Podcast
Deer Run Sermons
Hosted by Deer Run Church · EN
Sermon from Deer Run Church
23episodes
Episodes
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Table Rules Turned Upside Down
1w ago00:28:00Tap to summarizeThis message challenges us to examine where we truly seek our reward: in this life or in eternity. Drawing from Luke 14, we encounter Jesus at a dinner table with Pharisees who scramble for seats of honor, seeking recognition and status. Jesus flips their understanding upside down, instructing guests to take the lowest seats and hosts to invite those who can never repay them—the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. This isn't just about seating arrangements; it's about the posture of our hearts. Are we serving to gain recognition now, or are we willing to wait for God's recognition later? The sermon illustrates this tension through relatable stories, including a college cafe that bore the founders' names but was forgotten within six months. Everything we build for our own glory eventually fades. The passage then shifts to the sobering reality that many receive the invitation to God's feast but make excuses—business opportunities, possessions, relationships—that seem reasonable but ultimately keep them from the greatest blessing. Jesus makes it clear: we cannot be rewarded twice. We must choose whether we want applause from people today or the eternal feast prepared for us. The cost of discipleship is real, but so is the victory. We're called to pick up our cross daily, not as a burden leading to defeat, but as training for living in the triumph Christ has already won.
Transcribe →Blessed Are the Wrong People
2w ago00:27:44Tap to summarizeWe live in a world that celebrates the wealthy, the powerful, and the self-sufficient. But what if God's kingdom operates on completely different principles? This message challenges us to rethink everything we thought we knew about being blessed. Drawing from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, we discover that Jesus declares the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, and the persecuted as the truly blessed ones. This isn't about God wanting us to suffer, but about spiritual poverty creating space for His grace to work. Throughout Scripture, we see God consistently choosing the wrong people by worldly standards. From David the shepherd boy to Rahab the prostitute who became part of Jesus' genealogy, God delights in using those the world overlooks. The truth is, we are all the wrong people by earthly measures, yet we are exactly the right people for God's kingdom. When we embrace our spiritual bankruptcy and release our grip on worldly status, we discover that our weakness becomes the very place where God's power shines through. This upside-down kingdom isn't about climbing higher or protecting our status, but about serving others, humbling ourselves, and loving sacrificially. The question we must wrestle with is this: Do we have a burden for the people God has a burden for? Can we love the wrong people the way Jesus did, seeing past what repels the world to recognize the image of God in every person?
Transcribe →Not What You Expect
3w ago00:30:11Tap to summarizeThis message challenges us to examine our expectations of Jesus and His kingdom. Drawing from Luke 4, we encounter Jesus' first sermon where He proclaims good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, and sight for the blind—completely turning the world's hierarchy upside down. Through a fascinating journey through 500 years of Jewish history, we discover why the people expected a Messiah who would wield political and military power like Alexander the Great. Yet Jesus rejected every form of domination power available to Him, even when tempted in the wilderness with economic power, political authority, and religious prestige. The upside-down kingdom Jesus inaugurated is radically different from our natural expectations. We often want Jesus to be for us but not with us, to lead us where we want rather than where He needs, to prevent bad things while allowing us to remain in control. This message invites us to wrestle with a crucial question: Are we trying to make Jesus fit our expectations, or are we willing to surrender our expectations and become what He calls us to be? The kingdom of heaven challenges our assumptions about power, status, and success, calling us to embrace a way of life that may look foolish to the world but is the very heart of God's redemptive plan.
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Give Thanks
4w ago00:27:39Tap to summarizeThis message challenges us to consider one of life's most difficult spiritual practices: giving thanks in all circumstances, not just the easy ones. We're invited to explore whether genuine gratitude is possible even when life feels overwhelming, when people disappoint us, or when circumstances steal our peace. The sermon draws us into the profound moment in John 6 where Jesus feeds the five thousand, highlighting something we often overlook: Jesus gave thanks before the miracle happened. He looked at five loaves and two fish, nowhere near enough to feed the crowd, and thanked God anyway. This teaches us that the bravest thank you we can pray is the one we say before we see how things turn out. We're encouraged to practice gratitude in three foundational areas: for each other as a church family, for God's awesome love that reaches down to hold us close like a parent gripping the string of a helium balloon, and for the salvation Jesus purchased for us on the cross. The message reminds us that grateful people aren't fake or pretending everything is fine, but rather they choose to pause in difficult moments and consider what they can genuinely thank God for, trusting that gratitude transforms not just our perspective but our actual well-being.
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Father's Day
Jun 2100:33:02Tap to summarizeThis Father's Day message invites us into a profound exploration of what it means to lead our families well, centering on four essential pillars: discipleship, integrity, love, and vulnerability. We discover that parental discipleship isn't about handing our children a manual or delivering perfect lectures, but about walking ahead so they can follow. Drawing from Jesus' simple command in Matthew 4:19 to 'come, follow me,' we're reminded that our children are always watching, learning not from what we say but from how we live. The message challenges us to recognize that integrity means being the same person at church, at home, and in the grocery store line when no one important is watching. Perhaps most powerfully, we're confronted with the necessity of speaking love out loud, echoing God the Father's public affirmation of His Son in Matthew 3:17 before Jesus had accomplished anything. Finally, we're invited into the brave work of vulnerability, allowing our children to see our struggles and questions, just as Paul did in his letters. This isn't about being perfect; it's about being real. When we let our kids see that faith is important enough to wrestle with, we create safe spaces where they can bring their own doubts and fears. The gospel isn't for fathers who have it all together but for those who show up imperfectly, fueled by grace.
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The Gospel is... Global
Jun 1400:32:31Tap to summarizeThis message takes us deep into the familiar story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, but with a fresh perspective on our role in God's mission. We discover three vital principles that reshape how we understand our place in global missions. First, we learn that God sometimes says no to our prayers not because He doesn't care, but because He wants to strengthen our faith in ways we cannot yet comprehend. When Jesus delayed coming to Lazarus, it wasn't indifference but intentional preparation for a greater miracle. Second, we see that Jesus deliberately involved ordinary people in extraordinary moments. He could have moved the stone Himself, but He asked others to do what they could do. This teaches us that God uses our hands, our relationships, and our efforts to prepare hearts for the gospel. Finally, we learn that the work doesn't end at conversion. Jesus raised Lazarus, but He told the community to unwrap his grave clothes. The messiest part of missions isn't preaching from a pulpit but walking with people through their brokenness, their struggles, and their transformation. We are reminded that we all have a role, whether it's praying, mentoring, providing for material needs, or simply inviting someone to hear the gospel. The question isn't whether we're qualified, but whether we're willing to respond when Christ calls us forward.
Transcribe →The Gospel is... Local
Jun 700:29:47Tap to summarizeThis powerful message challenges us to examine the excuses we make when it comes to sharing the gospel with those closest to us. Drawing from the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4, we're reminded that evangelism often begins not with distant mission fields, but with the people we see every day. The sermon explores how Jesus intentionally went where others wouldn't go, breaking cultural barriers to reach someone society had rejected. What's striking is how He started with a simple conversation about water before revealing Himself as the source of living water. We often feel paralyzed by fear or inadequacy when it comes to sharing our faith, but this message reminds us that our job isn't to have all the answers or to convict hearts. Rather, we're called to be obedient in starting conversations, sharing our testimonies, and pointing people to Christ. The most convicting truth here is that the people who knew us before our transformation are often the very ones who need to hear how Christ has changed everything. Our testimony isn't about our strength but about God's grace, and that's a story worth sharing even when we feel inadequate or face rejection.
Transcribe →The Gospel is... Personal
May 3100:41:10Tap to summarizeThis powerful exploration of the gospel begins with a sobering truth: we were dead. Not sick, not struggling, but genuinely dead in our transgressions and sins. The message walks us through Romans 1:16-17 and Ephesians 2:1-10, revealing that our spiritual death was both devil-inspired and driven by our own sinful desires. We lived under the influence of the prince of the power of the air, indulging in the lusts of our flesh. But here's where the gospel becomes breathtaking: God, being rich in mercy and motivated by His great love, made us alive together with Christ. He didn't just heal us or improve us—He resurrected us. The gospel isn't about our works or intellectual understanding; it's about Jesus Christ who was born and raised to be King. When we grasp the depth of our former deadness, we can truly appreciate the magnitude of our salvation. We're not just saved; we're seated with Christ in the heavenly places, living in His power. This transformation isn't something we accomplished through religious activity or right theology—it's entirely God's gift through faith. The challenge before us is recognizing that faith, hope, and love in our society all flow from the gospel. When we cut down the tree, the fruit stops growing. Our calling is to let this resurrection life transform us first, then overflow into our families, churches, and communities.
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Perseverance vs Efficiency
May 2400:31:05Tap to summarizeIn a world obsessed with speed and shortcuts, we're challenged to embrace a countercultural truth: spiritual formation cannot be rushed. Drawing from Romans 5:3-4, we discover that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance builds character, and character leads to hope. These aren't isolated experiences but interconnected links in a chain—remove one, and the entire structure weakens. The sermon confronts our AI-conditioned minds that seek efficiency in everything, revealing how this mindset becomes destructive when applied to our relationship with God. Through the story of Jairus's daughter in Mark 5, we see Jesus deliberately pausing during an urgent mission to restore a woman's dignity, demonstrating that what we perceive as interruptions, God sees as ministry. The agricultural imagery from Galatians 6 reminds us that harvests cannot be rushed—we must plant spiritual seeds and remain faithful through the growing season. This message calls us to resist the temptation to manufacture spiritual depth through formulas and checklists, instead embracing the slow, sometimes painful work of allowing God to refine our character through perseverance.
Transcribe →Authentic vs Fake
May 1700:29:46Tap to summarizeIn this exploration of faith in our modern world, we are challenged to examine what is authentic versus what merely mimics the kingdom of heaven. The central question confronts us directly: as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of creating content, images, and information that appears real, how do we guard against becoming desensitized to what is fake in our spiritual lives? The sermon draws us back to Genesis, reminding us that we are created in the image of God—Imago Dei—a reality that cannot be replicated by any technology. Through the story of Satan's conversation with Eve in Genesis 3, we see how information can be manipulated, how half-truths become powerful deceptions, and how focusing on debating information rather than leaning into relationship with God leads us astray. The powerful truth emerges: our faith is not primarily about information but about relationship. While AI excels at providing data, it cannot pray, repent, or bear God's image. Our identity is secured not in what we can do or produce, but in who we are in Christ—chosen, loved, adopted children of God whose lives are hidden with Christ in God. This message calls us to recognize the many things in our lives that try to mimic the kingdom of heaven—success, finances, influence—and to return to the authentic relationship that defines us.
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