The Peace of God

Background Scripture: John 14
Lesson Scripture: John 14:15-27

Introduction

We can never fully understand the peace of God. But we do well to find the "things which belong unto [our] peace," and to understand them. The peace of God cannot be duplicated by intellectual effort. It cannot be attained by compromise. Only when the Holy Spirit is in full control of our lives can our hearts and minds be kept by the peace of God.

We can picture the peace of God when we read about the green pastures and still waters of Psalm 23. The peace of God is beautifully portrayed in the calm that followed Jesus' command to the stormy waves. However, peace for you and me was purchased when Jesus trod the winepress of our guilt alone. When His precious body hung lifeless and broken on the cross, the debt of sin was paid, and the fountain of our peace was opened. "For He is our peace" (Eph. 2:14).

Key Verse

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

"When Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world" (John 13:1), He met with His disciples in an upper room to celebrate the last legitimate Passover Feast, Hundreds of years had passed since the first Passover had been instituted just before the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt. But this Last Supper was eaten a few hours before the death of the only begotten Son of God.

As He gave the cup to each of His disciples, Jesus told them, "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20). The dictionary defines testament as "a will, the disposition of a person's personal assets after his death." The 14th through the 16th chapters of John record, in essence, the declaring of Jesus' will, or testament. The disciples were the witnesses as Jesus told them at length of His gifts to them and His will for them after He should leave the world. Peace is one of the sweetest of those gifts.

Several themes occur repeatedly in Jesus' discourse. Predominant is that of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, which He would send to guide His disciples after His departure. Another dominant theme is that of brotherly love—a new commandment, He called it. "Love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34). He gave many precious promises for His disciples to cherish against the troubled days ahead. He spoke of heavenly mansions, answered prayers, and help in times of persecution.

Jesus referred directly to peace only twice in John's record. The first is recorded in our lesson scripture, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." The second reference is found in John 16:33, the closing verse of Jesus' discourse. Here He tells His disciples, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

The next words of Jesus as recorded by John are His High Priestly Prayer, the beautiful plea to His Father found in John 17. He begs His Father to fill His followers with joy, purity, and faith. He pleads for His faithful disciples to have oneness and love among them, which are only possible because of the peace that Jesus gives.

Practical Truths for Today

The peace of God is a gift that springs from His unfathomable love and is anchored firmly to two gospel pillars: the unmerited grace of God and saving faith that believes in that grace. God's peace in our hearts is only possible when our sins have been washed in the blood of Jesus. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord ,Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). As we follow the Comforter we have assurance in our heart and a quiet conscience.

To believe and accept God's fatherly love is to accept His will for our life without question or complaint. In faith we look beyond the present storm, realizing God has power to either still the storm or to sustain us in the storm. We can be at peace when all around us is tempest and turmoil because we believe God will bring us to a safe haven at the end of the journey.

The peace of God touches all of our human relationships, which as a Christian are built on forgiveness and love. When we initially found peace, it came to us on the condition that we held no one responsible for mistreating us—we had, from our hearts, forgiven all of our fellowmen. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col. 2:6). To keep peace in our hearts, we must "follow peace with all men" (Heb. 12:14).

The peace of God differs sharply from the peace the world gives. The world's peace is a resolution of conflict and a cessation of hostilities. In contrast, the peace of God is coupled with the love of God. When we are at peace with God we love our fellowmen and treat them with kindness. We love our families, our friends, and the strangers we meet. "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7).

Many people today are restless. They look for new pleasures, new gadgets, new thrills, and new ideas. Each new thing is grasped, indulged in, and then dropped in favor of the next. Young people who are not yet burdened with life's full load of responsibility may find themselves tossed about in this restless turbulence of modern society. This restlessness inevitably leads to unwise choices. "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isa. 57:20-21).

When we are saved and filled with the peace of God we are not restless; rather, we are contented and secure. Our heart is like a calm, clear mountain pool, reflecting the beauty of God to everyone nearby.

Perhaps we think that a life filled with the peace of God should be an easy life. While there certainly is an inner quietness in the Christian's heart, living for the Lord is an active life as we follow the Holy Ghost in service for Him. The Holy Spirit will not lead us into temptation; rather, He will alert us to Satan's evil devices so Satan will not get the advantage of us and destroy our peace. It has been said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; the same could be said of peace.

The peace of God comes to the believer by the Holy Ghost, and through Him we have power to think wholesome thoughts. He gives us strength to overcome negative thinking. Thoughts of worry or depression cannot proliferate in a trusting heart. Fear or resentment cannot lodge where love and peace abide. As we trust God with our lives, He keeps us by His providence.

The attributes of God's peace are beautiful and very desirable, but only in Jesus can all of them be found. The key verse says our hearts and minds will he kept by the peace of God through Christ Jesus, We can discuss peace extensively, we can try to negotiate it, but we will only find it when we yield our lives to Jesus. If we seek peace itself as our goal we will find it elusive, but when we seek Jesus and His righteousness we will find peace. Although the peace of God "passeth all understanding:' this much we can all understand—abiding peace is found nowhere but in Jesus.

Illustration

In the fall of 1938, the prime minister of England returned to his country with a paper bearing a freshly signed agreement. One of the signatures was that of Adolf Hitler, then chancellor of Germany, whose army had just invaded and confiscated part of a neighboring country. In the Munich Pact, Hitler agreed that Germany would take no more territory. No doubt England's leader spoke honestly when he said, "I believe [this agreement] is peace for our time."

Hitler, obviously, had no intention of honoring the agreement and broke it as soon as he believed his army was ready for war. Less than a year after "peace for our time" was spoken, Europe and England were torn by one of the most terrible wars in history.

We must never forget that Satan also offers his peace—peace for this moment. If we will yield a little here, compromise a little there, we may find peace for a time. Perhaps we make resolutions, such as "I'll only do it this once' "I will definitely take care of it tomorrow," or "I'm going to try a lot harder from now on." These good intentions make us feel better for the moment, but they never lead to real peace.

The peace of God makes no compromise with the flesh. We must honestly face the fact that Satan, our foe, is dangerous, subtle, and completely unscrupulous. But the truth and the peace of God are stronger than the world and will last as long as eternity. May we let the peace of God rule in our hearts!

Questions

1. Describe the difference between the peace the world gives and that which Jesus gives.
2. Can a person who lives with chronic worry or fear claim to have peace with God?
3. Is restlessness always a sign that God's peace is not ruling my heart?
4. What is the scriptural meaning of the phrase when we say that someone "found peace"?
5. What is "peace in the midst of the storm"? Share a personal experience.
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).