THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL SERIES
“The Declaration of Christ”
Rom 1:2-4
INTRODUCTION
Two weeks ago, we looked at Rom 1:1 and the calling of Paul
We saw that Paul was called to be a servant or a slave
He was set-apart by God for the gospel’s sake or to preach the Good News
In our passage today, we will see that Paul was set-apart to do God’s work and now He is going to make a Declaration of Christ to all he can
Read Rom 1:2-6 / Pray
Trans: First, we see Paul was set-apart to declare…
1. The Gospel promised beforehand
Paul said he was called to preach the gospel or to share the gospel
Not some new gospel…not something he made up…but what was promised beforehand
In Gen 12:3 Abraham is told by God, “I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Paul was coming to preach to them the Good News that had been prophesied would come
And He himself had now experienced and he is coming to proclaim or to declare this Christ spoken of by the prophets
1 Cor. 2:1-2 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when I first came to you I didn’t use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God’s message. [2] For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.
It is amazing how many today in the church don’t know how to or won’t share the gospel because of fear
What if they ask me about this doctrinal truth or that one?
What if they want to know about things like justification, sanctification, righteousness, etc…
Who cares! The main issue is do you know Jesus and Him crucified?
That’s the issue at hand…that’s what Paul came to declare…the Gospel…the Good News…
The fact that you have a Savior…He died for your sins…and that’s what we too need to be willing to declare
Trans: Paul says he came to declare the gospel that was promised beforehand of the…
2. Incarnation of Christ
Paul is not trying to tell people about the God who lives way up there
He is coming to tell of the God who stepped down out of heaven…took on the form of a man…and walked on this earth
The one who was to come would be a direct descendant of David…Jesus was that one
Jesus was foretold to come way back in Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers.”
He begins the first promise of a redeemer who would come to this earth to save His people
Paul says He was a descendant of David
The lineage of Christ can be traced through Adam, Seth the son born after Abel was killed, and through Seth, Noah, and through Noah, Shem and through Shem, Abraham, and through Abraham, Issaac, and Issaac, Jacob, and Jacob, Judah, and Judah, David, and David, came Christ…Immanuel…God with us
Paul was saying this is the one prophesied long ago in Isa 7:14 (turn there)
This was fullfilled in Matt 1:23
Paul is saying this is the one who comes through the tribe of Judah…He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah Rev 5:5
Isaiah 53:7 (KJV)
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
The one who John taught about in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…”
Paul was declaring the Christ…the incarnate one…who came to be our example
1 Pet 2:21, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps”
Many have a hard time understanding how God could come and take on the form of a man…
THE BIRDS AND CHRISTMAS STORY
He was the one, Paul is saying, that came to dwell among us that came from the lineage of David
Trans: Paul says he came to die but not to stay dead but to be…
3. Resurrected from the Dead
This central truth that Jesus rose from the dead the basis for the foundation of all that we believe
If the resurrection of Christ can be disproved or made out to be a lie, then everything you and I believe can be discounted
Paul never gets away from preaching the central truth of Jesus crucified and you never see the crucifix preached without the resurrection
Why? It is not enough that Jesus died for our sins…
Many people in history of died for good causes…our military over the years have died for the freedom of our nation
But the central truth is if Jesus died…but did not rise from the dead…so what!
You cannot have the crucifixion without the resurrection
If you can disprove the resurrection, then Jesus was not truly the Son of God
He was not God who came in the flesh, born of a virgin…he was just another prophet
And if he was just another prophet…then we are without hope today
The good news is…He is not just another prophet…not just another man…Son of God
Paul tells us that His resurrection from the dead is part of the BOLD declaration that Jesus is who He said He was
By the power of the Spirit…He was raised from the dead
And after His death…He was seen upon this earth for 40 days…until in Acts 1…he ascended back into heaven to be on the right hand of the Father
Of course, many who do not believe, always try to disprove the Resurrection
Even in the very beginning…turn to Matthew 28:11-15 (expound)
Look at the last part of verse 15 again…That is part of why the Jews don’t accept Christ
His resurrection has been discounted to them and to this day…still believed
Why is this relevant to you and me about the Resurrection?
John 11:25 (KJV)
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
1 Cor. 15:12-13 (NLT)
But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? [13] For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.
1 Cor. 15:23 (NLT)
But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised.
1 Cor. 15:42 (NLT)
It is the same way for the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die.
Without the Resurrection, we have no hope for the future life…our bodies will die…and so will our spirit
If there is no Resurrection, there is NO HOPE!
But Praise be to the Lord! He is risen…Paul was preaching I was Pharisee…a Jew…who believed the lie of no resurrection
But I met the RESURRECTED CHRIST on the Damascus Road…
I once was blind but now I can see…the scales have been removed…my hope is in the death, burial and RESSURECTION of Jesus Christ
That is why in 1 Cor 2 he stated emphatically, “I know nothing except Jesus and Him crucified…”
And along with the crucifixion comes the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead
CONCLUSION
Paul is telling all that will listen in his Roman account
“I have been called to preach the Good News…not my good news…but what was promised long ago”
“And that which was promised became man in the flesh, he dwelt among us…to show us the way…”
“Not only did he show us the way in life…but showed us the way in death…that we too will one day be resurrected as He was.
And that is what Paul was preaching
Bad news is…you will one day die…your sin separates you from God
Good news is…you don’t have to be separated…there is hope because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ
Prayer / Invitation
