While we can understand it might be a problem with the unsaved, we have a difficult time understanding why it is a problem with the saved.
WHY IS ANXIETY SUCH A PROBLEM TODAY?
Someone printed these words under a tranquil scene on a calendar: "Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday."
We do spend a lot of time worrying about tomorrow. So many in our society insist on trying to carry the…
• Burdens of the past
• Burdens of the present
• Burdens of the future
…on their shoulders every day of their life.
Illus: The trucking industry builds different kinds of trucks to carry different loads. Suppose someone has a three ton truck and they put ten tons on it. All of a sudden, the axle collapses and they can not understand what happened! Now any sensible person would know the problem is that they put a load on the truck that it was never designed to carry.
It is important for us to realize that we can load our life down with the cares of this world if we want to, but it is only a matter of time before we will collapse under the load.
Many people have inflicted burdens on themselves. When will we Christians ever learn the simple lesson the Lord teaches us in Matthew 6:25-33?
WHAT LESSON IS THAT? Let’s look and see, He said, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall
he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
That one passage of Scripture determines if we are going to live a life of PEACE or CHAOS.
Illus: I like what Gordon MacDonald said, "No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear." (Gordon MacDonald, Better Than Gold, p. 45, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
Illus: Theodore Ledyard Cuyler said, "God never built a Christian strong enough to carry today's duties with tomorrow's anxieties piled on top of them." (Instant Quotation Dictionary, p. 27.)
While we Christians live in a world of anxiety, let’s look at how the Lord said we can survive. The Lord never promised that life would be easy, but He has promised that as we face these difficulties in life, He will give us HIS PEACE.
WHAT KIND OF PEACE DOES HE PROVIDE FOR US? It is....
I. A PARTING PEACE
Look at our text verse again in JOHN 14:27, “PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
In this verse of Scripture, He is addressing Christians and He makes them a promise, “PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU.”
Again, we can see why anxiety could be a problem with the unsaved, but from what the Scripture teaches, it should not be a problem with the saved. If I am anxious, worried, and bent out of shape, there is something in my life that God never intended to be there.
One of the ways we can know God is in our PRIVATE LIFE and PUBLIC WORSHIP SERVICES, is because when He is there, THERE IS PEACE.
The Corinthian church had a lot of unrest in it and Paul wrote and said this; 1 Cor. 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, BUT OF PEACE, as in all churches of the saints.”
Did you get that? Any time we have Chaos in our life or in our church, the chaos is not coming from God. Paul said God is not the author of confusion, “…But of peace…”
The Lord said, “PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU,” not “CHAOS I LEAVE WITH YOU!”
WHEN DID THE LORD PROMISE THIS PEACE? It was when the Lord announced His soon departure to His disciples.
This word "peace" or "shalom", was the common word Jews used as a greeting and as a benediction when departing from one's company. So it was very appropriate for Him, knowing He was soon going to depart, to say “Shalom”, I give you PEACE.
• They knew Jesus was leaving
• They knew the Jewish authorities wanted to kill Him
• They knew that probably their own lives were in jeopardy
The Lord’s departure was a stressful time for these disciples.
But when Jesus uses the word PEACE, it takes on a whole new meaning because of who He 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 end".
The Bible also teaches that He is the "Prince of Peace".
Look at Isa. 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, THE PRINCE OF PEACE.”
Many want to have PEACE in their life without having the PRINCE OF PEACE. He said, “My PEACE I give unto you.”
HOW COULD JESUS GIVE ME HIS PEACE?
Peace is an intangible object, how could Jesus leave me such an intangible item as peace? The answer is found right here in this chapter.
Look at John 14:16 18, we read, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit of God comforts us, that is, He places His Peace within us.
I do not claim to be able to tell you the will of God for your life, but I can tell you that based on the Word of God, it is God’s will that you and I have PEACE. He said, “Peace I leave with you.”
It is A PARTING PEACE, but also it is ....
II. A PERSONAL PEACE
How is it PERSONAL?
Let’s go back to this Scripture again. We read, in JOHN 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
But notice THE KIND OF PEACE HE WANTS US TO HAVE.
He said, “MY PEACE I give unto you.”
Illus: 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 got tuberculosis and was bedridden. Now her beloved little daughter was dead. He had to lift this dear woman in his arms so she could look down into the casket to view her 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)
The Psalmist said, “Thou art with me!” We can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil because He is with us!
Life can turn sour on us in a short time.
• You can be healthy today and lose your health in the moment of one car crash.
• You can have money galore and lose everything faster than you ever realized it could happened.
• You can have friends all around you today, and tomorrow you are alone.
We live in a world where the difficulties of life can be severe at times. During this time, the Lord says, “MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU.”
The Holy Spirit is with the Believer each day to comfort them and give them HIS PEACE.
WHAT KIND OF PEACE DID HE HAVE TO GIVE?
He demonstrated the kind of Peace He had when He was on earth.
• 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.
Look at Mark 4:38 40, we read “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, PEACE, BE STILL. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”
The disciples were frantically trying to keep the boat afloat as the wind blew and the waves crashed into the little craft. Finally, in a panic, they woke Jesus up, probably screaming, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” These fellows had lost it!
WHAT WERE THEY TRYING TO DO?
They were out of control and they wanted him to jump to his feet and say, “Oh no, we are in a mess, what are we going to do?”
Listen, our troubles come from two places:
(1) THEY COME FROM OURSELVES
Many times the trouble we find ourselves in is because we have placed ourselves in that situation.
Illus: This reminds me of the preacher who stood up in the pulpit one Sunday and said, “I want everyone to be here next Sunday because I am going to preach a very special sermon.” He said, “Next week I am going to preach about the man in this congregation that gives me the most trouble.” Next week the church was packed out to hear who it was that was giving the most trouble. As the preacher began to preach he said, “The man who gives me the most trouble in this church…” (he paused) then he said, “Is myself!”
So much of our trouble comes from ourselves because we refuse to trust the Lord as we should with the problems we have. But also-
(2) THEY COME FROM OTHERS
The devil will send people into our lives that ALWAYS SEEM TO BRING A DUMP TRUCK LOAD OF PROBLEMS with them. And if you give them a solution to a problem, they will immediately let you know THAT IT WON’T WORK!
The people love problems, and the one thing that ticks them off is for you to walk around with the PEACE OF GOD IN YOUR HEART AND A SMILE ON YOUR FACE! Did you ever hear the old saying, “Misery loves company?” It does!
Their attitude in life toward others is, “HOW DARE YOU NOT PANIC THE WAY I DO? WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU…DON’T YOU CARE?” It is obvious they do not have HIS PEACE!
But the Lord said He wants to give you HIS PEACE. And the Peace that he demonstrated at all times was a PERFECT PEACE IN EVERY SITUATION!
This is why He had such a great following. The lost world could see THE PERFECT PEACE he possessed and they wanted to know how they could have what He had.
• He was called all kinds of names, but He demonstrated HIS PEACE
• He was spit upon, but He demonstrated HIS PEACE
• He was nailed to a cross, but He demonstrated HIS PEACE
God wants you to have HIS PEACE for two reasons:
• Because He loves you
• Because we can not represent the PEACE He gives us by walking around in a PANIC
If am a Christian, Jesus, through His Spirit, is living inside of me!
• Inside me dwells the One who has total control
• Inside me dwells the One who is on my side
In every situation, I must learn how to let Him reign in my life.
• We can say with the Psalmist, in Psalm 118:6, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?”
• Rom. 8:31, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Jesus 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.
It is
• A PARTING PEACE,
• A PERSONAL PEACE
and it is...
III. A PRESENTED PEACE
Look at John 14:27 one more time please. He said, “My peace I GIVE unto you.”
Notice, when it comes to HIS PEACE, it is a gift, like salvation. You must be willing to receive it. Just as you needed to accept the gift of God for PEACE WITH GOD and eternal life, you must also accept the gift of the PEACE OF GOD.
But it needs to be understood, this gift is to the Children of God. If you are not saved today, you can not claim this gift. He presents HIS PEACE to Christians!
Illus: In America, we are blessed in many ways. Sometimes folks will come from other countries and they want the same blessings and privileges we have as American citizens. But if they want these blessings and privileges, they have to become an American citizen. And if a person wants to enjoy the PEACE OF GOD, they must first become a Christian and then they can claim this Peace that the Lord has provided for us.
You see, THE LOST CAN NOT HAVE THE PEACE OF GOD BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF GOD.
Look at Isa. 59:2, we read, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
The peace Jesus gives begins with peace with God! Rom. 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Peace with God is a free Gift! Like all gifts it must be accepted.
• We accept PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH FAITH in Christ
• We experience the PEACE OF GOD THROUGH FAITH
Isa. 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
As we look to Christ, by faith for every care, He gives us peace.
Phil. 4:6 7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the PEACE OF GOD, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Jesus presents us with peace!
• He offers the LOST the gift of PEACE WITH GOD
• He offers the CHRISTIAN the PEACE OF GOD
Have you accepted both gifts?
It is A PARTING PEACE, A PERSONAL PEACE, A PRESENTED PEACE, and it is ....
IV. A PERFECT PEACE
We need to briefly look at one more thing about the PEACE THAT CHRIST GIVES. It is A PERFECT PEACE.
The Word of God makes this distinction about HIS PEACE, “not as the world giveth, give I unto you.”
Whatever the world gives is not perfect. The world knows nothing about true peace!
Illus: The “Personnel Journal” reported this incredible statistic:
• Since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight percent of the time!
• In its study, the periodical discovered that of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace.
• Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made and broken.
(Moody Bible Institute’s Today In The Word, June, 1988)
WHY IS IT THAT THE WORLD CAN NOT HAVE PEACE? Because the sinful world does not want PEACE. They say they do, but they do not!
Illus: During the Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein looked over at his neighbor Kuwait and said, “Huh, I think I will take my army and go over there and take their oil fields from them.” That is when the United States stepped in and said, “No, we are not going to let you do that!”
This sinful world in which we live does not want PEACE. People talk about it, but the fact is, all they care about is their freedom to live in sin and do as they please.
And the same thing applies in the church. There are a lot of people in churches who say they want PEACE, but the fact is, they want more the freedom to do as they please, whenever they please.
God presents HIS PEACE to those who want HIS PEACE more than they want their own way. When we want the PEACE OF GOD more than anything else, we make room for it in our life, and can have it.
Conclusion:
The peace Jesus gives is ...
I. A PARTING PEACE
II. A PERSONAL PEACE
III. A PRESENTED PEACE
IV. A PERFECT PEACE
