Peace That Remains
John 14:25-31
In the first verse of John 14, Jesus looked at His troubled disciples and said, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me."
In that message, we learned that peace for the troubled heart is not found in a plan or a program, but in the Person of Jesus Christ.
And now, at the end of the chapter, Jesus returns to that same troubled heart, because He knows what is coming.
Judas is coming.
The soldiers are coming.
The cross is coming.
And soon, Jesus will no longer be physically present with His disciples.
So today, Jesus tells them how His peace can remain with them when everything around them is about to change.
From the beginning of this chapter to the end, Jesus is ministering peace to troubled and fearful hearts. Jesus does not promise us a life without trouble. Instead, He gives us His own peace-a peace that remains when everything around us changes.
The Holy Spirit Keeps The Words Of Jesus Alive In Us
I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative-that is, the Holy Spirit-he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:25-26 (NLT)
Jesus has taught His disciples while physically present with them. Now He explains a key role of the promised Helper: the Holy Spirit will keep the words and truth of Jesus alive in His people.
Jesus is going away physically, but His words are not going away. His truth is not going away. His promises are not going away. His presence is not going away.
The Holy Spirit will make the words and presence of Jesus real and alive in the lives of His disciples.
First, the Holy Spirit was actively involved in bringing the teaching of Jesus to the apostles and in guiding the writing of Scripture. That is the work of revelation. It is the Holy Spirit's work through the apostles in giving us the Word of God.
Then, for believers today, the Holy Spirit does not give new Scripture. Instead, He illuminates the Scripture already given. That is the work of illumination. The Holy Spirit helps us understand, remember, and apply God's truth when we need it.
And that ministry of the Holy Spirit is critically necessary for the peace Jesus gives us.
The Lord's peace does not come from pretending everything is fine. The Lord's peace comes when the Holy Spirit brings the truths and promises of Jesus to bear on what we are facing.
When fear says, "God has forgotten me," the Holy Spirit reminds us of the words of Jesus: "I will not abandon you as orphans-I will come to you."
When grief says, "This is the end," the Holy Spirit reminds us of the promise of Jesus: "Because I live, you also will live."
When confusion says, "I don't know what to believe," the Holy Spirit leads us back to the clear words of Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
This is one of the primary ways the peace of Jesus remains with us.
Our emotions may be loud, and our circumstances may be frightening, but the Holy Spirit steadies our hearts by bringing us back to the truth and promises of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit does not give us peace by explaining every detail of our circumstances. He gives us peace by reminding us of what is eternally true.
God has not abandoned you.
Jesus is still alive.
His promises are still true.
His Word has not changed.
And His presence is still with you.
Jesus Gives A Peace The World Cannot Give
I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 (NLT)
This is the heart of the message. Jesus is not merely wishing us peace. He is giving us His peace.
It is not merely a calm feeling or a temporary break from pressure and anxiety. Jesus gives us His own peace.
Think about where Jesus is when He says these words. He knows Judas has betrayed Him. He knows Peter will deny Him. He knows His disciples will scatter. He knows the soldiers are coming. He knows the suffering of the cross is only hours away.
And yet, Jesus is not panicked. He is not confused. He is not losing control.
He is walking toward the cross with a settled trust in the Father.
And Jesus says, "That peace-My peace-that is what I am giving to you."
The peace Jesus gives flows from His own settled trust in the Father. It is the peace of knowing the Father is still in control. It is the peace of knowing the Father's purpose is still moving forward. It is the peace of knowing nothing can defeat what God has determined to do.
And Jesus gives us that peace through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Where the presence of Jesus is, the peace of Jesus is available.
That is why His peace is so different from the peace the world gives.
The contrast is staggering. The world's peace typically depends on control.
I know what is going to happen. I have enough money. The diagnosis is good. Everyone I love is safe. The conflict has been resolved. My plans are working.
And when all of those things line up the way I want them to, then I say, "Now I can have peace."
But that kind of peace is so fragile, and it so quickly fades. One phone call can take it away. One diagnosis can take it away. One unexpected bill, one broken relationship, one change in the future, and suddenly that peace is gone.
The world can give only temporary relief, or distraction, or favorable circumstances. But it cannot give the peace of Jesus Christ.
The world says, "You can have peace when the trouble is gone."
Jesus says, "You can have My peace while you are walking through the trouble."
The peace Jesus gives does not require our circumstances to cooperate. It does not depend on everything going our way. It depends on who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and on the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us.
That does not mean we never feel grief, pressure, questions, or moments of fear. Peace is not the denial of what we feel. Peace is the presence of Jesus Christ in the middle of what we feel.
Jesus says, "I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart." And then He says, "So don't let trouble take possession of your heart."
Trouble may be around you. Trouble may be coming toward you. Trouble may be knocking at your door. But through the Holy Spirit, the peace of Jesus can remain within you.
Jesus' Departure Was Part Of A Greater Purpose
Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. John 14:28 (NLT)
Jesus says, "I am going away, but I will come back to you again."
But the disciples seemed to hear only, "I am going away," and they felt the immediate loss.
Jesus wanted them to hear, "I am going to the Father." He wanted them to recognize the greater purpose and the greater plan of God.
Their love for Jesus was real, but it was focused on their immediate circumstances. They were thinking, "What will happen to us? What will we do without Him? How can this possibly be good?"
But Jesus was asking them to see His departure as part of the Father's greater purpose.
This is really important for us to see and to get. Sometimes our anxiety comes from interpreting what God is doing before we can see where He is going.
We look at what is happening right now and how it affects us right now. Then we form a conclusion about what God is doing.
But our current circumstances are not the whole story. They are nowhere close to the whole story.
The disciples saw Jesus leaving. But the Father saw the work of redemption moving forward. Jesus would go to the cross. He would rise from the dead. He would return to the Father. The Holy Spirit would be sent. The gospel would spread through the world. And the disciples would never again be alone.
What felt like loss was actually part of God's much greater plan and purpose.
The disciples could not see the whole plan that night, but Jesus could. And experiencing His peace did not require the disciples to understand every detail. It required them to trust the One who did.
The same is true for us when the road looks nothing like we expected.
At those times, we are tempted to interpret the goodness of God through the pain of our circumstances. But our peace comes when we begin to reverse that, when we begin to interpret our circumstances through the goodness and faithfulness of God.
We will still not know where every road is going. But our peace will come from knowing who is leading us.
We will still not understand the "why" of the immediate circumstances. But we will know that the Father's greater purpose cannot be defeated.
That is the peace that remains.
Then Jesus says something that needs a brief explanation: "The Father…is greater than I am."
Jesus is not saying the Father is more divine or that the Son is less God than the Father. Jesus has already made clear that He and the Father are one in divine nature, in glory, in character, in word, and in work.
But as the Son who became man, Jesus willingly humbled Himself, took the place of a servant, and submitted Himself to the Father's will. Jesus never stopped being God, but He willingly took on human flesh and walked the road of obedient suffering.
Now Jesus is preparing to return to the glory He shared with the Father before the world began.
I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. John 14:29 (NLT)
Jesus is preparing their faith before the crisis arrives.
When the cross comes, when Jesus rises, and when the Holy Spirit is sent, they can remember, "He told us. He promised us. We have not been abandoned."
The words of Jesus would become an anchor for their faith when their circumstances seemed completely out of control.
And the same is true for us. The Holy Spirit takes the promises Jesus has already given and anchors us to them when life begins to shake.
The Cross Was Not Defeat-It Was Victory
I don't have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me. John 14:30 (NLT)
The ruler of this world is Satan. Satan was working through Judas and through the religious leaders who were coming to arrest and crucify Jesus.
But Jesus says, "He has no power over Me."
The cross was not something Satan did to Jesus against His will. The cross was something Jesus willingly embraced in His obedience to the Father and in His love for us.
What looked like defeat was actually obedient victory. It was Jesus carrying out the Father's plan.
And that makes verse 31 especially powerful.
But I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let's be going. John 14:31 (NLT)
In the previous message, Jesus taught us, "If you love Me, obey My commandments."
Now Jesus demonstrates that truth perfectly. Jesus does not merely teach this truth. He lives it.
"I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father."
Jesus was steadfastly headed to the cross because He loves the Father and because He loves us, knowing the ruler of this world has no power over Him. The enemy could not stop the Father's purpose. The grave could not stop the Father's purpose. Death could not stop the Father's purpose.
And we need to know today that nothing can defeat God's ultimate purpose in those who belong to Jesus Christ.
Come, Let's Be Going
The last sentence of verse 31 is powerful: "Come, let's be going."
That is a remarkable statement because Jesus knows Judas is coming. Jesus knows the soldiers are coming. Jesus knows the cross is coming.
And yet He says, "Come, let's be going."
The peace of Jesus does not hide from life or refuse to face what is coming. The peace of Jesus gets up and walks forward in obedience.
Jesus moved forward confidently because He trusted the Father, because He loved the Father, because He knew the Father's plan was moving forward, and because He knew the enemy had no ultimate power over Him.
That is the peace Jesus gives to us.
Remember, the peace Jesus gives does not always remove the difficult road in front of us. Instead, it gives us the strength to get up and walk that road with Jesus.
Maybe today you are facing a road you would never have chosen. Maybe your circumstances have changed, and the future does not look the way you expected. Maybe you are trying to get everything back under control.
Remember, Jesus is not offering you control over every circumstance. He is offering you His peace in every circumstance.
How Do We Experience The Peace That Remains?
So the final question is, how do I begin to experience the peace that remains?
The simple answer is relationship.
A real daily relationship with Jesus.
As you live daily with Jesus, and as Jesus lives daily in you, His life, His truths, and His promises begin to become your life, your truths, and your promises.
As His life begins to come alive in you, He begins to transform you.
As a believer, you have the life of Jesus living in you through the Person of the Holy Spirit. But His life in you needs to be nurtured. It needs to grow. It needs to be developed.
That is the role of the Holy Spirit. And His Word is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword. The Holy Spirit makes the living Word of God come alive more and more in you as you nurture your relationship with Him.
So Jesus says at the end of our text, "Come, let's be going."
Do not wait until every question is answered, every circumstance changes, or every fear disappears.
Receive the gift of peace Jesus gives through the Holy Spirit.
Let Him bring the truth and promises of Jesus back to your heart.
Trust the Father's greater purpose.
And take the next step with Jesus.
Knowing that Jesus gives us His own peace, and that is the peace that remains when everything around us changes.
A Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us Your own peace.
Thank You that Your peace does not depend on our circumstances cooperating. Thank You that Your peace does not disappear when life changes, when trouble comes, or when the road ahead is difficult.
Holy Spirit, bring the words, truth, and promises of Jesus alive in us. Remind us of what is eternally true when fear, grief, confusion, or anxiety speak loudly. Anchor our hearts in the Word of God when life begins to shake.
Father, help us trust Your greater purpose when we cannot see the whole plan. Teach us to interpret our circumstances through Your goodness and faithfulness, not the other way around.
Lord Jesus, help us walk forward with You in obedience. Give us the courage to say, "Come, let's be going," not because we are in control, but because You are with us.
We receive Your peace, Lord-the peace that remains when everything around us changes. Amen.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.