Podcast Summary: "Grace" | Jabin Chavez Leadership Podcast

Podcast: City Light Church Las Vegas | Jabin Chavez
Host: Pastor Jabin Chavez
Date: January 7, 2026
Episode Theme:
A teaching and exhortation for preachers, focusing on preaching and living under the new covenant of grace, interpreting Scripture primarily through the lens of the epistles, and the practical implications for church leadership and Christian identity.

Episode Overview

Pastor Jabin Chavez begins the year with a clarion call to preachers—and all believers—urging them to approach the Bible, their preaching, and Christian life through the lens of the new covenant of grace. Throughout the episode, he explores the critical shift from old covenant to new covenant thinking, answers common theological challenges about apostolic authority, and emphasizes the transformative power of grace over law.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Did Paul and Jesus Disagree? (00:00–02:15)

• Jabin addresses a contemporary debate: Should Christians regard Paul’s epistles as secondary to the words of Jesus in the Gospels?
  • He argues that while Jesus’ teachings (e.g., Sermon on the Mount) are crucial, the new covenant is most fully expressed in the upper room discourse (John 13–17) and then unpacked and revealed through the apostles—especially Paul, “the apostle to the Gentiles."

2. The Upper Room: The New Covenant Sermon (02:15–05:00)

• “The sermon in the Upper Room is the New Covenant sermon for the New Covenant believer. These are the things Jesus thought were most important to teach his disciples right before he left.” (Jabin Chavez, 02:30)
• While the Sermon on the Mount addresses Israel and prepares for the coming Messiah, the Upper Room points to the coming Holy Spirit and new relationship realities for believers.

3. The Right Lens: The Epistles (05:00–07:00)

• Citing Kenneth Hagin and Brian Houston, Jabin affirms:
  • “Preach through the lens of the epistles. Read the Bible through the lens of the epistles. Approach God through the lens of the epistles.” (05:38)
  • Make sure your preaching has a “New Testament angle.”
• Paul’s ministry is distinguished by never imposing the Mosaic law on Gentile converts (see Colossians, Galatians).

4. The Transition from Old to New Covenant (07:00–11:30)

• Jesus initially ministered as Israel’s Messiah, but after Israel’s rejection and the events of 70 AD (temple destruction), the Gospel extended to Gentiles.
• “The old covenant has been completely replaced by what the scripture calls a new and better covenant.” (Jabin Chavez, paraphrasing Hebrews 8:13, 09:40)
• The “last days” of Acts 2 refers to the twilight of the old covenant era, not merely the end times.

5. Preaching From “It is Finished” (11:30–13:50)

• Pastors are challenged to ask:
  • Are you preaching like Moses/Ezekiel, or like Jesus and Paul—from the posture of “it is finished?”
• Practical outworking: identity, behavior, and transformation flow from new covenant revelation, not from legal codes.

6. Three Hallmarks of New Covenant Ministry:

a. Saved by Grace (13:50–18:00)

• Salvation is “by grace through faith,” both gifts from God (Ephesians 2).
• Emphatically: “I’m not Reformed… I’m a free will Pentecostal. Hallelujah. But the grace of God is a gift.” (Jabin Chavez, 16:15)
• Cites Colossians 1:21–23 to underscore that believers were God’s enemies but now are reconciled, holy, blameless, and “stand before him without a single fault.”
  • “The Old Covenant is: ‘It’s coming, it’s coming…’ New Covenant is: ‘It’s done, it’s finished!’” (17:40)
  • The challenge is to “continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.”

b. Good Works By Grace, Not For Grace (18:00–22:30)

• Ephesians 2:10: We are created for good works as a result of grace, not to earn grace.
• Colossians 2:6–7: “How you got saved is how you stay saved... Total grace, total mercy, total dependence on God.”
• The epistles structure: First, declare who you are (identity); then, how you act (conduct).

c. Transformation: What Ended, Changed, Remained, or Went Deeper? (22:30–31:30)

• Some commands ended: dietary laws, ceremonial laws, required Sabbath observance.
  • “Dietary law—God told Peter, ‘kill and eat.’ Don’t call anything unclean. It doesn’t mean pork’s healthy... It just means you’re not a sinner because of it.” (23:30)
• Some changed:
  • Tithing shifted from temple tax to a faith response, like Abraham (not Moses).
• Some remained:
  • Sexual ethics—homosexuality is addressed not because of Leviticus, but because “Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6” carry the command into the new covenant.
• Some went deeper:
  • “It’s not just, ‘don’t kill’—now, don’t even carry hate in your heart.” (29:20)
  • Paul expands on Jesus’ ethic: Beyond external behavior to the heart (gossip, slander, disunity).

7. Pastoral Encouragement & Practical Application (31:30–end)

• “If I was you, I’d hang out in Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, and Galatians for the first quarter of the year… Get that deep in your spirit. It will change your life, your preaching, your church.” (32:10)
• Only a few preachers emphasize grace to the degree Paul did (names Joseph Prince, Andrew Wommack).
  • “There’s an overemphasis on grace? Who’s preaching grace?” (33:25)
• “Grace leads to holiness, freedom, maturity, sanctification. I know for a fact: Religion won’t lead to freedom… Old Testament thinking will not lead to holiness.” (34:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On The Shift to the New Covenant:
  • “We are New Covenant people, and that New Covenant is what’s really important.” (03:10)
• On Preaching and Interpreting Scripture:
  • "Preach through the lens of the epistles. Read the Bible through the lens of the epistles.” (05:38)
• On Identity in the New Covenant:
  • “You are holy. You are blameless as you stand before him—without a single fault. That’s in the Bible now.” (17:10)
• On the Effect of Grace:
  • “Grace will build your church. This is how you want to build a church… not in law and legalism.” (22:10)
• On the Nature of Forgiveness:
  • “Jesus said: Forgive or you won’t be forgiven. Paul said: Forgive because you’ve been forgiven. It’s different now.” (28:15)
• On Law vs. Spirit:
  • “I’m not Elijah, I’m not Moses, I’m not Malachi. I’m a part of a kingdom of priests unto my God. And that has set me free from the law of sin and death.” (35:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:15: Framing the “Paul vs. Jesus” question
• 02:15–05:00: The Upper Room and the New Covenant
• 05:00–07:00: “Lens of the epistles”—key to reading and preaching Scripture
• 07:00–11:30: Old vs. New Covenant transition explained; Israel, 70 AD
• 13:50–18:00: Saved by grace; Colossians 1:21–23 expounded
• 18:00–22:30: Good works by (not for) grace; Colossians 2:6–7
• 22:30–31:30: Discerning what ended, changed, remained, deepened post-resurrection
• 31:30–36:00: Empowering finale; practical advice; why grace leads (and law fails) to produce true holiness

Summary Takeaway

Pastor Jabin’s message resounds with the urgency and freedom of the new covenant. He contends that to preach and live as new covenant people, we must let the full revelation of the cross, as illuminated in the epistles, shape our perspective. The old has faded; the new way—the way of empowering grace—leads to genuine transformation, wholeness, and mature, fruitful communities.

“Grace is the way—we are New Covenant people… I’m free. And I thank God for it.” (35:40)