PeaceMAKERS not PeaceKEEPERS
The Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 viewsBringing peace where there is conflict and maintaining peace where it is already present
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9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Intro;
Intro;
As we near the end of our series on the Kingdom of God, we are once again reminded that when one becomes a part of the Kingdom of God, when they become a child of God, there will naturally be some changes that happen within them and those changes will manifest on the outside. As we have said before, we are not like the rest of the world, we are different, we have been born again and when we are born again, we are born into a new culture, a new set of values, and these changes happen naturally as our nature is changed from that of the flesh into that of the spirit. One paraphrase of 2 Cor 5:17 says it this way;
17 Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.
So then, the question one must ask themselves is this - “If my outward behavior hasn’t changed, has my heart truly been surrendered to God?” This is not to say that we will not still wrestle with fleshly desires, Romans 7 teaches us that there are two members at war within each of us, the flesh and the spirit. The real determining factor is the condition of your heart - How is your heart?
Last week we talked about the pure in heart and the result of one being pure in heart is that they will see God, they will have a fresh revelation of Jesus! This week we are talking about the PEACEMAKERS and the result of being a PEACEMAKER is that they will be called the children of God.
Write this down - “If purity of heart gives one a fresh REVELATION of Jesus, being a PEACEMAKER gives everyone else a fresh RECOGNITION of the JESUS in YOU!”
Responsibility
Responsibility
Rebuke
There is a common misconception that being a peacemaker is the equivalent of being a pushover but this is not at all what this passage means!
Charles Spurgeon said it like this - “To preserve peace where it is and to restore it where it is not.”
It means that a PEACEMAKER does not avoid conflict to “keep the peace” but rather they embrace conflict to make peace.
Conflict is nothing more than two people that are unwilling to COMMUNICATE towards a PEACEFUL resolution!
This means that a PEACEMAKER will have to be one that is willing to tell the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
KNOW THIS - There will come a time when children of God WILL NOT be able to live peaceably amongst the world - there will be trials and tribulations BUT let it not be said that we gave anyone good cause to despise the Church or its head, Jesus Christ!
A PEACEMAKER is also one that is willing to admit and apologize when they are WRONG - James 5:16
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Reconciliation
This MUST be the end goal for every PEACEMAKER!
God has not called us to be RIGHT, he has called us to make others RIGHT with HIM! 2 Corinthians 5:18
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
This is our RESPONSIBILITY after all;
14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
At the same time, PEACEMAKERS recognize that a two-way peace is not possible BUT that does not remove them from their share of the responsibility!
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Ultimately, a PEACEMAKER will have to forgive and let go!
13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Reward
Reward
Recognition
This is the reason PEACEMAKERS are Blessed - “…they shall be called the children of God.”
Who exactly will call them children of God?
In Heaven
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
On Earth
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Division in our country is bad enough but it’s the division within the Church that sickens me - It is no wonder people are leaving churches never to return - Where is the love for one another?
I’m not saying you need to be BFF’s with people who have wronged you but if we are to follow Christ’s example, we must be willing to lay down our lives for people, even the ones that don’t deserve it!
Altar Call;
Altar Call;
Salvation
Reconciliation (hold hands up to their mouth, speak the offense, raise it up to God, and release it)
Challenge all to reconcile the broken relationships in their lives - Make PEACE, even if it means a short season of CONFLICT worked out through COMMUNICATION