“My Peace I Give You” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“My Peace I Give You”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

July 21, 2024 :: John 14:25-31

Satan was coming for Jesus.

“The prince of this world,” the prince of darkness grim, the enemy of our souls was coming to take Jesus down.

Just a short while ago in this very room, Satan had entered into Judas Iscariot, and he had slipped out of the room and entered into the night (13:27-30).

And now this Satan-infested Judas was on his way back with Romans soldiers to arrest Jesus. And to see that Jesus was tortured and killed. Satan was coming for Jesus.

And Jesus knew it. He knew it in His bones. He knew Satan was coming for Him, gunning for Him, coming to take Him down.

And how did He respond? Did He panic? Did He run? Did He fall apart?

No. He was troubled in spirit (13:21). He felt strong emotions. He felt like quitting. He wanted to ask His Father to save Him from this hour (12:27). He sweat like He was bleeding (Luke 22:44).

But Jesus resisted the temptation to run away. He knew that He had come for this purpose. For this very reason. To glory His Father.

And He had peace. Watch Him! Watch how Jesus acts. Listen to what Jesus says. Watch Jesus in these remaining chapters go through His arrest, His trial, His torture, His public shaming, His crucifixion. And be amazed at His peace. His peacefulness.

Satan Himself is coming for Jesus, and Jesus is full of peace.

Now get this: In our passage for today, Jesus promises to give His disciples His peace.

The key verse is verse 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.”

Jesus is going away, but He is leaving a parting gift. He is leaving them with peace!

And not just any peace. He’s leaving His own peace with them.

Now that could just mean that He’s leaving them with a peace that is particularly from Him. It’s His gift to give. And that would be enough. But I tend to think that Jesus means something even deeper. I think Jesus means to give His disciples the exact same kind of peace that He Himself has.

The kind of peace that can get you through the worst thing ever. The kind of peace that you can experience even though Satan Himself is coming after you! Doesn’t that sound good?!

Jesus says that He doesn’t give peace like the world gives peace. That’s good! Because the world is terrible at giving peace. The world promises peace all the time, but it’s just wishful thinking or a con game. The world’s peace is fleeting and temporary at its best, and it’s just fake and empty at it worst.

Beware people who promise you peace who don’t have peace themselves.

But Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He has plenty of peace to give to His people (Isaiah 9:6, John 16:33). So Jesus says to His disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Do you need to hear that this morning? I sure do. I often let my heart be troubled, and I am tempted to live out of fear. I struggle to maintain my composure, and I am tempted to be be cowardly and chicken out when I should be bold and courageous. I regularly need to be reminded that Jesus has left His peace for me as a gift.

Now, remember, this is not a rebuke. It’s a gift. Jesus started this chapter by saying (v.1), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” And that wasn’t a rebuke either. It was a comfort. Remember, Jesus Himself had a heart that could be troubled.

It’s not a sin to feel anxious.

The question is what are you going to do with it? Are you going to embrace it or embrace the gift of Jesus’ own peace? “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”

Jesus gives us every reason to be at peace. We have many good reasons to be troubled, but we have even greater reasons to be peaceful. Amen?

I see a bunch in this passage, and I want to point out at least three.

The first has to do with the amazing gift that we heard Jesus promise last week in verse 16. The gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no genuine peace without Him.

In verse 16, Jesus promised to ask the Father to give His disciples “another Counselor” to be with them forever, the Spirit of Truth.

Remember this? We said the word “Counselor” or (in Greek) “Paraclaytos” (Paraclete) was hard to capture in English. That’s probably on purpose because the Holy Spirit Himself is hard to capture, as well. He is “another Counselor” or “Advocate” or “Comforter” or “Strengthener” or “Helper” or “Alongsider.” And He is going to come and take up Jesus’ place in His follower’s lives. That includes taking up Jesus’ role as Teacher. Look with me at verse 25.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The disciples are shocked and dismayed that Jesus is going away. And one of the things they are worried about is who will teach them what is true? Who will remind them what Jesus has taught them these last 3 years or even these last 3 hours? Jesus has been their source of truth for so long. He IS the truth (14:6). What will happen if He is taken away?

Jesus says, “Don’t worry. We’ve got it covered. The ‘Paraclete’, the Holy Spirit, is going to make sure you guys know everything you need to know. He’s going to make sure you have all the Truth you need. He’s the Spirit of Truth, and He’s going to “teach you all things.”

Isn’t that encouraging?! The disciples don’t need to worry that they are losing their source of Truth because Jesus is going to ask the Father, and He’s going send them the Spirit of Truth.

“In my name,” Jesus says. And in His place. Just because Jesus asked!

Let me put it this way. We can enjoy the gift of Jesus’ peace because:

#1. THE BIBLE IS COMPLETELY TRUSTWORTHY.

Where do I get that from?

Verse 26 basically promises us the New Testament! Look at it verse 26 again, "[T]he Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

That promise is where we get our New Testament. And it’s how we know that it is trustworthy.

I’m so thankful for verse 26 because these disciples have, so far, not been very encouraging in their understanding, have they?

How many times in the last 12 months of studying the Gospel of John have we seen the disciples be confused? Misunderstand? Not “get” what Jesus is talking about? It’s all over the place!

These guys do not give you a lot of confidence:

“Could someone have brought him food?” (John 4:33)

“Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7).

“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60).

“Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better” (John 11:12).

These are the words of the disciples!

Even this very night:

“No, you shall never wash my feet!” (John 13:8). “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and head as well!” (John 13:9).

“Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” (John 13:37).

“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5).

“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8).

The look on their faces throughout this book is basically dazed and confused most of the time.Is that who you want writing your Bible for you? These clueless guys? These guys do not give me much peace.

But, Jesus says that they are going to get the help they need to write the New Testament. The Helper they need. The Son is going to pray to the Father, and the Father is going to give the Spirit in the name of the Son to the disciples, and He is going to (look again at verse 26), “teach [them] all things and remind [them] of everything [Jesus] has said to [them].” And this time, they will get it.

One of the people that room hearing this promise was named “John.” And John was there when the requested Holy Spirit was poured out as promised on the Day of Pentecost. And John was taught everything he needed to know. And he was reminded everything he needed reminded of. Even down to the details of all things he previously misunderstood! And that’s why we have the Gospel of John in our laps today. And why we can trust it. And that should give us peace. Amen?

That’s why we have Family BIBLE Week, right? Because Jesus kept the promise of verse 26, and the Spirit did His work. That’s why we have this solid rock to stand on. When all around is sinking sand.

Are you trusting in God’s Word? Are you standing on it? Are you reading it? Do you know what it says? Are you in your Bible and is your Bible in you? Are you memorizing Scripture?

Are you studying the Bible? A secondary application of this verse is that the Holy Spirit is interested in helping believers to understand what they read in the Bible. He not only wrote it, but He illuminates the meaning of the Scriptures in the hearts of believers who prayerfully and earnestly seek it.

The Bible is completely trustworthy because the Holy Spirit inspired it. He came as verse 26 promised and taught and reminded the apostles of everything we need to know and remember for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4)! Including Jesus’ promise of peace. Verse 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.”

Notice, again, that this peace is a gift. It’s not something that we earn. It’s not something that we deserve. It’s a gift from Jesus to His followers, and it’s received by faith. And it’s a multi-faceted peace. It is, first and foremost, peace with God. It’s won by Jesus’ death on the Cross for us. But it’s also peace with others. One day it will be peace on the whole earth! And it’s also peace within ourselves. It’s total well-being, it’s blessing all around.

Like Hebrew word that we learned a lot about in Jeremiah, shalom.

In Jesus’ day, you would say, “Shalom” as a greeting, and you might say it as you part, as well, “Shalom.” Like we often say at the end of our worship time, “Go in peace.”

Jesus says, “I leave you with peace. I give you MY peace.” It’s a gift. It’s ours for the taking. It’s solid and firm like a great big Breaker Rock on a beach. And we can build our lives on it. We do not need to be troubled or afraid.

Number two. We can enjoy the gift of Jesus’ peace because:

#2. THE FATHER’S PLAN IS PERFECTLY ON TRACK.

Look at verse 28. Jesus is still reassuring them, though there is a hint of rebuke here, too. Verse 28.

“You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”

The rebuke is when Jesus says, “If you loved me...” He knows that they aren’t really thinking about Him. They are thinking about themselves. They are really concerned for themselves if Jesus leaves and not for what that really means for Jesus.

But Jesus does not say, “If you loved me, then you would hate that I’m going to die on the Cross.” (Though, of course, that’s true.) He says, “If you loved me, then you would be glad that I am going to the Father FOR the Father is greater than I.”

Now a lot of interpreters have choked on that last phrase because they think it might disprove the Trinity. (Don’t worry; it does not.) The Arians in the fourth century and the Jehovah Witnesses in our day both make that mistake. They think that Jesus is saying in verse 28 that He is somehow a lesser god or not as much God as the Father is. Not equal in essence.

Does that sound right? Does that sound like it fits with the rest of the Gospel of John?

How would that work with John 1:1? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” With-ness and was-ness.

How would that work with John 5? “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (Jn. 5:20-23 NIVO).

How would that work with John 10:30? “I and the Father are one.”

It’s not talking here about how how much God Jesus is. He’s fully God! But He’s also fully man. And in His full humanity, He has been sent by His Father on a mission.

The Father’s mission is greater than the Son’s comfort and even life. The Son is committed to glorifying the Father, no matter what. That’s what He’s talking about. That’s what’s greater. The Father is greater as the sender of the incarnate Son.

And the Father is living in unshielded glory, but the Son has humbled Himself, and while still worthy of all glory, is not enjoying the glory He had with the Father in His presence before the world began (John 17:6). We’re going to learn more about that when we get to His great prayer in chapter 17.

The Father is currently greater in glory than the Son at this moment of the Son’s humiliation. But the Son is going to the Father and that full glory is going to be restored!

And if we really loved Jesus, we would want that. We would want Jesus to go to the Father and receive that glory and then come back to share it with us! We wouldn’t want Him to die, but we would want Him to die and be resurrected! And we would want Him to ascend to the right hand of the Majesty on High. Because that’s the plan. That’s the Father’s grand plan. And it is perfectly on track.

Jesus is saying, “Guys, guys. Don’t get all worried by my saying I’m going away. It’s all good. It’s all good. In fact, it’s great! It’s glorious. It’s what’s supposed to happen. This was the plan all along, and it’s on track.” Verse 29.

“I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”

Do you believe? That’s the whole point. Jesus is getting them ready for what’s going to happen in just a few hours. Their faith is going to be shaken to its core, but He’s told them in advance so that they can put their faith in Him. That’s the whole point of this book. It’s been written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ and that by believing we might have life in Jesus’ name.

Do you believe? Do you believe that the Father’s plan is on track? Do you believe that the Cross was a part of the plan all along? That Jesus was going to the Cross to pay for our sins and to give us life forever with Him and therefore peace forever with Him?!

If you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, I invite you to do so right now. Because He is the source of all true peace. “My peace I give you.”

Ironically, if the disciples would just trust that this was all part of God’s plan, then they would have even more peace. And joy! And joy for Jesus in His coming exaltation.

But first Jesus must go through His crucifixion. He has not forgotten what is going to happen to Him in just a few hours. Jesus knows that Satan is coming for Him. V.30

“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave.’” (vv.30-31).

Jesus knows that the time is short. The door is closing. He only has few more fleeting moments to teach them what they need to know before Satan comes knocking.

But did you see what Jesus says about Satan in verse 30?

“He has no hold on me.”

The ESV says, “He has no claim on me.”

The King James says, “He hath nothing in me.”

The 2011 NIV says, “He has no hold over me.”

The CSB says, “He has no power over me.”

You and I can experience the gift of Jesus’ peace because:

#3. SATAN WILL SURELY LOSE.

That’s not how it’s going to seem. Satan is going to come with all the forces of the world, and Jesus is going to suffer and die. But not because Jesus deserved it. Jesus was not a sinner. He wasn’t going to Cross because Satan had some kind dirt on Him. He was going to the Cross because of verse 31 not because of verse 30.

The Father was sending the Son to the Cross. And the Son loves the Father, and true love truly obeys (remember v.15!), so the Son was going to the Cross out of love for the Father.

“....the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my (greater in this context) Father has commanded me” (v.31).

So off He went.

But, for the same reason, He did not stay dead. Because death had no hold on Him. Sin had no hold on Him. Satan had no hold on Him. Nothing could hold Him down! The Father has commanded Him to lay down His life only to take it up again!

And Satan could do nothing about it. It seemed like Satan was winning, but he was losing the whole time. And he always will.

Because, brothers and sisters in Christ, Satan has no hold on you now either. He has come to steal, and kill, and destroy, but you belong to Jesus and He has come so that you might have life to the fullest!

Satan will surely lose. Don’t forget that. It’s not always going to seem like it. Satan does hate you and is coming at you. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8 NIVO).

“But the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4 NIVO).

Remember what Romans 16:20 says: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20 NIVO).

Which God? The God of peace. The One who said, “Peace I leave you. My peace I give you.”