John 14:22-27

John 14:22-27 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, 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. 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 tells his disciples this world is not their home: they are pilgrims passing through with an assignment from the Father. He is preparing them for a mighty work and wants them to open their eyes to the amazing preparations God has made for them. Don't be afraid, He says in view of their obvious uncertainties: I do not give to you (peace) as the world gives. I am sending you the Holy Spirit to bring peace and love that the world does not have and cannot know and does not comprehend. As Christians, functioning in the natural world, we often seek the peace the world gives rather than seeking the One who is our Peace. We absorb the false mindset our lives should be free from troubles or difficulties, basically at ease and contented. As we stray from communion with the Lord and listening to the Holy Spirit, we become so bold and self-absorbed to think even the weather should cooperate with our good times and leisure activities and we brood and sit around depressed if wind or rain spoil an event rather than rejoicing in the day the Lord has made. We need increasingly more enticing and glittering allurements to pacify and suppress the many stresses and anxieties we feel pressure us beyond measure. Forgetting godliness with contentment is great gain, we cry, "Help me Lord; for surely I must find soothing relaxation and a respite from this life I have striven so hard to build and to maintain."

We say to ourselves, it just isn't working as I planned. I need more satisfaction, more worldly peace. I am unfulfilled, worried, discontented, and I can't rest. I am so ready for that trip to _______; I deserve a break. No one knows how hard my life is, nobody even cares. I need that boat, that cabin, that RV, that swimming pool. I am going camping at the ocean, but wish it was a cruise. This year we can go to Disneyland, but in two years, I'm aiming for Disney World. Wish it was Europe without my whining kids. If I could just get away from my wife and kids for a week and focus on my needs--don't I deserve to be number one? My boss treats me better than my husband; maybe I should take that business trip he's been offering to take me on. Jesus calls to us: Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Christ would soon remind his disciples you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: "No servant is greater than his master." (John 15:19b-20a) Now, we know the lives the disciples and believers in the New Testament church faced. In his final instructions to his followers, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Paul experienced starvation, shipwrecks, threats of death, stonings, betrayal, and so much more. He prayed three times about a vexing ailment, and when it remained, he heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). These same people who suffered and died turned the world upside down for Christ and constantly spoke of rejoicing in Christ their Savior and Lord!

It is not wrong to have fun or go on a relaxing vacation, but we must stop pursuing what never truly satisfies or meets our inner needs for lasting peace, love, hope and joy. We fixate on our relationships, health, troubles, finances, jobs, and the like. As we constantly try to fix or to eradicate the problems in our lives, we hopelessly flounder without an anchor for our souls, without Christ as our center, our cornerstone, our true foundation. Our profile looks much like the world, for we seek peace as defined in the world's dictionary. Jesus does not simply give us peace: He is our Peace who has broken down every wall. He made the Jews and Gentiles one in Him, and He became one with us by making his home in us through the Holy Spirit. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14-18) If you are in a pit of any kind today, the missing link is abiding with Jesus, keeping your eyes fixed on him, walking with him by faith, doing the will of the Father regardless of your ills, woes, or troubles. We have to stop looking at ourselves and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is in control: yield to him, trust in him and his plans for your life. Arise, shine, take up your bed, and walk. Stop serving your situation and serve him. Get out of the funk; stop wearing that frown; you have a crown of righteousness. Rejoice and live: shine and share the light. People are watching you, and your friends and family do not enjoy serving your moods and your sadness when they know a better you, have seen Christ in you, want to walk in faith with you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.