~

This is the audio from the September 7, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: Ready To Die!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 27:27-66

• Declare:  Matthew 27:37-46

  • Being ready to die begins with a declaration of separation.  Sin brings separation, and it was our sin which separated Jesus from His Father to such an extent that He declares a forsaking which had never taken place before.  When we choose to die to self, we must declare a forsaking of our sin in a way which completely separates us from it. 

• Invite:  Matthew 27:50-53

  • Jesus was ready to die because He knew doing so would fully open the invitation to His kingdom for all to enter.  When the temple veil was torn in two, that which had been off limits to the average person became open to all.  When we choose to die to self, we allow the curtain which surrounds our life to be torn open as we invite the presence of God’s Spirit to dwell within.  In so doing, we also remove the barrier between us and others as we invite them to know of the goodness of God through us.

• Embrace:  Matthew 27:54-61

  • It was the manner in which Jesus lived and died which brought with it the embrace of an unlikely collection of people.  From the soldier who verbally embraces the deity of Jesus to the women who embraced a position of caring for Him to Joseph who embraced the task of providing a place for the body, we find people who chose to embrace the One they knew as Jesus.  When we choose to die to self, we discover an embrace that flows from Christ to us and from us to those around us and from those around us back to us.

Today, how will you be ready to DIE?

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This is the audio from the August 31, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: Prepared For Trial!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 26:57 – 27:26

• Testimony:  Matthew 26:59-64

  • As Jesus stood before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, and eventually Pilate, He was prepared for the testimony which would be given.  Instead of relying on the testimony of others, most of which was false testimony, Jesus let His life speak for itself.  When we learn from the example of Jesus, our actions in obedience to Him will always speak louder as our testimony than anything others might say. 

• Rejection:  Matthew 26:69-75

  • As Jesus stood before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, and eventually Pilate, He was prepared for the rejection of Himself that would take place even by those closest to Him.  If fact, He had told the disciples that they would all abandon Him and even pointed out ahead of time the denials that Peter would make.  When we learn from the example of Jesus, we always work toward restoration of others even when they may deny and betray us.

• Insults:  Matthew 27:1-10

  • As Jesus stood before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, and eventually Pilate, He was prepared for the insults which would be heaped upon Him.  In the sorrow of Judas, we see a regret that his actions did not accomplish the desired result he had hoped for.  For me, the great insult came as Judas failed to learn from Jesus and failed to trust Him to do what was best and right without manipulation.  When we learn from the example of Jesus, we endure insults as the product of one who does not understand our true nature.

• Accusation:  Matthew 27:12-18

  • As Jesus stood before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, and eventually Pilate, He was prepared for the many accusations that He chose not to respond to.  His only response was to affirm that He was indeed the king of the Jews as had been said.  When we learn from the example of Jesus, we discover that not every accusation deserves a response as giving a response may often lower us to the level of our accusers.

• Loneliness:  Matthew 27:20-26

  • As Jesus stood before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, and eventually Pilate, He was prepared for the loneliness of standing alone.  At His trial all of His disciples and follower fled with only a few returning to be witness to His crucifixion, with most of those from a distance.  Not only was He prepared for the loneliness of standing trial, but also for the greater loneliness of being forsaken by His Father as He took on our sin.  When we learn from the example of Jesus, we find that people will ignore and forsake us but that Jesus will never leave us alone.

Today, how will you be prepared for TRIAL?

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This is the audio from the August 24, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: The Need To Pray!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 26:36-56

• Pause:  Matthew 26:36-39

  • Our need to pray teaches us about the need to pause and be deliberate about our time with God. 

• Resist:  Matthew 26:40-41

  • Our need to pray shows us a need to resist temptation by staying in communication with God.

• Ask:  Matthew 26:42-46

  • Our need to pray contains in its nature a need to ask God, not to inform Him but to inform us about His nature and will.

• Yield:  Matthew 26:47-56

  • Our need to pray should always lead us to our need to yield so that we willingly participate in God’s will being done.

Today, how will you PRAY?

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This is the audio from the August 17, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: A Shared Meal!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 26:17-35

• Memory:  Matthew 26:17-19

  • Our shared meal with one another, and with Jesus, carries meaning as we share the memory of who Jesus is and what He has done. 

• Examination:  Matthew 26:20-25

  • Our shared meal with one another, and with Jesus, calls for us to share in the examination of ourselves to see our need for Jesus and for one another.

• Action:  Matthew 26:26-30

  • Our shared meal with one another, and with Jesus, involves a share action in which each person does the part created for them by God.

• Loss:  Matthew 26:31-35

  • Our shared meal with one another, and with Jesus, leads us to a shared loss as we learn to deny ourselves daily and take up our cross to follow Jesus.

Today, how will you share in this MEAL?

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This is the audio from the August 10, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: A Not So Secret Plot!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 26:1-13

• Promise:  Matthew 26:1-5

  • While the religious leaders were plotting to kill Jesus, He makes it known that the thing they wanted to do in secret was actually a not so secret promise from His Father to mankind.  The promise given to Adam and Eve in the garden, and to God’s people throughout the Old Testament times, was one of death being turned into life.  It is in this promise that Jesus declares He is headed to Jerusalem to become the ultimate Passover Lamb who would be crucified as the sin payment for all mankind. 

• Love:  Matthew 26:6-7

  • While the religious leaders were plotting a scheme of hatred towards Jesus, He is shown a not so secret love as a woman approaches Him to anoint Him with a very valuable perfume.  This not so secret love is not only seen in the actions of this woman, but also displayed by Jesus as He visits in the home of Simon the leper . . . one of the untouchables who had evidently been touched by the love of Jesus.  It is in the love that we find the example to love one another just as we are loved by Jesus.

• Observation:  Matthew 26:8-10

  • While the disciples had an observation of greed and jealousy, Jesus declares a not so secret observation which revealed the hearts of all involved.  The observations we make out of our human flesh and mind will always be clouded by self while the observations God desires to lead us to will always involve an examination of the heart.

• Truth:  Matthew 26:11-13

  • The disciples and religious leaders were influenced by a lie even as the not so secret truth stood before them.  Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified, or set apart for His use, by the truth.  As He prays to His Father, Jesus amplifies that the truth which will sanctify us is the truth of God’s Word — a truth which became flesh and dwelt among us as the Holy One of God.

Today, how will you share in this not so secret PLOT?

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This is the audio from the August 3, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: Keeping Watch!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 25

• Wise:  Matthew 25:1-5

  • Keeping watch requires a wisdom which knows what it is we are watching for.  As Matthew 25 opens with Jesus telling a parable, we find individuals labeled as wise or foolish with the only difference being pointed out is their preparedness, or lack of preparation.  The Bible tells us that wisdom begins with a fear of the Lord.  We keep watch with wisdom when we prepare ourselves at all times by obedience to God’s Word so that we are always ready for the return of Jesus. 

• Aware:  Matthew 25:6-13

  • Keeping watch requires an awareness of that which is necessary to be declared right with God.  Our preparedness for the return of Jesus is something we can share about with others so that they might also be ready, but it is not something we can do on their behalf.  The wise in our story were aware of both an unknown time period of waiting and an eventual arrival of the bridegroom.  We keep watch with awareness when we hold fast to our faith in Christ with an unwavering grasp that refuses to give it up for anyone or anything.

• Trustworthy:  Matthew 25:14-30

  • Keeping watch requires that we are trustworthy with all the Master has given to our care.  In Matthew 25, Jesus makes it clear that what is entrusted to each individual will vary according to an ability known by Him.  The evaluation of our trustworthiness is not based on equal results, but rather on faithfulness in using what has been given to us.  We keep watch as one who is trustworthy when we treat with value every good and perfect gift which God has placed in our life, and then we use that gift with faithfulness for the good of God’s kingdom.

• Compassionate:  Matthew 25:31-36

  • Keeping watch requires a compassionate attitude and practice toward all people in keeping with how we would treat Christ Himself.  As Jesus tells a story depicting the scene which will unfold at the end of this age, He speaks of a separation of people according to how they treated others.  We obviously know from the context of Scripture that we don’t earn salvation through our good deeds toward anyone, however our good deeds do reflect the transformation which God has done in our heart.  We keep watch as one who is compassionate when we both notice and join the suffering of others in ways which share the goodness of God’s presence with them.

• Humble:  Matthew 25:37-40

  • Keeping watch requires a humility which understands our being able to endure the return of Christ is only possible by His faithfulness.  This is a humility which recognizes that our wisdom, awareness, trustworthiness, and compassion are only good to the extent that they come from God and are used for His purposes.  The people who showed compassion to the hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, sick, or imprisoned and were welcomed into the Master’s happiness had such a humility that they were unaware that they had done anything special for Jesus.  We keep watch as one who is humble when we do what is right with no expectation of recognition simply because it is right.

Today, how will you keep WATCH?

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This is the audio from the July 27, 2025 sermon, “Growing Together!”, shared by David Honeycutt and Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 1 Corinthians 3

Good morning!  Welcome HOME!  It is so good to be here, worshiping together, praising together, One in Christ as we were created to be.  But sometimes . . . the church, as great as she is, forgets WHO she is.  It’s happened many times throughout history — including even here at times — AND even back in the very early days of the church as is described in our text, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. 

• Corinth was experiencing an identity crisis — they forgot who they were.  Unfortunately, there were times in our history we forgot who we were.
• Ah . . . but God!  Which was Paul’s point . . God!  As His children we do what He assigns us to do, but in reality, He’s the one who gives it life!  Anything good from Deer Run is not due to human efforts alone.  No matter how hard any of us work, no one can take credit for what God has done . . . for what ONLY God can do! 
• Christians, whether as individuals or as an entire church — we grow only by the power of God through His Holy Spirit, Who acts like a seed accomplishing far more than we could ever ask or imagine.  And frankly, far more than we could ever see or measure!

• Working in you and through you, He can accomplish things beyond imagination.  And even things you deem small, like a seed, can produce without limit!  You just need to trust Him!  All God asks from any of us to be faithful. And remember, the seed of all faithfulness . . . is faith!  Simple faith!

Part Two:
Prepared to GROW!

Tom Lemler

• Give:  1 Corinthians 3:8-10

  • When the seed of faith is planted in us by God’s Spirit and nurtured by the faithful work of God’s servants, we grow in the way we give of our self.  Many times when we think of giving in the context of church teaching and practice, we focus on money.  God is more concerned about us giving our self fully to Him, and then all aspects of our life follow.  We learn to give in faith when we understand we are all working for the same Master and for the same purpose. 

• Refine:  1 Corinthians 3:11-13

  • As the seed of faith grows in our life, we quickly learn that we need to refine our thoughts and actions.  As we submit to Christ, we discover an ongoing process of refinement which purifies us from the inside out.  It is in the process of refining that the weeds of this world are pulled . . . and we keep pulling the weeds and discarding them so the seed can both grow and produce a bountiful harvest.

• Obey:  1 Corinthians 3:14-15

  • It is within this harvest of righteousness that we learn the value of obedience.  Even when our works are destroyed because they are not pure, it is our faith in Jesus which saves us.  Often times we learn obedience through an understanding of the consequences of disobedience,  yet as God prepares us to grow we learn to obey out of love.

• Worship:  1 Corinthians 3:16-17

  • When we draw near to God and find Him preparing us to give, refine, and obey, we discover a place of worship is always available because we have become the very temple of God.  With the seed of faith empowered by God’s Spirit within us, we are being prepared as both a people of worship and a place of worship.  It is our life which is offered to God in worship which prepares us for an eternity of worshiping God and becomes a witness to the world.

Today, how will you GROW?

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This is the audio from the July 20, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: Seeing the SIGNS!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 24

• Suffering:  Matthew 24:4-14

  • As Jesus begins to respond to His disciples about the signs they are asking about, He addresses the suffering that will take place.  The suffering of this world is a result of sin.  Some of it is a direct result of sinful acts that we commit or that others commit, while other aspects of suffering are simply a result of living in a world under the curse of sin.  As we draw closer to the return of Jesus with each tick of the clock, we also see an increase in the suffering which is directly related to a persecution of those who put their faith in Jesus.  Even through suffering and persecution, Jesus assures us that He knows those who are His and that salvation comes to those who remain faithful regardless of the circumstances. 

• Illusions:  Matthew 24:22-26

  • In addition to a growing culture of suffering, Jesus wants us to see the illusions for what they are so that we are not deceived.  Throughout history prior to the time of Jesus being on earth, as well as since that time, people have claimed to be the Christ or have pointed to others as being the Christ.  But the illusions which multiply as the day of Christ’s return approach are not only about Him having returned or being somewhere on earth, they also involve an illusion of truth which misrepresents Jesus as the only way to the Father.  When our eyes and ears are opened to the illusions of this world, we can live with confidence through a faith that is centered in the goodness of God and His promise not to forget those who are His.

• Gathering:  Matthew 24:27-31

  • Jesus talks in this chapter about a gathering in two very different contexts.  In the first, He talks about a gathering which surrounds death.  It can be easy to draw a crowd if you use the right bait.  When death reigns in our life, the vultures of the evil one gather quickly in an effort to completely destroy and devour us.  This is not the gathering we ought to be paying attention to.  The other gathering is the one He says can’t be missed.  We prepare ourselves for Jesus to come and gather to Himself all who are His when we practice gathering with other believers simply because we want to.

• Night:  Matthew 24:36-44

  • When we see the darkness of night, we would be wise to be watchful and prepared.  Jesus makes it clear through His teaching here on earth that even He does not know the day or hour of His return.  That information is exclusive to His Father.  Many people go to great lengths to be prepared as much as possible for the thief who likes to work under the cover of the night.  We put up motion detectors, security lights, cameras, and other surveillance items in attempts to be ready at all times.  Because the days we live in are evil and the darkness seems to grow unhindered, Jesus wants us to see the night and be ready at all times for His return.

• Sorrow:  Matthew 24:45-51

  • As Jesus responds to the questions of His disciples about the signs of the end of the age, He does so not to frighten them but to both encourage and warn them . . . and us.  The great danger of not seeing the signs and being prepared is that the end of the age will be a time of great sorrow for those who have rejected Jesus.  Seeing the sorrow that is to come ought to motivate us to put our faith in Jesus as the only One who can cleanse us of the sin which brings the eternal sorrow of separation from God.

Today, how will you respond to the SIGNS?