Sermons from the Gospel of John

THE REAL PEACE OF CHRISTMAS

JOHN 14:27-31

December 17, 1995

The Christmas season brings with it many calls for peace in our world. Efforts are made in the troubled cities of our world to somehow manufacture this elusive commodity of peace. Thus far, the efforts of humanity have failed at the work of peace. Everything that mankind has done toward peace has a termination point. Perhaps part of the reason is that we don't even understand what peace is all about.

If you ask someone at the United Nations to define peace, he will probably say, 'The absence of hostilities'. Certainly, this is peace in a sense. But there are plenty of places around the world that do not have war going on, but lack peace completely. For 45 years there was no peace between our nation and the former Soviet Union, though we were not involved in hostilities toward one another.

The current situation in Bosnia where an agreement of peace has been signed this week is another example. Do they really have peace? When you are sitting on a powder keg and someone is playing with matches right by it, there is no peace! Yes, a piece of paper states an agreement of peace. Yet, that is nothing more than a cease-fire in the long conflict of ethnic unrest in the former Yugoslavia.

"Peace" (Shalom) was a common greeting among Semitic people, as it still is today. It expresses the wish for wholeness, soundness, completeness, well-being. We find it used in all but two of the New Testament epistles in the sense of a formal greeting or blessing (exceptions: James and I John). The New Testament adds a new dimension to the whole idea of peace. While the Hebrew Old Testament idea conveys "a condition of freedom from strife, whether internal or external," the New Testament refers to peace as a benefit of the gospel of Christ (The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p. 374-375).

It is wholeness and union in our relationship to the God with whom we have been at enmity.

It is the profound awareness of God's faithfulness and providence that sustains us in the midst of conflict, war, persecution, and tribulation.

It is the calmness of spirit and mind when confronted with danger and opposition.

It is the consciousness of God's forgiveness in light of our sin.

It is the consolation of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the face of life's demands.

It is the assurance of heaven while staring death in the face.

It is the knowledge that God is faithful to His promises and hears our earnest pleas.

It is the abiding assurance that we are born again and that we stand in the righteousness of Christ.

It is the understanding that there is no more night in our soul.

It is the joy of knowing that we are adopted into God's family and are heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ.

When the Old Testament prophets foretold of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, they spoke of Him being the author of peace and having a kingdom of peace. Isaiah calls Christ, "The Prince of Peace" (9:6). Micah writes, "And this One will be our peace" (5:5). Both Isaiah and Micah describe with vivid images the kingdom or rule and reign of peace through the Messiah (Isa. 2:4, 11:6, Micah 4:1-4).

When the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds in the Judean hillside, they spoke these familiar words which we have quoted so often:

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:13-14).

After the aged Simeon saw the eight-day-old Christ in the temple when Joseph and Mary brought the child for His circumcision and dedication, Simeon cried out, "Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32).

All of these Scriptures point to the fact that the only real peace is that peace which is found in relationship to Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the gospel.

The real peace of Christmas surpasses all of the efforts of mankind toward peace! It is this real peace which we proclaim in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This kind of peace has no termination point. It is an eternal peace through faith in Christ. At the culmination of His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ left His peace with His disciples. It was this peace which sustained the disciples through the perils of the early days of the Church. And it is this same peace which can sustain us throughout all the demands, fears, and pressures of this life. How do we have this peace in Christ?

I. The Roots of Peace

Something tangible has to happen in order to have peace. This is true even in the political/international realm. For instance, for Bosnia to really have peace, then both sides involved will have to experience a radical change in the attitudes and feelings they have for one another, the prejudice they have toward one another due to their ethnic differences will have to be forgotten, and they will have to lay down their arms and embrace one another in mutual respect. That is a tangible peace!

For us to have peace in life requires a solid foundation. Notice this foundation as we see the roots of peace in our text.

1. Jesus' uniqueness

By uniqueness, I am referring to the kind of peace which Jesus gives as being a unique peace. We see this in our text in v. 27 as Jesus says the kind of peace He was leaving with the disciples was "not as the world gives."

How has "peace" been acquired in our world? If you go back to the first and second centuries, you will find what was known as the Pax Romana or Roman Peace. This lasted for almost 200 years as the Roman Empire enjoyed a so-called peace. The essence of it was that the Empire was so large and so powerful that they crushed anyone who attempted to threaten their tranquillity. Their peace was not internal but external. They were not involved in major wars as those with Augustus and Octavian. They gloried in their peace, but it was a peace at the price of Roman might and brutality.

Take a look at the so-called "peace treaties" of the past couple of centuries. Whether it is the Balfour Declaration, the Potsdam Treaty, the Versaille Treaty--all of them were wrought out of hostility and maintained by might. It seems that most of the treaties between nations have been broken, too. Consider, too, the so-called peace movement of the 60s that was characterized by rebellion, riots, rise in crime, destruction of morals and decency, and the disintegration of the family. Was this really peace?

What about the peace Jesus gives? It is totally different from that of the world. It is different in quality and character. It is different in duration since it is an eternal peace. It is drastically different in effect since it is internal and capable of facing all opposition. It is pure without ulterior motives. It is not maintained by might and brutality but by the power of His gospel. It is a peace which He Himself won for us at the cross without any contribution or agreement on our part. It is a peace found in One Person yet experienced by the multitudes of the redeemed.

2. Jesus' direction

But peace is also rooted in Jesus' direction. By this I refer to what our Lord kept emphasizing throughout John 14 as He was comforting the disciples: His return to the Father. In verses 2-3, Jesus speaks of going to prepare a place for the redeemed. In verse 4 Jesus refers to the way where He was going. In verse 12 He states plainly, "I go to the Father." His reference in verse 18 to not leaving the disciples as orphans implies that He is going somewhere. In verse 23 He speaks of He and the Father coming, as in coming together, to make their abode in the believer. The implication of verse 25, "while abiding with you," is that the time is coming that He will not be in their midst. He speaks of leaving His peace with the disciples in verse 27. Now in verse 28, Jesus clearly says, "I go away," and "I go to the Father."

The direction is obvious: Jesus is going back to the Father by way of the cross and resurrection. John's Gospel, as we have seen numerous times, uses this reference to Jesus' going always pointing toward His redemptive work and its final accomplishment.

Why is it so important to see this? Because unless Jesus has accomplished the redemptive work which the Father commanded Him, then we are still at enmity with God. The very heart of this whole subject of peace comes into clear focus when we realize that in our lost condition we are enemies of the living God. Our relationship to Him remains one of antagonism, hostility, rebellion, bitterness without the work of the cross. This enmity with God cannot be removed by talk or nice actions on our part. It is only when the judgment due this enmity is satisfied that we can be at peace with God and consequently live in peace. So, the direction of Jesus had to be the cross in order to provide peace.

3. Jesus' condition

There is a little phrase in verse 30, which we can easily pass over, that has great significance in our peace. In order for Jesus to mediate our peace with God then He Himself could never be at enmity with God. So our Lord says , "For the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." This ruler is Satan, for this world is his domain, the place abode of his subjects, the realm of his wicked activity. But when Satan came to Christ he found nothing to accuse Him, nothing by which to taunt Him, nothing to lay claim of rulership over Him.

J.C. Ryle describes this magnificently and I pass it along to you:

Our Lord would have his disciples know that Satan, 'the price of this world', was about to make his last and most violent attack on him. He was mustering all his strength for one more tremendous onset. He was coming up with his utmost malice to try the second Adam in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary. But our blessed Master declares, 'He hath nothing in me.' 'There is nothing he can lay hold on. There is no weak and defective point in me. I have kept my Father's commandment and finished the work he gave me to do. Satan, therefore, cannot overthrow me. He can lay nothing to my charge. He cannot condemn me. I shall come forth from the trial more than conqueror.' Let us mark the difference between Christ and all others who have been born of woman. He is the only one in whom Satan has found 'nothing'. He came to Adam and Eve and found weakness. He came to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and all the saints and found imperfection. He came to Christ and found 'nothing' at all. He was a Lamb 'without blemish and without spot', a suitable sacrifice for a world of sinners, a suitable Head for a redeemed race (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels--John, p. 194).

His perfect, sinless, blameless life kept the devil from being able to lay claim on Him and justifiably put Him to death. No, the death of Christ was not as that of a sinner deserving death, but as the One perfect sacrifice willingly offered without spot or blemish on behalf of sinners, so that these same sinners might be at peace with the living God.

4. Jesus' fulfillment

Jesus adds one more word about the roots of our peace. "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do." All that the Father commanded of Christ, He did. Never for a moment did our Lord give in to the world or follow the tempting voice of Satan. Never did He cross the line of holiness into unholiness. Never did He utter a word displeasing to the Father, nor have a thought dishonoring the Father, nor a deed offending the Father. (Contrast this with our unrighteousness, our tendency to sin, our weakness when it comes to temptation, etc.).

It is this same righteousness to all the law of God which becomes the basis of our peace with God. Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf, so that His righteousness might be imputed or applied to our account and we might stand in the righteousness of Christ in God's sight. That, my friend, brings peace!

II. The Reason for Peace

This text speaks of Jesus 'going' and 'coming'. Each of these words offers us a reason to experience and live in the peace of Christ. This shows just how practical and useful Christian doctrine really is when we understand it. I can live in peace because of the reasons for peace provided in my salvation through Christ.

1. Jesus goes

We have already seen that Jesus 'going' implied the whole work redemption. This in itself offers us several truths that give us reason for peace.

(1) You are justified

Freely and fully through the work of Christ applied to your life by faith, you are justified--declared righteous in the sight of God. This is the righteousness of Christ applied to your account--actively and the righteousness of Christ satisfying the demands of righteousness--passively. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies" (Romans 8:33). "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace..." (Ephesians 2:13-14a).

The old Puritan preacher, Thomas Brooks, while speaking of the imputation of Christ's righteousness in the work of justification, put it so well,

The peace and comfort of an awakened sinner can never stand firm and stable, but upon the basis of a positive righteousness. When a sensible sinner casts his eye upon his own righteousness, holiness, fastings, prayers, tears, humblings, meltings, he can find no place for the sole of his foot to rest firmly upon, by reason of the spots, and blots, and blemishes, that cleaves both to his graces and duties. He knows that his prayers need pardon, and that his tears need washing in the blood of the Lamb, and that his very righteousness needs another's righteousness to secure him from condemnation....the saints of old have always placed their happiness, peace, and comfort, in their perfect and complete justification, rather than in their imperfect and incomplete sanctification (Works, vol. 5, p. 242-243).

(2) Our Lord is sovereign

What comfort and peace there is in knowing that you belong to the Sovereign Lord of the universe! Your peace is not grounded in some whisp-o-will deity that is here one day and gone the next; or that changes with the fluctuations of the wind; or is different in every century and culture. Our Lord remains immutable, faithful in everything. He stands forever and ever!

Does that not bring peace to your heart? How can I honestly fret and worry over life and be filled with fear about the things I face when I know that my Lord is sovereign? We must say with the Apostle Paul, "If God be for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31b). If God is for us then it does not matter who is against us! God plus no one is still the majority! We shudder and shake over so many things because our view of God is so small and weak. The exalted Lord is Lord indeed! Let us rest at peace in Him!

(3) You have the comfort and indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Our context, as well as the next couple of chapters, brings this truth home to us. We have peace in knowing that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was bringing comfort to the fearful hearts of His disciples as He told them of the coming of the Spirit because of His going to the Father.

How often have you been strengthened and comforted in a troubling situation by that quiet, inner working of the Holy Spirit? Maybe it was in a hospital room awaiting surgery. Or perhaps it was in the darkness of the news of a loved one's sudden death. Or maybe it was traveling in some foreign land in which you had no one else to call upon for help. Or maybe it was a crisis situation involving job or family--the kind of situation that was much bigger than your capacity to handle. In all of these, the Holy Spirit breathed upon you with a spirit of peace which you did not understand.

Dale Head told me this week about a co-worker and fellow believer who has just been diagnosed with a tumor in his lung. Though he faces a difficult surgery and tough prospects for complete recovery, he is calmly at peace. The other workers on the job cannot understand how this guy can be so calm while facing such a deadly foe. Here, my friend, is the peace of Christ brought home through the comfort of the Holy Spirit!

(4) Assurance of your salvation

Sometime we sing that great, old hymn,

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

I can think of nothing that brings greater peace to my heart day by day than the assurance that Jesus is mine and I am His. This is why the Bible makes so much of this matter of assurance (a subject I plan to deal with on Sunday evenings after the first of the year, D.V.). As a pastor, I have watched people agonize over this matter of assurance, then see the glorious peace of Christ flood their countenance once they come to full assurance. You can face most anything if you are assured that you indeed know the living God through Christ and that you belong to Him by virtue of being adopted into His family.

2. Jesus comes

Jesus also reminds the disciples, "I will come to you." First, He comes to us in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Divine Paraclete of the same nature and substance as our Lord. He is indeed another Helper-- 'another of the same kind.'

But we also have the wonderful promises of Christ's return! Jesus told the disciples that He was preparing a place for them in the Father's house and that one day He Himself would return for them to take them to the Father's house. It was this blessed hope that kept the saints of old going through thick and thin. They knew that either Jesus would return for them while in this life, or resurrect them in the last day to meet Him in the air.

This is why Paul could use this truth to bring peace to the hearts of 1st century believers.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words [emphasis added]. (I Thessalonians 4:16-18)

To Titus, Paul wrote that this promise of the blessed hope gave motivation for holy living:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works [emphasis added]. (Titus 2:11-14)

When you know that 'it ain't over 'til it's over' you can go on in peace! Knowing that Jesus Christ will one day draw to a close this evil world by His glorious return brings peace to our hearts!

III. The Response to Peace

Peace really does you no good unless you utilize it. This is our response to peace.

1. Our privilege

We must understand that peace is not something which we can work up. We cannot coerce one another into having peace. You cannot run to the bookstore and find a book on how to have peace. Peace is the privilege of the child of God. Jesus told the disciples quite emphatically, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you." They did not have to wonder if this was true, for Christ is always true. Peace was their privilege...and it is ours, too.

We see this clearly in Philippians 4:6-7. There we are told to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Yes, as a Christian we have the great privilege of bringing all of our burdens and requests before our Lord. And as Christians, we have the marvelous privilege of having the peace of God garrison our hearts and minds in union with Christ. Here the Apostle pictures the peace of God standing as a sentinel at the door of our hearts and minds, guarding against any would-be trespassers, driving away fear, turning out unbelief, resisting worry and fretting. This is our privilege.

Do you know the peace of God as your privilege in relationship to Christ?

2. Our responsibility

Peace is also a responsibility, for we see our Lord exhorting these disciples once again, "Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." Peace is available, so walk in it. You have the responsibility to apply the peace of God to your life.

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful" (Colossians 3:15). May we simplify this by pointing out that the peace is present and available in Christ through all that He has accomplished on our behalf. We must apply this peace, enter into it on a daily basis, walk in this peace.

The peace of Christ is the privilege of every believer--that's the doctrine. The peace of Christ must be practiced by every believer--that's the application of this doctrine. You apply the peace of Christ in several ways:

a. you believe and accept the promises of God

b. you understand the doctrines associated with peace and stand in them (i.e., justification, sovereignty, etc.)

c. you ask for this peace from God

d. you lay your needs before the Lord and rest in the assurance of His promises

e. you look to Christ in all of His immutability and rest in His faithfulness toward you as His child

Conclusion

The angels proclaimed peace through Christ. The Old Testament prophets foretold of peace through Christ. Christ Himself told us of peace through Him. Now, the questions is 'Do you know the peace of Christ in reality?'

My friend, this peace is not outside of Christ, but in Christ--in relationship or union to Him. It is by faith that we enter into a lasting, eternal relationship with the Prince of Peace who gave Himself for us that He might be our peace.

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