Receiving the Gift of Christ's Peace

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus bequeaths His personal peace as a gift.

Jesus does not merely talk about peace; He leaves you His very own peace—His personal property—bequeathed as a gift you cannot earn and must simply receive with humility, freeing you from striving and inviting you to lay down anxiety today. [06:40]

John 14:27 (ESV)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Reflection: What anxious thought is dominating your mind today, and how will you tangibly receive Jesus’ gift in that moment—perhaps by pausing for three minutes, opening your hands, and saying aloud, “Jesus, I receive Your peace” every time it returns?

Day 2: Christ purchased our peace and reconciled us.

Peace is free to you but costly to Him; by His blood Jesus addressed the real conflict—our sin—so that there could be true reconciliation with God, meaning you can stop fighting battles already decided and rest in the outcome secured at the cross. [11:36]

Colossians 1:19–20 (ESV)
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Reflection: Where are you still trying to “pay God back” for your past—through guilt, perfectionism, or self-punishment—and what specific act of surrender (a prayer of confession, a phone call to make amends, deleting a hidden reminder of shame) will you do today to live as someone reconciled?

Day 3: Our sinless High Priest understands and saves.

Jesus was tempted in every way yet without sin, making Him both fully compassionate toward your weaknesses and uniquely qualified to pay your debt; bring your guilt to the One who understands, forgives, and restores your peace. [12:57]

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Reflection: What is one failure or secret that still robs your peace—will you write a short prayer naming it specifically and then, out loud, thank Jesus as your sinless High Priest who understands and has paid for it?

Day 4: Perfect peace comes from a steadfast mind.

Peace is not the absence of problems but the settled inner conviction that God is in control; as you fix your mind on Him, He stabilizes your heart in perfect peace even while the storm still rages. [15:04]

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Reflection: Choose a two-line breath prayer for today—on the inhale, “You keep me,” on the exhale, “in perfect peace”—and set three alarms (morning, midday, evening) to practice it for one minute each time when stress spikes.

Day 5: God’s peace guards and sustains in storms.

God’s peace exceeds understanding and acts like a guard over your heart and mind in Christ, empowering you to keep singing—even when the sky is dark, the wind is loud, and nothing feels settled. [18:04]

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Reflection: Identify one current “storm,” pick a Christ-centered song that declares trust, and sing it aloud today for three uninterrupted minutes as your act of faith, asking God to guard your heart and mind while you praise.

Sermon Summary

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” I pointed us to the Upper Room, the night before the cross, when Jesus bequeathed His own peace to His disciples. Not a concept, not a technique—His peace. It is a gift, not a wage; a present, not a paycheck. If it’s a gift, it can’t be earned, and because it’s a gift, it keeps us humble. Like that radiated tortoise found miles from the zoo, we didn’t get here by ourselves; Someone placed us where we are. What we know, God taught us. What we have, God gave us. Where we’ve come from, God brought us. Where we’re going, God will take us. That posture turns anxiety into adoration.

But the gift wasn’t cheap. Peace was purchased at a price—the blood of Jesus. There is peace with God before there is the peace of God. Our rebellion created a real conflict that had to be addressed, not ignored. The sinless Christ took our place, paid our debt, and reconciled us to the Father. Justified by His blood, we are no longer condemned by our past. Now, because we have peace with God, we can live from the peace of God—an inner settledness that doesn’t make sense to those measuring the storm by the wind.

Peace is not the absence of problems; it is the presence of a Person. It is the ability to sing while the clouds crowd the sky, to praise when the waves slap the shore, to stand when lightning cracks. The bird still sings—not because the storm isn’t real, but because a deeper reality holds it. That’s why I urged us to stop fighting battles already decided. The treaty has been signed in Christ; the war is over. Receive the gift by receiving the Giver. For those weary of inner wars, Jesus stands ready to place His peace in your hands and His Spirit in your heart.

Key Takeaways

1. Peace is a bequest—Jesus’ own personal peace left with His disciples and offered to us. It’s not a feeling we chase; it’s a gift we receive. Open hands receive what anxious hands keep trying to earn, and rested hearts do what striving hearts cannot. Let His peace, not your performance, be your confidence. [05:36]
2. Grace produces humility: we did not place ourselves where we are. Like that tortoise, providence carried us farther than our strength could crawl. Gratitude displaces entitlement and turns anxiety into worship, because gifts shift our focus from “What I must do” to “What God has done.” Live like a steward, not an owner. [08:26]
3. Peace was purchased, not presumed: the cross settled the conflict. Reconciliation required addressing sin, and only the sinless One could pay that price. Peace with God opens the door to the peace of God—justification silences the accusations of the past so we can walk free today. Stop self-atoning and rest in His finished work. [12:57]
4. Peace is not the absence of storms but the presence of a deeper center. You can acknowledge the wind and still refuse to let the wind define you. Fix your mind on God, and your soul learns to sing in thunder—praise becomes your protest against despair. The bird still sings because God still reigns. [15:04]
5. Stop fighting finished wars. When you live as if the treaty hasn’t been signed, you carry needless casualties—fatigue, fear, control. Surrender is not losing; it is aligning with a victory already won and walking in the fruit of it. Receive the Giver, and you’ll finally rest in the gift. [22:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:23] - Scripture: John 14:27 — “My peace I give to you”
[03:18] - Battle of New Orleans: Fighting a finished war
[04:31] - Naming our inner battles and the gift offered
[05:36] - Jesus bequeaths His personal peace
[06:40] - Peace is a present, not a paycheck
[08:26] - Humility and the radiated tortoise story
[10:46] - The price of peace: the cross of Christ
[11:36] - Peace with God before the peace of God
[12:57] - Justified by His blood: freedom from the past
[15:04] - Peace in the storm: the singing bird
[18:04] - Praise break: rejoicing in God’s peace
[22:10] - Invitation: Receive the Giver of Peace

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 14:27 (ESV) — “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Observation Questions
- In John 14:27, what two actions does Jesus say He is doing with His peace, and how is His giving different from “the world gives”?
- According to the sermon, when and where did Jesus speak these words, and what was about to happen the next day? ([05:01])
- What key word in Jesus’ sentence shows that the peace is personally His and not generic? ([05:36])
- The preacher distinguished “peace with God” and “the peace of God.” What had to happen to make the first kind possible? ([11:36])

Interpretation Questions
- If peace is a gift and not a wage, what does that imply about trying to earn calm through performance, routines, or control? ([06:40])
- How does the “radiated tortoise” story challenge a believer’s view of success and anxiety? In what way does humility open space for God’s peace? ([08:26])
- Why must peace with God come before the peace of God? How does the cross address a real conflict rather than ignore it? ([11:36])
- What does it mean to “stop fighting finished wars”? How might a person recognize they’re still acting like the treaty hasn’t been signed? ([03:18])

Application Questions
- Name one “finished war” you keep fighting (for example, replaying a forgiven sin, trying to prove your worth, controlling every outcome). What specific step will you take this week to lay down that weapon (delete a file, write “It is finished” on a card, confess to a friend)? ([03:18])
- Practice “open hands.” Each morning this week, pray, “Jesus, I receive Your peace,” and sit in quiet for two minutes. What anxious habit will you stop using to try to earn peace (constant checking, overworking, people-pleasing)? Share your plan. ([06:40])
- Steward, not owner. Make a gratitude list in three lines: “What I know,” “What I have,” “Where I am.” Which one concrete action will you take to live like a steward (give, serve, mentor, write a thank-you) so entitlement shrinks and worship grows? ([08:26])
- Rest in the cross. When accusations from your past show up this week, what exact sentence of truth will you speak out loud (for example, “I am justified by His blood”)? When will you practice it? Memorize and report back next meeting. ([12:57])
- Sing in the storm. Pick one current storm (health, work, family). Choose a worship song and schedule when you will sing it (morning commute, evening walk). What circumstance will you refuse to let define you? Share how you’ll measure “singing anyway.” ([15:04])
- Mind stayed on Him. What is one practical change you will make to fix your mind on God (Scripture on mirror, phone on Do Not Disturb at 9pm, 5-minute midday prayer)? What phrase will you rehearse when anxiety spikes? Try it daily until next Sunday. ([12:57])
- Receive the Giver. If someone realizes they’ve not received Christ, what next step will they take tonight (prayer, talk with a leader, baptism class)? For believers, what one area will be freshly surrendered to the Giver of Peace within 24 hours, and how? ([22:10])

Sermon Clips

And so on January the 8th, 1815, they fought a battle in New Orleans in a war that was already over, because peace had been declared.And how many of us are fighting internal and external battles that are unneedful and unnecessary because peace has already been declared?The outcome has already been decided.The reconciliation has already begun.But many of us have walked in here this morning, are watching me.And there is a wrestling within.There is a battle on the inside. It could be the battle in your mind or a battle with your past. That's the bad news. But the good news is that through Jesus Christ.Christ has left us his peace.And Jesus offers his peace as a gift to you. [00:04:00]

he says why are you walking around stressed why are you walking around in such anxiety why are you walking around with depression and doubt when i have given you my peace when i have and and why are you trying to work for it when it's presented as a present [00:07:16]

but what what is also important to understand because it is a present uh kenny it is nothing for you to get arrogant aboutbecause whatever we have from the lord it is a gift and y 'all what i love about this eddie is that that when he gives it to you that means i walk in a spirit of humility because not only his peace but whatever it is that i have i have because it's a gift from god do you not understand that that what you have what you possess is because of the grace and mercy and the goodness of god [00:07:43]

somebody had to put it there and y 'all when you think about it all of us are really like that radiated tortoise because where we are we didn't get there on our own I know you smart but there's somebody smarter than you that doesn't have what you have I know you good -looking but guess what somebody looks better than you that does not possess what you possess I know you got experience I know you got exposure I know you got education but there's somebody that has more than you but has not reached what you have why because somebody has put you there and y 'all what I understand that what I know God taught me what I have God gave me where I come from God brought me and where I'm going God's gonna take me [00:09:36]

This peace, this peace is presented as a present. But then this peace was possessed with a price.Brother Terry, a price had to be paid.Now, this peace is given to us as a gift, but it wasn't free.Um, this peace was a price, and the price was the death of Jesus on Calvary. [00:10:46]

There is the peace of God.That's the peace Jesus is talking about.But he's also talking about peace with God.There is no peace of God until there's peace with God.Humanity and God were at enmity.There was war between us because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.Because we were in Adam, when Adam sinned, all of us sinned. We have gone away from God. There was an enmity. There was a war. There was a conflict. There was a confrontation between God and humanity. [00:11:31]

Y 'all, if Jesus had sinned, he would have had to die for his own sins. But he was sinless and he was the only one qualified to pay the price for our peace. And so on a hill called Calvary, on Friday between the 6th and the 9th hour, he died. And he died, and when he died, he paid the penalty. [00:13:16]

He paid a debt he didn't owe.Because we owed a debt we could not pay. But thank God that because of the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, we now have peace with God. Yes, we are justified. That means I don't have to walk around concerned about mistakes I've made in the past and things I've done in my past. No, because it's covered by the blood of Jesus. [00:13:44]

And there's somebody watching me. The devil is playing tricks with your mind because of past mistakes and past things that have gone on in your life. But the good news is that through the blood of Jesus, don't you know he's dealt with our sins? He's dealt with our mistakes. [00:14:11]

This, because we have peace with God, don't miss this, that's objective peace.But now because of peace with God, I can experience peace. Peace, that's the peace of God. That's the peace that you don't even, that don't even make sense.It's the kind of peace that you know you have problems, that know you have predicaments, you know you have issues. But in spite of all, I wish y 'all would wake up and hear what I'm trying to say to y 'all this morning. I have a peace. [00:14:45]

Peace is not the absence of conflict. Oh, you need to wake up and get this. [00:15:22]

Watch this. Peace is not the absence of problems.Peace says that I know is there, but on the inside, I have a resolve in me that says God is in control.that god is working things out and even though it looks bad right now as i trust god god in his own way and i don't even know how he's going to do it i don't know when he's going to do it but i know some way somehow before it's all over god will come through for me is there anybody here that knows god is able to come through for you and because of that i have peace [00:15:27]

but the second artist said wait a minute you said you won't get both of us a chance you got to give me a chance so he said well put your painting up and the man said oh my god that's it now and this painting it was not a sunny day it was a cloudy day the pond was not serene the pond there were waves and you could see the results of wind blowing and then you can see the tree and the and you could see there's lightning there and the man said that's it you won that's a perfect picture of peace and the first artist said how can that be the perfect picture of peace the Sun is not out there it's cloudy the the the pond is not serene it is boisterous and it is it is hurtful he said wait a minute wait a minute it's a storm [00:17:05]

it's not serene it's not pleasant it's a storm but the man said look if you look carefully the bird is still singing [00:17:55]

and when you can sing in the midst of your storm when you can praise in the midst of your pain when you can go through issues and still give glory and still give praise and still worship God how many know you have the peace of God [00:18:04]

the thing about this gift is you get the gift when you get the giver you obtain the gift of peace when you get the giver of peace and the giver of peace is Jesus [00:21:40]

You're tired of fighting battles where peace has already been declared. You're tired of fighting battles. You're tired of that. Say, look, I need some peace in my life.You're tired of confusion and war within. He will offer you. He will give you his peace. [00:22:22]

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