The Advent of Peace
In this episode, join Staci and Elizabeth as they talk about what real peace is not the peace that this world offers.
The verse we are looking at today, may be one that you have heard often but never really realized where it occurred in the story
Jesus is talking to His disciples on the night He is about to be betrayed and He is telling them about what is going to happen
He explains that He has to leave but that the Father will send the Helper to them and then Jesus tells them this
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
Jesus actually starts a few verses early by saying, Do not let your hearts be trouble
And again He is reminding them, Don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid
This morning, God wants you to hear,
Don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid
Because He is giving them His peace, not as the world gives peace
There are a few thoughts on what Jesus was doing in this passage
Peace be with you was a common greeting in the Jewish culture at the time
Like we say good bye which originally meant God be with you
I am pretty sure most people today don’t mean God be with you when they tell you good bye
Jesus wanted them to be left with real peace, His peace not just and empty phrase
Grace and Peace in my email
But it is also possible that Jesus is taking a stance against the peace that was being offered by the ruling world at that time.
Jesus is telling his disciples about what is just about to take place. The next few hours for Jesus will not be filled with moments of peace, but just the opposite, intense moments of conflict
Jesus is taking a stance against
false peace or forced peace
He offers forever peace
When you interact with family do you think about how you can create forced or false peace?
Obviously, you wouldn’t say it that plainly but seriously do you think,
I will just keep the peace and think of ways to escape from the family drama? False peace
Do you fake peace through escapism?
Do you check out and scroll instead of leading a conversation?
Do you ignore the elephant in the room?
Do you just grin and bear it until next year?
Or do you think, I will make sure there is peace because I will control the situation to maintain peace? Forced peace
At the time of Jesus, Rome had a 200 year run of peace known as the Pax Romana
Pax Romana 200 years of forced peace
Rome, the world at the time, kept peace by controlling others
Romans regarded peace not as an absence of war, but as a rare situation which existed when all opponents had been beaten down and lost the ability to resist
They forced peace through control
Do you force peace through control?
How I use anger to control my family
Are you like me and try to control others to keep peace?
Maybe you use
the silent treatment
a disapproving look
anger
or maybe you bribe with gifts
Fake peace and forced peace are the exact opposite of what Christ is offering His disciples and us today
Christ offers forever peace
Jesus is offering a totally different kind of peace
A peace that is not forced or faked but that rules for forever
So how do we experience this kind of peace?
The Apostle Paul lays it out in Colossians 3
He tells us we must no longer walk in our old way
No forced or fake peace but choose the peace Christ offers
' Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15
[Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ‘] MAY NOT USE THESE VERSES Colossians 3:16-17
So what do we take away from this?
- Give up your need to control others
Instead of trying to control others, we are called to bear with one another and if we have complaints, we are to forgive each other
So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Romans 14:19
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29
Do you care more about peace or control? Some people will hear and others won’t but you are only responsible for your actions and responses
Just like last week when Pastor Paul taught us that our words are not our own, we are responsible for the words we speak
Offer grace not manipulation
- Put on love
And above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony
The love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the Truth
Fake peace will not be honest. The peace Jesus offers learns how to speak the Truth in love
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom Psalm 51:6
God desires truth in the innermost being and will make known wisdom in the hidden parts
God desires that we are truthful in the deepest darkest areas of our hearts and minds
Why are you trying to really force or fake the peace?
Is there unresolved hurt, disappointment, fear?
We are not really keeping a secret anyway because He already knows but when we try to hide it, we have a harder time understanding the wisdom in the hidden parts
In all conflicts, hard relationships and difficult work environments, there will be hidden parts
Our, my nature, is to control all that I can so there will be less unknowns
But when I give up my control, I yield to the Holy Spirit’s control
God makes known wisdom in the unknown or hidden parts
I don’t know how it will turn out but I place my trust and hope in Christ and He will give me wisdom for the unknown
- Surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit
Let the peace of Christ RULE
The peace that Christ provides should show (illuminate) you what you think
Who governs you?
But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…John 16:13
We must surrender to the Holy Spirit which is different than being filled with the Holy Spirit
If you are a Christ follower, you have the Holy Spirit living in you but you might not be yielding to Him
Have you felt like you needed to ask for forgiveness but ignored the feeling?
Have you felt convicted about something you have said but ignored the conviction?
You might not be yielding to the Holy Spirit
Our obedience is a good measure of our yielding
Just being right isn’t enough…did you speak it rightly at the right time?
Jesus is sharing His peace not coming into our ‘peace’ but inviting us to ingest His peace into us to govern and rule our thoughts and actions
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace,
Jesus is the key ingredient for forever peace
Peace is a person: JESUS
If you are here today, and you are not experiencing peace, maybe today is the day, you accept Jesus Christ and receive His forever peace
Jesus is not surprised by the family drama
He knew then and knows now that in this world we will have trouble but again He reminds us,
in the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. John 16:33
It is only in Christ through surrender to the Holy Spirit that we can receive the peace of Christ and offer that same peace to others
Are you willing to lay down your agenda, your plan and your control to be a part of the forever peace that Christ offers?
Savor Moment:
It takes time, it has to sit overnight
Slow down this season, spend some time sitting with the Lord and allowing Him to show you where you need to lay down control or where you need to yield to His Spirit
Share your thoughts with a friend and ask them to pray with you
