John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
It is not the Lord’s will for us to be troubled and in fear. He wants to give us peace.
Peace is what everyone needs. On a personal level, we need peace in our hearts.
• We need peace at home, in our society, and even between nations.
• The recent clash over the ownership of a no-man island between two nations tells us how elusive peace can be.
The world sees peace as subjective – it’s more of an emotion, the feeling of tranquillity, a sense of serenity.
• It is often defined in the negative – it is the absence of trouble, when there is no conflict, in the absence of war.
• But the Bible puts it in the positive – it is found in Christ; it has to do with the presence of God; the power of God gives us peace. It is the promises of God that gives me peace.
Peace is the Fruit of the Spirit; it is a gift of God. Jesus owns it!
• The peace that the Bible talks about has to do with a PERSON; it is the peace of God. Jesus says MY peace.
• Nobody talks that way. Only the Son of God can. He is the Sovereign Lord who is in control. Peace is in His hands and He can dispense it.
• Therefore we have to view peace not just as an emotion or feeling, but the condition we are in. It is the state of being in Christ, in His presence.
Jesus says His peace is distinctively different from what we can find in this world.
• The peace of the world depends on our surroundings. God’s peace is anchored upon a RELATIONSHIP.
• We can have peace in Christ. We can have peace with God. We can know the peace of God, because we KNOW Him.
(A) God’s peace is RELATIONAL, not circumstantial.
Do you know God today? If you don’t, you can never experience true and lasting peace. If you do, you can, even in the midst of trouble and danger.
• It is the PERSON that gives you peace. We need Jesus.
• Isaiah prophesied him (early 700BC) as the “Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6).
• At his birth, the angels in Luke 2 sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rest.” (Luke 2:14)
We can never have peace without Jesus.
• You can go to the most peaceful places on earth and seek serenity, but not peace.
• You can attend meditation classes every week to rest your body, but not find peace.
• Once you’re back in reality, you face the same stresses and the troubles of life.
Almost 9 years ago, I was taking a stroll at East Coast Park on my off day, with Siew Yee. The beach was calm, surrounding was serene, and the mood relaxing.
And then I received an SMS, telling me my sister had a likely miscarriage and that she was on the way to Camden Medical Centre for a confirmation test.
In an instant, my heart sank. Everything just disappeared – the sense of peace that comes from the calm sea, the breeze, and the quiet surroundings. Nothing matters anymore; nothing.
My heart was in turmoil, completely restless even in a most restful place. I just wanted to pray. I needed to pray. We scanned around for a proper place, a bench or something, a quiet place, so we can sit and pray. We prayed and prayed.
And then I took a cab straight away to the Medical Centre to join my sister. I dropped all the plans I have for the day. Nothing looked significant anymore.
Peace is not circumstantial. Don’t bank on your surroundings to give you peace.
• Even in the most restful place, you can be restless. In the most peaceful place, your heart can be in a wreck.
• What we need is JESUS. Turn to Jesus to find peace. It owns it! He has it at His disposal!
• It is the Lord’s desire to give us peace. Jesus wants to give you peace!
That the first words that Jesus said to His disciples after His death: “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19)
• They were confused and in fear, hiding behind locked doors (John 20:19), Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
• The sense of those words goes beyond just a casual greeting. Jesus was imparting to them the peace they badly needed.
• And the amazing thing is that His presence itself brings that peace. They saw Him and they felt comforted!
It’s like a child at play in the playground. She turns to look back as often as she can, to see if her father is standing nearby, watching over her. It really does not matter if the playground is good or big, what matters is that the father is there. If the father walks away, she will cry out to him. If she cannot see the father, there is no peace of heart to play.
• The Lord is here. He’ll give you peace. Turn to Him when you are troubled and sad.
(B) God’s peace is ACTIVE (POSITIVE). It is not passive (negative).
• In the OT, the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons (the priests), ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites - “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.” (Num 6:26)
• That’s the Hebrew word SHALOM. And the connotation is positive - when you say shalom, peace unto you, it does not mean “I hope you don't get into any trouble".
• The thrust of the line is: "In God, you have all the highest good coming your way. Go and enjoy the favours of God."
Most people don’t understand peace in this way. We define it as the absence of conflicts, absence of wars.
• Let’s put it in the positive, the Bible says peace is a gift that I receive from God.
• It is a gift that cannot be affected by trouble, danger or sorrow. It overrules the circumstances.
That’s explains why Jesus was able to speak this line to the disciples in John 14:27 – it was on the night He was to be betrayed, the day before His crucifixion. And He was very much at rest knowing that the Father is in control and everything is fine.
• The peace of God overrules the circumstances.
• John MacArthur: “It is a supernatural, permanent, positive, no-side-effects, divine tranquilizer.”
• Paul says that is it a peace that ‘transcends all understanding’; it surpasses our comprehension (Phil 4:7).
How can we experience such peace?
(1) KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON CHRIST
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
• ESV: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Don’t lose thought of Him! Don’t lose sight of Him!
Take your mind off the trouble and on Him; stop thinking about the problem and start thinking about His promise, and the power He has made available to us.
• God sometimes calm the storms; at other times, He let the storms rage on and calms your heart. Either way, He wants to give you peace.
• Trust Him. Peace belongs to every “believer”.
You need to know Jesus Christ. There is no lasting peace apart from Him.
• You need to receive Christ as your Saviour and be reconciled with God.
• “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” (St Augustine, in Confession).
If you are not at peace with God, you can never be truly at peace. Sin robs us of peace with God and peace in life.
• Sin needs to be dwelt with. Confess and repent before God. Pray and invite Jesus into your life if you have not done so.
If you’re a believer and you’ve sinned against God, do the same.
• Peace is always connected with righteousness. If you disobey Him, you’ll be restless, uneasy. Like Adam and Eve, you’re afraid and you want to hide from God.
• So don’t let sin stands in the way. Get it out of the way and you’ll experience peace in your heart.
(2) KEEP PRAYING
Phil 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I mentioned before in the past, see this as a divine EXCHANGE – give you anxieties to Him and the Lord will give you peace in return.
• If you hold back, you’re not going to receive His peace.
• Praying to God is just saying to God, “I’m relinquishing your control.” I’m telling Him, “I cannot manage, I cannot handle, and I cannot control life.”
• So we pray and let God rule. We don’t need to understand how He does that or why; we just learn to trust Him.
I did not like the news I received that day, but I could still trust that God knows what He is doing and that He is still good. And He has proven Himself to be so.
• The classic hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a familiar hymn to us.
Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) wrote this poem. Joseph was 25 years old and about to be married, but his fiancée died in a tragic drowning accident the day before his wedding. Heartbroken, he sailed from his homeland Ireland to start a new life in Canada. While working in Canada, he fell in love again and became engaged. But his hopes and dreams were shattered again when his new-found love Eliza became ill and died before the wedding could take place.
But through it all, God sustained him. Around the same time of Eliza death, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and penned this poem, ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’. It was almost 30 years later that a friend came across this poem and decided to publish it, and a noted musician later put the music to it.
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Most people lack peace because they have not taken the time to pursue it.
• God's peace comes to those with the determination to stop in the midst of the busyness of life and take time to seek Him. “Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
• To those whose minds are steadfastly fixed on Him, He gives the gift of peace.
The old Gospel song, “It is Well with My Soul” penned by Horatio Spafford who lost four daughters in one day when their cruise ship sank. Despite that, it can still be well with our soul, because the Lord is there for us.
