The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.– Rom. 14:17
How much did our dear Saviour bear, what pains did he take with his first disciples to teach them the nature of his kingdom! Their notions were carnal and worldly: his kingdom spiritual and heavenly. We are just like them. Blessed be his name, the Lord is the same in patience and love to teach us also. There ever was, now is, and ever will be a cry, Lo, here is Christ with us: lo, there is the kingdom of God: it consists in this external mode, that outward rite, ceremony or institution. But what says our Lord? Behold, take special notice, "The kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21. It consists in nothing carnal nor external. Its blessings are inward, spiritual, and substantial: "righteousness, peace and joy."
Righteousness. Glory to Christ, he restores righteousness to us; he gives us a better righteousness than that we lost: we lost but a creature's righteousness; we gain the righteousness of God's only Son; the righteousness of God and man in one Mediator. Satan ruined us by sin, Christ saves us by his righteousness. The kingdom of God is established in righteousness upon the ruins of sin and Satan: the subjects of this kingdom are all righteous. Isa. 60:21. As we possess this kingdom in our hearts by faith, so Christ's righteousness is called the righteousness of faith; for we receive it by faith: we do not work it out, it is "the gift of righteousness." Rom. 5:17. O how gloriously are our souls arrayed in the righteousness of the King of saints. Let us glory-of-this righteousness only; for the more we believe it in our hearts, the more we live in the spirit and temper of righteousness in our lives.
Peace. We were once at peace with the world, the flesh and the devil, and at war with God; now that we are in his righteous kingdom and righteous in his Son; we are at peace with God and at war with them: the effect of this righteousness is peace and "quietness, and assurance for ever." Isa. 32:17.
Joy in the Holy Ghost. Being righteous in Jesus and at peace with God, the Holy Ghost gives us the joy of this; he teaches us to joy in all Christ is to us and has done for us; yea, "he fills us with all joy and peace in believing." Rom. 15:13. "Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." Heb. 12:28.