“The Gift of Peace"
John 14:19-31

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [John 14:27]

Are you troubled? Are you afraid? Well, welcome to the club! You are not alone. If we were honest, we would all have to agree that these are common feelings in this fallen world.

The interesting thing is that when we have these emotions we usually seek another for comfort, which is ok. But why not seek Jesus, and for the mere reason of these words, ““Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Others are fallible, they let us down, even those close to us. At times we are not the fathers we ought to be nor the mothers we should be, and the same with husbands, wives, and friends. Even Jesus as fully Man experienced disappointment with those close to Him [ref. John 13:18-30, 36-38]. In His greatest time of need before the Cross, He prayed alone. But it was in that hour that He strengthened Himself in the Father.

Jesus is fully God and therefore we can understand His perfect faith in a fallen world. However, He gives us as imperfect vessels a “Helper” [v.14:26]. The NIV translates, “Counselor,” it is the name Parakletos in the Greek, which means “One who comes alongside.”  The Holy Spirit comes alongside in times of trouble, in times of fear. Jesus returned to the Father [by way of the Cross] to give us this Parakletos.

“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 things that I said to you.” [John 14:27] He is the “Peace I leave with you” that Jesus promises even today. Peace comes in the Person of God; the Holy Spirit who indwells and comes alongside the believer in Christ. And He makes all the difference.

If you are here this morning and in need of peace, then God has brought you here to receive it. Here is what you need to do. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins; tell Jesus you want to turn from your sins and turn toward Him; and then ask Him to be your personal Lord. Do that by faith and you will begin to experience God’s peace even in difficult circumstances. It is peace that the world knows not because it is a peace from God in the Person of the Holy Spirit. And it is peace that surpasses understanding.