We also set apart one of our young men as we ordained him into Christian ministry.   As we consider the importance of what we did in setting Alex apart for Christian ministry, we must also recognize that sharing the good news of Jesus is a task every believer is called to.  When Jesus asked his followers to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers, His answer to their prayers was to send them to declare the good news of the kingdom!  We, however, are often like the teacher of the law who wanted to justify himself and tried to limit his obedience to what he knew God required.  As we gaze into God’s Word today, may we hear Jesus telling us to go and . . .

• Declare Likewise: (Luke 10:8-12)

  • When the followers of Jesus were sent out by Him to the surrounding towns and villages, their task was to declare that the kingdom of God was near.  When people would welcome them into their homes, they were to stay and declare the kingdom of God was near.  When people did not welcome them, they were to shake the dust off their shoes and also declare to them that the kingdom of God was near.  Many times I think we want an invitation, or at least a welcome, before we share the good news of the kingdom but God’s desire is that we would declare that good news to all and allow Him to deal with the response.  We live as those who go and do likewise when we choose to declare Jesus as we go about life.

• Obey Likewise: — (Luke 10:25-29, 37)

  • When Jesus is approached by a teacher of the law wanting to know an answer that should have been within his area of expertise, Jesus turns the question back on the man in order to get his answer.  The man gives an answer which Jesus pronounces as the correct answer and admonishes the man to do what he said and he would live.  The problem was that the man wanted limits to how much he had to love God and love people so the Bible says that in an attempt to justify himself the man asked Jesus who his neighbor would be.  Jesus tells the story we know as the story of the Good Samaritan and again turns the man’s question back to him for an answer.  Once again, the man gives a good answer in that the neighbor was the one who showed mercy — something God had commanded His people to do from the very beginning.  We live as those who go and do likewise when we live as those who choose to obey God in everything, especially in the way we show mercy towards others.

Today, will you choose to go and DO likewise?

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This is the audio from the September 17, 2023 sermon, “Good News: How Great a COST”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 9:10-36

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, it can become easy for us to know Jesus as God to such an extent that we lose sight of the great cost that He willingly paid.  The good news associated with the great cost paid by Jesus during His life here on earth is that it reflects the great value that we have to Him.  Our response ought to be one that understands and lives out a great . . .

• Compassion: (Luke 9:10-17)

  • After receiving news about the death of John, the desire of Jesus was to be alone with His disciples and His Father.  As they traveled to a place where this could happen, a great crowd followed them.  As Jesus saw the crowd, He was moved with compassion and began to teach about God’s kingdom and heal those who were sick.  His compassion came at a great cost as He chose to delay His solitude in order to share in the sufferings of the multitude.  The good news for us today is that God’s compassion is not only directed toward us, it is meant to be an example for us to follow.  As those who are called by God to consider the cost, we must turn to Him so that we would live with a great compassion.

• Observation: — (Luke 9:18-21)

  • After the crowds experienced the teaching and healing of Jesus, it was lesson time for the disciples.  As Jesus and His disciples were finally able to withdraw to a private place of prayer, it was time to see what the disciples had observed.  The groundwork was laid by Jesus as He questioned what the disciples had heard about Him from the crowds.  It seemed the crowd had been impressed by the works of Jesus to the extent that they considered He must be a man of God who had died and was now brought back to life.  Jesus then turned the question to a personal level and asked the disciples who they believed that He was.  Peter’s response was to the point when he stated that Jesus was indeed the Christ sent from God.  Jesus confirmed that this was an observation not from human sources but from God’s Spirit.  As those who are called by God to consider the cost, we must turn to Him so that we would have our eyes opened to a great observation.

• Sacrifice: — (Luke 9:22-27)

  • I suspect that when most of us consider the great cost, our first thoughts go to the subject of sacrifice.  The topic of sacrifice should naturally lead us to the death of Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, but we also need to consider how great a sacrifice Jesus made simply by coming to earth and living as one of us.  In fact, I believe it is this level of life sacrifice that Jesus calls us to when He says we must take up our cross daily and follow Him.  While many would want to have the courage to lay down their life to save someone else in a life or death situation, when it comes to the day to day sacrifices of time, money, pride, preference, and opinion, we’re not so eager to make that type of sacrifice.  As those who are called by God to consider the cost, we must turn to Him so that we would learn how to deny self and live a life of great sacrifice.

• Transformation: — (Luke 9:28-36)

  • The purpose of the great cost paid by Jesus is that we would undergo a great transformation.  As Peter, James, and John went up a mountain with Jesus to pray, a great transformation took place where Jesus was transfigured into His heavenly form and met with Moses and Elijah on that mountain top.  The text tells us that the disciples were sleepy but that the incredible transformation became obvious once they were fully awake.  The response of the disciples was a desire to simply stay there on the mountain and bask in the glory that was present.  The response of God, however, was that they needed to recognize the authority of Jesus and listen to Him.  As those who are called by God to consider the cost, we must turn to Him so that we understand the great transformation that comes through our obedience.

Today, how will you live in response to a great COST?

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This is the audio from the September 10, 2023 sermon, “Good News: Touched By the Master’s HAND”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 8:40-56

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 walked this earth He encountered many people who longed for His touch.  In today’s text, as Jesus was on His way to touch a family, a woman believed that her touching Jesus would accomplish the same result as being touched by the Master’s . . .

• Healing: (Luke 8:43-44)

  • As news of Jesus spread, people came to Him for healing which had been unavailable from any other source.  Whether it was the woman touching Jesus and being healed or the daughter of Jairus being touched by Jesus and being brought to life, Jesus consistently showed that the power of God was mighty to do what others couldn’t.  While physical healing is a great thing, our spiritual healing is of even greater importance and can only happen because of the work done by Jesus.  As we reach out to Jesus and experience His presence in our life, we discover a touch of the Master’s healing that only He can give.

• Authority: — (Luke 8:46-48)

  • The reason Jesus had the power to heal was because of the authority He had as God.  It was a confident faith in Jesus and His authority which brought people to Him to receive what only He could give.  As the One who spoke the world and all it contains into existence, many people recognized the authority He had to speak into the impossible and make it possible.  As we reach out to Jesus and experience His presence in our life, we discover a touch of the Master’s authority which calls us to complete obedience.

• Nurturing: — (8:49-51)

  • Because of our experiences with people who at times wield authority in abusive ways, it is important to take note of how Jesus combines His authority with a nurturing presence.  As Jairus and his wife receive news of great loss, Jesus draws them away from the crowds where they can receive the comfort and encouragement they need.  Jesus used His authority to help people and glorify His Father rather than to seek personal gain.  As we reach out to Jesus and experience His presence in our life, we discover a touch of the Master’s nurturing as He helps us to grow.

• Design: — (Luke 8:52-56)

  • We live in world filled with chaos and life experiences which make no sense to us.  Many times we try to understand things based on the very limited perspective that we have as humans.  We like to have someone or something to blame when things are not what we think they should be. Sometimes the problem isn’t in the circumstances but rather in our lack of understanding of God’s design.  Whether we experience the good things of life or the unpleasant things of life, God’s design is to use all of it for His glory in our life.  As we reach out to Jesus and experience His presence in our life, we discover a touch of the Master’s design as He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Today, how will you experience the Master’s HAND?

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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

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?

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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

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?

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This is the audio from the August 20, 2023 sermon, “Good News: A New Job”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 5

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 the good news of Jesus as the powerful Word.  The good news of Jesus is a message that not only transforms us from the inside out, it transforms our work from the inside out.  When we respond to the calling of Jesus to follow Him, He gives us a new . . .

• Journey: (Luke 5:10-11; Genesis 12:1-4)

  • For many people, one of the easiest things to do is to get caught up in the routines of life to such an extent that we lose sight of why we do what we do.  For Peter, James, and John, their life journey as fishermen was changed by an encounter with Jesus.  While there are times when God will call us to an occupational change, many times He simply changes the focus of what our work is really about.  These fishermen from Galilee came face to face with Jesus and found their life journey changed from fishing for fish to fishing for people.  This type of change is consistent with the way God works in the lives of people throughout time. When God called Abram to a new job, He started him on a new journey that was simply a walk with God.  When we respond to God’s call, He calls us to change the why of our work to do everything for Him and in so doing we begin a new journey with God everywhere we go.

• Observation: — (Luke 5:22-26, Genesis 13:14-17)

  • When we choose to do everything as working for the Lord, He calls us to look at all things differently.  When a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus by his friends, Jesus forces those around Him to observe more than what is seen.  Jesus declares that the paralyzed man’s sins are forgiven and the religious leaders simply can’t see how that is possible.  Jesus then goes on to heal the man as an observable proof that Jesus has the power to do exactly what He says He will.  While Abram is on his walk with God, he is called to look around and see everything that God was giving to him.  In our daily work, God’s desire is that we would open our eyes and see all circumstances through His perspective.  Those things we think are impossible become possible when God declares them done.  When we respond to God’s call, He calls us to change the scope of our work to what we observe from Him rather than limiting it to what we observe in our own capabilities.

• Belief: — (Luke 5:31-32, Genesis 15:5-6)

  • When we see our work as being done for the Lord, He calls us to a new belief that overcomes the ways of the world and embraces the way of the Lord.  As Jesus encounters Levi, he is at work collecting taxes for Rome.  His response to Jesus is one of closing up shop and following Jesus in a way that desires his peers to know Jesus as well.  Unfortunately, the religious leaders of the day were pretty set in their belief that a good Jewish teacher should not be associating with tax collectors and sinners.  The response of Jesus to these religious leaders is a challenge to have a new belief that understands the value of every person and the need for repentance and restoration.  When we respond to God’s call, He calls us to change what we believe about people so that we would see them as individuals created in His image and loved by Him.

Today, how will you accept a new JOB?

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This is the audio from the August 13, 2023 sermon, “Good News: The Powerful Word”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 4:1-21

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 the good news of Jesus as the powerful Word.  When we consider the example of Jesus in the way He handled temptation from the devil and public scrutiny from the crowds, we learn how to hold fast to the powerful . . .

• Writing: (Luke 4:4,8, & 12; Romans 15:4)

  • Jesus not only understood the writings of scripture, He used them to stand firm and resist temptation.  When we dismiss parts of God’s Word as being irrelevant or unimportant to today’s culture, we end up dismissing the power of the writing as the power then belongs with us rather than with God.  When tempted by the devil, Jesus responded with what was written because He not only knew the power of the word, He was the power of the Word!  When we need good news in the face of temptation and opposition, we find within scripture the power of the writing.

• Opportunity: — (Luke 4:13, Colossians 4:5-6)

  • Sometimes when we read the story of the devil tempting Jesus it is easy to think it was a quick victory for Jesus and after that He was left alone.  What we find in the text, however, is that the 40 days and nights Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness was filled with temptation and after this time the devil left “for a more opportune time”.  The good news is that while the devil looks for an opportune time to defeat us, today is always a powerful opportunity for victory.  The powerful Word which has been given to us is filled with opportunities to know God and live a life which honors Him.  When we need good news in the face of temptation and opposition, we find that each day gives us a powerful opportunity to know God and represent Jesus.

• Reading: — (Luke 4:18-19, 1 Timothy 4:13)

  • Jesus understood that the powerful word not only was a powerful writing and a powerful opportunity, it is unleashed through a powerful reading of what it says.  When we read scripture, we expose ourselves to the mind of God as all scripture came about not by man’s wisdom or intent, but by the moving of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus knew the power of reading scripture whether confronting the devil or standing up to opposition from what should have been a friendly crowd.  When we need good news in the face of temptation and opposition, we find there is power in reading the Word of God to ourselves and to those around us.

• Declaration: — (Luke 4:20-21, 1 Peter 2:9-10)

  • We can know the powerful writing, opportunity, and reading but the question we must consider is what will we do with it.  Jesus used the powerful word to declare who He is and we ought to be using God’s Word to declare Jesus to the world around us.  When we speak the truth of God’s Word, we declare to our co-workers, neighbors, family, and friends that we know Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to proclaim good news to the poor, captive, overwhelmed, and everyone who lives.  When we need good news in the face of temptation and opposition, we find a powerful declaration that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Today, what will you do with the powerful WORD?

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This is the audio from the August 6, 2023 sermon, “Good News: Preparing the Way”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 3:1-18, Isaiah 40

Today I began 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 Jesus arrives on the scene “in the fullness of time”, John fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as the “voice of one calling in the wilderness”.  When we think of Jesus coming to earth, it is easy to think of John preparing the way or even Jesus Himself being the One to prepare the way.  However, when we look at the actual wording of the quote from Isaiah that Luke uses, we find that John is the one calling in the wilderness and it was those who heard his words that were to be involved in preparing the . . .

• Warning: (Luke 3:1-9, Isaiah 40:6-8)

  • John’s role in calling people to prepare the way for the coming of God included a warning as to the dangers of not being prepared.  When God called Isaiah to speak to His people, the message was to be one of comfort.  Yet, even with a call to comfort the people God begins by telling him to cry out a warning about the brevity of life.  John’s warning was similar in that the time was near for the judgment of God to fall upon those who failed to produce good fruit.  When we heed God’s call to be involved in preparing the way for others to know Jesus, we do so with a warning that nothing is more important than being right with God.

• Answer: — (Luke 3:10-14, Isaiah 40:9-11)

  • God’s Word tells us that we should always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us and to do so with gentleness and respect.  As John taught people what it looked like to prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus, he was prepared with answers to the questions that arose from people paying attention to the warnings.  These answers were the practical application of how to treat one another with love and respect.  Isaiah gave a similar answer in describing the response to the warning being an acknowledgement of a good shepherd who cared for his flock with gentleness and concern.  When we heed God’s call to be involved in preparing the way for others to know Jesus, we do so with the answer of God’s goodness seen through our life.

• Y: — (Luke 3:15-18, Isaiah 40:28-21)

  • I know, Y is a letter and not a word but in this case it represents the why of preparing the way.  The why has a lot to do with both the warning and the answer.  While the why given by Luke describes the gathering of those who belong to God, it also describes the eternal destruction of those who rejected God.  Luke said that all of this, along with many other words, was proclaiming good news to those who would hear.  Isaiah tells a similar story when chapter 40 concludes with the statement that all people grow weary but those who wait, or put their hope, on the Lord will have renewed strength and rise as on wings of eagles.  When we heed God’s call to be involved in preparing the way for others to know Jesus, we do so with the purpose of seeing others come to know the good news of Jesus.

Today, how will you be involved in preparing the WAY?