The Gift of Peace

Outline

4 truths that provide peace in a chaotic world

I. God’s Word Can Be Trusted (vv. 25-26)

John 14:25-26 - These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

A. The disciples did not fully understand what Jesus told them (v. 25)

B. The Spirit guaranteed that the disciples understood after the resurrection (v. 26)

“John’s purpose in including this theme and this verse is not to explain how readers at the end of the first century may be taught by the Spirit, but to explain to readers at the end of the first century how the first witnesses, the first disciples, came to an accurate and full understanding of the truth of Jesus Christ.” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, PNTC, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991, 505)

II. God Offers a Quiet Soul (v. 27)

John 14:27 - 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.

A. The world has no genuine peace to offer (v. 27a)

Jeremiah 6:13-15 - For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, “Peace, peace,” but there is no peace. Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush.

B. “Let not your heart be troubled” (v. 27b)

C. Jesus offers inner peace rather than a life of fear (v. 27c)

Philippians 4:6-7 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

III. God’s Future Promises Give Hope (vv. 28-30)

John 14:28 - You heard that I said to you, “I go away, and I will come to you.” If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

A. Jesus’ return to heaven promises His return for His children (v. 28)

John 14:1-6 - Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

B. Jesus explains the coming events to solidify their faith (v. 29)

C. Jesus’ death will bring about the devil’s defeat (v. 30)

IV. God’s Mission Gives Us Purpose (v. 31)

John 14:31 - ...but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

“And the world must learn this. The world may think, with the devil, that Jesus is defeated by his death. It must learn that Jesus is vindicated in his death, and that the cross, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ ultimately turn on the commitment of the Son to love and obey his heavenly Father at all costs...The world itself will learn this – either when men and women discover the truth and cease to belong to the world, or at the time when ‘every knee [shall] bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Phil. 2:10-11). These truths, cherished by every Christian, constitute the most profound evangelistic appeal.” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, PNTC, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991, 509)

Anyone feel like we are living in a chaotic world? Is it a chaos at your house? Is it chaos at work? Do you see chaos on your social media accounts? Do you see chaos on the news channels you watch? Any chaos at the stores with only 12 days until Christmas?

What is the chaos about? Politics. Who won the election? Will the president concede? When can we get back to normal? Why do the politicians say people can’t go to restaurants and then go to them? When can we get the vaccine? Why do we have to have Christmas alone or in small groups?

My friends – there is still truth in a chaotic world. Our God provides truth in the chaotic world.

For many years, we have concluded our preaching calendar with a short Christmas series. This year we are talking about some of God’s gifts. Gift of purpose. Gift of Joy…

Today we move to our third gift. With that in mind, I invite you to turn to John 14.

John wrote his gospel in order to prove that the long-awaited Messiah was Jesus and that by believing in Jesus you might have eternal life.

• He records 12 miracles that Jesus did and 12 statements about who he.

• Then, as all 4 gospel writers did, they slow down to tell us about the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. About 25% of all gospel material is about the final week in Jerusalem.

More specifically, John 13-17 is called the Upper Room Discourse because these 5 chapters tell us the story of what Jesus said and did with his disciples on the night he was betrayed.

It is not difficult to imagine the intensity of this scene.

• They gather for a meal where Jesus – who knows that his about to be taken away and killed - washes the disciples’ feet. Judging by Peter’s response, this was not normal operating procedure.

• Jesus talks about one of them betraying him … Judas leaves and Peter argues with Jesus how he would die for him …only to learn that he will deny him three times that night!

• Jesus reiterates his upcoming death and reminds them to love one another as he loved them.

The longer this conversation goes the more concerning it becomes. Jesus is going to die soon. So…What will happen to the disciples?

• Jesus takes some time to care for his disciples for what is to come. The first item on the list: Peace – A lot is about to happen – Peace is needed!

We are studying this morning The Gift of Peace. Let’s consider 4 truths that provide peace in a chaotic world

How many of you have lost your shoes, keys, mask? Maybe you do this on a regular basis. You get up in the morning to get dressed but you just can’t find what you are looking for. Now I will simply say “Heather where are my shoes?” At times like this you might wish you had someone to help you remember where you put things. It is hard to remember things sometimes. Right? It is hard to remember everything you have done. It is hard to remember everything that you have learned.

God knew that sometimes it was going to be hard to remember things, even His precious words. So, what did God do? He promised us that the Holy Spirit would help us to remember the things of God. We need him, he will help bring to our remembrance God’s word.

This meeting taking place in the upper room is a personal gathering – was given only to the disciples in the room where the Last Supper took place. Most of the words are in red meaning that these were the very words that Jesus spoke.

Jesus gave final instructions to prepare the disciples for his death and resurrection – to prepare them for the events that would change their lives forever.

Chaos was about to break out.

Jesus was going to be taken.

Followers of Jesus would be angry, sad and confused.

Remember why Jesus came to earth in the first place. He did not show up as a man to take up permanent residence. He didn’t come to earth to live in a subdivision, raise kids, be a soccer coach, work a 9 to 5 job, grow old, play with his grandchildren and go fishing when he retired.

In the upper room - Jesus is with his disciple – His death draws near. He is having a heart to heart conversation with his disciples letting them know that he will be leaving. But – before he leaves he wants to tell the disciples that he is leaving the Holy Spirit (the helper, counselor).

Soon this Jesus – their friend, their teacher/Rabbi will be gone. Not because he will die but because he will live.

I find it amazing once again that on the night of his betrayal and just before his savage treatment at the hands of the political and religious leaders and only a short time before he will suffer the most excruciating death imaginable, he’s thinking about his followers. He’s thinking about their welfare, not his own. His heart is moved with love and compassion and concern for them.

Today I want to share with you 4 truths that provide peace in a chaotic world

The first truth that I want to share with you is that…

I. God’s word can be trusted (vv. 25-26)

John 14:25-26 “These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.

What did Jesus say that the Holy Spirit would do? He will teach you all things and remind you of all that he said.

Have you ever wondered how the Apostles could remember all the things that Jesus said and did? And then write them down for us to hear? The Gospels were probably written about thirty years after Christ. I can’t remember last weeks conversations let along 30 years ago. Think about the large quotes of Jesus found in the Gospels. Paragraphs upon paragraphs are “written in red” as the words of Jesus. How could they remember all those words that Jesus spoke?

What does the Bible say? The Holy Spirit will remind you of all that I said to you.

They didn’t have a recorder so they could remember later. They didn’t have Siri, They didn’t have Alexa – They had the Holy Spirit – much more reliable.

The Holy Spirit can help us as we study the Bible, we can trust him to plant truth in our mind (teach), convince us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from it (remind).

Having a reliable Word is one of the great sources of peace in this passage.

The Disciples did not fully understand what Jesus told them (v. 25)

Verse 25 reminds us that this is not the first time Jesus had said these things. In fact, if we chose to look at Mark’s gospel, we have Jesus predicting his death roughly a year before this conversation in the upper room.

• Throughout Jesus’ life and ministry the disciples were growing in their understanding. Just because Jesus said something does not mean that disciples fully grasped it.

We can’t be too critical of the disciples. We have the privilege of living after the resurrection and after the Bible was completed. We have the privilege of being able to look back as opposed to being forced to look forward.

What is Jesus going to do about their lack of understanding? Write them off? Say it is hopeless? Look for some emergency replacements? Not even close…

The Spirit guaranteed that the Disciples understood after the resurrection (v. 26)

Notice v. 26. “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name.” The Holy Spirit is about to make a huge difference.

When Jesus dies, what will happen to the disciples?

• The Holy Spirit will help them remember all that Jesus said. That is great news. That brings a measure of peace to a very tense situation. Yes, Jesus is leaving but the Spirit is coming.

• Aren’t you glad that our ministry is not dependent on our memory and that we like the disciples have the Holy Spirit to help remind us of what he has taught us?

I believe that the Bible in my hand is the Word of God because the Spirit of God was given to the disciples to help them remember everything that Jesus taught.

He helped them as they started the church.

He helped them as they faced the intense opposition of the religious leaders.

He helped them record the words that you and I are reading today.

This Bible has words I can trust.

Our world is distressed. We have been living through COVID since March.

• There have been very real and meaningful consequences with illness, with stay at home orders, with business impacts, and with relationships.

• Some surgeries have been postponed even here in Lafayette because no ICU bed was available for recovery.

• The election cycle has been distressing regardless of a person’s desired outcome and it is still not over as run-offs in Georgia will determine which party has control of the senate.

Thankfully, in a very chaotic world we have God’s Word in our hands that we can read, pray over, think about, and receive advice and encouragement.

God’s trusted Word is the first way we can receive God’s peace. As we are coming near the end of the year, this is a good time to reset your devotional plan and your Bible reading.

Peace comes as you are feasting on the right source.

The 2^nd truth that provides peace in a chaotic world is that…

II. God offers a quiet soul (v. 27)

John 14:27 Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

God’s comfort gives us a peace that cannot be gained by anyone else.

What God offers to these disciples, and ultimately us, is a quiet soul. That is exactly what these disciples needed and that is exactly what you and I need right now.

God put a Bible in our hand, gave us his Spirit, and then offered direct access to inner quietness.

The World has no genuine peace to offer (v. 27a)

Governments over the course of human history have claimed to deliver peace, but it never happens.

• Even if there is a long period of conflict-free prosperity, the government cannot deliver inner peace.

• It does not come in policy because policy can never change the sinful condition of a person.

When Jesus talks about his peace, he specifically contrasts it to the false peace that the world offers.

“Let not your heart be troubled” (v. 27b)

Jesus’ words to his disciples were “let not your heart be troubled.” Those words are for you too. It may be that you need to ask the Lord today … to give you a quietness in your soul and offer a prayer for his will to be done in your life.

Jesus offers inner peace rather than a life of fear (v. 27c)

In our pastor meeting, someone said, you know, the more that you properly fear God the less that you fear the world and the less that you fear God the more that you fear the world.

When my heart is in sync with the Lord, and I see myself as his servant then I am less afraid of what plans and purposes he might have for me.

• But when my heart and mind are on the things of the world … and the world offers no inner peace … then I am back to my fearful, anxious, noisy heart.

Are you glad that Jesus offers inner peace rather than a life of fear?

The 3^rd truth that provides peace in a chaotic world is that…

III. The future promises give us hope (vv. 28-30)

John 14:28-30 “You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30 I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in regard to Me,”

We are in an intense scene, but Jesus wants to provide peace to his disciples.

-They will remember the words of Jesus because the Spirit will remind them.

-Jesus will give them an inner quietness that the world cannot offer.

-Then, Jesus explains that his departure serves as a guarantee of future hope.

Jesus often talked about his departure. Now it is getting real. It’s GO time (literally) Jesus is about to GO. You can understand how the disciples must be a bit confused here.

Going to the Father would mean that He had gone to the cross.

Going to the Father would mean that He had died but had been rose.

This is what Jesus was teaching them all along. This is what they believed. Now it is happening. Now Jesus will be put to death. Now Jesus will return to his father. This is a good thing. Their faith is being stretched here.

Jesus’ return to heaven promises his return for his children (v. 28)

If Jesus doe not return to be with his father – then he died on the cross.

If Jesus does not return to be with his father – then he is not coming back for us.

So – it is a good thing that Jesus was going to depart from his disciples.

Jesus’ departure is not a loss for the disciples, but a gain. His return to his heavenly home is the guarantee for his return for us.

Jesus told them – I am going away but I am coming back! Here is your hope for the future. If I go (v. 28) then I will come again.

This peace is only possible for those who repent of their sin and trust in the finished work of Christ.

We see Jesus promising his future return and in v. 29

Jesus explains the coming events to solidify their faith (v. 29)

The next few days are going to be very disturbing for the disciples. The trials, beatings, crucifixion, chaos, death, and burial would all be difficult to watch. Although the disciples have been told before, Jesus gives them one more review.

Hope comes as you see the events occur as expected. Living at this stage in salvation history is a great privilege because we see even more than the disciples did. They saw the beginning of the church. We have seen the growth of the church. Fulfilled prophecy encourages us.

Jesus’ death will bring about the Devil’s defeat (v. 30)

If the future events were not enough in and of themselves, we also see in v. 30 that Jesus explains his death conquers Satan. It is a little strange to see Jesus say, “he has nothing on me.” What does that mean? Although Satan, the prince of this world, was unable to overpower Jesus (Mt.4), he still had the arrogance to try. Satan’s power exists only because God allows him to act. But because Jesus is sinless, Satan has no power over him

There is something helpful knowing that you are on the winning team. There may be some bumps and bruises along the way … health will not always be easy, finances may get challenging, death of loved ones, the death of certain dreams may all be part of our lives.

- But thankfully, we can have peace because we know how the story ends.

The words of an old song say, because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future, my live is worth the living just because he lives.

The cross would appear to be a symbol of Satan’s victory over the Son of God, but it will be forever the mark of Christ’s ultimate overthrowing of Satan and his influence. This is what the world needs to know. This is what we must proclaim to the world. Christ has won!

The 4^th truth that provides peace in a chaotic world is that…

IV. God’s mission gives us purpose (v. 31)

John 14:31“but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let’s go from here.”

Purpose goes a long way in providing peace even in the midst of chaos. The Lord makes the purpose clear. The world has to know this. It needs to know Jesus’ vindication and it needs to know his love for the Father shown in his obedience to the point of death.

We all know that this is true. When a person close to us dies, the first question we have to face is whether they knew Christ. The answer changes how we respond.

Conclusion
We can rejoice because Jesus has been glorified: crucified, resurrected, and ascended back to heaven. The prince of this world came up against the Son of God and was no match for our Lord. Jesus has secured peace for all those who believe in Him. That peace He gives to you. You cannot earn it and the world cannot give it to you.

He has sent His Spirit to dwell in each one of us who have received Him. The Holy Spirit will teach you about this peace and all the things of Jesus. He will continually remind you of all the things that Jesus has said and done.

There’s no better teaching for the believer than the teaching of the Holy Spirit.

There’s no better peace for the believer than the peace of God.

There’s no better proof for the believer than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Thank God for this gift of peace.

Prayer: Father, thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit. It seems like we have so much to learn about who he is and how to listen to him. Please help us to learn to walk in the presence and the power of the Spirit in our world. We have no power of ourselves, but in You we can overcome the world! In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.