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“Finding Peace in the Storm”
John 14:25-31
IPC, June 28, 2009

Outside of the fact that our building was rocking from VBS this past week, it has been a fairly typical week for the pastor.  Three back surgeries and a foot surgery, my phone ringing from folks experiencing financial stress, family problems or major decisions.  I agree with Pastor Chuck Swindoll when he confesses, “I live my life in routine panic.” 

As the insurance company states, “Life comes at you fast.”  And, many times, we’re unable to brace ourselves for life as it really is.  I don’t need reality television.  I live in real reality everyday.  Trials and challenges, like snakes, strike from coiled behind various rocks, and all can make us wonder if God in on the throne.  They tempt to doubt whether there is a Designer with a good plan.  They scare us, make us anxious and cause us to lose sleep.  We may not even want to trust God and attempt to be positive. 

I want to draw from the teachings of our Lord Jesus this morning from John 14:25-31.  The disciples had been with Jesus for three years and whenever they had a problem, they went to Him.  But now He is leaving them and they are getting anxious.  This chapter of Scripture begins with Jesus saying, “Let not your heart be troubled.”  He goes back to that theme toward the end of the chapter.  (Vs. 25-31)  “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things & bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away & I will come to you.’  If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.  Rise, let us go from here.” 

The letter read: “Dear Abby, I have found the secret to inner peace and I want to share it with all your readers.  The secret is to finish the things you start.  Today alone I finished two bags of potato chips, a chocolate pie, a bottle of wine and a box of candy.  I feel better already.” 

Some of those things may make you feel better, but this is not what the Lord promises us.  Peace is a promised result of knowing God and having Him truly working in our lives.  Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

Please note that in John 14 or Galatians 5 there is no qualification about circumstances.  I take that to mean that we can have peace (of some kind and somehow), even in the midst of chaos.

In the PCA we have put much of the Bible’s significant teachings in question and answer form to help us teach ourselves and our children.  One of those questions asks: What are the benefits which in this life accompany or flow from justification, adoption & sanctification?  The answer: The benefits which in this life accompany or flow from justification, adoption, & sanctification are: assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, & increase & perseverance in grace to the end.  (Westminster Shorter Catechism #36) 

In other words, peace can flow into our lives as a result of salvation.  Hence, the title of this morning’s message is “Finding Peace in the Storm.”  In order to find peace in the storm. 

1. We Must Recognize & Reject False Peace

Jesus clearly contrasts His gift of peace with the world’s peace in verse 27 of our text.  He says, “Not as the world gives do I give to you.”  The world offers a form of peace but Jesus sees it as a false peace and tells us to reject it.   

What is the world’s peace?  Some of it was illustrated in my opening story about finishing what you start.  Trying to lose your anxieties in an excess of alcohol or in dessert is a common form of temporary peace. 

Wealth promises peace but Jesus warned us of that danger in the parable of the wealthy landowner who was going to expand his barns.  Luke 12:19 “And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”  Of course, that man died that night and his wealth did him no good.  He was so busy chasing the world’s peace that he wasn’t interested in seeking God’s peace.  We must first reject this false peace before we have any hope of attaining God’s peace. 

We’re often like that wealthy landowner. When we put money aside for a special use we call it a “trust.”  Money promised to us at retirement is called Social Security.  We may even call our money “the almighty dollar,” as if money can free us of all our troubles. 

Be careful.  The world’s peace often has a hook hidden within the bait.  And the world’s peace will deliver less than they promise and the peace is TEMPORARY. 

2. We Must Value & Receive Jesus’ Peace.

When we hear peace discussed in our culture, it is generally speaking of a horizontal peace, between countries or ideologies.  The absence of violence is a good goal to have, but this is not the peace that Jesus is speaking of in John 14.   

He is speaking about a “vertical” aspect of peace, which concerns our relationship with God.  This peace has two parts.  First of all, there is peace WITH God and secondly, we receive the peace OF God.  We make peace WITH God upon our conversion—upon placing our trust in the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  But experiencing the peace OF God is a daily process and choice.  And you cannot have the peace of God without first experiencing peace with God. 

The Bible teaches that the greatest enemy of those who are not yet Christians is…surprisingly, God!  That may sound strange, but because of our sin, apart from faith in the Lord Jesus, we are God’s enemies.  Even though we may fight Him at every turn, He woos us and calls us and works for our conversion and loves us while we curse and despise Him.  Wouldn’t it be great if all of our enemies fought that way? 

You may desire to experience true peace of soul and conscience but you cannot have it unless you are at peace WITH God.  You must first ask yourself if you have come to the place in your life where you admitted that you have made yourself God’s enemy.  Have you laid your weapons at the cross and accepted Jesus’ peace treaty on your behalf?  Are you confident that Christ knows you personally and nothing can separate you from His loving presence?   

I will confess, my sin nature hates to be humbled like that.  However, until we confess our sin and receive Christ’s peace treaty on our behalf, we have no peace with God and cannot experience the peace of God in our lives. 

Please understand that biblical peace doesn’t merely come through optimum circumstances in life.  We spend a lot of our lives trying to control chaos, by changing people or circumstances.  The Lord does not offer us a bed of roses, but He offers us peace along the thorny path.  Peace is not the result of avoiding conflict or changing circumstances. 

I mentioned a moment ago that my greatest enemy before I became a Christian was God, and He loved me in the midst of my rebellion.  Now that I’m a Christian, I have a bunch of enemies who hate me and seek to make life and circumstances miserable.  Biblical peace is not the ABSENCE of conflict; it is THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE MIDST OF YOUR CHAOS!  And, in the midst of the chaos, God’s Spirit can give you the power to persevere.  The word persevere has the prefix “per,” which means through and we know what the word “severe” means.  God can get you through it.  Hang in there! 

3. How to Receive and Experience the Peace of God.

We must first realize that this is a supernatural work of God’s sovereign Holy Spirit.  We cannot create this gift on our own—it is the gracious promise of a merciful Savior.  We ask and trust, remembering that God must do a work in our souls. 

It is a promise that is received by faith.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, so you must hear the truth and believe it in order to know God’s peace.  Cling to the truth and the promise of Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  Remember verses 31-32: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  Verses 37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, no things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

When we firmly believe and embrace the promises and truth of Romans 8, we can take the Jesus’ words at the beginning of John 14 when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.” 

Then, with our strengthened faith in Christ, we are to live like believers.  Read the book of Philippians…it’s a great guidebook for Christian living.  We are to rejoice in the Lord, we are to lean on the nearness of God, we are to pray with thanksgiving, we are to intentionally and actively think about biblical truth and we are to live out our faith.  And the promise is that the peace of God will be with us. 

It was shortly after the War Between the States when a troop of Union cavalry was riding between Richmond and Washington, D.C. and they came upon a poor soldier clothed in the ragged remnants of a confederate uniform.  He called out to the captain of the unit: “Can you help me? I’m starving to death.  Can you give me some food?”  The captain said, “Why don’t you just go into Richmond and get what you need?”  The soldier replied, “I wouldn’t dare.  I will be arrested.  Three weeks ago I became so discouraged because of our losses that I deserted from the southern army and I have been hiding in the woods ever since, gradually making my way north, hoping for a chance to break through to Federal lines.  If I should be caught by southern soldiers, I would be shot for deserting.” The captain asked, “Haven’t you heard the news?”  “What news?”  “Why, the war is over. Peace has been made.  General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox two weeks ago.  The Confederacy is ended.”  The haggard soldier exclaimed, “What!?!  Peace has been made and I have been starving in the woods and I didn’t know it?” 

When Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” He is saying, “I’m leaving to make peace between the Father and His rebellious children.  I will complete the work and all the know Me can know My peace.”   

God does not promise us clear, calm weather throughout life.  He promises two things: Our destination is certain if we trust in Christ—and that is heaven.  And secondly, He promises that He will “be with us always, even to the end of the age.”   

Horatio Spafford, a businessman in Chicago, sent his wife and three daughters to Europe by ship while he remained back in the States, intending to join them later.  En route there was a terrible storm and a shipwreck during which their three daughters drowned.  Mrs. Spafford made it to safety and wired back saying, “All our daughters have been lost. Only I have been saved.”  Spafford took the next ship to Europe and as they neared the place where his daughters drowned, the captain of the ship pointed to the place where their ship had gone down.  Standing on the deck, Spafford wrote these words:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with soul.”

Folks, God loves us, but He loves us TOO MUCH not to withhold life from us as it really is.  As a result, we experience the good, the bad and the ugly.  But…we can have PEACE, knowing that God is truly on the throne and every circumstance and event is ultimately for our good and His glory.  Let’s pray. 

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In Christ,
Bill Bratley - Pastor