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Making Peace in the Midst of Conflict
Matthew 5:9
The New York Times ran an article a few years ago titled:
'What Every Person Should Know About War'
What is a war?
War is defined as an active conflict that has claimed more than 1,000 lives.
Has the world ever been at peace?
Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history.
How many people have died in war?
At least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century.
Estimates for the total number killed in wars throughout all of human history range from 150 million to 1 billion.
Conflict is everywhere, isn’t it?
In a classic Winston Churchill comeback, Lady Astor once said, “If you were my husband, I’d put poison in your coffee.”
Churchill responded with his cutting wit: “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”
We laugh at this sarcasm, but it reveals that all of us are predisposed to conflict.
In fact, some of us have clashed with so many people, that we don’t really know how to live peaceably with others.
I’ve known some people over the years that never seem happy unless they are fighting with someone.
A young daughter was working so diligently on her homework that her father became curious and asked her what she was doing.
She looked up at her dad and replied, “I’m writing a report on how to bring peace to the world.”
The father smiled and said, “Isn’t that a pretty big order for a little girl?”
The girl continued writing as she answered, “Oh, no.
Don’t worry.
There are three of us in the class working on it.”
It’s easy to be naïve about peace, because it is in fact, very elusive in our relationships, in our culture, in our church, and in the world today
That reminds me of what one person said about Christians who quarrel: “Where two or three come together in Jesus’ name…there will eventually be conflict.”
The fact that the lack of peace is so pervasive, so prevalent is really nothing new.
We can trace it all the way back to the book of Genesis.
Humans have been at war with God ever since Adam and Eve sinned.
And, beginning with the conflict between Cain and Abel, which eventually led to one brother killing the other, we have been in a battle with our brothers and sisters up till now.
In the midst of this continuous conflict and incessant strife, Jesus speaks some stunning words in Matthew chapter 5 as we look at the seventh beatitude.
In order for us to find happiness, we are to be pure before God, as we learned last week, and this beatitude challenges us to be at peace with others.
Let me remind you that Jesus is not listing some optional ideas or preaching a sermon with some suggestions we might want to consider.
These eight beatitudes are meant to describe the disciple of Christ and set forth the blessings that come to those who follow Him wholeheartedly.
So, before we read Matthew chapter 5, verse 9, would you join me in prayer?
Pray!
The Message puts it this way:
The Bible is a book of peace as the word “peace” appears over 400 times in Scripture.
Hebrews 13:20 refers to God as the “God of peace” and because this is part of His very character, He wants His people to be marked by peace as well.
Isaiah 9:6 describes Jesus as the “Prince of peace.”
Before we go much further, let’s describe what biblical peace is not:
Peace is not merely the absence of activity.
We often use the phrase “peace and quiet” to refer to our need to slow down.
Peace is more than the absence of hostility.
The biblical concept is much deeper than just not having conflict.
Peace is not just getting away from reality.
While we go on vacation to get away from it all, the Bible offers peace right where we are.
Peace is not the absence of something bad.
Rather it is the presence of something good.
In the Old Testament, the word peace is shalom and is a state of wholeness and harmony that is intended to resonate in all relationships.
When used as a greeting, shalom was a wish for outward freedom from disturbance as well as an inward sense of well-being.
To a people constantly harassed by enemies, peace was the premiere blessing.
God gave Moses these words to use when blessing His people:
3 Types of People
As we consider this beatitude of peace, Phil Morgan suggests that there are three types of people
Peace-breakers
We live in a world of peace-breakers.
Did you know that in all the years of recorded history, it has been estimated that the world has been at peace just 8% of the time?
Over that period, 8000 treaties have been made and broken.
Someone perceptively remarked, “Peace is that glorious moment in history when everyone stops to reload.”
Those who break peace in the church often cause trouble and division.
The Bible has strong words in Romans 16:
God’s heart is revealed in Psalm 133:
Now, before you start pointing your finger at someone else, each of us needs to examine our own hearts.
It’s certainly possible to be a peace-breaker without even knowing it.
One area we all need to consider is the use of our tongues.
When Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, he expresses his concern about what he may find when he comes for a visit:
Many years ago, Psychology Today (October, 1983) posed an intriguing question: “If you could push a button and thereby eliminate any person with no repercussions to yourself, would you do it?”
Sixty percent of those responding answered yes.
One man suggested an even better question, “If such a device were invented, would anyone live to tell about it?”
Brothers and sisters, have you been pushing any buttons lately?
Are you a peace-breaker?
Do you bring people together or pull them apart?
It’s always easier to create conflict than it is to promote peace.
Peace-faker
It’s interesting that Jesus is not calling us to be peace-keepers, but peace-makers.
Some of us are predisposed to have peace at any cost in an effort to avoid conflict with someone.
Often this is just pretend peace, as tensions go underground and come back again because they were never dealt with.
Phil Morgan writes,
“If things are not resolved, then that peace you’re trying so very hard to maintain by avoiding the issues will get harder and harder to keep.
Eventually there will come a total breakdown in the relationship…it can die while everything on the surface looks peaceful.”
Ephesians 4 challenges the peace-fakers among us,
Are you only faking peace with others?
Peace-maker
It’s much easier to either break the peace or fake the peace than it is to make peace in the midst of conflict.
When Jesus pronounced a blessing upon peacemakers, He used a very strong word for “maker.”
It literally means “to do” or “to create.”
Friends, peace must be actively made because it never happens by chance.
Left to ourselves, we drift toward divisiveness.
Peacemaking is messy work and is often resented.
Peace must be pursued until we have it, and then guarded so we don’t lose it.
A peacemaker does what it takes to establish and maintain peace.
Instead of escalating conflict, this person works to extinguish tension and usher in peace.
Warren Wiersbe said, “Hatred looks for a victim, while love seeks a victory.
The man of war throws stones, and the peacemaker builds a bridge out of those stones.”
In 1781, Benjamin Franklin wrote to John Adams, “‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ is, I suppose, for another world.
In this world they are frequently cursed.”
While it’s extremely difficult to be a peacemaker, there are at least two rewards.
Two Rewards
First, we are blessed when we make peace.
We are blessed
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