Peace I Leave with You

Peace I Leave with You

by Wayne Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

---

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Men change, but Jesus never changes! And neither does the Word.

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

The Word of God will never change; thus, you can stand on it. Believe it, and embrace it to the saving of your soul. Live by it in all well-pleasing to God.

God Promised Peace

One thing the Word assures us is that we can have a perfect peace in the midst of the storms of life.

Luke 1:79
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Jesus came to bring light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. And He came to show us the way of peace, to guide us along the way, and bring us into the place where we have true, lasting peace.

Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Do you feel that your feet have been guided into the way of peace? If you live and walk in the Spirit, you will bear much fruit — fruit that abides deep within, including the fruit of peace.

Galatians 5:22,23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

You can have the fruit of the Spirit of God in your life every day.

Luke 7:50
And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Here is the Lord talking to a new soul: this woman was a sinner who had washed and anointed His feet. Your faith has saved you; go in peace. This soul was guided into the way of peace. Her faith in Jesus had brought her into the state where it saved her — and now she was to continue on in peace.

Peace Comes with Salvation

Peace is connected with the day of our salvation — and should continue with us as we walk with God from day to day.

Luke 8:48
And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Here, Jesus was speaking to the woman with the issue who had touched the hem of His garment: Go in peace. She had come face to face with the Lord in salvation and been made a new creature in Christ.

When your sins have been forgiven, washed away with His blood, it would be expected that you are now brought into a place of great peace: peace with God. Having peace, the fruit of the Spirit of God, brings you into a wonderful state of being — inwardly filled with peace.

Are You at Peace?

You should have a heart that's filled with love for God and others, reaching out with love to the lost. You should also be filled with the joy of the Lord, rejoicing in the midst of trials and temptations, counting all things as joy, even when they are great trials. And you should have peace, living in a state of peace daily.

Do you feel you're at peace?

Luke 19:42
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

A lot of people missed their day of visitation back then. Don't you miss your day of visitation.

They rejected their king that day. Officially they rejected Jesus Christ, and when they rejected Him they rejected a lot of things that pertain to the peace of Jerusalem. They weren't going to believe the report God gave of His Son. They weren't going to receive Him as their Saviour.

But thank God for those who did.

Jesus Gave Us His Peace,
Lasting Peace

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.

What is the Lord wanting to say to us in this verse? He gave us something, something that was His: My peace I give unto you.

God intends that you and I should have that peace. When Jesus returned to heaven, He left His peace with us — a peace unlike what the world gives.

Jesus lived and walked in peace while He was here in this world because He had the deep peace of God in His life.

. . . not as the world gives give I unto you.

The world gives today and takes back tomorrow. You get an increase in pay, and when you get your check a lot of it's already been taken away. But when God gives us something He's not one to give today and take away tomorrow. When He gives us the fruit of the Spirit, He gives it to become part of our life — something we can keep.

Do you have His peace?

John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Back in John 14:27, He told us not to let our heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And here in John 16 He tells us that we will have tribulation: but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world.

So many of God's people are accustomed to allowing their hearts to get troubled. Do you let your heart get troubled?

Jesus deals with this issue when He says not to let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Do you hear what He is saying? Let not your heart be troubled!

You can take it upon yourself to be troubled over many things. A tiny bug can cause some to be troubled: What if it gets on me! What if it bites me!

You can constantly find something to be worried and fearful about. I'm afraid I might get sick! I'm afraid I might get robbed! I'm afraid . . . !! Always uncomfortable, always afraid, always in that state. Those who are ever fearful don't have the Spirit of God who gives us peace. They have a tormenting spirit from the devil. They're ever tormented, afraid all the time.

Listen, that's not God's way!

II Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Do you have a sound mind? Know that to be spiritually minded is life and peace — Romans 8:6.

Jesus Overcame the World
So You Can Too

You don't have to walk in fear and turmoil all day long. You can truly conquer those things and be at peace. Jesus said that we would have tribulation in this world, but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world.

Have you been experiencing any tribulations lately? Tribulations are troubles, things that work against you, things wherein you're tried, things that vex or discourage — and, if you're not careful, rob you of your peace.

He said you would have tribulation, but He also said to understand that He has overcome the world.

Jesus came and openly defeated the devil, triumphing over him. He met the devil out there in the wilderness, after forty days of fasting — and He overcame the devil, defeated him, put him down.

That old devil often came to try and hinder Jesus when he was in this world — but he had nothing in Him.

Oh, my! Isn't that peace?

Jesus overcame the world not just for His sake: but He overcame the world for our sake.

I John 2:14b
I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

You've got to conquer the wicked one. You've got to overcome him. You can't give in to him. You can't follow him.

Now, we're talking about peace — not troubles.

John 20:19
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Why were they in there with the doors shut? Do you have any idea? They were assembled for fear of the Jews. They feared what might happen to them.

But, you see, Jesus came — and, as soon as He came into the room, He brought peace with Him. He offered them His peace: Don't give in to that fear. Be at peace. Don't yield to that fear. Don't let it rob you.

John 20:20,21
And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.

Peace With Others

Now, there's too much squabbling amongst God's people. Many seem to have no power to refrain from always starting something. They refuse to be at peace with one another.

Jesus didn't say to criticize one another, or to fight and squabble amongst ourselves — He said to be at peace with one another. Anything that hinders that peace in our relationship with others must be put away that we might walk in peace.

The person who has anger finds it difficult to walk in peace. They never consider keeping their mouth shut and walking in peace. Something wells up within: I don't care! I'm going to get even. After what you did, you deserve to be told off and put in your place!

Then there are those who do keep their mouth shut — but walk around sulking. They hold the words back, but not inside. There's a war raging within; they just don't let it out where others can hear it. That's not walking in peace. That's trying to hide your anger.

Some have too much to say. Their mouth runs too freely. If they're going to be at peace, they'll have to control their mouth. We all have to learn along the journey that we have to shut our mouths and be at peace.

Now, peace as the fruit of the Spirit is a state of being.

The Way of Peace

Romans 3:17
And the way of peace have they not known

We read about the way of peace in Luke — how Jesus came to show us the way of peace — yet there are multitudes who have not found that way. Have you?

The way of peace shows us how to enter into a right relationship with God.

Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Here's the highlight of peace: having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ — because we have been justified by faith. It is through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: our faith in His death and resurrection, in the cross and His shed blood, and even back further to the virgin birth of the only begotten Son of God.

We are justified by our faith, by our believing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through our salvation and our faith in the Lord Jesus, our peace has been secured. We're brought back to God in a right relationship.

Though I see Jesus as the Son of God, I also see Him as the Son of David and as Mary's Son — taking upon Himself the form of man for the suffering of death. But when He was risen and ascended into heaven, He made peace for us with God.

You'll never know peace until first there's peace with God. Daughter, thy faith has made thee whole: go in peace. What does that really mean? What does that suggest?

She got saved! Her faith saved her, brought her into a right relationship with God — where she's now at peace with God.

Today, we should be at peace with God, not at war with God.

When we went our own way and lived in sin we were living in rebellion. We rebelled against the way of God, rebelled against the things of God. Even though we didn't know it, we were being rebellious towards God. But when we turned to God we turned away from our rebellion to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are you at peace with God?

You can't take Christ out of the equation.

It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that you have peace with God.

Many would like to take Jesus out of the equation: I love God, but I don't love Christ. I receive God, but I won't receive Christ. They're at war with God's Son, at enmity with Him. Their eyes are blinded to the truth.

Peace doesn't come that way. We must believe His report. There is no other way. Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, made peace for us. Through Him we are reconciled to God, brought to a state of peace: justified through faith.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Spiritually minded — minded about spiritual things, things which come from God. A spiritual mind is a mind that can be easily focused and kept on the things of God.

Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Having a spiritual mind brings us life — and with that life comes peace. The two come together: eternal life and peace. Then, once a man is brought into a relationship of being at peace with God he finds himself wanting to also be at peace with others.

James 3:17,18
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.