John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 16:33
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Turmoil, both public and personal, is a reality that marks this fallen world. It can be most depressing for us to read the news nowadays. To see the turmoil all around us can be most disturbing. It is comforting, however, with all that is going on in the world, a sense of peace has been offered to us through the saving blood of our Lord. It is a promise by the Savior himself. It is a promise to comfort us through the trials and tribulations that we face daily in a fallen creation. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding and will guard our hearts and our minds. It is His assurance to us that He knows our trials and He has made provisions in our lives to help us through them.
In John 14:27 Jesus assures his disciples in the upper room, on the night before His crucifixion, that He will leave them with a sense of peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” The Lord understood what they were to go through. He understood that they would be devastated by His death. He understood that the time that transpired between His death and His resurrection would be very difficult. He understood the trials they would go through for His names sake. He knew all this, so he left them with a message of comfort and hope. “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
This peace is not something the world can give to us. Furthermore, the peace offered to us is not obtainable by the world. This peace is “not as the world gives.” It is the peace a believer has been promised through the Prince of Peace. The peace Christ offers us is a supernatural peace – it is a peace we have with God. Through His sacrifice Christ has offered us a peace with our maker. A peace that surpasses the understanding of those outside a saving faith in Jesus. True peace starts with reconciling ourselves to be at peace with our God.
“One Greek lexicon defines the New Testament word for peace (eirēnē) as ‘the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.[1] With this peace we are no longer warring with God and can abide with Him knowing that we have been reconciled to Him though Jesus. With this reconciliation we can find contentment in our lives, our circumstances, our relationships and within our community of believers.
This peace with God is what our peace is based on. If there is no peace with God, then there cannot be any real peace in this life. This reconciliation and peace with God grants us the very peace of God. It transcends all other forms of peace and this is the peace that guards our hearts and minds. It is a peace, however, that we need to trust in and accept into our lives. Just because it has been offered does not mean that we will necessarily put our trust in this peace. Many times we forget the promises of God. Many times we forget the privileges of being a child in God’s family. We need to accept this peace, trust in it and apply it to our walk.
Through the Word of God He has revealed that our God is a God of peace and provision. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (Psalm 23). These are the promises that bring sanity to our lives.
We need to have faith and believe in the promises of God. We need to run the race with trust and that trust will see us through the difficulties of life. God the Father and Jesus Christ are the source of this peace and it is imparted to us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that this was “My peace”. Christ’s peace provides believers with a serenity and freedom from life’s burdens and worries. It gives us peace while living in this chaotic world of strife, warfare and hatred. In the midst of life’s trials and temptations we need to accept this offer of peace and through faith apply it to our lives. It is only in looking to Christ that anyone can find peace and settled confidence in the midst of any hardship and trial.
[1] MacArthur, John F., John 12-21 MacArthur New Testament Commentary – referenced
About Post Author
Leave a Reply