Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Reading v16-18
• Opening Remarks
• This person serves Christ and is approved by men
• Looking at v17 this evening
• This one verse brings us to the heart of the gospel
• We need to focus on the central things
• We must not wrangle over secondary issues
• The kingdom of God is not food and drink (i.e. Little laws about what you can eat and drink)
• The disciples of John the Baptist often refrained from different foods and fasted
• John the Baptist had a rarefied diet - he ate just wild honey and locusts
• Jesus came eating & drinking and brought the word of God
• Jesus' disciples were often criticised because they did not fast
• Jesus did fast at times and went without food at other times
• The kingdom of God can never be defined by eating and drinking
• It cannot be defined by outward or physical things - examples
• The kingdom of God is within us
• The Reign of Christ with the hearts of His people
• This kingdom continues today
• People enter into this kingdom by being born again
• People are removed from the kingdom of Satan and placed into the kingdom of His Son
• This kingdom cannot be seen (though we can tell believers by their fruit)
• The kingdom of God is characterised by three things:
• Righteousness
• Joy
• Peace
• The kingdom of God is not to be defined by:
• Jewish festivals
• Things you can and cannot eat
• Ritual or ceremony
• Where you worship
• The kingdom of God is defined by God's word
• We must be careful not to get sidetracked by the building, the weekly program, our dress, our hairstyles, the communion wine & bread
• We must focus on the gospel of Christ
• Overview:
• What the Kingdom of God isn't
• What the Kingdom of God is

What the Kingdom of God isn't

• Religion:
• Eating and drinking is about festivals
• Paul has said the things of the Old Covenant were passing away
• Food law, ceremonial law, civil law
• Ratified in the blood of Jesus Christ
• People are not to be taken up with external things
• Circumcision, clothing
• It is about sacrifice of heart
• Not true religion
• Only about form, ceremonies and church tradition
• Did Jesus Christ die for this?
• Example of a church in the United States
• Morality:
• If the kingdom of God is principly about how you live, why did Jesus Christ need to come in the first place?
• It is not about do's and don'ts
• It is not about restrictions
• Example of a pastor and his children
• God is interested in our hearts and changing us on the inside
• We should make decisions based on our heart being right before God
• Not what parents tell us
• Denominations:
• Forming different denominations is a travesty of the gospel
• The only flag we fly at Tabor Baptist Church is that we are a bible believing church
• We have our creeds but it is about the bible
• My satisfaction:
• People enjoyed eating meat
• Paul put himself in the position of the strong
• v14 - he grew up with food laws but God changed his mind
• Example of Esau
• The Kingdom of God is about:
• Righteousness, peace and joy ... in the Holy Spirit
• This is what Christian living is about
• Our paradise is not sensual but about being present with the
  living God

What the Kingdom of God is

• Something very big
• We should not be nit-picky, like the pharisees
• We should be concerned with the big issues
• Righteousness:
• God is righteous
• God's anger is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
• Rom 1:28-32 – God gives people over to a debased mind
• Mankind is sinful and wicked
• Righteousness imputed
• Jesus died in our place to bring us to God
  • Explanation
• That His righteousness might be put to our account
• Righteousness imparted
• God gives us a new nature and writes His law on our hearts
• He gives us His Holy Spirit
• A cleansing without and a cleansing within
• Peace:
• Rom 5:1 - if we know this peace of God we are reconciled to God
• We have perfect peace, everlasting peace
• We can enjoy this peace independently of our circumstances
• We learn to be peaceable people (v19)
• Not conflict, debate and strife
• Though we will defend the faith
• Example of Abraham and Lot
• We do all we can to have peace with men
• A work of the Holy Spirit
• Joy:
• Legalism leads to miserable Christians and a critical spirit
• Legalism leads to keeping up appearances
• What is happiness?
• It is not about worldly pursuits
• All of this is thrown into disarray with a difficult circumstance
• Paul knew the Joy of Jesus Christ after being beaten and whipped
• We can know joy each day
• We have peace with God (Rom 5:1)
• We glory in our tribulation (Rom 5:3)
• This tribulation produces fruit, a stronger Christian, a more God-like character
• The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit
• Words of Jesus Christ

Closing Remarks

• Rom 15:13