Beautiful words in that hymn,
all of the hymns we sang, in fact. I like to sing that last
hymn, the night we observed the Lord's table, to remember him. He said, this do in remembrance
of me. It's hard to believe, isn't it,
that a disciple of Christ, that we could forget him, but we do
many times, many times in the day we forget him. And the day
may come, like I believe the last line of that hymn tells
us, when our memories may be gone and we don't even remember
our own names. But thank God, He remembers us. That's the main thing. He remembers
us. Let's look tonight in John chapter
14. The last verses in John 14, verses
27 through 31. 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. 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 is 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,
And as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go
hence. Tonight, we will consider what
the Lord Jesus Christ in these verses declares that are His. I want us to look at His peace,
His Father, his impeccability, and his obedience. These four
things which are his. First, his peace. Notice in verse
27, he says, my peace, my peace I leave with you. I give unto you. This peace is
usually referred to his legacy. Years ago, I don't think this
is common today, but it seems it was very common in days gone
by, past centuries, that a man would wait until he was on his
deathbed to write out his will. And he would disperse his property
as he so desired, right there at the very end of his life.
a legacy. The Lord Jesus Christ is now
at the end of his earthly ministry. The next day he will be crucified. Matthew Henry began his comments
on this verse with these words, and I quote, when Christ was
about to leave the world, he made his will. His soul he committed
to his father, his body he bequeathed to Joseph, to be decently interred. His clothes fell to the soldiers. His mother he left to the care
of John, but what should he leave to his poor disciples who had
left all to follow him? Silver and gold he had none,
but he left them that which was infinitely better. my peace. This was his legacy. Remember
in that list that shows the depravity of man in Romans chapter 3, the
Apostle Paul quotes from the Old Testament many verses, but
one verse he says there is the way of peace they have not known. That's true of all lost men,
the way of peace they have not known. And so most lost people
go about to accomplish something, to make their peace with God.
And that's a common statement heard among most lost people
when they say, make your peace with God. Well, that's an impossibility. the way of peace they have not
known. This peace, which the Lord Jesus
Christ here refers to, is peace with God. Therefore, being justified
by faith, we have peace with God. And think about it. What could be better tonight?
Recognizing that God is, and we are, to have peace with Him. Peace, my peace. There are four
things about this peace that I want to point out to us tonight. First of all, his peace is the
subject of an everlasting covenant. He said, my peace, his peace
is the subject of an everlasting covenant. The everlasting covenant
itself is called a covenant of peace. A covenant of peace. In Ezekiel chapter 37 and verse
26, we read, moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with
them. It shall be an everlasting covenant. So this peace is the subject
of that everlasting covenant that was made before the foundation
of the world, a covenant of peace, an everlasting covenant. Also
in Isaiah 54 and verse 10, the scripture says, for the mountains
shall depart. This shows us stability. When you read in the Old Testament
about the mountains departing or being cast into the sea or
things like that, it's talking about the stability. of God and
God's promises and God's covenant. For the mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant of peace be removed,
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. This peace, His peace,
is the subject of the everlasting covenant, which is a covenant
of peace. It was in this everlasting covenant
that He, the Eternal Son of God, was set up to be the mediator,
or the peacemaker. The peacemaker, the one who would
make peace for His people with God. He is the Eternal Son who
would come into this world become incarnate and establish peace
between God and men who were by nature enmity with God, you
and I, by nature enmity with God. And yet Christ was set up
in the everlasting covenant, this covenant of peace to come,
to be the peacemaker, the one and only one who would establish
peace for his people with God. My peace, the peace which the
Lord Jesus Christ calls my peace, was purposed in eternity past. That's the first thing I say
about His peace. It was the subject of an everlasting
covenant. Number two, His peace was obtained
by the blood of His cross. Look with me, if you will, at
this verse in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 20. His peace was obtained by the
blood of his cross. In Colossians chapter 1 and verse 20, the apostle said, and Colossians
1 verse 20, and having made peace through the blood of His cross.
By Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him, I say,
whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. As I looked at this verse this
past week, I was struck by the word His, His, by the blood of
His cross. This piece This piece was obtained
by the blood of his cross. You know, at various times in
the history of Rome, there were many crosses. I believe in AD
70, when Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem, there were
hundreds of Jews which were crucified on crosses at different times
in history. And I thought about the fact
the day the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, died on a cross,
we know that there were two other men also who were crucified that
same day, who shed their blood, their blood stained a cross. But their blood had no value,
no value at all. But the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ, because of who he is, The value, the worth of the blood
of Jesus Christ is such that it establishes peace between
guilty men and women and the holy God. Have you ever thought about those
three men, the Lord Jesus Christ and those other two men who were
crucified that day? Have you ever thought about those
three men and their relationship to sin? Have you? One man died with all his sins
in him and perished, and he's in hell tonight. The other man,
another man, the Lord Jesus Christ, he died with all the sins of
his people upon him, and he triumphed over sin, death, and hell. And one man died with no sin,
no sin. His sins were all forgiven and
he left this world with no sin and met Christ that very day
in paradise. The peace which the Lord Jesus
calls my peace was obtained by the shedding of his blood. Without
the cross, without the crucifixion, without the blood, the dying,
the death of Jesus Christ, there is no peace. The scripture says
there is no peace to the wicked. The third thing about His peace,
His peace is a free grace gift. Notice what He says in our text
tonight, My peace I give unto you. I give unto you." He does
not sell this peace. It's not up for the highest bidder.
It's not merited. It's not deserved. What could
we ever do to deserve peace with God? After we have sinned against
God as rebels, what could we have ever done to merit, to obtain
peace with God? His peace is a free grace gift. Now the word free and grace,
that's kind of redundant, isn't it? Because God's grace is always
free. But we use the word sovereign
and free to speak of God's grace because so many people talk about
grace And it means something else than what the scripture
teaches. It's a strange kind of grace.
It's a grace that you do your part, and then he'll do his part. But the problem is, your part,
my part, is sinful. And we need grace that does all. That does all. And thank God
He did, and He gives His peace. It's free. It's free. The peace
which the Lord Jesus calls my peace is a free grace gift. And fourth, His peace is an irrevocable
free grace gift. Not like the world gives. The
world may give you peace today and take it away tomorrow. No,
no. His peace, He gives His peace,
and to those whom He gives His peace will always have peace
with God. It's irrevocable. The gifts and
calling of God are without repentance. Without repentance means that
when God gives a gift, He's not going to change His mind. There's
not going to be any repentance on His part. The gifts and calling
of God are without repentance. In the Spanish translation, I
was speaking to a pastor the other night, and he was telling
me, in one Spanish version at least, is the word irrevocable,
irrevocable. He said, I like that word best
of all, irrevocable. It cannot be revoked, the peace
that he gives. The calling, the gifts and callings
of God are without repentance. He does not give like the world
gives. So that's the first thing of
Christ we see in this passage, his peace. Now second, his father,
his father. He says in this passage, and
if you take the time, some time to read through John chapter
14 and count the number of times that he says, either father or
my father. I don't think you'll find any
other chapter in the Bible where the Lord Jesus Christ does not
speak more of his father than in this 14th chapter of John. And in these verses, he said,
my father is greater than I. Well, the enemies of God, the
enemies of the truth concerning the trinity of persons In the
Godhead, in the divine essence, they take these words of our
Lord and they say, you see there, He's not as great as the Father. He's not equal with the Father. In other words, God the Father
is the greatest, and yes, He may be great, but He doesn't
quite measure up. The Son of God doesn't quite
measure up because they deny the trinity of persons in the
Godhead. But we know that God is one. There's one God. There's three
persons in the Godhead. And every attribute that is true
of one is true of the other. The Father is eternal, the Son
is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. We know these things
are true. But the enemies of the Word of
God and of Christ Himself, they latch on these words and they
say, well, you see there, there is an inequality between the
Father and the Son. But they may be easily understood
if a person would just consider Who spoke these words? Who spoke
these words? Who is it that is now going to
the Father? You notice he said, You have heard how I said unto
you, I go away. Who's going away? Well, God the
Son's not going away. He's everywhere. He didn't leave
heaven when he came here. Remember he told Nicodemus while
he was talking to Nicodemus that he was in heaven. You say, explain
that. I can't explain that other than
to know that God the Son is equal with God the Father and God the
Holy Spirit and God is everywhere. Who's speaking here when he said,
I go to the Father? Who is it that will die upon
the cross? We know, you know, it is the
God-Man, the Mediator, He who is both God and Man. And in this position as God-Man,
He is the Servant of Jehovah, the Servant. Behold, Isaiah 42
and verse 1, God said, I tell you, when God tells you
to behold, you better behold. You better look. Behold, my servant,
mine elect, whom I behold. He's the one who would come and
make the law honorable. This one, the servant of Jehovah. And it is as the servant of Jehovah
that he speaks these words, my father is greater than I. One writer said this, and I quote, the enemies of the
doctrine of Christ's divinity forget that Trinitarians maintain
the humanity of Christ as strongly as his divinity, and never shrink
from admitting that while Christ as God is equal to the Father,
as man is inferior to the Father. And when we read here Trinitarians,
that's what we are. That's what I am. I believe that
there's a trinity of persons in the divine essence. That there's
one God, but he exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Three distinct persons. So that the Son, while here as
a mediator, prayed the Father, that he would give the Holy Spirit. The writer of Hebrews in chapter
2 made this comment or this statement. He said that we see Jesus. This
is who we see. By the eye of faith, we see Jesus. Now listen, who was made a little
lower than the angels as man, as God-man. The angels are higher
order of creation. than men are, that Christ was
made a little lower than the angels for, and that's so important,
that word for, in order to. He was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death. That's the reason he
came into this world as a man, that he might suffer and bleed
and die. We see Jesus who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with
glory and honor. He must He must be made man that
he might suffer death, but he must be God to satisfy God. His father. The third thing we
see here is his impeccability. That's a big word which simply
means that he cannot be tempted with sin. He could not sin. In fact, in James, the scripture
says, God cannot be tempted with evil. He doesn't tempt anyone.
Let no man say when he's tempted, I'm tempted of God. God cannot
be tempted with evil. The impeccability of Christ. Our Lord here said, the prince
of the world cometh. That's Satan, the devil, the
prince, and he's usurped authority over the world. The prince of
the world cometh and hath nothing, nada, nothing, nothing in me. Our Lord tells his disciples,
the prince of the world, that is Satan, he's coming, he's coming
to make a final assault upon me, but he has nothing in me. He has nothing in Christ. Think of all the men, every man
that Satan has ever come upon, and he's always found something
in them. I think about the fact he came
first to our parents, Adam and Eve, in the garden. And even
though they were holy, they were not immutably holy. So he found in them something,
something upon which to work. And we know that he worked first
upon Eve, and then upon Adam, and he found something in them.
They sinned, they disobeyed God. He came upon Noah, one man that
God saved, along with his three sons, and their wives, and his
wife. How many is that, two, four,
six, eight? Eight souls were saved in that ark. And when he
came out of the ark, He planted a vineyard and got drunk. I was
reading a message this past week by an old English pastor. And
he was telling when he was a young man, I imagine he was about 20,
21, 22 years old, something like that. And he was, had just been
converted, I think at 17. And he said at a prayer meeting
one time, there was an older man there and they were praying
and The older man went to sleep and he just tore that man up
for that. How could he be a Christian?
How could he be a child of God and go to sleep like that? And
the presence of God, fall off to sleep. And he said before
the week was out, he made up his mind he was going to pray
all night And he woke up the next morning still on his knees.
Oh, everyone Satan comes upon other than Christ, he finds something
in. He came upon Noah and Noah planted
a vineyard and ended up drunk and there was some kind of sin
with one of his sons involved there too. Came upon Moses. Moses. What a great man. God used him. And yet, he lost his cool, didn't
he? You bunch of rebels. Do I have
to get water out of this rock for you? Wham! That was a big
mistake. Not the first time. The first
time he struck the rock God told him to. But the next time, God
said, speak to the rock. But he was upset with the Israelites,
wasn't he? And he struck the rock. How many
times does Christ have to die? How many times did he have to
give his life? by one sacrifice, for by one
offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." You
see, when Moses struck that rock, the rock's Christ. Yes, the rock
had to be struck one time for the water of life to come out
of it. Yes! But not a second time. Not a second time. He came, the son of The prince
of this world rather came upon every man, every woman he's ever
come upon. He found something in, but not
Christ, not our savior. He hath nothing in me. In other
words, he is impeccable. He found no sin and nothing in
Christ that sin or temptation could appeal to. And John Gill,
let me read you his comment on this. He said, though he had
sin upon him, he did. The sins of his people, remember
he bore them in his own body on the tree. John Gill said,
though he had sin upon him, he had none in him. The sins of
his people were imputed to him, but he had no inherent in himself. Hence, though the, I must have
left off something there. He had no sin inherent in him. Hence, though the Messiah was
cut off, according to Daniel chapter nine and verse 26, but
not for himself. And the Septuagint translation
of the scriptures, that verse in Daniel nine and verse 26,
it's rendered, but there is no judgment. He was cut off, yes,
but there's no judgment. There's no condemnation in Him. In other words, there was no
cause of condemnation in Christ, in Himself personally, His impeccability. And fourth, his obedience. So his peace, his father, his
impeccability, and fourth, his obedience. He said, as the father
gave me commandment, even so I do. The world that knows Christ's
love and obedience is the world to whom It is revealed. You notice he said, but that
the world may know that I love the Father. The world doesn't
mean every single individual, but the world that knows Christ's
love and obedience is the world to whom it is revealed. When we come into this world,
dead in trespasses and sins, enemies of God, We had no interest
of hearing or knowing anything about His love and His obedience. But now by the grace of God,
we know. We know His love and His obedience
by His suffering, the death that He suffered upon the cross. Look back to John 10, and with
this I'll close. John chapter 10. Verse 18, as a good shepherd,
he said, no man taketh it, that is my life from me, but I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and
power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. What was the commandment? It
was to lay down his life. to die in the place and in the
stead of his people, to redeem his people. And it was to take
up his life again. That the world may know, we see his obedience. The world
may know that I love the Father. Think of that Hebrew slave. After
six years, in the seventh year, he was to go free. But he could
remain a slave. But the first thing he had to
say was, I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. And the Lord Jesus Christ, out
of his love to his father and also his church, he was obedient,
even unto death. In the Garden of Gethsemane,
when we are told, he offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save
him from death. But you remember, he prayed,
Father, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me. Nevertheless, not as I will,
but as thou wilt. His obedience. His obedience. I pray that the Lord would bless
all of these four things I've mentioned to us. They're all
about Christ. That's who we want to hear about, isn't it? That's
who we need to hear about. That's who we want to hear about. So we might love him, might know
him, like Paul said, oh, that I might know him. I'm not satisfied, are you? I
want to know him. I want to know him, not just
know about him. Paul said, for I know whom I
have believed, and am persuaded that he's able to keep that which
I have committed unto him against that day. Well, I pray the Lord
will bless this word to all of us. Let's sing a hymn, David.