The Kingdom of God
“The Kingdom Way of Life”
Romans 14:17
Watch on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC7a1HLYj-0&t=20s
Throughout our series on the Kingdom of God, we’ve been considering that the Kingdom of God and its message differs from everything humanity has ever known, and because of this there has been a misunderstandings that accompany its teachings.
Today, as we end our series, I’d like to look at what Kingdom Living looks like, and in doing so, look at how easy it is for people to confuse the Kingdom of God with religion and being religious.
“I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” (Romans 14:14-19 NKJV)
The Apostle Paul is instructing those who are strong in their faith not to go about judging or running roughshod over those who are weak or new to the faith of Jesus Christ. And even though they may be correct in their doctrinal position, this is no excuse to judge, stumble, or cause distress for those who are still trying to figure it out.
The overall premise is that those weak in the faith matter to God, and we see this throughout this chapter
· First, they matter to God because He has accepted them.
“Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.” (Romans 14:3 NKJV)
· Next, it’s because Jesus died and rose to be everyone’s Lord.
“For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:9 NKJV)
· Third is because we are all in God’s family and are brothers and sisters in the Lord.
“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother?” (Romans 14:10a NKJV)
· And, if the first three weren’t enough, all of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (Romans 14:10b NKJV)
Paul confirmed this doctrine, saying that no food is unclean. He said, “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself.” (Romans 14:14a NKJV)
We see this same truth brought out through Jesus’s controversy with the Pharisees. He said, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him.” (Mark 7:14-15 NKJV)
And then Jesus goes on to say, that what defiles someone comes out of their heart (Mark 7:20-23).
We see this when in a vision where the Lord told Peter not to call unclean what He has cleansed. “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” (Acts 10:15)
And so, Paul is telling believers not to use their liberty or freedom to eat or drink whatever they want at the expense of those who are still struggling over these issues. And the same can be said in reverse, and that is, not to judge those who eat or drink what the law forbids.
As I end this point, there is an interesting Proverb that speaks directly to it.
“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.” (Proverbs 26:27)
What this is saying is that we need to be careful and how we judge others, because with the same judgment, we’ll be judged. Therefore, let’s judge with the righteous judgment, and always remember, to take the beam out of our own eyes, before we start taking the speck of dust out of someone else’s.
For our time today, I’d like to focus on verse 17, which is our signature verse, and then the misunderstanding that Paul must clear up about the Kingdom of God. And he does so by first telling us what Kingdom living isn’t about, then then what it is about.
“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17 NKJV)
You might say the difference between the Kingdom of God and religion is the practice of religion, and a person can be very religious and still not be a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
When a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, Satan is always trying to muddy the waters, which was what he was doing to the church in Rome.
First, it was over which day of the week was the Lord’s Day, and then here in our verse it’s about what a person could and couldn’t eat.
In Rome, they had all these pagan temples where people not only went to worship, but they’d buy their meats as well. You might say they were the Costco back then. The only problem was these pagan priests sacrificed and dedicated the meat to their gods.
Some Christians thought that buying and eating this meat was wrong while others felt like it didn’t matter, and what ended up happening is they started judging each other’s salvation based on which side of the aisle a person stood based upon this one issue, which brought out Paul’s admonition.
“But why do you judge your brother? … let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.” (Romans 14:10a, 13 NKJV)
Paul said that the Kingdom of God isn’t about all this petty stuff like what day we’re to worship or what we’re to eat or drink; rather, it’s about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Today, believers get so caught up on rules and regulations, not to mention politics, that have nothing to do with salvation or God’s kingdom, and in the process, they drive people away from the church rather than being the salt and light to bring them in.
Religion, therefore, can be the greatest enemy to the Kingdom of God. In fact, some people think they're saved and citizens of God’s kingdom just because they go to church or belong to this or that denomination. Unfortunately, many don’t have the faintest idea about what they say they believe.
There are also those who emphasize certain ceremonies and forms of worship. Like how a person is baptized or how communion is served. Do we sprinkle or dunk, wine or grape juice, and bread or matzo?
They argue about how we ought to pray. (As if that matters to God. I’m sure He’s far more interested in our coming to Him in prayer than in how we go about doing it.)
All these things do is divide the church, where First Baptist is on one corner, Second Baptist on the opposite corner, while Third and Fourth Baptist are down the street.
But the Kingdom of God isn’t about all this religious stuff. In fact, the Kingdom of God isn’t about religion at all.
Now, I’m not advocating not attending church or not being a part of a church family. The Bible clarifies that we’re not to forsake fellowshipping as believers, because we need each other to be encouraged as the days start getting darker the closer we get to the end.
What I think Paul is getting at is let’s stop all this foolishness and get back to the basics, which is what he advocates as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The prophet Micah said that it is to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).
This idea of religion and religiosity being part of God’s Kingdom was something that the woman at the well struggled with.
She said, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” (John 4:20 NKJV)
But Jesus said that she didn’t understand the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said, “You worship what you do not know … the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:22-23 NKJV)
It is all these misconceptions about God’s kingdom, including what is and isn’t a moral requirement, that results in people having a skewed vision of the Kingdom of God. We cannot make ourselves Christian by any of these things.
This was the trouble with the religious leaders of that day. Jesus’s story of the Pharisee and the Publican brings this out.
The Pharisee said, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” (Luke 18:11-12 NKJV)
This has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God; rather, it’s the exact opposite and has everything to do with religion. Great harm to Christianity is done when we make God’s kingdom into religious dos and don’ts, thus making church a miserable place to belong.
Paul, therefore, clears up this misperception about what is and isn’t the Kingdom of God by explaining what Kingdom living is about.
1. Righteousness
When most people think about righteousness, they equate it with morality, but morality isn’t righteousness. Morality usually involves morals and conduct of the society in which people live that may or may not include what it says in the Bible.
Jesus clarifies the Kingdom isn’t about this other stuff. In fact, it’s only when God’s kingdom becomes our priority, where we make seeking it foremost that we’ll receive from the Lord what we need. We went deeper into this verse in our message on the Kingdom priority. But let’s look again at what Jesus said.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)
Righteousness has nothing to do with morality; rather, it has everything to do with our relationship with God. The word “righteousness” immediately brings us to Jesus Christ and His presence for our lives because Jesus is eternally righteous, which goes along with His name.
The Lord brings this out when He tells us that the Messiah’s name is none other only than His own name, Jehovah.
“In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:6 NKJV)
Now, what must be understood is that only God is righteous, but here He calls the Messiah righteous. We see the same thing through the prophet Isaiah.
“He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11 NKJV)
Humanity, however, is a different story.
“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin … There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10 NKJV)
Our righteousness, therefore, is only in our relationship with Jesus Christ, who is righteous.
Since no one is righteous, and we’re all going to stand before the judgment seat of God and be judged in accordance to our righteousness, this might be a good time to ask ourselves the question Job asked, “How can a man be righteous, or declared to be innocent in the eyes of God?” (Job 9:2 paraphrased)
The only way is through the righteousness of God, the righteousness of Jesus being infused into our very being, and that only comes through having a personal relationship with Jesus.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)
It’s Jesus's righteousness that’s the basis of our acceptance, and because of that righteousness we are perfect and complete in Him. (Hebrews 10:14; Colossians 2:9-10)
The prophet Isaiah recognized his own unrighteousness when he stood in God’s presence.
“We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV)
Paul saw himself in the same way, saying that His righteousness was nothing more than a bunch of junk.
“I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord … and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” (Philippians 3:8-9 NKJV)
Once we understand righteousness as defined by God, and how our own goodness, our own righteousness is nothing more than vile, foul, festering and putrid garbage, then we’ll understand that God’s kingdom isn’t about us; rather, it’s all about Jesus Christ and the righteousness He imparts to us as believers.
2. Peace
Peace naturally follows righteousness because how can someone be at peace when they are worried about their eternal destiny? But as they enter God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ, and the righteousness of Christ is imparted to them, God’s peace will be theirs.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1 NKJV)
Jesus is God’s way of righteousness, and through our faith in Him, not only is His righteousness ours but also His peace. But it isn’t the peace known by those in the world.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27 NKJV)
The peace offered by the world is temporary. It’s a cessation of war, a stop in the fighting, and such peace is always short-lived. But the peace that Jesus brings is a peace with God and that peace is not only internal but eternal as well.
St. Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself and our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”
It’s a peace from within, and it’s this peace that gives us peace despite our circumstances and troubles.
So, the Kingdom of God is God’s peace living within our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ.
Last, the Holy Spirit fills kingdom life with joy.
3. Joy
Kingdom life is joy-filled, but it’s not just any joy, it’s the joy of the Lord and is only available in and through the Holy Spirit.
The Kingdom of God involves a great and vibrant joy. The church, therefore, needs to be filled with such joy, so much so that we can’t contain it. Instead, we must let it out.
Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4 NKJV)
The New Living Translation says it this way; “Always be full of joy in the Lord.” If we’re always rejoicing, if we are always full of joy in the Lord, then the Kingdom of God is living inside of us.
Now, I’m not talking about happiness, because happiness is not the same thing as joy. Happiness comes and goes, given the situation. It comes from the root word, ‘hap,’ which means by chance. It’s where we get the word ‘happenstance.’
Happiness depends totally upon circumstances. If we buy a new car, we’re happy. If we wreck the new car, we’re unhappy.
But the joy of the Lord, joy in the Holy Spirit, is the joy of those who know that God has forgiven their sins.
But it’s more. It’s also knowing we have a brand-new relationship with God where we are His children.
One last thing is that there is joy in knowing that no matter what happens, the Lord will always be there and will never leave or forsake us.
So, joy in the Holy Spirit is a joy that is independent of our circumstances, which is why Paul could say, “But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance.” (Romans 5:3 NKJV)
Conclusion
The Kingdom of God isn’t about religious observance or a set of rules for moral behavior. This is not what Jesus came and died for. Rather, the Kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. ?????
