God's peace overcomes fear and is far greater than the peace our culture today offers.
Focus Verse:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
What we Learn:
Our culture today tells us that peace will come when we achieve greater “diversity, equity and inclusion.” If we could accept everybody for who they want to be, we would be at peace.
While treating all human beings with dignity and respect is a Godly goal, the equity our culture is seeks falls short of true justice. It is a poor substitute for God’s all-encompassing, unending grace.
Is the world becoming more peaceful today? With the rise in hatred, conflict and division, people are filled with fear for the future many are desperate.
People are filled with fear for the future. We’re all desperate for peace. Yet we see a dramatic rise in hate and division. Wars and conflict spread seemingly without resolution. So many around the world are filled with fear. But God's peace overcomes fear.
In John 14, Jesus is talking to His disciples at the last supper. This is His last lesson to them before He surrenders to the guards.
Only Jesus truly understood what he would shortly face on the cross. He is preparing the disciples for what was coming.
He tells His disciples twice in this passage to “let not your hearts be troubled.” Jesus knew that peace would be the farthest thing from His disciples’ minds and hearts over the hours and days that would follow this last supper.
As He ended His conversation with them, He told them that He was leaving them a peace that was different than what the world offered.
Israel at the time of Christ also had its own idea of what peace should look like: an end to the tyranny of Roman rule, political freedom, and the right to make decisions for themselves in life and religious practice.
Yet, the peace that Jesus was offering was something different indeed. It would be the Holy Spirit that would bring a peace to their hearts that would dispel the fear and the confusion they were feeling after His death.
It would be the remembrance of Jesus’ words through the power of the Holy Spirit that would give the disciples the courage to preach boldly for Him.
Things to Think About:
The same promise given to the 12 disciples is also ours. We do not have to accept the world’s incomplete view of peace. God always has something better than we can imagine.
“Let not your heart be troubled.” The peace that Jesus promised to His disciples is waiting for you.
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