Title: Kingdom of God / Romans 14:17-18
Contents Kingdom of God / Romans 14:17-18
Today, many people ask, 'How can I live well? How can I get a job? How can I accumulate a lot of wealth and live comfortably?' And for this, I study, do business, and work hard.
So, it is not an exaggeration to say that most of them live for the things of the world. Even the saints, who are called the people of heaven, are increasingly less interested in the spiritual kingdom of heaven and more and more interested in earthly things. It's not that you shouldn't be interested in the world, it's not that you should cut off from the world and live, it's that you don't fall for it. That the priorities should not change.
In all human affairs, in any case, the priority must be right. No matter how the world changes, the saints should always pay more attention to the kingdom of heaven.
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said to his disciples, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
The first thing we should pay attention to and seek before God is that it is not about the things of the world, but about the spiritual kingdom of heaven.
After telling the 7 parables of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus asked his disciples, 'Do you understand all these things?' The disciples answered confidently, 'Yes.'
Heaven is the only purpose and only hope of the saints. Everything in the world is precious to us. However, they are temporary and will disappear. We only need it while we have a body. This world is sleepy. But the place we must go and live is eternal heaven.
Hebrews 11:13 says, “All these men died of faith and did not receive the promise, but seeing them from afar and welcoming them, and testifying that they were foreigners and sojourners on the earth, for those who speak like this show that they are seeking a homeland.”
The forefathers of faith thought of this world as a foreign country where they had to leave after a short time, and they were always more concerned with their hometown. In Hebrews 11:16 it says, "Now they long for a better homeland, which is in heaven...".
King Solomon once tried to live a happy life with hope in the world, but in the end he realized that everything was in vain.
Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 says, "The evangelist said to him, "Vanity and vanity, vanity, vanity, all things are in vain. What is the benefit of all that a man toils under the sun?"
Not only Solomon, but everyone who lived with hope in the world was like that.
Psalm 90:10 says, “Our years are seventy, and if we are strong, we are eighty years, but their pride is only toil and sorrow, and they go quickly, and we fly away.”
Moses enjoyed all the wealth and glory of the world. I've been through all the hardships. I have experienced all kinds of things in the world. And I came to a conclusion.
Hebrews 11:24-26 says, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and preferred to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a moment, and to receive it for Christ's sake. They counted reproach as a greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt, because they looked for a reward.” Moses said that he preferred to suffer with the saints rather than the pleasures of the world. The reason is that they have seen the reward of heaven.
That's right. As King Solomon said, all things are in vain, beautiful things are in vain, our health, our youth, and all the riches we have accumulated are in vain in the end. But there is one thing that is not in vain, and that is the hope of heaven.
Like Job, even if all that he has is gone, his hope is eternal. It doesn't shake. What are your wishes today? You'll have to check it out once in a while. Is it my only wish to get married, marry, earn money, have sons and daughters, and live a healthy and prosperous life? Then you have become a failure in your life.
If we are believers who believe that heaven is our hometown, it is right for us to live with more interest in our hometown, heaven, than in the world of another country. And we will have to live like the people of heaven. Ladies and gentlemen, those who travel to other countries always think of their hometown and long to return quickly to see their loved ones.
However, if a traveling friend is crazy about travel and doesn't even think about his hometown or family, and doesn't even think about coming back, it's usually not a big deal. Whether it's insane or something is wrong, it's a long way off.
Likewise, if a believer likes the world more than heaven, the hometown of the saints, and lives in the world, it will be either possessed by the devil or belonging to the world.
Koreans live like Koreans wherever they go. It's what you eat and what you wear. You don't know how much kimchi and gochujang you want to eat when you travel. Some people do not spread the jam on bread, but eat it with red pepper paste. Koreans have no choice but to eat and live like Koreans.
We must not forget that we are no longer people of the world, but people of the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, like the apostle John, we will have to live longing for the kingdom of heaven, waiting for the second coming of the Lord, saying, 'Come, Lord Jesus.'
And I hope you will pay more attention to the things of the kingdom of heaven rather than the things of the world and work harder for this. And I hope that you will live like the people of the Kingdom of Heaven.
I think I have already told you about the meaning of heaven and its nature and essence. We also talked about the mode of the Second Coming of Heaven and the movement for the expansion of heaven based on Matthew 13.
In a word, Heaven is a kingdom ruled by God, and it refers to the supernatural and absolutely perfect Shincheonshinji. And the second coming of the kingdom of heaven begins with the first coming of Jesus, then gradually progresses to the expansion of the church movement and is completed with the second coming of the Lord on the last day.
And the essence of heaven is the power of salvation, the realization of God's righteousness, and God's perfect blessing. This is clearly shown in the verse 17 we read today.
It says, "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
That's right. Heaven is a place where there are no tears. A place without the agony of death and the pain of parting, a world without mourning or wailing, a place without pain and suffering. It is a place full of joy, thanks and praise. do you believe
Today, people and people and countries and nations fight, kill, and take away is because they all eat together. How shameful is this? There is nothing else that animals fight with blood, but growl, bite, bite, fight, and kill because of what they eat. You can't live like an animal like this. We must live like the people of heaven.
We must strive to live God's righteousness and His will. And in all things, waiting for God's comfort, waiting for the Lord, and obeying the Word, even in a difficult and complicated world, we must live victoriously with the new strength God gives us.
Also, even in an environment where we have no choice but to hate, we should forgive others unconditionally, be tolerant, and love each other as if we were just a person who received God's tremendous love and the grace of forgiveness.
Even in an environment where we have no choice but to weep, we should live rejoicing and praising like the saints living in the Lord. This is the life of the people of heaven.
In today's text, first, it says that the kingdom of heaven is established by righteousness in the Holy Spirit.
Man is a sinner who cannot stand before God. God is righteous. Heaven is a place full of righteousness. Therefore, it is a place where only the righteous can enter.
So, how can we enter heaven? We are weak and sinful beings who cannot achieve perfect righteousness no matter how hard we try.
So, God has opened up a wonderful and blessed way for us to be justified by faith.
That is the way of the cross. This is the Lord's way. It is a path that can only be taken by faith. I can't even go with money. You can't go without knowledge. None of the merits that people have worked so hard to achieve will not be enough. It is the only way to believe.
Those who go to heaven believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe in Almighty God, the Blue God, the God of love. And I believe in Jesus of love, who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead three days after being buried. And I personally welcome it to the heart of my heart. I believe in the Lord who will come as the Judge on the last day. And I believe in the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That is why the people of heaven live with the Lord as the Lord in our lives.
It is to enjoy and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Now, instead of relying on myself who is not righteous, I rely on God who is righteous and obey His Word with joy. This is the state of the people of heaven.
Ladies and gentlemen, no matter how splendid and beautiful a place is, if there is no peace and joy in it, it is not heaven.
Proverbs 17:1 says, “It is better for a house to be at peace than for a house full of flesh and strife with only a dry piece of bread.” Even if my house is full of food and clothes, it is a life in hell if there is no righteousness, peace, and joy.
But where do righteousness, peace, and joy come from?
It comes from God. There is no righteousness, peace, or true joy anywhere in the world. It is only in the Lord. That is why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to 'rejoice in the Lord always.' And David also says, 'I have no blessing except you.' Righteousness, peace, and joy are in the Lord alone. Therefore, those who abide in the Lord will enjoy righteousness, peace, and joy.
One thing to consider here is the relationship between righteousness, peace, and joy. In other words, we must not forget that only where there is righteousness, there is peace and joy.
It is not that there is peace, there is peace, and there is joy. Where righteousness comes, peace will surely come, and where there is peace, joy abounds. On the other hand, where there is sin, peace and joy disappear, and pain, fear, and death come.
Human beings can never achieve righteousness on their own. All you need to do is to live with Jesus Christ, the Lord of righteousness, at the center of your life through faith.
That's right. Peace and joy are the result of the saints being reconciled to God through Christ. Even Christians, when they commit sins through unbelief and disobedience, they become far from God. That is why joy disappears from the heart and anxiety occurs.
However, when we become white and draw near to God, the Holy Spirit rejoices and our fellowship with God is restored. So, peace and joy are restored.
When Jesus first preached the gospel of the kingdom, he first said, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Only through repentance can the kingdom of heaven come to the heart.
In the Sermon on the Mount, it says, 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted'. It is to have joy.
Dear saints, We have already become children of God through faith, we have become people of righteousness, and we have become people of the kingdom of heaven. do you believe
Then, peace and joy should overflow in our hearts now. If not, I hope you will repent and overflow with peace and joy from above.
So, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will serve the Lord with joy, strive for the Lord's work, look at the heavens, and go out victoriously with faith every day.