Kingdom of Righteousness
A Sermon on Romans 14:17
Originally preached May 19, 1963
Scripture
17For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Sermon Description
Is the kingdom of God about political or social change? Is it about making men and women more ethical? According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the answer is absolutely not. In this sermon on Romans 14:17 titled “Kingdom of Righteousness,” he says that the kingdom of God is about the true righteousness of Jesus Christ that comes through the gospel. The mistake of many is thinking that the kingdom of God is about the externals of religion, and Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that reduces the Christian life to a matter of external affairs. According to Scripture, being a Christian is not about going to church or being a good person, but it is about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a sad thing when Jesus is replaced by the good deeds of people. It is Jesus that saves from sin and darkness and grants true righteousness. This sermon asks the questions: “what is Christianity to you? Is it a lifeless external thing that you do, or is it the power and grace of God made manifest in Jesus Christ?”
Sermon Breakdown
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The kingdom of God is not about external things like food and drink. It is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
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Righteousness refers to our standing before God and relationship with Him. It is not about our own morality or good works. We must face the question of how we can be righteous before God.
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We cannot stand before God based on our own righteousness. We need to be cleansed from the guilt and power of sin. This is only possible through Jesus Christ, who died to take away our sins and gives us His righteousness.
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When we understand righteousness through Christ, we can have peace with God. We no longer need to strive to earn salvation. We can rest in God's grace and forgiveness.
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The peace we have with God also leads to peace within ourselves and with others. We are no longer comparing ourselves to others or condemning them. We recognize we are all sinners in need of grace.
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True Christianity also results in joy in the Holy Spirit. This joy is not based on circumstances but comes from knowing our sins are forgiven and we are children of God.
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The joy of the Holy Spirit cannot be taken away by others. It allows us to rejoice even in suffering because our joy depends on Christ, not our circumstances.
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The hope of glory - of being with Christ - also fuels our joy. Even death cannot quench this joy because it brings us into the presence of the One we love.
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True Christianity is about our relationship with God and whether we have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is not about religious observances, morality, or comparing ourselves to others.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.