Sermon Tone Analysis

trouble and turmoil marks our world

we see it in the unrest that happens internationally as nations experience conflict with each other

it has been estimated that in the last 3500 yrs there have only been 300 years of peace!

(Will and Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History, P81)

it has also been estimated that in the last 5,500 yrs more than 8,000 peace treaties have been broken, 14,000 wars fought with the loss of 4 billion lives

in spite of our relentless desire for and pursuit of peace it seems impossible to achieve!

trouble and turmoil also marks our personal relationships

we all long for peace in our personal lives

we want freedom from the noise of every day life, release from the troubles of our past

we want harmony in our relationships

we even have a saying when we come to the end of our lives that reveals our longing for peace!

RIP!

yet if a person dies without Christ it will never happen!

lasting peace however seems to be an impossible goal

our world really has no idea how to find it

we can’t seem to find peace in temporal things like social change, economic stability, material prosperity and recreational pursuits

only God’s Word authoritatively points us to the source of lasting peace

peace:

Heb: wellness or salvation

sometimes uses as a greeting

can refer to the absence of strife between people, nations and between God and man

also speaks of personal completeness, wholeness, contentment, health, prosperity and fulfillment

true and lasting peace flows from a right relationship with God

does not depend on the circumstances of life but rises above them

NT GK word for peace:

“the tranquil state of a soul assured of it’s salvation through Christ”

it fears nothing from God (Rom 8:1)

it is content no matter the circumstances (Php 4:11-12)

Paul’s example in the most trying circumstances: attacked by a mob, shipwrecked at sea, stoned, church troubles

for most of the people in the world peace is the absence of things which destroy it

the problem: it’s possible to be free of them and still not have peace!

there is one source of peace found in Jn 14:27

setting of the Upper Room the night before Christ’s death

disciples are worried, anxious, afraid

promised them the HS, the basis of supernatural peace

The Nature of Peace

“peace I leave with you”

in the NT peace has to do with a person’s right relationship with God

when they are right with God they experience peace in their everyday life

apart from being in a right relationship with God there can be no real and lasting inner peace

this is a peace that the unsaved can never enjoy

since Adam and Eve rejected God and His Word the human race has been in constant rebellion against God

they are all enemies of God to one degree or another

James says everyone who loves the world hates God (James 4:4)

the bible calls this sin and declares everyone a sinner (Rom 3:23)

as such they are under God’s wrath and condemnation and they know it

the good news is that enemies of God can be reconciled to him through the Lord Jesus Christ

because God has chosen to reconcile people to himself through faith in His Son Jesus this is the only way to enjoy everlasting peace

the moment a sinner is justified their rebellion ends, all their sins are forgiven

though they were once enemies they become sons of God (Rom 8:12-17)

this is why the gospel is called, “the gospel of peace”

it is the good news of how rebels can be at peace with God through Christ

righteousness and peace are inseparably linked

because God is holy and just, a penalty must be paid when a person sins

Jesus paid that penalty for those who put their faith and trust in him

“Though perfectly righteous, Christ was punished in the place of all who believe as though He were a sinner, so that they through faith in him could be treated as though they were perfectly righteous” John MacArthur

peace with God results in a personal experience of peace within

this is the peace that is spoken of in Php 4:7

guard: a military term meaning “to keep watch over”

the peace of God guards people against fear, anxiety, worry, fear, sorrow

turns sorrow into joy, fear into boldness and doubt into confidence

peace is an essential part of the believer’s life

The Source of Peace

“my peace I give to you”

God is peace:

see also Rom 16:20; Php 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 13:20

Jesus also is peace:

verses which say, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Eph 1:2; Col 1:2; 2 Thess 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phm 3; 1 John 3)

God the Father and God the Son are therefore the source of all true peace

the ministry of the HS is to impart that peace to believers

the peace that Jesus gives is the same peace that guarded him when he was arrested, mocked, unjustly condemned, flogged and crucified

we share in that peace when we fix our eyes on him

The Enemy of Peace

“not as the world gives to I give to you”

godless people in a godless world are in a state of constant turmoil

the only peace it can offer is temporary, momentary and fleeting

it has offered this peace through shopping, accumulating things, sex, drugs, false religion

now you can add FB likes and shares, Instagram, the number of Twitter followers you have, how well you have done on the lastest video game, how new your cell phone is, etc.

the bible’s testimony to this:

the world’s peace is an illusion based on temporary circumstances or foolish escapism

the world’s temporary peace is in reality blissful ignorance

if unbelievers understood the agonizing, eternal torment which awaits them in hell they would never enjoy a moment’s peace on earth!

The Possession of Peace

“Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let let them be afraid”

having promised to give his disciples peace Jesus now repeats his command first given in 14:1

some might ask, “if Jesus gives us his supernatural peace, why does he to command us not to be troubled or afraid?”

the bible teaches us that we are responsible to act on God’s promises

while God baptizes every believer with the HS the believer is responsible to be filled with the HS (Eph 5:18) and walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25)

though we have been given eternal life we are reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ (Rom 6:11)

the HS has been given to lead believers into all truth and the believer’s responsibility is to study the scriptures diligently (2 Tim 2:15)

Paul said of himself “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20) also said “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:26-27)

as with the Lord’s other promises we are responsible to take for ourselves Christ’s promised peace

listen to a few ways that believers do this:

God produces peace in our lives through discipline

when we believe in God and all that he has promised us he fills us with joy and peace

we are not to live in anguish and regret of the past, we are not to be anxious about present difficulties and we are not to be afraid of the future

Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:25-34)

“God has forgiven the past, provided for the present, and guaranteed the future, leaving nothing to legitimately disrupt the believer’s peace.”

John MacArthur

the good news of the gospel is that the war between the sinner and God can end