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This is the audio from the August 9, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Prayerful!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 6:5-15

• Pursue:  Matthew 6:5-8

  • Being prayerful begins as we learn to pursue a relationship with the living God.  This pursuit requires conversations that take place in private.  We learn about God, and about our self, when we step aside from the distractions and engage in deliberate communication that is simply between us and God.  We not only speak more openly, we listen more intently when we are confident that our conversations are indeed confidential.  We pray real, meaningful, and substantial prayers when we pursue God wholeheartedly.

• Respect:  Matthew 6:9-10

  • Being prayerful grows as we choose to respect God for who He is.  While it can be easy to quote scripture in a manner of praying and say “hallowed by thy name”, simply saying the words while not respecting God’s name in our everyday life really doesn’t carry the weight we may think it does.  When we truly respect God, we not only revere His name we also acknowledge that His will is what we desire.  It is this respect that prays for God’s will to be done not only in heaven, and not only in our nation or on this earth, but also for His will to be done in us.  We pray real, meaningful, and substantial prayers when we respect God fully.

• Ask:  Matthew 6:11-12

  • Being prayerful also involves the most practiced part of prayer — the ask.  But the ask God wants us to make is often more specific than we tend to want.  We ask for today’s needs to be met.  We ask for forgiveness.  We ask for the ability to forgive.  We ask for our self.  We ask on behalf of others.  We ask God for our daily bread and we ask that He helps us to view that as being enough.  We pray real, meaningful, and substantial prayers when we ask God to work in us and through us according to His will.

• Yield:  Matthew 6:13-15

  • Being prayerful will grow in our life in proportion to how we choose to yield.  Far often than we like to admit, we must choose between yielding to God or yielding to temptation.  When we pray, we yield our desires and interests to God in order to follow His desires and interests.  We tend to struggle with yielding because we don’t really want anyone to go ahead of us.  We begin to believe the lie of Satan that we are more important than anyone else . . . and even more important than God.  We pray real, meaningful, and substantial prayers when we fully yield to God in all things.

Today, how will you PRAY in a way that honors God?

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This is the audio from the August 2, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Generous”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 6:1-4, Luke 21:1-4

• Known:  Matthew 6:1

  • Being generous will focus on how much is known about God and about His being the source of everything you have.  What we have kept will fade away to nothing when as we grow in our knowledge of God being the provider of all things.  It is our own selfishness that often holds on to the very things which God calls for us to share with others.  When we begin to know God’s purpose in providing us with “every good and perfect gift”, we start on the path of using said gifts for Him.

• Expressed:  Matthew 6:2

  • Being generous will focus on how much is expressed by us about God.  Often times in giving, we like to be the one who receives the credit rather than acknowledge God as to source of our gift.  As we communicate to others about God’s goodness, we share in a generosity that exceeds any other gift that could be given.  While our human nature often desires to express our goodness and generosity to others, God’s Spirit within us will always remind us to give God the credit for Him being the source of all good things.

• Protected:  Matthew 6:3

  • Being generous will focus on how much is protected from our own greed and selfishness.  We give from what God has entrusted to us so that we protect the name of the Lord God from being blasphemed by those who might claim that God doesn’t care.  We give with diligence and discernment through listening to the Holy Spirit so that we’re not wasteful with the resources of our Lord.  We protect, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of the kingdom and for the glory of the Lord most high.

• Trusted:  Matthew 6:4

  • Being generous will focus on how much is trusted as we choose to listen to God’s Spirit.  Trust can play a huge role in our generosity.  When God’s Spirit convicts us to be generous to someone else with what we have, we must trust that God will supply, or resupply, that which is given.  While many would say they would be more generous if they had more to give, most often it appears God calls us to generosity in the very areas we feel are lacking in our life in order to produce within us a growing trust.

We grow in Being Generous when what we have Known, what we have Expressed, what we have Protected, and what we have Trusted is all God!

Today, how will you be more generous because of what you have KEPT?

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This is the audio from the July 26, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Perfect!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:43-48

• Learning:  Matthew 5:43-44

  • Being perfect through learning involves us understanding more accurately what God actually has said through His Word.  There are many times in life we “have heard it said”, but that doesn’t mean what we have heard is always accurate or complete.  Perfect love is found in Christ and we grow in perfection when we learn how to live with that kind of love.

• Opportunity:  Matthew 5:44-45

  • Being perfect involves our being aware of the perfect opportunities to share the love of Jesus with everyone.  It can be easy to miss good opportunities simply because we believe incorrectly about who and how we ought to love.  The perfect love of Christ in us will always look for and make the most of every opportunity to love others.

• Value:  Matthew 5:46-47

  • Being perfect requires that we value all people with the same value that God has created them with.  The Bible makes it clear that it was while we were enemies of God in our own mind that Christ died for us because of the great value He considers us to have.  Our value to God is not dependent on our goodness or lack of goodness, therefore the value that we credit others with having should always come from who they are as one created by God rather than from how we perceive them.  The perfect love of Christ in us will value our self and others with the same value that is derived from God.

• Example:  Matthew 5:48

  • Being perfect is made visible to us through the perfect example of God as we seek to “be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect.”  With the Father exalted as our primary example, we also understand perfect love as we grow in our knowledge of Christ’s love for us.  Jesus sets the perfect example, and calls for us to follow His example, as He love without partiality, favoritism, or prejudice.  The perfect love of Christ in us will not only follow His example, but will become an example in us to others.

Today, how will you live with perfection that is all about LOVE?

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This is the audio from the July 19, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Peaceful!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:38-42, Romans 12:17-21

• Possible:  Matthew 5:38, Romans 12:18

  • Being peaceful begins when we know what is possible beyond our human efforts.  When we do all that is possible in our ability to be at peace with everyone, we begin to understand  all that God has done to bring us to peace with Him.  It is possible for us to have peace with God, not because we are so good, but because God is so good.  That is the possibility God wants us to consider in the way that we are peaceful with others.

• Evil:  Matthew 5:39, Romans 12:17,21

  • Being peaceful will require us to know the truth about evil.  The very nature of evil longs for revenge rather than peace.  It is important to know evil is often the driving force behind conflict so that we are kept from peace.  Knowing evil should always lead us to identifying it in our own life so that we can find God’s help in removing it in order to be at peace with Him and with our self.

• Acceptable:  Matthew 5:40, Romans 12:19

  • Being peaceful will grow in our life as we learn to know what is acceptable to God.  Turning the other cheek is not a declaration by God that it is okay to mistreat anyone, rather it is instruction regarding our response to mistreatment.  What is acceptable to God is a heart of purity which in humility considers the needs of others to be more important than our own.

• Compassionate:  Matthew 5:41, Romans 12:20

  • Being peaceful will flow from knowing, and practicing, a compassionate life.  We choose to do what is good and right in all circumstances so that others would see the goodness of God in us.  In our godly response to the mistreatment by others, we heap burning coals on their head not to destroy them, but to help them find purification from God.  While we reject the evil actions of other, and of our self, we have compassion that exemplifies God’s compassion toward us.

• Enough:  Matthew 5:42, Romans 12:21

  • Being peaceful will lead us to know what is enough.  Doing all that is possible by us to be at peace with everyone is a very difficult task and doesn’t always bring about the peace we desire.  The good news is that God doesn’t measure the results of what others choose to do, but rather considers our faithfulness to His instructions to be enough.  We will fail.  Our efforts will fall short at times.  The great news in being peaceful and in knowing peace is knowing that God is always enough.

Today, how will you live with a knowledge of what is PEACE?

~

This is the audio from the July 12, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Honest!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:33-37

• Glory:  Matthew 5:33-35

  • Being honest with God will be visible when we choose to be honest with the glory we give Him.  Invoking God’s name in an attempt to give importance to our own desires and plans will lead us away from the honesty God desires from us.  Whatever good that is seen in us, heard from us, and/or practiced by us are things which flow from God and He is the One who deserves the glory for them.

• Our Self:  Matthew 5:36

  • Being honest with God will not happen until we learn to be honest with our self.  Yes, we have ways to temporarily change the color of our hair, and many other things about our self, but God expects an honesty from us about our true inability to change how He created us.  It is in this honest with our self that we understand the need to rely fully on God as the source of all truth.

• Decisions:  Matthew 5:37

  • Being honest with God will lead us to greater honesty with our decisions.  Giving answers that we think people, or even God, want to hear can be filled with fraud if we’re not honest in keeping to those decisions with the best of our ability.  Perhaps one of the difficulties in being honest with our decisions is that we give answers that we’ve not really prayed about or considered fully.  Our yes can be yes and our no can be no, only when we are honest about why we give the answer that we do.

Today, how will you be honest with GOD?

Here’s the text of the poem I shared to introduce this sermon:

Honest To God!

There’s something I’ve noticed
     that really seems strange.
When it comes to truth,
     we think there’s a range.
There are bold lies and white lies,
     and “honest to God”.
And all kinds of gray space
     that really seems odd.
Whatever happened
     to yes and to no?
And keeping our word
     wherever we go?

To keep to my word,
     and make sure it’s true.
Should be how I live,
     when I talk with you.
I must be careful
     to weigh every word.
So only the truth,
     is that which is heard.
To make up a story,
     so I don’t look bad.
Will only bring problems,
     the worst that I’ve had.

Image is everything,
     at least we’ve been told.
So we make up a story
     and hope that it’s sold.
Our yes isn’t yes,
     and our no isn’t no.
We consider our image
     and we answer so-so.
We hide the true facts,
     that we don’t want seen.
And tell a new version,
     where the truth is quite lean.

This doesn’t mean
     you should tell all you know.
Some things are private,
     from your mouth should not go.
But that is a story
     for another day.
About speaking the truth,
     this poem will stay.
When we cover up
     the truth with a lie.
Our reputation
     has begun to die.

We must be careful
     that we don’t deceive.
By the impression
     that we try to leave.
We should not have to
     swear this is true.
Our word should be good
     when given to you.
The things that we value
     will carry more weight.
When we are honest
     in all that we state.

So when you are thinking
    that truth can’t be found.
Open the Bible,
     take a good look around.
The truth that is Jesus,
     does show us the way.
And calls us to choose;
     in our speech, there’s no gray.
To be fully honest,
     in word and in deed.
Is a teaching of Jesus
     that we ought to heed.

© 2015  by Tom Lemler

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This is the audio from the July 5, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Pure!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:27-32

• Prepared:  Matthew 5:27-28

  • Being pure involves being prepared to avoid and overcome temptation.  When we recognize sin begins long before the actual action of sin, we can be prepared by learning to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

• Urgent:  Matthew 5:29a, 30a

  • Being pure involves being urgent in our response to the sin which so easily entangles us.  We must choose to take temptation seriously as we understand the urgency to remove the things in our life which would lead us to condemnation.

• Real:  Matthew 5:29b, 30b

  • Being pure involves being real as we move beyond the theoretical discussion of sin in general to the real sin that exists in our mind and in our life.  We must understand the source of sin comes from within and is fanned by the deception and accusation of the enemy, regardless of how good we may think we are.

• Exclusive:  Matthew 5:31-32

  • Being pure involves being exclusive in our relationship with God.  The covenant of marriage is used by God as an illustration of the relationship He desires between Jesus and us as His bride.  Marriages end for a lot of reasons, and in the process what should have been an exclusive relationship between individuals is lost . . . sometimes the loss of exclusivity is the reason for the ending.  The good news for all of us is that regardless of how well, or how poorly, we do at marriage in this world, God daily calls us to a fresh opportunity to be pure as we choose to exclusively His.

Today, how will you be PURE?

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

Matthew 5:21-26

• Motives:  Matthew 5:21-22

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

• Offerings:  Matthew 5:23-24

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

• Responsibility:  Matthew 5:25

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

• Eternity:  Matthew 5:26

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

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

~

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

Matthew 5:17-20

• Reminded:  Matthew 5:17

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

• Intentional:  Matthew 5:18

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

• Good:  Matthew 5:19

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

• Honest:  Matthew 5:19

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

• Transformed:  Matthew 5:20

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

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