Podcast Summary: 3 Truths Of Christmas | Jabin Chavez | City Light Church Las Vegas

Host: Jabin Chavez
Date: December 22, 2025
Episode: “3 Truths Of Christmas”
Duration: Approximately 35 minutes (content summarized below, certain transitions and minor banter omitted)

Overview

In this lively Christmas sermon, Pastor Jabin Chavez shares three central truths about Christmas, rooted in the Gospel narrative and the experience of Mary. His message emphasizes God’s nearness, the power and presence of God’s Word, and the reality that God still works miracles. Pastor Jabin incorporates humor, personal testimony, and challenging encouragement throughout, aiming to inspire hope, faith, and gratitude in listeners approaching both Christmas and the new year.

Main Theme: The Three Truths of Christmas

Pastor Jabin frames the episode around the question Mary asks in Luke 1—“How can this be?”—and uses this as a springboard for three key truths:

1. God is Near
2. God Speaks
3. God Does Miracles

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. God Is Near: Christmas Is About God Coming Close

(Starts at 01:13)

• Scripture: Luke 1:30–38, Isaiah 7:14—Emmanuel, “God with us”
• Gospel vs. Religion: Jabin distinguishes religion from the Gospel:

  “Religion is a journey of humanity trying to hopefully, maybe one day, someday, get to God. That is radically different than the Gospel of Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus is not man getting to God. The Gospel of Jesus is God getting to us.” (02:14)

• The Gift of Grace:

  “Jesus isn't for good people as if they exist... For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever would believe. Believe, not earn. Believe, not try.” (04:27)

• Salvation by Grace Not Works:

  “It is by grace that you've been saved. Grace not works... Grace not fasting. Grace not church attendance... Grace, not giving in the miracle offering... Grace, not tithing. Grace. Grace. It's by grace, through faith that you've been saved. This is a gift from God.” (05:52)

• Life as a Thank-you Note:
  Jabin compares a life of gratitude to God to a handwritten thank-you note — it’s not repaying the gift, but expressing gratitude.

  “The thank you note is not there to repay the gift. The thank you note is there to say, ‘I recognize the gift.’ Can't pay you back for it. In no way comparing this note to the gift, it's just my way of saying that's what my life to God is.” (08:40)

Memorable Quote:

“All the fruit that we should be bearing as believers comes from gratitude, not fear. Gratitude, not trying to earn.” (08:12)

2. God Speaks: The Christmas Story Is Full of God’s Voice

(Starts at 10:23)

• Biblical Emphasis: God speaks nine times in the Christmas story (angels, dreams, direct words).

  “God wants to be known. Therefore, God reveals himself to us, speaks to us and pursues us. This is what God does.” (11:10)

• “Hark!” – The Call to Listen:
  Pastor Jabin references “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” emphasizing the need to actively listen.

• The Impact of God’s Word:

  “Faith comes by hearing... Your ability to open your heart and ears to God and say, ‘God, I'm listening.’ When you open your life to the Word of God and the voice of God, faith begins to erupt in you and it begins to transform you.” (12:10)

• The Bible as a Gateway to the Author:

  “I don't read the Bible for the Bible. I read the Bible to get to the author... not so that your faith would end at the book, but so that it would lead you to him.” (14:21)

• Statistics on Bible Reading & Transformation:
  Jabin cites research showing transformative effects of reading the Bible four or more times a week:

  • Loneliness drops by 30%
  • Anger by 32%
  • Bitterness/unforgiveness by 42%
  • Alcoholism by 57%
  • Spiritual stagnation by 60%
  • Pornography by 62%
  • Desire to share faith increases by 200%; desire to serve humanity by 230% (16:21 – 17:34)

Memorable Quote:

“There is a part of this word that changes your emotions and your feelings and your outlook.” (16:58)

3. God Does Miracles: Christmas Is a Story of the Impossible

(Starts at 18:17)

• Mary’s Question of “How?”

  “Mary said, how can this be? How? I'm a virgin. There is a limitation here. How? He said, the Holy Ghost will come upon you.” (18:25)

• For Every “How,” There’s a “Holy Ghost”
  Jabin echoes his mentor Jensen Franklin:

  “For every how there's a Holy Ghost. How's God going to restore my life? The Holy Ghost is going to come upon you…” (18:48)

• Application to Modern Life:

  “There will be times in your life that you will look at your life and go, how? That's where the miracle happens. When you don't have the resource and you don't have the money and you don't have the experience… the spirit of God fills that void.” (19:33)

• Personal Testimony:
  Pastor Jabin shares a recent story (2024) about the church building project being over-budget, his fear, and a miraculous $1 million donation after following a faith step online instead of sending fundraising letters—illustrating how God intervenes.

  “The Holy Spirit spoke to him [Mike Todd]. And that Sunday... Transformation church gave us $1 million, and it literally kept the building going... It kept us going.” (22:47)

Notable Moments:

• Jabin’s humor about “aggressive” fundraising letters (“if you don't, God's gonna give you hemorrhoids.”) (21:33)
• The miracle of timely provision: “I never even got to see the money hit the account. It hit in the morning and by the afternoon was gone... plus a million and then it was minus a million in two minutes.” (23:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Real Purpose of Christmas:

  “A lot of you have the Gospel of Sc. Santa Claus. You better watch out. You better not cry... But that's not the gospel. The gospel is a message for the naughty, for the messed up, for the sinner. You can’t even receive the gospel until you have settled the fact that you need the gospel.” (03:20)

• On Life Transformation Through the Bible:

  “As I get into the Word, the Word gets in me. And as I read the Word, the Word reads me. And as I rightly divide the Word, the Word rightly divides me and separates sin out of my life and cleanses me from the inside out.” (13:21)

• On Facing the Impossible:

  “You’re in a ‘how’ moment right now. And I believe God can meet you in the how. Her asking ‘how’ was not a lack of faith. She’s just looking at her life going, ‘I don’t know how this is going to work,’ but God already had a plan.” (26:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Scripture Reading (Luke 1:30–38): 00:00–01:13
• Truth 1 – God is Near: 01:13–10:23
• Truth 2 – God Speaks: 10:23–18:17
• Truth 3 – God Does Miracles: 18:17–26:23
• Personal Testimony (Building Fund Miracle): 20:45–25:30
• Faith Challenge & Prayer: 26:23–End

Conclusion: Christmas—A “How” Moment

Jabin concludes by relating Mary’s question to the lives of listeners: It’s normal to look at your circumstances and ask “How can this be?” The true message of Christmas, he urges, is that God already has a plan—He enters our “how” moments with nearness, speaks to us, and works miracles in our lives.

For further inspiration and resources, visit City Light Church at www.citylightvegas.com.