Okay, we're in John chapter 14,
starting in verse 23. Jesus answered and said unto
him, if a man love me, he will keep my words, and my father
will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with
him. He that loveth me not keepeth
not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but
the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto
you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach
you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever
I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not
as the world gives, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. You have heard how I said unto
you, I go away and come again unto you. If you loved me, you
would rejoice because I said, I go unto the father, for my
father is greater than I. And now I have told you before
it come to pass that when it has come to pass, you might believe. Hereafter, I will not talk much
with you, for the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing
in me. but that the world may know that
I love the Father, as the Father gave me commandment, even so
I do. Arise, let us go. I would like to look at the phrase,
verse 27, peace, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you. I give unto you, not as the world,
But my peace is what I give unto you. William Jay, writer of old
times, said, we know whose words these are and who was ever so
qualified to speak such comforting words. This is the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's speaking about his peace.
He leaves his peace. He's gonna leave them the comforter.
The comforter, the father and the son will make their abode
in us. And so we will have peace. Now Christ is styled in the word
the Prince of Peace. His ministers are the messengers
of peace. His word is the gospel of peace. His way is the path of peace. The angels, when they announced
his presence to the shepherds, they announced that he was at
peace. Peace was in the announcement,
his birth. And now at his departing, he's
departing, I will not speak much with you, he said, he tells his
sheep, he left when he was on the cross, And they were there
looking at him, and his mom was there. Jesus says, and he says,
he looked at John and says, take care of her. So he left her in
good hands. So what does he leave his disciples?
It's like all they had was Christ. Well, these last words were perhaps
his last will and testament for his chosen bride. He says, peace,
I leave you. Peace, I give unto you. lands, houses, gold or silver,
he had none. But to give, that is to be graced
with peace to his people, that peace that passes all known understanding,
says the apostle. What a privilege. What a wonderful
gift is this to rotten, hell-deserving sinners as such as we are. What
peace, peace. This peace in such a contemptible
and ill-favored world as this is, this is the best of all gifts,
the supreme token of the love of Christ and sins pardoned by
him. Peace I leave with you. And I
will say this, the older I get and the older, if the Lord gives
you longer life, the older you get, the more this will mean. This verse, this text will mean
to you. And Bruce has said it time and
time again when he drove for the old folks. I'll say it that
way. For Sadie. Everybody was religious. Everybody had, but that's not
what I'm talking about. They're producing their own peace.
They're not going to the Bible and seeing all the saints that
had trouble upon trouble upon trouble, in, findings within,
fears without. They had this all the time. But
they had peace. It's a peace that though the
world may not change, and it's not going to, and your particular
situation may not change, you have peace within. And a lot
of times that peace gets disturbed because we get looking around
and listening. But this is what he says. He's
leaving his disciples. This is all they knew for three
years or whatever. This is all they knew. They left
their nets. They left the tax collecting. Matthew, they got up and they
followed Christ. And this is going on. And they
thought it would be him who was to restore Israel. So they didn't
even fully understand what was going on. But when he raises
from the dead, they'll remember this. And they're gonna need
to remember it because the Jews are gonna scatter this church.
to the four winds. His gospel is going to go out.
So I want to look at this first negatively. First negatively.
Look at the peace I leave unto you, Christ says, my peace I
give you. This is what I want to look at first. Not as the
world gives, I give you. Not like the world, but this
is what I'm going to give. So negatively, not as the world
gives. I ask you, what can the world
give the true believer as we have already in possession of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if you don't know Christ,
if you don't have experienced the grace of God in your life,
you don't know what I'm talking about. But if you step back and
look at your life before you met the Lord, how he took care
of you, you're like Gomer. in Hosea, and you don't realize
all these gifts, these blessings, you don't realize whose hand
they're coming from. But after he has done a work
in you through the preaching of the truth, through repentance
and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're saying, what amazing peace
he has given me. This world's peace is false peace. It's false peace. This world's
peace is lying peace. It's temporary peace. Perhaps
it's living peace. The Lord lets folks, they're
doing very well, have to worry about bills. They don't have
to worry at the end of the month. They don't have to worry about
that. They can go to get shoes anytime. They can get clothes
anytime. They don't worry about, and He may do that, because everything
comes from His hand, not mercy. He's just as the creator. It's
temporary, though. because it's all going to burn
up with the using. Perhaps he gives some living piece. But
this piece, that is, it's like a vapor. It's here, it's gone.
You can't take the riches with you. Uncertain riches, he calls
them. This piece cannot be given by
this world. It can't be, it's called cunning
and craftiness, this piece that the world gives. This world gifts
only concern body and time. If you're here tomorrow, he may
give you a breath to live. Body and time, but Christ's peace
is eternal. It's eternal. This world promises
smiles, popularity, and all things concerning the flesh, the here
and the now. The here and the now. Actually,
Proverbs states it pretty well. And you can stay there, I'll
read it to you in Proverbs chapter 5, this false wisdom, this false
gospel, this religion without Christ, this world, for the lips
of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb and her mouth is smoother than
oil. But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged
sword. Her feet go down to death. Her
steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldst ponder the
path of life, which is the path of peace. Her ways are movable. You cannot know them. You know,
friendships, same thing. You know, they're your friend
today. You go through a little adversity,
you get a good oil strike, everybody's, you know, I think Eric Clapton
sings this song about that. You know, you got your hand on
that dollar and you got a bunch of friends, and then something
happens, they don't know you. They don't know you. The world's
peace is tied up with false promises, deception, a pledge of security,
a guarantee, and an oath of restfulness. And I say, woe unto them who
are allured by its creeds, its religion, or its sect." Isaiah,
again, I'll read it to you. Chapter 5 says, and we see this
in this country even more now than before that I remember,
In Isaiah five and verse 20, he says, woe unto them that call
evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light
for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. That's this world. And that's
what this world promises. That's what this world promises.
Many are the examples and scriptures of those who put their trust
in this world and uncertain riches or its fables. That's the world. Christ says, I don't give you
that kind of peace. Let's look positively then at
what he's saying. Peace I leave with you, my peace
I give unto you. Let's talk about Christ's peace.
Therefore, it's peace with his father. We have peace with the
Father, the Son, the Spirit, through the everlasting covenant,
through the blood of the cross, is more than idle promises. This
promise of peace is more than just idle promise, idle talk.
Not only is it the title and right to his peace, but he puts
us in actual possession of it. Look at what he says, I give
unto you. That's actual possession. That's
actual possession. Not only does He promise it,
I leave this with you, but I will give it, give it to you. Give. Grace. Free, sovereign grace. He gives it. It is not earned. We can't work for it. We can't
repent for it. We can't do anything. It's freely
bestowed through the work of Christ. Like as a father leaves
to his dear children in his will and testament, Christ gives his
portion, this is his portion, peace to his people. And such
a worthy portion it is. This peace, it's a worthy portion. For, one, it is put as peace
here in our text, but it's all good peace. It's Romans 8, 28
peace. All things work together for
good, If we could just stay right there, that, and I can speak from experience.
This was, that was the promise in Romans 8, 28. And I've always
liked that verse, but it's just like, well, this is great. But
then when things in my life at a particular time got real serious,
real difficult, real quick, the Lord brought this to my mind
and it was like, Come what may, come what may, excommunicate
me, kick me out. It's okay, because this is going
to work for my good. So it's put as peace here in
our text. Peace I leave you. I give it
to you. It's a possession. It's all good
peace, only good, the only best for his bride. That's how he
could say, Romans 820. How can he say such a thing?
Because it's his peace to give. It's his piece to give, it's
his piece to leave. Secondly, this is a worthy portion
for it is reclensatory, reconciled, reclensatory piece. It's preached
unto us, it's granted to us by purchase at Calvary's tree and
guaranteed resurrection piece after death. So this piece, not
only is it all good piece, it's reclensatory piece. Thirdly,
It's a worthy portion, for it is legacy peace. What does that
mean? When he spoke it, they had it.
Did Abraham have it? If he saw Christ in his day,
he had it. What about in the 18th? What
about Spurgeon? He had it. What about us? What about maybe
our children? What about tomorrow? It's legacy. It knows his peace. He gives unto his people. It was as good in the days of
Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, it was as good then as it was during
the kings, during Solomon's reign, when Paul walked the earth, when
John the Baptist, when Peter was hanging upside down in his
death, it was good then and it's good for us today. It's good
to them, it was good to his church, it's good then, now, and hereafter.
Fourthly, it's a worthy portion because it's real peace. Again,
not as the world gives, but I as I. I, peace, I leave, says Christ,
my peace I give unto you. Who's speaking? The great I am,
the alpha, the omega, wisdom personified, grace exemplified,
mercy realized. That's why this peace is real
peace. Fifthly, I like this. This piece is a worthy portion
because it's irrevocable. It's an irrevocable piece. Now we know from Hebrews chapter
9, what Christ is saying, this is His last will and testament.
Verbally, this is His last will and testament. Okay? In Hebrews, It says, how much
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit
offered himself without spot, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. For this cause, he is the meteor
of the New Testament. By that, by the means of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament,
they which are called but receive the promise of eternal life.
Now that's irrevocable. But listen, for where a testament
is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator,
Christ. He made this testament, and he's
dying. For a testament is a force after
men are dead. Otherwise, it is of no strength
at all while the testator lives. Whereupon neither the first testament
was dedicated without blood, for when Moses had spoken every
precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood
of calves and goats and water and scarlet and hyssop, sprinkled
the book, In all the people, this is the testament of which
God hath enjoined unto you. Almost all things were by the
law purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is
no remission. But the death of the testator,
this is his last will and testament, he died, he had to die, and thereby
making this peace Irrevocable. His will shall not ever be annulled. You know, lawyers, people have
wills in their last reading, and lawyers can do this and do
that. Nobody's going to mess with this will and testament. Nobody's going to erase it. Why? Because it's as Christ himself,
as God is himself, as the Holy Spirit is himself, immutable. That means it does not change.
Not only that, but Ephesians 4 tells us that it is sealed
to the day of redemption. That word sealed by the Holy
Spirit, this promise sealed, that means preserved. It's irrevocable. Irrevocable. So I pray that when
we look at this, at this text, in John chapter 14 and verse
27, peace I leave with you. We realize who's speaking. My
peace I give unto you. We have possession. literal possession
of this peace. Now, knowing this, I think it
ought to cause three things in everyone who calls upon the name
of Christ. And if you don't have these,
I pray that the Lord would show this unto you and cause you to
cry unto him for everlasting salvation. Peace. Three results owning to
this peace as it's given. First, we ought to prize it.
Like this place here, we gather together, doesn't seem like much.
If it gets taken away, that's what David said when David was
running. Oh, if I could just be a doorkeeper in the house
of God, just to see, you know, just to see my brethren, to hear
the hymns being played, One more, give me one more time to hear
Matthew Ryan Workman come up here and read from the word. Not his own thought, read from
the word. Then Nathan, pick out some hymns
that will honor and glorify Christ. Just one more time to see everybody's
face glued into the message, loving Christ, having this peace. May we prize it. as it is most
precious, it's that rare pearl of great price. It's that lost
coin that he talks about in the New Testament. May we esteem
it highly, the highest, for love's sake, for Christ's love unto
us, his dear pilgrims. First thing, we ought to prize
it, set it aside, honor and glorify him as we gather together. May
we reckon this absolute. There's nothing absolute. Very
few things absolute in this world. Because the will is written.
The will has been witnessed. The will has been sealed. The
executor is true, just, and honest. Therefore, reckon this promise
of peace. Absolute. Sure and upon the firmest
ground. Faint not. I know things get
tough. It doesn't get any easier. It
doesn't get any easier. Faint not. Why? Because look
back at this at John and see in this 14th chapter that this
what Christ is saying is absolute. It's the words of the great I
Am. Prize it. Prize this piece because
there'll be times your children They're going to try you. Something
may happen. Everything's going fine. Something
may happen physically, mentally, and it's going to try you. Prize
it. Prize it. And then if your children
are drawn, the most wonderful thing. Oh, we talk about this
job and that job and this sport and that sport. It's nothing.
It's going to burn. But oh, that day, I remember,
well, Jackie, if I can tell it, that day when your children come
to know the gospel. And then you're gonna be tried.
Isn't that the most wonderful thing in the world? Oh my, and
then, I don't know how long afterwards, then the trials are gonna come
up. Why? I tried to tell this to
my younger brother. I said, you don't know what trials
are. When the Lord gives you that
new nature, then there's going to be a trial. He still doesn't
understand. But there's hope. There's hope.
But I think the third thing is we need this for sure in this
verse. This is the result of this understanding
and laying hold of this piece. Look at what he says. Let not
your heart be troubled, neither let your heart be afraid. That's exactly what we are. The
third thing I think results from understanding that Christ is
leaving his peace with us. He's giving his peace to us.
Let not your heart be troubled. That means stirred up, agitated,
or be afraid, timid, or fear. Don't let your heart be troubled.
Don't let your heart be afraid. Anything that these ears can
hear or pick up, well, I heard. I heard this is going on at Washington. I heard this is going on in Jeff
City. I heard this is going on. I may not have a job. I heard,
I heard, I heard. Let not your heart be troubled. Some stuff we can't help but
hear. If you're in the world, you're
going to hear stuff. And most of it is nonsense. But secondly, anything these
eyes can see or read, there's a lot of stuff out there. It's
just constantly, constantly getting you agitated, upset, discouraged. They were getting ready to miss,
not lose, miss their Redeemer. I'm leaving. I'm leaving. Let not your heart be troubled.
Let not your heart be troubled. I tell us, I tell myself, let
us simply by faith believe what our Lord, overall, isn't He overall? We say He's sovereign. It's our
church sign. Let us simply Walk by faith in
what our Lord has said unto us. Again, walk by faith, not by
sight, not by hearing, not by listening what's going on. Peace I leave with you, my peace
I give unto you, not as the world, And we get a little smarter each
time we deal with the world and it's friends and friendship with
the world. We get a little smarter, a little wiser. Let not your heart be troubled.
And let it be afraid. Let us prize what we have. Let
us reckon it absolute. And let our hearts not be troubled.
Peace, it's a wonderful thing. What a wonderful thing. Do we
know this piece? Do we have this piece? Which means, do we know Christ
and do we have Christ? May he give us grace to simply
walk in this piece, walk in faith. Matt, would you close us?