Experiencing God's Peace in Your Heart (John 14:27)
This sermon addresses the common human experience of peace being disrupted by life's unexpected challenges. It offers a profound biblical perspective on cultivating inner calm by focusing on the heart's relationship with God.
This sermon explains how to cultivate true peace in your heart by cooperating with God. It involves submitting to His testing, intentionally training your heart to guard against negative influences, and placing your full trust in Him alone.
Overview
The sermon begins by acknowledging how life’s unexpected events can disrupt our plans and peace, drawing from a personal anecdote about a missed flight. It highlights that many challenges—like marital struggles, wayward children, loneliness, or work stress—can steal our inner calm. Jesus' words in John 14:27 offer a divine gift: His peace, which differs fundamentally from the world's peace and impacts our hearts, minds, and entire lives.
The preacher defines peace as an "ordered and blessed life flowing from a right relationship with God," rooted in the biblical concept of shalom. He emphasizes an "inside out" approach, contrasting the mind (thought, reasoning) with the heart (inner being, desire, core allegiance). The core argument is that external solutions cannot fix internal problems, and true peace stems from God working within our hearts.
To cultivate a heart at peace, the sermon presents three key truths. First, we must submit our hearts to God's testing, allowing Him to reveal hidden things within us, as our hearts can be deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). This involves asking God to search us during quiet times and in real-time moments of anxiety or frustration.
Second, we are called to commit our hearts to training by guarding what comes in through our eyes and ears, and monitoring what comes out through our words and actions. This conscious effort involves reminding ourselves of God's past faithfulness and distinguishing our responsibilities from what only God can do. Finally, the sermon emphasizes directing our hearts to trust God fully, acknowledging that anything or anyone else we place our ultimate trust in will eventually disappoint us.
Key points
- Life's unexpected circumstances often disrupt our plans and take away our peace.
- Jesus offers His unique peace (John 14:27), which differs from worldly peace and impacts our heart, mind, and life.
- Biblical peace (shalom) is an ordered life flowing from a right relationship with God, developed from the "inside out."
- To cultivate peace, we must submit our hearts to God's testing, inviting Him to reveal hidden thoughts and attitudes (Psalm 139:23).
- We must commit our hearts to training by guarding what we allow in through our senses and monitoring what comes out through our words and actions (Proverbs 4:23).
- Training involves recounting God's faithfulness in past situations and discerning our responsibilities in current challenges.
- Experiencing God's peace requires placing the full weight of our trust in Him alone, as no person or thing can bear that weight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
In Rick Warren's words
“Peace is an ordered and blessed life flowing from a right relationship with God.”
“External solutions will not they won't fix an ex an internal problem.”
“The degree to which you trust God with your heart will determine the degree to which you experience his peace in your life.”
Outline
- I. Introduction: Life's Unexpected Moments and God's Gift of Peace
- A. The Reality of Plans Disrupted and Peace Lost
- B. Jesus' Promise of Peace (John 14:27)
- C. Peace for the Heart, Mind, and Whole Life
- II. Understanding God's Peace and the Heart
- A. Definition of Peace: An Ordered and Blessed Life Flowing from a Right Relationship with God (Shalom)
- B. The "Inside Out" Approach: Internal Solutions for Internal Problems (Mark 7:14-23)
- C. Differentiating Mind (Thought, Reasoning) and Heart (Inner Being, Desire, Will)
- III. Three Truths for Cultivating a Heart at Peace
- A. Submit Your Heart to Testing
- 1. The Deceitfulness of the Heart (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
- 2. God's Invitation to Search and Know Our Heart (Psalm 139:23-24)
- 3. Practicing God's Search: In Downtime and Real Time
- B. Commit Your Heart to Training
- 1. Guard Your Heart Above All Else (Proverbs 4:23)
- 2. Monitor Inputs (Eyes and Ears) and Outputs (Mouth, Hands, Feet) (Matthew 12:34)
- 3. Train Yourself to Be Godly (1 Timothy 4:7, Philippians 2:12-13)
- 4. Practical Application: Recount God's Faithfulness (Psalm 116:7)
- 5. Practical Application: Identify Your Responsibility
- C. Direct Your Heart to Trust in God
- 1. Trusting with All Your Heart (Proverbs 3:5-6)
- 2. The Danger of Placing Trust in Anything Other Than God
- 3. The Relationship Between Trust and Anxiety
- IV. Invitation to Experience God's Peace
- A. For Followers of Jesus: Recommit Full Trust to God (Philippians 4:6-7)
- B. For Those New to Jesus: Believe in Your Heart and Confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10)
Scripture references
- John 14:27
- Mark 7
- Mark 7:14-15
- Mark 7:17-19
- Mark 7:20-23
- Proverbs 14:30
- Jeremiah 17:9
- Jeremiah 17:10
- Psalm 139:23
- Psalm 139:24
- Proverbs 4:23
- Matthew 12:34
- 1 Timothy 4:7
- Philippians 2:12
- Philippians 2:13
- Psalm 116:7
- Proverbs 3:5
- Proverbs 3:6
- Philippians 4:6
- Philippians 4:7
- Romans 10:9
- Romans 10:10
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.
1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Insights
Life's unforeseen moments often reveal where our true trust resides.
God's peace works from the inside out, transforming our entire being.
Our hearts are designed for God; nothing else can fully satisfy them.
Questions & answers
What is the sermon's definition of peace?
The sermon defines peace as "an ordered and blessed life flowing from a right relationship with God." This concept is rooted in the biblical idea of shalom, representing the fullness of life God intends.
Why shouldn't we "follow our heart" according to this sermon?
The sermon states that following one's heart is "terrible advice" because the Bible (Jeremiah 17:9) describes the heart as deceitful and beyond cure. It can lead individuals to destructive paths rather than true peace.
How does God reveal what's in our heart?
God reveals what's in our heart when we submit to His testing, as prompted by Psalm 139:23. This happens by asking God to search us during quiet times of prayer and Bible reading, and also in real-time moments of daily life.
What does it mean to "guard your heart" in this sermon?
Guarding your heart, as taught from Proverbs 4:23, means consciously monitoring what enters through your eyes and ears, and considering what comes out through your mouth, hands, and feet. It's an act of will to protect your inner being.
How does recounting God's faithfulness lead to peace?
By intentionally recalling times God has moved in similar challenging situations, we remind our "inner man" of His consistent faithfulness. This practice, exemplified by Psalm 116:7, floods the soul with peace, counteracting anxiety.
What is the ultimate source of peace according to the sermon?
The sermon emphasizes that God alone is the ultimate source of peace. Placing our full trust in anything or anyone else—like spouses, jobs, or money—will inevitably lead to disappointment and increased anxiety, as only God can carry that weight.
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