John 20:19-20, 26
We sometimes think that Jesus’ last words were the ones He spoke from the cross. There were seven sayings of Christ spoken during the six hours of His crucifixion and they are significant to our understanding of the person and purpose of Jesus in dying. However, because we serve a risen Savior, it is also recorded for us that Jesus spoke several more times following His resurrection...until His ascension ten days before the Feast of Pentecost. It is some of these post-resurrection words of Christ that I want us to consider in this series of messages that deal with things like hope, peace, comfort and forgiveness.
On Friday of His crucifixion, Jesus’ body had been taken down from the cross by two of His “secret” followers and placed in a borrowed tomb. Over the ensuing hours from Friday evening until Sunday morning, His eleven remaining disciples (Judas had committed suicide) were hiding, for the most part, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. After all, all of their hopes and dreams had apparently been nailed to a wooden beam by the blows of the Roman soldier's hammer driving large, rough spikes into Jesus’ hands and feet.
These men had hoped that Christ would overthrow the Roman oppression of the Jewish people and set them free. They wanted Him to bring His kingdom to earth and let them sit in positions of honor, ruling with Him in His kingdom. But, all of that changed in the Garden of Gethsemane when He was arrested and taken away to die.
Now, most of what they felt during those ensuing hours was fear and anxiety because their hopes were dashed and their futures uncertain. They had watched in horror as Jesus was betrayed in the middle of the night, dragged off to trial, tortured by the soldiers and led to His execution. They had to wonder when someone would come for each of them to do the same as was done to Christ and so they hid themselves behind locked doors. I imagine that every person that approached or walked by the place where they were “hold up” that first Easter Sunday evening made them hold their breath with cringed anticipation.
Even though they had heard eyewitness reports from some that said Jesus was alive, they still weren’t convinced themselves (Mark 16:14). They probably discussed that evening the various possibilities of why some said they had seen Jesus alive, but the majority of them had no personal, observable knowledge of His resurrection...yet! Besides, would He still want them to be His disciples even after they had abandoned Him at His most crucial hour of need?
Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment and feel the depth of their emotions. The atmosphere in the room was palpable as they talked among themselves about the events of the last three days.
It was in those moments as they were filled with fear and anxiety that Jesus suddenly appears in the room with them. They were initially startled by His presence (Luke 24:37), but Jesus spoke “peace” to them...twice. The first time it was to calm their fears and the second time it was in response to their joy. He proceeded to show them His nail-scarred hands/feet and the wound in His side...then He commissioned them to a mission that is still the mission of all believers today.
The scars that He bore in His body were the proof that what He had done in His death was make peace with God for all that believe in Him. Seven hundred years earlier the prophet Isaiah said, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him…” (Isaiah 53:5) Mankind could have never known peace with God apart from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He was the sinless One bearing our sin penalty. And, by His resurrection He proved that He had conquered death and Hell for anyone willing to receive His payment for sin. His announcement of “peace” was the perfect complement to His cry from the cross, “It is finished.”
Jesus, however, wasn’t just declaring that they now had peace WITH God through the sacrifice of Himself. He was announcing the peace OF God He was offering them to calm and comfort their troubled hearts. His desire was to impart peace to them, not just wish peace upon them.
It’s important to note that peace with God and the peace of God both come through a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is called by the prophets, “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and at His birth the angels announced, “And on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV). He said to His disciples before His crucifixion, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you...do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:27; 16:33). The disciples’ hearts were definitely troubled after all they had seen and witnessed the past three days, but Jesus wanted them to experience the peace of God He had promised them before His crucifixion. That’s why three times in John 20 alone Jesus speaks “peace” to His disciples: Twice (20:19, 21) with the ten on the night of His resurrection (Thomas absent) and once (20:26) to the eleven the following Sunday night (Thomas being present).
“Peace” is one of the greatest desires of the human heart and yet so few people ever truly experience it. For some, they have peace with God because at a moment in time they met Christ and trusted Him as Savior. But, the inner peace from God that calms our inner fears and anxieties is a fleeting experience that too often escapes them.
During a specific period of time in my life last year I experienced what I might call “the perfect storm” of circumstances that stole from me the peace of God that He intends for me to enjoy and that He desires to impart to all His children. There was a convergence of various events that happened around me that left me feeling emotionally crippled.
I went on a short trip during that time that my wife and I had planned before the “storm” hit. While I was away from most of the things that had been troubling me I could hardly bring myself to leave the room where we were staying to enjoy the sights we had planned to see. All I wanted to do was what the disciples were doing that first Sunday night after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection: HIDE!
None of you saw it because, like most of you, I am pretty adept at hiding my innermost feelings when I’m at church. Besides, who wants a leader that preaches peace, but isn’t experiencing it for himself? And, I don’t feel that God called me to burden you with my struggles. He called me to help lift you up when you are burdened with struggles. So I kept these things mostly to myself.
My struggle with fear and anxiety went on for several weeks and I began to wonder if the “storm” I was experiencing would ever lift. What I have learned from that experience I pray will help you when you desperately need to hear Jesus say, as He said to His disciples, “Peace be with you” and “Peace to you.”
The first thing I had to do to experience the peace of God again in my soul was to refocus my attention away from the “storm” and put my focus back on Jesus.
I had become so consumed with things that I couldn’t fix and were beyond my ability to control that my mind became obsessed with the struggles more than the Savior.
On one occasion Jesus sent His disciples away by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He remained behind. While they were making their crossing, a storm arose and the boat was dangerously tossed by the waves. Sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. that morning, Jesus came walking to them on the water. At first the disciples were afraid, thinking they were actually seeing a ghost, but then Jesus spoke to them and calmed their fear. Now, knowing it was Jesus, Peter asked if he could come to Him on the water and Jesus invited Him to step out of the boat. I don’t know how many steps he took on the water, but he certainly took more than any of the other men in the boat that night. Soon after he got out of the boat the Bible says he, “saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30).
In other words, as long as He stayed focused on Jesus and His promise to come to Him on the water, Peter did fine. But, as soon as his focus shifted to the boisterous wind and waves, he immediately began to sink.
If we want to experience the peace of God in our lives, it’s really no different for us today. As long as we stay focused on Jesus and His Word we will find an inner calm that is not likely to be shaken by our outer circumstances. But, as soon as our minds shift to focus exclusively on the problems around us, we begin sinking into the slough of despair and despondency.
Listen to these scriptures:
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
I think it’s interesting that Jesus let Peter sink far enough into the water that he would learn the lesson of total dependency on Jesus alone. The person that says, “God will never put on you more than you can handle,” hasn’t rightly interpreted the scripture (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:13). In fact, God WILL allow you to experience more than you can handle precisely so that you will learn the lesson of Peter: total dependency on Christ.
The peace of God begins to be experienced when you refocus your mind on Jesus and away from the “storms” that are battering you.
The second thing I did to experience the peace of God again was to pour out my heart to God in prayer in the fashion of the psalmist of the Old Testament.
During the time when I was most struggling with the fears and anxieties that had surrounded me, as well as the storm that was raging within me, all I wanted to do was pray. On the occasion when we were out of town and I didn’t have to go out, I laid in the bed or sat in a chair crying out to God. I literally prayed the scripture back to Him repeatedly.
Of one thing you can be certain: Jesus is always listening to the prayers of His children. He might not answer you in the fashion you are anticipating, nor will His timing always fit your timetable, but He is definitely hearing your words expressed in prayer.
Paul and Peter knew the importance of prayer during times of struggles. Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
And Peter wrote, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Both of these authors and apostles of Christ knew intense struggles in their own lives and were often pressed by tribulations on many sides. They also knew the importance of spending time with God to maintain sanity. They learned in their journeys of following Jesus that He never intended us to walk this path alone. He promised to help us in all our struggles and speak peace to us in our storms. Even if He doesn't calm the storm, He can still calm US in the midst of the storm.
When is the last time you read the Psalms and really listened to what the psalmist was praying? Model your prayers after his and cry out to God with all of your being. He may be using this trial precisely for the purpose of bringing you to Himself in prayer.
One of the great old hymns of the faith says it well...
- What a friend we have in Jesus,
- All our sins and griefs to bear!
- What a privilege to carry
- Everything to God in prayer!
- Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
- Oh, what needless pain we bear,
- All because we do not carry
- Everything to God in prayer!
- Have we trials and temptations?
- Is there trouble anywhere?
- We should never be discouraged—
- Take it to the Lord in prayer.
- Can we find a friend so faithful,
- Who will all our sorrows share?
- Jesus knows our every weakness;
- Take it to the Lord in prayer.
- Are we weak and heavy-laden,
- Cumbered with a load of care?
- Precious Savior, still our refuge—
- Take it to the Lord in prayer.
- Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
- Take it to the Lord in prayer!
- In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
- Thou wilt find a solace there.
One of the greatest helps to me has been journaling some of my prayers to God. It wasn’t something I had ever done until I found myself overwhelmed by these particular circumstances. There’s something about seeing, as well as speaking, your thoughts to God.
- It helps you grasp how you are progressing through your trials and growing in your faith.
- It documents your journey through the storm and builds anticipation for your deliverance out of the storm.
- It leaves a record for your children that they can read that will remind them one day that feeling overwhelmed at times is a normal part of life.
These are just a few of the ways journaling your prayers can help you. Most everybody is going to have episodes when they desperately need the experience of God’s peace. Leave a record to show others that they are not alone in their struggles. If they know you got through it to find the peace of God, it will help them have confidence they can get through it and rediscover His peace.
A third thing I did was wrap myself in the truth of God (the scriptures) because truth is what sets us free (cf. John 8:32).
Part of our problem when we find ourselves tossed by the wind and waves of adversity is that we don’t know the Word of God. It’s a grave mistake to think that you don’t need to know the scripture until you NEED (!!) to know the scripture. Someone has said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t!!”
Actually, everybody needs the guidance of God’s truth each day of their lives. It’s especially true in those moments when the inner peace of God is missing from your life. It’s at those times when you desperately need the compass of His Word that always points “true north.” You never go wrong obeying God’s Word, no matter how countercultural it may seem. Nor will you ever be wrong when you obey what it says, even when it looks like doing so will take you deeper into the storm.
James knew about trials and wrote in his epistle that when trials surround us we should ask God for wisdom to guide us through the confusing maze of life challenges (James 1:5). We certainly want to make good decisions while we are waiting on God to deliver us and we want the comfort that the truth of God brings to us.
Everything else in life might be shifting around you, but when you are standing on the solid foundation of scripture, you can always have confidence that the ground beneath you won’t give way.
A fourth thing I did was rely on the providence of God so that I could confidently say that my current circumstances were under His control, even if they were beyond my control.
You have to believe that God can use anything (good or bad) in our lives to bring about His purposes (Romans 8:28). We often misunderstand what Paul said in Romans 8:28-29…
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”
Did you catch what He said? He didn’t say that all things are good, nor did he say that all things ultimately turn out the way we want them to. He said that “all things work together for good” and then he defined what he meant by “good”: Christlikeness.
God has full control over everything that enters our lives and He will use those things to shape us into the image of Christ in this world. If I can believe that truth I can begin to have an inner peace, regardless of my circumstances because they aren’t merely a matter of random chance or happenstance. They are part of His divine plan! There is something comforting about knowing that your Father is in control of what is going on around you.
Job turned to God’s providence in the most difficult time of his life. He lost his wealth and all ten of his children in a matter of moments. What would you do at a time like that? Well, listen to what Job did...
“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.’” (Job 1:20-21)
I remember as a boy when I first learned how to swim. I was never afraid as long as my dad had his hands around me or under me in the water. However, whenever he would let go I would inevitably begin to panic and fear drowning. Of course, I eventually learned to swim without his help, but that experience is one that replays in my mind whenever I think about the experience of peace in my life.
As long as you know your Heavenly Father has His hands holding you and the circumstances around you, it makes it easier to relax and know the peace that comes from His presence.
The last thing I did to recover the experience of God’s peace was to wait even though everything in me was screaming for me to do something now!
- It meant I had to stop trying to fix things that I could not fix myself.
- It meant that I had to stop being like a child in the backseat of his parent’s car, anxiously awaiting my arrival at a distant destination and continually asking: “Are we there yet?”
When something is broken, I want to fix it immediately because it disturbs my peacefulness. What I continue to learn is that there is a deeper sense of peacefulness that comes when you take your hands off things you cannot fix and wait on God to make them right...in His time and in His way.
I guess if my mother said it once to me as a boy, she must have said it a thousand times: “Patience is a virtue!” When we give up control of the outcome and the ultimate timing of that outcome, we begin to experience a peace from God that settles our restless spirits.
During some of the most intense times of my struggle I was reading again the book of Psalms. When I came to Psalm 4:3-4, it seemed as if the words jumped off the page at me.
Listen to these verses…
“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah”
It was especially the last two words of the text that caught my attention: “be still.” In other words, God said to me, stop struggling to fix everything. Stop trying to figure out which path to take. Stop trying to consider all the outcomes. Stop worrying about what anybody else is going to do. Just do what you are supposed to do and BE STILL! That’s spiritual code talk for: I’ll take care of it! And if that wasn’t enough, the text ends with the word “Selah,” which is a musical pause that basically means...think about what I just said for a moment!
I wish I could say that my faith is so strong that I always experience the peace of God in every circumstance. The fact is...I am just as human as you are and I experience struggles just like you do.
What I have learned is that God wants to speak peace to me, but I have to be willing to receive it just as I had to be willing to receive His gift of eternal life. I’ve had some experiences when I just had the peace of God and I couldn’t explain it. There are other times when I’ve had to seek the peace of God in order to experience it.
Both experiences are common for all followers of Jesus! Just don’t quit in the middle of your “storm.”
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
