Jesus: Where Meaning Begins

Introduction

This week's sermon is titled "Jesus: Where Meaning Begins". Building from John 1:1–18 (the Prologue), Pastor Elisha frames the Bible-study focus: Why is the Word so important? The central question is: Where does meaning truly begin? The message argues that meaning, identity, and spirituality don’t start with our preferences; they begin with Jesus, the Word (Logos), God’s full self-revelation, and the Creator of all things.

Key Points

1) The Word is God’s self-expression (Logos)

• John uses “the Word” uniquely in the Prologue to show something foundational is happening: God is making Himself known.

• “Logos” carries two directions:

  • Inner meaning (thought, logic, structure, truth)

  • Outward expression (spoken/expressed reality; what’s inside made visible)

• So Jesus is not just a messenger; He is God’s full disclosure: what God thinks, feels, and is, revealed in a person.

2) Why does John say “Word” instead of “Son”

• John could have started with “Son,” but “Word” is broader and more complete: it holds the fullness of Jesus’ identity.

• Jesus is not only “Son of God,” but also Messiah, Lamb of God, King, Servant-King, Savior, Healer, Resurrection & Life, etc.

• The point: don’t reduce Jesus to one title or role; Logos captures the whole Christ.

• Connection to discipleship: like Philip asking “Show us the Father,” Jesus’ answer is essentially: “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”

3) The Word created us; therefore, we are accountable

• John 1:3 is emphasized: “Through Him all things were made… without Him nothing was made.”

• This establishes:

  • Creator and creation are distinct (rejects “many gods,” superstition, idols, and spiritual substitutes)

  • Nothing exists independently of Jesus (our lives, work, identity, purpose)

• Therefore:

  • Spirituality is not personal preference (“choose your flavor”)

  • We don’t own ourselves (hard truth, but freeing truth)

  • We will give an account to our Creator

• Pastor ties this to Psalm 19: creation declares God’s glory, and God’s Word restores, enlightens, and warns, so the right response is reverence and surrender.

4) Meaning begins with the One who made us

• Pastor shares a real-life story (a young woman seeking meaning in broken ways) to highlight:

  • When meaning is built on money, pleasure, status, or self-definition, people become lost and hollow

• The call is to return: meaning is received, not invented.

• Communion becomes a response: seeing Christ’s body and blood as the center of meaning, worship, and life.

Conclusion

The sermon ends with a clear invitation:
Come back to the Word who made you. Come to the One in whom life makes sense.
This is not about religious preference or spiritual “add-ons,” but a re-centering on Jesus as Creator and Lord. The response is worship, surrender, and communion; honoring Jesus not as an ATM or a “helpful option,” but as the source of existence and the true foundation for meaning.