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This is the audio from the December 22, 2024 sermon, “Following Jesus: Seeking the KING!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 2:1-12

• Knowledge:  Matthew 2:1-2

  • Seeking the King begins with our desire to know Christ even as we are known by Him.  This knowing and being known is a level of intimacy which produces a new life . . . our new life in Christ.  

• Intention:  Matthew 2:3-4, 7-8

  • Seeking the King requires that we accurately examine our intention and motive for finding Him.  The intention of the Magi was to worship the King in recognition of the One who was worthy.  Herod’s intention in seeking the King was not of noble cause as he sought to kill Him.  We seek the King in a worthy manner when we approach Him with the intent of exalting Him in the worship He alone is due.  

• Need:  Matthew 2:5-6

  • Seeking the King leads us to examining the need which only He can meet.  We often develop our own lists of things we think we need and then become disappointed when God doesn’t give us all we desire.  His desire is that we look to Him and His Word for a better understanding of what is important enough to actually be a need.  We seek the King in a productive manner when we know our need for both a ruler and a shepherd.

• Gifts:  Matthew 2:9-12

  • Seeking the King causes us to seek the gifts fit for a king.  While most focus on Christmas often grows from seeking the gifts we desire to receive, the result of seeking the King should lead us to pursue the gifts we can give.  While the greatest gift of all was given to us in Jesus, the good news of that gift is also the greatest gift we can give to others.

Today, how will you seek the KING?

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This is the audio from the December 15, 2024 sermon, “Following Jesus: He Is HERE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 1:23-25, Philippians 2:5-11

• Humble:  Philippians 2:8

  • Living with an awareness and reflection that Jesus is here should draw us to an attitude of humility.  When Paul writes to the Philippians, and to us, he states that we should take on the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus — an attitude and practice of being humble.  We show the world that He is indeed here when we choose to be humble.  

• Exalted:  Philippians 2:9

  • Living with an awareness and reflection that Jesus is here will lead us to exalt Him above all.  While being humble and being exalted sound like contradictory traits, it is God Himself who exalts Jesus above all other names.  We show the world that Jesus is indeed here when we choose to exalt Him above everything else which exists.  

• Recognized:  Philippians 2:10

  • Living with an awareness and reflection that Jesus is here ought to result in Him being recognized in us by the way we live.  In fact, a day will come when everyone recognizes Jesus on the day of His return when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He indeed is Lord.  We show the world that Jesus is indeed here when we live a life which daily recognizes His presence and authority.

• Eternal:  Philippians 2:11

  • Living with an awareness and reflection that Jesus is here acknowledges that He is indeed eternal.  The existence of Jesus with God and as God before His birth as a baby, during His life on earth, and after His resurrection back into heaven gives us the picture of Him being honored and praised throughout eternity.  We show the world that Jesus is indeed here when we live our life in Christ preparing for eternity.

Today, how will you proclaim He is HERE?

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This is the audio from the December 8, 2024 sermon, “Following Jesus: The Promised CHILD!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 1:18-23

• Conception:  Matthew 1:18

  • Following Jesus recognizes the Spirit’s involvement in His promised conception and understands that we share in the nature of Jesus when our new birth is also conceived by the Holy Spirit.  

• Honor:  Matthew 1:19

  • Following Jesus understands the promised honor that would be bestowed upon Jesus even when the world would not understand His origin.  We share in the promised honor when we look beyond the appearances of what might be and see the reality of what is.  

• Intention:  Matthew 1:20

  • Following Jesus calls for a grasp of the promised intention of this child being born to save His people from their sin.  We live with this promised intention when we look at every person with the intention of God that all would come to repentance and be saved.

• Love:  Matthew 1:21

  • Following Jesus leads us to know the promised love that God has for mankind as shown through the giving of His Son.  We grow in becoming like Christ when we both accept this promised love and then share this same love with all people.

• Dwelling:  Matthew 1:22-23

  • Following Jesus is possible because of God becoming a child and dwelling among us.  We learn how to grow in Christ because of God through His Spirit dwelling within us.

Today, how will you experience the promised CHILD?

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This is the audio from the December 1, 2024 sermon, “Following Jesus: Knowing the PAST!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 1:1-17

• Promise:  Genesis 17:3-7 (Abraham)

  • Following Jesus is based on knowing and believing the promises of God and then applying the goodness of God’s promises to our life.  

• Authority:  1 Kings 2:2-4 (David)

  • Following Jesus requires us to believe and submit to His authority as the One promised by God to reign forever.  

• Service:  2 Chronicles 30:7-9 (Kings)

  • Following Jesus calls us to know and live a life of service which reflects His nature as One who came to serve rather than be served.

• Truth:  Acts 10:34-35 (People Used By God)

  • Following Jesus is based on the truth that all people are valuable to God and it is His desire that no one should perish but all would come to repentance.

Today, how will you know the PAST?

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This is the audio from the November 24, 2024 sermon, “A Vision of Victory: Ready to WIN!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Zechariah 14

• Witness:  Zechariah 14:3-8

  • A vision of victory will help us be ready to witness the goodness of God and to be a witness to others of that goodness.  

• Inhabit:  Zechariah 14:9-11

  • A vision of victory will lead us to following God in order to be ready to inhabit the eternal dwelling being prepared by Jesus for all who are His.  

• Nurture:  Zechariah 14:16-21

  • A vision of victory will prepare us to be ready to nurture one another as we grow together in Christ.
    
    

Today, how will you be ready to WIN?

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This is the audio from the November 10, 2024 sermon, “A Vision of RUIN!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Zechariah 11

• Rejection:  Zechariah 11:1-6

  • A vision of ruin will have us noticing the role rejection has in the destruction of a life.  When we consistently declare our independence from God, it is our rejection of Him which results in a growing separation which eventually would lead to ruin.  While it is important to note the warning of ruin to those who reject God, the good news is that God promises that all who come to Him in faith will in no way be cast out. 

• Uselessness:  Zechariah 11:7-9

  • A vision of ruin will reveal a uselessness of all the things of this world which we use in an attempt to justify ourselves.  The spiritual ruin which comes by separating ourselves from God will make us unfit for any good and useful purpose.  As we heed the warning of ruin which comes to those who pursue useless things and teachings, we can be filled with great hope in knowing God created us for a useful and noble purpose which He fulfills in us as we follow Him.  

• Injury:  Zechariah 11:10-14

  • A vision of ruin will expose the injury which occurs when we live apart from God.  When we ignore the teachings of God’s Word, we live without the protection He desires to surround us with.  When we are injured, yet reject the Good Shepherd who can bring healing to us, we soon find ourselves injuring others.  The antidote which keeps us from ruin when we are injured, and keeps us from injuring others, is to accept the healing power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse us of all sin.

• Neglect:  Zechariah 11:15-17

  • A vision of ruin can be the result of simple neglect.  The care, or lack of care, which we give something will generally indicate how likely it is to last the test of time.  For many, the ruin that is faced does not come from rejection, uselessness, or injury, but rather from a neglect of hearing and doing the Word of God.  Our neglect may not be all that intentional, but neither is our study, fellowship, and pursuit of God very intentional.  We have a tool to avoid ruin when we choose not to neglect the things of God and how He wants us to live.

Today, how will you overcome RUIN?

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This is the audio from the November 3, 2024 sermon, “A Vision of CARE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Zechariah 10

• Compassion:  Zechariah 10:1-2

  • A vision of care is revealed in the compassion God has for people.  The suffering of mankind does not escape the notice of God.  In fact, He chose to suffer with us so that through Jesus He could rescue us from the source of our suffering — sin.  When we experience the compassion of God, we learn to care for others when we extend that same compassion towards them. 

• Anger:  Zechariah 10:3-5

  • A vision of care contains a surprising element of anger.  In fact, a lack of anger about anything will generally expose a lack of true care about anything.  The problem isn’t the anger, but rather the way we express and respond to anger.  When we notice the things which make God angry, we also see His heart for people exposed in His care for them . . . even when His anger burns against them.  When we learn to care for people in the way God cares, we learn to focus our anger against the spiritual enemy which seeks to destroy rather than on the people whom God seeks to save.  

• Restoration:  Zechariah 10:6-8

  • A vision of care will turn the compassion and anger we experience into a process of restoration.  Far too many people are living life distant from God and from one another simply because the enemy does a good job of convincing them that they are not cared for.  Unfortunately, as Christians we don’t always excel in expressing care for people in a way which restores them to God or to fellowship with others.  When we understand the extent of God’s love while we lived as His enemy, we begin to see a godly care which leads to restoration.

• Embrace:  Zechariah 10:9-12

  • A vision of care is not restricted to compassion, anger, and restoration in ways which are superficial.  In fact the superficial nature of many human relationships cause much of the despair and hopelessness which comes from believing no one really cares.  The kind of care God expresses towards us is the kind which embraces us as one fully loved.  It is this embrace that the body of Christ ought to have toward one another as we follow the prayer of Jesus in letting the world know we belong to Christ by the visible love for one another, shown by the way we care.

Today, how will you live with a vision of CARE?

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This is the audio from the October 27, 2024 sermon, “A Vision of HOPE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Zechariah 9

• Hardship:  Zechariah 9:1-8

  • A vision begins at what my seem to be a strange place — a place of hardship.  Because trouble exists in the world, we can be certain we will face hardships of various kinds.  Yet, often without the hardships, we wouldn’t even consider our need for a hope that surpasses the best of what this world can offer.  It is in the hardships of life that we discover a God that never leaves nor forsakes us, a God who is dependable in all circumstances.  . 

• Overcoming:  Zechariah 9:9-10

  • A vision of hope will include the ability to see how God has overcome, and how He will overcome.  When Jesus stated we would have trouble in this world, He went on to tell us to take heart because He has overcome the world.  It is in Jesus that we can overcome the hold of sin that kept us apart from God.  When the apostle Paul writes us being more than conquerors through Christ, he does so with an awareness that we can live with great hope because our failures need not define us.  

• Promise:  Zechariah 9:11-13

  • A vision of hope includes not only a promise, but a relationship with the only One who is faithful in all of His promises.  We can live with hope in the midst of hardship, even as we struggle to overcome, because of God’s faithfulness to keep His promise that all who come to Him by faith He will not cast out.  While we benefit from the promise of God that Jesus would come and save His people from their sin, we also can cling to the promise of God that Jesus will one day return for those who are His.

• Eternity:  Zechariah 9:14-17

  • A vision of hope is a vision of eternity as we place our hope in Jesus Christ.  This vision of eternity that is found in Christ helps us to understand that our current circumstances, good or bad, are not permanent but something better is coming.  It is in this steadfast hope that we can find the strength to endure all things for a little while because we will experience live with Christ forever.

Today, how will you experience HOPE?