Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

December 12, 2018

by Pastor Hawtree

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO DO GREATER WORKS (part 2)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”—John 14:12

In John 14 and 15 we find the record of our Lord’s principal teachings about the Holy Spirit’s ministry to believers, and in these chapters, we will also find access to miracles of a kind that those true to the Bible can expect to see.

2. Unexplainable Peace and Joy in Difficult Times (John 14:27)

While speaking of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus made a remarkable and famous promise:
“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”. John 14:27

This inner peace from Christ is mentioned several times in the Bible, and in one place is called “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:6–7). It is a supernatural peace, unlike the kind unsaved people experience in times of relative calm. It is a deeper, more secure peace, felt by the believer but not originating in his own emotional center. It is the peace of Jesus Christ, literally His peace, the peace He experiences all the time, conveyed miraculously to the heart of the one depending on Him. In the fifteenth chapter of John, we read again about believers experiencing the feelings of Jesus:

* John 15:10-11 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love…These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Jesus spoke of our experiencing His love, His joy, and His peace. Galatians 5:22 calls this the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit. By the presence of His Spirit in our lives, we can experience the peace, the joy, and the love of Jesus Christ! An example of this miracle is given in Acts 13 in an account of Christians being persecuted. That account ends by saying that the “disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” When believers look to Jesus for emotional victory, they can expect the miracle of His peace.