The Peace of Christ in a Troubled World: John 17:6-15

Introduction:

Imagine this: A family on a beach during a summer afternoon. The sun is shining brightly, the waves are gently lapping at the shore, and everything seems peaceful. But then, dark clouds suddenly appear on the horizon, and a storm quickly rolls in. The wind picks up, and rain starts to pour down heavily. The family, not expecting this sudden change in weather, is caught off guard.

However, before they are overwhelmed by the storm, the father pulls out a large umbrella and opens it over his family. With the umbrella shielding them, they are able to remain dry and protected, even as the storm rages on around them. The umbrella doesn't make the storm go away, but it keeps them safe within its coverage.

In John 17:6-15, Jesus prays for the protection of His disciples as they face a world filled with spiritual storms. He doesn't ask God to remove them from the world or the challenges it brings, but He prays that they will be protected from the evil one. He prays for their sanctification and unity so that, even though they are in the world, they remain safe and secure in God's truth.

Just like the family in the storm, we, too, live in a world that is full of uncertainty, challenges, and temptations. But Jesus, like the father with the umbrella, prays for our protection. His prayer provides a shield for us, not from the storms themselves, but from being overwhelmed or destroyed by them. Our protection, peace, and unity come from being covered by His truth and His presence.

When the storms of life come, we may not always understand why they are happening, but we can take comfort in knowing that, just like the disciples, we are not left alone. God’s protection and peace, as Jesus prayed for, act as an umbrella over us. No matter the turbulence, we can remain secure, standing firm in the grace and love of God.

Application: In the same way, we can experience peace in the midst of life’s storms through our relationship with Christ. We are called to trust His protection, cling to His truth, and remain united in His love, knowing that He is with us through it all.

As we enter the season of Advent, we enter into a time of expectant waiting. The word "Advent" means "coming"—and during these weeks leading up to Christmas, we are reminded that we are waiting for the arrival of Christ, both in His first coming as a baby in Bethlehem and in His second coming as the reigning King.

While the season of Advent is filled with anticipation and hope, it is also a season marked by longing. The world we live in is broken—there is a lack of peace in our lives, our families, our communities, and our world. Yet, Advent is also a season where the peace of Christ is proclaimed. This peace is not like the world’s peace—a peace based on circumstances or the absence of conflict. Let us Read John 17:6-15

John 17:6–15 ESV

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

The peace we celebrate in Advent is a deep, spiritual peace that flows from the very heart of God, a peace given to us by the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

After praying for God to glorify him, Jesus turns the focus of his prayer to the disciples. The disciples were called by the power of God, and now Jesus asks God to keep them from wandering away. Only the power of God at work in them makes it possible for them to follow Jesus, obey his commands, and fulfill his mission. Four times in this chapter and three times in these verses, the disciples are described as those who’ve been given to Jesus by the Father.

• The end of verse 2—“everyone you have given him.”

• Twice in verse 6—“the people you gave me from the world” and “you gave them to me.”

• The middle of verse 9—“those you have given me.”

We’ve seen this language used before in the Gospel of John—twice in chapter 6 (vv. 37–39) and once in chapter 10 (v. 29).

Jesus uses the verb “have given,” which is in the perfect tense. That means an action happened in the past and has results that continue in the present. In the past God gave Jesus a specific group of people that are his and continue to be his. God chose people, not based on any merit of their own, and gave them as a gift to his Son in eternity past. The apostle Paul told the believers in Ephesus they were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). Prior to salvation we were cold, dead sinners. By nature and choice we were rebels against God. The only way we could ever come to him is if he did a work in our hearts, drawing us to himself. When God does that work, we respond. We see, here in chapter 17, the disciples responded to the work of God.

• They kept the Father’s word (v. 6)

• They received it through the teaching of Jesus (v. 8).

• They came to understand and believe what God said (v. 8).

The disciples were responsible to believe, but even their belief was the result of what God said and did.

Let’s say you showed up to church one morning with your beautiful, ten-month old baby, dropped him off at the nursery, and headed in to the service. The nursery worker begins to talk to your ten-month-old. “You look so nice. Did you take a bath this morning?” He nods his head yes. “It looks like you’re full. Did you eat a yummy breakfast?” Once again, he nods his head yes. “I love your outfit. Did you get dressed in your nice clothes?” Again he answers yes. So he has answered yes to all three questions. He took a bath, he ate breakfast, and he got dressed. But that’s not the whole picture. As his parent, you drew the bathwater, lathered him with soap, and rinsed him off. You fixed breakfast, fed it to him, and cleaned up his mess. You washed his clothes, changed his diaper, and then got him dressed. It’s true he took a bath, ate breakfast, and got dressed but only because of what you did. You did the work he couldn’t do himself. He simply responded. God does the work of calling sinners to salvation. Our responsibility is to respond to what God does.

This afternoon, we turn to the words of Jesus in John 17:6-15, a passage from His high priestly prayer. In these verses, Jesus prays for His disciples and, by extension, for all who will believe in Him through their message. In this prayer, He speaks of peace—not as the world gives, but as He gives. It is a peace that transcends the struggles and suffering of this world.

As we reflect on this passage during Advent, we will see that Christ’s peace is rooted in relationship with God, protected by God’s presence, and sustained even in the face of opposition.

1. Peace Rooted in the Knowledge of God (John 17:6-10)

Jesus begins His prayer by speaking to the Father about the disciples: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world” (John 17:6). Notice that peace in this passage is not primarily about external circumstances; it is about knowing God. Jesus has revealed God’s name, God’s character, and God’s mission to His followers. Peace, then, begins with knowledge—the knowledge of who God is and what He has done for us in Christ.

we often emphasize the centrality of the Word of God. Jesus reveals peace to us through the Scriptures, through the proclamation of His gospel, and through His living presence in the church. This peace is not a vague feeling or an emotional state; it is a peace grounded in the truths of the faith—the truths that Jesus has revealed about who God is, what He has done, and how we are to live in response to Him.

“The trustworthiness of the Scriptures lies at the foundation of trust in the Christian system of doctrine, and is therefore fundamental to the Christian hope and life.” These words from Benjamin B. Warfield highlight just how important the doctrine of inerrancy is for the church.

In this Advent season, we are called to deepen our knowledge of God. Through the Word, through prayer, and through worship, we come to know God more fully and experience the peace that comes from being in relationship with Him. This peace is a peace that holds steady, even in the midst of the trials of life. It is rooted in the unshakeable knowledge that we belong to God and that He has revealed His saving love to us in Jesus Christ.

2. Peace Through the Presence of Jesus (John 17:11-13)

As Jesus continues His prayer, He prays not only for the disciples’ knowledge of God but also for their joy and protection. He says, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name... so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:11-13). Here, we see that peace is also connected to the presence of Jesus Himself. His joy, His peace, is something He desires to share with His followers.

John (Explanation of the Text)

the concept of a “name” in the ancient world was not merely a label but a reference to the character of a person. Thus, what Jesus revealed was not merely the title of God the Father but the full testimony of the person and work of God the Father, which was being manifested through the person and work of his Son

We emphasize the importance of the means of grace—those channels through which God’s presence comes to us. These means of grace include the Word, the sacraments, and prayer. As we gather together in worship, we are in the presence of Christ Himself, who gives us peace. The table of the Lord, in particular, is a place where the peace of Christ is made real as we partake of His body and blood by faith.

During Advent, we are reminded that Jesus came to be with us—to dwell among us and, ultimately, to give His life for us. His presence is the source of our peace. Just as He prayed for the disciples’ protection, we too are protected by His presence, by the power of His name, and by His finished work on the cross.

Jesus' joy and peace are not conditional upon our circumstances but are a gift that He offers to us because He is with us. In the midst of a broken world, we can experience a deep, abiding peace through His presence. The peace of Advent is a peace that assures us that we are not alone; Christ is with us, now and always.

How do we think about this?

(1) We need to remember that God is at work in the world to make all things new. The disorder brought through sin has been remedied through the cross and will be realized at the end of the age. When you are feeling the effects of disorder (disaster, disease, death, pain, etc) you need to remember that the God of peace is actively working to make things new. What God does is linked with who God is. Take comfort in this truth even as things on the ground may appear to be unraveling.

(2) Do not forget that your greatest need throughout history and throughout eternity before you is peace. In our sin we declare war upon God and through the cross Christ makes peace for spiritual insurgents like us. Don’t let the beauty of the gospel of peace fade in your eyes. Cherish it daily.

(3) If you do not know this God of peace, know that you can today if you are willing to lay down your weapons of warfare in your opposition to him. If you will turn from sin (rebellion) and turn to him in faith and trust, he will accept you and you will enjoy this God of peace.

(4) Once converted God makes his people to be peacemakers (Mt. 5:9). We are to pursue peace with all people because God has made peace with us (Rom. 12:16,18). We no longer hold grudges, act vindictively, let things simmer, or otherwise nurture bitterness (Heb. 12:15). We serve the God of peace.

(5) This does not minimize the subjective feeling of peace, but rather informs it. We feel the peace from God because we have peace with God. The second is abiding and does not fluctuate, but the first goes up and down based upon how we react to circumstances. We must remember that the objective peace earned through the gospel has to inform and give shape to our feelings.

3. Peace in the Midst of the World’s Hostility (John 17:14-15)

In verses 14 and 15, Jesus acknowledges that His disciples will face opposition: “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world” (John 17:14). The peace that Jesus gives is not a peace that shields His followers from the world’s hatred, but a peace that sustains them through it.

The world will not understand this peace. It will resist it, mock it, and oppose it. Yet, Jesus does not pray that His disciples be removed from the world; rather, He prays that they be protected from the evil one. The peace that Jesus gives does not promise an escape from the brokenness of this world; it promises His protection, His guidance, and His ultimate victory over the forces of evil.

John (Explanation of the Text)

The desire of Christians to remove themselves from the world is actually out of step with the purposes and plan of God. The church is neither to withdraw from the world nor partake in it; the church is the Spirit-filled “dwelling” of God and a participant by the Spirit/Paraclete in the ministerial office of the Trinitarian God in the world

We understand that the kingdom of God is both “now” and “not yet.” While we experience the peace of Christ in the present, we also live in a world that is still waiting for the full realization of God’s reign. Advent reminds us that we are not yet home—we are still waiting for the return of Christ, the final fulfillment of His peace. In the meantime, we are called to live as ambassadors of that peace, even in a world that is often hostile to it.

Conclusion:

The peace of Christ is the peace that we long for in this Advent season. It is a peace that is not of this world, but that transcends the brokenness around us. It is a peace rooted in the knowledge of God, a peace sustained by the presence of Christ, and a peace that enables us to stand firm in the face of opposition.

As we wait for Christ’s return, we are invited to live in the peace that He has secured for us through His life, death, and resurrection. This peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of Christ in the midst of it. It is a peace that comes from knowing that God is with us, protecting us, and that the world’s hostility will not ultimately prevail.

This Advent, may we receive the peace of Christ anew. May we experience His presence through the Word and the sacraments, and may we be filled with joy as we await His second coming, when He will bring ultimate peace to the world.

Prayer:

O Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, we thank You for the peace You offer us. We confess that our hearts long for peace in a world that is filled with conflict and division. Help us to know You more deeply, to experience Your presence, and to stand firm in Your peace. May Your peace guard our hearts and minds as we wait for Your return. Fill us with joy as we anticipate the fulfillment of Your promises. In Your name we pray, Amen.