What is it Good For?
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 11 viewsNotes
Transcript
I've been told that there are places in Europe where you can sink a spade into the earth, and in just two or three spadefuls of earth, you can dig up prehistoric artifacts and also bits of metal from much more modern times. In one spadeful of earth you might come up with a flint fist hatchet, which was used in prehistoric times to crush the skull of an enemy, and in that same bunch of earth, you will also find a bit of shrapnel from some shell fired during the Second World War. Crushing the skull in the one instance, blowing a person to bits in the other--that is a kind of parable of the history of humankind, isn't it? War after war after war. The absence of peace.
War what is it good for? Not sure we can say Absolutely Nothing. It is important for us to get one thing clear today… sometimes in order to get peace we have to fight for it. When we do a deeper dive into what it means for us to have peace some interesting counter culture conceptions become apparent. Every time there is peace it will have cost us something. The question is what? And did it actually have value. Peace can come if we just ignore the conflict, but would we really call that peace. We can get peace if we take the easy way out, but would we call that peace. We can have peace if we lie about it and call it peace even if it is not. There is risk.
To be a peacemaker may call us to engage in conflict to get it. Peacemakers are not those who stay out of it. They get involved. I get it. I grew up in an asian household that made it a point that the best thing is always… no get involved. Our first knee jerk reaction is to turn a blind eye. Get out of the room. Many of us mistake passivity for being a peacemaker.
Ironic I know. The cost may be substantial or it may not, but it always costs. Honesty can be expensive. Risk taking can be expensive. And we know… sacrifice is always expensive. Peace at all costs? Lets check it out today
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
The grass withers the flower fades but the word of our God stands forever.
Peacemakers
Sons of God
The first thing we will look at today is what it means for us as Christians to be peacemakers. Second, it is because of the sacrifice of Christ that we will be called by God to be His sons.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to lose sight of what it is we are fighting for, it is the scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit that will cause us to see the need for well-being and wholeness in accordance to the scriptures and act and believe as those who are called sons of God.
I. Peacemakers
-The pursuit of wholeness and well-being.
A. Now again… the beatitudes show themselves to be diametrically opposed to our current culture. It is a clear misunderstanding of society to understand a peacemaker is one who simply does not nor will not make waves. Lets begin by splitting the word apart. Peace and Maker. Eirene carries the same idea as Shalom in the hebrew.
B. If a Jew were to bid you Shalom it meant more than just the absense of trouble but all that would bring well-being. Peace does not just mean the absense of trouble, but it carries the idea of wholeness and what would bring well-being. It not just a negative… the absence of something, but it is positive it brings something. It is very similar to the golden rule… not just don’t do, but it is to do. Peace is not the act of a stone.
C. And now we throw in the maker and now we see that it is not how we understand a peacemaker today. Christian’s are more than we think. This person is not a passive but an active source of peace. This person does ot just pursue the absense of conflict, but a person who pursues wholeness and well being. And because of this a true peacemaker is not tolerant (You do you and Ill do me and leave each other alone) nor is the peacemaker an appeaser (one who want peace at all costs). Ahhh… this is right but, do we all agree of what is wholeness and well-being. Seems like conflict is inevitable.
D. The peacemaker is not clouded in dishonesty and deception. For it to truly be peace there must be honesty. There is way too much of those pretending to be peacemakers calling peace peace when there is no peace at all today. Leaders in our country who have the responsibility to bring and prosperity to our country … are they being honest with us? Religious leaders saying that we are truly OK with God and all is well… Are we? This is nothing new.
“This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!
They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.
E. Are we being honest with ourselves today? Where in our lives are we calling peace when there is no peace? Our relationships? Are we just ignoring the conflict? Husband and wife ignoring a horrible conflict thinking peace that will one day erupt and blow up their lives. Relationships with other family members that are one spark away from a never speaking to each other again moment. And my biggest pet peve today… church leaders and ministries telling people that they have peace with God when they absolutely and objectively 100% DO NOT!!! And what will we all do when the end comes. We have to say that there is no peace when there is no peace.
F. Peacemakers will receive physical and emotional pain. To truly bring wholeness and well being to any situation we will risk being misunderstood, persecuted, fail, and even be assaulted. Are we willing to stand up for what is BIBLICALLY right in the face of opposition. What are we willing to risk for the sake of peace? Or is it better to just let things slide and avoid the pain of conflict. If we try to make peace are going to just make things worse? Peacemakers do not avoid conflict because it is the easy way. And this sets up the big issue we face with this. The ultimate paradox. Peacemakers are not just honest. They are not just risk takers. They are fighters.
G. Sometimes we need to get on the mat to bring peace. We see this implication in the scriptures.
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
We spoudazo … hasten, labor, exert oneself for unity in peace.
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Aim dioko … to harass, to trouble, to persecute, to seek after earnestly.
H. It is understood that sometimes we need to fight a war in order to bring peace. The concept carries the idea that we need to fight for peace. The Pax Romama… the Roman peace came because there was no one else to fight. And the pursuit, however, is that we fight for what is right. Morality always comes into the picture. This is where the rubber meets the road. Everybody believes that they are fighting and doing what they believe to be right.
I. Even the Nazi’s thought that what they were doing was right. It is the problem we face when it comes to morality. We fight because we cannot agree on what is right and what is wrong. And in reality, our culture understands and studies on morality have shown, objective morality is a myth. It cannot happen. Plato’s republic, Aristotles eudaimonia, Hume’s sentiment, Machiavelli’s prince, Hobbs leviathan, Kant’s pure reason, all great attempts to bringing a system of ethics, but in the end, Might makes right. War is inevitable.
J. This is not foreign to the scriptures. The issue is not the fight. As Christians we are steeped with warfare terminology. Fought the fight. Finished the race. Our armor of God. The weapons of our warfare. The fight is there, but we do have the only possiboe way to have objective and universal morality. It is called the Bible and that is our standard for morality. For everybody whether they know it or not. they want it of not. Believe it or not. It is the only way. And it is the rebellion against the law of God that causes the need for conflict.
K. But Shane when you use the Bible as the standard its still relative. Not really. There is just way too much cultural influence that makes it cloudy. But interpretations vary. Not really. There is 2000 years worth of interpretations and a clear understanding of the histor christian faith. Its just that we always think we know better. Why… principles of propaganda assert that people will always question facts, but they never question their feelings. Outrage, fear, pleasure and resentment are always more powerful than logic and reason.
L. And so the question remains Christian today… are we willing to do for the truth what many are willing to do for a lie. Statistics are showing the real apathy and non-engagement of many Christians in our culture today. We see tremendous persecution for those of us fighting for peace in the public eye, social media, and next door and the reaction for modern evangelicalism is to simply not get involved. Its easier, its less hassle, and it doesn't cost us. Oh but it does. In trying to engage with the culture, we are always seeking peace by not being an offense, we think its not costing us, oh but it is. We think we are keeping the peace with the world by not making waves and we celebrate our worldly success and think it is costing us… oh but it is. Trying to make scripture buy into cultural and worldy norms to make us less offensive, we think we are gaining without cost, oh but it is costing us.
M. We think that all of this is bringing us peace. Let’s not be an offense. Lets make sure we still have a place at the table of the world. No reason for us to be at odds with the world. I dunno why we cant be friends. We may have peace with the world but do you know that we just declared war with GOD.
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
N. You made peace with one who can kill the body, but you just made and enemy of one who can kill the soul and body in Hell! Being a true peacemaker is not an option. This is who you are if you are a Christian. These beatitudes are characteristics of those who are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. We don’t out and do this to be blessed. We don’t do this we are this. The point here is if you do not see this, we do not go out and do this… you don’t do it because you are not this. How bout Dr. Kent Hugues.
“If we are not peacemakers but troublemakers, there is high probability that we are not true children of God, regardless of how prominently we wear our evangelicalism. Peacemakers are sometimes troublemakers for the sake of peace, but not troublemakers who spread rumors and gossip about others. If you are constantly fomenting discontent, if you find joy in the report of trouble and scandal, if you are omnicritical, always fault-finding, if you are unwilling to be involved in peacemaking, if you are mean—if these negative qualities characterize your life, you are probably not a true Christian,”
II. Sons of God
-True peace requires sacrifice.
A. This is real. All peace costs us something. And because of sin and the flesh we simply do not want to pay. We do not want to sacrifice. We do not desire to be the Lords instrument of His peace. Because in the end to acquire peace means sacrifice. We have to sacrifice what we believe we are owed, what we believe is our right, what we believe we are entitled to, what we believe to be ours. Deep inside maybe we are saying that that is not happeneing. This is the reality of sin.
B. And this is why judgement is coming. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. But Shane I’m not a sinner. The Bible says there is no one who always does good and never sins. There is no one righteous no not one. Oh sure I may have sinned but it is only small ones. But the Bible says that if you break even the smallest of commands you are as guilty as one who has broken all of it. We like sheep has gone astray.
C. And the judgement is terrible and it will be eternal. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. The worm never dies, the fire never stops. Outerdarkness. The place reserved for the devil and his angels. There is no peace. No one can be a peacemaker unless you have experienced peace with God. And this is possible because of the sacrifice of Christ.
D. To bring us peace with God… Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. The prince of peace came to seek and to save that which was lost. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. Yes by His wounds we are healed.
E. There is peace for us today… All who call upon the Lord shall be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and blieve in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. Believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God and that by believing you will have life in his name.
F. Today we who are called sons of God are peacemakers and a wonderful need that it is today. And it is possible because Jesus came and made a great sacrifice. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”
