August 03 2025

Sunday August 03

Jesus Speaks Peace to Troubled Hearts

Luke 24:36-46

36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

Welcome to Pastor's Chat today. Again, I want to thank you for your prayers these past days for traveling mercies. I got back home last evening from that long trip to Colorado. Wonderful time all along the way. Divine appointments as we said yesterday in our blog and chat. But today we want to continue in Luke chapter 24, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember the ladies as they came to the tomb, they had perplexed hearts. The disciples walking to Emmaus, they had discouraged hearts. And now we're looking at some disciples in an upper room that have troubled hearts.

And that takes me back to John 14:1 where Jesus, just before His crucifixion in the upper room, no doubt the same room they are in now, had told them, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me." And then also in verse 27, Jesus had told them in John 14, "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." Look now at  verse 36 of Luke 24, where Jesus shows up in the midst of these disciples in the upper room, but they were terrified and frightened.

Jesus stood in the midst of them and said, "Peace to you." Now, what's interesting about this is this “Peace to you” statement that Jesus makes. You will find in John's gospel that Jesus makes it at least three times in the first eight days of His resurrection. Notice in John chapter 20:19, “On the first day of the week, Jesus comes to the upper room and for fear of the Jews they had the doors locked. They were afraid. Jesus came, stood in the midst of them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then again in verse 21, after He talked to them, showing them His hands and His feet, as we just read in Luke's gospel, Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you, as the Father sent Me, so send I you." Eight days later in verse 26, they're back in the upper room meeting together, now with Thomas, and Jesus came, the doors being shut, stood in the midst, and for the third time said, "Peace to you." 

You know the Bible teaches that if we don't have Jesus Christ, we don't have peace. We are born into this world without this contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment that peace gives us. There's something missing. In Isaiah  Bible says that “The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt, there is no peace says my God to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20-21). And my friend, we're born with wicked hearts and they lack peace. But we find Good News in Romans 5:1 that tells us, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

My friend, there's peace with God that's made through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Then  Jesus can say to you today, if you trust Him to be your Savior, "Peace be to you." And then, my friend, even as a believer, we can lose that peace. Here are the disciples of Jesus who followed Him now for three and a half years. And they have the word of many people that He is risen, and yet they still are troubled. So what does Jesus do? He shows up, shows them His hands, His feet. He appears to them and then He opens their understanding to the scriptures and in verse 45 it says that they might comprehend the scriptures.

The answer to this lack of peace, this disturbance, these troubled hearts that we have today are the scriptures and belief and faith in the words that Jesus gives us in those scriptures. And so, my friend, today, turn to Jesus. Turn to the Word of God. The book of Hebrews tells us, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our salvation." That's where you find peace. You won't find it in a book. You won't find it in a conference. You won't find it in relationships. You won't find it in education. You won't find it in money. You won't find it with friends. My friend, you find peace with Jesus Christ through His Word, through believing and making sure your eyes are fixed on Him. Handle Him and touch Him in the Word. And my friend, your heart won't be troubled. You'll have a peace that only Jesus can give you.

I pray today that Jesus will speak peace to your heart today as you seek Him in the Scriptures!

God bless!