My Peace I Give Unto You

"My Peace I Give Unto You" – John 14:27 Before going to the cross, Jesus leaves His disciples a gift: His peace. Not the peace of the world, which depends on money, on security and on everything turning out well, but a deep peace that remains even in the midst of trouble, because it comes from trusting Him. The message joins John 14:27 with Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 23:4 and Psalm 29:11 to teach that the peace of God keeps the heart and mind as a soldier keeps a city, that trust does not remove the valley but removes the rule of fear, and that the same God who governs the universe is the One who blesses His people with peace.

I. When Jesus dies He leaves us peace; and what peace does He give but His own?

A. Remember the day we were converted.

1. The years do not lead to forgetting; on the contrary, they help us understand more.

2. There is one thing we are slow to grow in: being like Jesus, who served and washed His disciples' feet.

3. If today you are as on the day you were converted — same anger, same strife — nothing has happened.

B. As we come to know God, He shapes our life.

1. “My peace I give unto you” is for me: because I have peace, I can carry my life in peace.

2. Without peace one lives in turmoil and anguish, and wrecks the nerves of the children.

II. Peace I leave with you: a gift before the cross.

A. Someone on His way to the cross speaks of “my peace.”

1. The disciples were terrified; there was no room for pretending spirituality, only panic.

2. Jesus gives them what He has, before His death; it was given to us because the blood was shed.

3. That prayer was already at God's throne: when they hid to pray in Jerusalem, Jesus came to them.

B. Jesus leaves a spiritual gift, and gives it to us on the day of our conversion.

1. Let us take hold of that gift instead of living in quarrels and complaints.

2. Everything we must do should be done in peace; peace makes you a champion of well-being and love.

3. Had the disciples listened, they would not have hidden; only John remained.

III. Not as the world giveth.

A. The world's peace depends on circumstances: money, security, everything going well.

1. That peace is shallow; the Lord's peace is deep.

2. It does not depend on money or on the absence of problems: it is not absence of problems but presence of God.

3. No one can solve another's problems; what God wants is for you to understand.

B. If you had peace, you would be happier.

1. In life we chase glory; what we should seek is peace.

2. Stepping aside and letting the one honking pass: that is peace, and the day will go well.

3. That peace is inward, it is in solitude; it is not fought for, it is believed.

IV. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

A. His peace keeps the inner life even in the midst of difficulties.

1. To be troubled is to be shaken and unsettled: excess worry troubles the heart.

2. Jesus knows difficulties will come, yet He invites us to live without fear, trusting Him.

B. Peace produces sweet words; barking is a beast that destroys our own.

1. When you love and everything in you trembles, that is the moment to do good.

2. One life, only one life: trust in Me and do not live in fear.

V. Be careful for nothing (Philippians 4:6-7).

A. Paul does not say we will never worry, but that we must not live ruled by worry.

1. It is no excuse for laziness: what must be done must be done now, and salvation must be settled.

2. When anxiety comes — and it comes — God invites us to bring it to Him.

B. By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving: three elements.

1. Prayer: speaking with God constantly.

2. Supplication: asking for specific help when no solution is in sight.

3. Thanksgiving: acknowledging what God has already done.

C. The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep hearts and minds.

1. It has no logical explanation: there may be trouble all around, yet rest within.

2. “Shall keep” is a military term: it guards as a soldier guards a city.

3. Jesus paid for that peace with His life; that is why we pray in His name, and the whole Godhead labors for us.

VI. In perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

A. “Shalom, shalom”: a full, deep and stable peace.

1. Not merely the absence of problems, but well-being and complete security in God.

2. When the mind fills with fear and worry, peace grows weak.

B. What enters the mind is not necessarily true; the mind must be subdued and fixed on the Lord.

1. It is not what someone said: it is what you allow into your mind.

2. Do not let your peace be taken; the key to peace is trust in the One who sustains our lives.

3. Job lost everything and no one cared for him; therefore we depend on God, who sustains our lives.

VII. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).

A. The valley stands for life's darkest moments: danger, pain, sickness, uncertainty.

1. The psalmist admits the valleys exist, and still says: I will fear no evil.

2. Trust in God does not remove the valley, but it removes the rule of fear.

3. The one who fights has no fears: he knows the prayer of the righteous availeth much.

B. “For thou art with me”: the center of the verse is the presence of God.

1. It does not say He will pull us out at once, but that He will be with us as we walk.

2. The rod protects from danger; the staff guides and brings back the sheep that strays.

3. David does not say “if” but “though I walk”: valleys are part of the road, not the final destination.

VIII. The LORD will bless his people with peace (Psalm 29:11).

A. The LORD gives strength to His people so they can bear all that life brings.

1. After describing the mighty God in the storm, the Psalm ends with that same God giving peace.

2. The God who governs the universe cares for and gives peace to His people; His power is also protection.

B. Anguish: let it go today.

1. The news and the economy change, but the righteous always receive the same bread.

2. We have wept much, but the LORD has always been there, mighty, to strengthen us.

IX. The Lord's Supper (Luke 22:7-20).

A. In memory of Him we take the Supper, and give thanks that this passion has never been taken from us.

1. His blood was shed; at His death the Holy Spirit came, and He sat at the Father's right hand to plead for us.

2. Behind so prophetic a supper stood the sacrifice none of us deserved.