Advent Peace - Youth
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Peace
Peace
The fourth and final advent topic this Sunday is peace. Remember that advent is about celebrating the first coming of Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:27:
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.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Jn 14:27.
There are three things to look at in this great promise from Jesus - the first is that Jesus said, “my peace I give to you..” The peace that Jesus gives is the Jesus kind of peace. This is a different kind of peace that is not like the world’s kind of peace - and that is the second thing— Jesus gives us a peace that is different than the world’s understanding of peace. And the third thing is in the fact that Jesus said, “ don’t be troubled, don’t be afraid” and if he said don’t be troubled and don’t be afraid, then that means that you are probably going to be surrounded with everything but peace— or the kind of peace that the world is trying to give to you will turn out to not be everything they said it would be— Well Jesus’ kind of peace is the type that can squash all the troubles and fears that you might feel.
Alright— so Jesus said peace I leave with you— my peace == the Jesus kind of peace. What is the Jesus kind of peace? Well first of all, peace from Jesus comes from the Holy Spirit who is within you— back up a little bit in Jn. 14:27 to just before that— Jesus said, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you--” So right there is the key to the Jesus kind of peace— the Holy Spirit— more importantly, listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice - listening to the Holy Spirit’s teachings, and being remind of the things that Jesus has spoken to us through his Word. This is the key to the peace that Jesus gives— the Holy Spirit within. Did you know that if you have given your heart to Jesus, and if you believe in him, then you will be given the Holy Spirit— the Holy Spirit is a gift from God for all who believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence with you— so think about this, if you have the Holy Spirit then you have God’s presence with you, and he is there to help you, guide you, lead you, and bring peace to your heart even in times where there is no peace around you. Right now, I want to ask you if you want to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit— so right now, if you want to receive the Holy Spirit, put your hand up, and I will pray for you to receive the Holy Spirit.
The very words that the Holy Spirit speaks into your heart are words of peace. The teachings of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, are peace to your heart. True peace comes through letting the Holy Spirit mold and shape your heart by the teachings of the Word of God— I encourage you to let the Holy Spirit work within you and teach you, don’t resist his work in your heart.
Jesus’ peace comes from the Holy Spirit within you, and the peace that he gives is not like the world’s peace. The world is looking for peace, but the world will never find true peace like the kind that Jesus gives because the world does not understand what true peace is. The world’s kind of peace is about following the world’s values, coexisting with each other despite ideological or religious differences— the world’s peace is about finding common ground, being one with each other, and stopping wars, ending violence by any means necessary. Now, don’t misunderstand me, some of what world peace wants to achieve is good and worthy but the means by which they want to achieve it are not only wrong but unrealistic and maybe even dangerous. In a fallen world tainted by sin, any offer of peace should make you worried because there will always be other motives behind the offer. The world is run by greed and power-hungry leaders— their aim is not really to bring peace but to enrich themselves or to solidify their agendas, to keep their kind in power and keep everyone else in subjection. Even when it appears that the world has peace, just be aware, Paul said in 1 Thess. 5 that while people are saying, “peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly. Why is the world doomed for destruction? Because the world does not have the Holy Spirit and does not follow Jesus. Jesus is the only hope of peace in this world and his peace comes to those who listen to him, who have the Holy Spirit. His peace is real peace, but it’s not a feeling, just like love is not a feeling. His peace is the assurance deep within that because he is with you, everything is going to turn out alright— because he is with you, everything will turn out alright- even if everything around you crumbles- even if your whole world falls apart— his peace gives you confidence that he is going to make everything new for you, and you will stand strong in the end—
And that is why Jesus said, don’t let your heart be troubled or let it be afraid. You will experience trouble, you will have things happen to you that will make you afraid. You will have difficult times that you wish would just go away. Jesus’ kind of peace is not that kind that keeps you out of fearful situations— rather, his peace is the kind that calms your heart while you are experiencing the most violent storms. So when you come to those situations where you find yourself crying out for peace— ask the Holy Spirit within you to fill your heart with peace. He may or may not calm the situations around you but most importantly, he will give you peace in the midst of those situations, he will give you peace in the midst of the storm— and this is the kind of peace that the world can never give, because it’s a peace comes from knowing that you are eternally in the hands of God. Nothing can take that away from you, and you won’t find that peace anywhere else except from Jesus.