The Peace of God

The Peace of God


The Peace that I give you transcends your intellect. When most of your mental energy goes into efforts to figure things out, you are unable to receive this glorious gift. I look into your mind and see thoughts spinning round and round: going nowhere, accomplishing nothing. All the while, My Peace hovers over you, searching for a place to land.

Be still in My Presence, inviting Me to control your thoughts. Let My Light soak into your mind and heart, until you are aglow with My very Being. This is the most effective way to receive My Peace.
May 31 Devotion from “Jesus Calling”.

Peace means, “Quietness or rest,” and it’s a word Jesus frequently used in His ministry. Peace is used over 100 times in the New Testament and practically every time it’s used it speaks of this “quietness or repose of the soul. That’s exactly how Jesus defined it in our text.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)

In John 14 Jesus pulled aside His disciples and prepared them for His crucifixion. He told them that He would leave to prepare a place for them but assured them He would return. He told them that during His absence from them “the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit”. (John 14:26) John 14 is an example of the great love Jesus had for His disciples and all humanity.

Now, let’s talk about this peace Jesus intended for His disciples to secure. There are three points Jesus emphasizes here. Keep in mind this incident occurs immediately before His crucifixion. Jesus wanted His followers to know they could expect the Holy Spirit to appear shortly after His ascension. Jesus knew the trouble they would face after His resurrection, so He provided them with a promise to comfort them during times of turmoil and trouble. This promise was His peace:

1. This is a peace cannot be found in the world:

Look at the second part of His statement, “the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.” The world can’t give quietness or rest.

This kinda’ leads to the question, what kind of peace do we find in the world? Guess what, not much. In fact, most of the world is looking for peace in pills, beverages, medication, money, power and the list goes on and on..

It seems that every time we look at television we hear something about the quest for peace in the Middle East, in China, in South America or in other parts of the world. It is being sought everywhere and found nowhere. The world offers peace in terms of achievement, pleasure, possessions, prestige, position, power, or wealth. They call this the American Dream!

But Jesus disagreed with the world’s method of obtaining peace. He even says that the world cannot provide real peace! Nothing the world offers assures us of a lasting peace. Here is how the world thinks peace is achieved:

The world believes if it could eliminate war that peace would prevail.

The world thinks if it eliminated poverty and everyone had enough, peace would prevail.

The world thinks if it could eliminate suffering peace would prevail. Without suffering we could have peace.

The world thinks if it could eliminate strife and conflict between individuals and nations…. then peace would flourish.

But the fact is - peace isn’t found in absence of anything! It’s not found in Peace Treaties, or National Summits, or Arms Agreements between nations. It is only found in the presence of Someone! And that someone is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

So in the midst of war, poverty, suffering, or conflict, Jesus, in the form of a Person, the Holy Spirit, is present with us and providing a sense of well being amidst every problem. Christ is with us through the wind, the flood, and the fire and He said “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5b)

Peace is exactly what the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, will promise to a strife-filled world. This will be his delusion, his lie, and his promise. And though millions will pursue this false peace, they will come to realize its phony boasts as the Antichrist leads them astray. His peace will be temporary, much less eternal!

But notice the peace that Christ offers:

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.”, (2 Thess 3:16) and I might add, in the midst of every problem we will encounter.

The world cannot give this kind of peace!

2. In times of trouble His peace will overcome fear:

Fear is a natural result of trouble and strife. We can become fearful when unsettling events suddenly strike us. It’s only natural to be afraid.

It is very likely that Jesus, knowing what was soon coming, was trying to instill peace into His disciples. He knew they were about to face great turmoil and stress and the only way to overcome it was to partake of His peace.

The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Philippi, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6) and “Then you will experience God’s peace”. (Phil. 4:7a) The Prince of Peace will be with us. With Him is the only place to find true peace.

3. True peace comes only from God

Look again at our text: “the peace I give you”. Because Jesus could see the future as well as He could see the past, He knew that in a few days the disciples would be pressured from every side. The Pharisees would hunt them and they would seek refuge behind locked doors. He knew they would sleep when He asked them to pray in Gethsemane. He knew they would desert Him when the soldiers arrested Him and that He would stand alone at His Trial.

Their guilt and regret had to be almost unbearable! Can you imagine the emotions they must have been dealing with? Just a few days earlier they declared to Jesus that they would never desert him. Peter even said he would die rather than deny Him. He said in Mark 14:29, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will” and in verse 31, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” Then all the others jumped on the bandwagon in the last part of this verse: “And all the others vowed the same.”

But none of those bold and brave words came to pass. When Jesus was arrested, the disciples scattered like rat’s from a sinking ship. Each one wanting to save their own hides—fearful, uncertain, and wondering if it had all been a dream.

When Jesus was dragged before Pilate, Peter hid and peered from a distance. He took courage, inched closer, but when challenged by a servant girl Peter disavowed his Savior. “Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.” (Matthew 16:72)

Besides John, none of the apostles showed up until after Christ’s burial. He was at the cross when Jesus was crucified and when He died. Just a footnote to this, John is the only Apostle that died of old age, all the others died a martyr’s death.

In spite of all this, what did Jesus do? He appeared to them as they were hiding behind the locked door and simply said, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36). Needless to say, they were startled and frightened; thinking they had seen a ghost. No words of rebuke, no words of condemnation, no attitude of anger or resentment, only words of peace and love.

Then they had a meal together. Isn’t that what friends do?

Conclusion:

THERE ARE MANY VERSES IN THE BIBLE THAT TALK ABOUT THE PEACE OF GOD AND HOW THIS PEACE WILL PASS EVERY HUMAN UNDERSTANDING. IT IS A PROMISE AND GOD’S PROMISES ARE ALWAYS KEPT.

TRUE PEACE DOESN’T COME FROM THE WORLD; IT COMES AS A GIFT FROM GOD.

True peace will overcome fear. True peace will sustain you in all situations.

We will close with this scripture that Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)