John 14:27 –CHANGE: JESUS BRINGS PEACE
There are times, all too many times, when my mind has been reeling with anxiety. I am capable of an inordinate amount of worry, or self-inflected stress and despair. I can get my mind on something that is disturbing me and exhaust my mind with unending concern. Perhaps, sometimes, you are the same way.
What is especially disturbing about this state of mind is that it is not God’s plan for my life. If I am anxious, worried, and bent out of shape when God doesn’t want me to be anxious, worried and bent out of shape, I am sinning!
A woman named Hazel Hartwell Simon evidently had the same problem with anxiousness and worry. But she found the solution,
Today Christ stilled a storm – not Galilee,
But in my heart; I heard His “Peace be still.”
There raged a storm and tempest here, in me,
And fear that I might perish made me ill.
The boat that is my life seemed tempest tossed,
And I forgot the Christ who knows our ships.
My heart sank low, I felt that all was lost,
So that a cry of “Help me!” reached my lips.
I turned to Him and knew that He could save,
That all my trials yield to His great will;
I felt the calming smoothness of the wave
On which I rode, as Christ said, “Peace be still!”
- When a person trusts Jesus as their Savior, change takes place. 2 Corinthians 5:17
- The Holy Spirit begins to dwell within and, as we allow, develops His fruit.
- Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus brings peace. John 14:27
Notice first of all that there is
PARTING PEACE – Peace I leave with you
- This was a very stressful time for the disciples. They knew Jesus was leaving. They knew the Jewish authorities wanted to kill Him. They knew that probably their own lives were in jeopardy. And Jesus leaves them with a bequest of peace.
- This word “peace” or “shalom”, was the common word Jews used as a greeting and as a benediction when departing from one’s company.
- When Jesus uses the word, however, it takes on a whole new meaning because of who Jesus is.
We know that Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh.
We know that Jesus is the Savior, dying for our sins.
We know that Jesus is the “Lily of the Valley”, the “Rose of Sharon” and the “Bright and Morning Star”.
We know that He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending”.
But Jesus is also the “Prince of Peace”. Isaiah 9:6
Now think of this – The Prince of Peace wants me to have peace!
And think of this – The Prince of Peace has left me peace in His will! – Peace I leave with you…
How could Jesus leave me such an intangible item as peace?
The answer is found right here in this chapter. John 14:16-18
Jesus bequests the Holy Spirit to us. He comes and comforts us through the work of the Holy Spirit.
The late evangelist John R. Rice was once asked to conduct a funeral for a fifteen-year-old girl. His heart was heavy as he reflected on what he needed to do. It was during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. “The father had abandoned the family since he could not get a job. The mother had toiled and slaved until her body was worn out, then she took tuberculosis and was bedfast. Now her beloved little daughter was dead.” He had to take this dear woman into his arms so she could look down in the casket to view the child for the last time, for her last good-bye. He wondered what he could say at such a time.
But when Dr. Rice came to her bedside to talk with her, she said with tears, yet with joy, “Brother Rice, Jesus said, ‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you,’ and, Brother Rice, He came! He came!” John R. Rice, The Son of God, © 1976 by Sword of the Lord Publishers, Murphreesboro, TN Page 286
My friend, if you are a Christian, Jesus gave you a bequest of PARTING PEACE – Peace I leave with you
And he also gave you
PERSONAL PEACE – my peace
- Jesus gives His personal peace. It is the peace that Jesus has Himself.
- Jesus often demonstrated this peace in his lifetime.
- Whenever the disciples were in a panic, He was at peace and in control.
- Whenever his enemies were fighting Him, He was at peace and in control.
- Whenever Satan gave Jesus his best shot, Jesus was the one at peace and in control.
When I think of the peace of Jesus, I think of him quietly sleeping in a boat in the midst of a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee. Mark 4:38-40
Why can Jesus have so much peace?
I believe that the answer is really very simple. He is God!
As God, He has everything under control. Colossians 1:17
Jesus is holding everything together!
BECAUSE JESUS HOLDS EVERYTHING TOGETHER, WE DON’T HAVE TO FALL APART!
Jesus has left us His peace. It’s His personal peace of total control in every situation. When things seem out of control, We must remember that Jesus is in control and right here inside of us!
PARTING PEACE – Peace I leave with you
PERSONAL PEACE – my peace
PRESENTED PEACE – my peace I give unto you:
People make the mistake of thinking that peace is something they must earn. If they try hard to get things personally under control, they will have peace. Well, that’s just not true, because there are so many things that we cannot control.
Peace is a gift from God. Jesus, being God, presents this gift of peace to us.
We must realize that peace is a problem for us because we are actually God’s enemies because of our sin. Isaiah 59:2
Why do I say we are God’s enemies?
Romans 6:23 says in part, For the wages of sin is death;
Ezekiel 18:4 – …the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Jesus says in this verse, my peace I give unto you:
Because we are sinners we were the enemies of God.
We had no peace with God.
Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins as a sinless sacrifice. He took the enmity between God and me and nailed it to his cross! Romans 5:6-8
Jesus now presents us with peace with God as a free gift!
Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:1
Peace with God is a free Gift!
Like all gifts it must be accepted.
If you have not accepted this free gift please do so this morning.
When Jesus said, my peace I give unto you, He was talking to His disciples, those who already believed on Him. Jesus was giving more to them that just peace with God, He was giving them the peace of God.
It is the peace of God that rules in our hearts in spite of all the troublesome things happening in our lives.
Just as peace with God was a gift, the peace of God is also a gift.
Just as you need to accept the gift of God for peace with God and eternal life, you must also accept the gift of God’s peace ruling in your life.
We accepted peace with God through faith in Christ. We experience the peace of God through faith. Isaiah 26:3-4
As we, by faith, focus our thoughts on Christ, He will give us peace. Philippians 4:6-7
As we, by faith, bring our prayers and supplications with thanksgiving before God in the name of Christ, we will experience the peace of God.
As we by faith, walk in the Spirit, allowing Him to control our lives, we will experience the fruit of the Spirit, which includes peace! Galatians 5:16, 22-23
My friend Jesus presents us with peace.
He offers the gift of peace with God.
He offers to the Christian the peace of God.
Have you accepted both gifts?
PARTING PEACE – Peace I leave with you
PERSONAL PEACE – my peace
PRESENTED PEACE – my peace I give unto you:
PERFECT PEACE – not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Whatever the world gives is not perfect.
And the world knows nothing about peace!
Jesus does not give the way the world gives.
Jesus gives with the proper motive – He is God!
Jesus gives out of sincerity – He is God!
Jesus gives effectively and He always gives the right gift at the right time to the right people. He is God!
Jesus gives generously – He is God!
The peace of Jesus is perfect! That means it is also powerful, permanent, and personal.
PARTING PEACE – Peace I leave with you
PERSONAL PEACE – my peace
PRESENTED PEACE – my peace I give unto you:
PERFECT PEACE – not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
PRACTICED PEACE – Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
- It is our responsibility to allow the peace of Jesus to prevail in our lives.
- We chose to accept or reject the gift of peace with God for salvation.
- We, as Christians, choose to accept or reject the gift of the peace of God. When we reject the gift of peace, we are failing to focus on the Lord, we are failing to pray, and we are failing to be filled with the Spirit.
- Whether to be at peace or whether to be disturbed is a decision we make several times a day.
PARTING PEACE – Peace I leave with you
PERSONAL PEACE – my peace
PRESENTED PEACE – my peace I give unto you:
PERFECT PEACE – not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
PRACTICED PEACE – Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jesus offers peace with God – Have you accepted it?
Jesus offers the peace of God – Have you accepted it?
