The Declaration Of Christ

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