The Christmas Truth: The WORD of Truth! (Sermon Audio)

This is the audio from the December 25, 2022 sermon, “The Christmas Truth: The WORD of Truth!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: John 1:1-15

Today concluded our Christmas FEAST series as we looked at Jesus coming to earth as the Word of Truth. Generally, how you feel about truth depends at least partially on the context in which truth is being requested. When you are cruising down the interstate thinking about everything except your speed, you are probably not such a big fan of truth when the flashing lights behind you turn out to be an officer who clocked you at 100 mph. However, if that same officer shows up to investigate an accident in which your vehicle was hit in a manner that was entirely someone else’s fault, you are likely very interested in truth. When it comes to our relationship with Jesus, we don’t get to choose whether the truth of who He is is convenient or not . . . we simply must decide if we accept Him as the Word of Truth that He claims to be. Our encounter with Jesus should lead us to know Him as the . . .

Wonder of Truth. John 1:1-5
- The truth of Jesus ought to fill us with great wonder as we consider His hand in creating all that exists . . . including us. It was the Word speaking forth that called everything into existence that is. To imagine the power of that Word to call light into being and by that same Word established an ecosystem that sustains life. All that we see and experience ought to fill us with a great sense of wonder at this Jesus who is the WORD of Truth.
Object of Truth. John 1:6-11
- It seems like nearly everything of great value and significance in this world draws people that want to imitate the appearance while substituting something far inferior. Sometimes when we are the messengers of Christ that He calls us to be, it can be tempting to put our self in the position that is reserved for Him. John wanted to make it very clear that while he was preparing the way for the One to come, that was the extent of who he was. He consistently made it clear that he was not the real object the people were looking for, but rather Jesus was the genuine thing when it came to truth..
Result of Truth. John 1:12-13
- Perhaps most importantly to us, there is a result of truth residing in our life. When the Word of Truth shows up in our life, we find that by believing in that truth we gain the right to be children of God. It is the truth of God’s Word that instructs us and calls us to repentance. It is through an obedient belief in the Word of Truth that we have a place of belonging in the family of God.
Deity of Truth. John 1:14-15
- All of this discussion of Jesus as the Word of Truth only makes sense when you accept the deity of Jesus as being the One who was with God and the One who is God. When the WORD of Truth include the element of deity, then the Christmas story is more than just a neat tale of a baby being born in the midst of difficult circumstances. In fact, it is the deity of truth that leads to the calling of Jesus, Immanuel, meaning God with us. The Christmas story then becomes a story of God taking on flesh and dwelling among us so that He could offer Himself as the perfect and spotless sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.