Welcome to the Further Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kasti Hinn, and I just want to say Merry Christmas to you and your family. This episode is a bonus episode. And whether you're driving to visit family, maybe you're commuting right now, you're on the way to work in the morning, or you're getting ready for church at some point. You could be sitting by a fireplace, maybe the lights are glowing, or you're on the late shift, even right now, listening all alone. I just want to tell you something from the very beginning of our time together. You are loved, you are seen, you're not forgotten tonight, and the hope of Christ is yours if you are his. You know, Christmas Eve has a way of heightening everything. Joy feels bigger, but so does sorrow. Family feels closer, but so does loneliness. For some of you, this season has been full of laughter, it's been full of warmth. For others, it's complicated. Maybe for you, there's empty chairs around the table this year or relationships that have been strained. Maybe there's memories that hurt or questions that linger. Maybe for you, it's been just the year of your life. It's been an amazing year. Whatever your situation, Christmas Eve reminds us that Jesus stepped into a world just like the one we now reside in: broken yet beautiful, weary and yet longing and aching, and still full of hoping for an answer. Really, the Savior. And the message of the manger is not merely that he came, but why he came. And the manger only makes sense when you see it where it leads, and that is to the cross. And so tonight, I want to just take you on a little Christmas Eve journey. Think of this as a gentle, heartsteading, soul-refreshing reminder that the child in the manger came with a mission. And because of that mission, you and I can face tonight, tomorrow, with hope and the year that's ahead and the days that are ahead full of joy, all because the manger led to the cross. This is really the reminder that the gospel is what Christmas is all about. First and foremost, the manger tells you that God comes close. He comes close. If you've ever felt far from God or you remember a time where you were distant, ashamed, maybe disconnected or feeling unworthy, doesn't Christmas answer that heartache? In Luke 2, 7, when Luke is giving his account of the birth of Christ, he's speaking of Mary having just given birth to Christ. He says, and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a, you could probably finish the sentence, a manger. A manger. It's a feeding trough. And when you think about it, the God who created the galaxies could have chosen palaces where his son would arrive. The king of kings should have, could have entered into royal courts with trumpets and armies. The eternal sun could have descended in radiant glory. But instead, God sends his son and he is in a stable, laid in a manger. It's a quiet night, a very unnoticed corner of the world. And it's good to ask why. This is a foreshadowing. It's a sign and symbol of the humble way in which Christ has come and the humbling of the cross, the humbling nature. He took on human flesh, not a promotion, but a demotion to become man, to leave the glories of heaven. God sent his son all the way down to where you are and I am, not to where you wish you were, not up in the heavenlies, but down to where we are, right into the middle of your not so cleaned up, kind of messy, full of real fears, full of real struggles, life. It was a humble birth and a humble place. And all of that reflects the cross and the closeness of God to the human condition. And so maybe tonight or today, that's the encouragement you need more than anything. Certainly, it's the encouragement we all need all the time, that we have a God who came close. Maybe you're driving right now, feeling forgotten. Maybe you're listening at home after a hard year. Wherever you are, Christmas is about Christ coming close for you. Number two, the manger tells you God always keeps his promises. The manger tells you God keeps his promises. The birth of Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem, okay? It began in eternity past. It began centuries before through the prophets of old. God had been telling his people over and over a child will be born, unto us a son is given, the government will rest upon his shoulders, a virgin will conceive, a king will come from David, a savior will rise like the dawn. I mean, prophecy galore throughout the Old Testament. And Christmas Eve is the night that heaven began to stir, and the angels shout, It's time. Every prophecy, every hint, every shadow in the Old Testament, pointing to that moment when Mary held the Son of God in her arms. And you say, Costi, what does that mean for me? Well, it means that you can trust God to always keep his promises. It's not a, well, a sometimes he does thing, or, you know, an almost he does, or, you know, eventually he might keep one of those promises, you know, here and there. I mean, maybe. No, he always keeps his promises, the promise of his presence, the promise of his peace, the promise of forgiveness, the promise of a savior, the promise that he's going to work all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes. Christmas Eve is your reminder in mind that he is faithful. Your waiting is not wasted, your prayers not ignored, your pain is not unseen. The manger is proof. Every promise of God ever made finds its yes in Jesus Christ. Third, I want to remind you that the manger tells you that you are loved. This is the heartbeat of the gospel. Christ didn't come because humanity was beautiful and lovable. He came because humanity was broken, sinful, and really not that lovable. John 3.16 says, For God so loved the world. It's his love. It's an initiating, agape love. Romans 5.8 says that while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us. Well, that's really clear. He didn't come because we're noble. He didn't come because we were, you know, really something, you know. No, he came because we were lost. He sent his son to save us because of love. We needed saving. The angels didn't sing because, you know, the world was finally getting it right. You know, they didn't sing because humanity was awesome. They sang because the world desperately needed a savior and the savior had come. The manger tells you this God moved towards you first. Before you prayed, he came. Before you sought him, he sought you. Before you chose him, he chose you. Before you loved him, he loved you first. Christmas Eve is not about your goodness. It's about God's goodness and God's grace. It's not about your performance and how good of a person you are and how much you love God. It's about how faithful and true and steadfast and trustworthy God is. And it's all about his unstoppable love. Maybe today or tonight you feel unworthy of that love. Maybe you're wrestling with guilt or regret because of the way you've lived. Maybe there's battles you keep losing. You look at the manger. You look at the little Christ child wrapped in the cloth. You look at his small hands, the same hands that one day would bear the nails. And God knew from the beginning that his son would die. The manger led to a cross. Why? Well, because you, as his child, were worth sending his son to die for. He said, I love you. I'm going to love you with an everlasting love. And nothing you do can stop it, and nothing you do has earned it. Not all because of who you are, but because of who God is. Not because of your merit, we would say, in true Christian faith, not because of your merit, meaning what you've done, some merit of your own, but all because of his mercy. The manger tonight is a reminder of that. And all of this leads to the cross. What does the cross tell us? The cross tells you there's hope. Because of the cross, tonight is filled with hope. Christmas Eve, oh, to the weary, Christ gives rest. To the broken, he brings healing. To the anxious, we receive peace. The guilty receive forgiveness. The lonely, he gives himself as the friend of sinners. To the struggling, he'll give strength. You remember Paul the Apostle in 2 Corinthians 12 7, he asked for the thorn of the flesh to be removed. And what does God say? After three times of Paul asking, My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness. He'll be your strength. And in the searching for answers, Christ gives the truth, and he is the truth. No matter where you're hearing this, whether that be a living room, a highway, a hospital room, maybe an airport terminal, I want to remind you, Christ brings healing. He brings peace. And to you who are guilty sinners, he's brought forgiveness if you would put your faith in him. To you who are lonely, you don't have to be alone. He'll give you himself. All of these things are yours and available through Christ. To you that might be searching tonight. Christ, he gives truth. The hope of Christmas is not in the magic of Christmas. It's in the meaning of Christmas. What is that? That the Savior has come. And in the cross, we see the sacrifice has been made. In the resurrection, the tomb is empty. The king is alive. He's not dead. And so tonight is so much more than just this sentimental Christmas Eve thing. It is a supernatural moment, a true moment in history. You're not just remembering a story. You and I, we're celebrating salvation. And so as you go into this Christmas Eve, my prayer is that the nearness of Christ would comfort you, that the promises of God would strengthen you, that the love of the Father would surround you, that the hope of the cross would steady you, and the peace of Christ would rule over your heart, and the joy of salvation would fill your tomorrow. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Merry Christmas, friends. Christ has come, Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. Thank you for listening, for watching, for sharing, for all of your support and prayers this year, from my family to yours, and on behalf of our staff and our board here at For the Gospel, Merry Christmas. I'll be back on Monday to help you close out 2025 with our final episode of the year on how to make 2026 your best year yet. Keep on living for the gospel.