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John 14:25 – 27
Healing From Fear
Introduction: The Nature of Fear and Peace.
A. “Troubled” means a subverting undercurrent.
1. Not natural like being annoyed, or hit with something big.
2. This is the unnatural subverting undercurrent that constantly nags us from the outside reaches of our being.
3. This cause us to constantly fail in our spiritual lives.
B. “Afraid” means to be timid or cowardly.
1. Not natural like fear/dread or godly fear.
2. This goes along with the unnatural subversion of being “troubled” and makes us cowardly in matters of faith.
3. This trains us to walk by sight instead of faith.
C. “Peace” means to be in harmony.
1. It does not mean an absence of or exemption from problems or threats.
2. It means a wide range of possibilities such as peace with God, with ourselves, others, and our circumstances.
3. This is the key to walking by faith and not by sight.
I. Peace is a free gift.
A. Grace and Peace are bundled together.
1. God takes the initiative to offer us mercy as a salve to the damage caused by sin.
2. God offers life against the fear of death.
Romans 8:2 “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (NIV)
1 Corinthians 15:56 – 57 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [NIV]
B. Peace is a tangible gift from Jesus.
1. “...My peace I give you.” This is the same peace that Jesus possessed.
2. It is the power to hold still and stay calm in the middle of chaos. (e.g. when Judas betrayed Him in the Garden.)
C. Peace is a tangible result of the Holy Spirit.
1. It brings us into harmony with the will of God.
2. John 14:23 says, “Jesus replied, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” [NIV]
II. Peace is a matter of stability.
A. “Counselor” the word has two usages:
1. It was used in court to describe the defense lawyer. If you have ever needed a lawyer, you know how important the right one is.
2. It was used in the military to describe the two other people who had responsibility for you in battle. (Roman soldiers were grouped in threes.)
B. The Holy Spirit’s job description included:
1. Teaching us what needs to be known. Not talking mystical stuff... This is the necessity of daily life in relationship to God the Father and God the Son.
2. Reminding us of Jesus words. Have you ever suddenly remembered a verse of scripture that deals with the situation in front of you?
III. Peace is a matter of relationship.
A. The problem with fear:
1. It makes us cowardly. Cowardice is condemned as a mortal (spiritually killing) sin.
Revelation 21:8 states, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” [NIV]
2. It puts us in the same category as the unbelieving! (And other types that we would not want to be identified with.)
3. The world is powerless against it because the root problem is separation from God.
a. World’s strategies include distraction: ever wonder why entertainment (e.g. the Superbowl) is so big?
b. World’s strategies include deception: (ill.) The song that says, “Give me that old time rock-n-roll, the kind of music that soothes the soul.”
B. The problem with having a troubled, subverting spirit:
1. Constant discontent. An undercurrent that will not be at rest or peace. An undercurrent just seething/boiling, waiting to explode.
2. Emptiness and dryness in the spiritual life. We wonder why we can’t get anything out of devotions, prayer, church...
3. It betrays that we have not yielded to either the gospel’s claims on our life or the control of the Holy Spirit.
C. What peace looks like:
1. Spirituality is authentic.
a. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” [1 Corinthians 4:19 NIV]
b. “We live by faith, not by sight.” [2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV]
2. Inward serenity controls the emotions.
a. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:7 NIV]
b. “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” [Psalm 119:165 NIV]
3. A right relationship with God rules life.
a. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” [Isaiah 53:5]
b. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in the.” [Isaiah 26:3 NIV]
IV. Peace is a matter of trust.
A. Accept Jesus gift of peace.
1. Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” [John 14:16 NIV]
2. Jesus was also sent to provide the gift of salvation.
B. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you.
1. Fact: if you do not learn the lesson, you will see it until you do!
2. On your own, you are just making it up as you. There is another word for that: “chaos.”
C. Apply the benefits by yielding to God’s filling, purifying, and empowering.
1. What good is it if you do not use it?
2. (ill.) We had a car key made for our son... The first time he wanted to go out on his own he put the key in the ignition, and it started, then promptly stalled. So he came and asked for help. I put my car key in the ignition, and it started, and kept running. So I started to leave, thinking nothing was wrong. He put the key in the ignition, and it started, then promptly stalled. I tried his key and it stalled. I noticed a light flashing on the dash that I had never seen. When I looked it up, it turned out to be one of those indicator lights. It said the “anti-theft device was armed.” Only a key made by the manufacturer will work in the car!
*****Some of you have been trying to get lots of things. Only the key made by the manufacturer will work. Only Jesus can give you peace. It’s time to give up our tries
