April 19, 2026
Sermon Part 1: “Jesus Christ Has Given You His Peace and There Is No Need to Be Afraid!”
The Times we live in are the most dangerous and perilous in modern history within the United States and around the world, and the enemy Satan seeks to stoke fear, which has torment into the thought-life of God’s People. But, we are to be “sober and vigilant” knowing that through Christ’s gift of Peace to us, we are more than conquerors of evil in the world. Today Saints, let us highly appraise and be forever grateful that Jesus has given to us His Peace that has conquered the world for us!
Good Morning and Happy Sunday Saints!
On the night before the Passion of Jesus Christ, during the Last Supper in the Upper Room, Jesus prophetically proclaimed to His disciples (and by extension to every follower of Christ throughout the world) saying, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” (John16:33) No person in this world is exempt from “Tribulation.” By tribulation, Jesus meant that the disciples, and all followers of Christ, would be exposed to, and experience in daily living, “systematic evil events” perpetrated by Satan (the prince of the power of the air) in a fallen and sin-laden world that would bring about intense pressure, trouble, sorrows, frustration, anguish, burdens, affliction, and persecution for holding on to faith in God in Christ Jesus.
The tribulation (troubles) of the world are and will be so great that like a tsunami wreaking havoc on once-made peaceful shores and lands, the troubles of the world flood the lives of people who place their trust in man-made temporal and conditional peace; which causes their hearts and minds to faint and be consumed with the specter of fear and death. Yes, since the days of Adam, Mankind’s great bondage is the fear of death, which however Jesus Christ came to destroy. (Heb.2:15)
Subject to tribulation, in efforts of self-preservation, the people of the world make and break truces and treatise, contracts, supposed bonded-relationships, and turn to hatred and never ending warring among and within nations, communities, and families.
Based on historical data, there has never been a known time in recorded history completely free from war and armed conflict. In fact, since 1816 to the present, there has never been a year without at least 1,000 battle-related deaths worldwide, according to data from the Correlates War Project.
About tribulation in the world, Jesus Christ understood that its evil would “exponentially accelerate” down through the ages as the hearts of men would continually turn away from God to the love of idolatry (self) and creation more than the Creator God. At Matthew 24:12, Jesus prophetically proclaimed that because “iniquity shall abound, the love of many people would wax cold.” Jesus noted that rampant corruption, lawlessness, wickedness, and deception in the end-times would cause people’s love for God and others to diminish or become indifferent. And, this is where we are today.
Saints, we must understand this Truth; this Law that was established from the day God created Adam. That is: “As Mankind goes, so goes the earth.” For the earth is “intertwined” and made subject to the actions of Mankind, whether good or evil! When God created Adam He formed him from the “dust of the earth,” and gave to him dominion and authority over it. (Gen. 2:7 & 1:26-28) Psalm 115:16 also witnesses that God has given the earth to human beings as an inheritance and for stewardship. (Ps.115:16)
When Adam sinned against God, among the judgments rendered against him, God cursed the “ground,” transforming his work in the Garden of Eden from easy stewardship into painful, sweat-induced labor (Genesis 3:17-19). Adam was forced to toil, battle thorns and thistles, and endure hardship to produce food, reversing the ease of his previous duties in Eden. This labor lasted until his penalty of death had run full course, when he returned to the “dust of the earth” from which he was formed. (Gen.3:19)
Please understand Saints, it was Satan’s “plot” from the re-creation of the world to steal control of the earth from Adam and Eve his wife and to make them, and every person born thereafter into the world, puppets unto himself (Eph. 2:3-4). His device of choice, was (and still is today and until the end of the world), the communication of “troublesome” news (“bad news/fake news”) about Adam and Eve’s relationship with God. Troublesome news that was intended to disturb the couple’s “inner-peace” with God, the earth and animals, and cause them to become consumed in their hearts and minds with fear and to be afraid.
Moreover, Satan would use the threat of “trouble” to decouple and decapitate the couple’s relationship with God, knowing that if successful, they would revert to “self-preservation” and become the first children of “disobedience” to inhabit Satan’s spirit and nature in the earth, and thereafter spread it throughout the generations of Mankind. (Rom.5:12) Every person born from their mother’s womb inherits the sinful nature of Adam, with hearts and minds set to fear and be afraid of “tribulation,” trouble, bad-news/fake news. A heart and mind by nature that is subject to temptation by Satan, to lust after things in the world, rather than possessing an inner-being that loves and seeks after God. Frankly Saints, without Christ abiding in our hearts and minds, we all are nervous; miserable wrecks who have no lasting peace of mind and satisfaction within.
Regarding Adam and Eve, this was not the first time Satan had tried to circumvent the Sovereignty and Authority of God by stirring up tribulation/trouble. In the “Before Times,” originally as a high-ranking angel named Lucifer (He was the anointed cherub, full of wisdom and beauty, and the ruler of the first Garden of Eden on earth where his throne was located.) who led worship of God on earth and Heaven, concocted and trafficked “bad news/fake news” among the Pre-Adamites (biological humans not made in the image of God that first inhabited the earth) as well as the holy angels in Heaven; to turn their hearts and minds away from God, to worship and serve him.
Driven by pride, jealousy, and a desire to usurp divine Authority, Lucifer planned and led a rebellion with a portion of the holy angels against God; aiming to exalt himself above God and to dethrone Him. (Is.14:12-15 & Ezek. 28:11-19)
His plan was wicked, impossible to achieve, and showed himself to be a complete “fool” before God and all of Heaven. For how could a created being overthrow his Creator? How could newly- born “trouble” bound within the heart and mind of Lucifer, the cherub, overthrow the “Omnipotent” God who is Perfected Peace? Lucifer, along with the revolting angels, were immediately brought down to hell; to the sides of the pit at the command of God by the Arch angel Michael. (Rev.12 & Is.14) During Jesus’ Public Ministry, He witnessed to His disciples that He saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of “lightening.” (Luke10:18)
In judgment of the first created earth, God flooded the earth by water, (called Lucifer’s Flood) and the Pre-Adamites and the contents of the earth were destroyed; the earth encapsulated in water and left without “form, void, and darkness.” (Gen.1:2) For ages, Lucifer/Satan remained bound in hell until God re-created/released the earth to a perfect state-again for habitation, and created Mankind this time in the image and likeness of the Holy Threeness; male and female were Adam and Eve created. (Gen.1:3-23, 26-28) Before God and all of Heaven, "They were naked and not ashamed," (Genesis 2:25) signifying a state of perfect innocence, total vulnerability, and absolute transparency between Adam and Eve before sin entered the world. The couple enjoyed a relationship free from fear, secrets, guilt, or the need to hide; characterized by complete trust, harmony, and tranquility in God and with each other.
Thereafter, in the second Garden of Eden, Satan the author of trouble-some news, in the person of the Serpent, asked this “dastardly” question, and trafficked this “deceitful” commentary to the rulers of the re-created earth Eve with Adam by her side, in an attempt to “disturb their peace with God and each other,” and to turn their hearts and minds completely away from God:
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Gen. 3:1)
Ye shall not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4)
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Gen. 3:5)
Notice the “Pressure” inflicted upon the psyche of the first couple, beginning with the first question, to tempt them not to believe God loved them and had provided a means for them to eat food. Satan tried to portray God as insensitive and uncaring about their needs by forcing them to work in Eden to “dress and keep it,” while potentially starving them. When instead, God had Commanded Adam to “freely eat of every tree in the Garden, with the exception of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen.2:16-17)
When Eve replied to the Serpent that they were free to eat of the trees in the Garden, but not to “touch” God’s tree and that they would die if they did, the Serpent applied more “Pressure,” lying and saying, “Ye shall not surely die.” (Gen. 3:2-3) Satan then asserted that if they ate of the tree they would be like God; just as wise and knowing of good and evil as God. (Gen.3:5) In other words, Satan was implying that by partaking of the forbidden fruit, they would no longer need to submit themselves to God’s Ruler-ship and obey Him, because as “gods” they would be equal to Him, and even possess wisdom “independent” of God!
We all know what happened next. Eve, and then Adam ate the fruit; and consumed all of the “trouble” accompanying it! With their hearts and minds turned away from God, if you will, they ate the “love of the things of the world!” In Genesis 3:6 it reads:
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Eve’s and then Adam’s temptation involved physical craving (flesh), visual desire (eyes), and the desire for autonomous wisdom (pride). The couple became the first lovers of the things of the world, rather than lovers of God; having yielded to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. They lost the love of God and “Peace” from within that comes from a deep and abiding relationship with God, and became consumed with trying to achieve self-satisfaction through the lust for things within the world.
After their great trespass, Adam and Eve knew they were naked (had sinned against God), and based upon their fallen-wisdom and self-determined efforts to soothe their guilty conscious, they made “fig leaves to cover their nakedness (sin) and made aprons,” and “when they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the cool of the day, they hid from the Presence of the Lord.”
Satan had successfully stolen their “Peace,” and they knew they were in sin, their hearts and minds were full of shame, and they were “afraid.” When confronted by God, they shifted blame rather than remorsefully accepting responsibility for their wrongful actions. (Gen.3:7-14)
My, my, my just like Adam and Eve, so many people in the world today, including born-again Christians, are trapped in the trespasses of their sins, covering up “secret sins” and running from God’s Presence. Rather than seeking after His grace and finding Peace with God in Christ. This instinctive nature from Adam of the cover up of sin, with distractions and excuses reflects a fear of condemnation. A sinner keeps sinning with excuses to avoid accountability, to ease a guilty conscience, and justify “selfish desires.”
This behavior stems from an unredeemed heart, a seared conscience, or the misguided belief that everyone else is doing it, allowing them to minimize, rationalize, or blame external factors for their actions. So they run from godly people, dismiss invitations to assemble in Church, and they silence conversations with Christians about God and the Word. Not realizing that God is actually pursing them, and for that matter Humanity to offer mercy, reconciliation, and restoration through belief in the finished works of Jesus Christ on the cross, which brings eternal Peace to the whole being of man; spirit, soul, and body, as well as the affairs of man.
The Apostle John wrote a warning to the Christians at I John 2:15-16:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Saints, Satan has no new tricks. As from the beginning with Adam and Eve, and as long as this earth remains, he roams the earth seeking who he can turn hearts away from the love of God by fostering doubt, temptation and a focus on temporary, material, or self-centered pursuits. Satan deceives Mankind by promoting the false narrative that material things, temporal pleasures—such as wealth, fame, and sensory indulgence—provide lasting happiness, peace, and fulfillment. A twisted and evil wisdom that centers on the amassing of wealth and good-times in frivolity can overcome troubles in life, and make life worth living. This deception encourages prioritizing temporary, worldly, and often sinful pursuits; over spiritual, eternal, and a God-centered life. The devilish strategy is to create a "bait" of immediate gratification that leaves individuals feeling emptier than before, distracting them from true, lasting joy which is found only in God.
This is why before the Lord’s Passion, Jesus spoke these Words of Covenant-Promise to the disciples recorded at 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.
And then at John16:33 the full Verse (King James and then the Amplified Bible) that I alluded to at the beginning of the Sermon, Jesus said:
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.
Amplified Bible:
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted!] For I have overcome the world. I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you!
From these Verses we see that the only true and lasting “Peace” that can be obtained is in Jesus Christ, for His alone is Perfected Peace! Outside of Christ, any other peace a man claims to possess, is of the world and is nothing more than temporal, sensual, and conditional. Jesus gifted to the disciples (and to every born-again Christian by extension) His “Perfected Peace.” Somebody shout with the voice of gladness, saying Thank you Jesus for the gift of Your Perfected Peace!”
In the Greek Translation the word “Peace” denotes an “inner-man” state of tranquility, harmony, and well-being in Almighty God the Father. His everlasting Peace is “supernatural” and not of this world! God’s Peace is unshakable and unmovable, and provides lasting peace of mind, quietness, rest, and safety in Jesus Christ regardless of encountered circumstances. His Peace treads and stomps down on all troubles, sudden fears and torments! Moreover, Jesus’ Peace “prospers” the incumbent inner-man and brings forth wholeness in spirit, soul, mind of the soul, physical body, and in all aspects of life.
The disciples, turned Apostles, received the manifestation of the Promise of the gift of Christ’s Peace on the day of Pentecost when they were all filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost, as Jesus Promised at the last Supper. (John 14:26-27, Acts 2:1-4, and Rom.14:17) Likewise, the day you gave your life to Jesus Christ, repented of sin, and received water baptism in His name, you received the Holy Ghost and the Lord’s Perfected Peace. Glory be to God!
Jesus’ Peace is the anecdote for all tribulation (bad news/fake news) that is in the world and provides the Power to keep our brains (thought-life) from fear and being afraid, while also providing the courage and confidence to abide in the love of God, and sweet Communion with Him, to the conquering of the trouble of the world. Every born-again Christian must awaken to complete understanding, sobriety, and watchfulness over their brains (thought-life) as Satan tempts us with the tribulations (troubles) of the world. Satan cannot disturb Christ’s Peace in our born-again hearts, as our inner-man (spirit, soul, and mind of the soul) remains sealed by the Holy Ghost until the day of Redemption. (Eph. 4:20) However, Satan lodges his attacks against our brains (thought-life) with tribulation in the world to tempt us to fear and be afraid.
As Satan would have it in the world, the prince of the power of air and airwaves daily bombards us with troublesome news reported by national and local media outlets (television, radio and the internet) intended to fixate human beings on trouble and cause them to fear and be afraid. To in-turn, then internalize “negative” emotions and reactions to bad news/fake news, which can bring about sickness and disease and loss of productivity.
More specifically, the onslaught of negative news can “adversely” impact mental health, social behavior, and human development. Please do not misunderstand me Saints, our “reputable” national and local news outlets serve a vital purpose as they help inform, educate, entertain, and persuade audiences while acting as a watchdog for social, economic, and political institutions. The news Media shapes public opinion, facilitates democratic processes by providing a forum for discussion, and disseminates news to create awareness about local and global events. However, the degradation and acceleration of sin in the world heavily influences and makes News Outlets responsible for reporting out troubles around the world.
Saints, notice since your time on earth the type and velocity of reporting of troublesome news in Media has increased dramatically of wars, murders, sex-trafficking, political upheaval, corruption, homosexuality, divorce, crime, environmental hazards, plagues, poverty, nudity, racism…on and on we go with “bad news!” The consumption of bad news only breeds more bad happenings, Satan knows this for as human-beings traffic and worry about troublesome news they eat its fruit. (Prov.18:21) For “as a man thinks in his heart so he becomes.” (Prov. 23:7)
A person’s inner thoughts, intentions, and meditations define their true character and shape their reality. This Truth tells us that dominant thoughts lead to actions and habits, essentially determining one's life outcomes and character. Many of the people of the world, possessing the sinful-nature of Adam, are consumed with worrisome thoughts of self-sufficiency, self-survival, and self-satisfaction: Even now, the attention and affections of Americans, (including many born-again Christians who allow themselves to), are set on the “troubles” in the world: Issues related to affordability, political polarization, inflation, wars, retirement security, unemployment, housing shortages, tariffs, racial divides, and immigration. How about you, what is consuming your thought-life these days?
According to Mental Health experts, constant exposure to “bad news” can create a pessimistic outlook on life, trigger fight-or-flight responses, and cause physical health issues like high-blood pressure and impact mental health, often leading to increased anxiety, depression, and stress-related illnesses. Negative news headlines often focus on crisis, conflict, or tragedy to drive “high engagement,” with studies showing that each additional negative word in a headline can increase online “click-through” rates by over two-percent. Studies also show that even just 14-minutes of daily news consumption can increase symptoms of anxiety and depression, and that negative news is often highlighted to drive online clicks and channel maneuvering on television remote controls.
Couple media bad news and fake news, with reports of death, tragedy, loss, poverty, sickness and illness in our personal lives, and among family and loved ones can lead to mental and physical health fatigue. Whereby many people may faint, lose hope, give up on life, or even seek to maim and kill others. To make matters even worse, the people of the world (many born-again Christians too) love to traffic in murmuring, complaining, gossip, guile, and profanity; in which the Bible says is a sure way to cut one’s life short of good and satisfying years. (I Pet. 3:10) Because many born-again Christians consume exceedingly more worldly news than they do “Holy News and Good News of the Holy Bible, they conform themselves to the ways of the world rather than being transformed by the Word. In times of tribulation, they are swept up and away by negative emotions, not realizing that Jesus Christ has given to them, the antidote to tribulation, His Peace which surpasses human understanding, and causes us to triumph over hard trials and tribulations.
Saints, from carefully studying and considering the Perfected Peace of Jesus Christ within us, I realize that no born-again child of God should be suffering with sleeplessness, anxiousness, depression, stress, panic attacks, sadness, and worry. Yet many of us exhibit these negative emotions and symptoms because we have not rightly apprised, studied, and applied Christ’s Peace in our lives. Our internal gift of Peace is rooted in Jesus' Victory over sin and death, and Ascension to Heaven; allowing us to transcend all of life’s troubles.
We possess this Perfected Peace by faith, through the Holy Ghost, and activate it by meditating on God’s Word, prayer, and abiding in Him. Given that the Lord’s Peace is activated by faith and meditation on His Word, we must study Jesus’ Peace, the source of it, and how He used His Peace in all circumstances to conquer the troubles of the world for us. Furthermore, Jesus has invited all of His followers to “learn” of Him. Check out the invitation recorded at Matthew 11: 29-30.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
So let’s begin our study and “learn” of the Perfected Peace of Jesus Christ. God the Father is the sole-source of the Peace of Jesus Christ and He has shared it with all who love Him. The origin of Jesus’ Peace comes from His most intimate connection and fellowship with God the Father enjoyed before the world began. In the Lord’s Prayer at John 17:5, Jesus petitioned the Father, saying: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
The glory Jesus shared with God before the world began, refers to his eternal, pre-existent, and divine nature as the Son of God. This glory represents “co-equal” divine majesty, honor, and love possessed within the Trinity before God created the cosmos and established “Time” in the earth. God alone is the grantor of True Peace (Is. 23:6, Rom.15:33, & Heb.13:8), and Jesus being co-equal with God embodies all of the fullness of the Perfected Peace of God. (Php.2:5 & Col. 2:9) Jesus bore witness and Promised the disciples that all God the Father has, had been given to Him, and that through the Holy Ghost all things would be shared with us. (John 16:13-15)
Furthermore, before taking on human flesh, Jesus existed in a state of full divinity, sharing the same “nature and glory” as God the Father. This glory includes Jesus' active role in creating the world and sustaining it. (Gen.1:1-3 & Heb.1:3) It is a glory that existed within a loving Father-Son relationship before anything was made. Jesus enjoying Absolute calm, harmony, and tranquility with God the Father; for in God there is no darkness nor temptation of evil. (I John 1:5 & James 1:13-14)
Before the world began, God instilled within Jesus the Plan of Salvation, the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross for the sins of the world, to overcome all evil that would come by way of Satan. (Titus 1:2, Rev.13:8) God gave to Jesus “Power” over all flesh, that He should give “eternal life” to as many as God gave to Him. (John 17:3) So, the Plan of God was already set before Lucifer/Satan was created and the first earth; that “True Peace” would triumph over tribulation and tragedy!
Recall Saints, at the set-time of the nativity of Christ’s birth to the Virgin Mary, Joseph by her side, in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem, an angel of the Lord God appeared and announced to shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night, to “fear not” as he had come to bring great news to “all people.” That Christ the Lord had been born into the world, and he instructed them on where He could be found. The Scripture says then there was suddenly a multitude of the Heavenly host praising God, and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will toward men.” (Luke 2:7-14)
Make no mistake about it Saints, Jesus was sent by God into the world to bring to all people the Perfected Peace of God to the earth! While on earth, this glory of Christ was veiled, but during His Transfiguration and Resurrection, His glory was revealed as divine, “Kingly Authority.” On numerous occasions, Jesus provided for His disciples the “Source” of His Absolute Power, Peace, and Confidence; testifying, “I and the Father are One.” (John 5:18, 10:30, 14:10, &17:21) Praise God, in Isaiah 9:6, the Prophet Isaiah foresaw the divine calling and work of Jesus called the “Prince of Peace;” identifying Jesus as the Promised Messiah who would bring divine restoration, reconciliation with God, and internal tranquility to Mankind.
As the Ruler of all rulers, Jesus offers a Peace that transcends circumstances, allowing for inner-calm and restoration of broken relationships resulting in harmony with others. His sacrifice on the cross bridges the gap between sinful Humanity and a Holy God, making a relationship with Him possible, which is the foundation for True Peace (wholeness in spirit, soul, mind of the soul, and body). Oh dear Saints, as Jesus walked on earth, why should He fear or be afraid of anything or any circumstances “knowing” that God and He were “One,” and was sent to redeem Mankind from sin? Knowing that within Him, the eternal Peace of God works to reconcile and restore all things new and whole. You see Saints, it was Jesus’ unique “Oneness” with God the Father that enabled Him to live in a perpetual state of tranquility and stillness to hear and see the works of God, and do them! (John 5:19 & 12:49)
In the Beatitudes, Jesus made known to those who would hear His Voice and believe would also have the gift of Peace from above. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9) These are the True Followers of God in Christ Jesus. They study and learn of the life of Christ to follow after Peace with all people. They pronounce divine blessing and favor on others, mitigate and extinguish trouble of every kind, actively resolve conflict, and promote unity to reflect God’s Nature in the earth among men.
Further, the writer of Hebrews 12:14, stated that believers in Christ are to “follow Peace with all men.” This is a biblical mandate to actively pursue harmonious relationships with everyone, (Christian and Non-Christian) requiring effort, humility, and often choosing to apologize or forgive first. It means avoiding strife, letting go of bitterness, and living a sanctified life, which is essential for experiencing God’s Presence and living in the reality of Christ’s Peace.
Let’s launch into our study of the Perfected Peace of Jesus Christ in action during His Public Ministry. The hallmark of Jesus’ Peace is its always present and “super-active” in times of great trouble, not in the absence of it, and resulted in the dynamic working of miracles to bring forth reconciliation and love for all. Frankly, every Account in the Gospels of the Public Ministry of Jesus was the manifestation of God’s Peace given to us to learn from and practice in our lives. Due to the lateness of the hour, I will briefly mention several examples for your reference and personal study this week, and next week we will focus in detail on Peace Accounts recorded in Matthew Chapter 14.
- Turned the Wilderness Into A Place of Victory
Before facing Satan’s temptations, Jesus demonstrated profound Peace, inner-strength, and absolute trust in God the Father, rooted in His identity and a 40-day Spirit-led fast in the wilderness. This spiritual, unwavering Peace allowed Jesus to remain “sinless” and confident in His Mission, using Scripture as His calm defense against every attack of Satan until the enemy departed from Him. (Luke 4:1-13) Unlike the first Adam who succumbed to the temptations of the lusts of the world, the second Adam Jesus, defeated Satan with His enduring love and trust in God and His Word.
- Non-Violent Confrontation:When a crowd in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, many of which knew Him well became angry at His Teaching in the synagogue they considered insulting and blasphemous, they thrusted Him out of the city, led Him to the edge of a cliff to cast Him down. But, Jesus never uttering a word, simply walked through them and left rather than reacting with force. (Luke 4:18-30)
- Rejecting Violence:In Matthew 26:52 & Luke 22:50-51, there is the Account of the arrest of Jesus by the guard of the High Priest, and Jesus rebuking Peter for using a sword to defend Him, striking a servant of the guard and severing his ear. Jesus told Peter those who live by the sword will die by it. Immediately afterward, Jesus healed the man’s ear, restoring peace even to His captor.
- The Lord’s Passion and Forgiveness on the Cross:Despite a total of six false trials held by Jewish and Roman authorities, intense physical torture, scourging, a crown of thorns, carrying the cross and crucifixion, along with severe emotional trauma from betrayal, abandonment by disciples and family, and mocking by crowds; Jesus never reviled again. (I Pet.2:23) Moreover, on the cross Jesus petitioned God saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus even taking with Him to Paradise, upon request, one of the malefactors hung on a cross next to Him. (Luke 23:39-43)
- Reconciliation with Disciples:After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples who were hiding in “fear” of the Jews, and greeted them with "Peace be with you," offering love, reconciliation, and restoration rather than condemnation for abandoning Him in the time of trouble. (John 20:19-22).
His appearance made the disciples exceedingly glad, proving all that Jesus had predicted about his death and Resurrection from the dead on the third-day had come to pass. Jesus then said again, “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” And when He said this he breathed on them and said unto them “Receive Ye the Holy Ghost.”
Glory be to God, through the Holy Ghost, Jesus gave to the disciples, turned Apostles, the same Perfected Peace that He enjoyed and came out from God the Father with before the foundations of the world; so that their hearts and minds would never fear nor be afraid of tribulation in the world. So they would be equipped with divine strength and might to be sober and vigilent in the face of temptation by Satan to resist him as Jesus Christ did with the Word of God and get the victory. So that they would, like Jesus have a life of True Peace that brings serenity, tranquility, stillness of heart regardless of circumstances to enable them to hear and see in the Spirit the supernatural works of God and do them. And then in turn, spread this Peace to all men through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and winning of souls to Him. Freely they had received, freely they were required to give Christ’s Peace to people everywhere.
All of us in Christ, filled with the Holy Ghost, must also be confident in knowing we possess the great gift of Christ’s Perfected Peace and let it govern our lives like an “umpire;” especially when tribulation comes our way. In advance of our teaching next week, let us by faith and with boldness begin to say to all people who face trouble of every kind: “Peace be unto you, or Peace be with you, through the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.” As I mentioned, the Lord willing next week we will take an in-depth look at the Peace Accounts in Matthew Chapter 14, and learn that the Peace of Christ has a unique “vocabulary” that results in the “Power of Peace” being released to bring forth miracles and restoration to all who believe in Jesus Christ. Amen, for the preaching of the Word of the Living God.
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