If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to the Gospel of John, chapter 14.
The words will also be on the screen, so you can follow along there.
There's also Bibles in the seats in front of you.
That's the black book.
Some of you have been here through the whole journey that we've been making through the Gospel of John.
Others of you have caught pieces of it, and some of you, this is totally new.
So I'm going to just take a minute to remind you of what's happening in the story here in John, chapter 14.
Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.
It's the evening of his betrayal and arrest.
They've just partaken of the Last Supper together, and Judas, the betrayer, has left the building to put his plan into motion.
And so now Jesus has been telling his disciples what's soon to happen, and he's been giving them words of comfort and offering them hope.
They are troubled.
We'll pick up the conversation in John, chapter 14, verse 25.
Jesus says,
All this I have spoken while still with you.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things,
and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
We talked about this a couple weeks ago.
It's as though Jesus is saying, yes, I am going to be leaving you, but there's no need to worry or be anxious.
Everything's taken care of.
You're not going to be left all by yourselves just to figure this out on your own.
God, my Father, will send his Holy Spirit, and he will be to you like I have been to you.
A counselor.
A teacher.
And you won't have to worry about forgetting any of the things that I've said to you,
because when he comes to you, he will remind you of everything that I said.
Jesus goes on in verse 27 and says,
Peace I leave with you.
My peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
And do not be afraid.
Jesus speaks of giving them peace.
Now, peace can mean many different things depending on the context.
So what kind of peace is Jesus talking about here?
Well, it seems clear enough from the context that he's not talking about the kind of peace between nations,
like a peace treaty,
or the ceasing of hostility or conflict,
like happens in relationships,
the next thing that Jesus says is,
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
And do not be afraid.
And so this context suggests that Jesus is talking about inward peace.
Peace for the heart.
And for the mind.
It's obvious that the disciples are deeply troubled.
And worried.
They're afraid.
As we've talked about before,
Jesus is about to leave them.
And so this is on their minds.
They're also thinking about how they're going to face the hostility of the religious leaders
with Jesus gone.
They're troubled about this.
How is this all going to go?
They have uncertainties.
And it's pretty obvious that they're quite worried about this,
because this is now the second time in the same evening that Jesus has said these very words.
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
He said that right at the beginning in verse 1.
What is it that the disciples need here and now?
This very night as they watch and witness Jesus being torn away from them
and abused and slandered.
What they need is peace of heart.
They need a settled confidence that God is in control.
They need a deep assurance deep in here
that everything is going to go as it should
and that it will turn out for good.
Peace of heart.
Peace of mind.
Now where does that come from?
How do we get that in moments like these?
Jesus tells the disciples that the world offers peace.
He doesn't go into details about what kind of peace the world offers,
but I think we kind of know, we have a sense of that from our own experience,
from our own lives.
The world has its comforts and promises
which are aimed at settling our fears
and quieting the troubles of our hearts.
But the problem with the peace that the world offers
is that it doesn't work.
It doesn't really settle our hearts
and quiet our fears.
When the world's peace comes in the form of entertainment
or experience,
it may distract us from the trouble
or the fear or the worry temporarily.
Or when it comes in the form of a pill
or a drink,
it may alter the hormonal balance in our bodies
and affect how we feel temporarily.
But eventually these forms of peace wear off.
And the deep troubles and fears of the soul are still there.
It's like putting a band-aid on an infectious sore.
Or like sticking our head in the sands,
trying to forget the real troubles that are going on all around us
and pretend for a moment that they're not there.
At other times our world offers peace in the form of a promise.
Maybe you've heard somebody say something like this to you.
Don't worry.
Everything's going to be all right.
The problem with this promise is that it has no basis.
It has no foundation.
How do you know if it's going to be all right?
What does it even mean for things to be all right?
Does it mean that nothing bad is going to happen to me?
Does it mean that you won't go through suffering
or pain or hardship?
And if so, how do you know that?
These promises of peace that the world gives
ring hollow and empty.
And we kind of know that when people say things like this to us,
you know, don't worry.
Everything's going to be all right.
We know that many say it just to make us feel better.
If they really believe that nothing bad is going to happen,
we kind of know that they can't really be sure of that.
They're not in control of all the factors of our lives.
Jesus says,
I do not give you peace like the world gives.
I'm not offering you empty and hollow promises
or just mere wishful thinking,
temporary distractions,
medication to alter your feelings.
Jesus says,
my peace,
I give you.
It's a different kind.
What do you mean, Jesus?
How does Jesus give peace to the men here in this room this night?
Inward peace.
When we hear this,
we might be tempted to kind of fill in the details of the story,
the rest of it with our imaginations.
We imagine maybe Jesus saying,
my peace,
I give you.
And then Jesus went around the room to each person
and laid his hand on their heart.
And there was a glowing flash of light
that emanated from his hand as he did so.
And one by one,
Jesus gave his peace
to each person there in the room.
Is that what John records?
No.
That's not what happened.
The peace of Jesus is not something
that just comes through some magical touch
or through the laying on of hands.
How does Jesus give his peace to them?
How does he give his peace to us?
Where does that settledness of heart
that we long for in the midst of trials come from?
What is it that really silences the whispers
that we hear from our fears?
Jesus' peace comes to them in this way.
He gives it to them
by reminding them of the truth,
by giving them promises
that aren't empty but certain.
And he gives it to them
by reminding them of who really is in control,
of their lives,
of all the factors in the story.
Let's see this as we read what Jesus says next.
Peace I leave with you.
My peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.
You heard me say,
I am going away
and I am coming back to you.
Jesus tells them the truth.
We talked about this a couple weeks back.
He said, I am going away
but I am coming back.
Jesus doesn't say,
don't worry, I am not going anywhere.
I am not leaving.
He tells them the truth.
I am leaving.
But with the truth,
he gives them the certain,
the sure promise.
I am going away
but I am coming back.
Don't forget that I said that.
That is the certain truth.
That is the promise
that you can hold on to.
That will silence those lying whispers
rising up inside of you
as you sit there and think,
he is going to abandon us.
Or as you look up and see,
he is dead.
They killed him.
Maybe he wasn't the Messiah after all.
Jesus' peace is given.
It comes through believing his promise
that yes,
he will come back to them.
It is trusting that.
It is embracing that.
That silences the fears
and settles the hearts.
What else does Jesus say here?
He says,
if you loved me,
you would be glad
that I am going to the Father.
For the Father is greater than I.
I have told you now
before it happens
so that when it does happen,
you will believe.
I will not say much more to you.
For the Prince of this world is coming.
He has no hold over me.
But he comes
so that the world may learn
that I love the Father
and do exactly
what my Father has commanded me.
Now there's lots in there
and I know that
some of these words
raise some other questions for us.
But before we get to those,
I just want you to notice
the overall sense
that Jesus gives here
of what's going to happen.
I'm going to the Father,
he says.
And it's a good thing.
It's a right thing.
It's an appropriate thing.
It's something that you can be glad about.
And I'm telling you this now
before it happens
so that when it does happen,
you will believe.
When you see me going to the Father,
you're going to look back
on this conversation.
You're going to see that it happened
just as I told you it would.
So my telling you now,
ahead of time,
I'm doing it on purpose.
I'm trying to give you confidence.
I'm showing you
that you can trust my word,
that I keep my promises.
It's going to help you believe.
And then Jesus goes on
to tell them about
how the prince of this world
is coming.
But he reassures them
that the prince of this world,
he has no hold over me.
In fact,
the prince of this world
is coming
so that
for a divine purpose,
says Jesus,
so that the world
may learn something
about me.
Now just the way
that Jesus
says all this,
it speaks loud
and clear
that God
is in control
of the whole situation.
None of what's about
to happen tonight,
later on in the garden,
or tomorrow,
or in the days ahead
is a surprise to me
or to my father.
says Jesus.
It's all part of the plan.
And it's what's fitting.
It's what's right.
Even the scary part
about this coming prince,
it's not as though
Jesus or the father
will be caught off guard here.
The sense we get
is that this prince
will be permitted
by God to come
and to do what he will
with Jesus
so that the very plan
and purpose of God
will be fulfilled.
So this is another way
that Jesus gives
his kind of peace
to his disciples.
It's kind of implied
in everything
that he says here.
Look,
God is in control.
This is all happening
according to his plan
and his purpose.
He is in control.
He is working out
his plan.
He is going to bring
about something good
through all this.
peace.
This is one of the
big differences
between the peace
that Jesus gives
and the kind of peace
that the world offers.
Jesus doesn't say,
don't worry,
nothing bad
is going to happen.
That's often
the kind of peace
that the world offers.
You know,
be optimistic.
Think positively
and it will come true
for you.
No,
Jesus speaks the truth.
There is something bad.
There is something dark
coming.
The prince of this world
is coming.
That's the devil.
But Jesus' peace comes
when we believe
the truth
that God is in control
and working
even through
the bad stuff
that comes.
it's going to look
for a moment
like the devil
has triumphed
and won.
Jesus,
the son of God,
will be hanging there
dead on the cross.
His body will be lying there
lifeless in the tomb.
But Jesus says,
rest assured,
the coming prince
has no hold
over me.
I love the way
Jesus says this.
Quite literally,
it reads,
on me,
he has nothing.
He comes
to fulfill
God's purpose.
It's almost like
he's saying,
he's just a pawn
the prince
of this world.
In fact,
his coming
is going to glorify
Jesus.
It's going to show
the whole world
just how much
Jesus loves
the father
and how far
the son
is willing
to go
to obey
his father.
It's like
the devil's plan
to take Jesus
out is just
going to backfire
and instead
he's going
to find
that all
along
he's played
the role
of a spotlight
that illuminates
the worthiness
of the true
king
of the world.
So true peace,
it doesn't come
from empty promises
that everything's
going to be okay
or that nothing
bad's going
to happen.
True peace,
the peace
of Jesus
comes when
we believe,
when we
trust Jesus,
when we
trust God.
when we
put our faith
in him
that when
the bad
things happen,
God is at
work for good
through them.
When we
trust that
in the end
he will
triumph,
he will
bring
something
wonderful
out of
the heartache,
the pain,
the loss,
the struggle,
people.
So how
do we
receive this
peace of
Jesus,
this peace
that he
offers?
It's not
a crazy
magical formula,
it's not a
hard thing,
it's not
always easy
to do,
but it is
simple.
We receive
it simply
by believing
the truth
that Jesus
speaks,
the word
of God.
by trusting
the truth
that he
has spoken,
the promises
that he's
given us,
that specific
truth that
God is in
control,
it's when we
believe that,
it's when we
trust that,
that that
unsettledness
melts away.
It can't
stand.
Now one of
the questions
that sometimes
comes up here
in this passage
and I don't
want to skip
over it
completely,
we've been
trying to
work through
and capture
as much
as we can
here in
the gospel
of John,
comes from
verse 28,
Jesus says
this,
I'm going
to the
father for
the father
is greater
than I.
Why does
Jesus say
that the
father is
greater than
him?
Some of you
may have
wondered that
when you get
to this
place.
if Jesus
is God,
isn't he
equal to
the father?
There's been
all kinds of
discussion and
debate over
this back in
the first
centuries of
church history.
People pointed
to this verse
and said,
see,
Jesus wasn't
God.
He even
acknowledged that
God was
greater than
he was.
He was just
a man.
Well,
I'm going to,
I could probably
preach a whole
sermon on this,
but I'm going to
try to condense it
down into a
couple minutes
here,
give you the
short answer.
Jesus was
most certainly
God.
He is the
divine son.
He claimed to
be one with
the father.
We saw that
in John.
He claimed to
have the father
in him and
to himself be
in the father.
We heard that
in John.
He took the
name of God
upon his own
lips.
He said,
before Abraham
was,
I am.
And there
are many other
passages which
point clearly to
the truth that
Jesus is God.
So why does
he,
being God,
claim that the
father is
greater?
In what sense
is the father
greater than
the son?
I can think
of two senses.
Number one,
the father is
greater than
the son with
regard to the
son's humanity.
Jesus was
truly God,
man.
But also,
at the same
time,
he was truly
man,
truly human.
The divine
word,
as we read
back at the
beginning,
took upon
himself a
human nature
and became
a man.
And God
is greater
than man.
God is the
creator.
Man is the
creature.
God is the
ruler of all
and man's
role in all
of that is to
be subservient
to him under
his good
authority.
And so,
with regard to
Jesus'
humanity,
God is
greater than
Jesus.
Maybe you've
read that in
1 Peter where
it talks about
Jesus,
refers to God
as the God
and father of
our Lord
Jesus.
He is the
God of
Jesus too.
Jesus'
true
humanness
stands in
contrast to
God's divine
nature.
So that's the
first way.
The second
way that the
father is
greater than
Jesus has to
do with the
humble and
lowly role
or state
that Jesus
is in.
It's not
just that
Jesus is
human.
The Bible
tells us that
Christ was in
very nature
God and yet
he chose
to lower
himself,
to humble
himself,
to lay
down or
put aside
some of
his glory.
We'll see in
John 17.
Some of his
divine rights
and privileges.
And so,
even though
Jesus is
equally worthy
of glory,
along with
God the
Father,
he has
taken up
for a time
this lowly
position.
He has
come to
serve the
very ones
that he
created.
And this
position does
not allow
him to
exalt and
glorify
himself.
That's why
we read that
it's the
Father who
must glorify
and exalt
the Son.
It's the
Father who
gives authority
to the
Son.
So,
the Father is
greater than
the Son
with regard to
role or
status for
the time
being.
This is
why Jesus
speaks in
verse 31
of the
Father
commanding
him to
do
things
and of
himself as
obeying
those commands.
Jesus
himself said
it this way
back in
John 13
verse 16.
He said,
no servant
is greater
than his
master,
nor is a
messenger
greater than
the one
who sent
him.
In other
words,
the master
is greater
than the
servant,
and the
one who
sends the
messenger is
greater than
the messenger.
Well,
we know from
the story of
the Gospels
that Jesus
has come
both to
be the
servant of
his master,
the Father,
and the
messenger of
the one who
has sent
him,
his Father.
So,
these are
two ways
that the
Father is
greater than
Jesus.
And,
you know,
we might be
tempted to
think,
well,
who really
needs to
know this?
Except theologians
and Bible
scholars and
pastors.
This all
sounds kind
of heady and
quite mysterious.
But notice
what Jesus
says right
here in
John chapter
14,
verse 31.
He says,
the prince of
this world is
coming so
that the
world may
learn that
I love the
Father and
do exactly
what my
Father has
commanded me.
God wants
not just the
Bible scholars
and theologians,
he wants
the whole
world to
understand this
subservient
role and
relationship that
Jesus has had
with his
Father as a
man.
This is part
of the plan
of God to
bring glory
to his
son Jesus.
It may not
be fully
apparent now
how that will
all work,
but one day
it will be.
He wants the
whole world to
see this
about Jesus,
that Jesus
in both
his deity
and in
his humanity
is worthy
of glory
and honor
and praise,
is worthy
to be exalted,
is worthy
to wear the
crown and
be the king
of the whole
world over
all the
nations.
So yes,
the Father is
greater than
Jesus,
and no,
it doesn't
diminish his
divinity.
humanity,
it's just
the reality
of his
true humanity
and his
humble role
and service
that he has
come to
offer.
So what
can we take
from all
this part
of the story
here in
John for
ourselves
today?
Well, I
want to come
back to the
talk of
peace.
Maybe you
are going
through something
right now.
in your
life where
you can
honestly say,
I feel
troubled in
heart,
or I'm
afraid,
or I'm
worried about
something,
struggling.
Maybe you've
been wrestling
in your
heart,
not just a
little bit,
but for a
while.
Maybe you've
been looking
for that
inward peace
that Jesus
offers here
to his
disciples.
A true
peace that
will just
settle it.
Maybe you've
been trying
some of the
world's offers
of peace,
and you've
been finding
that they are
empty,
and they don't
last,
they don't
deliver on
what they
promise.
whatever it
is that
you're going
through today,
Jesus
offers you
his peace.
How do we
receive that?
believe.
Believe.
Trust him.
Look again
on his
words.
Look again
at his
promises.
It's there
that we
find our
hearts truly
settle, and
fears dissipate.
When we see
again that God
is in control,
that he has a
plan, that he's
going to bring
good, that the
end of this
story is triumph,
for Jesus and
his people.
Let me remind
you of that.
Same thing
that Jesus
said to his
disciples.
Jesus is
coming back.
And again,
there will be a
showdown between
the prince of
this world and
the Lord Jesus.
And again,
it will be seen
that the
prince of this
world has no
hold over
Jesus.
With these
things in view,
let me encourage
you with whatever
you're going
through, do
not let your
hearts be
troubled.
Do not be
afraid.
lastly, I want
to point you to
one thing that
we notice about
Jesus here that
really blessed me
this week.
You know, it's
easy for us to
think of Jesus as
the commanding
king.
Just like we
read back up in
verse 15, if you
love me, keep my
commands.
And Jesus is a
commanding king.
But do you see
in these verses
just how tender
and gentle
and sensitive
Jesus is
towards his
disciples?
He doesn't beat
them down.
He doesn't say,
just stop worrying
already.
Enough.
Get over it.
He's gentle.
He's tender.
He sees their
state of mind,
their state of
heart, and he
calls them out of
it to trust, to
believe.
He wants them to
have peace in
their hearts.
I mean, think
about that.
Jesus cares about
how you feel.
that matters to
him.
He's not just a
commanding king.
He is also a
sympathetic brother.
He knows our
weakness, our
frailty.
He sees those
worries and fears
that we carry.
And he has the
antidote.
He has what we
long for.
true, lasting,
inward peace.
So come to
him and find
that in him.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we
bow before you and
we offer up our
hearts to you.
We offer up the
struggles.
We offer up the
worries.
peace.
We ask that you
would come deep
into our hearts
and give us
peace.
Remind us of the
specific truths,
each one of us,
that we need to
know from you
today.
Thank you that you
are a wonderful and
compassionate Savior.
thank you for dying
on the cross for
us, for taking
care of all of
our sin and our
guilt, and that
one day we get to
look forward to
your glorious
kingdom and life
with you and with
each other forever.
To your name be the
glory.
Amen.