Just before Jesus’ departure from this world, He did many of the things dying persons do. He gave His friends last instructions. He prayed for them a last touching prayer. He instituted an impressive ordinance “in remembrance of Me, “He placed his soul in the hands of His Father. He entrusted His mother to the care of John. And He left His disciples all that HE POSESSED—not houses and land, not silver and gold, but something far better—HIS PEACE. “Peace,” Jesus said, “I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” (John 14:27)
Why did Christ choose to leave to His disciples peace rather than more tangible possessions? Because He knew that peace is far more valuable than possession. My mother likes to say that she would rather live on bread and water with peace in her heart than on fancy foods with inner conflicts and tensions. Our souls need food. That is why millions of persons join exercise programs, participate in meditation groups, or take tranquilizers, drugs, alcohol, or fabulous vacations. People will look ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE for some kind of peace, some kind of release from inner conflicts and tensions. Experience tells us, however, that magic pills and fantasy places can at best provide only a temporary respite. LASTING PEACE IS NOT A HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT; IT IS A DIVINE GIFT: “Peace I leave with you; MY PEACE I GIVE YOU”.
True peace-genuinely permanent peace-does not come from external circumstances which we can control. It comes from the harmonious blending of the physical, mental, and spiritual components of our beings. And this is something we cannot achieve by ourselves. As the various instruments of an orchestra need a skillful director to blend them together into harmonious music, so the physical, mental and spiritual components of our beings need the guidance of the Savior to bring about sympathy of peace in our lives. See Thesso. 5:23
The scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ is the only source of our peace. Isaiah announced Him as the “Prince of Peace of whose “government and peace there will be no end”. Isaiah 9:6,7. At His birth the angels proclaimed, “Peace on earth”. Dr Luke 2: 14. During His ministry Jesus told those whom He made whole to “go in peace”. Luke 7:50; Mark 5:34. At His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the people shouted: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38. And Jesus answered them, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace,” Luke 19:42. Before His death, Christ bequeathed peace to His followers, as we have seen. After His resurrection Christ greeted His disciples saying, “Peace be with you” John 20:19. New Testament believers recognized Jesus Christ as the only source of real peace be calling Him ”our peace” and by proclaiming His “gospel of peace” Ephesians 2:14; 6:15
What is the nature of this peace Jesus offers us? How do we experience it in our daily lives?
Nature of Christ’s Peace:
The peace Jesus offers is not an impersonal formula but the very peace which He personally enjoyed, tested and found effective during His earthly life.”My peace, I give to you.” John 14:27, emphasis supplied. Since it is His own personal peace that Christ wants us to enjoy, it behooves us to understand what kind of peace He experienced while on earth.
The Gospels suggest that Christ’s peace consisted, first of all, of an inward serenity which came through perfect communion with and obedience to His Father. Conflicts and tensions arise in our lives when our wills are at cross purposes with God’s will, but Christ never for a moment was unmindful of His Father’s will. “I have come down from heaven,” He said, “not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me,” John 6:38. To the very end of His earthly life, He prayed: “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Mathew 26:39
His harmony with the Father enabled Christ also to be at peace with Himself, to experience an internal serenity that no external distress could destroy. The scorn of enemies or the betrayal of friends did not affect His inner quality of peace because He did not seek the smile of popular approval, but divine favor. Oneness with God also enabled Jesus to enjoy peace with others because He nourished no hatred, jealousy, or suspicion toward them. We lose our peace when we discover that someone hates us and also when we open our hearts to hate, suspicion, Jealousy and revenge. Jesus never allowed such feelings to enter. The more people hated Him, the more He felt compassion toward them because He realized how great their need of God was. Christ prayed even for those who crucified Him, saying “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
Method of Christ’s Peace
It is this personal peace---His own peace--- that Jesus has made available and that He earnestly wants each of us to experience. But how do we find perfect harmony with the Father, inward serenity with ourselves and a relationship with other people that circumstances cannot destroy? Jesus suggests the answer when He says, “Not as the world gives do I give to you.” John 14:27
Certain things are at best understood by way of contrast. This is particularly true here. Notice the contrasts between the way Jesus gives us peace and the way the world attempts to find peace.
1. Atonement vs attainment:The peace the world offers depends upon personal attainment. The world says: “If you want to enjoy peace and happiness, you must overcome the cause of anxiety, not by trusting in God but by efforts to attain success and financial security,” In reality, those who achieve their goals of fame and wealth often experienced more intense conflicts and tensions
Christ offers us peace in a radically different way. He does not say, “If you want My peace, you must attain it yourself,” Rather He says, “If you want My peace, accept the gift of My atonement for your sins and experience the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.” We find Christ’s peace not through attainments, but through atonement. Peace begins in our lives when separation from God, which is the root cause our inner conflicts, is terminated. Jesus, as Paul explains to the Ephesians, brought “the hostility to an end” and reconciled us to God on the cross. See Ephesians 2:14-17.
“Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
Commitment vs compromise:
The peace of the world is most often achieved through compromise. The world says; “If you want to achieve peace and happiness, you must learn to give in whenever necessary.” Only through compromise can military, political, business, marital, and personal conflicts be resolved, we are told. The fact of the matter is that compromising principles and integrity may temporarily alleviate some external conflicts, but ultimately it only intensifies internal tensions.
Christ offers us peace through commitment and obedience to the principles He has revealed. “If a man loves me,” Jesus says, “he will keep my word.” John 14:23. And He explains that if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love and our joy will be full. See John 15:10, 11.
Christ then gives us peace with the Father by reconciling us to God through His atoning sacrifice. He gives us peace with ourselves by enabling us to live in commitment to God’s will. Romans 8:4. This is the central theme of His last recorded conversation with his disciples. John 14:16. He assured them (and us) that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to guide to an understanding and practice of God’ will. When by His Spirit we live in harmony with God’s will, we enjoy the peace of a quite conscience which shuts out all fear.
Concern vs indifference:
The peace of the world is most often achieved at the expense of others. The world says: “If you want peace in your life, think first about your own well-being and don’t worry about what happens to others. Love those who love you, and ignore or hate those who hate you. Anything that enhances you is justified, even if it is at the expense of others.” The result is evident in the social, racial, and cultural barriers that cause so much tension and unrest in our society.
Christ teaches genuine concern toward and foes alike. “This is my commandment,” Jesus said, “that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12. Such love produces peace because we have replaced feelings of hatred, suspicion, jealousy, or indifference with concern and love. If someone writes us an angry five-page letter, we don’t retaliate with a ten-paged fiery response and lose our peace. We try to understand and help the person who has hurt us. That is experiencing the peace that Jesus experienced.
Present vs future:
The world says; “If you want peace, enjoy the present life because this is the only one you have to live. To live day by day, trying to find peace and happiness in the passing moment, without a hope plugged into a meaningful future, means to deny the deepest longing of the human heart. Christ offers us peace in the present by giving us hope for the future. He could tell His disciples, “ Let not yours be troubled,” (John 14:1) because He assured them, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). This blessed hope has enabled Christians through the ages to enjoy Christ’s peace. They believed as Paul had expressed it, that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18. Christ gives peace in the present by giving us hope for the future.
Why did Christ choose to leave to His disciples peace rather than more tangible possessions? Because He knew that peace is far more valuable than possession. My mother likes to say that she would rather live on bread and water with peace in her heart than on fancy foods with inner conflicts and tensions. Our souls need food. That is why millions of persons join exercise programs, participate in meditation groups, or take tranquilizers, drugs, alcohol, or fabulous vacations. People will look ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE for some kind of peace, some kind of release from inner conflicts and tensions. Experience tells us, however, that magic pills and fantasy places can at best provide only a temporary respite. LASTING PEACE IS NOT A HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT; IT IS A DIVINE GIFT: “Peace I leave with you; MY PEACE I GIVE YOU”.
True peace-genuinely permanent peace-does not come from external circumstances which we can control. It comes from the harmonious blending of the physical, mental, and spiritual components of our beings. And this is something we cannot achieve by ourselves. As the various instruments of an orchestra need a skillful director to blend them together into harmonious music, so the physical, mental and spiritual components of our beings need the guidance of the Savior to bring about sympathy of peace in our lives. See Thesso. 5:23
The scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ is the only source of our peace. Isaiah announced Him as the “Prince of Peace of whose “government and peace there will be no end”. Isaiah 9:6,7. At His birth the angels proclaimed, “Peace on earth”. Dr Luke 2: 14. During His ministry Jesus told those whom He made whole to “go in peace”. Luke 7:50; Mark 5:34. At His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the people shouted: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38. And Jesus answered them, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace,” Luke 19:42. Before His death, Christ bequeathed peace to His followers, as we have seen. After His resurrection Christ greeted His disciples saying, “Peace be with you” John 20:19. New Testament believers recognized Jesus Christ as the only source of real peace be calling Him ”our peace” and by proclaiming His “gospel of peace” Ephesians 2:14; 6:15
What is the nature of this peace Jesus offers us? How do we experience it in our daily lives?
Nature of Christ’s Peace:
The peace Jesus offers is not an impersonal formula but the very peace which He personally enjoyed, tested and found effective during His earthly life.”My peace, I give to you.” John 14:27, emphasis supplied. Since it is His own personal peace that Christ wants us to enjoy, it behooves us to understand what kind of peace He experienced while on earth.
The Gospels suggest that Christ’s peace consisted, first of all, of an inward serenity which came through perfect communion with and obedience to His Father. Conflicts and tensions arise in our lives when our wills are at cross purposes with God’s will, but Christ never for a moment was unmindful of His Father’s will. “I have come down from heaven,” He said, “not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me,” John 6:38. To the very end of His earthly life, He prayed: “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Mathew 26:39
His harmony with the Father enabled Christ also to be at peace with Himself, to experience an internal serenity that no external distress could destroy. The scorn of enemies or the betrayal of friends did not affect His inner quality of peace because He did not seek the smile of popular approval, but divine favor. Oneness with God also enabled Jesus to enjoy peace with others because He nourished no hatred, jealousy, or suspicion toward them. We lose our peace when we discover that someone hates us and also when we open our hearts to hate, suspicion, Jealousy and revenge. Jesus never allowed such feelings to enter. The more people hated Him, the more He felt compassion toward them because He realized how great their need of God was. Christ prayed even for those who crucified Him, saying “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
Method of Christ’s Peace
It is this personal peace---His own peace--- that Jesus has made available and that He earnestly wants each of us to experience. But how do we find perfect harmony with the Father, inward serenity with ourselves and a relationship with other people that circumstances cannot destroy? Jesus suggests the answer when He says, “Not as the world gives do I give to you.” John 14:27
Certain things are at best understood by way of contrast. This is particularly true here. Notice the contrasts between the way Jesus gives us peace and the way the world attempts to find peace.
1. Atonement vs attainment:The peace the world offers depends upon personal attainment. The world says: “If you want to enjoy peace and happiness, you must overcome the cause of anxiety, not by trusting in God but by efforts to attain success and financial security,” In reality, those who achieve their goals of fame and wealth often experienced more intense conflicts and tensions
Christ offers us peace in a radically different way. He does not say, “If you want My peace, you must attain it yourself,” Rather He says, “If you want My peace, accept the gift of My atonement for your sins and experience the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.” We find Christ’s peace not through attainments, but through atonement. Peace begins in our lives when separation from God, which is the root cause our inner conflicts, is terminated. Jesus, as Paul explains to the Ephesians, brought “the hostility to an end” and reconciled us to God on the cross. See Ephesians 2:14-17.
“Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
Commitment vs compromise:
The peace of the world is most often achieved through compromise. The world says; “If you want to achieve peace and happiness, you must learn to give in whenever necessary.” Only through compromise can military, political, business, marital, and personal conflicts be resolved, we are told. The fact of the matter is that compromising principles and integrity may temporarily alleviate some external conflicts, but ultimately it only intensifies internal tensions.
Christ offers us peace through commitment and obedience to the principles He has revealed. “If a man loves me,” Jesus says, “he will keep my word.” John 14:23. And He explains that if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love and our joy will be full. See John 15:10, 11.
Christ then gives us peace with the Father by reconciling us to God through His atoning sacrifice. He gives us peace with ourselves by enabling us to live in commitment to God’s will. Romans 8:4. This is the central theme of His last recorded conversation with his disciples. John 14:16. He assured them (and us) that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to guide to an understanding and practice of God’ will. When by His Spirit we live in harmony with God’s will, we enjoy the peace of a quite conscience which shuts out all fear.
Concern vs indifference:
The peace of the world is most often achieved at the expense of others. The world says: “If you want peace in your life, think first about your own well-being and don’t worry about what happens to others. Love those who love you, and ignore or hate those who hate you. Anything that enhances you is justified, even if it is at the expense of others.” The result is evident in the social, racial, and cultural barriers that cause so much tension and unrest in our society.
Christ teaches genuine concern toward and foes alike. “This is my commandment,” Jesus said, “that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12. Such love produces peace because we have replaced feelings of hatred, suspicion, jealousy, or indifference with concern and love. If someone writes us an angry five-page letter, we don’t retaliate with a ten-paged fiery response and lose our peace. We try to understand and help the person who has hurt us. That is experiencing the peace that Jesus experienced.
Present vs future:
The world says; “If you want peace, enjoy the present life because this is the only one you have to live. To live day by day, trying to find peace and happiness in the passing moment, without a hope plugged into a meaningful future, means to deny the deepest longing of the human heart. Christ offers us peace in the present by giving us hope for the future. He could tell His disciples, “ Let not yours be troubled,” (John 14:1) because He assured them, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). This blessed hope has enabled Christians through the ages to enjoy Christ’s peace. They believed as Paul had expressed it, that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18. Christ gives peace in the present by giving us hope for the future.
