This is the audio from the November 14, 2021 sermon, “Living a Transformed LIFE”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.
Text: Romans 12:1-13
Living the Christian life is only possible by the transforming power of Christ in us. Paul writes to the Romans, and to us, that when we are transformed by the renewing of our mind we are able to test and approve the will of God. As those who desire to do the will of God, we place ourselves in position to do that when we are living with a transformed . . .
Love. Romans 12:9a, Matthew 5:43-48, John 15:13
Living with a transformed love means that we learn to love like Jesus. A sincere love is one that is genuine and has a concern for others that is greater than even our concern for our self. Loving those who love us is relatively easy — at least compared to loving our enemies. But loving our enemies in addition to our friends is the kind of transformed love that Jesus calls us to live with.
Insight. Romans 12:9b, Psalm 119:99
Living with a transformed insight changes who decides what is good and what is evil. Most people tend to develop a sense of right and wrong from a variety of sources — some times including God’s Word as one of those sources and sometimes not. Living with a transformed insight should lead us to consider God’s Word as the authority for clinging to what is good and rejecting all that is evil.
Freedom. Romans 12:10, Galatians 5:13
Living with a transformed freedom leads us to using our freedoms to serve others according to their needs. Many times when we seek freedom we desire to be free from anything that isn’t what we want. The freedom that we really need is a freedom from the bondage of sin and from the trap of our selfish desires. The devotion and honor that we show one another speaks volumes to others about the true freedom that is available to all.
Expression. Romans 12:11-13, 2 Corinthians 9:12
Living with a transformed expression should lead others to ask often about the hope that lies within you. All of the transformation that takes place within our heart and mind should be evident in our actions and our speech. What is inside of a person cannot be hidden forever and when we allow God to transform us from the inside out, the expression of that transformation ought to be visible to a world that is watching..
What area of your life is God calling you to open more fully to Him so that you can experience living a transformed life?
This is the audio and outline from the November 7, 2021 sermon, “A TOUCH of Faith”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.
Text: Mark 5:21-43
In scripture, the size of a person’s faith never seems to make as much difference as the object of one’s faith. Imagine what God can do in your life with just a . . .
Thought of Faith. Mark 5:27-28
Our actions nearly always begin with our thoughts, and an active faith is no exception. The individuals approaching Jesus in our text thought that Jesus could do something to help them. That thought showed itself to be faith when they choose to take action of their own — one asking Jesus to come with him and the other reaching out to touch the garment of Jesus. We live with a touch of faith when we choose to think about what Jesus can bring to our life and then reach out to encounter Him wherever we are.
Observation of Faith. Mark 5:31-32
Because as James writes, “Faith without deeds is dead”, our thought of faith needs to lead us to a faith that is observable. Whether it is our faith or the faith of others, being able to see it in action helps us to grow in an even greater awareness and practice of faith. We live with a touch of faith when we take not of all that God is doing in, through, and around us.
Understanding of Faith. Mark 5:33-34
Because the thoughts and ways of God are so much higher and purer than our thoughts and ways, gaining an understanding of the ways of God can only be accomplished through faith. Jesus makes it clear that it was not the touching of His garment in and of itself that brought healing to the woman, instead it was her faith that did so. We live with a touch of faith when we learn to understand the process of faith is in the person of Jesus rather than in the substance of this world.
Challenge of Faith. Mark 5:35-36
Perhaps the most difficult part of a life of faith is the challenge that inevitably comes. Our request isn’t answered in the way we wanted. Our loved one remains sick or even dies. The layoffs at work leave the family struggling to make ends meet. The cares and trouble of this world can challenge our faith at every level of our life. We live with a touch of faith when we look to God and trust Him to work in the midst of all these challenges in ways that are ultimately for our benefit.
Hope of Faith. Mark 5:41-43
When we consider living with the hope of faith, I believe it is important to remember that there is no evidence that any of the people healed by Jesus are still alive on earth today. Our hope of faith needs to be greater than simply a hope for a better or longer life on earth. In fact, the Bible teaches that if our hope is only for this life then we are to be pitied above all others. We live with a touch of faith when we endure all things with a growing awareness of the eternal home that is the ultimate fulfillment of our hope and faith.
This is the audio and outline from the October 31, 2021 sermon, “What Does God Want: WALK Humbly”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Goshen Christian Church.
Text: Micah 6:8, Matthew 23:23, Psalm 25:9
James 4:6-10
I suspect we have all had our share of conversations and questions about what God wants and how to know His will. Many of those discussions I have been involved with have often included an element of a person wanting to justify their own actions by either claiming they are doing what God wants or by saying what He wants is so elusive that it doesn’t matter. Many times we try to get so specific about the details of life that we miss the big picture that God has stated clearly in His Word. In fact, God said through the prophet Micah three things the Lord requires that ought to form the basis for our understanding of His will. Today we look at the third, and final, one of those three things, that we would walk humbly.
Humility in its truest form has to do with viewing our self accurately in relationship to God and one another. Learning to walk humbly with our God requires that we see Him as God in all aspects of our life. While the number of Christians who would claim to know more than God is probably rather small, the number that act like we know more than God is likely much greater. We grow in learning and doing what God wants when we . . .
Worship Humbly. James 4:7-8, Hebrews 12:28
Worship is about attributing worth to something or someone. We read in scripture of an account of a woman who wanted to know who was right when it came to worshipping God. It seems we tend to have that same discussion in many church gatherings today. When we learn to worship humbly, we find that only God is right and our arguments about place, style, volume, or anything else simply reveal our own lack of humility. The answer Jesus gave in regard to worship was that a time was coming, and had indeed now arrived, when true worship was done in spirit and truth regardless of location or any other details. Learning to walk humbly with our God should lead us to continually grow in our worship of God that becomes completely about Him and not about us.
Act Humbly. James 4:8-9, James 3:13
Perhaps the most easily recognizable trait of walking humbly, or not walking humbly, is found in the way we act. Our actions are what is visible to others most readily. When Jesus tells us that unless we change and become like little children we will never enter the kingdom of heaven, the need to humble our self ought to be very apparent. When we learn to act humbly, we find that the needs of others become more important than our own. Our words about Jesus are either strengthened by the humility in which we serve others or weakened by the pride which looks out for our own interests above that of others. Learning to walk humbly with our God should lead us to constantly evaluate our attitudes and motives behind the way we act.
Love Humbly. James 4:10, Ephesians 4:2
In case you haven’t noticed, the world is pretty good at messing things up. Much of what is passed off as love in our society has no humility to it whatsoever and therefore isn’t really love at all. Godly love will always look for how we can lift up the object of our love, both in the way we lift up God and in the way we lift up the ones we love. Jesus made it clear that there is no greater love than the willingness for someone to lay down their life for someone else. We love humbly when we are not only willing to lay down our life, but we lay down our pride and selfish desires so that others can be encouraged and built up in faith. Learning to walk humbly with our God should lead us to continually live with an attitude of surrendering our will in order to show true love.
Know Humbly. James 4:6, 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
As tough as it might be to worship, act, and love humbly, I believe learning to know humbly may be the greatest challenge faced by many of us in our efforts to walk humbly with our God. Very few people, if any, gain satisfaction from being wrong so we do everything in our power to believe we are right and to convince others we are right. God tells us that knowledge has a tendency to puff us up. In fact, without humility, the more knowledge we obtain, the more prideful we tend to become. God’s desire is that we would use whatever elements of knowledge that we have in ways that build up people without causing division and becoming a stumbling block to others. As knowledgeable as any of us might think we are, no one other than God has complete knowledge and learning to know humbly will help to keep our pride in check. Learning to walk humbly with our God should lead us to be always mindful that we do not know it all and that others have knowledge and information that can be useful to us when we filter all of it through the truth of God’s Word.
How will you WALK humbly today?
When it comes to humility, what do you need to change about the way you Worship, Act, Love, and/or Know?
This is the audio and outline from the October 17, 2021 sermon, “What Does God Want: LOVE Mercy”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Goshen Christian Church.
Text: Micah 6:8, Matthew 23:23, Luke 10:37
I suspect we have all had our share of conversations and questions about what God wants and how to know His will. Many of those discussions I have been involved with have often included an element of a person wanting to justify their own actions by either claiming they are doing what God wants or by saying what He wants is so elusive that it doesn’t matter. Many times we try to get so specific about the details of life that we miss the big picture that God has stated clearly in His Word. In fact, God said through the prophet Micah three things the Lord requires that ought to form the basis for our understanding of His will. Today we look at the second of those three things, that we would love mercy.
For many people, the level of loving mercy tends to depend on whether we are in need of mercy or if we are expected to show mercy. To a man who was attempting to justify himself to Jesus by his goodness, Jesus tells the story we know as the story of the Good Samaritan. When asked who the neighbor was to the man who had been beaten and robbed, the expert in the law said it was the one who showed mercy. Jesus confirms that it was the right answer by telling the man to “go and do likewise.” We grow in learning and doing what God wants when we . . .
Learn Mercy. Matthew 9:13
I suspect that to really become good at loving mercy, we need to learn what mercy is. The religious leaders of the day had missed it so much that Jesus told them to go and learn what scripture means when it says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” When we learn God’s desire for us to be merciful is greater than His desire for our sacrificial offerings, we get a glimpse into how much He would have us to be merciful in order to reflect His mercy to those around us. Learning mercy should lead us into a greater understanding of just how lost we are as an individual without God’s mercy. No matter how good we are, or how good we think we are, we need to learn that the sin which separates us from God is far greater than anything we could ever hope to take care of on our own. It is God’s mercy, the withholding of the punishment we deserve, that ought to teach us the most about showing mercy to others.
Observe Mercy. Psalm 123:2
When we lift our eyes toward God and gaze intently into His word, we ought to find our self looking directly into the source of mercy. Throughout scripture we find God consistently looking for people who would accept His mercy. We observe mercy as we see God calling and using people in the Bible that would call out to Him in need of mercy and forgiveness. I believe God also wants us to be able to look around today and observe mercy being shown in a variety of ways and settings. Given the nature of most news sources today, life is full of examples of wickedness and evil to be observed with little to no effort on our part. It takes work to look for, find, and observe the many examples of mercy that surround us unnoticed each day. When we choose to fill our minds with the acts of mercy that take place, we find that our love of mercy grows.
Value Mercy. Luke 6:46
While many people define priorities as those things we believe to be important, the practical definition of priorities has more to do with the things we actually do. Saying something is important but not doing it gives a mixed message at best and shows that you don’t really value that practice as much as you claim. Because mercy is important to Jesus, and extended to us by Jesus, we show we value the things He values when we extend the same mercy to others that we ourselves have received from God. Our life needs to be more than just lip service to the idea of mercy — we need to value mercy to the point that we realize we simply cannot live without both giving and receiving it.
Encourage Mercy. James 2:12-13
When we love mercy as God desires for us to, we will find ourselves encouraging mercy everywhere we go. In a world filled with self-proclaimed experts, forgiveness and mercy become rare commodities because no one believes they need them. We encourage mercy when we “speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom”. We must learn to see “mercy triumphs over judgment” as a way of life, not just a saying. We encourage mercy when we accept it and when we give it. The warning that “judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful” ought to be pretty strong encouragement to all of us when it comes to loving, and practicing, mercy.
How will you LOVE mercy today?
When it comes to mercy, what do you need to Learn, Observe, Value, and/or Encourage?
This is the audio and outline from the October 10, 2021 sermon, “What Does God Want: ACT Justly”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Goshen Christian Church.
Text: Micah 6:8, Matthew 23:23, Isaiah 56:1-2
I suspect we have all had our share of conversations and questions about what God wants and how to know His will. Many of those discussions I have been involved with have often included an element of a person wanting to justify their own actions by either claiming they are doing what God wants or by saying what He wants is so elusive that it doesn’t matter. Many times we try to get so specific about the details of life that we miss the big picture that God has stated clearly in His Word. In fact, God said through the prophet Micah three things the Lord requires that ought to form the basis for our understanding of His will. Today we look at the first of those three things, that we would act justly.
Learning to act justly requires that we learn God’s view of right and wrong and His view of justice which always centers around making things right. Being able to act justly means that we will need to develop a(n) . . .
Acceptance of Justice. Proverbs 21:3, Isaiah 56:1-2
Because justice deals with righteousness and morality, it is important that we accept God’s definitions of right and wrong in order to know and accept His view of justice. Many times when we experience wrong done toward us, we cry out and claim we want justice when often what we really want is revenge and retribution. While God’s laws are often clear about punishment and consequences for wrongdoing, woven throughout all of it is a desire that individuals would repent and make things right. In fact, if our view of justice is the popular “everyone should get what they deserve” mentality then we have doomed ourselves to eternal separation from God. It is through our acceptance of God’s view of justice that we find He has made a way through Jesus for us to be right with Him.
Commitment of Justice. Psalm 106:3, Ezekiel 18:21
Accepting God’s view of justice for our self is only the beginning to our being able to act justly. A commitment to justice done God’s way is needed by us in every part of our life. Jesus taught that the forgiveness that we receive is proportional to the forgiveness we give to others. This commitment to making things right will lead us to turn from the ways of sin to walk in obedience to God’s Word. We act justly when our relationships with one another are built on a desire and practice of making things right between us regardless of who might be at fault in whatever differences we may have.
Teaching of Justice. Isaiah 1:17, Romans 3:21-26
Accepting and committing to justice is good, but as with all good things God brings into our life, He wants us to be involved in teaching others the things we have learned. We teach others when we treat them fairly when no one else will and they want to know why we’re different. We teach others when we go out of our way to make things right with them when we could have easily ignored the situation between us. God has made it clear that He has taken care of the offense between us and Him by being both just and the one who justifies. God wasn’t the one who did wrong in the relationship between us and Him, but He is the One who stepped in and made things right through the blood of His Son, Jesus. We act justly when we swallow our pride and teach others through our example of being forgiven so we can forgive others..
How will your ACT of Justice help you to act justly today?
This is the audio and outline from the October 3, 2021 sermon, “Experiencing PEACE In the Storms”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.
Text: Mark 4:35 – 5:20
Life on earth is filled with troubles and “storms” of various kinds. In fact, Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world. But He didn’t leave it at that, He promised a peace that only He could give as the One who has overcome this world. Our text today looked at two very different storms — the external storm the disciples endured while out with Jesus in a boat and an internal storm that a man endured because of demonic activity. Jesus brought peace to both of these storms and He can help us overcome our storms as in Him we experience . . .
Power. Mark 4:39, Romans 1:16
A lack of peace in life is often experienced when we realize we are powerless in whatever our current situation is. It is through experiencing the power of God in our life that we can not only find peace, but share that peace with others. When we know the good news of God’s Word as “the power of God unto salvation”, we realize there is more to life than what we experience here on earth. God’s power to prepare us for eternity should bring with it a peace that comes from knowing we are in His hands through whatever storms we may face.
Education. Mark 4:40, John 14:1
As Jesus spent time with His disciples, He was constantly teaching them about Himself, about His Father, and about the kingdom of heaven. His purpose was that they would learn to trust Him no matter what. The various types of storms they would go through, including the storm of His trial and crucifixion, would serve to teach them about trusting God in all circumstances. Even as we pray for God to bring peace to us in the midst of our storms, we ought to also be asking Him to teach us all that we need to know for our faith and trust to grow. It is through this process of education that we learn to have greater peace with each passing storm.
Adjustment. Mark 5:15, 1 Peter 3:10-12
Even when we know we need it, most people seem to find the process of making changes in their life to be an unpleasant task at best. There are times in life when the storms simply won’t diminish until we are willing to make some adjustments to our thoughts and actions. It is when we allow God to help us to “be fully clothed and in our right mind” that we find the storm replaced by a peace which surpasses all understanding. When we use the education of God’s Word to direct the adjustments that need to be made in our thinking, we find adjusted actions soon follow which will both honor God and bring peace to our being.
Courage. Mark 5:19, Matthew 28:19-20
One of the purposes of experiencing the peace of God is to bring us to a point of sharing that peace with others. While it may be comfortable to just hang out with Jesus and bask in our new found peace, His desire is to fill us with the courage needed to tell others about all that God has done in our life. Jesus gave that instruction to the man set free from demonic activity and He gave it to each of His followers in what we often refer to as the great commission. Our peace is meant to motivate us to make disciples wherever we go. We are to overcome our fears and weaknesses and live with the courage of His Spirit helping us to share with others about the peace we have in Christ.
Excitement. Mark 5:20
With this peace that God wants us to have comes an excitement that we should not be able to contain. When people see you living with a spirit of peace even as you experience the storms of life, God has created an opportunity for you to share the excitement that comes from living as a child of God. Having peace before a storm, during a storm, and after a storm is possible when you realize the storms are always temporary and God’s love endures forever. Living with this kind of peace ought to invoke a sense of amazement within your own life and in the lives of those that see the way God helps you to handle whatever circumstances come your way. There is very little as exciting as living with true peace unless it is seeing others come to know that same peace in Christ because of your example.
This is the audio and outline from the September 19, 2021 sermon, “Renewed As You PRAY”, shared by Tom Lemler at the South City Christian Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Text: Colossians 4:2-6, Isaiah 40:30-31
While using the same outline as a sermon I preached at the Goshen Christian Church in August, this message was worked on specifically for the people of Lake Charles and the South City Christian Church to kick off a series on being renewed. For me, one of the comforting aspects of the Isaiah 40:30-31 passage is the acknowledgement that even youths grow weary and tired. It serves as a reminder that we all experience circumstances of life that wear us down and we find ourselves in need of renewal. The good news is that God says those who wait upon Him, or put their hope in Him, will be renewed. Learning to do that can be a complicated thing, but a great place to start is in learning to be renewed as you . . .
Pause. Colossians 4:2, Proverbs 24:32
Learning to pause can be a valuable tool to help us grow in a lifestyle of prayer. It is often the lack of a pause that gets us into trouble as our nature has a tendency to want to respond out of the emotions that are stirred up by what we see and hear. When we watch and pause, we take time to observe carefully and seek God’s perspective on what is really going on. Practicing the pause is done when we spend time with God in prayer and His Word so that we are the sheep who hear His voice and know His voice.
Request. Colossians 4:3-4, Philippians 4:6
By beginning with a pause that seeks God above all else, our requests are refined to remove the typical selfishness that seems to be a part of mankind’s nature. Watching what is really going on around us should lead us to requests that God would use us to speak boldly and lovingly about the good news of Jesus. When we are devoted to prayer in a way that is watchful and thankful, our requests of God tend to have a more eternal perspective as we realize the temporary nature of this life on earth.
Act. Colossians 4:5, Proverbs 3:27
Learning to watch and act means that we are listening to God and being obedient when He calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people around us. Many times we make our requests known to God and then we sit back and expect God or someone else to make them happen. Learning to pause and request doesn’t negate the need to act — it just puts the action that we take into the proper perspective of being directed by God. When you pray and make your requests known to God, especially requests for others, it is important that you also listen for the great possibility that God will call you to act in response to that request.
Yield. Colossians 4:6, Matthew 6:10
This may be the most difficult part of learning to watch and pray for many people. Yielding to God’s authority in all things means that we are not in charge. When we learn to let our words be seasoned with grace, we yield the need to be right about everything and we remove ourselves from the position of pretending we are God. Even when we pause, request, and act, we must be careful that our will is fully yielded to God and that we are not simply using a false spirituality to push our ways on others. Learning to watch and pray leads us to a point of joining in the prayer of Jesus, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
What do you need to work on in order to be renewed as you PRAY?
What could happen if you were to PRAY throughout your neighborhood?
This is the audio and outline from the September 5, 2021 sermon, “The Kingdom of GOD”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.
Text: Mark 4:26-34
While Jesus lived on earth He had much to say about the kingdom of His Father. As I read through the gospels, I find Jesus talking about the kingdom of God in not only a future tense, but also in the soon to arrive and even in the present tense. Part of the reason for this is the eternal nature of God’s kingdom — no beginning and no end. But it also comes from God’s desire that we would understand what it looks like to live as a kingdom citizen, and that we would begin living that way now rather than it simply be something we hope to attain to someday when this life is over. In Mark chapter four, we find Jesus telling a couple parables about the kingdom of God and in doing so He defines His kingdom as a kingdom of . . .
Growth. Mark 4:27, Colossians 1:6
Seeds are planted in the ground with one primary expectation and that is the expectation of growth. The seeds planted by God’s Word and the life, teachings, and sacrifice of Jesus are the seeds of the kingdom that God has designed for growth. When we recognize the kingdom of God as a kingdom of growth, we ought to be more deliberate about seeking out that which helps our faith to grow and to share the good news that helps others become a part of the kingdom through a relationship with Jesus.
Obedience. Mark 4:28, 1 John 3:24
Jesus says that the seed planted in the ground grows and produces a harvest whether anyone is watching or not simply because it is being obedient to its design. Scripture teaches us that while our obedience isn’t what gains us a place in the kingdom of God, it is a common trait of all those who belong to His kingdom. When we recognize the kingdom of God as a kingdom of obedience, we seek God’s help in taking every through captive and making it obedient to Christ so that our actions would follow with the same level of obedience.
Destination. Mark 4:32, Philippians 3:12-14
In the parables, Jesus talks about a seed growing and producing a plant that was large enough for the birds of the air to come and perch among its branches. Paul would write about our need to press on to a heavenward prize, knowing that an eternal destination awaited that had room for all who would respond by faith to Jesus. When we recognize the kingdom of God as a kingdom of destination, we learn to live as kingdom citizens who are on a journey home and we live a life that shares the good news of a destination that has room for everyone.
How will you live as a kingdom citizen today?
Are there changes you need to make to better live in a kingdom of Growth, Obedience, and Destination?
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