Peace Makers

This week we’ll find that peace is another characteristic of the kingdom citizen, and what’s interesting to note is that these kingdom attributes are all, to a certain extent at least, things that the world understands and values in one way or another.

But as with all that have come before it, JESUS will take this further than anything the world could ever offer or comprehend.

The peace that JESUS is talking about in this beatitude is eternal, hard-won, and thorough in its scope and sequence. This is the peace we have received from the Lord, and this is the peace we should strive for with others.

Body

Matthew 5:9 ESV

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

Peace was an expected attribute of the coming Messiah.

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.

Micah 5:4–5a (ESV) — 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. 5 And he shall be their peace.

In the NT we find that JESUS fulfilled these expectations though not in the way many expected.

Colossians 1:15–20 (ESV) — 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 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.

Ephesians 2:12–17 (ESV) — 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 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.

Back in Colossians 1, Paul reminded us why it was that we needed this peace:

Colossians 1:21–22 (ESV) — 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Something I have loved about this series is how many times it has caused us to look at the cross, to go back to the gospel.

We were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds

Now we are reconciled, by his death, so that we might be holy and blameless

As with so many of these other beatitudes, we can only hope to fulfill this one if we understand what JESUS has done for us first.

If I’m going to sound like a broken record about anything let it be about the gospel, let it be about this, that we were helpless apart from JESUS, so in need of JESUS, that we were hostile toward God, alienated from Him, in desperate need of peace that could only come from the cross.

Praise Jesus for the Peace He Provided (Colossians 1:15-22)

The Jews of JESUS’ day were looking for a temporal, military, political peace, but the peace that HE provided for us at the cross was so much greater than this.

Romans 5:1 (ESV) — 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This peace that we have with the Father through JESUS is dynamic and active.

1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV) — 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) — 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

This is how we enjoy peace with God. We have a mediator between us and the judge who constantly intercedes for us pleading His righteousness on our account.

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted (1804)

Here we have a firm foundation, here the refuge of the lost; Christ's the Rock of our salvation, his the name of which we boast. Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded who on him their hope have built.

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV) — 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

The proper response to this is to worship JESUS and to live a life devoted to following His lead.

Matthew 5:9 ESV

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

they shall be called sons of God

Because we will be like the Son of God

Families are known by different things:

Gambino Crime Family

Kennedys = unfortunate ends

Kardashians = socialites

Jackson 5 = tallent

God’s family is to be known for being like JESUS and that means we must also be known for being those who make peace.

Recognize Peace as a Familial Marker of God’s Family (Matthew 5:9b)

This follows from the previous beatitudes we have covered:

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

Blessed are those who mourn

Blessed are the meek

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

The man who has been living out these other beatitudes as an extension of his relationship with God will also find that he is a peacemaking man.

There are certain things that come along with being a child in my household.

You respect the authority of your parents

You treat one another with respect and kindness

You perform the chores assigned to you with a joyful attitude

In God’s household, His children are known as those who seek to promote peace.

This isn’t a suggestion or a spiritual gift that some have while others don’t. This is a byproduct of the Spirit’s work in our lives that should be characteristic of every Christian.

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

In Hebrews 12:14 believers are commanded to strive for peace with everyone.

Being a man of peace is inherent to being a man of God. This is one of the beatitudes that Jesus displayed perfectly for us and so now we set ourselves to follow in His footsteps.

But what does it look like in action to be a peacemaker? Maybe you think...

Weakness

Compromise

Tolerance

Losing

Being a peacemaker may involve some of these elements, but when we look at JESUS none of these capture the full idea of what it means to be a peacemaker.

Mark 11:15 (ESV) — 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

The “Woes” of Matthew 23.

Revelation 19:11–16 (ESV) — 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

So peacemaking doesn’t mean that we roll over on issues of doctrine, it doesn’t mean the same things as tolerance, it doesn’t mean compromise. We can be peacemakers as our Savior was a peacemaker.

Pursue Peace with Others that Honors the Lord

Paul writes in Romans 12:18 that we should do everything in our power to live at peace with all men. Let’s look at that passage to get a fuller understanding of what this looks like.

Romans 12:18–21 (ESV) — 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This is a practical example of the peace that we should be pursuing.

Relationally, we shouldn’t be fueling conflict (IN AND OUT OF CHURCH)

We shouldn’t be seeking our own good

We should have a loving and kind reputation in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces.

People shouldn’t think of us as conflict mongers.

There’s another way we can/should be pursuing peace with others.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 (ESV) — 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

In God’s family, we are to be about the business of making peace, and that should ultimately be about peace with God.

If you’re kind to your neighbors and maintain peace with them, but you never offer them the greatest message of peace in the gospel, what good is that?

If you are the mediator in your family always helping to diffuse tension and prevent fights, but you never tell them about their need for peace with God, what good is that?

The point is not to please everyone with God, but to please God by preaching peace with Him to everyone.

Our goal is not to keep the peace on the broad road that leads to destruction, but by any means possible to push, pull, drag, plead, beg people onto the narrow road that leads to life.

Ironically, the world we live in presently wants to champion the ideals of peace, harmony, and tolerance. But what they don’t realize is that the greatest need for peace is the need for peace with their Creator.

This is what an ambassador’s job is. He is dispatched with a message for a specific person or group of people, and he isn’t finished with his work until all of the intended recipients receive the message.

That’s our task as well. As ambassadors of God, we have been entrusted with the message of peace with God, and our job will not be done until all of the intended recipients receive the message.

Who are the people God has placed into your life as his intended recipients of the message of peace with him?

Does your love for Jesus fuel within you a desire for them to experience the same peace with God that you have?

Perhaps more than all the others, this beatitude has an others-focused emphasis. The overwhelming lengths that the Father went to secure peace with us through the death of His Son should cause us to want as many others to come to know that same peace as possible.

Conclusion

This is the right response to what God has done for us in Christ.

In a world so desperate for peace, the reality is that this world will never know peace.

True peace will only come when the old is gone and the new has come. True peace will accompany the New Heavens and the New Earth. That is when we will know the fullness of the peace with God that was purchased for us at the cross.

In the meantime, as we want to follow JESUS, we understand that JESUS was a the ultimate peacemaker. To be like JESUS we must also strive for peace with others. Yes this has a horizontal, earthly component to it (humility, patience, kindness, love). But the most important peace that we should be about is the peace that comes from lost being reconciled to God through faith in Jesus.

Application Questions:

Do a word-search using esv.org or your Bible software for the word “peacemaker”. How many occurences of this word can you find outside of Matthew 5:9? How should this impact our study of this passage?

How do we see God as a God of peace in the Old Testament?

Read Matthew 10:34-39. How do we understand this passage in light of this beatitude in Matthew 5:9?

What are some factors that cause us to hold off on telling the lost in our lives that they need peace with God and we have the answer?

Scan through Romans 12. What are some examples of peacefulness that we see in this passage that Christians should be pursuing?