John 14:25-27 (NIV) 25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But 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. 27Peace 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.
Colossians 3:12-15 (NIV) 12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
The peace of Jesus was such that He could respond to the pressures of life with calmness and to the rejection of people with love. Jesus came to establish peace. His life proclaimed it. His teaching explained it. His miracles exampled it. And, His death and resurrection made peace possible between God and His people.
Jesus’ peace was such that He could resolve conflict between people, or if need be, He could cause conflict when truth was being compromised. And the very night that a storm of persecution was building up against Him in the city, He offered His disciples the gift of peace. His peace.
The peace that the world gives offers escape from problems and trouble, and says we must clutch our personal peace tightly, guard it, protect it, lest something happen to tear it away from us. Jesus says nothing can take His peace from us. The peace the world gives says we must exercise careful control over everything and everyone around us if we want to have peace. Jesus says to trust Him and do what He says and it will bring us peace.
His peace comes as we let go of our clutching, as we stop trying to control, and as we let the peace of Christ rule in us. When we submit to His rule, and as we submit, He brings peace to our life. He declares a truce to the warring factions within us. He delivers us from the turbulence of past failure. He instills quiet confidence in the face of future threats. His peace gives supporting guidance in the midst of storms, sometimes simply helping us to weather them without doing anything foolish, sometimes enabling us to bring calm to the raging sea, sometimes giving us the courage to ask for help. The peace of Christ helps us accept God’s will within the broken, pain-filled, sinful world around us, and enables us to live with a light step, empowered in Peace in the midst of trouble.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope October 27, 1991
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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