God, The Giver of Peace

Introduction: The Philosophical Pursuit For Peace

Much of man’s pursuit for things is actually a pursuit for peace. If one were to investigate the depths of their hearts and the ultimate aim of their desires, peace would be at the core of all of they desire. Peace, therefore is an, if not the ultimate aim of mankind.

From a biblical perspective, peace is the state of being in which one enjoys the blessing and/or favor of God. Peace is tranquility, which means to be without trouble, have no worries, or to “sit down [rest] in one’s heart.”

Pay attention to this incredible point, peace means to be without trouble.

Another idea of peace is to be without distress. It means to live without stress. One may see this as living a calm or free life.

Peace is desired, because it is the ultimate path to prosperity. To live a quiet life is to live a prosperous life. Peace is also the road to a successful life. Isn’t this what all men want? Peace is the definition of the garden of Eden—a life of prosperity, success, and no worries.

When Jesus called to Himself 12 disciples, He granted them peace they’d never known. Their concern for matters disappeared, because they had the peace-giver with them. They lived a Garden of Eden life. They were under the hand of Jesus’s protection, which they believed would turn into a kingdom of protection, providence, and salvation.

However, our text is neatly found in a series of teachings Jesus gave in His last sermon before the crucifixion. This sermon is Jesus’s last sayings or teachings, which flows from John 14-17. In this message He plainly shared that He was departing.

Prior to this message, Jesus began alluding to His departure in John 12:20-36. In John 12:34 “The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture* that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”” The people were even more stricken by Jesus’s response in John 12:35–36 “Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.”

And at last, John 13:1 demonstrated how Jesus began preparing His closest followers for His departure. Jesus shared with His followers an unexpected reality. The drastic understanding He gave was that He will not abide with them physically forever. They would no longer enjoy the tremendous peace they experienced from His bodily presence and immediately His news interrupted their peace.

Two Enemies of Man

Jesus had spent the last 3 years with the disciples. They’d become His personal friends—seeing everything that should be seen of a master. They were filled with his teachings, example, and knowledge. However, things would no longer be the same, because Jesus was leaving and His bodily presence would be missed forever.

It seems no matter how many memories you share of a person, nothing beats their bodily presence. Once we were in a store with our kids picking out toys. During those times, kids tend to run from aisle to aisle. By this time, my wife and I had all three kids, and they were all over the place. Though we never lost them, we could not see them and they could not see us. We could hear them and they could hear us, but they could not see us. So, my daughter was calling for us and we were calling for her until finally we found each other. When I found my daughter, tears were in her eyes. And I asked her, “What’s wrong?” She said, “I thought you left me.” Now, I could hear her and she could hear me. It was very obvious I was in the building and very nearby. However, this did not prevent her from being fearful and troubled, because what really mattered was my presence—not just my voice.

In the opinion of the disciples, nothing they had heard, saw, or learned meant anything to them if Jesus’s presence was missing.

The absence of Jesus, amidst everything they had experienced was risk to their peace. And there are two main things they would struggle with:

disturbances— internal turmoil, unsettling feelings that can be based on affliction or danger (the feeling one gets when they feel their necessities are not being met).

fear— timidity; lack of courage, conviction, and boldness

However, Jesus continued His sermon and said these words in John 16:20-22,

John 16:20–22 (NLT)

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.

He continues in John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.””

Here is a major premise in the teaching of Jesus: Peace does not mean the absence of troubles or grief, but the presence of tranquility in the middle of them.

Paul’s Guidance to Obtain Peace

In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul gave advice on how one should address their problems:

Philippians 4:6–7 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Don’t worry

Pray

Thank God

Take your needs to God

Doing these things result in the following:

Peace that is superior to understanding (incomprehensible peace, which cannot be described by rational thinking—it is peace that does not make sense considering the circumstances)

Peace that guards the heart and the mind (peace that keeps watch over…)