How Jesus Gives Us Peace of Mind

How Jesus Gives Us a Peace of His Mind

Scripture: Luke 24:36–49, especially verse 36

36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Introduction: Easter is Miracle Day. One of the reasons we enjoy getting up, getting dressed up, and coming to church is because in a world of worry and weariness, we need a miracle—and Easter is a miracle that out-miracles all the others. Rosalind Goforth, pioneer missionary to China, told of an Easter miracle that occurred when she was a child. In her book, published in 1921, How I Know God Answers Prayer: The Personal Testimony of One Lifetime, she said that one year it was unusually warm on Easter Sunday and everyone broke out their spring clothes. Rosalind’s family was poor and had been unable to purchase new clothes. Rosalind decided she couldn’t go to church in her old winter dress. Going to her room, she opened her Bible at random, and it opened to Matthew 6: “Why take ye thought of raiment?… Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Those words spoke so directly to Rosalind that she determined to go to church even if she had to humiliate herself in her old winter dress. The service that morning was wonderful, and years later she could still remember the messages spoken. The whole morning was a sort of miracle to her. But then, another little miracle occurred. That afternoon, a box arrived from a distant aunt, containing not only new spring dresses but lots of other things as well. Rosalind later viewed this as one of the first tokens in her young experience of the prayers and provision that would characterize her entire life. The Lord wants to give you a miracle this Easter, and our text today contains four of them. When Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of Easter Sunday, He bore four presents.

1. He Gives You His Peace (vv. 36–37).

36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.

When Jesus said, “Peace be to you,” it wasn’t just an ordinary salutation or polite sentiment. The terrified disciples were at that moment in confusion and fear. Rumours and reports were rampant, and their lives were in jeopardy. Seeing the form of Jesus suddenly appear, they were terrified. Our Lord’s first words were of peace. The peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of problems, but the freedom to deal with those problems without the stress and strain that come from worry and uncertainty. Notice His next words: “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Can’t you hear His sturdy voice saying that to you right now, whatever your circumstances? “I have overcome even death itself. I have performed history’s ultimate miracle. Why are you so worried and troubled? Why do doubts arise in your heart? Peace I give you.”

2. He Gives You His Presence (vv. 37–43).

37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.

Jesus went on to explain that His peace was available because His presence was accessible. “Look at my hands and feet,” He said, “It is I Myself!” If we would practice the presence of Jesus today, it would make a world of difference in our actions and attitudes.

3. He Gives You His Promises (vv. 44–45).

44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Jesus went on to explain that by His death and resurrection, He was fulfilling the prophecies and promises made about Him. In so doing, He was ratifying all the other promises in the Bible that sustain us in daily life. One man counted over 7,000 promises made by God to you and me in the Scriptures, and we need to learn to use them. R. A. Torrey said about the Christian leader, George Mueller: “When it was laid upon George Mueller’s heart to pray for anything, he would search the Scriptures to find if there was some promise that covered the case. Sometimes he would search the Scriptures for days before he presented his petition to God. And then when he found the promise, with his open Bible before him and his finger upon that promise, he would plead that promise.”

4. He Gives You His Purpose (vv. 46–49).

46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Our Lord’s final words here comprise His Great Commission, giving us the responsibility of reaching others with the news of the Easter Miracle.

Conclusion: Do you need a miracle in your life today? It’s found in Christ! And in His peace, His presence, His promises, and His purpose. And it’s yours for the taking.

l “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” by Fanny Crosby, later to be of widespread comfort to parents whose children had passed away, was played for the first time on April 8, 1885, at the funeral of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in Riverside Park in New York. l On April 8, 1868, George Matheson was ordained as pastor of the Clydeside parish of Innellan in Argyllshire, Scotland, where he served for eighteen years before moving to Edinburgh. He was blind and is today best known as the writer of the hymn, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” l On April 8, 1917, Billy Sunday began his New York campaign, which proved to be his greatest crusade ever with nearly 100,000 conversions in ten weeks and over 7,000 on the final day.

Hymn Story: In the GardenC. Austin Miles was a pharmacist who began writing gospel songs, eventually becoming an editor of hymnals and songbooks, and a popular music director at camp meetings, conventions, and churches. His hobby was photography, and he found his darkroom perfect for developing, not just his photographs, but his devotional life. In its privacy and strange blue glow, Miles could read his Bible in total privacy.One day in March, 1912, while waiting for some film to develop, he opened to his favourite chapter, John 20, the story of the first Easter. Miles later said: “As I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene.… My hands were resting on the Bible while I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came to the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in and hurried away. John, in flowing robe, appeared, looking at the tomb; then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John.“As they departed, Mary reappeared, leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb. She wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing; so did I. I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched and looking into his face, cried, ‘Rabboni!’“I awakened in full light, gripping my Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision I wrote as quickly as the words would be formed the poem exactly as it has since appeared. That same evening I wrote the music.”