Righteous, Peace, and Joy

 

 

Romans 14:17

The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

God’s kingdom is characterized by righteousness.

God’s kingdom is characterized by peace.

Go’s kingdom is characterized by joy.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

Jesus was sinless and perfectly righteous, and He became guilty of our sin and our unrighteousness so that by our accepting His death as the payment for our sin, we would then become credited with His righteousness.

 

Righteousness is not something we can earn; it is bestowed on us through Jesus. But once we have been declared righteous, we have to live it out. We have the power to live the righteousness out through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that, through Jesus, we have been declared righteous and that by the power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to live out that righteousness.

 

Ephesians 2:14-17

For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing hostility. An He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

 

The peace that we as part of God’s kingdom can experience is the shalom of God. It is a rest in God no matter the circumstances. It is an eternal security we have because of our relationship with Jesus.

 

In John 14:27 Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

 

The world’s peace is conditional based on circumstance.

God’s peace is unconditional based on Jesus.

 

God’s peace is based in Jesus regardless of the circumstances.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice always.

 

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.

 

These verses are commands. We as members of the kingdom of God are to be joyful people.

 

Joy is a well-being in our spirit produced by the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit reveals to us the beauty of Jesus in us and in the world.

 

Joy, like peace, is not based on circumstances but on the reality of Jesus in our lives and the work the Holy Spirit in our lives. We experience joy in our lives because of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is having a daily joy in our lives because we know Jesus and we know that He loves us.

 

We come to be righteous though accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord. When we are made righteous, we experience the peace of God. When we experience peace with God, we come to know real joy.

 

God’s kingdom is not about eating and drinking, material things.

God’s kingdom is about righteous, peace, and joy, the eternal things of God.   

 

With God’s Righteous, Peace, and Joy

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe