Blessed are the Peaceful

Series: God’s Plan for a Blessed Life (Sermon 4)

From Anger to Peace: The Call of the Peacemaker

Bible Passage: Matthew 5:21–26

Summary: In Matthew 5:21–26, Jesus moves on to the commandment, “You shall not kill,” which relates back to the Beatitude, “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” but then he emphasizes that murder stems from unrestrained anger that leads to conflict and divisions. He then emphasizes that resolving conflict is an essential element of the believers life. We must make peace with others before we can worship God and the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus.

Big Idea: Five words that begin with ‘R’ will help us to put aside our anger and pursue peaceful reconciliation.

1. Recognize: We must recognize the destructive nature of anger.

Matthew 5:21

Jesus reinterprets the traditional laws and directs our attention away from our actions and toward our hearts. According to Jesus, anger in the heart is equivalent to a murder weapon in your hand. Even unexpressed anger, if bottled up and allowed to fester, will damages a your soul and consumes your thoughts. This anger will throw up a barrier that leads to alienation and harms our relationship with God. Anger in your heart will eat you alive. It is a poison you drink expecting someone else to die. Recognize anger’s destructive nature and take proactive steps to get rid of your anger if you want to restore your inward tranquility and find ultimate peace with God.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (

2. Renounce: We must renounce hateful words and actions.

Matthew 5:22

Jesus draws a connection between anger in our hearts and the contempt and verbal abuse in our actions. Jesus wants you to examine and control your verbal and emotional reactions. Highlighting how words reflect the heart's condition encourages self-reflection and commitment to Christ-like love and dialogue, fulfilling our call as peacemakers.

English Standard Version Chapter 15

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (

3. Reconcile: We must reconcile with others before we can worship God.

Matthew 5:23-24

Reconciliation is an act of worship. You are closer to God when you are reconciling with someone than when you come to church, or sing praises, or give God a religious offerings. Jesus places extreme significance on the importance of mending broken relationships. This is a call to action, and you must confident that you have done everything within your power to reconcile with your enemy before you can come with a clear conscience to worship to God. God has called you to prioritize peace-making, and you should make it a practical outworking of your faith daily.

4. Resolve: We must resolve our conflicts rapidly.

Matthew 5:25

In verse 25, Jesus emphasizes a since of urgency. Settle your conflicts swiftly and avoid escalating tensions. Act promptly and seeking a peaceful solution, even if it means coming out on the short end of the stick. Prevent your anger from taking root and embody an attitude of peace.

5. Remember: We must remember anger's terrible consequences.

Matthew 5:26

Severe consequences will result if you are unwilling to resolve your anger and your conflict. People have been damned to hell because holding a grudge was more important to them than seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. You must foster a lifestyle of forgiveness and reconciliation, and if you do, you will replace anger and hatred with tranquility and peace.

Teaching: Unresolved anger damages our souls, our relationships, and our standing with God. Seek reconciliation and put away your answer because Christ calls us to be peacemakers.

How this passage could point to Christ: Jesus Christ is the ultimate Peacemaker He died to reconcile us with our heavenly Father through His sacrificial death on the cross (Ephesians 2:14-16). Christ calls us to follow his example and serve as peacemakers in a world filled with anger and hate.

Application: Christians must address and deal with their lingering anger and how it disrupts their lives. Through Jesus, We can find healing and actively pursue reconciliation by embodying the love and peace that Christ calls us to exemplify.