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This is the audio from the November 16, 2025 sermon, “Exceedingly Great Joy: PRAY With Joy!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Philippians 1:1-11

• Partner with joy:  Philippians 1:3-6

  • Prayer is a partnership of us choosing to align our self with God, and therefore growing in joy at the success of others.  As Paul prayed for the Philippian believers, he was filled with joy because of their partnership with him in the gospel.  When we allow God to be in control of our life, we ought to grow in our understanding of how our partnership with others aids in the spread of the gospel.  We pray with joy when we partner with others in sharing the good news of Jesus. 

• Receive with joy:  Philippians 1:7-8

  • Praying involves receiving from God that which only He can give.  Even when we receive from others, we acknowledge in prayer how God is the One who ultimately provided that which was needed.  When we humble our self to receive from others, we recognize how God uses each of us to  be a blessing to someone else.  We pray with joy when we humbly receive from God and from others.

• Ask with joy:  Philippians 1:9-10

  • Perhaps the most common aspect of praying is when we ask God for what we need, want, or desire.  Because we don’t always know what we ought to ask for, it can be easy to become disillusioned with prayer when our asking doesn’t produce the desired results.  Paul’s asking was not for any of the things you might expect to ask for given similar circumstances.  Rather, he asked for God to meet the spiritual needs necessary for the growth of faith in the lives of the believers.  We pray with joy when we learn to unselfishly ask for God to provide for others the things which only He can provide.

• Yield with joy:  Philippians 1:11

  • For prayer to be meaningful and effective, it is important that we are willing to yield to the will of God in all circumstances.  We can partner, receive, and ask all that we want but when we refuse to yield, all of those aspects of prayer become very self-centered.  Jesus taught by example that we should pray for God’s will to be done in all things, especially when our will does not yet align with His.  We pray with joy when we yield and experience the goodness of God’s plans far exceeding our own.

Today, how will you PRAY with joy?

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This is the audio from the November 9, 2025 sermon, “Knowing the Stewardship: Your GIFT!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

• Generosity:  2 Corinthians 9:6-7

  • Understanding your gift begins with an understanding of God’s generosity which ought to lead to your generosity.  Our working definition of generosity typically involves someone who gives freely, joyfully, abundantly, and beyond what is expected.  God anticipates an abundant crop of righteousness produced in our life because He has been generous in sowing those seeds into us.  God’s gift becoming your gift, and your gift becoming God’s gift, will always produce generosity. 

• Involvement:  2 Corinthians 9:8-9

  • Understanding your gift will lead you to an involvement in using that gift for the good of God’s kingdom.  It is God’s gift, His grace in your life, which supplies the very things necessary for good works to be accomplished in you and through you.  God expects to be involved in your life just as he expects you to be involved in kingdom life.  God’s gift becoming your gift, and your gift becoming God’s gift, will always require both His and your involvement.

• Faith: 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

  • Understanding your gift will produce a growing faith in your life.  While the very definition of faith precludes God from having a belief and trust in something unseen and unknown, in a sense He has faith in us as He both sows seed in our life and provides seed for us to sow.  It is by faith that we accept the seed of God’s Word planted within us and it is by faith that we share the seed of that Word with others.  God’s gift becoming your gift, and your gift becoming God’s gift, will always be an act of faith.

• Thankfulness:  2 Corinthians 9:12-15

  • Understanding your gift will result in a thankfulness that must be expressed.  As each member of the body of Christ does its part, it produces an overwhelming thankfulness for the way God is meeting the needs of everyone.  It is relatively easy to do things in a way in which people thank you for your help.  The greater challenge as those who recognize all things come from God, is to do your good deeds in a way which people glorify your Father who is in heaven.  God’s gift becoming your gift, and your gift becoming God’s gift will always result in a thankfulness which acknowledges God.

Today, how will you express your GIFT?

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This is the audio from the November 2, 2025 sermon, “Knowing the Community: A Place To Be HOME!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 1 John 1

• Humble:  1 John 1:1

  • Our communion within the community of God is a place to be humble as we recognize Jesus as the One who call us to consider the needs of others to be more important than our own.  Humility ought to be a character trait that every Christian desires to see grow in their own life as it is an identifying characteristic of Jesus.  When the world teaches us to lift our self, God identifies the church as a place to be humble. 

• Observant:  1 John 1:2-4

  • Our communion within the community of God is a place to be observant as we open both our eyes and our mind.  We “observe” the Lord’s Supper and the community it brings when we choose to not only see the elements, but to experience the meaning of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in our life.  When the world teaches us to look our for our self, God identifies the church as a place to be observant.

• More: 1 John 1:5-7

  • Our communion within the community of God is a place to be more because our being becomes reflective of who God is rather than being limited by who we are.  It is the enemy who wishes to limit what God can do in us and through us, and sometimes we are willing participants in believing God would never be able to use us for something beyond what we can imagine.  When the world teaches us to know our limit, God identifies the church as a place to be more.

• Enough:  1 John 1:8-10

  • Our communion within the community of God is a place to be enough as we put our faith and complete trust in the work God accomplished through Jesus.  Even as we understand God’s ability to do more then we can think or imagine, we also must learn the contentment of simply being enough when God’s work in us isn’t as big as we would like.  When the world teaches us to pursue greatness by its standards, God identifies the church as a place to be enough.

Today, how will you, and the community of believers you are part of, be HOME?

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This is the audio from the October 19, 2025 sermon, “Knowing the Invitation: COME!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Revelation 22:17, Acts 2:36-47

• Change:  Acts 2:36-40

  • The invitation of Jesus for us to come to Him is a call for us to change.  The very heart of repentance is to stop what we’re doing and begin doing something different.  With the help of God’s Spirit, we must turn from sin and pursue righteousness.  As the crowd heard the message of God through Peter and the apostles, they asked what they needed to do.  It was the invitation of God that they repent and be immersed as God wanted to change them from being dead in sin to being alive in Christ. 

• Obey:  Acts 2:41

  • When Jesus invites us to change, the proper response is always to obey.  We see that from the crowd on the day of Pentecost as about 3000 people are obedient to the command to repent and be immersed.  When we come to Jesus, it is always important to remember we do so on His terms, not ours.  Jesus makes it clear in His teaching that it makes no sense for us to call Him Lord and yet choose to not obey Him.

• Model: Acts 2:42-44

  • Our response to the invitation of Jesus to come is made evident in how we model this new life on a daily basis.  The early Christians were indeed known for their love for one another just as Jesus expected.  The didn’t just talk the Jesus talk, the lived the Jesus life.  It is in our change and obedience that God works in us to equip us to model a life which represents Jesus.

• Enjoy:  Acts 2:45-47

  • Contrary to what some may believe and teach, our response to the invitation of Jesus isn’t just about us changing and obediently following God’s Word so we model the life of Christ.  No, it is designed so we would do all of that in a way that brings enjoyment!  When Jesus calls for all who are thirsty to come, He does so in order for us to enjoy the life which is made full in Christ.

Today, how will you COME?

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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?