Blessed are the Peacemakers

We are in week three of a four week series called “Bless this Home.” If this is your first week with us, we are looking at the teaching of Jesus in . This section of Scripture is known as the Beatitudes. Jesus gave eight different pronouncements of blessing. These statements give us an understanding of how we can be blessed in our lives and in our homes.

These statements of blessing are much broader in their application than the perspective I have taken in this series. We are taking these sayings of Jesus and applying them to our homes. So many of our homes are not being blessed as they should be in Christ. Something needs to change about what we are doing so that we can experience God’s blessing in our lives and in our homes.

The first week, we looked at .

Matthew 5:6 CSB

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Last week, we looked at .

Matthew 5:8 CSB

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Today, we are going to talk about having peace in our homes. Many of our homes are not characterized by peace. Many of our homes are characterized by conflict, tension, and strife. Our homes should be and can be places of peace, a peace that only is possible through the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now, I realize, some of you might be thinking, “But pastor, you don’t know what I’ve got going on at home. My home is dysfunctional. I mean, we put the fun in dysfunctional. Maybe some of it is my fault, but most of it isn’t my fault.” It might be true. I think every family has that difficult person in it. Every family, if you look somewhere, has a psycho. Every family has that one who is hard to deal with. If you don’t know who it is, then chances are it is you. :)

Seriously though, let’s recognize and be honest. Relationships, especially family relationships. can be challenging. We can easily slip into dysfunctional cycles in our relationships. Somebody hurts someone else and they hurt someone. Hurt people hurt people. Next thing you know, everyone is choosing sides and it is a hot mess.

Maybe you are trying to raise your kids and your mom keeps looking over your shoulder. She thinks she is helping you, but it is frustrating you. The tension in your relationship is building.

Maybe the tension is with your own kids. They fight all the time and you find yourself saying things you never thought you would say.

Maybe your a teenager and you feel like your parents just don’t trust you and they are breathing down your neck all the time.

It could be that you are part of a blended home and you are trying to raise your kids, and his kids, and our kids. Also, your ex is involved and it is just so incredible complicated.

You are wondering, “How could there ever be peace with all of this dysfunction?”

Open your Bible to . Let’s look at the words of Jesus in .

Matthew 5:9 CSB

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

This word “peacemaker” is an interesting word. The Greek word is the word

eirenopoios (arenopoios) - reconciler

Blessed are those who reconcile. Blessed are those who work to restore friendly relations. Blessed are those who learn to coexist in harmony.

Do you know what this means? It means that conflict, strife, and dysfunction is to be expected. As a matter of fact, the Jewish people understood this because they had a way of dealing with conflict, strife, and dysfunction. They would say, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” If someone hits you, you hit them back. If someone takes from you, you take something from them. Jesus was telling them that there is a higher standard and a higher calling for his disciples.

Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the peacekeepers.” There is a big difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. Maybe you are making this mistake.

What are peacekeepers? They are those UN soldiers with the blue hats. They don’t solve the conflict. They just try to find a way to avoid conflict. They are there to try to keep the peace. I think we do this in our families. We put on our blue helmets and try to avoid conflict by working around the issues, rather than working through the issues. We just pretend it doesn’t exist and we don’t talk about it. We get together at family dinners. We smile and act like we’re getting along, but behind the scenes there is unbelievable tension. Then, months go by and one day, something sets you off and the volcano pops. What happened? Well, there were all kinds of unresolved issues and eventually the lid couldn’t stay on anymore.

Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the peacekeepers.” He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” What does a peacemaker do?

A peacemaker embraces the issues to make peace.

We are not going to work around the issues. We are going to work through the issues because with Jesus, the Prince of Peace, there can be peace in our homes; true and abiding peace. We are a Christ-centered home.

Look at what the apostle Paul said in .

Romans 12:17–18 CSB

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Everyone was taught to get the person back who had done you wrong. It was normal and it was expected. It was radically different to teach that we should, as far as it depends on us, to live at peace with everyone. As far as it depends on you, you do everything possible to live at peace. What does this look like?

First, speak the truth in love.

Speak the truth in love ()

Ephesians 4:15 CSB

15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.

We have spoken about this before. We have talked about the importance of using scalpels rather than machetes. Here is something I have learned and I think it is really practical. How do you tell the truth in love?

Tell the truth in love during non-conflict times.

When you are angry, it is not the time to bring up things. When you are tired, it is not time to bring up things. When you are hungry, it is not time to bring up things. When you are lonely, it is not time to bring up things. Tell the truth in love during non-conflict times. Also, deal with the issue. Don’t attack the person.

Second, deal with the issue. Don’t attack the person.

Deal with the issue, never attack the person.

We never want to belittle a person. We never want to hurt the person. We want to deal with the issue and we want to have peace. We value our relationships and we value our family. We never want the person to feel personally attacked.

Second, peacemakers apologize when they are wrong.

Apologize when you are wrong. ()

James 5:16 CSB

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

What do you think your relationships would be like if, when you did something wrong, you confessed it to the person? What if you swallowed your pride and say, “I am so sorry. What I did was wrong. I sinned against you. Will you please forgive me?” Could you even imagine how incredibly different our relationships would be if we owned our own sins, confessed them, and prayed together? Peacemakers apologize when they are wrong.

How do we do it? We admit to specific actions without excuses.

Admit to specific actions without excuses.

We say, “What I did was wrong.” No excuses. We apologize for specifics. We say, “I am so sorry that I belittled you in front of your friends. I have no excuse for what I did.” We say, “I am sorry I didn’t consider you. I should have called when I was running late.” We say, “I am sorry I raised my voice in anger towards you. It was disrespectful.”

I want you to hear this because it is so important. There is a big difference between repentance and remorse. People often stop with remorse. It is the “I am sorry because I got caught.” “I am sorry you got your feelings hurt.” That’s remorse. Repentance is “I was wrong. I did wrong. Will you forgive me and I will work toward not hurting you again.”

Peacemakers tell the truth in love. Peacemakers apologize when they are wrong. Peacemakers forgive and let go.

Forgive and let go. ()

Colossians 3:13 CSB

13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

I recognize this might sound impossible to you. You might be thinking, “But pastor, you don’t know what I have been through.” You are right. I may not know what you have been through. Some of you have experienced severe betrayal which could be very difficult to forgive. Some of you have dealt with infidelity which can be extremely hard to deal with and forgive, but I know that some of you have forgiven and been forgiven. It is possible. Some of you have been lied about and deceived, which has left you in a very difficult position. Maybe you have even had to deal with abuse. You might be wondering, “How could I forgive the unforgivable?” Maybe you don’t even want to forgive. I am not going to tell you that it is easy, but it is doable. tells us how. We forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.

📷 📷Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom has long been honored by evangelical Christians as an exemplar of Christian faith in action. Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Haarlem home during the Holocaust, she was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who perished there just days before Corrie's own release on December 31, 1944. Inspired by Betsie's example of selfless love and forgiveness amid extreme cruelty and persecution, Corrie established a post-war home for other camp survivors trying to recover from the horrors they had escaped. She went on to travel widely as a missionary, preaching God's forgiveness and the need for reconciliation. Corrie's devout moral principles were tested when, by chance, she came face to face with one of her former tormentors in 1947. The following description of that experience is excerpted from her 1971 autobiography, The Hiding Place, written with the help of John and Elizabeth Sherrill.

I'm Still Learning to Forgive

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...

And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. ...

"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there." No, he did not remember me.

"I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us."

"But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"

And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ...

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then. (Copyright © 1972 by Guideposts, Carmel, New York 10512. All rights reserved. (www.guideposts.com)

How has Jesus forgiven you? He has forgiven you completely and freely. Did you deserve forgiveness? No, no one deserves forgiveness. We are called to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. We show mercy as we’ve been shown mercy. We act as Jesus acted. We forgive, let go, and make peace. This is how we show we are the children of God. Peacemakers are blessed because they are called children of God.

When we make peace, we look like our Heavenly Father, created in his image and conformed to the likeness of Jesus.

Pray.

Father God, we pray today that in your presence you would do a healing work in a way that only you can do. Move in our hearts and minds. Show us how we can be peacemakers. In Jesus’ name.

With heads bowed and eyes closed, I want to ask you a question and I hope everyone raises their hand to say “yes” to this. How many of you would say, “By the grace of God, I want to be a peacemaker.” If that is you, would you raise your hand? Please put your hands down. In just a moment, I am going to pray for you.

Heads are still bowed in reflection. I am going to be a little bit more specific. How many of you, in your family, there’s hurt, there’ betrayal, there’s brokenness, or there is a relationship that need healing? How many of you would say, “Pastor, pray for our family.” Would you lift up your hands?

Father, first I want to pray for all of those who say, “Yes, I want to be a peacemaker.” I pray that we would not be a Christian in name only, but we would be fully surrendered to the truth of your Son, Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in the blessings of your truth. God, give us the courage to speak the truth in love, to apologize when we have done wrong, and to forgive as you have forgiven us.

Father, I also want to pray for those who lifted their hands and they recognize that their family is in a place right now where they need you. They are hurting, wounded, betrayed, and maybe even abused. I pray that you would give them the power to do everything possible to live at peace. I pray they would reach out to repair the brokenness. I pray you would give them the ability to forgive what seems unforgivable. I pray they would have the grace to deal with the difficult people. I pray for miraculous restorations. I pray for those marriage which are just handing by a thread. Heal the parent and children relationships. By your mercy and grace, bring healing where there is hurt. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Christians, continue to pray. I want to ask another question this morning. Are you at peace with God? Are you one-hundred percent sure? Are you settled in your heart? Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt, without any reservation, that you are in the right place with God? Some of you, right now, are thinking, “You know what? I’m not sure.” You might look at your life and see all of the wrong you have done. Maybe you wonder if you could even been forgiven after what you have done.

You have sinned and so have I. Our sin does separate us from a Holy God and there’s not enough good works any of us can do to work our way back to him. That’s why the gospel is the good news. God, the ultimate peacemaker, did something for us that we were incapable of doing for ourselves. He became one of us in the person of his Son, Jesus, who was born of a virgin, without sin, lived the perfect life, became sin for us on the ross, died in our place to pay for our sin, and was raised from the dead. He did all of this and he said if you call on his name, you will be forgiven of your sins and you will be transformed.

Please bow your heads and close your eyes once again. If you recognize your need this morning, pray with me to express that you are trusting in God’s ability to forgive you and save you.

“Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

With heads bowed and eyes closed, if you just prayed that prayer for the first time, would you raise your hand?

Pray.

If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come to the front of this worship center and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If you want to pray for someone you know who needs to receive God’s gift of salvation, you come and get on your knees asking God to reach into that person’s life. Maybe you need to come in rededication of your life to God as we are on the verge of a new year. This is a time for you to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit in your life.