Calvary Road Baptist Church

“CHRIST’S TWO PEACES”

John 14.27 

In John 14.26, the Lord Jesus Christ reintroduced the Holy Spirit to His remaining eleven apostles as they walked from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. Perhaps it should not surprise anyone familiar with the Bible that the next thing He said to His troubled men is the words contained in the text for this message from God’s Word, John 14.27: 

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 

There are four observations I would like to make in connection with this profoundly comforting verse. Before we get to those observations, let me begin with a summary comment written by Edwin Blum: 

“In New Testament times the normal way to say good-bye was Peace (salom in Heb.). In His death Jesus provided a legacy for His disciples: My peace I give you. They would have “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1) because their sins were forgiven and the “peace of God” (Phil. 4:7) would guard their lives. The world is unable to give this kind of peace. Fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15) and fear of the future are removed as Jesus’ followers trust in Him. Thus they need not be troubled (cf. John 11:33; 13:21; 14:1).”[1] 

Now we consider the verse one of the portions at a time: 

First, THE SAVIOR SAID TO THEM, “Peace I leave with you.” 

We recognize that the usual way of saying good-bye in New Testament times in the Middle East, as well as in modern times in that part of the world, was to wish upon a person peace. “Peace be upon you” is a common phrase in Hebrew and Arabic. However, the Lord Jesus Christ does not merely wish upon His remaining apostles peace in this phrase. He is acknowledging that peace has been bestowed upon them, the Greek verb á½±phá½·emi in this phrase having the sense here not of being a salutation but rather a bequest.[2] Our Lord uses this word because this peace with God already exists with these men since they are already God’s children. Let us pause here and ask, Who can make such a statement? Anyone can wish for another’s peace, but who can acknowledge the gift of peace to another person? This is a subtle, but real, implication of our Lord’s deity that He can do such a thing. No wonder Isaiah 9.6 identified Him as the Prince of Peace. One must exercise rule to grant to another person peace. Do you want peace? You will only get peace from the Prince of Peace.

The ramifications of this peace acknowledged by the Savior are very far-reaching. Consider several of them:

First, there is, of course, peace with God. Everything else pales in comparison to anyone’s relationship with God. We are all born God’s enemies, we will live God’s enemies, and we will die condemned as God’s enemies as a natural course of affairs. Therefore, this gift of peace, which is eternal peace that comes through faith in the Savior, is a matter of the most profound eternal consequence. If there is no peace with God when you pass from this life, there is no eternity with God in heaven in the next life, because there will be no heaven for you.

Second, those of us who live in this country have lived in a kind of bubble that has been different than almost everywhere else. We are seeing that peaceful pattern we have grown used to coming to a violent end. Americans usually thought peace was the norm and something to be expected. But to Africans, to Asians, to most Europeans, and Latin Americans, peace has typically not been the normal state of affairs. Therefore, peace is something to be greatly prized, and the Lord Jesus Christ bequeaths such a peace as most human beings have never known and do not understand. However, because Americans mostly have had generations of peace and relative tranquility at home since the Civil War, we have not prized peace in the same way others have, or in the same way those eleven apostles would have.

This peace, our Lord bequeathed to those disciples, was not peace unique to them alone. It is also peace of a type that is accessible and available to other people, though it is not a peace that can be earned and is certainly not in any way deserved. In Romans 5.1-5 the Apostle Paul declares the means whereby sinners come to have the peace referred to here by the Savior: 

1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

May I point out one thing from what Paul writes here about the peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ that comes through faith? It is apparent that though we have peace with God who is justified by faith in Christ, we may not experience peace in our circumstances during our Christian life. Paul did refer to tribulations in Romans 5.3. Real-life can be like a war zone for the Christian even when he is at peace with God, and the Christian life for many believers is a life of tumult and conflict also while they are at peace with God, partly as a result of hardships and partly because of persecutions. Keep in mind that only one of the twelve apostles died of natural causes.[3]

This brings me to the ultimate consequence of peace with God, which is where this peace that is bequeathed by the Savior eventually ends up after we go to heaven being the millennial kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Coming. This reign of peace that will ultimately be the experience of every one of us who are at peace with God was anticipated and frequently mentioned in the Old Testament.

Here are a few of those references: 

Numbers 6.24-26:

24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 

Psalm 29.11:

“The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” 

Isaiah 9.6-7: 

6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

Ezekiel 37.26:

“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.” 

Haggai 2.9:

“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” 

Let me summarize what we read in John 14.27, the first phrase. It is the beginning of the fulfillment of those Old Testament anticipations and predictions of kingdom peace that is eventually realized by believers in Jesus Christ. This comes after peace with God is established through faith, being reconciled to God through the death of His Son and no longer His enemy, Romans 5.10. Of course, that results from the direct rule of the Prince of Peace in each believer’s life, that will be fulfilled when He imposes peace through conquest over this whole world on the occasion of His Second Coming in power and great glory.[4] Until that takes place, during this present era in which we live this peace is accomplished through the Gospel, a connection we see in Ephesians 6.15, where Paul writes, 

“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” 

THE SECOND PHRASE OUR LORD UTTERS IS “My peace I give unto you.” 

This second phrase refers to another concept of peace entirely, the peace of mind and heart the Lord Jesus experienced, His serenity if you will. I am convinced of this by two observations in this second phrase: First, I observe that the Lord Jesus Christ distinguishes the peace He refers to in the second phrase from the peace referred to in the first phrase by identifying it as “My peace.” Thus, He refers to a peace that is personally His own. There are, then, two different kinds of peace seen here, with the peace of the first phrase being objective peace with God that was established in each man’s life when He trusted Christ as his Savior, and the peace of the second phrase being subjective peace that is felt, again referred to by our Lord as “My peace.”

The first kind of peace, the objective peace referred to in the first phrase, is peace, which is fact but not necessarily experienced by the believer. It is a truth that is known because it is stated. With this first peace that is mentioned, there is no longer conflict with God. With this first peace that is mentioned, the sinner now justified and blessed with the standing of a righteous man in the sight of God is no longer God’s enemy but has become God’s ally. However, being a fact, this objective peace is not felt, is not sensed, and is not known unless one is informed. The second kind of peace, what the Savior identifies as “My peace” in this second phrase, is, on the other hand, a perceived reality, very much a felt peace and tranquility of the mind and heart. Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ is seeking to calm the troubled and fearful hearts of His remaining eleven apostles. Those men already had the first kind of peace, peace with God, but they do not yet have the peace of God. After all, John 14.1 begins with the words, 

“Let not your heart be troubled.” 

The foundation for their comfort is, therefore, being at peace with God, referred to in the first phrase of John 14.27. The feeling of their comfort is, next, having peace of mind and heart, referred to in the second phrase of John 14.27.

While peace with God is an objective fact and is the result of being graciously given, a status that I am convinced can never be altered, the peace our Lord identifies as “My peace” arrives on the scene very differently. The word translated “I give” in this phrase is a different Greek verb altogether, dá½·doomi, and refers to giving a gift.[5]

Remember, the Lord is moving from a peace they already possess to a peace they have not yet felt. Peace with God is something God the Father gives the sinner who comes to faith in Christ that results in peace between God and the sinner who has trusted Christ. For each of these men that occurred sometime earlier in the Lord’s earthly ministry. Christ’s peace, what He terms “My peace,” is the gift to His Own of the peace of mind and heart that He continually experiences. It is His tranquility and serenity as an experience that He gave to them. Observe that, unlike peace with God, which is a fact, established at the moment of conversion, Christ’s peace is very much a feeling, and as a feeling, it can be surrendered. How do we know it can be surrendered? Read about these men’s state of mind in the Garden of Gethsemane and afterward, and there is no doubt that their minds were then very anxious, and their hearts were once more profoundly troubled. They had very obviously surrendered their peace of mind and heart during those difficult times.

Thankfully, however, though this peace and serenity of mind and heart can be surrendered, it can also be recovered. Galatians 5.22 shows that peace, what I think in context is peace of mind and heart, results from the unencumbered presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit: 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” 

Therefore, when the Spirit of God comes to indwell the believer at the time of conversion, the Holy Spirit immediately begins to work love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, and faith as increasing characteristics of the Christian’s Spirit-influenced personality.

The challenge for every believer, however, is for the Christian to avoid quenching and/or grieving the Holy Spirit. Paul warns against these sins in First Thessalonians 5.19 and Ephesians 4.30. Additionally, the child of God can also come under spiritual attack, requiring that he gird up the loins of his mind, First Peter 1.13. Thus, for a variety of reasons, the child of God can experience turmoil, fear, anxiety, and distress that robs him of his peace of mind and heart. To lose your peace of mind and heart is not a loss of relationship with Jesus Christ, but a loss of the enjoyment of that relationship. You can fuss with your spouse, but you are still married. Amen? So, how do you recover your delight, your tranquility, your serenity, your peace of mind and heart (or should I say Christ’s peace)? Turn with me to Philippians 4.6-9: 

6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

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

8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

Though I do not have time to thoroughly explain this passage, please observe several things with me:

Over time, as you grow in grace and become more spiritually mature, you will not be so susceptible to the fear-mongering so prevalent in our culture, and with your greater maturity will come a higher capacity to love, which we saw in Galatians 5.22 is a companion of peace, First John 4.18: 

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 

IN THE THIRD PHRASE OUR LORD SAID, “Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” 

It has been observed that the peace known to this world, the peace of the unsaved person, is a concept and grasp of peace that is very shallow, remarkably unstable, profoundly unsatisfying, and, in reality, false. It is nothing more than the absence of war, a few moments without conflict, or perhaps a period without painful emotional or physical stimulation. It is nothing like the peace our Savior bestows.

Consider the two competing concepts of peace of our Lord’s day. For the Greeks, and indeed for much of the world in which we live today, peace is mainly negative, the absence of war. We are not in a shooting war with North Korea, but what exists could hardly be termed peace. But for the Hebrews, peace meant positive blessing, especially a right relationship with God. This is to be seen in the Old Testament, and it is carried over into the New.[6]

The overspreading of Roman dominion to the Mediterranean world by a series of bloody campaigns and conquests introduced what was called pax Romana, meaning “Roman Peace.” I read from Encyclopaedia Brittanica: 

Pax Romana, (Latin: “Roman Peace”) a state of comparative tranquillity throughout the Mediterranean world from the reign of Augustus (27 bce–14 ce) to the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180 ce). Augustus laid the foundation for this period of concord, which also extended to North Africa and Persia. The empire protected and governed individual provinces, permitting each to make and administer its own laws while accepting Roman taxation and military control.[7] 

Brutality and cruel military occupation sound so lovely when it is described by academics, concealing the suffering that makes such so-called peace possible.

So you see, there are two ways in which the world gives what is referred to as peace, which isn’t much by way of peace at all: First, the world provides something likened to peace by an absence of conflict. By their reckoning you enjoy peace when no one is arguing with you, when no one disagrees with you, and when no one is provoking you. Second, this peace is provided as a fruit of bloody warfare, when one antagonist defeats and overwhelms another so that he is either dead or beaten into submission so that resistance is futile. And if ever an antagonist raises his head in protest, he is mercilessly beaten down to silence him. Thereby, peace is prolonged. This is what the Antifa crowd and the Black Lives Matter Marxists are advancing on the streets of our cities. Their concept of peace is total subjugation and domination. Do you imagine you can reason with them, negotiate with them, satisfy them in any way other than by surrendering?

Should you point out that there is an Eastern concept of peace that is not so external but internal, you would be correct. Consider what is labeled in the West as Transcendental Meditation.[8] The Hindu approach to meditation is based upon emptying the mind of all thoughts, whereas the Biblical approach to meditation requires a filling of one’s mind of Scriptural truths. Obviously, then, that feeling of peace someone would sense during Eastern meditation would be something akin to emptiness and deprivation. Not only is that not real peace, but it is profoundly dangerous because of a person’s vulnerability to demonic attack who engages in such practices, First Timothy 4.1, where Paul wrote, 

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 

How, then, does the Lord Jesus Christ’s peace contrast with the so-called peace that is claimed from other sources? There are several differences:

First, Christ’s peace is a gift that is given and not a state of mind or a circumstance that is earned or acquired. Peace as the world knows it is peace that is earned, peace that is the result of stifling one’s real or imagined opponents. Not so Christ’s peace. Christ’s peace is given by Him and can be experienced by any Christian at any time and under any circumstance in which it is not surrendered.

Second, it is a gift that is given to those who have already received God’s gift of eternal life. Romans 6.23 declares, 

“but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

The gift of eternal life through Christ is concurrent with the peace with God that results from faith in Christ. The sinner who has come to peace terms with God through faith is then given by Jesus Christ His gift of His peace, His serenity, His tranquility of soul that He has known throughout eternity. No one who is not God’s child through faith in Christ can have or experience the peace the Savior speaks of here. It is exclusive to His Own and is never given to those who reject Him. To settle for a counterfeit peace is not only unwise but dangerous.

Is not such a gift that is given in addition to the gift of eternal life not a priceless treasure on top of a priceless treasure? Therefore, for the unfathomable delight of the Christian’s present peace of mind and heart, in the midst of whatever trials and tribulations will befall us, without consideration of the bright and blessed future that is promised to us, what other explanation can there be for rejecting Jesus Christ but the most wicked and malevolent depravity? Those who have only experienced what they have experienced on that side of the divide refuse to listen to or pay attention to those of us who were born into that side of the divide but who through faith in Christ now live on this side of the divide. We tell the people who will listen, “There is no comparison.” But these people know everything. They know all of it. They’re smart, and they reject what we testify from personal experience, in agreement with the Word of God. Wow! That’s dark. 

THE FINAL COMMENT OF OUR LORD IS “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 

We have spent considerable time mining the depths of John 14.27 and rehearsing the implications of the peace the Lord Jesus Christ bequeathed to His apostles, His peace that He gave to His apostles, and the contrast that He drew between what passes for peace that comes from the world and what real peace is that comes from Him. Now consider the conclusions our Lord drew on behalf of His eleven apostles, and, of course, those of us who would follow.

There are two conclusions our Lord draws as a direct result of His bestowal and then His gift of peace, with both of the verbs He used being present passive imperatives. That means these words are directives to disallow something from happening:

First, “let not your heart be troubled.” This word “troubled” refers to being disturbed, agitated, stirred up, or troubled.[9] As you know, the apostles were extremely apprehensive about the future in light of their Master’s departure from them, the prospect of them being alone in a frightening world, and not being entirely sure of how to proceed. They are not at present mindful of what the Lord Jesus Christ has spent three and one-half years preparing them for, they are not yet indwelt by the Spirit of God, and they are not yet empowered for service. All they know is that they are scared. So, what does He command them to do, or should I say prohibit them from doing? Interesting to me are the words translated “your” and “heart.” “Your” translates the Greek word humoon, which is the plural form of the pronoun “you.” This shows that the Savior is speaking to all of them. Also interesting to me is the word translated “heart,” kardá½·a, which is singular in number. In other words, they (eleven men) have, in one sense, one heart. Not eleven hearts, but one heart for eleven men.

What does this suggest? It suggests that we are not so much the individualists we think we are, but that, in a real sense, we are spiritual brethren who very much do have, in a sense, one heart. They lived in community, worshiped in community, served in community, and were told by the Savior to resist as a community a troubled, agitated, concerned, and outright fearful heart. They were a band of brothers in the best sense of the concept and were to be of one heart after the Savior’s departure, with that one heart not being fearful. How successful do you suppose believers can be who resist doing this and who insist on standing alone, apart from the others? Think it will go well for them? Think again. When a real Christian is isolated, that real Christian is often troubled. That is partly why Christ gave to us our Church congregation.

Next, “neither let it be afraid.” If the first prohibition is a directive from the Savior to resist as a group being stirred up, to resist as a group becoming agitated, to resist as a group becoming unsettled or disturbed, this second prohibition is a natural follow on to the first. Deiliá½±w is found only here in the New Testament as a verb meaning to lack courage, to be fearful, to be cowardly.[10] No one is cowardly who is not first agitated, who is not first troubled, who is not first concerned, who is not at first somewhat fearful. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ is telling His eleven men, “Do not do that, so that you will not then do this.” They are told to resist becoming agitated in their heart (singular, remember) so that they will not then become cowardly in their heart.

Interestingly, though the apostles have not yet fit the pieces of the puzzle together in their minds, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to them about fear of heart, the absence of peace of heart, those men who do not yet have the Spirit of God, who is the Author of peace as an abiding presence in the believer’s heart. The Savior, therefore, is speaking to them about the peace of God and the peace of mind and heart that He gives to them, but which they can neither experience or maintain by God’s grace, even in a congregation, until the Spirit of God is given to them. Once they are indwelt by the Spirit of God they will exhibit the peace the Lord is here speaking about, because this peace that He gives is given in concurrence with the gift of the Spirit Who produces the fruit of the Spirit that includes peace. And why does our Lord not tell all of this to His men at once? Beloved, no one is capable of receiving such truth all at once. It is overwhelming to us. Therefore, such truth must be taught piecemeal and woven into our life experience a bit at a time.

Do you wonder how eleven men could have peace bestowed to them by Christ, Christ’s peace given to them differently than the world gives (what is equivalent to a counterfeit peace), and still not have peace of mind and heart? It is not given like you would give someone a rock, “Here. Take it.” This peace that is bestowed, and the peace which is Christ’s which is given, will be given to these men at the time they are given the Holy Spirit. That has not yet happened to them. And even then, peace is not a commodity that you have or don’t have. It is a tranquility of the heart, a serenity that is experienced to greater or lesser degrees. So, how can the apostles have this peace when the Savior is gone? They will be given the Spirit of God when the Savior is gone, and He will produce peace in their minds and hearts by various means, including His impact on their control of their own thought life. 

I have titled this message from God’s Word “Christ’s Two Peaces.” But in my message, I have made reference to three peaces. The type of peace not mentioned in my sermon’s title is the counterfeit peace that is given by the world, the only peace you have ever known if you are lost.

The world’s fake peace is not real or genuine. Remember, the letter written by James declares that 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”[11] 

Therefore, since the world’s version of peace does not come from God, it cannot be any good. And it won’t last and pass the test of enduring tribulation.

Christ’s peaces, on the other hand, are real and genuine. First, there is peace with God. A spiritual conflict exists between the holy God and the rebellious sinner, even when it is not recognized or acknowledged. When a sinner comes to Christ, however, the hostility is resolved, reconciliation is accomplished, sins are cleansed in the blood of Christ, and the sinner becomes a child of God by adoption. Peace with God now exists. This is the first peace of which the Savior spoke in our text.

Once peace with God has been established and the spiritual conflict between God and the individual has been forever resolved, then a second peace is given by Christ to the one who is now a believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is the peace of mind and heart that is felt by the Christian, especially within the context of the Christian congregation. Because it is felt, the peace of mind and heart is sometimes forfeited by the Christian who sins against the Spirit of God by quenching Him or grieving Him, thereby disrupting His ministry of bringing peace and love to the heart of the believer, or by separating from the congregation.

Once the Christian confesses and forsakes his sin, however, the Spirit of God resumes His activity of providing the peace of mind and heart the Savior grants to His own. These, then, are the two peaces of Christ. One, the first, is peace with God that Christ grants to sinners to make them Christians. The second is the peace of God that Christ grants to believers that is especially enjoyed in a group setting.

How important is genuine peace to you? Do you want peace with God? That only happens when you come to Christ, and He addresses the sin problem in your life that so grieves God. Would you also like peace of mind and heart? That follows a sinner’s conversion to Christ, given by the Savior through the ministry of the Holy Spirit to those who have trusted Him as Savior, and cultivated in communion with other Christians.

Are you tired of a contentious life that is filled with conflict and controversy?

Are you weighed down by sins?

I urge you to come to Christ, the Prince of Peace.

__________

[1] John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck, General Editors, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1983), page 324.

[2] Leon Morris, The Gospel According To John - Revised Edition, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), page 583, footnote 76.

[3] William Steuart McBirnie, The Search For The Twelve Apostles, (Wheaton, IL: Living Books, 1973), page 109.

[4] Revelation 19.11-20.6

[5] Bauer, Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), page 243-244.

[6] Morris, page 584.

[7] https://www.searchlock.com/search?q=pax+romana 6/1/16

[8]

Transcendental Meditation refers to a specific form of silent, mantra meditation promoted by organizations that constitute the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created and introduced the TM technique and TM movement in India in the mid-1950s. This spiritually dangerous practice is thought by many Americans to be benign, but I have been introduced to a Christian who was a Hindu guru for thirty years who warns of the spiritual danger of this doctrine of demons.

[9] Bauer, pages 990-991.

[10] Ibid., page 215.

[11] James 1.17

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Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church