01-B) Concerning the Son - Rom 1:2-4
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We are going to continue today in book of Romans. Feel free to turn to chapter 1. Last week we looked at the author of this letter, Paul, the transformed sinner that has been called and set apart to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. A servant of Jesus Christ, an apostle.
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone. You talked about some topic and when you thought everything was clear. The person does something completely different or contrary to the conversation that you just had. You chat again and find out that though there was talking and words, what was being understood was completely different that was you were saying.
Peoples background and understanding influence how they understand what is being communicated. Paul starts this letter with a clarification of the gospel message that he has been given. As there were many different ideas about him that we see the early church fighting against. So as he starts this letter he wants to be clear that they know where he is coming from.
As Paul says he is set apart for the gospel of God, He moves to starts to develop some of the foundational truths that will be the basis for much of what he will explain in this letter.
Here he reveals to his readers the:
Promised Gospel
The Person of the Gospel
Promised Gospel
Promised Gospel
We will start with the promise. He has been set apart for the Gospel ...
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—
The Gospel of God. The good message the good news is the message that had been promised in times past. In Titus he would say it this way.
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
He claims that the gospel which has been promises from the beginning.
A promise. What is a promise? One definition is: a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen. To state that something will happen or that a person will do a specific action or deed.
A promise is only as good a the character and faithfulness of the one who gives the promise. Has anyone here ever had someone make a promise and in the end they were not able to keep it? Has anyone here ever made a promise that they did not keep?
In order for a person to keep a promise they must be capable and able to fulfill that promise. We can make lots of promises, but many of them are not fully in our control. There are other influences and factors.
They must not be one who changes their mind. They cannot stand before witnesses and make a promise to only decide that that isn’t who they are any more. I have changed.
They must be faithful to their word. They never go back on their word.
They must never be able to speak falsely. They do not lie.
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: 14 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. 15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. 17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
God can make promises as he has the power to execute what he declares. He is unchangeable so he will never be different tomorrow as he is today or was yesterday. He is always faithful to his word and he never lies. He never leads people on speaks deceitfully.
There were those that were dismissing the idea of Jesus being the Messiah, that the promised savior and the message of salvation for the sinner through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus was not found in the old testament writings. That what they were proclaiming was against the old testament teachings. But Paul here states that the gospel is the foretold promise that came through the prophets and the scriptures. That the good news is not a contradiction to the scripture or against Moses and the prophets.
22 To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place—23 that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
There were many that were struggling to see the old testament scriptures as pointers to Jesus. After Jesus was raised from the dead he would people to the men on the road to Emmaus
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures. 28 They came near the village where they were going, and he gave the impression that he was going farther. 29 But they urged him, “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 It was as he reclined at the table with them that he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”
These men were trying to work things out in their heads but they were missing the common thread through all of the word. The good news was promised through the prophets. People who would speak the words of God through the work of the holy spirit.
20 Don’t despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good.
God raised prophet after prophet speaking to the people. They were killed, ignored, and rejected. The words of God sent through his people were put aside as men and women would turn to the sin of the world instead of to God.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times;
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.
Peter speaks of the prophets as those that would diligently search for what would happen. That they would search for the promise and the timing of the promise.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
There was a searching, a diligent seeking as they truly believed they were the words of God. We see the proper way to interact with the scriptures.
19 We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The words of the prophets are recorded in the scriptures. Here Paul emphasizes that they are the Holy Scriptures. Those that are set apart as written by God through men.
There were many false teachings that plagued the new church as there are today. There was and is a temptation to not seek the scriptures themselves but to turn to books or other writings about the scriptures or more dangerously what me think about the scriptures. There are many great books out there to read that are extremely helpful in the understanding and application of scripture but there there are many that make statements about the bible that just are not true. Every book that is not the bible, need to be filtered through the lens of the words of God. Just like every sermon should also be vetted and filtered.
There are many cults and religious groups that started off with the bible but then used their own words and took a path away from the work and they take many people with them. This was common in their time as well. The rabbis of the day had many teachings and sayings they they used to communicate the will of God. Many of these ideas are rebuked by Jesus in his ministry.
The gospel that Paul was set apart for was promised and concerned a specific person.
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.
When we read the old testament we seek to see Christ promised, when we read the new, we seek to understand the revelation of the promise. For he is the focus of the gospel.
The Person of the Gospel
The Person of the Gospel
2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh
Descendant of David
Descendant of David
The good news promised is focused on one single person, The Son of God, Jesus who is the Christ and the Lord. There seem to be many arguments about genealogies in the scriptures. This seems to be an issue in the church of Ephesus and the churches in Crete.
3 As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine 4 or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.
And to the Galatians, Paul leans on the prophesies about the offspring of Abraham. As they were struggling with the Gentiles being saved and descendants of the promise to Abraham.
14 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. 15 Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ. 17 My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise. 19 Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one. 21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe. 23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. 25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
Abraham would be the father of many nations and a seed would come, one of his offspring that would be the Christ and in that line is the line of David.
12 When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
The genealogies int he Gospels show that Jesus was indeed in the line of David.
1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
There was ample evidence that Christ was in the flesh and from the line of David.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, fourteen generations.
There were questions about whether this was true or not and Paul states that the gospel he has been called to is one the concerns only Jesus from the line of David. He was physically a descendant and in the flesh but without sin. Countering the ideas that he was not a man.
2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.
Not only was he in the flesh from the line of David being fully man, he was declared to be the Son of God as fully divine.
Appointed as Son
Appointed as Son
2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.
The word appointed is translated as declared in other translation and has the idea of something being specified or ordained.
In the incarnation of the second person of the trinity, and in the display of the power of God in the resurrection, Jesus is declared and specified as the Son of God.
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
There were many that would come and claim to be the Messiah, the savior, the fulfillment of the promise. But only one can be the true Messiah. Jesus was obedient to the father and lived his life as a man with only the will of God as his motive for what he did and said.
30 “I can do nothing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
It was in his humanity and his death, burial and resurrection that he is revealed to the wold as the Son of God. The Psalmist would wrote
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
This was a future action. Though Jesus has been from the beginning with the father and the spirit. He will one day be declared to be God Son before all of creation.
2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.
Everything we see is made through Jesus and though the incarnation and through the resurrection. He is revealed to the same creation and seen as the son of God. Fully God and Fully man.
29 When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors. 33 God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
The resurrection is a display of his power as he overcame the grave. This is a common truth taught through Paul’s letters.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. 20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
God declared Jesus as the powerful Son when he raised him from the dead and seated him in the heavens. Working this out for his Glory to the benefit of lost souls. The gospel is based on the power of God and not the power of men.
4 For he was crucified in weakness, but he lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by God’s power.
This was done according to the working of the Holy Spirit.
4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.
Holy Spirit
16 When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
Throughout the entire work of the Father and the Son, the Spirit is right there. Leading men to say and write. Performing miracles, and today is sustaining and leading all believers in the newness of life.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. 11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
The holy spirit is at work in all that the gospel does and is the power of God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Paul, has started his letter to the Romans with this detailed greeting to set the baseline for the rest of what he will teach throughout the rest of the letter. There were many false ideas floating around about who Jesus was and what he did. Just like today these false ideas cause people to miss read and miss interpret the scriptures. Paul is bringing then all back to the foundational message that he was going bring forth. The gospel that he was set apart for. This is the foundation of the Gospel, he will continue onto the recipients of the gospel, the saints.
We look at a passage like this one that does not have and commands or actions that we are to follow, what is it that we take away from this.
The first take away is that good news has been promised from the very beginnings of the scriptures.
How do we respond that the Gospel has always been the plan? Jesus was always the way. Do we treat the scriptures as God’s word? Are we seeking them to learn and to see the greatness of God. What he has promised? By seeing the fulfillment of the promises of the past we can have confidence in the promises of the future. That is where we find our solid foundation in times of trial and tribulation.
How do we treat the scriptures, the words of God. Will we seek to see Christ. Letting them be the motive for our lives. Or will we close our ears and heart to the breathed word of God.
How do we start a conversation about the gospel. Paul gives an example, that we must make sure that we are speaking of the gospel, the same person, the same promise.
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Blessing/Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
