Summer With the Son: Being Salt and Light! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Salt and Light! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the June 14, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Salt and Light!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:13-16

 

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)

Being Salt And Light Today (SALT) is possible when we understand how God has blessed us so that we are . . .

  • Supplied:  Matthew 5:13

    • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world because God is the One who supplies all that you need in order to be.
  • Available:  Matthew 5:14

    • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world when you make yourself available to God for His exclusive use in everything you do.
  • Loving:  Matthew 5:15

    • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world when you grow in loving people like Jesus loves you, and them.
  • Truthful:  Matthew 5:16

    • You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world when you are truthful about God being the One who works in you and through you to accomplish His will.

 

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

Summer With the Son: Being Blessed! (Sermon Audio)

Summer With the Son: Being Blessed! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the June 7, 2026 sermon, “Summer With the Son: Being Blessed!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 5:1-12

 

“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.”  
Matthew 5:1-2 (NIV)

 

Questions to Consider:

Are you poor in spirit?

Do you mourn?

Are you meek?

Do you hunger & thirst for righteousness?

Are you merciful?

Are you pure in heart?

Are you a peacemaker?

Are you persecuted because of righteousness?

Are you insulted?

Are you falsely accused?

As you consider the above questions, and I imagine that you’ve probably answered yes to at least one of  them, know that Jesus speaks to you as He began His Sermon On the Mount with what we know of as The Beatitudes.  Being Blessed is all about belonging to God in the midst of all circumstances so that you can “be very happy” with a joy that cannot be taken away.

 

No acrostic outline, or any outline for that matter, today. 🙂

  •  

 

Today, how will you live as one Being Blessed in order to bless others?

Preparing For the Son: Prepared To Be NEW! (Sermon Audio)

Preparing For the Son: Prepared To Be NEW! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the May 17, 2026 sermon, “Preparing For the Son: Prepared To Be NEW!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 4:12-25

 

“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
Acts 5:20 (NIV)

As we make way for the Son, He prepares us to be . . .

  • Near  Matthew 4:12-17

    •  
  • Eager:  Matthew 4:18-22

    •  
  • Well:  Matthew 4:23-25

    •  

 

Today, how will you live as one prepared to be NEW?

Preparing For the Son: Knowing the WORD! (Sermon Audio)

Preparing For the Son: Knowing the WORD! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the May 10, 2026 sermon, “Prepared To Overcome: Knowing the WORD!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 4:1-11

 

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
Revelation 2:7 (NIV)

As we make way for the Son, He prepares us to overcome as we know the . . .

  • WildernessMatthew 4:1-3

    • We are prepared to overcome when we know the wilderness we live in.  When we realize this life we live is done so in the midst of a wilderness of temptation, we can remain vigilant in not letting the scarcity of life take our eyes off of Jesus.  We overcome when the springs of living water nourish us in the dry and thirsty land in which we live. 
  • Opportunity:  Matthew 4:5-9

    • We are prepared to overcome when we know both the opportunities presented and their source.  The enemy will present opportunities to you which will sound very attractive and will often appear as shortcuts to achieving what you really want.  We overcome when we are able to see into the motivation of each opportunity where the true spirit behind them is revealed. 
  • Response:  Matthew 4:4, 7, & 10

    • We are prepared to overcome when we know how to respond with God’s Word.  The enemy is good at twisting and misusing God’s Word in ways that are designed to confuse and mislead us.  Our response needs to be more than popular opinion or the way of the world.  We overcome when we become student’s of God’s Word and use it to reject the temptations of the enemy.
  • Devil:  Matthew 4:11

    • We are prepared to overcome when we know the relentless nature of the devil.  A victory over temptation does not mean the battle is over.  When we know the attacks are coming, or will return, we can be better prepared to overcome.  We overcome when we know the devil and choose not to give him a foothold in our life.

 

Today, how will you live as one prepared to overcome by knowing the WORD?

Preparing For the Son: Completely WET! (Sermon Audio)

Preparing For the Son: Completely WET! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the May 3, 2026 sermon, “Preparing For the Son: Completely WET!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Matthew 3

 

“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD — and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.”
Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)

As we make way for the Son, He prepares us for the Spirit by causing us to be completely . . .

  • WarnedMatthew 3:1-10

    • We are prepared by the Spirit as we are warned about sin, righteousness, and the judgment. 
  • Examined:  Matthew 3:11-12

    • We are prepared by the Spirit as we are examined in a way which reveals the work God is doing in us. 
  • Taught:  Matthew 3:13-17

    • We are prepared by the Spirit as we are taught to know and do that which is right.

 

Today, how will you live by the Spirit as one completely WET?

Lessons From the Road: A Road of LIFE! (Sermon Audio)

Lessons From the Road: A Road of LIFE! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the April 26, 2026 sermon, “Lessons From the Road: A Road of LIFE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Luke 19:1-10

 

“Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’”
Luke 19:9-10 (NIV)

As we join others in walking the road with Jesus, He guides us on a road of . . .

  • LookingLuke 19:1-4

    • The road of life is found by those who look for it with a whole heart.  While Jesus did come to seek and save the lost, He does so by presenting Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life to all who would look for Him and to Him.  We must ask ourselves on a regular basis what it is we’re looking for.  We must look for Jesus with such intention and focus that nothing would stop us and now excuse would shift our focus away from Him. 
  • Invitation:  Luke 19:5

    • The road of life involves an invitation, but it is not our invitation to Jesus but rather His invitation to us.  While Zacchaeus did whatever was necessary for him to see Jesus, it was Jesus who invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus.  Our response to the invitation of Jesus to come and dwell in us ought to be a resounding yes! 
  • Fellowship:  Luke 19:6-7

    • The road of life leads us into fellowship with Christ and with one another.  It is this recognition of our great need for a Savior which leads us into common ground with others who also need a Savior.  Jesus brings life to all who would walk in fellowship with Him.
  • Expression:  Luke 19:8-10

    • The road of of life will result in an expression of our faith that gets noticed.  In all of the looking, invitation, and fellowship, Zacchaeus realized that his encounter with Jesus was to be transformational.  There is no record of Jesus commanding Zacchaeus to respond with his wealth in a certain way, Zacchaeus responded out of love towards a God who came to seek and save him.

 

Today, how will you walk with Jesus on this road of LIFE?

Lessons From the Road: A Road of CHANGE! (Sermon Audio)

Lessons From the Road: A Road of CHANGE! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the April 19, 2026 sermon, “Lessons From the Road: A Road of CHANGE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Acts 9:1-31

 

“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”
Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

As we join others in walking the road with Jesus, He guides us on a road of . . .

  • ConvictionActs 9:1-6

    • The road of change generally begins with a conviction that change is necessary.  Even when you are convinced you are doing everything right, God may not agree with your conclusion.  When God’s Spirit and His Word convict us of “sin, righteousness, and the judgment”, we can either choose the road of change or continue in a path which leads to destruction.  Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus and brought about a conviction that change was necessary. 
  • Humility:  Acts 9:7-16

    • The road of change is continued on when we choose to respond to godly conviction with humility.  Needing to change and having the humility necessary to admit we need to change are two different things.  Not only is humility needed by us when we need to change, it is also needed by us when God is calling others to change.  Saul being struck blind on the road led to a somewhat forced humility as others led him to where he needed to be.  Ananias knew of Saul’s reputation and had a well-founded fear, yet at God’s request humbled himself to be obedient to what God wanted.
  • Action:  Acts 9:17-19

    • The road of change needs conviction and humility, but it really begins to take shape when it becomes a road of action.  Change begins in our mind, it’s why the Bible tells us we must be transformed by a renewing of our mind, but the change takes on flesh when we put it into action.  Ananias went to where God told him to go.  Saul got up and was immersed into Christ.  Knowing what we ought to do becomes godly change when we begin to do it.
  • Notice:  Acts 9:20-25

    • The road of change will result in others noticing something is different.  The difference may be small or it may be large, but it will be noticeable.  While many were likely skeptical, the Christians noticed Saul who was preaching Jesus was the same Saul who had been persecuting them days earlier.  When we allow the transforming power of the blood of Jesus to work in our life, we notice a difference.  As we live out that difference, others notice that we too have been with Jesus.
  • Gentleness:  Acts 9:26-27

    • The road of change is best responded to with gentleness.  We learn gentleness in the midst of change through God’s gentleness with us.  When we do experience this transforming change, we must be careful in how we treat others who may also need to change.  It is in gentleness that Barnabas became a mediator between Saul and the disciples in Jerusalem who had plenty of reasons to be afraid.  
  • Encouragement:  Acts 9:28-31

    • The road of change is a path which brings encouragement to us and from us.  It is important to live with an awareness of how God changes us so that we can encourage others who may be ready to give up hope that things will ever change.  While we often want things to change such as the circumstances of life, God is more concerned about us changing.  It is this road of change that we continually walk upon which brings us more and more into the image of Christ each day that we live.  As we become more like Christ, we find great encouragement in being united with Him and with one another.

 

Today, how will you walk with Jesus on this road of CHANGE?

Lessons From the Road: Walking With the LORD! (Sermon Audio)

Lessons From the Road: Walking With the LORD! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the April 5, 2026 sermon, “Lessons From the Road: Walking With the LORD!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Luke 24:13-35

 

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)

As we join others in walking the road with Jesus, we find our self on a walk with the . . .

  • Loss:  Luke 24:13-21

    • We walk the road with the Lord as we share with Him the things we count as loss.  The followers of Jesus were downcast and broken-hearted as they made their way home.  The loss of Jesus was difficult for them to understand and accept.  As Jesus walked with them, unknown to them, He listened to their hearts and could understand their loss and sorrow.  We have a Savior that is near to the broken-hearted and joins in noticing our loss. 
  • Observation:  Luke 24:22-24

    • We walk the road with the Lord when we walk a road of observation, even when our observation isn’t complete.  These followers of Jesus relayed the stories of what they had been told and of what had been seen by others.  Their desire to belief was short-circuited by observations which simply didn’t make sense.  Jesus joined them on the road and listened to what had been observed so that He could speak truth in a meaningful way.
  • Revelation:  Luke 24:25-32

    • We walk the road with the Lord when we walk a road of revelation as Jesus takes our loss and observations to reveal Himself in the midst of them.  When the time was right, Jesus first revealed through Scripture the truth of what had just transpired in Jerusalem.  Then, he broke bread with the men and revealed Himself in a way which left no doubt.  We walk in this revelation when we allow our faith to grow through the power of God’s Word and His Spirit.
  • Duty:  Luke 24:33-35

    • We walk the road with the Lord when we walk a road of duty . . . a duty that we are compelled by desire to fulfill.  As Jesus joins these two followers on the road in the midst of their loss and observations, He reveals Himself in a way that sends them immediately back to where they had come from so they could share the good news that Jesus was alive.  In similar fashion, we have a duty and responsibility when we walk the road with the Lord to share the gospel in every opportunity that God gives us.

 

Today, how will you walk with Jesus on this road with the LORD?