Pillar Church Podcast

At Christmas, we celebrate more than the birth of Jesus. We celebrate the truth that God chose to be with us. In Matthew 1:18–25, Jesus is given the name Immanuel, meaning God with us, revealing a God who is not distant, detached, or indifferent, but present and near. Jesus came to save His people from their sins, to reveal the heart of the Father, and to dwell among us in grace and truth. The greatest gift of Christmas is not found under a tree, but in the One wrapped in swaddling clothes, who humbled Himself, took on human form, and entered our world by love and choice. Christmas declares that God goes before us, walks with us, and invites us to abide in Him in the middle of our joy, our pain, and our ordinary lives.

Before the foundation of the world, Jesus shared perfect glory and intimacy with the Father, yet humanity was created by God, for God, and to be like God in order to live in divine connection with Him. From the garden to the cross, God’s desire has always been friendship, not distance. Jesus made this clear when He said He no longer calls us servants but friends, revealing the heart of God and the depth of His love. That friendship came at a great cost, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, chosen before the world began so that we could be restored to radical intimacy with God.

Jesus is our peace, and Scripture shows why His peace is unlike anything the world can offer. God is not the author of confusion but of peace, and Jesus gives us a gift of peace for our minds and hearts, calling us not to be troubled or afraid. Jesus Himself is perfectly at peace with the Father, and through faith we have peace with God. Even in discipline God produces a peaceful harvest in those He trains. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, and we are called to set our minds on the realities of heaven. The greatest way for us to walk in lasting peace is to keep our trust and thoughts fixed on God, for He promises to keep in perfect peace all who look to Him.

In this message, we look at how Jesus embodies both the grace that saves us and the truth that reveals who we are. We learn that God’s grace rescues us while His truth directs us, and we shouldn’t be intimidated when Scripture exposes our need for Him. Instead, we can trust that His grace abundantly covers us through Christ. Finally, we’re reminded never to abuse the grace God gives but to walk in the new life He calls us to live. May this message encourage you to embrace both His grace and His truth as they work together to transform your life.

This message explores the powerful truth that Jesus is our atonement and the only one who makes us right with God. Drawing from Romans 3:23-26, we walk through the deep need for atonement, what it truly means, and what it accomplishes for us through the sacrifice of Christ. From the reality of sin and separation to the beauty of redemption, reconciliation, and righteousness, this teaching highlights how Jesus did not simply offer a sacrifice but became the sacrifice. His blood covers, cleanses, restores, and removes the barrier between us and God. Through Him we stand forgiven, free, and fully accepted. Jesus is our atonement, and through His finished work we are brought into new life and lasting peace with God.