peace I leave with you

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you
Christians have some precious privileges. When we leave this world, we do not go to the hell but to the kingdom of heaven. That is our privilege. And we do not worry what to eat, what to drink, what to wear in this world because we are blessed by God. That is also our privilege. And we can be set free from illness and enjoy good health. That is another privilege. And we have peace and rest in our heart. That is our privilege too.
If we do not have peace even though we have financial blessing and physical health, we cannot say, "We are happy !" Therefore in today's scripture, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you." And Psalms 29:11 says, "The Lord blesses his people with peace."
Brothers and sisters, our God is the God of peace. And Jesus is the King of peace. Therefore when Jesus was born, the angels praised, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest." (Luke 2:14) And the prophet Isaiah said, "The punishment that brought us peace was upon him." (Isaiah 53:5) And Colossians 1:20 says, "By making peace through his blood". And the bible tells that the gospel is the good news of peace. (Acts 10:36)
These verses mean we can have peace in Jesus. Nowadays people have richness materially but they are lack of spiritual blessing. That is, they have no peace in their heart. If we Christians cannot enjoy peace, it means we are losing the great privilege. Especially if we cannot enjoy peace in this foreign land, we cannot say, "We are happy !" Bible tells us how to get peace. Today let's look at the ways through the bible. And let's make our life full of peace.
1. Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanks giving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Hudson Tailer, the missionary to China fell into a big worry. He had a lot of works to do, and he needed a lot of money. But no one helped him. He worried all nights and he had nervous breakdown at last. One day when he read the bible John 15:5 "I am the vine ; you are the branches.", he realized, "That's it ! The vine gives its branches water, and the vine nourishes its branches. I am his branch. So I don't need to worry about. Lord, I was foolish. From now I will not worry. I will present my requests to you. Lord, take care of me." He prayed earnestly. Then peace came into his heart.
Brothers and sisters, it is very simple truth. If we pray, we have peace. If you cannot have peace even though you pray, pray with petition and earnestness, then you will have peace. If not, pray with thanksgiving, then you can have peace finally.
2. Isaiah 26:3
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you."
A child was walking in the street with his dad. He ran with joy before his dad. But all of sudden, a big dog appeared and growled at the boy. He was terrified. So he went back to his dad. And he held his dad's hand. He was never terrified but at peace because he held his dad's hand tightly.
Brothers and sisters, we usually pray God to change the bad circumstances or to take away the bad person who gives us anxiety. But Christians's peace is not swayed by circumstances, or by persons. If you hold Father's hand tightly, and trust in Him, you can have peace.
3. Romans 8:6
"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." It means ; if we think of earthly things, we become uneasy. But if we think of Spiritual things, we have peace.
Brothers and sisters, think. Does the gangster feel peace ? Does the thief or robber or impostor feel peace ? Maybe they feel peace if their consciences are seared as with a hot iron. But it is not real peace.
There is a proverb in Korea, "The man who hit the other feels uneasy, but the man who was hit by the other can sleep well." That is, the sinful and quarrelsome man feels uneasy even though he wins, but the peaceful man feels peace even though he loses. (Psalms 37:37)
4. Luke 10:5-6
"When you enter a house, first say, "Peace to this house. If man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him ; if not, it will return to you."
Israeli greeting is 'Salom !', which means 'Peace !'. Korean greeting is also 'Announghaseyo !', which means 'Peace !'. They pray for others' peace. It is very good and biblical greeting .If we pray for other's peace, peace rests upon us. Especially if we pray for our enemies' peace, peace returns to us.
Let me tell you a story. There is a child in the mountain village. One day she was rebuked by her mom. she was very upset. So she went to a high mountain. She shouted, "I hate you. I hate you !" After a while, he heard, "I hate you. I hate you !" She looked around, "Who hate me ?" But there is no one there.
She came back home and told her mom what has happened to her. Then her mom smiled and said, "Why don't you go there and shout ? 'I love you. I love you." So she went to the same place and shouted, "I love you. I love you !" A while later, she heard, "I love you. I love you !" As you know, that is just an echo.
The place is same. But if you shout, "I hate you. I hate you !", you will hear, "I hate you. I hate you !" But if you shout, "I love you. I love you !", you will hear, "I love you. I love you !" Likewise if we pray for others' peace, peace will return to us.
Lord says to us, "I know the plans I have for you. plan to give peace not to harm you." (Jer 29:11) And Hezekiah confessed, "Surely it was for my peace that I suffered such anguish. And the bible says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace." (Col 3:15) I pray all of us to enjoy peace in the foreign land and give peace to others. Amen !