Blessed Are The PeaceMakers
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Outline:
Outline:
God is a God of Peace
Agree or Disagree?
Many disagree - citing OT slaughterings of entire peoples, sending people to Hell
Or even the fact that He allows so many wars to happen
In 1968 a major newspaper reported that to their knowledge from as far back as the Bible takes us up to that day, there had been 14,553 wars
In fact, Jesus himself says in , “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
And so, it’s easy to pin that on God
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Well, if God was an all-powerful God, He’d stop it
I completely disagree with that viewpoint, because the Bible disagrees with it.
Now, tells us this morning this, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
I want us to see two things first off the bat
God of Peace: - “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet”; - “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - “ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant”
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.; ;
Not only that, but if you think about it....God of eternity past and present, when He created the garden of eden, there was peace, and when this world is finished, there will be peace.
So yes, God is a God of peace
And although there is a lack of peace on earth today…war, famine, greed, and so on…that peace broke when? When man sinned
Peacemaker: ;
But He is a Peacemaker as well.
- “19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Colossian 1:20 - “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
And remember, these attributes Jesus is listing are to be descriptives of believers as well
And so what Jesus is saying here is this: a “son of God” will be a peacemaker
- “20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
A Proper Understanding
What Does Jesus Mean by Peacemaker
Someone who stops fights?
Someone who never speaks a contradictory word?
Someone who’s just so nice
Well, I’m here to tell you this morning that the peace about which Christ is speaking has nothing to do with politics, armies, or nations
It has nothing to do with excusing problems for the sake of peace. Sweeping things under the rug for the sake of peace
And it is not a peace that will be brought about by kings, presidents, international peace organizations or anything else.
No, the peace God can bring, the peace Jesus is talking about is this: “being made right with Him for all of eternity”
Thats the simple answer
Fixing what is broken, taking away the pain through the work of Christ on the cross
John MacArthur says, “This “peace” is so much more than the absence of conflict, but the presence of righteousness
Remember that righteousness we are to hunger and thirst after? That right standing before God. That feeling of peace we have when we are clothed in the righteousness of our Lord and Savior?
Peacemaker - someone who leads someone into peace with God. Remember, God is a peace-loving God and a peace-making God. His desire is to see mankind come into an everlasting peace with Him. And so if we as imitators of Him, are to be peacemakers, we are to play our part in making that happen. That’s what Jesus means by “peacemaker”
Two Types Tied Together
News Stories
Earthly
Masafumi Nagasaki
Masafumi Nagasaki
Masafumi Nagasaki
Now, does that mean that here on earth we just let havoc and hatred rain? Absolutely not
Blames Religion for the Lack of Peace in the World
- “strive for peace with everyone”
Righteousness and living in peace go hand in hand
What Christ meant by bringing a sword was that His righteousness was going to divide people.
And so we should strive to live peaceably with all men, and to help others to live that way as well, whether it be through organizations, or through being a mediator for your friends when they fight, through being the bigger person and not firing back when fired upon.
That stuff is all good
Eternal
But, we should view those things we do to live peaceably with the ultimate goal of seeing mankind come to peace with God himself
That’s what a true peacemaker is
See, that lack of peace is a direct consequence of sin, and the truth is that until they see their sin, they won’t see their need for peace.
The bad news comes before the good news
Until a person sees their need for saving, they don’t want a Savior.
Until a person sees the errors of their ways, they won’t see their need for truth
And so as believers, as we live peaceably, we are to be boldly confronting the root of the problem of peace unashamedly.
Just like Jesus did
But too many of us have a poor view of peace and see it as only an attitude of earthly reconciliation.
But it’s so so much more
A “son of God” will be a believer who want to see others come to peace with God, so that they can live in peace with others
It’s not the other way around. We don’t just mediate and intercede for other’s problems on earth so they can live at peace with others so they can have peace with God
That’s not salvation, that’s not Biblical
Closing
Closing
So when you hear blessed are the peacemakers, don’t take it out of context anymore. Don’t bring it down to the level you are comfortable with
Read it as this: Blessed are the believers in Jesus Christ who strive to bring others to peace with God.
That’s the goal…that’s the challenge.