September 3, 2011
Emotions in Christ
Part Three
The Peace of Christ
John 14:27
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Have you ever heard someone talk about finding real peace, but you know they are not a believer in Jesus Christ? Jesus told His disciples that He would give them His peace. Can you imagine having the peace of Jesus Christ in your heart today? The peace that Jesus talked about was the same peace that helped Jesus face the cross and the physical and spiritual trauma associated with such an excruciating death. Yet, the night before His crucifixion, He told His disciples about His particular peace. So we will study the Word of God today to learn more about the unique and powerful peace of Jesus Christ.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:27
Peace with You. Jesus faced death, but talked about peace (“Εἰρήνην“). Notice in John 14:27, that Jesus would leave peace with the disciples. Do you count upon Jesus to leave His peace with you or transfer it to you? Jesus teaches us here that divine peace only comes from Him. Peace means that you face death with security, tranquility, and without fear. Notice that Jesus passes His peace to His disciples. We must count upon Jesus to transfer that same peace to us. He leaves His earthly body, but leaves behind His peace for His disciples, like us. Jesus says that peace is a special and unique gift from Himself.
Peace Not as The World Gives. I frequently hear people talk about the peace they have that their loved ones will be in heaven. If you know that your loved ones were born again by faith in Christ alone, then you may have that peace. Otherwise, you have a deceptive and fleeting peace that the world gives to you, a false sense of security. The world provides a sense of security and comfort, but that peace comes from the deception of sin. It lulls people into a false sense of spiritual security, and leaves quickly under pressure. If you fear death, then you have the false peace of the world and need to look only to Jesus Christ for His peace. He will give you true spiritual peace, which only He can give you as your Creator and Lord of the Universe. When you have peace with Him, then He will give you His peace for eternity.
Hearts without Trouble. In John 14:27, Jesus promised that His peace removes trouble (“ταρασσέσθω“) from your heart. This “trouble” means the action of men who stir up the crowd with hot turmoil against the preaching of the Word of God at Thessalonica (Acts 17:3-5). It also means the action of false teachers in Galatia who seek to distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ and so disturb the faith of believers. You see, Jesus knows how prone we are to emotional attack through false doctrine, or emotional losses, and He has the power to produce a peace that keeps us close to Him, always. He emphasized that under no possible conditions, would trouble have the power to replace His peace in your heart. Notice too that Jesus commanded His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled. Do you take that command seriously today? Jesus commanded you to let His peace rule your heart so that you would not let your heart be troubled. You may recall that Jesus had used this same word in John 14:1, to extinguish any trouble that may arise in the hearts of the disciples, and particularly Peter. In the last verse of John 13, Jesus had just prophesied to Peter that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. I am sure Peter would have been very troubled by that prophesy, but Jesus told Him in the next verse that Peter’s heart should not be troubled (John 14:1). Jesus does not seek to trouble your heart, but rather to provide His peace which obliterates all trouble in your heart, no matter how seriously sinful you may be. The remedy for sinful behavior, like denying Jesus as Peter did, is not to dwell upon trouble in your heart, but rather to return to your Savior and live in His peace.
Hearts without Fear. In John 14:27, Jesus also spoke to every heart gripped with fear. Jesus said that our hearts should not be fearful (“δειλιάτω“). Our hearts should never be timid, or afraid. The peace of Christ removes the fear that naturally arises in our hearts when we face the sudden loss of a loved one, or the fears associated with suffering and death. We do not have to live in fear of anything, and Jesus provides the supernatural power to overcome all fears. Jesus had seen this fear in His disciples when the great wind and huge waves threatened to sink their boat (Matthew 8:26). Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. In our lives, when we allow Jesus to make our lives perfectly calm in Him, then our fears will be replaced by the peace which Jesus gives to us moment by moment as we live in faith.
So we learn more about the peace of Jesus today.
● Jesus commands us to receive His peace today.
● Jesus gives us His peace, which differs from the peace the world gives.
● Jesus gives us peace which removes trouble and fear from our hearts.
Application for Today
As I live today, I want to live in the peace of Jesus Christ, so that all trouble and fear leave my heart. He will give me peace that will draw me close to him and keep me near Him all day, every day. Will your heart be troubled and fearful today, or will you receive the peace of Jesus Christ today?
