Not As The World Giveth

The Lord Jesus, ever careful for the wellbeing and feelings of His beloved friends, has delivered words of comfort and encouragement to His soon to be bereft disciples. Speaking these things ‘being yet present’ implies His imminent departure from them. The Lord has spoken of mansions prepared for them in His Father’s house. He has promised to supply them with power by sending the Holy Spirit to comfort them and intimated how He Himself, with His Father, will come to dwell in them. Though spoken personally to the disciples these present spiritual graces and eternal heavenly promises are every believer’s possession.

Yet there is more

The Lord is not finished yet. Three more commitments are made to the disciples. First, the coming Spirit of Truth will teach them ‘all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’. This is great evidence for the trustworthiness and apostolic authority of the New Testament scriptures, including the Gospels. Even after many years the testimony of the disciples was clear, accurate and reliable. Their gospel doctrine is faithful and dependable because it is revealed truth from the Lord Jesus Himself who is God that cannot lie.

The peace of God

Second, the Lord furnishes peace for the disciples, His own peace. This means peace for their troubled hearts that despite the severity of the experience about to overtake them they would be preserved and protected. It includes a spirit of peace, an attitude of unity, to enable the group to remain single-minded for their apostolic ministry. It certainly includes the gospel of peace which the Lord now committed to them to be preached and proclaimed to all the world after He was gone. 

Of conscience, heart and mind

However, Christ’s peace is also that real and vital awareness in the converted soul of peace with God and reconciliation by the blood of Jesus Christ. This peace is actual union with God by the atonement. The Saviour’s blood has removed the sin that separated us from God. Christ’s peace includes application of forgiveness to the conscience of cleansed and converted men and women. It is spiritual peace that passes understanding. It is totally unlike the peace the world gives which is fleeting and false.

Our personal experience

While these gifts were primarily for the apostles in light of their immediate need and impending commission they apply to all believers. They freely come to all to whom the truth of the gospel is spiritually conveyed. The Spirit of Truth who dwells in us with power brings enlarged spiritual understanding as we grow in grace. He deepens our knowledge of Christ’s peace throughout the days of our earthly experience. 

A great inheritance

Spiritual peace and our rich inheritance of grace in the Lord Jesus transcends anything this world can offer. Notice that Christ’s gifts are given. They are neither earned nor deserved. They are freely and unconditionally given as gifts of grace and mercy and flow from the bounty of God’s love. David understood this when He wrote that, goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Faith

The third gift after spiritual knowledge and spiritual peace is spiritual assurance and faith, ‘I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe’. Only God knows the future before it comes to pass and here the Saviour reinforces His credentials of divinity. It is certain that the disciples’ faith grew greatly in the weeks following the Saviour’s resurrection and ascension. The giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brought further boldness and power to men who previously hid themselves for fear of the Jews.

The devil at the cross

The Lord concludes His words of reassurance by drawing the disciples’ attention to the coming prince of this world. This is the devil who was coming to taunt and harass the Saviour as He suffered on the cross for the sins of His people. Here Christ makes an interesting observation, telling His disciples Satan ‘hath nothing in me’. Despite bearing a world of sin for His beloved people there was no personal sin in Christ. All the transgressions of God’s chosen were placed on Christ the sacrificial lamb but He was pure in heart and soul.

Christ’s obedience

The Saviour makes a direct reference to the covenant of grace. He was come to do the Father’s will in obedience to the Father’s commandment. This cannot be one of the ten commandments but refers to the fulfilment of the covenant obligations laid upon the Saviour in the eternal council of grace and peace. This is when the justification and reconciliation of the elect was settled. Jesus Christ was obedient unto death, the death of the cross, for the redemption of the elect; making peace for all who had been placed into His hands.

 Amen.