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This is the audio from the February 1, 2026 sermon, “Unwrapped Teaching – TEACH!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Romans 15:1-14

• Trust:  Romans 15:1-3

  • As we unwrap teaching, we find trust is a foundational element in being able to effectively teach.  We gain that trust as we follow God’s instruction in considering their needs to be more important than our own.  It is our trust in God that creates within us the ability to be trusted by those we are called upon to teach. 

• Encourage:  Romans 15:4-6

  • As we unwrap teaching, we find a calling to encourage others with the things we have learned from God’s Word.  Encouragement is a powerful tool in opening the mind to a willingness to learn.  As we learn to encourage others with the same encouragement we ourselves have received from God, we find they will often be more open to what we teach.

• Accept:  Romans 15:7

  • As we unwrap teaching, we must consider how it is God has accepted us so that we would accept others in a like manner.  God’s acceptance of us does not mean that He is okay with the sin in our life, but rather that He values and loves us enough to convict us of sin and provide a way out of it.  When we learn to teach in a godly manner, we learn to accept all people as having great value and being loved by God so much that He can transform them just as He transforms us.

• Confirm:  Romans 15:8-12

  • As we unwrap teaching, we confirm the value of God’s Word from beginning to end.  All history of God’s interaction with mankind confirms His love and plan to redeem all who would come to Him.  As we teach all peoples to obey everything commanded by Jesus, we confirm His authority over us and over all mankind.

• Hope:  Romans 15:13-14

  • As we unwrap teaching, we proclaim a message of hope.  This is a hope which is filled with truth and the goodness of God.  A hope so powerful that it equips each of us to teach one another because of God’s working in us.  We proclaim hope, not as a wishful thinking kind of delusion, but as a certainty of God’s work in the lives of mankind in keeping with His promises.

Today, how will you TEACH?

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This is the audio from the January 25, 2026 sermon, “Unwrapped Fellowship: The Gift of MERCY!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: James 2:8-17

• Ministry:  James 2:8

  • As we unwrap fellowship to discover the gift of mercy, we find a calling to ministry.  It is through God’s mercy toward us that we experience how to love others in a merciful way.  While our church culture often things of ministry as a chosen way of life for those who are called to it, God views ministering to others as the responsibility of every believer.  The gift of mercy begins to be made known through us as we share in the gift of ministry. 

• Equality:  James 2:9

  • As we unwrap fellowship to discover the gift of mercy, we begin to see the equality in both value to God and in the need for mercy.  While we may be able to quote the scripture that says all have sinned, sometimes we fail to act like all sin is repulsive to God.  When it comes to mercy, God’s desire is for each of us to receive His mercy in a way which leads us to extend mercy without favoritism.  The gift of mercy is displayed to us, and should be displayed through us, in ways which show equality.

• Reflection:  James 2:10-11

  • As we unwrap fellowship to discover the gift of mercy, the ministry and equality of mercy should lead us to genuine and accurate reflection.  Our time with God and His Word should lead us to reflect on the plank in our own eye before we even begin to consider how to help our brothers and sisters with the specks in their eyes.  The gift of mercy gains power within us as we reflect on our need to receive it and share it.

• Compassion:  James 2:12-14

  • As we unwrap fellowship to discover the gift of mercy, we ought to be moved to compassion for every person we encounter.  While it is easy to join in the suffering of that we might identify with as “worthy”, God’s compassion towards us was made known even while we lived as His enemies.  It is this level of compassion that leads us to show mercy in a way which triumphs over judgment.  The gift of mercy in us is revealed more fully when we learn to live with compassion.

• Yourself:  James 2:15-17

  • As we unwrap fellowship to discover the gift of mercy, it is important to see yourself in both the giving and receiving of mercy.  As the grace and mercy of God cleanses us from all unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus, we have fellowship with God and with one another.  It is this gift of mercy which helps us grow in fellowship as life becomes centered around one another rather than on yourself.

Today, how will you live with the gift of MERCY?

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This is the audio from the January 18, 2026 sermon, “Unwrapped Gifts: Unwrapped Insight – The GIFT of Prophecy!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Peter 1:12-21

• Goal of prophecy:  2 Peter 1:12-15

  • As we unwrap the insight which comes from God, we discover the goal of prophecy is for God to reveal Himself to us.  As we use this gift as given by God, we ought to live with that same goal of making Christ known through what we think, say, and do. 

• Insight of prophecy:  2 Peter 1:16-18

  • As we unwrap the insight which comes from God, we discover an insight into the source of all of God’s Word.  The prophets of today who speak the Word of God simply echo the prophets of old who spoke the Word of God in their time.  With the help of God’s Spirit, we can have insight which avoids the allure of the cleverly invented stories of men as we follow the heart of God.

• Faith of prophecy:  2 Peter 1:19

  • As we unwrap the insight which comes from God, we find godly faith at the heart of all prophecy.  It is faith that enable us to see the unseen and to live with confidence that God’s Word is real and timeless.   It is by faith that we can use the gift of prophecy to proclaim rather than predict.

• Truth of prophecy:  2 Peter 1:20-21

  • As we unwrap the insight which comes from God, we reveal and proclaim the truth of all prophecy from God.  When we acknowledge God as the source of all that is spoken by His prophets, we willingly accept it as truth and share it as truth.

Today, how will you live with the GIFT of prophecy?

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This is the audio from the January 1, 2026 sermon, “Unwrapped Gifts: The Gift of Giving – Give!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

• Generosity:  2 Corinthians 8:1-5

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we see a core of generosity as we gaze upon God’s giving toward us.  It is within the generous nature of God to give to us more than we deserve and even more than we can imagine.  While not always what we want, and perhaps quite often not even what we think we need, God’s generosity is always according to His knowledge and goodness.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we grow in our generosity towards God and towards others. 

• Intention:  2 Corinthians 8:6-9

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we see the intention of God to give us something that benefits others without drawing attention to our self.  It can be tempting to give to others with the intention of being recognized and applauded.  God makes it clear that if that is our intention, then the recognition and applause will take the place of any real blessing that could have been ours.  Not only does God examine our heart, He knows the purpose behind all of the gifts He gives to each of His children.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we must examine ourselves and give with pure intentions to bring glory and honor to God.

• Value:  2 Corinthians 8:10-12

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we see the value that God places on our willingness to give according to what we have received from Him.  The standard is faithfulness over quantity.  In our human nature we tend to value quantity over faithfulness, and even over proportion.  Because we all have been given different gifts and gifts in differing amounts, the value God places on our gift to Him is not based on size but rather on a complete offering of all of us.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we must learn to value a surrendered life as the thing God most wants from us . . . when we are fully surrendered, our giving will reflect that.

• Enough:  2 Corinthians 8:13-15

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we find that not only is God enough for us, we are enough for Him.  The goal of us receiving and using the gift of giving in our life is not so that some would have more and others would have less . . . that’s the natural way of life.  No, it is so we would discover in Christ that we have enough for ourselves and others in their time of need and that they have enough for themselves and us in our time of need.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we draw near to God and find that He is enough.

Today, how will you live with a heart of GIVE?

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This is the audio from the January 4, 2026 sermon, “Unwrapped Gifts: The Gift of God!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Ephesians 2

• Grace:  Ephesians 2:1-10

  • The Bible makes it clear that every person has sinned and the result of sin is that we became objects of God’s wrath as sin ruled our thoughts, desires and actions.  But.  But . . . God loved the people of the world so much that He chose the gift of grace to give of Himself to us.  The grace of God is an undeserved gift in every way imaginable.  Our forgiveness, our cleansing, our salvation is all wrapped up in the grace extended by God through the work He did.  It is not that salvation was free and required no work . . . it is only that price was paid and the work was done by Him!  When we receive the gift of God, we receive the gift of grace that calls us to do our good works to fulfill an appropriate response to God’s love and grace. 

• Opportunity:  Ephesians 2:11-18

  • While we have been saved by God’s grace to do the works created in advance for us to accomplish, we have that privilege because of the gift of opportunity.  While the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to call a nation to Himself through their descendants was the foundation of the nation of Israel, the promise also included God blessing the nations through His people.  It is in Jesus that the opportunity to draw near to God became readily available to all people regardless of ancestry or nationality.  The gift of God to all mankind through Jesus threw open the door, and literally tore the temple veil in two, so that all who would call upon the name of the Lord might be saved.  When we receive the gift of God, we receive the gift of opportunity to be included in God’s family and to invite all others to say yes to God.

• Design:  Ephesians 2:19-22

  • There is something special about a thing functioning according to its design.  In fact, when something fails to work as it is supposed to, we often call a repairman or replace it as defective.  God makes it clear that nothing in creation is by accident and that you are part of His design for a functioning and healthy body of Christ.  God designed you, the Bible says He knit you together in your mother’s womb.  You are not an accident.  You have great value as one designed by the Master Himself.  When we receive the gift of God, we receive the gift of design that makes us useful to the Master for the specific purposes He created in advance for us.

Today, how will you live with, and share, the gift of GOD?

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This is the audio from the December 28, 2025 sermon, “Exceedingly Great Joy: A Joy That Wins!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Philippians 4:2-23

• Works:  Philippians 4:2-5

  • Living with a victorious joy is not easy.  In fact, a joy that wins is a joy that works.  We must allow God to work on us, in us, and through us in ways which help others.  Conflicts are a part of life even among those who work together for the cause of the gospel.  Paul not only desired for those who were in conflict to get along, he instructed their fellow believers to work together to bring unity through the share joy in Christ. 

• Inspects:  Philippians 4:6-9

  • Living with a victorious joy will lead us to inspect ourselves closely with God’s Word being the standard.  The things we dwell on tend to be the things which define how we think, talk, and act.  While we often like to inspect others and pass judgment on what we see in them, the joy that we have in Christ will lead us to inspect how faithful we are in letting the light of Jesus shine through us.

• Notices:  Philippians 4:10-13

  • Living with a victorious joy will open our eyes with a joy that notices the needs of others with attention being paid to how God may have equipped us to be a help to them.  Even when we don’t have the means to help with the exact need that we notice, God has called us to do what we can with what He has given so that we might be a help and encouragement to others.

• Shares:  Philippians 4:14-23

  • Living with a victorious joy will result in having a joy that shares all good things which we ourselves have received from God.  It is in the act of giving that we best notice what God has given to us.  The common selfish nature of mankind will do its best to convince us that we don’t need to share anything with anyone.  It is the Spirit of God within us that can fill us with a contagious joy that we can’t help but share everywhere we go.

Today, how will you live with a joy that WINS?

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This is the audio from the December 21, 2025 sermon, “Exceedingly Great Joy: Knowing the GIFT!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Philippians 3:12-4:1

• Goal:  Philippians 3:12-14, Matthew 1:21-23

  • Knowing the gift of Jesus begins with knowing the goal of His life on earth.  When we press on toward the goal of eternity with God, we do so because the goal of Christmas was Jesus coming to earth to save His people from their sins . . . sins which we commit and which separate us from God.  The gift of Jesus is that He accomplished His goal which makes our goal possible. 

• Insight:  Philippians 3:15-16, Luke 1:34-35

  • Knowing the gift of Jesus will lead us to an insight into His eternal nature as we trust Him in the midst of our own uncertainty and confusion.  The insight we receive from God is not generally a complete knowledge about anything, but rather it leads us to a greater trust and faith in a God who knows what He is doing.

• Fear:  Philippians 3:17-19, Luke 1:29-33

  • Knowing the gift of Jesus involves a recognition of fear that motivates us to continually pursue a path of godly wisdom and practice.  When we truly understand the depth of separation that exists between us and God absent a forgiveness of our sin, we begin to allow that fear to turn us toward the solution which is only found in Jesus.

• Truth:  Philippians 3:20-4:1, Luke 2:16-20

  • Knowing the gift of Jesus will always be based in truth.  We share the good news of Jesus, or choose not to, based on how absolute we believe Him to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  This gift of Jesus ought to be so meaningful to us that we feel compelled to share the joy He brings into our life.

Today, how will you know the GIFT of joy?

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This is the audio from the December 14, 2025 sermon, “Exceedingly Great Joy: Let It SHINE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Philippians 3:1-11

• Secure:  Philippians 3:1

  • A joy that is sure comes from being secure in the knowledge of what God has done through the sending of Jesus to live, die, and be raised from the dead.  Our joy can be secure when it is dependent on the work of God in our life rather than needing the circumstances of life line up to our liking. 

• Unusual:  Philippians 3:2-7

  • A joy that is sure will be a joy that is unusual in both the way we obtain it and the way it is sustained.  Paul made it abundantly clear in his writings that while there was much from a human perspective that could bring temporary joy, his joy came from a supernatural source and that we too could know a sure joy when we turn to Jesus.

• Righteous:  Philippians 3:8-9

  • A joy that is sure will be a joy that is righteous in all ways, even thought that righteousness does not come from us.  If we examine ourselves honestly, it shouldn’t take long to realize the truth of God’s Word when it declares that “there is no one righteous, no not one”!  We have a sure joy when we realize that our righteousness comes not by the law but through a faith in Christ.

• Eternal:  Philippians 3:10-11

  • A joy that is sure is made both possible and lasting as a joy which is eternal.  While it is appealing to nearly everyone to think about knowing the power of the resurrection, Paul tells us that we discover such power when we are willing to join in the suffering of Jesus and choose to be united with Him in His death.  Just as the death of Jesus was followed by a resurrection to life eternal, so our being united with Christ in His death will result in eternal joy as we experience a resurrection from death into life.

Today, how will you live with a joy that is SURE?