Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9

In an intriguing book about the nature of sin, Cornelius Plantinga titled the opening chapter The Vandalism of Shalom. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. It refers to a condition in which people are right with God and right with each other. It is a condition of relational wholeness. Sin vandalized that peace. Since the garden of Eden, the world has been plunged into a mess of conflict.

Just consider the news stories from the past week. There are so many layers of conflict that we cannot even begin to mention all of them. There is the ongoing war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Thursday, there was the memorial of the horrific act of war against our nation which precipitated the war on terror. There is the conflict between political parties in the race for the presidency. There is conflict between management and labor in one of our cities leading industries.

If we draw the focus a little tighter, we would have to acknowledge that some of us have conflict in our families. There are husbands and wives who are hardly speaking to each other today. There are parents and children struggling to overcome the sting of hard words. There are brothers and sisters who nip and bite at one another. There are strained relationships between believers in this congregation. Let’s be honest. We know it is true. Because of our own sin and the sin of others, we live with conflict and broken relationships. Shalom has been vandalized.

Kingdom Citizens Are Peacemakers

Jesus was not oblivious to this state of affairs. In this seventh beatitude, there is the assumption of conflict. To be a peacemaker means that peace has been broken and needs to be restored. In a world of conflict, Jesus said that those who belong to His kingdom would distinguish themselves as peacemakers. They long for and work toward the restoration of shalom. They don’t always achieve it, but they seek it and make it their aim to promote peace.

Family Resemblance

Let’s begin with the last part of this beatitude. Jesus said that peacemakers will be called “sons of God.” In other words, those who make peace are recognized by their family resemblance. The fact that they are peacemakers identifies them with God.

The Bible refers to the Father as the “God of peace” (Heb. 13:20). Jesus the Son is referred to as the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Peace is one of the qualities attributed to the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). So, clearly, peace is one of the primary attributes of God and also one of the primary fruits of a relationship with God.

So, when we claim to be members of God’s family, we back up that claim by being people who pursue peace. Peacemakers carry the family resemblance. They demonstrate their kinship to God by being peacemakers.

The Pillar of Peacemaking

Before we talk about some ways in which we can be peacemakers, we need to understand the foundation for peacemaking. The verb stem for the word that Jesus uses in Matthew 5:9 is used only one other time in the NT. It is in Colossians 1:20. Let’s look at Colossians 1:19-22.

The peacemaking work of the Father through the cross of His Son Jesus Christ is the foundation on which our peacemaking rests.
Look at Ephesians 2:13-18. This tells us the same thing. God reconciles us to Himself through the cross of Christ. Then, we are able to be reconciled to each other.
This reminds us that peace must first be vertical before it can be horizontal. We must be right with God if we hope to be right with each other.

APP: If you are having conflict with others make sure that you have dealt with your own sin before God. Make sure that you have examined your own heart and sought His forgiveness. Then you will be prepared to seek reconciliation with others.

The Practice of Peacemaking

There are several ways we practice peacemaking as followers of Jesus. Let’s consider a few of them.

We bring the message of peace to those who are estranged from God. This is evangelism. We seek to introduce others to the Prince of Peace. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 is the key passage in this regard.
We pursue the restoration of peace when our relationships with others when they have been damaged.

Matthew 5:23-24
Matthew 18:15 ff.

We avoid conflict with others over matters of personal preference and conviction (Romans 15:19).
We do all in our power to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).
We assist others to be reconciled when appropriate (Phil. 4:2-3; Philemon).

The Pain of Peacemaking

I need to say a word about the pain of peacemaking. This can often be one of the most gut-wrenching and difficult tasks in our Christian walk. Restoring damaged relationships requires dealing in truth with the issues which exist on both sides of a conflict. It requires self-examination, humility, repentance, asking forgiveness, and granting forgiveness. I can honestly say that these kinds of things are the most difficult things I have ever done in life or in ministry.

Peacemaking is not about ignoring hurts. It is about healing them. The deeper the hurt, the more difficult it can be. We are tempted to get discouraged and just walk away. Obviously, it requires two willing parties to accomplish restoration. I urge you today to be a willing party. Don’t be a hindrance to reconciliation. Whether you feel that you are the one who inflicted the damage or the one who received the damage, be willing to show yourself a child of God by pursuing peace. I am not asking you to candy coat the problem. I am not asking you to

ignore the issues. I am calling upon all of us to roll up our sleeves and open our hearts in order to deal with the issues and resolve them.

It doesn’t always happen. But the Word calls us to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. As much as it depends on YOU, be at peace with all men. If someone doesn’t want peace, that is their problem. But don’t let it be yours. Pursue peace.

I’m speaking to the husband or the wife who has emotionally disengaged because you’ve convinced yourself it will never change or get better. You have become accustomed to nurturing a hard heart. You share an address but not a life. Don’t close your heart to reconciliation. Start talking to each other. Get some counseling. Humble yourself and seek peace.
I’m speaking to the son or daughter who has a load of penned up anger and feels like writing your parents off for good. You may have legitimate reasons to feel angry. But don’t close your heart to peace. Resolve your anger. Pursue peace as much as it depends on you.
I’m speaking to Christian brothers and sisters who are estranged from each other. Words were exchanged. Offenses were given. Relations have cooled. You walk down opposite hallways to keep from having to see each other. It is time to pursue peace. It is time to come to the table and listen to each other.
I’m speaking to any person who has a relationship which has been fractured by offenses and remains broken. It may be a neighbor, a boss, an employee, a coworker, a sibling. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. Seek reconciliation.

Dear friend, the responsibility for achieving peace does not rest completely on you. But the responsibility for pursuing peace certainly does.

The Pleasure of Peacemaking

Ken Sande has written a wonderful book called The Peacemaker. Listen to his description of peacemakers.

Peacemakers are people who breathe grace. They draw continually on the goodness and power of Jesus Christ, and then they bring his love, mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom to the conflicts of daily life. God delights to breathe his grace through peacemakers and use them to dissipate anger, improve understanding, promote justice, and encourage repentance and reconciliation.

As you listen to that description, doesn’t your heart say, ‘Oh I want to be that person. I want to breathe grace. I want to be an instrument of Christ’s grace in the lives of others.’

That is what we are called to do. When we live that way, we get the pleasure not only of seeing the grace of Christ restore relationships, but we get the pleasure of hearing God say over us, “That is one of my sons…that is one of my daughters. See how they demonstrate their resemblance to me by spreading peace.”

Life will have its share of conflicts. Sometimes we are the cause of it. Sometimes we are the recipients of it. The question is what will we do with it. We can choose to live in the shadows of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and self-pity. Or we can choose to live in the light of peace. What will you choose?