“I GIVE MY PEACE TO YOU”

A. J. Gaskin

John 14: 1–6: 27

It would be a very blessed and happy thing, beloved, to get the impression that the Lord is speaking to us at this time. We always feel, as to these words of Jesus which we have read, how blessedly comforting they are. Our brother has just prayed that we may know something of that wonderful comfort, and has reminded us that our beloved brother himself so often prayed that we all should be comforted. So we rejoice together now, while in the presence of death, for the Lord would make us to be joyful, I believe, in the fact that He has come near to us. He came near to our beloved brother and called him to be with Himself.

The Lord Jesus would draw near to every one of us here in this room, comforting those who love Him, comforting those who are trusting in His finished work; and if there is anyone here who as yet does not know the way. He would love to say, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14: 6). We would just encourage every heart to lay hold of this now, as in the presence of eternal realities, for that is what we face with the incoming of death. Thank God that our beloved brother knew that he was safe, safe in the keeping of Jesus. We think of how he loved the Lord, and how he loved the saints; particularly he loved the young people, often praying for them. These things are not forgotten; something has been wrought out in our brother which is going through to the eternal ages for the glory of God and the pleasure of the heart of Christ.

The Lord says, “I go to prepare you a place”. How comforting that is! “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it fear”. Is there any heart here this afternoon which, looking on to the prospect of death, is fearful? You know, Jesus was speaking in this scripture because He was about to go that way Himself. How wonderful that the blessed Son of God, “who is over all. God blessed for ever” (Romans 9: 5), should come here, into this scene, as a Man, that He might die. He has gone that way; He knows all that it meant to go that way. He went into death that you and I might come into blessing. Now God is waiting for men to come to Christ; there is no need for anyone to go on without the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not do so; it is a very solemn thing to do that for to reject Him means eternal condemnation. But, thank God, there is a blessing for everyone who accepts Jesus as Saviour.

So the Lord is presenting Himself to His disciples here. He says, “I go to prepare you a place; and if I go and shall prepare you a place, I am coming again and shall receive you to myself, that where I am ye also may be”. The saints are looking on to that time. Our beloved brother is already knowing the joy and blessedness and comfort of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ—he is “with Christ” which is “very much better”, Philippians 1: 23. He is one of whom we can say that he died in the Lord.

Then the Lord goes on to say, “I leave peace with you; I give my peace to you—not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it fear”. That peace is a blessed thing, you know, and some of us who saw our beloved brother before he was taken could see in his countenance that he had a deep sense of the peace of God. In spite of all he suffered and went through, there he was in the conscious knowledge of the forgiveness of sins, and the conscious knowledge of the nearness of Christ, and he could speak of the joy he had in being among those who love Jesus. What a joy to our hearts the fellowship is at this time, beloved, and to know that the Lord Himself is saying, “I leave peace with you; I give my peace to you—not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it fear”.

May the Lord bless and comfort every heart here; the loved ones who have been bereaved we particularly commend to Him, our blessed Lord Jesus, who has died for us, who gave Himself for us. As we are here in the presence of death may our hearts be really captivated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and may we be prepared afresh to give ourselves to Him.

Word at the burial of Mr. George Coull, Aberdeen
10 January 1984