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This is the audio from the October 12, 2025 sermon, “Knowing the Submission: Learning To SERVE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Hebrews 5:7-10, John 13:1-17

• Submit:  John 13:1-5, Ephesians 5:21

  • Submitting and serving are really two practices which cannot be separated from one another and remain effective.  We must submit in order to serve effectively and we will serve when we choose to submit.  As Jesus gathered with His disciples for a Passover meal, which would be His final one during His time on earth, He was able to serve them by submitting both to His Father and to their needs.  We live with a submissive spirit which serves others when we learn to submit to their needs being more important than our own. 

• Encourage:  John 13:6-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:11

  • The very nature of Jesus serving His disciples during this Last Supper gathering was to encourage them for what He knew was coming.  Whether in the conversation with Peter about just needing to wash his feet because he was already clean, or the conversation with Philip in chapter 14 which I inadvertently used during the sermon instead of chapter 13, Jesus sought to encourage the disciples by assuring them they knew more than they gave themselves credit for.  We live with a submissive spirit which serves others when we find ways to encourage.

• Restore: John 13:11-14, Galatians 6:1

  • Because Jesus knew who He was and where He was going, He gathered with His disciples to prepare them to be restored after they would abandon Jesus out of fear.  It is important to always remember that the teaching and practice of Jesus wasn’t only for the benefit of those who were physically present.  We ought to find comfort and encouragement in knowing that we too can be restored when we wander from the truth and deny Jesus with our words and/or our actions.  We live with a submissive spirit which serves others when we choose to be involved in restoring those who fall.

• Value:  John 13:15-16, Philippians 2:3

  • After washing the feet of the disciples, including Judas, Jesus teaches the important lesson of giving value to others.  While Peter appears to be somewhat embarrassed that Jesus would be washing his feet, the very act of doing so communicates to all of the disciples that they were greatly valued by the One who was in fact their Lord and Teacher.  We live with a submissive spirit which serves others when we give value to people simply because they are created in the image of God.

• Enlist:  John 13:17, Acts 16:9

  • As Jesus submitted to the needs of His disciples and served them according to their need, He made it clear that this wasn’t just a story about His own goodness but rather it was an example they were to follow.  He was not simply serving their need, He was enlisting them into a lifetime of serving others.  We live with a submissive spirit which serves others when we learn to enlist others to both help us when we can’t serve alone and to serve others at every opportunity they have.

Today, how will a commitment to godly submission help you learn to SERVE?

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This is the audio from the October 5, 2025 sermon, “Knowing the Authority: GOD!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Daniel 7:13-14

• Given:  Matthew 9:5-8

  • All authority which exists comes from God as the creator and originator of all things.  When Jesus emptied Himself and took on human flesh, He lived as one with authority given to Him by His Father.  While we may have roles here on earth where others people look to us as an authority figure for one reason or another, the real basis for even that level of authority is that which is given by God.  The Bible makes it clear that regardless of the manner in which they might be selected or rise to power, even our political authorities only operate under an authority which has been given.  When we choose to live as one who knows the true authority of all things is God, we must learn to respect the other levels of authority He has given. 

• Obeyed:  Matthew 8:8-18, John 14:31

  • Our words stating a recognition of someone’s authority only carry weight according to our obedience to that authority.  Even with all authority given to Jesus by His Father, He makes it clear that He does nothing of His own which would be outside of His Father’s will.  Jesus asks the question of His followers as to why they would call Him Lord and not do what He says.  It is in our obedience that we proclaim to all who are watching us that we truly believe God has authority in our life.  When we choose to live as one who knows the true authority of all things is God, we must constantly make the choice to obey what He says.

• Designed:  Matthew 20:25-28

  • Part of our struggle with authority is that we have a very humanistic and worldly view of what authority looks like.  The disciples also struggled with the design of godly authority as they wanted to establish a “pecking order” based on the world’s standards of who ought to be in charge.  God turns our thinking upside down as He declares we ought to use any positions of authority we might attain in ways which are different from how the world uses authority.  Jesus set this example by being the One with ultimate authority who chose to serve rather than be served.  When we choose to live as one who knows the authority of all things is God, we learn that God has designed those with increasing authority to be those who increasingly serve others.

Today, how will you live as one who knows the authority which is GOD?

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This is the audio from the September 28, 2025 sermon, “Knowing the Bible: God’s Word!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

• Wisdom:  2 Timothy 3:15, Psalm 19:7

  • The Bible contains the wisdom of God which when applied can make us wise unto salvation through Jesus Christ.  It is a wisdom which rises above all other knowledge because it is designed by God to transform us through its application in our life.  It is a wisdom that fills us and overflows beyond us as we simply cannot contain the whole of who God is.  I believe the Bible is the slice of God’s wisdom that He has allocated to us according to our ability to understand. 

• Oracle:  2 Timothy 3:16a, 2 Peter 1:20-21

  • In many ancient cultures, an oracle was one who spoke to the people on behalf of whatever god, or gods, they claimed to represent.  From a Biblical viewpoint, God’s people of old had prophets who were chosen by God to fulfill that role yet even they pointed to a time when the people would be taught by God Himself.  God declares that all scripture has been breathed out by Him, spoken by His Spirit to individuals that wrote it down to be delivered to us as the very Word of God.

• Revelation:  2 Timothy 3:16b, Romans 16:25-16

  • While we have a book of the Bible that we call “Revelation”, we must never forget that the entire Bible is the revelation by God of Himself to mankind.  The Bible is useful for all good things because it reveals God to us in a way which should transform us more and more into the image of Christ.  From beginning to end, we find God revealing His love for mankind and continually drawing us into relationship with Himself even when we rebel and reject Him.  God’s Word reveals a just and loving God who gave His one and only Son so that we might be saved.

• Direction:  2 Timothy 3:17, Psalm 119:105

  • The Bible is God’s direction for our life.  Found within our reading, studying, learning, and applying it to our everyday life, is direction which equips us for every good work God desires for us to do.  When His Word illuminates our feet and our path, we walk without being overcome by danger in the path we ought to go.  It is through the verses of scripture, read and understood in the context of the entire Word of God, that we grow in our understanding and practice of the will of God.

Today, how will you live as one who knows God’s WORD?

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This is the audio from the September 14, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: Go In Faith!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 28:16-20

• Fellowship:  Matthew 28:16-17

  • As Jesus prepares to give instructions to His disciples following His death, burial, and resurrection, they gather in fellowship with one another.  Even while there were elements of doubt present, Jesus prepared them to go in fellowship with Him and with one another. 

• Authority:  Matthew 28:18

  • While doubt may have existed among the disciples about themselves, and even about the resurrection of Jesus, there was to be no doubt left about who was in charge.  When Jesus comes to them after His resurrection, He makes it clear that they were to go in authority because of who was sending them.

• Involvement:  Matthew 28:19

  • As I stated in the sermon, sometimes we like to think Jesus said to go and invite people to church so the preacher can baptize them.  In reality, Jesus gave the instructions to His disciples and to all of us who hear His words that we are to be involved in both being a disciple and making disciples.

• Teaching:  Matthew 28:20a

  • Just as our involvement in being baptized and in baptizing others who come to Jesus in repentance is important, it is also commanded by Jesus that we teach and are taught as we go.  The things we learn and put into practice from God’s Word are to be shared with others so that they too would learn and put such things into practice.

• Help:  Matthew 28:20b

  • Going in Fellowship, Authority, Involvement, and Teaching may sound like a daunting task if we try to do any of that on our own.  The good news is that we also go in Help because we have the presence of God with us through His Spirit so that we are never alone.

Today, how will you go in FAITH?

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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?