Untitled Sermon

The Feasts in Romans

Scripture Reference:

Sermon Subject: The Feasts Paradigm

Sermon Theme: How to understand The Feasts Paradigm (in Romans)

Sermon Proposition: You can understand the Feasts paradigm (in Romans).

Sermon Transitional Sentence: You can understand the Feasts paradigm (in Romans) by examining Paul's statements.

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This paragraph provides a progression and a change of attitude in the believer as revealed in the pronouns Paul chooses:

n He begins with a focus upon himself which transitions to a concentration upon God, which then changes into a focus upon others.

n This change of focus is a demonstration of the maturing process of discipleship.

n Scripture tells us:

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.

39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

You can understand the Feasts paradigm (in Romans) By examining Paul's statements.

1. Passover — the victory becomes available when we recognize who we are.

Passover

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle,

n You must understand that you NEED the All-encompassing Victory before you can get it.

n You must feel and believe that you are lost and in need of a Savior before you will seek One. This is a personal revelation and understanding.

n There is, in this first verse, an expression of the type or kind of attitude we must have. “I, Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus” is the humble attitude of someone who knows they do not deserve God’s grace and mercy.

n — —

LETS CONTINUE.....

n Paul identified himself as a slave. Doulos (bond servant) is the term. I think the definition of servant or bond servant weakness Paul’s point.

n Paul was writing to a congregation wherein the vast majority were slaves in fact. They were real slaves and if Paul had weakened the identity then his credibility would, have been at risk.

n , gives Paul’s slavish commitment to obeying righteousness.

n The roman church members were clearly living in a hostile environment and Paul describes the process and attitude to living and thriving in that environment, .

n — —

LETS CONTINUE.....

n “I, Paul…, called to be an apostle” is the revelation of who you can be, in Christ Jesus.

n Do you have the Victory? Have you bowed the knee to Christ Jesus? Is He the Lord of your life?

n Each of us must start here. Turn to Jesus now. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Not just the individual acts of sin, but also the attitude you have in your heart that causes you to sin (i.e., the sin nature).

2. Unleavened Bread — separation is the critical step that you must persist in.

Unleavened Bread

set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

n “you are set apart,” set apart means to be sanctified.

n Sanctified: separated, different, holy, a saint

n There are two aspects to Sanctification.

nThere is the instantaneous aspect which pertains to your POSITION. This is the legal, official and declared position in which you find yourself immediately upon receiving Christ as your Savior. It is the condition which is required to be Righteous and which was sufficient for the thief.

42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”

43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

nThere is also the progressive aspect which pertains to your POSTURE. Your posture is how you stand. It is assumed, here, that you are already standing, but now we are considering how you stand, how you conduct yourself. This is the maturing process as you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

n “set apart for the gospel of God,” is the direction or focus of your separation. You are not set apart in a random manner but there is a specific purpose and goal.

n The tragedy is that many people who are set apart unto the gospel (good news) do not remain set apart. We see this in musicians and singers who begin in church singing for and to God but then go into the secular world singing in bars, clubs and concerts. They are singing songs and playing music which they know does not glorify God, but they do it for a paycheck. These people are not singing unto God, they are singing unto money; they are not separated unto the gospel of God but they are separated unto wealth and possessions. In this regard, their POSTURE is impacting upon their POSITION. Given enough time, they could completely lose their way. Elvis Presley is an example of this.

3. First Fruits — dedication is the natural and necessary result of separation.

First Fruits

3 concerning his Son, who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh,

n Jesus “was born a descendant of David,” and in that act He dedicated Himself, forever, to His purpose and mission. As a descendant of David, He had the legal and natural right to rule and reign, to be King.

n “according to the flesh” is a clear declaration of the incarnation. Jesus set aside His former glorious state and became a man. He did this so that He could die for our sins and redeem us. He died to set us free and to give us the All-encompassing Victory.

n The extent of His dedication can be seen in:

5 Think this in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God,

did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself

by taking the form of a slave,

by becoming in the likeness of people.

And being found in appearance like a man,

8 he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to the point of death,

that is, death on a cross.

9 Therefore also God exalted him

and graciously granted him the name above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

n First Fruits represents the discipleship aspect of Divine Dedication, and we are to be dedicated to the Lord. Many Christians are dedicated to their careers, families or something else. They put those things ahead of the Lord (I know, most would deny this but actions speak louder than words.)

4. Pentecost — obedience and power is necessary to be successful for the Lord.

Pentecost

4 who was declared Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord,

n “declared Son of God in power” It is important to understand that Jesus was declared and not made the Son of God. What I am saying is that Jesus, in His pre-incarnate state, has always existed, He is NOT a created being.

i. Jesus proved that He was the Son of God by:

1. His miraculous power

2. The Holy Spirit coming upon Him

3. His resurrection

ii. But, the point is that Jesus came upon the scene and acted with extreme power and great effect.

iii. This power is available to all who will believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. In other words, if you will ask, then He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and you will have power to serve Him.

n “according to the Holy Spirit”

i. The key idea here is that though Jesus came IN the flesh yet He did not come BY the flesh. He came BY the Holy Spirit!

ii. You, as a child of God, as a disciple of Jesus Christ must not live IN the flesh but BY the Spirit, too.

iii. This is possible through Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

n The purpose of the Pentecost — Supernatural Obedience and Supernatural Power, phase or stage of discipleship is for you to learn to walk (live) in obedience to the Lord (which is a supernatural act) and to receive His power (supernaturally) so that you are useful in the work of His Kingdom.

i. How to obey? By believing upon the One whom God, The Father, has sent. I.e., believing that Jesus Christ is your only source and supply, that nothing comes from any other source, and that He made that provision in His atonement upon the Cross. Maintain your faith and trust in that, and you are walking in obedience. He will supernaturally enable you to do this if you trust only Him.

5. Trumpets — service is the by-product of all that has come before.

Trumpets

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name,

n “we have received grace” This grace is the bestowing upon us that which we do not deserve and withholding from us that which we do deserve. We deserve punishment for our sin(s) and we do not deserve His forgiveness. But forgive us He will! I heard a preacher say, “A person does not go to hell because of what they do, they go to hell because of what they don’t believe.” In other words, your sins don’t send you to hell. If that were the case, then all of us would go there and our situation would be hopeless. Instead, the focus and target of our faith is the key. You are forgiven of your sins because you trust that Jesus paid the penalty for you and not because of anything you have or could do.

n “and apostleship” Paul was an apostle, a sent one. He was specifically chosen by Jesus to “Go!” This idea is seen in verse one as well.

n “for the obedience of faith” is the key. As I just mentioned, not only must we have this faith, but we must encourage others to have it too. The purpose and function of this stage of discipleship is Effective Service.

i. Your service is to bring the message that Jesus Christ will forgive, save, deliver and heal anyone who calls upon Him.

ii. That means the He will be there for whoever trusts that He has already been THERE for them—He has already died, once for all, upon the Cross and the payment for sin is completely paid.

iii. Your service will ONLY be effective if you proclaim the correct message. I.e., Jesus is the ONE.

6. Atonement — awe changes our heart as humility becomes a part of our nature.

Day of Atonement

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.

n “among whom you also are the called” The called are those whom the Lord has recognized and received as His own. They are members of His body. They are the Redeeemed.

n You become a called one by placing your trust in Jesus Christ. It is really so simple!

n The result of this phase of discipleship is that you are overwhelmed with awe for God. This is both a humbling and an exalting experience. He is the glory and the lifter of our head. (). You don’t lift your own head because you have no glory inherent within you. Rather, He lifts you up even though you do not deserve it.

n A sure sign that someone has not reached this stage in their spiritual growth and maturity is when they operate with pride, when they seek or desire recognition and attention. The truly humble do not care about recognition, they act out of love.

7. Tabernacles — fellowship is the ultimate goal as we learn to love.

Tabernacles

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

n “loved by God” To walk in the love of God is the ultimate blessing, the ultimate goal and the perfect place to be. There is nothing better than to be in the love of God. Think of it: LOVED BY GOD! God loves YOU!

n “called to be saints” CALLED — God has destined you, He has chosen you, He wants you to be set apart unto Him, He wants you to be His SAINT.

n If Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life and you have placed your complete trust in Him, then as far as God is concerned (and that’s the only opinion that counts) you are a saint.

n This is the ultimate purpose and goal of discipleship: Joyful Fellowship with the Lord and with other believers. There is no racism, no envy, no competition, no hate—there is only love.

Comments: Jesus’ ministry primarily addressed Passover and Tabernacles (1 + 7). Paul’s ministry primarily addressed Unleavened Bread thru Day of Atonement (2 thru 6). In a sense, Jesus emphasized entering into His Kingdom while Paul focused upon being in the Kingdom.