Prior to His departure, Jesus uttered these words to His disciples, “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 NIV).

Jesus Christ, who is the King of Peace, does not give us the same peace that this world gives. While the peace that this world offers is the absence of conflict which often results from a positive way of thinking, the peace that God gives us is the state of being confident in knowing that He is in full control.

Knowing that Jesus Christ is not only the Prince and Ruler of Peace but also the King of Peace gives us the confidence under any circumstances that we do not have to fear the present and the future. He gives His peace to those who accept it as a result of the Holy Spirit working in their lives.

Jesus Christ: The Prince and Ruler of Peace

In John 12:12-16, we read the account of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt and a multitude of people came out to meet Him spreading palm branches while shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!”

This event is the fulfillment of the first coming of Jesus as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. And if we continue on to Zechariah 9:10-11, we read about the prophecy on Jesus’ second coming which is yet to come.

We refer to these Scriptures among other Scriptures, to see clearly the attributes given to Jesus as not only the “King of Righteousness” but also the “King of Peace.”

He Pardons Our Sins

The King of Peace has the authority to pardon or forgive us from our sins (Matthew 9:6 NIV).

Pardon is synonymous to forgiveness. They have a common denominator, that is, “cancellation of sins.”

In Matthew 9:2 where Jesus forgives and heals a paralyzed man that was brought to Him, He said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” It could have been easier for Jesus to say, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”

But He did this to make known to them that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins (v.6) and He does pardon our sins!

From this passage and also the Healing of the Lame Man by the Pool near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem (John 5:14), we can say that sickness is directly associated with sin.

Sickness, however, is part of life in this fallen world as a result of our collective rebellion against God. We can see a lot of convicted murderers and criminals who have sinned against the law of man and the laws of God and yet, are in much better health than some pastors and other faithful servants of God.

This tells us that sickness befell man indiscriminately as we can read in John 9:1-3. Whether sin is associated or not with the sickness of men, one thing is for sure; and that is Jesus our King of Peace has been given the authority to forgive our sins.

This is exactly what He has done in the past, is doing at present and will continue to do in the future for those who will turn back and repent of their sins.

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14

He Enriches Our Lives

The King of Peace is generous to enrich our lives (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The apostle Paul was writing to the believers in Corinth about the generosity of the Churches in Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, that despite their poverty, they have given beyond their ability.

The Corinthian church excels in many ways and Paul desired that they may also excel in the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7). In Paul’s exhortation, he used the example of Jesus who has given all He has.

Jesus who is “rich” in every way became “poor,” in submission to the will of the Father. He assumed human nature and became subject to time, place and other limitations of a man through His incarnation. He did not cease being God but set aside the right to His glory and power.

And He did all these to make us “rich” the moment we received His gift of salvation and eternal life.

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (NLT)

Just like the “seed” used by Paul in his illustration, God wants us to “plant” rather than to hide the provisions that we are receiving from Him in order to produce a greater harvest. God wants us to invest in our service to Him so that He can bless more abundantly for greater service. (See Matthew 25:14-30, The Parable of the Bags of Gold.)

Our God and all His children are rich. But what is the definition of rich in this context? Being rich means sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; has nothing, and yet possessing everything (2 Corinthians 6:10). We declare that we are rich with the riches that God has in store for us.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”– 1 Timothy 6:17

He Abides in Us in Trials

The King of Peace never leaves His people (Hebrews 13:5).

God has repeatedly assured us in His word that He will never abandon us; He has promised to be with us even to the end of the age. But why do we feel at times that God has abandoned us? The time that you feel abandoned by God could have been the time that you abandoned God.

It is often said that promises are made to be broken and that’s because we’re humans. But with God, there’s no such thing as broken or unfulfilled promises. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human that He should lie, not a man that He should change His mind.”

Isaiah 43:2 is another promise of God that we can trust. He said that He will be with us when we pass through the waters and won’t allow us to be swept away. Also when we walk through the fire we will not be burned and the flames will not set us ablaze.

Deep waters, rivers of difficulty and fire of oppression all represent calamities, which in turn represent the different trials and difficulties that God allows to happen in our lifetime. But the time that we go through these calamities is also the time when God says, “I will be with you.”

Other Scripture texts where God promised to abide in us include 1 Chronicles 28:20; Joshua 1:5, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Genesis 28:15; Joshua 1:9 and Romans 8:39.

He Comforts Us in Troubles

The King of Peace is our comfort and our resting place (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

The kind of comfort that God gives us is far higher to the highest level than the comfort that this world gives us. To be comforted by God does not necessarily mean that we are spared from any trouble. It means we receive strength, encouragement and hope to deal with whatever trouble that comes our way so that we can also comfort those who are in any trouble.

Sometimes God brings us to the oceans not because He wanted us to drown but so that we would learn how to swim. You know what? Our enemies do not know how to swim. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, to those who have been called according to His purpose.”

Before leaving His disciples, Jesus promised that He will not leave them as orphans for He will send the Holy Spirit to be their Teacher and Comforter (John 14:16-17, 26).

Are you weary and heavy-laden? Jesus is inviting you to come to Him and He will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus our King of Peace not only promises comfort but also rest. The kinds of rest found in the Lord include physical rest (Psalm 127:2), peace of mind (Philippians 4:6-7) and healing for our soul (Jeremiah 17:14).

He Ensures Us His Love

The King of Peace gives us divine assurance of His everlasting love (John 15:13).

God did not simply tell us that He loves us; He showed us by voluntarily laying down His life for us. He did not have to but He did it anyway in order to assure us of His love and to secure our salvation.

God has given us His unconditional love even when we were so unworthy of Him (Romans 5:8). He gave up His life so that we may be reconciled with God and gain access to the Father. No matter what we do, we can never out-love God. We only know love and are able to love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Should there be times when you feel defeated and you hear the devil telling you that it’s over, stand on the promise of God that you are more than a conqueror and that nothing and no one can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

Being more than a conqueror means winning with an overwhelming victory. It is not just simply being victorious but going beyond the normal scale of quantifying the win. This is all because we’re not fighting our battles anymore; Jesus is.

Because Christ is living in us (Galatians 2:20), nothing else can separate us from the love of God. This is God’s way of letting us know His great love for us so that we can feel totally secure in Him. Nothing can stop His constant presence with us.

We are also secure in the love of God because we have become an heir and legitimate son to our heavenly Father (Romans 8:17). We have lost our rights to our old family and gained the privilege of being led by the Holy Spirit, and as such, nothing can separate us from His love.

Closing Words

To sum it up, Jesus Christ the King of Peace:

P – ardons our sins

E – nriches our lives

A – bides in us in trials

C – omforts us in troubles

E – nsures us His love

We can surely receive the peace that God offers us if we only learn to put our trust in Him while we remain prayerful, thankful and present our request with a believing heart.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

Do you accept the peace that Jesus Christ the King of Peace is offering?