Stronger & Better, Part 2: How the Kingdom Works (Pastor David de la Cruz)
Jesus’s primary focus was the kingdom of God.
Jesus teaches that He wants us to live in God’s kingdom, have citizenship there, and have a kingdom mentality (Matt 6:33, 25:34).
So what is God’s kingdom?
God’s kingdom is not a physical one or a particular geographical place on earth such as the country of Israel. The apostle Paul explains that God’s kingdom is “not a matter of eating and drinking” (Rom 14:17, NIV). That is, it is not characterized by the same things as natural earthly kingdoms.
Rather, God’s kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).
God’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
Three things that we learn about God’s kingdom in Rom 14:17:
The kingdom of God brings righteousness. Righteousness is right living or obeying God. We become righteous through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22).
The kingdom of God brings peace. Peace is found in Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6).
The kingdom of God brings joy. Jesus tells a parable that when someone finds the kingdom of God, that person goes in his joy and sells all that he has for it (Matt 13:44).
The righteousness, peace, and joy that God’s kingdom brings makes us stronger and better.
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