Well, let us turn to the portion, the chapter that we've read here in Romans 14, and directing you to verses 16 and 17. Romans 14, 16, and 17. Let not then your good be evil spoken of, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." These two verses are marked in our authorized version as a full sentence when we take account of the punctuation. Let not then your good be evil spoken of, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

And I want to take up the subject really of the kingdom of God and the importance of that kingdom when it comes to our prayers. Remember the Lord's own instruction in his pattern prayer what we call the Lord's Prayer, and that's Petition Thy Kingdom Come, the second of some seven petitions that Christ teaches us to make in that portion recorded in Matthew 6 and again in Luke 11. And the first three petitions, of course, of the Lord's Prayer very much center in God himself, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." So, the middle of those opening three petitions.

Well, what is that kingdom that we're to pray over? We're not to think here in terms of God's providential rule, As Christ says to Pontius Pilate concerning his kingdom, it is not of this world. It is a spiritual kingdom that we are to make the subject matter then of our prayers. It doesn't mean that we're not to pray for providences. We acknowledge that God is sovereign over all things as the creator and the sustainer of all his creatures. but when we think of the kingdom of God we do think in terms of a spiritual kingdom and that blessed reign of grace.

Think of the words of the Lord Jesus in Luke 17 when the Pharisees come and question him and try to catch him out really with regards to the kingdom and he says the kingdom of God is within you. It's an inward kingdom. The kingdom of God is within the souls of sinners. And the kingdom of God is not in word but in power, says the apostle writing to the Corinthians.

And we're told here, aren't we, in verse 17, what that kingdom is. It is righteousness. It is peace. And it's joy in the Holy Ghost. Well, first of all, I want to observe the context, really, in which we find this kingdom being set. That's why I wanted to read the whole sentence, because verse 16 connects it. to what the Apostle is actually saying throughout this chapter. Let not then your good be evil spoken of, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Now, he's speaking of those who are weak and those who are strong, as we see in the opening verses. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth, the stronger one, as it were, despise him that eateth not, and let not him which eateth not judge him. Judge the stronger one that eateth, for God hath received him."

He's dealing with relationships then between believers who are at different stages of their spiritual growth. And he speaks particularly here then with regards to meats. And from what we see later at verse 14 is speaking of that that some might consider to be unclean food. He says in verse 14, I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus there is nothing unclean of itself. but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Now, the apostle also deals with the matter of those meats that are offered to idols when he writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. He deals very specifically with this whole business again. How Paul does in these epistles deal with very practical matters concerning the life of the churches, the well-being of the people of God.

And here in 1 Corinthians 8.4 he says, concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but One.

And then he goes on at verse 8, But meat commendeth us not to God, for neither if we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse. But take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. We have liberty, but we don't want to cause the weaker brother to stumble in any way. And so, back in Romans 14, in verse 20, he says, For me, destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. The context then is very similar to what he's dealing with there in the 8th chapter of 1st Corinthians and we just refer to those words at verse 14 but also verse 15 I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus remember that there is nothing unclean of itself but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean to him it is unclean But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably.

Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died." So he's dealing with these matters in a sense that we might say they're indifferent matters. Essentially they're indifferent. It doesn't matter. An idol is nothing. and the fact that prayers have been prayed to an idol over some meat doesn't really make the meat impure, but there are those who would feel that they could not partake of such foods.

But he goes on, doesn't he, also to speak of the observance of days in verse 5 and the beginning of verse 6, one man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike, let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind, he that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.

And so there's also this business of the observance of days. Now it's interesting because in his collection of hymns. Joseph Hart does have a hymn that deals with the whole subject of holy days. It's not in God's selection. But this particular verse I find quite interesting. It's number 33 in Hart's own hymn book.

Let not the observer therefore entertain against his brother any secret grudge, nor let the non-observer call him vain. but use his freedom and forbear to judge." To be careful not to be those who would rush to judgments over our brethren. We are to desire surely the peace of Jerusalem.

We know that in the Old Testament, of course, with regards to the law of God, there were those dietary laws as spoken of in Leviticus chapter 11. But when we come to the New Testament, the book that really answers to Leviticus in the Old Testament is very much the epistle to the Hebrews. And remember what Paul says there in Hebrews 9 concerning the Old Testament and all that's associated with it. He speaks of carnal ordinances and a worldly sanctuary there at the beginning of Hebrews chapter 9.

And then later at verses 9 and 10, he speaks of the service that took place there in the tabernacle. as a figure, a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience, and he says, which stood only in meats and drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation.

The time of Reformation is the coming of Christ and the New Testament order. All those things now are done away. There's no special dietary laws. The matter is of course dealt with, isn't it, in Acts 15 with regards to Gentile converts and the council that was held there at Jerusalem by the apostles. But really, the Old Testament has had its fulfillment now in the New Testament, and those things no more stand. And so, coming to what the Apostle is saying here in the words of our text, the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink. but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."

And I've already made some reference to what the Lord himself says during the course of his ministry when he's challenged by those Pharisees, and it's there in the 17th chapter of Luke. that they come to Christ and begin to ask their questions of Him.

Verse 20, When He was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo, here, or lo, therefore. Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And then again, verse 23, they shall say to you, see here or see there, go not after them nor follow them. It's interesting what the Lord says there in verse 20 because we have an alternative reading in the margin. The Lord answers the Pharisees by saying, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation. And the margin says it literally comes not without which show.

That's what impresses many people. They want something to behold, something that will appeal to the senses with regards to God's Kingdom. Well, God's Kingdom is not anything of this world. It's spiritual in its very nature. It's internal. It's what goes on in the hearts of men. They say, oh, lo here, lo there, see here, see there. and they don't understand the true nature of that kingdom of which the Lord Jesus Christ himself is of course the King.

It's not to be found in forms and in words. We sometimes sing that other hymn of Joseph, Heart 31, in our own book, a form of words, though air so sound can never save a soul, The Holy Ghost must give the wound and make the wounded whole. It's not just a matter of the mind and the intellect and understanding. Of course, Paul speaks in the epistles to Timothy of the importance of a sound mind. and if we have a sound mind, that mind will be sound in the doctrines of the grace of God, but we want more than that sort of Sandimanian faith, which is just a sense to the truth. We read again to Timothy, Paul speaks of those having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

The kingdom of God is not in words, but in power. and the Psalmist. The Psalmist clearly speaks of that Kingdom of God in the language that we find in the 145th Psalm and verses 11 and 12. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and talk of thy power to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His kingdom." How we have to recognize that the kingdom is God's and God must do the work in His kingdom and manifest something of His power and His glory, God's favor and His kingdom and all the graces of that kingdom must come to us and that's why in that petition in the Lord's Prayer we are to say thy kingdom come we cannot put ourselves into that kingdom it is God's kingdom and in His goodness and in His mercy it comes, it comes in that efficacious grace of the Holy Spirit making known the things of Christ In his sermons on the Lord's Prayer, that petition, Thy Kingdom Come, Martin Luther remarks, oh, it's a petition that puts us down. It puts us down, it exalts God.

We have to ask Him continually that that Kingdom might come to us so we might know that blessed reign of grace God himself subduing all our iniquities, God himself continually coming to revive and to refresh us. This kingdom then is not an outward and a natural kingdom, but it is that that is inward and spiritual.

And as I said there are three aspects to it, and we see that quite clearly here. What are these three aspects? Well, righteousness, and peace and joy. So let us, as we conclude just for a while, consider these three aspects of the kingdom that are specifically spoken of by the Apostle. Let not then your good be evil spoken of, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, those things that he's having to deal with. The weaker brother, the stronger brother. Now to be mindful, we are to be mindful what the kingdom of God is.

It's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. And what is the righteousness? Well, it's that justifying righteousness. It's the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ that He accomplished here upon the earth. I love that verse back in Isaiah. There are some tremendous gospel words, aren't there, in that prophecy of Isaiah and the words that we have there in chapter 45 and the 8th verse speaks of the righteousness being poured out from from heaven drop down your heavens from above and let the skies pour down righteousness let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation and let righteousness spring up together, I the Lord have created it. So when we pray, thy kingdom come. This is what we're asking, that these things might drop down from heaven.

And of course we know how it was historically, when the fullness of the time was come, God sends forth his son made of a woman, made under the law, And we mark that He's made under the Lord to redeem them that were under the Lord that they might receive the adoption of sons. Oh, what has God the Lord wrought? What has He accomplished? Christ comes, He's made of a woman, He's the seed of the woman, He's under the Lord of God.

And again, a verse in Isaiah, Isaiah 42, 21, the Lord is well pleased for His righteousness sake. He will magnify the law and make it honorable. Isn't that the very thing that the Lord Jesus Christ has done? By the obedience of His sinless life and that obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, the whole of His obedience. He's active there in living, He's active in dying, He's magnifying God's law and he magnifies it in terms of both its precepts, he obeys every commandment, he magnifies it also in terms of its dreadful penalties, because he bears the judicial punishment of those sins that were committed by the children that God had given to him. And this is the righteousness that's spoken of here, this is the kingdom of God.

The Lord's, our righteousness, Remember those words that we have in Jeremiah 23.6, this is the name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness, Jehovah Sidkenu, it's the Hebrew. He is Jehovah Sidkenu, that's his name.

But then just 10 chapters later in Jeremiah 33.16, we have that other statement concerning his church. He's bright.

This is the name wherewith she shall be called the Lord our righteousness. His righteousness is her righteousness. And so Paul, one desire to be found in Christ, he says, to be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. The righteousness which is of God by faith. That's the righteousness that saves the sinner, that justifies the sinner. That's what the apostles preached. Paul at Antioch, there in Pisidia, the sermon that's recorded in Acts 13, he says, By him, by Christ, all that believe are justified from all things that they could not be justified by the deeds of the law.

Nothing of our doing. All our righteousness is our filthy rags. Our best is spoiled, stained by sin. This is the righteousness then that we associate with the Kingdom of God. It's not any external things. It's not something to be observed. It's that that takes place in the soul of the sinner. It's righteousness, but it's peace. It's peace, peace with God. And again, isn't this that other aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus, the death, that He dies? It's a propitiatory sacrifice.

Is God angry with the wicked? But now, you see, there's peace with God, because His holy justice has been satisfied, and the sinner is reconciled. and the language that the Apostle uses in Colossians 1 verse 20. Having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight." These great truths, these wonderful doctrines concerning the work of the Lord Jesus Christ theologians who want to speak of his active obedience the life that he lives and they speak also of his His passive obedience, the death that he dies, living obedient in dying, but it's a convenient way of speaking of the work of Christ, but I think it can be misleading because he's as active in dying as he was active in living.

He had power, he had authority to lay down his life. He says, no man taketh it from me. I lay it down of myself. This was the commandment he had from the father. And he laid, he laid it down. It was a voluntary sacrifice. His life was not taken by men. He was active, active in living, active in dying. And by his death he has made peace with God. And all that peace is is applied by the gracious work of the Spirit, applying to the conscience what Christ has done, having our hearts, Paul says, sprinkled from an evil conscience.

The sprinkling speaks of the applications when conscience is troubled. When the apostle, well he wasn't the apostle then, when he was the great persecutor, Saul of Tarsus, he's pricked, isn't he? He's pricked in his conscience. He feels the accusations of his conscience, but the Lord meets with him, and the Lord saves him wonderfully. That's the application, having the heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, a conscience void of offense, before God and man. How so by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, or the wonder of it. And this is what the Lord came to accomplish.

He says there in John 16.33, These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.

In me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And again, that lovely, blessed, legacy that he leaves to his people, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The precious promises then of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, peace through the blood of his cross, and then also joy. When he's born, There in Bethlehem, what is the song of the angels? Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy. Oh, the tidings of great joy, that's the gospel.

And the Lord says there in John 15, 11, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Now that's John 15, 11, it's where he's speaking of himself as the vine and his people as the branches and so forth. But of course, when we think of those three chapters in John 14, 15, and 16, the principal theme that runs through those chapters is the promise of the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. that best of donations that the Lord has bestowed upon his church. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and your joy might be full.

It's a blessed ministry of the Spirit. Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. God's children are to be a joyful people. They have every reason to be a joyful people, in view of what the Lord has done. Again, John himself, writing in the opening chapter of his first epistle, These sins write we unto you, that your joy might be full. The fullness of joy.

And here, of course, it's associated with that blessed ministry of the Spirit of God Himself. But it's all of these aspects of the Kingdom of God that are made real in our souls by the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God. Paul says His righteousness and peace, and joy, but each and every one of them in the Holy Ghost."

Well, we need to know that blessed, that gracious ministry then of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because Christ's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom. It is that that He exercises in this day of grace by and through the blessed ministry. of God's, the Holy Ghost.

And He's the one who comes now and He helps us in all our infirmities even as we come to pray. Christ has not left us without one to minister to us. He is in heaven as our great Advocate. But might we know much of that ministry of the Spirit, the Spirit of grace, the Spirit of supplications. Father Lord, own and bless his word to us as we turn to prayer. But before we pray, we'll sing our second praise, which is the hymn 683, the tune St. George, number 59. Great God, thy kingdom come. With reverence would we pray, May the eternal three-in-one His sovereign scepter sway. May grace, triumphant reign, and Christ exalted be. Sinners deserving endless pain, thy great salvation see. 6, 8, 3, and the tune number 59.