My Peace I Give to You
A Sermon on John 14:27
Originally preached Dec. 2, 1956
Scripture
27Peace 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.
Sermon Description
Like being in the eye of a hurricane, Jesus’s disciples were enjoying the peace of being in the presence of Christ. In the midst of this peace, their hearts had become troubled and fearful. As they enjoyed fellowship in the upper room, Jesus announced He was leaving them to return to the Father. This news caused them to become fearful and anxious. In this sermon on John 14:27 titled “My Peace I Give to You,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus gives a promise of peace. The disciples, along with all believers in the future, can live at peace in the midst of a chaotic and cruel world. In fact, the possession and experience of peace is a central fruit of the Christian faith. When Jesus says, “My peace I give you,” this peace is different. It is not the kind of empty peace the world offers. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers the true, eternal peace that is found in Christ. Turn to the Lord and experience for yourself the “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Sermon Breakdown
- The passage of focus is John 14:27 - "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."
- Jesus spoke these words to comfort his disciples who were troubled by his impending death.
- The greatest problem in the world is anxiety and fear due to lack of security and peace. This is evidenced by the prevalence of neuroses, phobias, and psychosis.
- The world offers false peace through avoidance of facts, distraction, wishful thinking, stoicism, relaxation techniques, drugs, etc. But these do not provide true peace.
- The true cause of lack of peace is self (sin) - ambition, pride, selfishness, self-will. This affects ourselves and others.
- Dependence on worldly pleasures and things also contributes to lack of peace since these can be threatened. Fear of being alone with self is terrifying. Fear of death, judgment, illness, loss, etc. stem from this.
- Jesus exposes the root cause of our problems (sin) but also provides the cure (forgiveness, new nature, introduction to God).
- Peace comes from seeing life, death and eternity from an eternal perspective. This world is passing, but we have a home with God forever.
- We can face life steadily through Christ's strength. We need not escape through worldly means.
- We either have this peace from Christ or we do not. We should examine ourselves. If we lack peace, we should rush to Christ for forgiveness and new life.
Other Sermons
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.