Welcome to the For the Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn, and I want to welcome our listeners on Apple and Spotify and those of you enjoying this on our YouTube video podcast format. On this episode, I'm starting with a three-week series that's going to help keep the hope and meaning of Christmas in the forefront of your mind. We're going to look at why Jesus was born. That'll be this first episode. We're going to look at why Mary had to be a virgin and then what it means for you and I that Jesus was born as a king. What does it mean for us that the Christmas season is one of, aside from Easter or equal to Easter, the most significant moments on the Christian calendar? All very important truths that I believe will encourage you and help keep the main thing the main thing this Christmas. Every single person who's listening is going to have a context. I would imagine there are those of you going through a tough season. There's also those of you going through a banner year relationally, financially. I mean, lots of wins for you. And then there'll be others who are whether uh having a challenging year or a great year, still filled with anxiety, full of fear, wrestling with bitterness relationally still, maybe people who have hurt you, maybe the challenges of family dynamics, and then sorrow and despair could be plaguing so many of you who have experienced loss this year. Whatever your state of mind, this series will help. I want to start with four reasons, which are really titles that Jesus was born. It is a fact that his birth was and is the most significant birth in human history. His birth is the most significant event in all of world history, and it's because God entered humanity. That God would take on flesh is not something we should overlook, nor is it something that is just religious fable. It is historical fact that Jesus Christ was born, he lived, he died, and he rose again, ascending into heaven. And that makes his life worth more than any life ever lived. He was born first to be a savior. That's number one on our list. All of these are equal, of course. You wouldn't want to rank these because each one is a significant aspect of why Jesus was born. But first, as far as the priority of definitions, a savior. Above all else, we need to be saved. Mankind needed a savior. The Bible teaches in 1 John 4.14 that the Father has sent his son to be the savior of the world. And so we understand Jesus' purpose, one of his purposes, and being born is to be a savior. And that word that's used in Luke 2.11. When the angels come, they tell the shepherds, Today in the city of David is born for you a savior who is Christ the Lord, is the Greek word soter, which is where we get the larger Greek word, soteria, which is salvation. And in theology, if you've ever wondered this, why do people call the doctrine of salvation soteriology? What's with the $10 words? Like pneumatology is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, because the Greek word pneuma is spirit or theology, the study or doctrine of God. Uh, eschatology, eschaton, end, the end of all things, and so on and so on. Well, soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, is from the Greek word soteria, rooted in that word soter, meaning savior. That is where we get this idea of a deliverer or a rescuer. That's what it speaks of. And that's exactly what we needed as sinners, and we still need. And the remarkable thing about Jesus being born as a savior is that he comes, he grows, and then as an adult is preaching the good news that God and sinners could be reconciled. He's preaching this salvation, but unlike the prophets beforehand, and unlike John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus but was not the Christ, Jesus himself was the very Savior and the very good news he was preaching, he was the very agent of the reconciliation that he was putting before God's people. He was the one long-awaited Messiah, and he had come to save those who could not save themselves. Jesus was born to be our Savior. Number two, he was born to be a sanctifier. Now, even though sanctification is rightly thought as the Spirit's work, and it is, Jesus is also said in Scripture to be a sanctifier. We should think of this as him being born in order to die so that we would be cleansed and set apart. That's the idea of sanctification, being cleansed, being washed and set apart or consecrated. Another biblical word to consecrate something is to set it apart for holy use. That's what we are. We are sanctified because of Christ and set apart for God as his people. We cannot ever be perfect until heaven. We're never going to be perfect until heaven, but we will slowly but surely be perfected, or the word matured in the Bible, on the way to glory because of what Christ has done. So he was born that we would be and could be sanctified. The book of Hebrews in chapter two, verses nine to thirteen gives us this full picture. It's a beautiful plat passage. Let me read it to you. It says this, but we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In that first verse, the author of Hebrew is saying, Look, Jesus was made a little lower for a little while. Why? To suffer and to die, so that he would taste death for everyone. He was going to be the sanctifier. Then verse 10 says, For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things. So it was fitting for this one, whom all things are for, and through whom are all things, so because of him and through him are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. The Bible's saying it's fitting for the one who through all things are, and all things are for, this one who is perfect, and he would be the author of their salvation, he could perfect it and bring many sons to glory to suffer. He needed to go to the cross in order to accomplish this. And then verse 11 for both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will proclaim your name to my brethren in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise, and again I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the children whom God has given me. I think some people would read that or hear that and go, Oh, yeah, it sounds sort of just like, you know, religious jargon. I'll proclaim your name to the brethren. Okay, sanctified, sanctifier from the Father. Okay, brethren. I no, you don't want to miss this. Verse 11 again, one more time. For both he who sanctifies, that is Jesus, and those who are sanctified, that's us, are all from one Father, for which reason he's not ashamed to call them brethren. This passage is saying that Jesus is the sanctifier. He was born to set us apart so that we, as orphans, okay, sinners, dead and separate from God, unable to be God's children, not reconciled with him because of sin, because of Christ's sanctifying work on the cross. Oh, he's not ashamed to call us brethren. He's not ashamed to say to share the title as he is son of God. We are children of God. He's not afraid and ashamed. And through the cross we're able to come. This has shades of the doctrine of adoption. We can be sanctified, sons and daughters, because Jesus was born. Number three, he was born to be a shepherd. In being born, Jesus came to be the shepherd that Israel had been waiting for, but never had. Up until this point, many shepherds of the nation had come and gone, feeding themselves, abusing the people. There are many Old Testament prophecies and passages indicting the shepherds of Israel. God was not happy. No one measured up to the one described by all the prophets, even the good kings, even the good leaders, no one compared. But Jesus then comes to care for his people like a shepherd would care for their sheep. And he came to guide and to feed and to lead and to serve and to nurture and to protect you and I. The culmination of his care is seen in him sacrificing himself for the well-being of the sheep. This is exactly what Jesus describes in his adult ministry in John 10, verses 10 to 11. The good shepherd describes himself. He says, The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. And then he says this in verse 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He was born to do that for you and I as believers. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, when you belong to him, he's your shepherd. In the darkest valleys, on the highest mountains, in the most painful losses and in the greatest winds, he is the shepherd. He's there to care and to lead and to guide. Jesus was born to shepherd you. And finally, number four, Jesus was born to be a mediator. The Bible calls Jesus that word a mediator, and he is the only mediator between God and man. No Roman Catholic priest, no pope, no other proxy can compare. And that word mediator is an important word to define. It means uh a go-between. It is a go-between. Somebody who ensures the interest of two parties are represented. When you think of mediation in terms of legal proceedings, this mediator has to ensure the interest of both parties are represented fairly. Well, when we think of the basic definition, a profound picture emerges. Jesus was born to be a mediator and represent both the interests of sinful mankind, we're spiritually dead, we're heading for hell, and the interests of a holy God, who by nature must punish sin and uphold the standard of justice that his perfect holiness requires. And so those who by nature are children of wrath must be damned and dealt with, and though the one who by nature is holy must be satisfied. In comes Christ, able to redeem man because he was born a man, but able to satisfy the requirements of the Father because he was born divine, still in the sense that he never stopped being God. He was the God man, conceived of the Holy Spirit, divine, born of a virgin, a man, sinless and perfect. Died the death we could never die in order to satisfy the Father. This Christmas, no other person, no other present, no other event is as wonderful as Christ, because he's the one who none can compare to. And so as your season hits full stride, I pray that this particular episode and those four reasons, really titles and what we talk about in the weeks ahead, fill your heart with joy and gratitude for the greatest gift of all. Next time I want to answer the question and dig in on why did Mary have to be a virgin? The virgin birth has been called one of the essentials of the Christian faith, and it is, because if you get that wrong, you get salvation wrong. And I believe every Christian should be able to know and articulate the answer to that question. So I want to make sure that you're equipped to do just that. Thanks for listening, thanks for watching, thank you for sharing, and thank you so much for supporting our ministry. For the gospel is purposed to provide sound doctrine for everyday people. Everything we do is designed to accomplish that, and we are 100% donor supported and doing all of this because of your generosity. So thank you, and we praise God for the way He continues to grow the ministry through your support. To learn more about the ministry or maybe to become a monthly gospel patron or to give an end of your gift and support what we're doing, you can go to www.forthegospel.org. I hope you are beginning to have a Merry Christmas as you celebrate Christ. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.