Dig Deeper - Sunday 7th December
Sermon Reflection Questions - Journey to Joy - Peace: Calm in the Chaos
John 14:27
Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 7th December service:
Summary
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” — John 14:27
There are moments in life when everything feels a bit chaotic—sometimes a lot chaotic. The diary is full, the phone won’t stop buzzing, the unexpected arrives at the worst possible moment, and our hearts start beating faster than our faith can catch up. And if it’s December, it only takes one look at the Christmas to-do list for your soul to start sweating.
You know the moment - when you realise you’re two rolls of wrapping paper short, you’ve signed 49 Christmas cards and somehow missed the one person who definitely will notice, and the turkey you’re brought is going to struggle to fit in the oven!
That’s Christmas peace… as the world gives it: fragile, frantic, and usually held together by sticky tape.
It’s into moments like these that Jesus’ words in John 14 land with a kind of weight. These aren’t the words of a calm retreat leader beside a lake. They’re spoken by a man facing the cross.
And yet - peace.
Not a vague feeling, not a fleeting calm, but His peace.
The peace of the One who sleeps through storms.
The peace of the One who touches lepers without hesitation.
The peace of the One who looks death in the eye and walks straight through it.
Jesus doesn’t simply pray that we’d find peace somewhere; He hands it to us.
“My peace I give you.”
Imagine Jesus placing something into your hands - something steady, solid, unshakeable
- while everything around you trembles. That’s the picture.
And then Jesus adds: “I do not give to you as the world gives.”
The world’s peace depends on circumstances lining up - on tidy houses, tidy diaries, tidy emotions. Jesus gives differently. He gives fully, faithfully, deeply. His peace doesn’t evaporate under pressure; it strengthens.
Jesus also knows our hearts. “Do not let your hearts be troubled…” You can almost hear the gentleness in His voice. It’s not a command to “pull yourself together.” It’s an invitation: Let me carry what you’re trying to hold. Let me be your calm in the chaos.
One of the things I’ve learned in ministry is that peace rarely comes from having quieter circumstances. Waiting for life to calm down is like waiting for the sea to stop moving. Life is lived in the waves. Peace comes when we realise Jesus is in the boat.
Think of the disciples in the storm. They didn’t need a weather app to tell them a storm was coming - they could feel it in their bones. They didn’t need sailing skills. What they needed was the One who stands up and says, “Quiet. Be still.” The storm outside them was real, but the storm inside them was louder.
Jesus calmed both.
And He still does.
Maybe today your chaos isn’t dramatic - it’s the slow drip of responsibilities, the ache of worry, the unsettled feeling you can’t quite shake. Jesus speaks the same words over you: My peace I give you. His peace doesn’t depend on everything going right. It rests on the truth that He is with you, He is for you, and He is stronger than whatever you face.
The world offers peace by removing problems. Jesus offers peace in the middle of them. The world’s peace evaporates. Jesus’ peace endures. His peace doesn’t deny the chaos - it outshines it.
So breathe today. Lift your eyes. And receive the peace He’s already placed in your hands.
Discussion & Application Questions
1. Where in your life right now do you most need Jesus’ peace?
2. What is the difference between “worldly peace” and the peace Jesus gives?
3. When has Jesus brought calm to chaos in your life before? What can you learn from that?
4. What practical practice (prayer, Scripture, silence, worship) helps you notice Jesus’ presence in the storm?
5. How might you carry Jesus’ peace into someone else’s chaos this week?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your peace—steady, solid, and stronger than the chaos around me. Teach my heart to receive what You freely give. Calm my fears, quiet my worries, and help me trust that You are with me in every storm. Let Your peace fill me today, and let it spill into the lives of those I meet. Amen.
