FOUNDATIONS; THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LESSON 1 Intro. Tonight we re beginning a three week study series. Romans 14:13-18 (NKJV) 13 Therefore 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. We are going to look at three aspects of the Kingdom of God in our lives These are three areas of critical importance in our lives 1. First, to clarify our text we need a brief explanation A brief old world history of meat: When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans there was a controversy over what some believers were eating. It was a pagan world and there were many animal sacrifices made to other gods. When these sacrifices were made only part of the animal was burned. The result was a lot of meat left over so it was sold to people in the city at discounted prices. It was the Wal-Mart of the ancient world. Some Christian believers would buy and eat the meat because they knew it was only dead meat. It didn t matter to them whether the rest of the meat was used in heathen sacrifices or not. It was cheap meat. Other Christians thought this was a violation of the true God and the principals of his Kingdom. How can you eat meat that is from an animal used in the worship of a false god? Paul is writing this text to clarify the matter. Here s his conclusion. It doesn t mean anything where the meat came from. It s just meat. So if your conscience doesn t bother you, eat it and enjoy! But, don t try to push your opinion on other believers who believe differently than you. Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 1
2. This is the message Paul is trying to get across a. The Kingdom of God isn t so much about do s and don ts ex. You can eat this, you can t eat that or you ll go to hell! Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 3. There are three major foundations of the expression of God s Kingdom in our lives given here a. During the next three weeks were going to look at each of them I. THE OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS A. WHEN THE WORD RIGHTEOUSNESS IS USED IT OFTEN CAUSES 1. Too many Christians feel by the word righteousness a. The reason is fairly obvious, most of us don t feel very righteous b. Or at best we wrestle with the idea of our righteousness before God 2. The reason we feel threatened by the word righteousness is we have a of it a. We tend to think in terms of our own righteousness or performance b. In other words, how we re doing with the rules and regulations, do s and don ts B. OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH Romans 3:20-22 (NKJV) 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 2
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 1. Rules and regulations don t make a. The law of God didn t keep people from breaking the rules 2. The law was given to point out our total and complete to please God on our own a. Our righteousness isn t good enough Romans 3:10-12 (NKJV) 10 As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. b. The law pointed out the need for a Savior This next verse is pivotal in our understanding of righteousness 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 3. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, a. The Bible says we become the righteousness of God in Him b. This means when God the Father sees us, He sees us as righteous as Jesus c. It s time we believe the truth of what God s word says about us d. Most of us spend too much time feeling deficient e. Oftentimes we look at ourselves (our own righteousness) instead of looking at ourselves in light of God s word again, 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This truth from God s word needs to become a core belief in all of us The foundation of our righteousness isn t our behavior, it s through the work of the cross Our righteousness is based on His righteousness Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 3
II. THE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS A. WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THE FOUNDATION OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS WE HAVE A DRAMATIC CHANGE OF 1. Until we realize we are the righteousness of God in Christ we are controlled by a. It is a defeatist mentality based on our failings and shortcomings 2. When we understand what Jesus did for us our changes a. We become conscious of His righteousness in us b. The result is nothing short of miraculous E.W. Kenyon: Righteousness is the ability to stand in the presence of the Father God without the sense of guilt or inferiority. 3. God the Father sees us with the a. As we understand this truth it s far easier to come to Him without fear and with faith Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV) 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. ex. It s not hard for us to imagine God hearing and answering Jesus prayer when He was on earth. Why?; because He was righteous. He came boldly to His heavenly Father and His prayers were heard and answered. b. The problem many of us have in praying is we are so conscious of our own shortcomings c. We wonder, Why would God listen to me? d. We must understand that when we were born again, we became the righteousness of God through Christ e. When we pray, we have the same right to be heard as Jesus did while He was on the earth Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 4
This is a truth founded on God s word Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. How can we have such boldness? Because we are conscious that we don t come in our own merit but His We come with the very righteousness of Christ 4. Being conscious of our righteousness through Christ will make all the difference in our James 5:16 (NKJV) The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. B. WE CAN BEGIN TO RIGHTEOUSNESS Hebrews 1:9 (NKJV) You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. This verse is spoken concerning Christ and it holds true for every believer 1. When we understand our righteousness isn t based on our we can begin to love it a. We don t feel threatened b. We can stand before God without the sense of guilt or inferiority c. Our righteousness isn t based on what we ve done or haven t done d. It s based on what He has done for us 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. C. WE CAN BEGIN TO RIGHTEOUSNESS 2 Timothy 2:19 (NKJV) Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 5
1. The ability to live a righteous life rests on our righteousness rests on a. Our righteousness rests on the foundation that comes from God not us 2. Now we can begin to practice righteousness in our lives because we re not always feeling the a. Guilt will keep us from living a righteous life Romans 8:1 (NKJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. b. It s not about living a perfect life c. It s about living out of a relationship with God d. When we mess up we can come to the Father and find forgiveness and restoration e. We can have the confidence to approach Him Righteousness is the ability to stand in the presence of the Father God without the sense of guilt or inferiority. D. THE FINAL RESULT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS WE HAVE Psalms 80:3 (NKJV) Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! This phrase, cause Your face to shine, means the same as we would say, to smile on us 1. Our of God is so important a. How we view God or more importantly how we think He views us A.W. Tozer: What comes to mind when we think of God, is the most important thing about us. b. We have to see God as He is and know how He sees us c. As children of God we have His smile God s face shines on us because we are the righteousness of God in Christ The Kingdom of God is righteousness Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 6
The other two aspects of the Kingdom we re going to look at flow from our understanding of our righteousness through Christ Our peace flows from righteousness Romans 5:1 (NCV) Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our joy flows from righteousness Hebrews 1:9 (NKJV) You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. PRAYER AND CONFESSION: Lord, thank You for making me the righteousness of God in Christ. I will not be afraid to come to You. I can come into Your presence without guilt or inferiority. I will love righteousness and live it out in my life, through Your grace in Jesus name. Amen. FILL IN THE BLANKS FROM LESSON 1 I. THE (FOUNDATION) OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS A. WHEN THE WORD RIGHTEOUSNESS IS USED IT OFTEN CAUSES (CONFUSION AND DIS-EASE) (not disease but dis-ease, unrest) 1. Too many Christians feel (threatened) by the word righteousness 2. The reason we feel threatened by the word righteousness is we have a (faulty understanding) of it B. OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH (FAITH IN CHRIST) 1. Rules and regulations don t make ( good people ) 2. The law was given to point out our total and complete (inability) to please God on our own Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 7
3. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, (we become righteous) II. THE (RESULTS) OF RIGHTEOUSNESS A. WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THE FOUNDATION OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS WE HAVE A DRAMATIC CHANGE OF (CONSCIOUSNESS) 1. Until we realize we are the righteousness of God in Christ we are controlled by (sin consciousness) 2. When we understand what Jesus did for us our (thinking) changes 3. God the Father sees us with the (righteousness of Christ) 4. Being conscious of our righteousness through Christ will make all the difference in our (prayer life) B. WE CAN BEGIN TO (LOVE) RIGHTEOUSNESS 1. When we understand our righteousness isn t based on our (performance) we can begin to love it C. WE CAN BEGIN TO (PRACTICE) RIGHTEOUSNESS 1. The ability to live a righteous life rests on (the foundation) our righteousness rests on 2. Now we can begin to practice righteousness in our lives because we re not always feeling the (weight of guilt) D. THE FINAL RESULT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS WE HAVE (GOD S SMILE ON US) 1. Our (mental image) of God is so important Praise Chapel 419 Harrison St. Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 753-1909 Alex Wilson, Pastor 8