Lara Gboyega Adedeji: Hello, everyone and welcome to Bible in Focus. Today we'll be sharing together the word of the Lord Jesus in John chapter 14:27. So, Jesus was speaking here. He said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” What is Jesus communicating to us here? Jesus said, “peace I give to you.” And He personalized it. He said “my peace.” So, the peace is not just anyhow peace. He wanted us to also understand the kind of peace that He is delivering to us. And He said, “My peace I give to you, not as the world…” So, He made it clear that the world will offer us peace, but the peace He is talking about is not as the world will give to us. And He said, “let not your heart be troubled”, meaning that by default, our hearts get troubled. And He said, “don’t let your heart be afraid.”
So, by default, we get troubled and afraid, which I believe many of us have gotten into that space, over different issues over different circumstance. I can imagine the people in Ukraine when the war started the believers in Ukraine. In fact, at the threat of the war, I can imagine the kind of trouble and fear that would have come into their heart. But this is what Jesus is saying here: “Peace I leave with you.” Jesus is not saying there will be absence of trouble. He didn’t say there won’t be circumstances that will create fear. But He said let not your hearts be troubled. So, in the midst of that storm, in the midst of that trying circumstance, in the midst of that trouble, He said, “let not your heart be troubled.” So, it is a decision and a choice that you have to make. Why? Because peace I give to you. When He said “I leave with you peace”; the question is, do we receive it? Do we often time receive that peace? He said, “My peace I give to you?” Do we often time receive that peace that Jesus has given to us?
Gboyega Adedeji: And you know, another thing that is also very important in that verse is this. He said, “Peace I leave with you” as it were, “my peace I give to you.” Now, one thing that is instructive is that Jesus didn't just say “peace I live with you, and peace I give to you.” Because if Jesus gives you peace, you might embrace the peace. You know, you said “have received the peace”, you might embrace the peace without necessarily embracing Jesus, and yet you will be able to enjoy the peace. But when He said “my peace…” Now, there is like a condition, terms and conditions applied. Now the peace is available, the peace has been left behind, the peace has been given. However, if we must receive it, and experience it and enjoy it, we must do it in Christ in Jesus.
You can't have His peace and say, “thank you for giving me your peace, but bye, bye”. No! you have to accept the peace and accept Him.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: You're receiving the peace with the person.
Gboyega Adedeji: Yes! You remember when Cain and Abel offered to God a sacrifice. The Bible says “God, honored and respected Abel and his offering but God did not honor, God did not respect Cain and his offering. So, we were introduced to how God works. Before the things we have in our hands, God considers us. So, if God cannot accept you, He cannot accept what you have to offer Him. So, the same thing; if you cannot accept God, whatever God has for you, you can't accept it. You may say that, “Oh, what I really need is not God, I just want His riches.” In this circumstance now, ae are looking at His peace. I just want His peace. I don't want the challenge or the pressure or the demands of having God.
Do you remember that place in the Bible that the ark of God was taking? Now when issues matters were arising for the Philistines, they had to conclude that they should return the ark, because the ark, which was something that can be seen, carried with it, the presence of the unseen God. So, because the presence of God was disturbing them, they had to return what God had and He gave to His people, which they stole from the people of God. Now, the point I'm making is this, when God gives you something, when God makes something available, you cannot receive that thing outside of God, you must receive it with God. So if you must enjoy the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, which is beyond the United Nations peacekeeping mission, you must accept God.
So, if Jesus must bring His peace into your house, He mustn't drop it at the bus stop where you pick it up or in front of your door, He has to enter your house with His peace. So, if you want to enjoy His peace, you must enjoy the person and the presence of Jesus.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: Yes, that's very instructive. So, the reason why we don't enjoy the peace of God usually is because we have not accepted the person of Jesus of Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace. So, because He is the prince of peace, when we accept Him, we have ushered in His peace. And that's why many times people struggle and are troubled and are afraid. And it looks as if the circumstances are not changing. Why? Because you want the gift and not the person or the giver. And you cannot have the gift except you embrace the giver. And that's why He said “my peace I give…”
Gboyega Adedeji: Let nothing be mixed up. It is my peace.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: Yes, my peace I give. So, for you not to have troubled hearts, a heart that is afraid; you must embrace the giver and His gift. The gift of peace comes with the giver also. So, it is instructive.
Gboyega Adedeji: You know, the more we keep the giver, the more His gifts are retained.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: Yes, it stays with us.
Gboyega Adedeji: Let not the giver come into your life for a season, let Him come to stay. I don't think there's any human that wants to enjoy peace for only a season in life. Nobody will say “let me just have peace for the first 30 years of my life, the rest can be chaotic.” No! So, you can’t have Jesus in your life for a while. He can't be in your life just for you to pass through university or just for a phase. It can’t be for a phase. You have to have Jesus in your life till you leave this earth. Let the peace of God remain in you forever. You don’t want to have tenure for Jesus in your life, Jesus cannot be voted out of your life. He has to be there. He has to be the Lord; He has to be the king of your life. And he has to remain on the throne. That is when He will become your own king of peace.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: So, you don't want a situation where you get into trouble and that is when you're quickly looking for Jesus. No! You want Him to be there all the time. So that even when the trouble surfaces, when the situations or fear arises, He is there with you. So, you know the mistake many people make is they want the trouble, the world, the situation that is fearsome to appear first, then they are now in frantic effort looking for Jesus. No! Let Jesus be there with you first. Imagine when the disciples were in that boat and the wind was boisterous. Imagine that Jesus was not in that boat.
Gboyega Adedeji: Imagine they had one of the shoes of Jesus. And they just have in addition with that, His robe.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: Or they are just in search of Jesus. They could not go into the boat and wake Him up.
Gboyega Adedeji: Imagine them saying “where's that thing that Jesus gave us before we began the journey? It's not about what he gave you, it is about Him being there. He has to be there.
Lara Gboyega Adedeji: His presence assures you of peace. The assurance of peace that you have is in His presence. So, it's important that we do not just have just a quota of peace, we have peace everlasting. The peace everlasting is in the person of the everlasting God, the Everlasting Prince of Peace. So, it's important that we understand this and we know for a truth that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, He is the giver of peace. And the peace that He gives is not just for a time or a season, it is forever.
Gboyega Adedeji: Whatever the Lord does, it is forever. Alright, thank you for being part of this episode. It's very interesting. So much has been received. Beyond the receiving peace, we have understood that we must receive the king or the Prince of Peace in our lives. And He must be with us not for a while. He must be with us forever. I believe you have received the word and you are planning; you are intending from this moment to walk with it. As you walk with it, you will have good testimony to share with us and with your family, your friends, and everyone that you love around you in Jesus’ name. Till the next time we bring you another interesting episode on this same channel, we want you to remain with Christ. Don't be contented with a little thing from Christ. Be with Christ. Be with Him as a person and enjoys His fullness all your life.
God bless you.
