Date: SUN 11:30 AM 16th March 2025
Preacher: Rev. David McLaughlin
Bible Reference: Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
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Detailed Summary of the Sermon: The Christian and Joy in the Holy Spirit
Sermon Introduction
The preacher introduces the sermon as part of a series titled The Christian And…, with today’s focus being The Christian and Joy in the Holy Spirit. The key text is Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This verse is described as vital for understanding the kingdom of God, a topic often misunderstood or neglected. The preacher recommends The Kingdom of God by George Eldon Ladd, citing Ladd and Dr Cairns to explain the kingdom as a present reality of grace (Christ reigning in hearts) and a future governmental reality. Paul’s teaching clarifies that the kingdom transcends external acts, focusing instead on internal spiritual qualities—a lesson the preacher calls both essential and challenging.
Theological Foundation: Salvation and the Kingdom
The sermon establishes that entry into God’s kingdom is not through external deeds or religious observance, but through God’s saving action. The preacher poses rhetorical questions—”Who saves us? Do we save ourselves? Which church saves?”—and answers with scripture: “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9) and “There is no other name under heaven…by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Many falsely believe salvation comes from outward practices (church attendance, prayer, good deeds), but the preacher warns that head-knowledge without heart-transformation is pagan, quoting Jesus in Matthew 15:7-8 about hypocritical lip-service. True salvation, he asserts, is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, per the Bible alone, for God’s glory alone.
Core Theme: Righteousness, Peace, and Joy
Focusing on Romans 14:17, the preacher contrasts what the kingdom is not (food and drink) with what it is: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness is unpacked as imputed (justification), implanted (regeneration), and imparted (sanctification), removing guilt and leading to peace with God (Romans 5:1). This peace, a treasure, flows from reconciliation and is experienced through the Holy Spirit’s regenerative work. These lead to joy, the sermon’s main focus, which Christians experience as a result of being born again (John 1:12-13, 3:7). This joy, rooted in Christ’s work and applied by the Spirit, is rich and multifaceted, warranting extended study, though the preacher limits the scope to one aspect today.
Main Points on Joy in the Holy Spirit
The sermon outlines three (possibly four) key aspects of joy in the Holy Spirit:
- The Essence of Joy in the Holy Spirit
- Joy is more than pleasure or happiness, though it includes these. Happiness depends on favourable external circumstances (e.g., promotions, holidays, wealth), but true joy originates from the Holy Spirit, transcending life’s ups and downs. Paul and Silas exemplify this, singing praises in prison despite persecution (Acts 16). The Holy Spirit, as the third Person of the Trinity, indwells believers, enabling this joy through His presence and power. An anecdote about a Scottish church event illustrates that joy can be expressed even in worship, countering the notion that religion must be endured like tasteless food.
- The Experience of Joy in the Holy Spirit
- This joy is accessible through the new birth, requiring repentance, faith in Christ, and the Spirit’s indwelling. It’s part of the Spirit’s fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), flowing from being in Christ, who was anointed with gladness (Hebrews 1:9). It provides strength for Christian living (Nehemiah 8:10), shining amid darkness. The preacher challenges listeners: “Are you born again?” Some suppress joy through despair (like Jacob in Genesis 37:35), a casual view of sin (Psalm 51:12), or a belief that gloom is spiritual. Scripture counters this with calls to rejoice (Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16).
- The Element of Joy in the Holy Spirit
- Joy stems from knowing God—His forgiveness, love, and Word—rooted in the new birth. Nehemiah’s people rejoiced as they understood God’s promises (Nehemiah 8:10). It’s an unspeakable joy (1 Peter 1:8), distinct from worldly happiness tied to material things. God Himself is the believer’s ultimate portion (Psalm 73:25), unchanging amid life’s trials (Malachi 3:6). This joy focuses on God’s character, actions, presence, and pardon, as Jonathan Edwards preached in “God the Best Portion of the Christian.”
- The Expression of Joy in the Holy Spirit (Implied Fourth Point)
- Though not explicitly numbered, the preacher concludes with joy’s expression: strength to stand on God’s promises (2 Corinthians 1:20) and to sing praises (Isaiah 12:1-4). This joy, cultivated by the Spirit, empowers believers to resist condemnation and proclaim God’s name, connecting essence, experience, and elements in a life of worship.
Conclusion
The preacher urges listeners to shift focus from circumstances to the Lord, letting the Spirit-produced joy be their strength. Holiness, not happiness, is the Christian’s goal, leading to true joy in Christlikeness. The sermon closes with a blessing, thanking attendees and praying for the Spirit to apply God’s Word, fostering understanding and transformation.
Key Themes
- Joy’s Source: The Holy Spirit, not external conditions, produces true joy.
- Kingdom Focus: God’s kingdom prioritises internal qualities (righteousness, peace, joy) over outward rules.
- Salvation: Grace, not works, grants entry into God’s kingdom, transforming the heart.
- Practical Application: Believers should live joyfully, unshackled by circumstances, reflecting their new birth.
Our reading today is taken from the Book of Romans, specifically Romans chapter 14.
Romans chapter 14 is easy to find in the New Testament. We’re going to start reading at verse 7 and continue to the end of the chapter. Please follow along with me. The words will appear on the screen for those joining online. Romans chapter 14, verse 7: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. Whether we live, we live for the Lord; and whether we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this reason, Christ died, rose, and came back to life, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. For it is written, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore, let us not judge one another any more, but rather decide this: that no one puts a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in their brother’s way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean in itself. But to the person who considers anything unclean, to them it is unclean. If your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy, with your food, someone for whom Christ died. Let not your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by people. Let us therefore pursue the things that make for peace and the things that edify one another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things are indeed pure, but it is wrong for someone who eats to cause offence. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine, or do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak. Do you have faith? Keep it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he allows. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.”
Amen. We know the Lord will bless this reading of His precious and infallible Word.
This morning, we are continuing our series of sermons entitled The Christian And…. Today, I want to address the theme The Christian and Joy in the Holy Spirit. My text is found in Romans chapter 14, verse 17: “For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This is a truly wonderful verse of Holy Scripture—one I believe is very important and highly significant for properly understanding the true meaning of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a vast subject. Sadly, it’s often misunderstood and neglected. To do it justice, we would need an entire series of sermons—or perhaps a whole book. I recommend a book I found in Portadown called The Kingdom of God by George Eldon Ladd. Ladd, along with the late Dr Cairns, teaches us well that the kingdom of God is a kingdom of grace now—Christ ruling and reigning in your heart by grace—and also a kingdom of government yet to come. We can experience that government personally now, and we will also experience it collectively later. The Apostle Paul teaches us here what the kingdom of God is not. Notice the text: “For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink.” The kingdom of God is not merely about eating and drinking, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. What does that really mean when you read it? What do you think? What thoughts come to mind? The kingdom of God—the kingdom of grace now under the rule of Christ, and the kingdom of government yet to come—is not something merely external. The kingdom of God is not a series of acts performed by human hands. I believe that’s a much-needed reminder. It’s a hard lesson for us to learn.
The kingdom of God is the Lord’s saving action that brings us into His kingdom and makes us its subjects. Let’s ask a simple question: Who saves us? Do we save ourselves? The answer is no. Jonah 2:9, the text behind me on the pulpit, says, “Salvation is of the Lord.” We could also ask, “Which church saves?” We’ve been asked this before. Is it the Roman Catholic Church? The Protestant Church? The Free Presbyterian Church? The answer, of course, is none. Acts 4:12 tells us, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” I want you to understand this reminder today—this hard lesson: Our entrance into the kingdom of God is not by any external action on our part, nor by any external obedience we perform.
It is not a list of external observances we engage in. Entrance is not about a list of do’s and don’ts. Sadly, millions today believe they are saved—that they are Christians—because of the outward forms of religious observance and duty. “I go to church, I pray, I give tithes and offerings, I do charitable deeds, I strive to be honest, I am a good person, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in the Bible, I even believe in heaven and hell.” But it’s all in their head. That belief is in their head, and that’s good—but there’s much better, much more. The problem is this: for those who hold this belief about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and heaven and hell only in their head, their heart has never been changed. Their heart has never been transformed or impacted by what they believe. I want to say that a religion that doesn’t change and transform the heart is heretical—it’s really pagan.
Remember what the Lord Jesus said: “You hypocrites,” in Matthew 15:7-8, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, saying, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” This morning, we believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Bible alone, to the glory of God alone. Look at Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Here we’re told what the kingdom of God is not. But then, in the second part, with the word “but” as a hinge—a contrast—we’re told what it is. If it’s not eating and drinking, what is it? It is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? It means righteousness in the Holy Spirit, peace in the Holy Spirit, and joy in the Holy Spirit. This righteousness is an imputed righteousness in justification, an implanted righteousness in regeneration, and an imparted righteousness in sanctification. It’s a righteousness that deals with the removal of guilt—that’s a whole sermon in itself.
This righteousness, which removes guilt, leads to the peace of reconciliation. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And when we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can know the peace of God. The peace of God is a wonderful treasure.
We also remember that this righteousness and peace are only experienced through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, as He acts and works in regeneration. This true righteousness and peace lead to true joy. Every Christian, remember, is born of the Spirit. Jesus said, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). He said to Nicodemus, “Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7). I put it to you this morning: If you have been legally declared righteous through the personal work of Jesus Christ, and you’ve been reconciled to God, leading to a treasured peace with God and the peace of God, then the Spirit’s work in your heart and life will lead you to experience true joy. This is Christian joy in light of the personal work of Christ, applied by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. That’s all taught in this text.
It’s so rich and full that we could spend three or four weeks on it. I’m not going to expound it all—you’ll be glad to hear that. There’s an objective application here, rooted in Christ, and a subjective application to Christ in the Gospel. That’s what I’m dealing with this morning. I’m focusing on one aspect of the text: the kingdom of God is not just righteousness and peace in the Holy Spirit, but joy in the Holy Spirit—The Christian and Joy in the Holy Spirit. Now, three things this morning—maybe four. First, the essence of joy in the Holy Spirit. If you isolate the words “joy in the Holy Spirit” in verse 17, what does it mean? Think of the word “joy”—what does it mean? A dictionary definition of joy is an emotion of pleasure.
I have no doubt that an emotion of pleasure is included in joy in the Holy Spirit, but it’s not really that. Some say joy has to do with happiness—”Be happy, smile every day, laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.” It’s all about happiness and smiling. That’s included, but I want to tell you it’s much more than that. Many people associate pleasure, happiness, and joy together, thinking to be happy you must have joy and pleasure. I want to tell you they’re not the same. Listen carefully: Happiness comes from the world around us. Happiness is rooted in your favourable circumstances. It depends on what’s happening in your life, what life brings across your path.
Many are said to be in a state of happiness because of life’s circumstances—favourable ones. You get a promotion at work, go on a lovely holiday or road trip, receive good news—someone has left you a million pounds—and you’re thrilled to bits. Or you’re safe in a particular situation, beaming and overjoyed. When things are going well, we’re in a state of happiness. We smile, we enjoy what we have. Many call that joy, but that’s not true joy. What happens when your world falls apart? What happens when you face difficult circumstances? When life throws you a curveball? When you feel hit by a wrecking ball and smashed into pieces? Happiness and joy are different because happiness comes from the world around us, depending on favourable circumstances, but true joy originates from the Spirit of God. It’s joy in the Holy Spirit, and true joy doesn’t depend on what is or isn’t happening to me. True joy transcends your life situation. There’s a place in the Christian life where we can live and rejoice, not shackled by our circumstances. Let me repeat that: There’s a place in the Christian life where we can live and rejoice, not shackled or bound by circumstances.
Let me illustrate. Paul and Silas were arrested, put in prison, beaten, and shackled with chains—hands and feet bound—in the worst of circumstances. They were persecuted for preaching the Word of God. Picture them in prison, their backs running red with blood, whipped by the captain of the guard. And what do we read? They prayed and sang praises to God at midnight, and the other prisoners heard them. How could they do that? That’s impossible. No, it’s not—it’s possible by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. True joy doesn’t depend on painful or pleasurable circumstances, but on the power of Christ applied by the Spirit. I want you to learn this: The Holy Spirit is the true source of this joy. The Holy Spirit isn’t just a thing or a mere influence—He is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. He is a person. If you’re born again of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, possessed by the Spirit of the living God. When the Spirit of God dwells in your heart by faith, His mighty presence and power quicken and enable you to discover the essence of true joy.
I told you that little story about the man who said his name was “Pancake” deliberately—I wanted to see if you’d laugh this morning. Once, in a packed church hall in Scotland, they were having a social evening—I love a social evening. We had a great one last night at the Civic Centre with the Orange Awards ceremony. Imagine this church hall packed with a programme, someone leading it, introducing various people, and sharing humorous little stories. Story after story, not one person laughed—not even a wry smile. He’s thinking, “What’s wrong with this crowd tonight?” Afterwards, in the reception area, everyone was talking: “What a great night, a tremendous performance! I loved the singing, the pipes playing, the children— wasn’t it a treat? Wonderful to hear them.” Then they overheard a gentleman in a kilt say, “It was all I could do not to laugh in church.” I’m trying to mimic a Scottish accent there! Many think we can’t express joy or gladness in church. It’s a bit like eating gluten-free food—true religion is like that: it doesn’t taste good, but it’s good for you, and you have to endure it. I want to tell you, you don’t have to endure anything. If you have the essence of joy produced by the Spirit in your heart, we can discover that in the house of God there’s true joy and gladness. “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of God’” (Psalm 122:1). There are 187 references to joy in the Bible. Think of this: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). And what about Nehemiah 8:10? “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” We must strive to understand what joy is.
I know God has made us all different—human beings in His image, male and female, with different temperaments. Some are more upbeat, cheerful, outgoing; others are glum, melancholic, perhaps pessimistic—like Eeyore, even on a happy birthday, full of doubt and fear. But true joy isn’t connected to our natural temperament or a state of happiness with pleasurable circumstances—it’s much more. The essence of true joy is joy in the Holy Spirit. He is its source. That’s the first thing.
Second, the experience of joy in the Holy Spirit—we can know this personally. Ask yourself, “How can I know this joy in my heart and life? I want this joy—a life where I’m not shackled by circumstances, whether painful or pleasurable. How can I know this joy?” Here’s the answer: You must be born again of the Holy Spirit, indwelt and led by the Spirit of God, knowing the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, we read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Nine things are mentioned, all interconnected—not fruits, but the fruit of the Spirit. They go together, different aspects of the Spirit’s work. This joy flows from being born again, from being in Christ, who was “anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows” (Hebrews 1:9). If we’re in Christ, we’ll experience that gladness too. We can only experience this joy in Christ—it’s a gift of His saving grace.
The joy of the Lord—we rejoice in the Lord in all that He is. We should seek to know the joy of the Lord experientially, because this joy yields great spiritual strength to live the Christian life in a world of painful or pleasurable circumstances. That’s what “The joy of the Lord is your strength” means. This joy springs from experiencing God’s presence, power, pardon, and provision in your life. It enables us to experience God’s light even in a world of sin and darkness. It’s being in the kingdom of God through the new birth by the Spirit. The Spirit produces this real joy—it warms within.
It’s possible for every believer to experience this joy that comes through the new birth. I ask you simply: Are you born again of the Holy Spirit? If this joy and its experience come from the new birth, then with that comes true repentance, a hatred of sin, and receiving Christ by faith. You can experience joy even in suffering. I ask again: Is that your experience now? Many in life’s journey suppress joy. Remember Jacob in Genesis 37:35, shown the tatters of Joseph’s coat of many colours, stained with animal blood. He believed his eleventh son was dead, refused to be comforted, and the news crushed him. How many refuse comfort, hit by hard circumstances, feeling they can’t rise above it? That’s hard to hear. Is that you? I told a woman on the phone yesterday evening, Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The Bible exhorts us, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).
This joy can be suppressed by a refusal to overcome, to look to the Lord in all we face. It can be suppressed by a light view of sin—”Sin’s no big deal”—and people carry on, living in guilt and fear, robbed of joy by sinful behaviour. The Psalmist, in a backslidden state eleven months after falling, prayed in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” He hadn’t lost salvation, but the joy of it—no light of God in his experience. Others refuse joy, believing they must be gloomy. There are many Eeyores in the church who think it’s spiritual to have a long face—that it’s a sin to smile or laugh, a sin to be happy. I want to tell you that’s not right.
You don’t have to be gloomy. You can smile, you can laugh. Why? Because the Bible says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15). Isaiah grasped this truth in Isaiah 12:3: “Behold, God is my salvation.” We’re told to “rejoice in the Lord” (Psalm 33:1), “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)—it’s repeated. “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). This joy impacts your Christian life, your daily walk. It’s a command to rejoice in the Lord. When it talks about joy in the Holy Spirit, it’s not just righteousness and reconciliation in the Holy Spirit—it brings peace, but it’s rejoicing in the Lord. I want you to see that. This is a fruit of the Spirit—He originates it, He’s its source, He encourages and continues it in our lives. Let’s take our eyes off circumstances, off people and things. Let the joy of the Lord be our strength, produced by the Spirit in our hearts and minds. As I’ve said, think carefully: there’s no joy in the heart unless it’s produced, energised, and cultivated by the Spirit of God—it’s His work. If He indwells you, He’ll give you a love for Christ, a desire for service, a love for holiness, and a hatred for sin.
Our goal in the Christian life isn’t the pursuit of happiness. You might think, “My goal is to pursue happiness—I want to be happy.” But that’s not your goal. We don’t believe in pursuing happiness for its own sake. The pursuit of holiness—yes, that’s the goal, to be like Christ. If you’re like Christ, you’ll be truly happy. You’ll discover this joy begins in the new birth, but it continues—it doesn’t stop there. It’s energised, cultivated, and sustained in life, up to date.
Thirdly, the element of joy in the Holy Spirit. As I’ve tried to tell you, it’s rooted in the new birth. Once you grasp that truth in your heart and mind, you’ll find this joy comes from a true, righteous knowledge of the Lord—knowing sins forgiven, God’s love in your heart, His life in your soul. You’ll have the joy of knowing, receiving, and believing God’s precious Word. That’s what happened in Nehemiah’s day—Nehemiah 8:10: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” The context was a day of rejoicing, feasting, and celebration as people understood God’s Word, their minds full of His promises. Nehemiah could say, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
You can rejoice in God. We’re dealing with a topic beyond me. The Bible speaks of “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8), a superabundant joy. Remember the two on the road to Emmaus? “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us?” (Luke 24:32). By nature, we find joy in things—health, food, creation’s beauty, relationships, homes, cars, gardens, computers. Those are connected to happiness, but not joy in the Holy Spirit—the joy of the Lord. We rejoice in Him, in knowing God as our true portion, our greatest treasure. We rejoice in the Lord alone, in all He is, all He has for us. We sang, “Now none but Christ can satisfy, no other name for me. There’s life and love and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in thee.” Fill your mind with God’s person— who He is, His perfections, His attributes, His actions, His power—not just in creation and providence, but throughout history, Bible history, church history, and what He’s done for our nation. God’s presence—you can have daily fellowship with Him. God’s pardon—as you kneel at the cross.
I emphasise this because Jonathan Edwards preached a great sermon, “God the Best Portion of the Christian.” Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but You?” For the godly person born of the Spirit, these elements of joy come to the fore, but the chief element is this: God is their portion. They know this joy originates, is generated, and culminates by the Spirit, focusing on who God is, what He’s done, and what He’s like. He’s unchangeable in His portion: “I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6). So, when you face temporary losses, struggles, and hardships—whatever the circumstances, painful or pleasurable—that portion, “The Lord is my portion,” remains. The hymn says, “All may change, but Jesus never.”
The elements of this joy—we could close with the expression of joy in the Holy Spirit. We have strength to stand in our God, even when His law rises up and condemns us. We fall short because we’re sinful, but we’re clothed in Christ’s righteousness. We can point to the blood against the enemy’s accusations and the devil’s lies. We find strength in God’s promises: “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). You can stand by faith in those promises, rejoice through God’s Word—not only strength to stand upon God, but strength to sing praises to the Lord. I finish with Isaiah chapter 12: “In that day you will say, ‘O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, He also has become my salvation.’ Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say, ‘Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His deeds among the people, make mention that His name is exalted.’” Sing! It’s all connected—this joy, its essence, experienced through the new birth, originating, cultivated, and continued in Him. Here are the elements that stand out—the chief one being God as our portion. We express strength to stand in Him and strength to sing praise to His name.
The Lord bless you today. Thank you for coming. May the Lord apply His Word by His Spirit to your heart and give you understanding.
