Would you turn back to Romans
chapter 14? While you're turning there, tonight
I'm going to be speaking from Luke 21, the first four verses
on the widow's faith. You don't need to turn there,
but I would like to read from Mark chapter 1. The Lord's first public words. Jesus came into Galilee preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God. Now you'll remember we just
read the kingdom of God is. Christ came preaching the gospel
of the kingdom of God and saying The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent ye, and believe the gospel. What is the kingdom of God? The Lord did not come because
Christianity has now been brought into existence. Nor did he say,
I've come as a founder of a new religion. The Lord is not the
founder of a new religion. He is the king of the kingdom
of God. And this kingdom is as old as
the king, now unto the king eternal. Immortal, invisible, the only
wise God. When the Lord was crucified,
do you remember what the accusation was that was written over his
head? Written in Latin, written in Greek, written in Hebrew. Latin, the religion or the language
of the intellectual, Hebrew, the language of the religious.
Greek, the language of the common man. And they all were given
the same message. This is Jesus of Nazareth. This is the accusation written
against him. This is Jesus of Nazareth, the
king of the Jews. The king of the kingdom. And
there are well over 100 references to the kingdom of God and the
kingdom of heaven. And it would behoove us to know
just what this kingdom is. Now I realize people try to make
a distinction between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven.
I think they're the one and the same. I see no difference. Now, in that verse of scripture
I just read, In Romans chapter 14, we're told what the kingdom
of heaven is not, and that's important, and what the kingdom
of heaven is. Now let's read these words once
again together. Verse 17, for the kingdom of
God, and remember Christ came preaching the kingdom of God. That was a summary of his message,
the kingdom of God. For the kingdom of God is not
meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost. What it's not, meat and drink,
externals. do's and don'ts. That's not what
the kingdom of heaven is about. And then he gives us three wonderful
words to describe the kingdom. Righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Ghost. Now why did he begin by telling
us what the kingdom of God is not? Look in verse 14 of Romans
chapter 14. I know and am persuaded by the
Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself. Now you remember
under the Old Testament dietary laws there were many things that
were considered clean and unclean. And Paul tells us all that is
wiped out. There is nothing unclean of itself. I can enjoy sausage, I can enjoy
bacon, I can enjoy pork chops, things that were forbidden under
the Old Testament. Nothing is unclean of itself. But to him that esteemeth anything
to be unclean, To him it is unclean. If a man believes it would be
sin against God to eat pork, if he eats pork, to him it is
sin. He was violating his own conscience,
doing something that he believed to be wrong. Although there's
nothing wrong with eating pork, Everything's clean, but if someone
esteems anything to be unclean and they feel like it would be
wrong for them to do it, to them it is unclean. Verse 15, but if thy brother
be grieved with thy meat, Your brother thinks it's a sin to
eat pork, or it's a sin to eat something that was sacrificed
to an idol. He believes it to be sin, and he believes it to
be wrong. And you think, that's his problem. That's his problem.
I know it's not wrong. I'm going to eat it whether he
likes it or not, even though he's grieved by it and thinks
that you're sinning in doing so. But if you say, the guy's
got problems. I know it's not wrong. I'm going
to eat whether he likes it or not. You know what Paul says that
is? That's not walking charitably. That's not caring about your
brother. That's not acting in a loving
manner toward your brother. If Christ so loved him as to
die for him, how wrong would it be for me or you to not make
the smallest act of self-denial for his welfare and just for
that time when you're around him not to eat pork? Is it that
big a deal? Just don't eat it. If he's grieved
with it, just don't eat it. Eat it to yourself when you're
by yourself or around somebody that doesn't bother him, but
not while you're around him. Verse 15, But if thy brother
be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably?
Destroy not with him with thy meat for whom Christ died. Now
that doesn't mean somebody that Christ died for can be damned.
You know it doesn't mean that. But what it means is you're leading
this brother into sin through your actions, your lack of charity.
Verse 16, let not then your good, your liberty be evil spoken of. Don't let it be used as a reason
to speak against you. For the kingdom of God is not
meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost. Now he says this both to the
weak brother who fears to eat and the stronger brother who
knows there's nothing wrong with eating. The kingdom of God is
not about what you eat or don't eat. It's not even an issue. The kingdom of God is not about
what you drink or don't drink. Somebody says, I'm a teetotaler.
I wouldn't touch alcohol. Good for you. Good. Don't press
it on somebody else, but good for you. There's nothing wrong
with that. Somebody says, well, I feel like I have the liberty
to drink alcohol. Good for you. Good for you. There's
nothing unclean of itself. That's not sin in itself. That's
not wrong in itself. But the kingdom of God is not
about what you can eat or can not eat. It's not about what
you can drink or cannot drink. It's not about do's and don'ts
and externals. It's really not. And he uses
these three words to describe the kingdom of God. If you want
to understand the kingdom of God, here are the three words
that mean you need to understand. Righteousness. peace, the response to righteousness,
peace, and joy, joy in the Holy Ghost. What he says in verse
18, For he that in these things serveth Christ, righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth
Christ is acceptable, well-pleasing to God, and approved of men.
Men say this is genuine, this is real. Righteousness and peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost. Now what do I know of these three
things? Righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Ghost. Where you have one, you have
all three. And if you don't have one of
them, in reality, you don't have any of them. Righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Now, there are three words that
will help us to understand this. in, from, and with. In Christ, I have righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. From Christ, I have righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. With Christ, I have righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Now I want us to consider
these three things. The Kingdom of God in Christ,
I have righteousness. In Christ, I have peace. In Christ, I have joy. The kingdom of God is righteousness. This is the righteousness that
comes from the justifying work of Christ on the cross. In Christ,
I have perfect righteousness. A righteousness that God himself
is pleased with. And when God looks at me, Todd
Norbert, he says, he's righteous. He's perfectly righteous. There's
no sin in him. There's no fault in him. He's
perfect. That's what every believer possesses
in Christ. Perfect righteousness. Romans 4.25 says he was delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Now listen
to me. When he was raised from the dead,
everybody he died for was justified. And if I'm justified, that means
before God, I am perfectly righteous. That seems almost too good to
be true, doesn't it? That I could be perfectly righteous. But in
Christ, I possess perfect righteousness. Now, an understanding of justification
is an understanding of the gospel. If I understand justification,
I have an understanding of the character of God. I have some
understanding of His justice and His holiness and how He can't
just let sin go sweep it under the rug. He's got to have perfect
righteousness for Him to accept me. I demonstrate an understanding
of the character of God, His purpose, His covenant, the reason
why Christ died. I understand something about
God with understanding about justification. As a matter of
fact, if a man's right on justification, I don't just mean intellectually
right, I mean in his heart, he receives this glorious doctrine
as the very gospel of God. That man's going to be right
on everything else. He really will. Turn with me for a moment
to Romans chapter 1. Paul says in verse 16, For I'm
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it, the gospel, is
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek, for therein in the gospel
that Paul said he's not ashamed of, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. Now if you ask somebody
what does the gospel reveal about God, what would they most likely
say? What reveals is love. I wouldn't deny that, but that's
not what this passage of scripture says. Well, it reveals His mercy
and His grace and His willingness to save. I wouldn't deny that,
but that's not what the text says. It says, in the gospel,
the very righteousness of God is revealed. Now turn with me
to Romans 10 for a moment. Verse 1, brethren, my heart's
desire And prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Now, before we go on reading,
two things true of these people that Paul's speaking of. Number
one, they were not saved. Now, is that clear? They were
not saved. Number two, Paul's heart's desire
and prayer to God was that they would be saved. He greatly desired
these people's salvation. So we see from Paul's opening
statement here in Romans chapter 10, that these people were not
saved. He wanted them to be, but they
were not saved. Now let's go on reading verse
two. I bear them record. that they have a zeal of God,
the God of the Bible. They're zealous about their religion.
They're sincere, very sincere in their beliefs. They have a
zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. They don't understand
anything about the righteousness of God that's revealed in the
gospel. Because look what he goes on
to say, verse 3, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness. I wonder what you and I know
of God's righteousness. Well, here's how we can tell.
Those people who are ignorant of God's righteousness go about
to establish their own righteousness. Now here's how someone can prove
or demonstrate that they're ignorant of God's righteousness. They
go about to establish their own righteousness. And in doing that,
they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Now, what does it mean to submit
yourself to the righteousness of God? Well, first of all, you
submit yourself to His righteous character. Holy, holy, He's of two pure eyes to behold
iniquity. He's righteous. He's altogether
righteousness. He loves that which is right.
He hates that which is contrary to that which was right. He loves
righteousness. He hates sin. That's who He is.
He's righteous. Now, if I submit to His righteousness,
you know what I do? I submit to His righteousness
in my personal damnation. I say if he damns me, just, holy,
right, and true is his name. Whatever he does is right. Now
I want to ask you a question. Would he be right if he sent
you to hell and didn't even extend his mercy toward you at all?
Send him to hell. Would he be right if he did that? Somebody says no. That wouldn't
be right. I mean, I've done that. There's
always an I in the equation. I've done this. I've done...
You've never submitted yourself to His righteousness. Have you
ever submitted yourself to His righteousness in your salvation?
And this is what you do when you submit to His righteousness.
You see that the very righteousness of Christ is your righteousness
before God. You understand the gospel. You
understand that He was made sin. And his righteousness becomes
your righteousness, and you stand righteous before God. Christ,
he said in verse 4, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. Now, through this glorious work
of substitution, And that's what Christ was doing on the cross.
He was dying a substitutionary death. The sins of his people
became his sins. His righteousness becomes theirs. Now every believer is nothing
less than the very righteousness of God. Well, that's hard to
get hold of, isn't it? 2 Corinthians 5.21 says, For
he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God. Him. You know I'm looking
at some people right now who are nothing less than the very
righteousness of God. That's every believer. Now you know what that gives
me? Peace. God is at peace with me. How could He be anything but
that if I'm the very righteousness of God? God is at peace with
me. And the peace that I experience,
even while I'm speaking to you, is the peace of knowing that
God is at peace with me. There's nothing for Him to be
mad at because I am the very righteousness of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's why Paul said in Philippians
3, 9, Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having
my own righteousness. Are you somebody that you don't
want to have anything to do with your own personal righteousness
because you see it for what it is? Filthy rags. You don't want
to have anything to do with your own personal righteousness. Oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith. Their righteousness is of me,
saith the Lord. And that's the righteousness
that gives God peace and it gives you peace. And not only peace, joy. It gives God joy. The Lord will rejoice over you
with singing. That's what the scripture says.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. What joy! This isn't just... I don't know how to say this.
It is a doctrine. It's not just something I've read in a book.
This is glorious. I have the very righteousness
of God. God's at peace with me. I'm at peace with Him. Seeing
His peace with me. He joys over me. And what joy
this gives me. joy in the Holy Ghost. Justification, Christ's righteousness
imputed to me, Christ making God to be at peace with me, the
joy of God in giving Christ a bride, the joy of Christ in saving his
bride, looking unto Jesus with a joy that was set before him,
endured the cross and despising the shame. Now, if this is all
I've had to say, what I've said to you just now, if this is all
I've had to say, I have failed to give the meaning of this text.
If I did not say what I just said, I have failed to give the
meaning of this text because I gave part of the meaning of
this text. That was the first point in Christ. I have righteousness, I have
peace, I have joy in the Holy Ghost. But the next point is
from Christ. From Christ, I have righteousness,
I have peace, and I have joy in the Holy Ghost. Now what this
is a reference to is regeneration. Didn't the Lord say, except a
man be born from above, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven? From Christ, entering into the
kingdom of heaven, regeneration, being born from above, and what
that means. I have righteousness and peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost. Now, according to the scriptures,
the natural man is dead. in trespassers and sins. Ephesians
2, 1, and you have He quickened who were dead in trespassers
and sins. What can a dead man do with regard
to performing the functions of life? He can't do anything, can
he? He can't breathe, he can't see,
he can't smell, he can't hear, he can't feel. He's dead. A natural
man is dead in trespasses and sins and he can't do anything
with regard to the functions of spiritual life. He can't believe.
He can't repent. He can't love. He can't hear.
He can't do anything. Dead in sins. Now when God saves
somebody, He gives them life. Spiritual life. And you hath
He quickened. And you hath He given life to
who were dead in trespasses and sins. Now when he gives life,
he gives a new nature, that which is born of God, that's what it
is, that which is born of the Spirit. Now can God give life
and that life be sinful? No. No. God's holy. God's righteous. When someone is born from above,
they're given a righteous nature, a holy nature, a nature that
they did not have before. Turn with me to 1 John 2. I want
to verify this with a few scriptures. 1 John 2. Verse 29. If you know that He is righteous,
1 John 2, verse 29. If you know that He is righteous.
Do you know He's righteous? You know that if you know Him.
You know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him. Look in 1 John 3, verse 5. 1 John 3, verse 5. And you know
that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is
no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth
not, whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.
Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness
is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth the sin is
of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works
of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for
his seed remains in him. He cannot sin, because he is
born of God. Now somebody says that means
he can't practice sin. If you're a believer, you can't
practice sin. How you doing there? Huh? You measuring up? Doesn't say that anyway. Doesn't
say that he that is born of God does not habitually practice
sin. And I don't want to see it anymore. I'm not saying that's
okay, but it says he that's born of God does not commit sin. He's got a holy nature that does
not commit sin. And here's an example. Turn to
2 Peter chapter 2. Look at God's description of
Lot. Verse 7. He delivered just Lot. Justified Lot. Just Lot. He was vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked when he lived in Sodom. For that righteous
man dwelling among them and seeing and hearing vexed his righteous
soul." Now do you see that description? A righteous soul. A righteous
man with a righteous soul. That's talking about the new
man. Now, somebody else may look a lot and say, I don't see that.
God says this. So that's the way it is. righteous
lot with a righteous soul, given a new righteous nature. Now this
new man is the one who recognized the old man in his sinfulness.
You know, a natural man cannot understand complete total depravity
because he doesn't have a holy nature to see it. It takes a
new man to see the sinfulness of the old man. Somebody says,
I don't see myself that way completely. given over to sin. Well, you
don't have a new man. That's why. If you had a new
man, you'd see it clearly. I wouldn't have to be arguing
you into it. You'd say, yeah, that's my experience. That's
what happens when someone is given a new and righteous nature. The new man is the holy nature
that loves God, that loves his people, that does works of righteousness. And this is the man that looks
to Christ only and not his works. This new man is the man who looks
to Christ only and not his works. And the peace this man experiences,
the peace of knowing that all God requires of me, he looks
to Christ for. What peace! That God's not looking
for a thing out of me. He's looking wholly to his Son
for everything he requires of me. Now, if you tell me that
there is something I must do before God can bless me in any
way. I have no peace. None at all. You tell me that
all God requires of me, He looks to His Son for, and He doesn't
look for a thing out of me. You know what that gives me? Peace. Peace. Having been justified by faith
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with
me to Romans chapter 15. Verse 13, now the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing. You believe the
gospel. Quit thinking about yourself.
Quit thinking about whether or not you're saved, whether or
not God's ever given you a new heart. Don't worry about whether
or not you're one of the elect. You look to Christ. If you look
to Him as all that's needed from God to make you perfect, you
know what you're going to have? You're going to have peace and
you're going to have joy. You're going to be glad it's
like this. It's going to make you happy. You're miserable if
you think anything has to come from you. But if you really believe
that who Christ is and what he did is all that's needed to make
you perfect before God, what peace you'll experience. He is
my peace. What joy you'll experience. Salvation
really is of the Lord. I really am accepted in the beloved. What joy there is in believing
that Christ is all. Now let me show you the power
of this. Turn with me for a moment to Revelation. Revelation chapter
12. Revelation chapter 12, verse
10. And I heard a loud voice saying
in heaven, now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom
of our God. This is what the kingdom of God
is all about. And the power of his Christ for the accuser of
our brethren. Is cast down when she accused
them before our God day and night, the accuser of the brethren.
He's called the accuser of the brethren. Now, anything he accused
you of to God, would it be false? Does he need
to make up lies about you? No. He's got plenty to work with. He could say he did this, he
did that, he thought this, he went there, he didn't do... He
could go on and on making very accurate accusations with regard
to me and you. They wouldn't be exaggerations.
He wouldn't need to. All he would have to do is give
the facts. The accuser of the brethren and
all his accusations would be true. Verse 11, and they overcame
him and all of his accusations. How? By the blood of the Lamb. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. That's
the only answer I need. I need no other argument. I need
no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died
and that he died for me. They overcame him by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. What's the word
of their testimony? Salvation in the Lamb. You want
to know my personal testimony? My salvation is holy in the Lamb,
nowhere else. That's my, I'm giving testimony.
That's the only way I can be saved. That's my testimony. That's my witness. They overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony,
and they left not their lives unto the death. This is a gospel
worth dying for, isn't it? Now, if it is the new righteous nature
that trusts Christ for righteousness and feels this peace when he
sees that God is satisfied with Christ. And he's satisfied with
me in Christ. And that fills me with joy. And you know something that I
find so powerful about all this? This joy is most experienced,
this peace and joy is most experienced when things are the worst. It really is. When things are
bad, when providence seems to be frowning, that's when the
Lord draws near and says, peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you. Not as the world give it peace,
give I unto you. Oh, the peace and the joy there
is in the Lord Jesus Christ in regeneration. Entering the kingdom
of heaven, you're given a righteous nature that finds peace in Christ's
righteousness and joy in simply believing the gospel. Now, the
third point. First, in Christ, I have righteousness. I have peace. I have joy in the
Holy Ghost. Second point, in Christ, I have
righteousness. I have peace. I have joy in the
Holy Ghost. Now here's the third point. With
Christ, with Christ, in his presence, I have righteousness, I have
peace, and I have joy in the Holy Ghost. Now while I have
Christ's righteousness imputed to me, to where it's my righteousness. While I have Christ's righteousness
imparted to me in the new birth, and I'm given by God this holy
nature, I still am a sinner. The righteousness imputed and
imparted to me are known by faith and not by sight." I can't look at any action of
mine and say, well, that one was righteous. That came from
God the Holy Spirit. That came from the new nature.
If I told you that, I have a righteous action here
and I can see it and feel it. You know what I'd be doing? I'd
be lying to you. I'd be trying to make something up to impress
you or to impress God. When I speak of righteousness
imputed and righteousness imparted, I know it by faith. But I'm still a sinner and my
sin is ever before me. It's ever before me. Every believer mourns over their
sin. And my sin, my personal sin,
my sinful nature, and the sins that I actually commit mar my
peace and mar my joy. It ever happen to you? Sure it
does. All the time. Turn with me to 1 John chapter
3. Verse 1. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. I know that you thought, I want
the world to see Christ in me. You thought that, and I thought
it too. But let me remind you, the world didn't see Christ in
Christ. And they're not going to see Christ in you. They wouldn't
understand it if they saw it. Therefore, the world does not
know us. Beloved, verse 2. Now are we
the sons of God? And it does not yet appear what
we shall be. Now, can you imagine what it
would be like to not sin. You can't even fantasize about
it. I mean, John, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
said, it does not yet appear what we shall be. We have no
idea as to what it's going to be like to be perfectly conformed
to the image of Christ. But, verse 2, we know that when
he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him
as he is. For the first time, we'll see
him as he is. And such is the power of that
sight. that it will perfectly conform
us into his image so that we will be like him. And every man that had this hope
in him purifies himself. This is what David said. Now
listen to this. Psalm 1715, David said, I will be satisfied. I'm
not right now. I'm not right now. I will be
satisfied when I await in thy likeness. One of these days,
these eyes are going to be closed for the last time, and I will
awake perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. I won't sin anymore. I won't
remember what it's like to be a sinner, but I'll tell you what
I'll have. I'll then enter into real peace. You know, the peace I have, it's
only fleeting, because as soon as I have peace, I think, I've
got peace, and it leaves. Wish I could bottle it. The joy
I have, I've got joy. There it went. I'm mourning over my sin. There
it went. Everything here is temporary,
isn't it? Because of this flesh. But when this flesh is dropped,
oh, what peace, oh, what joy. The Lord said, then in heaven
shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their father. I don't look much right now,
but one of these days, I'm going to shine forth like the sun,
perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. Now, the kingdom of
heaven is not in externals. It's not touch, not taste, not
hand a lot. If you do this, if you don't do that, you'll be
a Christian. That is foolishness. That's not what the kingdom of
heaven is about. I know that man's religion. But that's not
the kingdom of heaven. It's not about external things.
The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation. You can't
say, well, there it is. No. The kingdom of heaven is
about righteousness. The kingdom of heaven is about
peace. And the kingdom of heaven is
about joy in the Holy Spirit. And the only way you and I will
have joy is joy in the Holy Spirit. Not happiness. Not happiness. Big difference between happiness
and joy. Happiness is based on happenings. Somebody says, I
want to be happy. I need to be happy. It's the
worst thing you can think. It really is. And I tell you what,
whenever somebody says, I want to be happy, I mean, watch out.
What are they going to do? They're going to do whatever
it takes to get their happiness. No, I'm not concerned about happiness.
But I am concerned about joy. It's not dependent upon happenings. It's not dependent upon circumstances. It's dependent upon being found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for the kingdom of
heaven. Let's pray together. Lord, we ask for grace to enter
into thy kingdom that we might have thy righteousness
and that we might have the peace that comes from thy righteousness and that we might have the joy
of knowing thy righteousness is our righteousness. and the
peace that we derive from that. Lord, deliver us from thinking
the kingdom of God is externals. And Lord, give us this love to
our brethren that we would deny ourselves anything in order to
keep them from being grieved. Teach us what it means to walk
charitably with our brethren and sisters in Christ. And Lord,
oh, Give us the grace to enter in
to thy kingdom. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
We're going to have a baptism now, and stand and sing, and
Jalen Whitehead will confess Christ and leave his baptism.
You lead us.