Covenant Sunday Sermon – Peace

Let’s talk about peace today and the next few weeks

Peace should characterize the believer’s life. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. It should characterize the life of the church. And peace is what Jesus wants to bring into your life. But it must be received. We must cultivate peace. Peace is the outcome of a life and a mind that understands who God is.

Peace from a root word that means “put together, joined.”

Jesus says, “I want you to feel put together. I want you to feel useful. I want to take all the Lego bricks of your life and put them together.”

John 14:27 (NIV) — 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Sometimes we look at the sayings of Jesus like they come in fortune cookies; as isolated statements. But most are not. Most have a context and this one does and it’s important for us to know where this statement is found

The context goes back to John 13. Jesus with the disciples in the upper room a day before his betrayal and crucifixion. This is a stressful time. Chapters 14 – 16 are often referred to as the “Upper Room Discourse.”Peace is one of the themes of this discourse.

John 14:1 (NIV) — 1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

John 14:27 (NIV) — 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33 (NIV) — 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I think as we talk about peace we need to know what it is not. Peace is not:

Absence of trouble.

Getting everything I want.

Having a full understanding of my circumstances.

John 16:17–18 (NIV) — 17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Back to John 16:33

John 16:33 (NIV)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What are “these things” that will give us peace. That’s what we want to find out. Your assignment – read John 14-16

As I put all these thoughts together, I am working with this definition of peace:

Peace

The capacity to maintain focus and identity despite troubles and, in doing so, experiencing a calmness of heart and mind pursuing a worthwhile purpose with the confident assurance of a favorable destination.

This is where Jesus wants us to be and this is where Jesus can take us. Perhaps we can get to a place where we have peace even when it doesn’t make sense to the world or even to us.

Philippians 4:7 (NIV) — 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let me leave you with this thought:

John 14:18 (NIV) — 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Here is a source of peace – He is always with us