Blessed are the Peacemakers
Notes
Transcript
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Matthew 5 9
In Jesus day the Jewish religion was doing anything but making peace. Most Jews expected the Messiah to come and obliterate the enemies of Israel. They were looking for a Messiah like Joshua who would lead them to destroy the surrounding nations and drive out the pagans. As a result of this mindset, they were not known as peacemakers. The zealots created war through rebellion to government in the name of God. The Essenes hid in the desert waiting on God to judge everyone else. The Pharisees taught with such a judgmental and proud spirit that no one had peace around them. Jesus preached in a day of political and spiritual unrest.
Ever since the Garden of Eden there has been a lack of peace. In the garden, man rebelled against God and ever since God and men have been at war. Romans 5:10 says we were “enemies of God”. We have followed the ways of the great enemy of God, Satan. He created war with God drawing away 1/3 of the angels (Rev. 12:4, 9) and 100% of humanity! As a result of mankind’s rebellion history has been plagued with war. The sinful heart of man is the greatest enemy to peace (James 4:1-2). God, however, has called us to be peacemakers. Let’s consider some truths about this characteristic of kingdom people.
God is a God of Peace. The Bible begins in a peaceful garden and ends on the peaceful shores of heaven. God started the world in peace and He will end it in peace. God is by nature peaceful. 2 Thess. 3:16 calls Him the “Lord of Peace”. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him the “Prince of Peace”. Romans 15:33 calls Him “the God of peace”. In fact, the entire Godhead is involved in bringing peace. God the Father is the Lord of Peace, the Son is the Prince of Peace and the Spirit is the One who bears the fruit of peace in our lives (Gal. 5:22).
God alone possesses perfect peace. As a result of that He is the Great Peacemaker. In order to bring about peace God must create conflict. The message of Christ brings conflict because of mans love for sin (Matthew 10:34-39). Righteousness must precede peace. Christ did not come to give us peace with no conditions. We must turn away from our sin in order to be at peace with God (See James 3:17). As we do this, God grants us with His perfect peace.
God has gone to great measures to extend His peace to us. God obviously wanted to be at peace with us more than we wanted to be at peace with Him. He sent His own Son to die a cruel and agonizing death on the cross so that we would be at peace with Him. Colossians 1:20 says “Having made peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.” Ephesians 2:14, speaking of Jesus says “He is our peace”. When Jesus was born the angels cried out “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
God wants the world to be at peace with Him. God not only sent His Son to die so that we may have peace. He also commanded that the good news be preached unto the entire world. He has commanded that the gospel be taken to every creature. He has sent people all over the world to preach what Romans 10:15 calls “the gospel of peace”.
God possesses, extends and desires that humanity be at peace with Him and one another.
Kingdom people are at peace with God. We are at peace with God because the demands of the Law have been met in Christ. We have entered into a union with Him through faith. That faith has justified us and therefore we are at peace with God (Rom. 5:1). God has given us the “peace of God which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Our greatest joy in life should be knowing that despite the war we declared on God through our sinful rebellion, He has now brought us into a peaceful relationship with Himself. The Psalmist declared in 29:11 “the Lord will bless His people with peace.” What a blessing it is to be at peace with God.
Kingdom people are peacemakers. It is only natural that since God went to great measures to give us peace that we should do the same for others. Christ tells us in this verse that one of the distinct qualities of a believer is his desire and commitment toward peace. Let’s consider some truths about peacemakers.
Being a peace maker does not mean being a pushover. In other words, we do not forsake our integrity for peace. God certainly did not do that. We desire peace, but primarily we desire that man be at peace with God. We know that man cannot be at peace with God and remain in rebellion against Him. Therefore, there are times when we must identify what is wrong and point a person toward what is right. The peacemaker does not just agree with everyone for the sake of peace.
Being a peacemaker means we seek to reconcile God and man. God has given the believer the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). One of the greatest ways to be a peacemaker is to be a soul winner. When we lead a person to Christ that person is reconciled to and given peace with God. Romans 10:15 says “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace”. It is in the heart of every true believer to see the lost come into a saving relationship with God.
Being a peacemaker means that strife breaks our heart. Before we came to know Christ the Bible says we were “hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). After Christ came into our lives we were filled with His love. Now we are known by our love for one another (John 13:35). As a result of our new nature strife will break our heart. We care when there is a problem between us and another believer. Our heart is troubled. We can’t rest well, think clearly, worship correctly, etc. As a result, we will go the extra mile to keep peace within our relationships. Nothing destroys a church like strife. Sadly, most church problems are a result of strife. Instead of being peacemakers many people are problem makers. How can we be a peace maker within the Body of Christ?
1) Be humble. Proverbs 13:10 says “Only by pride cometh contention”. Pride will keep us from being a peacemaker. When troubles arise around us the flesh would rather get angry, stew, gossip, etc. The flesh would rather do anything than swallow its pride and go to the person and attempt to bring peace. If we want to be at peace within our church we must be humble enough to be a peacemaker.
2) Be the initiator. God was the initiator with us, and He is our example. It is our responsibility to begin building the bridge of reconciliation. Never allow fear from keeping you from being a peacemaker.
3) Be patient. If a person refuses to reconcile don’t get in the flesh about it. Remain at peace with them to the best of your ability. Trust God to work in that person’s life. God was certainly patient with us.
4) Be sacrificial. God made a sacrifice when He brought peace to us. We may have to make some personal sacrifices in order to be at peace. This is especially true in husband/wife relationships. We may have to sacrifice hobbies, rest, television shows, etc. Whatever we have to do we should desire peace and be willing to sacrifice for it.
5) Be prepared. Not everyone you attempt to make peace with is interested in peace. Everyone who God wants to save certainly is not saved. Romans 12:18 says “If it be possible as much lieth in you live peaceably with all men”. Sometimes e can do everything right and people will still want to fight and fuss. It is best in these situations to remove yourself from that person. Strife is contagious. If we spend much time around someone who is constantly starting fires we will begin to smell like smoke soon (See Rom. 16:17-18).
Peacemakers shall be called the children of God. God’s children emulate His character. He is a peacemaker, and therefore they are as well. Our character reveals our condition of soul. The peacemaker has the wonderful privilege of being called a child of God. The child of God is given the inheritance of the Father. We are special to Him and close to His heart. The children of God will spend eternity worshipping their Great Father who brought peace though His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s been said that if “blessed are the peacemakers” it must also be true that “Cursed are the peace breakers”. There are two families in this world. The children of God and the children of the devil. We are known by whether we are peace makers or not. The question we should ask ourselves is “Am I a peace maker or a peace breaker?”