Are you a peacemaker?

If you have a bible open it up to Matthew 5:9 today. I have titled the message this morning. Are you a peacemaker? Pray me with.

Now we are in our 7th week of studying the beatitudes. And I have said this before these beatitudes get harder and more challenging for us even as believers to live out as we go through them.

We started by looking at this idea that one must be poor in spirit that they can do nothing in their own flesh to please God to save them from their sins, and that must be continual as they live the Christian life.

We have seen that we must mourn over our sin that we all must come to a point of being broken over our sins against a Holy God.

We have seen that because of our brokenness we have this gentleness and humility to deal with others in the right way.

We have seen that we have to hunger and thirst for all the right things and to have the right appetite for the things of the Lord.

That we need to forgive others because we have been forgiven that we have been saved by Jesus Christ make clean from all our sins, and he has given us this new heart a pure heart, to be as we will see today peacemakers.

Now what I have seen this week in my study of this verse is that being a peacemaker does not mean you are just keep the peace that you are easy going that you will keep peace at any price even if that means to compromise biblical truths, because that is not what you see even by our Lord Jesus Christ who is a peacemaker.

In this teaching Jesus is calling us to be peacemakers. We are to be people who overcome evil with good. To make peace.

So what I want you to see today as our main idea is this…

Being a peacemaker is a sign that you are a child of God.

The verse we are in today says this..

Matthew 5:9 ESV

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Let me read you a story I read this week. THE CELEBRATED HISTORIANS Will and Ariel Durant, in their book The Lessons of History, begin the chapter on "History and War" with these words:

"War is one of the constants of history, and has not diminished with civilization and democracy In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war. That is a chilling statement. And it would, no doubt, be even more so if the facts of unrecorded history could be known.

War is the constant reality of life. Today anyone old enough to understand what is being said on television knows that multiple wars are being fought at this very moment. The proposed solutions are many. Some are tongue-in-cheek, like the despairing scenario that the Durants put in the mouth of a fictitious general:

States will unite in basic cooperation only when they are in common attacked from without. Perhaps... we may make contact with ambitious species on other planets or stars; soon thereafter there will be interplanetary war. Then, and only then, will we of this earth be one.?

Seriously, some do argue the necessity that one of the superpowers gain ascendancy over the rest (through battle no doubt!) and then war will be outlawed—a Pax Romana revived. Others hold that the inhabitants of the world simply must come to the conclusion that war is unprofitable and refuse to fight. Do you remember the old bumper sticker, "What if they had a war and nobody came?" Another suggestion, akin to this but more elevated, is that nations must challenge the evil precedents of history and live by the Golden Rule, as legend says a Buddhist king once did.

This last idea touches on the solution, but it does not go far enough. The answer to war is not simply a matter of bootstrap ethics; it is profoundly theological. What is needed is a radical change in the human race if there is to be peace. No one can live the Golden Rule by mere human will. No one can master even one of the Beatitudes in his own strength. Peace is impossible for humans qua humans.

Thus the grand relevance of the seventh Beatitude: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." This divine pronouncement, understood, taken to heart, and applied by the Holy Spirit, can not only bring inner peace to our troubled hearts but also make us instruments of peace— peacemakers. It has the potential to give us peace within and to make us mediators of peace in the lives of those around us and in society at large.

Now taking the main idea and the story together I want you to see a few points today.

The first is this.

Jesus is the ultimate example of what peacemaking looks like.

There are many reasons this is the case right. Remember what.

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

One of his very own titles is that he is the prince of peace.

The the book of Ezekiel describes that the coming of the messiah which is Jesus Christ will bring peace. Listen to these words.

Ezekiel 37:24–28 ESV

24 “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

His coming is a covenant of peace to which all believers get to have with God and one another.

Remember what the angels said in Luke 2:14

Luke 2:14 ESV

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Jesus brought peace to this sinful world. Not by going out and telling everyone everywhere he preaches. Hey lets all get along we don’t really have differences let everyone live as though they please and have peace with every man. That is how the world says peace occurs.

That is not how Jesus brought peace to this earth. In fact the bible tells us that is the the ultimate peacemaker because he went to the cross to make peace for us through his blood. He dealt with the people that disturbs our peace which is sin.

Listen to Col 1:19-20 says

Colossians 1:19–20 (ESV)

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Jesus pursued peace showing he himself was a child of God by bringing peace to us through dying on the cross.

The bible says he is the source of all our peace.

Ephesians 2:13–17 ESV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Notice the word peace in all those passages. He himself is our peace. Jesus Christ is our peace and our peacemaker. Christ brings together all things that make war against us whether that is sin, conflict or whatever he breaks down the walls.

In the context that Paul wrote this to the Ephesians makes it have even greater meaning…. Now if you saw the temple in the holy city of Jerusalem you would see that there was a place where the Gentiles could not go in fact it read that if you went inside these gates you would be put to death, but what Christ did is he broke down all the barriers between all men who all men could have peace with God and peace with one another.

The beauty of the act that happened on the cross was that all men could be reconciled to each other and to God. This is why Jesus is our peace.

In fact another place in scripture in John 14:27 says..

John 14:27 ESV

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Jesus Christ does not just give us this basic peace he gives us his peace his peace.

How did he go about doing that well we know about the cross, but a text I like to quote often I was reminded of when I was studying this week provides us an example of how he did it.

Philippians 2:3–8 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Listen to what one man said… In obtaining our peace, our Lord didn't grasp his glory and dignity, but instead he humbled himself. The example stands for us who are called to peacemaking. This is expensive! It costs to make peace. Peacemakers are willing to lower themselves, to even lose their dignity in order to bring shalom to life. This is the way peacemakers always have been.

Jesus is our ultimate example of what peacemaking looks like.

Secondly see this..

Peacemakers fight to keep peace.

To make something you have to do something right? You can’t just sit back and let peace happen it doesn’t work that way. You have to take action and in order to be a peacemaker you have to fight for it. You have to strive to have it.

Let me give you some scripture to back that up.

Ephesians 4:3 ESV

3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We know we can have peace because of Jesus Christ but we have to act on that peace.

Couple things stick out here for me when keeping the peace. eager to maintain. I just said we can have peace with God and man because of the work of Jesus Christ, but we have to be eager to maintain it. Like anything you have to make sure you maintain your car, home, and relationships so they do not fall apart. So to we must maintain our peacemaking with others. Two you have to be in step with the Spirit the Holy Spirit is your greatest partner in ministry, in Fact it should be leading your ministry, and you should have God maintain that unity.

you also see the word Bond here. this word bond if you look at the original text means a connection based on kinship or marriage or common interest understood as something that fastens various parts as on a ship together.

We have this glorious connection to one another based on the finished work of Christ on the Cross, and a bond that allows us to be peacemakers.

So believers need to fight to hold on to the peace that God alone gives us.

Another verse you might take note of is this.

Romans 14:19 ESV

19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Paul is saying in this text. That all the church all peacemakers because we all called to be that are urged to pursue peace to fight for peace so that church would be built up.

I have heard from to many believers and to many churches that we can’t get along we just don’t have peace about the right things, and God’s Word tells us let us pursue peace so that we can build up the church.

God broke down the walls remember so we could build them up the right way together. So that collectively we would all grow in our faith. by pursuing this peace.

Let me give you another verse.

Romans 12:18 ESV

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Paul here is saying that our goal is to always be peacemakers. However sometimes it might not be the case where this will work out. But he still says what, So far as it depends on you..

This simply means we might not be able to make peace is all situations, but let us not be the ones who disrupting the peace. Be peacemakers.

One man said this… the peacemaker is a fighter in no way justifies a verbal "license to kill." He should never be thoughtless or pugnacious. Rather his personality must be permeated with the peace of God. He is gentle. James wrote, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (3:17, 18).

The peacemaker is positive. He is tolerant in the best sense of the word. He realizes we are all of fallen stock and so does not demand perfection of others. He is humble. His ego is in hand. And he is loving.

How beautiful true peacemakers are. Filled with peace themselves, they are honest about the state of the relationships around them, whether personal or in the church or in the world. They are honest about what is in their own hearts and sensitive to where others are. They refuse to be satisfied with cheap peace, to say "peace, peace" when there is none. They are willing to risk pain and misunderstanding to make things right. Peacemakers will even fight for peace.

Are you at a place in your relationship with Christ where you will fight for peace?

Because if you are the scripture says you are children of God.

Last point today is this..

Peacemakers are children of God who have Christ-like characteristics.

Children of God become more like him over time.

We have to ask ourselves is this apart of our character that we seek to be peacemakers. We are to fight for peace we display what it means to be a peacemaker.

In order to have the character of a peace maker you have to control your tongue. This means more than one thing, One it means in order to be a peacekeeper you need to know when to shut your mouth. There should be a time in all peacekeeping situations where you take a step back and just listen. I know alot of us like to talk, but if you want to be a peacemaker you have to know when not to speak.

This means you also have to know when to speak, and how to speak. I like what Martyn Lloyd Jones says.. If only we could all control our tongues there would be much less discord in this world. James, with his practical turn of mind, puts it perfectly: 'Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.' That, I say, is one of the best ways of being a peacemaker, that you just learn not to speak. When, for example, something is said to you, and the temptation is to reply, do not do it. Not only that; do not repeat things when you know they are going to do harm.

You are not a true friend when you tell your friend something unkind that was said about him by somebody else. It does not help; it is a false friendship. Moreover, apart from anything else, unworthy and unkind things are not worth repeating. We must control our tongues and our lips. The peacemaker is a man who does not say things. He often feels like saying them, but for the sake of peace he does not. The natural man is so strong in us.

You often hear Christian people say, ' must express my mind'.

What it everybody were like that! No; you must not excuse yourself or talk in terms of what you are by nature. As Christians you are meant to be new men, made after the image and pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ, 'swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.'

Wise words by a wise man.

Peacemaking won’t be easy for many of us but if we take this principle of be slow to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath we will look like Jesus Christ and truly be peacemakers just like him.

Another characteristic of a peacemaker is one who has strives to seek out opportunities to make peace. Just like we talked about I believe two weeks ago we need to be people who seek out ways to make peace just like we did seeking out to be merciful. In the flesh this is not easy its impossible. But with the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible. In fact its even possible to make peace with those whom you may have disrupted the peace with, because of the power of the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ on the Cross.

So watch your mouth seek out opportunities to be ones who make peace because Christ’s work on the cross.

Now as we close I want to ask you yourselves are you at peace? It’s one thing to be a peacemaker its another thing to have peace with God. And as I preached today I brought you from the scriptures in..

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Remember the story I read to you at the very beginning about the amount of war and violence we have had in recorded history, and how little the world has experienced peace, well there is a greater war that is going on than all that is happening in Isreal, and Ukraine, and parts of Africa, and that is the war of our sinful hearts, and apart from being saved by Jesus Christ by repenting of our sins, and putting our faith in Christ alone we will never have peace.

Maybe you are here today or listening to this message later on, and you say I don’t have peace with God, and maybe that is because you do not know Christ by faith, maybe you are not the peacemaker you are called to be because there is no peace in you.

All these beatitudes rest in knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. If you know him as Lord then you will have peace then you can be a peacemaker, then you can go out wisely using the words properly, and seeking opportunities to make peace. Because if we have the peace of God that comes from knowing Christ Jesus, knowing that you wronged the one who made you , yet you have been forgiven surely you will look to him, fight for peace, and have the characteristics of a peace maker.

Let us pray..