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This is the audio from the March 13, 2022 sermon, “A Firm PLAN In an Uncertain World”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  2 Corinthians 1:12-24

When life appears to be messed up with nothing going according to your own plans, it is time to turn to God and consider living life with a firm . . .

• Preparation.  2 Corinthians 1:12
  • When life doesn’t go according to your plan, it is time to draw from a depth of preparation.  We prepare for the uncertainties of this world by being students of God’s Word and finding it to be useful in every situation we face.  When we live as one prepared by the Word of God, we find that no matter what happens we can truly be “workmen who need not be ashamed”.
• Love.  2 Corinthians 1:13-16
  • When life doesn’t go according to your plan, it is time to draw from a depth of love.  When we grow in loving like Jesus loves, we look for His work in the lives of others and we lift them up because we are one in Christ.  While the world, and the prince of this age, tries to divide us in every way imaginable, God calls us to a firm love that cares for others even more than we care for our self.
• Attitude.  2 Corinthians 1:17-19
  • When life doesn’t go according to your plan, it is time to draw from an attitude that is the same as that of Christ Jesus.  This is an attitude that sought to do the will of His Father no matter what.  We must continually remind ourselves that God is in charge and we are not.  This is an attitude of flexibility when it comes to our schedule and plans so we do not become tied to what we want when God has something different for us to do.  It is a firm attitude that chooses to make all of our plans in submission to God so that His will is what matters most.
• Nature.  2 Corinthians 1:20-22
  • When life doesn’t go according to your plan, it is time to draw on a nature that is fed by the Spirit rather than by the flesh.  We all have things that we are naturally good at . . . things that come easy to us and have been improved through practice and training.  Sometimes we may struggle to know what that is, but God has not left anyone out in regard to being useful in the body of Christ.  How we react in a world of uncertainty is largely dependent on what comes naturally to us.  And what comes naturally to us is dependent on what seeds we continually plant in our life.  God says that we will not only reap what we sow, but we will reap more than we sow.  When we sow to the sinful nature, we reap sinful results in even greater measure.  As discouraging as that may sound, the good news is that when we sow to the spiritual nature, we reap a spiritual harvest that far exceeds what we planted.

As you consider the uncertainties of this world, and of your own life, how will you choose today to live with a firm PLAN in everything you do?

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This is the audio from the March 6, 2022 sermon, “Living As CLEAN”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text:  Mark 7:1-37

When God calls us to come near to Him, He tells us to wash our hands and purify our heart.  As the One inviting us to the wedding banquet of the Lamb, it is time we clean up for dinner.  To live as one who is actually clean, God calls us to live as . . .

• Compassionate.  Mark 7:9-13
  • When the religious leaders complain about the disciples of Jesus eating without washing their hands, Jesus turns and points out their love for legalism that is greater than their love for people.  In fact, the religious leaders would fail to show compassion toward their own parents and use a commitment to God as their excuse.  When God calls us to live as one who is clean, He calls us to live with compassion for all people.
• Learning.  Mark 7:14-16
  • The moment any person decides they know all they need to know, they stop growing.  God’s Word is given to help each of us learn more about Him and how to live as His child.  When it comes to being clean, God wants us to learn what really makes us unclean so that we would avoid those things.  Jesus taught that it is what comes out of a person that makes them unclean rather than what went in.  When God calls us to live as one who is clean, He calls us to live a life of learning.
• Explaining.  Mark 7:17-23
  • One of the great things about the gospels is that they are not only full of Jesus teaching much that we need to learn, they also contain many accounts of Him explaining His teachings to His disciples.  As important as it is to know the Word of God, the key to it becoming transformational in our life is to allow it to explain how we ought to live.  As we grow in Christ, our role ought to include being able and willing to explain the good news of Jesus to others.  When God calls us to live as one who is clean, He calls us to live a life of accurate explaining.
• Accepting.  Mark 7:27-30
  • Once you understand the explaining done by Jesus regarding what makes a person unclean, it ought to become clear that without Jesus we are all equal in that department.  In our text, we find Jesus moving from an explanation of sin making us unclean to an encounter with a woman who would have been considered unclean by the religious leaders because of her nationality.  After an encounter that I believe was meant to teach us a truth about acceptance, Jesus declares a healing of this woman’s daughter because of the mom’s faith.  When God calls us to live as one who is clean, He calls us to live a life that is accepting of one another just as Christ as accepted us.
• New.  Mark 7:36-37
  • The next event recorded for us by Mark was the healing by Jesus of a man who was deaf and mute.  While Jesus tells the man and those witnessing the healing not to tell anyone, they can’t help but spread the news about how Jesus has made him new.  As you consider all of your own history in light of the things Jesus says makes a person unclean, it should become painfully obvious that you needed to become a new person in order to be clean.  Fortunately, God says that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has arrived.  When God calls us to live as one who is clean, He calls us to live a life that is new

Today, will you live as one who is CLEAN?

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This is the audio from the February 13, 2022 sermon, “A Love That Is GREAT”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  1 John 3:16-24
1 John 3:1, John 15:13, 1 Corinthians 13:13

When we love God, love people, and follow Jesus we are called to rise above the ordinary views of this world and learn to live with a love that is . . .

• Giving.  1 John 3:16, John 3:16
  • When we learn of God’s love, we find that at its very core is a love that is giving.  When we seek to live with a love that is great, it is critical that we learn to give.  The good news when it comes to giving is that everything we have that would be worth giving is not of ourselves but comes from God.  It is when we realize the greatness of God’s love that has been given to us, we learn to live with a great love when we learn to give.
• Respectful.  1 John 3:17, Romans 5:8
  • Living with a great love means that we extend that love to everyone with gentleness and respect.  A respectful love is one that is offered unconditionally without regard for how similar or different a person might be from us.  God’s example of a love that is respectful is that Christ died for us while we were sinners.  Our love for others should always be appropriate and fitting, but it should also include everyone.
• Encouraging.  1 John 3:21-22, Philippians 2:1-2
  • God’s Word tells us that we ought to be encouraged by His love as we live united with Christ.  His desire and plan in giving us His Spirit is so that we would be comforted and encouraged throughout all of the details of life.  We also find that living with a great love will call each one of us to encourage others.  When we  have that same love as Christ demonstrated toward us, we live with a love that is encouraging to everyone we meet.
• Active.  1 John 3:18, Luke 6:35
  • Just as James tells us that faith without works is dead, love without action is likely not love at all.  In fact, when God tells us to love our enemies He clarifies that we are to do good to them.  It’s not that we don’t use words, but rather that whatever words we use are backed up by a life that puts into practice the things we know and say about God’s love.  When we live with a love that is great, we find that our actions really do speak louder than our words.
• True.  1 John 3:19-20, 1 John 4:20-21
  • God says that if we claim to love Him yet hate our brother then the truth is not in us.  Jesus makes it clear that He is the way, the truth and the life all while proclaiming God is love.  When we live with a love that is true, we seek to be genuine in our pursuit of God and in the way we treat one another.  Living with a love that is great will require us to accept God’s Word as absolute truth in such a way that we choose to love the people that we can see just like we claim to love the God that we can’t see.

God has shown us through His Word, through His Son, and through His Spirit what a love that is GREAT looks like.  The question each of us needs to ask is this, “Will I live with a love that is GREAT?”

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This is the audio from the February 6, 2022 sermon, “The ACT Of Impossible”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text:  Mark 6:35-56

When life seems impossible to us, it is time to step back and notice God’s . . .

• Accounting.  Mark 6:37-38, 47-49
  • When God calls you to something that seems impossible, it usually seems that way because you are evaluating the task based only on what you are able to do.  God’s accounting says that what He has given is enough.
• Courage.  Mark 6:39-41, 50
  • When God calls you to something that seems impossible, courage is not the absence of fear but rather the determination to not let fear be in charge.  God’s courage that He calls us to is one of faith that believes He can do what He says.
• Truth.  Mark 6:42-44, 51
  • When God calls you to something that seems impossible, truth must be based fully on God and not on our own definitions.  When we read scripture and see how God has done the impossible then look into our own life to notice how He has done the impossible with us, we learn to grow in our belief that nothing is impossible with God.

How will God’s ACT in your life help you overcome the impossible this week?

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This is the audio from the January 16, 2022 sermon, “Choose LIFE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  John 10:10, Deuteronomy 30:11-20

In our existence here on earth, God calls for each one of us to have life to the full as we . . .

• Choose Love.  Deuteronomy 30:15-16, Proverbs 21:21
  • The choice that God sets before us between life and death is a call for each of us to choose love.  Jesus made it clear that the greatest of all God’s commands is to love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and then to love our neighbor like we love our self.  The reason these are the greatest of all the commands is because they provide the foundation for all else.  We choose life to the full when we choose love in everything we do.
• Choose Inclusion.  Deuteronomy 30:11-14, Acts 2:39
  • Before you start thinking that perhaps this choice of life is only for a select few, God makes it clear that He has set this choice before everyone.  Choosing inclusion doesn’t mean that everything goes or that there are no standards of right and wrong.  Rather, it is a choice to acknowledge God’s invitation to choose life is for all who would accept it.  When we choose inclusion, we set no limits on who we will share with about Jesus.  We choose life to the full when we choose inclusion for all who would seek God.
• Choose Faithfulness & Forgiveness.  Deuteronomy 30:17-18, James 1:12
  • Throughout scripture we find God informing us of the benefits that come from a life of faithfulness . . . and the consequences of being unfaithful.  The good news is that God is always faithful and will always keep His promise to be found by us when we seek Him with a whole heart.  His faithfulness to forgive give us a fresh start whenever we come to Him in repentance.  We choose life to the full when we choose to live a forgiven life that pursues faithfulness to God in all that we do.
• Choose Encouragement.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Hebrews 3:12-13
  • Life can be very difficult.  While most people don’t like for it to be known or visible, it seems we all face struggles of various kinds . . . in fact, Jesus told us we would.  One of the often used tools of the enemy against us is to make us feel isolated in the midst of our discouragement.  We allow busyness and distractions to not only isolate us from the encouragement we need, but to also keep us from encouraging others as we ought.  God give us one another so that we can lift up the one who is down, strengthen the one who is week, and encourage the one who is discouraged.  We choose life to the full when we choose today to encourage someone else and when we choose today to accept encouragement from others.

Today God has set before you life and death, will you choose LIFE?

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This is the audio from the January 2, 2022 sermon, “A Time To REST?”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text:  Mark 6:30-44

God created us with a need to rest.  He even set the example for us as we see in scripture following the creation of all things that on the seventh day God rested from all His work.  But rest done God’s way isn’t strictly about us and often helps us to see how God would have us to be involved in the lives of others.  So when our idea of rest seems to be interrupted, perhaps it would be good to consider a time to . . .

• Retreat.  Mark 6:30-32
  • Finding a place of quiet solitude can be a good thing from time to time.  Making the time to be alone with His Father appears to be a priority of Jesus not only in His actions, but also in the teaching of His disciples.  Even in the midst of good work and productive ministry, briefly stepping back from the needs of people can help us have a better view of things from God’s perspective.  While a time to retreat is good, and even necessary at times, it alone will not assure true rest.
• Encourage.  Mark 6:33-34
  • Even as Jesus made plans to withdraw to a quiet place with His disciples, a crowd of people ended up arriving at the intended destination even before He did.  Rather than turn around and go back to where they had come from, or even seek out a more secluded place, Jesus took notice of the crowd and had compassion on them.  At their intended place of retreat, Jesus took the opportunity to encourage the people as He began to teach.  When we recognize that our desire for rest isn’t all about us, we are more likely to use our times of stepping away from routine to encourage those we encounter in our quiet places.
• Serve.  Mark 6:35-40
  • Just as our desire for a time to rest may involve retreat and encouraging others, we may discover it is also a time to serve.  I know it probably sounds strange to think of a time to rest as being a time to serve, yet there is something uniquely refreshing about serving when you know without a doubt that it is God serving others through you.  As Jesus called the disciples to serve the crowd, they did a quick tally and concluded that the task was too big.  When Jesus tells them to see what they can find, I believe He does so to emphasize the impossibility of the task by human standards.  When we serve outside of our comfort zone in ways that require God to work through us, I believe we not only find a time to rest, but also a time of rest.
• Thank.  Mark 6:41-44
  • Even before the crowd was fed and the leftovers collected, Jesus paused and recognized a time to thank.  Someone has once said (and interestingly the source is greatly debated) that it is amazing what can be accomplished if you don’t care who gets the credit.  I believe that even greater is what can be accomplished if you set out to deliberately give God the credit.  Perhaps one of the reasons we become so weary at times is because we’ve convinced ourselves that everything in front of us has been accomplished by us.  We wear ourselves out just thinking of all we have done.  We are most prepared to find a time to rest when we make it a priority to have a time to thank God.  It is in offering thanks to God that we acknowledge His hand in our life and we are able to lift Jesus up so that many would be drawn to Him.

Do you need a time to REST?
How will a deliberate life of Retreat, Encouragement, Service, and Thanks help you experience a greater rest?

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This is the audio from the December 26, 2021 sermon, “Emmanuel: God With US”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  Matthew 1:23, John 1:14,16

Jesus came to be God with us and then calls us to represent Him as we allow God to interact with others through us.

God Through US
John 14:11-12, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

When we consider what it looks like for Jesus to live on earth as God with us, we should get a glimpse of how we should represent Him as His ambassador to those who need to not only see God with us, but they need to know God with them.  We do that most effectively when we put into practice the characteristics of Jesus as God with . . .

• Understanding.  Luke 2:47, James 3:13, Hebrews 4:15-16
  • Not only did Jesus have an understanding of scripture that was unrivaled, He displayed an understanding of people through His willingness to be with them.  In fact, the Bible tells us that we have a high priest in Jesus that understands fully all of our struggles and temptations and comes to us in mercy and grace.  We live as those whom God is with when we pursue a life of understanding and display that understanding through humble interactions with others.  Our willingness to listen to others with an attitude of grace and mercy will help show others that God is with us . . . and that He desires to be with them.
• Service.  Matthew 20:27-28, 1 Peter 4:10
  • Not only did Jesus come to be with us in understanding, He came to serve.  His entire life of ministry and serving led to the ultimate act of service in going to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin.  We live as those whom God is with when we learn to serve others according to their need.  God’s understanding of the sinful nature of people did not lead Him to distance Himself in condemnation.  Rather, through Jesus, He humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant in order to become servant to all.  Our willingness to serve others, regardless of how much we think they do or don’t deserve it, will help show people that God is with us . . . and that He desires to be with them.

Since God is with us, how is He being seen through us?

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This is the audio from the December 5, 2021 sermon, “Taking HOPE to the World”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text:  Mark 6:1-13

As believers in Jesus, we are called to carry a message of hope to a world that is in desperate need.  We do that most effectively when we join people in their time of need and offer true . . .

• Honor.  Mark 6:4-6, Philippians 2:3
  • Taking hope to the world will involve learning to honor those who often feel dishonored and neglected.  While the people of his hometown missed it, one of the greatest ways to actually honor Jesus would be to listen to, and do, what He says.  We can take hope to the world when we show honor by simply listening to the people around us.
• Opportunity.  Mark 6:2-3, Colossians 4:5
  • Taking hope to the world will involve giving opportunity to those who often feel the world has passed them by.  The people of His day thought they knew Jesus and therefore gave Him little opportunity to provide them with the hope only He could bring.  We can take hope to the world when we give people the opportunity to be who God created them to be.
• Peace.  Mark 6:7-10, Romans 12:18
  • Taking hope to the world will involve being a person of peace in the way you interact with others.  Jesus instructed His disciples to cast out evil and trust Him completely as they went about sharing the good news of Jesus.  We can take hope to the world when we choose to live at peace with everyone as far as it depends on us.
• Encouragement.  Mark 6:11-13, Hebrews 3:13
  • Taking hope to the world will involve giving and receiving encouragement through what God does in the lives of people.  We ought to be encouraged by the transformation God does in us and in the lives of those around us.  We can take hope to the world when we choose to be encouragers of every person we meet.

Who do you need to take HOPE to today?