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Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.”
The Beatitudes stated, again
“Open in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5. You know, I think this is the 5th time we’ve read this together, and we’ve got one more week after this week, we’ve kind of just slowed down here as we’ve been going through the Gospel of Matthew, but what Jesus says here is so vitally important for you and I to appreciate and internalize and have it become part of our lives. So chapter 5, verses 1-12, “And seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain, and when he was seated his disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” ‘Lord, we just thank you for these verses, I don’t know, this is probably the first time we’ve spent this many weeks reading the same group of verses over and over. But yet Lord it seems you just lead us to slow down right here, and consider these great exhortations, this great reality that we can have all the more in our lives. And so, Holy Spirit, as we come again to this text and pick up where we left off, we’d just ask that you’d open our eyes and our hearts, and you’d take these truths and as you tell us that by the hearing of the Word, that’s where faith comes. And we pray we’d grow in faith, faith to see what is here, and to internalize it and live according to it. So Lord, thank you. Be upon all of us, and upon myself now as we go through your Word, in Jesus name, amen.’
How to be a true peacemaker
So, verse 9, we come now to the 7th beatitude that Jesus shares that one day on the shores of the Sea of Galilee there up on the mount, side of the mount, 7th time he says “Blessed, blessed,” specifically this time he says “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Or as we’ve noted before, as one translation puts it, “Happy the peacemakers, happy, divinely joyful are they because”, as he says there, “for they shall be called sons of God.” Now what exactly is a peacemaker? If they’re so happy, we certainly want to get a good sense and understanding of who and what they are, so we can insure that we live according to what is here, that we are peacemakers. I mean, he says “blessed, happy are they”. So we certainly want to understand what it is so we can have this blessedness and happiness in our lives. Being simple about it, a peacemaker is one who makes peace, one who makes peace, somebody who helps to promote it, to prepare for it, to help further the experience of it. That’s what a peacemaker essentially is.
First, we should understand what
“peace” is
Thus before we dig into what a peacemaker is, we first should make sure we understand what peace is. You know, if a peacemaker further promotes peace, the experience of peace, then what exactly is “peace”? And the question, ‘Do you know what peace is? Do you have peace in your life?’ The Greek word for peace is the word eirene [Strongs #1515 eirene (i-ray-nay), peace, quietness, rest.], which is found, interestingly in every single book in the New Testament, with the exception of one, and that is 1st John, only time it’s not found in the New Testament. So it’s certainly a theme of the Bible, something that’s so vitally important, something that’s part of the Christian experience. So 1st John doesn’t have the word, but there’s no doubt, you read 1st John, you’ll find the experience, if that’s all you had is that letter. The dictionary defines it as (1) “The absence of war or other hostilities; an agreement to end hostilities; freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations; security and order: (2) inner contentment; serenity; a state of tranquility; free from strife.” I’m not sure if you got all of that, but really you can divide it into two categories according to the dictionary definition, and that is, first of all there’s this state that we call peace that can exist between people, a group of people, two people, two nations. And secondly then, according to the dictionary definition, there’s what we call peace, and that is this experience that I can have within myself. There’s peace between people, and then there’s this peace that I can have in my heart.
Peace in today’s world
Now today in the world, there’s no doubt there’s a lot of talk about peace. Always has been, really, lot’s of talk about it. Man very much desires to have and to experience peace. Considering this great desire and talk about it, you know, the great desire between cultures and societies and nations, I think now of all the talk surrounding the death of Yassir Arafat, this man who was part of this guerrilla group called the El Fatah, and also this man that headed up the PLO, someone who has very much fought for an independent Palestinian state, but also somebody who shared in the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, but who was seen by Israel for years, and really by the rest of the world as a terrorist. There was a brief time he wasn’t seen that way, he was seen as a partner in peace, but that quickly changed as he went back to his tactics, guerrilla tactics, you could say, terrorism, and so then was corralled by Israel right into his compound there in Ramalla, and that’s where he died. But with his death, as you’ve been reading maybe in the paper, seen it on the news, a lot of expectation now among various groups about peace, maybe peace is finally achievable in the Middle East. Quoting one Arab, in our local newspaper on November 12th [2004], this man Mohamed Abu Majdi, 55 years old, runs a stationary shop in the Calendee refugee camp, his very words about Arafat’s death, “May God have mercy on him, we hope that this will be a new beginning of a new era of peace.”---Of peace, a lot of talk about peace, surrounding his death right now. Even his temporary successor there at the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas [see http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Abbas.html.], seems very willing now to negotiate peace with the nation of Israel and the government there, has even been a critic of the latest Intafada, that is this military type uprising, this armed uprising against the nation of Israel. But you read about all this talk about peace, then I was noting this immediately, as they were talking to various groups over there, one newspaper reporter spoke to the Hamas, and the Hamas, of course they’re notorious. Right? If you keep up on the news, many of you, this group that’s been a huge proponent of terrorism in Israel, speaking to them, you know, about Arafat’s death, negotiating potentially with Israel, and their response is “No way, man, we’re not gonna negotiate, not a chance. In fact, we’re going to continue as we’ve been, and that is with this terrorism” is essentially what they say. So you hear about all the talk of peace, hear about all the talk of it, but at the same time it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen in the Middle East, and in the nation of Israel.
Is world peace possible through democracy?
In the Western world as we speak also about peace, it’s interesting, in our culture, we speak of the need for democracy in the rest of the world, and we speak of it in the sense that as democracy is promoted, and more nations embrace it, and people then are relieved from oppressive governments, as we speak of democracy, that it’ll help bring peace to the world, that democracy brings peace to men. [Serious Comment: I am a real student of history, and lately have purchased two books which pretty much show that the United States preaches this ‘peace through democracy’ stuff, and that we are in favor of helping spread democracy to other nations, but we have not done it. Sadly, the real democratic free type government we have has never really been given a chance in many of the 3rd world nations. Instead, our government, clandestinely, has been responsible for installing right-wing fascist type governments throughout South and Central America since 1945 onward through the 1980s. I am still in the midst of reading about this history, but two thorough books that have been written on the subject are “Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano, and Killing Hope by William Blum, both available on www.amazon.com. We have been saying we support installing democratic, fair governments around the world, but have we been doing that? That is the question. Many innocent people have died under the right-wing dictators we helped install in Central and South America, and thus many normal civilians in those countries must still take a very dim view of Americans (wouldn’t you?). Order the DVD movie titled “Missing” starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacik (also on amazon.com) for a very graphic true story about US involvement in the overthrow of Salvadore Allende, President of Chile, in 1973 (quicker than reading through those two one-to-two inch thick history books).] Yet, as we consider democracy, then we can of course look right in our own nation, and consider peace, peace in America, is there true peace found in America? Well, if there’s peace in America, if there’s true peace as far as democracy is concerned, then why do I read the things that I do in the newspapers, you know, I can pick up any paper and just start quoting articles, can’t I. Shootings, stabbings, just in this small community here, you know. Recently teenagers beating up another teenager with a bat, headlines in the newspaper this week, businesses cheating other businesses, taking advantage of people, and on and on and on it goes. If there’s truly peace in America, in a general sense we should see peace in the family. But then we’re told half of families, half the marriages in our country end in divorce. Doesn’t even seem like there’s peace in the family unit, if people are standing and yelling at each other before judges in America, half the families. So we say democracy brings peace, but that doesn’t seem to be the ticket. A lot of talk, but by in large it seems that in our society peace is evading most people. And it would also appear that you can’t go anywhere on the globe and find a place of peace, for the most part. In fact, about the only place you can find peace in the sense of the dictionary definition, as far as a physical location where man has been would be on the Moon. That’s about the only place. And that’s because man isn’t there right now. So it’s peaceful up upon the Moon. In fact, interesting, the motto of the Apollo 11 flight was “We come in peace for all mankind.” And they took this motto on the Apollo 11 flight and put it on a plaque, and when they landed upon the Moon, Armstrong and Aldrin, noted, this one particular area they landed, they called it the Sea of Tranquility, it was such a peaceful place. So they left this plaque there and it’s still there today. But of course, as I was reading about it, as somebody noted, the reason why there was peace there, it was so tranquil, is man had never been there before to deprive it of its peace, to disturb its peace. And right now it’s not so bad, because nobody’s up there, it’s just sitting there quietly. Much desire, a lot of talk about peace.
Peace in the heart
But even then, considering peace in the heart, you know, that’s peace within man, peace in the heart, it would seem as you look in society there’s also a great lack of that sort of peace. I think of the story of Georges Simenon, and maybe I’ve messed up his name a little bit, aged 67, late 60s, early 70s he was one of the most prolific novelists alive. Had translated, was the most translated author in the world at that time, with the exception of one, and that was Lenin. April 1970 he finished his 408th novel. According to his customary way of doing it, his schedule, he’d write a book in nine days. [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Simenon and http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/simenon93epa460.jpg ] So 408th novel, did it in nine days. That very day though, 67 years of age, this is what he writes “I have only one ambition left to be completely at peace with myself. I doubt if I ever shall manage it. I do not think it’s possible for anyone. It’s not a question of money, for that kind of happiness must come from within yourself. I do not know any man, however successful, who is completely happy. I write because if I did not I should die.” He was so successful, 408 novels, more published than anybody alive, and he says ‘Man, what I really want is peace in the heart, peace with myself. “And I don’t know if you can find it”, he says. Here’s a successful man, doesn’t even know what Jesus is speaking about here in Matthew chapter 5. Peace has evaded man throughout history. There’s a story also of the great Emperor Augustus of Rome, heard once about this guy, this gentleman within the Empire of Rome who had a lot of financial debt, but when he heard about him, the story told about him, this particular man, burdened with debt, yet would sleep well at night, and was very much at ease. And the Emperor says, ‘Wow, man in great debt, and sleeps well, I mean, seems peaceful.’ So the Emperor desired to actually buy the guy’s bed. Figured, you know, that must be it, I mean, where do you get this peace, this guy’s got all that debt and he’s sleeping well at night. Well, turned out to be a useless purchase, but peace, wanted it so bad, ‘I’ll buy the guys’ bed if that’ll help.’ And man, there are a whole lot of people, there are so many that would so desire a peaceful night, true rest at heart.
Peace, where does it come from and how does one get
there?
So the question, if true peace really does exist, which we can say it does, because of what Jesus says here, and when he notes the peacemakers and peace being part of that, then how does one get there, and where does it come from? Well, it’s not found by inhaling any type of illegal substance or injecting it, that’s for sure. That won’t get you peace. [Comment: That was Timothy Leary’s quest, to find a road to the true Nirvana through drugs, specifically LSD. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary.] It’s not found even by taking a legal substance for that matter. Neither is it found in discipline, mental exercises or special breathing techniques, it’s not found by listening to certain types of music, visiting certain places on vacation, it’s not found in certain hobbies, physical exercises, reading various novels, maybe watching a specific TV series, or going to a certain conference, it’s not found in “letting off steam”, verbalizing and confessing all your issues and anxieties and fears to somebody, or just ignoring everything, hanging loose. That’s not where peace is found either. Nope, peace isn’t found there. In fact, as you guys know, most of you, but we want to make sure you understand it, peace is found in one place. It’s the only place you can find peace. Now Jesus again indicates, peace can be had between men, as he says “peacemakers”, and peace can be experienced within.
Peace between man and God
But there is a third area too that we could note, there’s those two areas, but there’s a third area, and the dictionary doesn’t mention it, there’s a third area where I can experience peace. And this area is the most important because it’s then where I am able to experience peace in the other areas. It starts in this one arena of experiencing peace. And as many of you are already giving the answer, and that is peace with God, peace with God. And then the question, do you have peace with God? Do you have peace with God? Once a person has peace with God, they then can experience the ‘peace of God’, peace within. And then with that peace infused into my life, I’m then able to diffuse it, I then can become a peace-maker, as what Jesus says here, “Blessed are the peace-makers.” So, the peace with God I experience now, peace within me, now I can become a peacemaker. I can help others experience this very same peace, I can diffuse it out. True peace starts with God, and absolutely, positively there is no peace apart from God for any man, any woman, there’s no peace. There may be people who’ve you’ve heard of, maybe there’s people listening right now that say you can find peace in other places, you can find it in other ways. They’re like the people that God spoke about who confused the Israelites with this sort of foolishness. Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 11, there were people telling Israel “peace, peace”, but then God notes, “where there was no peace.” And that’s the peace the people of Israel unfortunately, as you read there in Jeremiah, as they listened to these people, took their counsel, later on they ended up in a certain state, and they would speak of their own state, they would say “We looked for peace, but no good came, and for a time of help, but there was instead trouble.” People saying ‘Peace, peace’, and they listened, but didn’t listen to God, later going ‘Oh, we looked for it, but we didn’t find it.’ And then, God came and he rebuked them and spoke of their latter condition, he said this, Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 22, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?” ‘You know, you’ve ignored me, you’ve looked for it, but you know, it doesn’t look like any good experience for you, any healing. I mean, where’s the doctors to help you out? You’re in a bad state.’ Has that been your experience maybe? Looking for peace and following suggestions of other groups and people and in the end discovering that it’s just empty really, empty promises. Still in need of the healing balm that God refers to there, and just some genuine spiritual recovery in life and health?
True peace apart from God is impossible
It is only the pride of man that deceives man into thinking that he can find peace apart from God. That’s why it’s so important for you and I to read the Bible, because the Bible just repeatedly shows us, peace apart from God is not possible. I mean, how can a finite man say that he can achieve peace apart from an infinite God, his very Creator? How can man say that or even think that? We do. But how can we? I mean, consider peace apart from God, when God can say things like this to a man, now these are verses I was just reading in the Bible as I was preparing for this sermon, I mean, you can go to any chapter and look at who God is and say, ‘Wait a minute, how can I have peace apart from him?’ when he can say things like this to a group of people, “For behold, I will send serpents among you, vipers which cannot be charmed, and they will bite you.” (Jeremiah 8:17) Now if he can say that to anybody, it would seem that I ought to, I mean, if he could say that to me I ought to be seeking to make peace with God. But you know, when he’s speaking there, he’s not even speaking of physical snakes in that particular case in Jeremiah, he’s speaking about bringing tribulation to this group of people. So he can say “I’m going to bring tribulation into your life that you can’t even shake or do anything about it.” Now if he can say that to a group of people, how can I say I can have peace and think I can have peace apart from God? He can say this too, he says this in Jeremiah chapter 9, “Behold I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink” (Jeremiah 9:15). Now if he can say that, if he can say it and mean it and do it, then there’s no peace apart from him. [Comment: Now for those of you who are not really believers in God, and per chance are reading this for some reason you can’t even explain (say, curiosity about what these weird Christians say and do maybe?). God through Jeremiah in these chapters 8-10 was prophecying that the Babylonians would come and conquer Judah and Jerusalem. It is a well-established historic fact that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon did just exactly that, and deported the vast majority of all Jewish people from Judah and Jerusalem and took them all to Babylon. So is God real? Is the Bible, his written Word true? Fulfilled prophecy proves it. You say, ‘Well how do we know Jeremiah didn’t write this after the fact? He lived through the Captivity of the Jewish people by Nebuchadnezzar.’ Log onto these three links, which contain ample proof that the Bible is the true written Word of God. The following links are prophecies given hundreds, thousands of years in advance of their historic fulfillment. Log on and read through them if you dare. http://www.unityinchrist.com/Daniel/daniel.htm , http://www.unityinchrist.com/Daniel/daniel1.htm, and http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophecies/1stcoming.htm] If he can give people bitterness to drink, of course you could look at so many Scriptures, but then you think of the writer of Hebrews that says this, “And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” So he sees my life, every single life, and we all must give an account. And it says right there, that true peace is found in God, and you can’t experience it apart from God, absolutely positively. So the Bible then speaks to those that are apart from God, and says this, “There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked.” There is no peace for those apart from the Lord. There is none.
How does a person achieve peace with God?
So then, how does one find peace? How does one find peace with God? As we have noted, not to be repetitive, but it’s found right here in these very verses. We’ve noted each week, how does one find peace with God?---verse 3, it starts right there, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, that’s that realization again that comes upon somebody when they see God for who he really is, and see themselves for who they really are, and say, ‘Man, I’m not at peace with God, I’m not in a good state, I’m a sinner, I recognize before a Holy God I’m a sinner, and I really need a Saviour, I need to be delivered. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’, I need forgiveness of my sin. Then that realization of being poor in spirit brings the mourning, the ‘I want to change, this is not good, look at my nature.’ And then a resultant meekness, a broken and contrite spirit follows, verse 5, which then leads to, you know, the arrogance is now gone, then this leads to a hungering and thirsting for righteousness, for change, for deliverance (from our sinful natures), for salvation, to be pulled out of the predicament. And as we’ve noted each week, God then says right there, Jesus says, “They shall be filled, they shall be filled” and that’s filled with the very righteousness of heaven. So what is here is a picture of somebody coming to Christ [or somebody who is a believer coming even closer to Christ, going through a revival of sorts, that applies also.]. That’s how we come to the Lord. I don’t come in any other way, I first come that way. I have to come that way. And it’s just that picture of coming to him, and the Bible says about Jesus, God’s Son, Ephesians chapter 2, verse 14, “For he himself is our peace.” Then Paul tells the Colossians, Colossians chapter 1, verse 20, “For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross.” So he’s our peace, and he’s died on the cross, and he’s made peace, for God and for man. So, I have found peace with the Lord that way, putting my faith in him, receiving him as my Saviour, and I’ve found peace with God as a result. That’s what the Bible declares. That’s how it’s found. I have found forgiveness of sin, and there’s no other place to find forgiveness of sin. I’ve found salvation and eternal life. I’m now on a right standing with God, and that is the only way to have peace with God. So today, very simply, do you have peace with God? Do you have peace with God? If not, then today place your faith in Jesus Christ. There is no peace apart from God, and that’s the only place it’s found is in him. Peace, with God, peace with God, the Bible says our natural state is not to have that peace. [Why? Simply because we live in a world whose unseen ruler is Satan. The written history of man over the past six thousand years is a history of countless wars and rumors of wars, with very little peace. Without God, living in this present evil world, is there peace to be found? No way man. Under God’s protective wing, being one of his, yes, then you can have peace. Also,] We’re at enmity with God, I’m a sinner, he’s Holy. I’m under the judgment of God, the wages of sin is death. “But God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Well I receive the righteousness of God, verse 6, the result of that then, as we’ve noted before, leads to the next three, ‘Blessed are the merciful’, I now have this righteousness, I have this heavenly work of God in me, the Spirit of God now in me. Now there’s this heart, I’ve now become merciful, have this compassion, this pity is there, the heart of God. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart’, I now have that, I have this purity, this work of the Spirit, this cleansing of my heart and mind, and I see things differently. And then ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’, I have the peace of God in me, and now I have a whole new outlook on life, I see men differently, I see the world differently, I see things in a whole new way. So now, with this peace in my heart, I now through the Spirit have peace and want others to experience peace. Of course, Galatians chapter 5, verse 22, the Spirit of God when he comes into my life, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, peace. So having peace with God leads to the peace of God in my life.
You cannot be a peacemaker without being at peace
with God first
You cannot fulfill verse 9, and this is important to note, you cannot fulfill it without having peace with God first, you cannot fulfill it. I cannot be a peacemaker apart from having the peace of God myself. You know, somebody can go and resolve hostility between two groups of people, and bring a sense of peace, and certainly that is a worthy deed. But it’s not fulfilling this verse. I mean, he says blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. And just because you’re out there being nice to people that doesn’t make you a son of God. You can be a diplomat and go and actually take two warring nations and have them make a peace-treaty, and yet not fulfill what is here, although that’s a notable act. But you haven’t fulfilled what he says here. There’s much more that’s here, it’s much deeper. You go, you know, as a US ambassador, and you solve the issue in the Middle East, that doesn’t make you a son of God. That’s not it. It’s different. When somebody has the peace of God, because of how it’s so transforming, this work of the Spirit, I’m a new creation, now when there’s hostility and strife, I look at it in such a way that, you know, my motives are even different the way I look at it. And what I desire for people is so much deeper and so much higher. So when I seek to bring peace to people and peace between people, I come from a certain place, I come with a certain attitude, I desire it in a certain context. I become a peacemaker, it’s this work in me that, you know, it does happen at times, my wife and I will have a little disagreement. We’ve been married for 13 years, and there’s been a few times along the way where it’s been a little hotter than other times, and there’s been those couple times or so or whatever where the day’s now ending, it’s quiet in the house, but it’s not peaceful in the house [chuckles]. Temptation to sit on the couch and stay there all night, she’s off in another room. But then, there’s this peace of God in me, there’s this work of the Spirit, that says I can’t let the day end this way, so I get up off the couch, and I humble myself, doesn’t matter whose right or wrong, and I talk to my wife---or vice versa---she’ll come to me. Blessed are the peacemakers. I come at it from a different place. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit in me. It’s what puts me in my car and causes me to drive over to my relatives house, somebody I haven’t talked to in ten years, and last time we talked there were some real hostile words and bitterness, and man they said some stuff that was really hurtful to me, but now I’m in my car and driving over there, because the peace of God is in me, and I want peace with my relative. Doesn’t matter what they said anymore, doesn’t matter how bitter they’ve been towards me, doesn’t matter. I’m a peacemaker because I have the peace of God. I want peace. It’s just this work in my heart. It’s what moves me to write that letter to my parent who was hardly ever kind to me, and hardly ever there for me, never said a nice word, seemed to care less about my state growing up, which wasn’t very easy. Haven’t talked in a long time, and now I’ve come to Christ, and now there’s this work in my heart, and suddenly I’m down there at the desk writing a letter saying ‘You know, I just want you to know I love you, and I forgive you…’ and I just start to share my heart, it’s the peace of God, blessed are the peacemakers. [Comment: A really interesting example of both individual and group peacemaking has shown up between Messianic Jewish believers in Jesus and their Arab Christian counterparts within the nation of Israel, where both Israeli and Arab believers embrace each other as brothers in Christ, and are at genuine peace with one another, and actually help each other out. This must be a common occurrence that positively freaks out their non-believing Israeli and Arab neighbors. But both Messianic Jewish and Arab Christians living in Israel are walking, talking ambassadors of peace toward each other, an example of true Middle Eastern peace as it should be and will be after Yeshua, Jesus returns. They are the true peacemakers in the Middle East, and showing the way, pointing the way to the coming peace in the region.] [Also read this link about how genuine peace and forgiveness is taking place in Rwanda as a direct work of the Holy Spirit. log onto Christianity Today’s article “Reconcilable Differences: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/26.28.html.]
Burden on my heart for those who don’t know
Jesus---a higher level of peacemaker
And it’s what especially begins to take place in me, this burden on my heart, now for others that don’t know Jesus, especially that’s there. I have peace with God now, and I so much want others to also have peace with God. Keeps me up at night sometimes. It actually has changed my life, so now I find myself on my knees praying for people and in some instances even praying for people who’ve never known me and I don’t even know, but just heard about. Or I look at a map on my wall, and I’m praying for a country of people, and I’m longing for them to have peace with God. It’s because I have the peace of God in my life, and this work of the Spirit, and now I’ve become this peacemaker. And you know, one of the greatest ways, as so often noted, to be a peacemaker, is indeed leading others to peace with God. That is the greatest way that I become a peacemaker is to lead others to peace with God, to make peace with God. You know, I think of the recent issue of the Calvary Chapel magazine, and I could just quote so many examples, and you could get up here and quote so many, but I was just looking at this as I was studying. The Calvary Chapel magazine was sitting there and you know, you open it right up. Peacemakers, you read a magazine of peacemakers, Christians, born-again believers, filled with the peace of God. There at the beginning of the latest magazine…ministry called “Love Out Loud” by Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, Love Out Loud, picture after picture, they’ve in some instances, some of these people, they have very little money and very little time, yet they’ve loaded into busses and they’ve gone to different areas of Florida, where hurricanes have come, destroyed homes and people are suffering, and so here comes these Christians, and they have the peace of God in their hearts, and they just can’t help but give hugs, and just love kids, and praying with people, and they’re bringing relief supplies, and bringing lots of Bibles, and of course sharing the Gospel for the hurting, and they’re there, they just want to be there, taking off time, using up their vacation schedule. In fact, the minister of evangelism for Love Out Loud, he says their motive is actually 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, verse 20, and this says it really well. If you haven’t noted this verse with Matthew chapter 5 verse 9, this says it really well. Paul says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” Man that just says the spirit of what is here. Paul says I am an ambassador for Christ, and its as if God himself was pleading through me, and here I am imploring you, imploring you, crying out to you to be reconciled to God, and make peace with God. So blessed are those, blessed are the peacemakers. Also, you just go a little further in the Calvary Chapel magazine and there’s this article Comforters From Zion. Of course when I saw it on the news, and many of you saw it, read about it, it was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen. Situation there in Russia, in the Beslan School Massacre, I’m sure all of us know about it. [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_hostage_crisis and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamil_Basayev.] I don’t think few more horrific things have happened, I think there in Russia, all these six hundred, seven hundred people in a school, opening day, hundreds of kids, and in go these Chechnyan terrorists, and they were acting like they might negotiate, but it was very clear that there was no negotiation that they were looking for, but eventually they blew up the building, and the lives, hundreds of kids die [186], and others traumatized. So here’s a Christian man, he’s in Jerusalem, some of you have met him before on some of our trips to Israel, Pastor Bradley. He’s sitting there watching this, and he says, ‘I was just so moved…[tape switch over, some text lost]…nothing prepared them for what they saw. But yet they’re hurting, and they’re struggling, and yet he [Pastor Bradley] has the peace of God, so they began to love people, and pray with people, and give the answer, Jesus Christ. That’s what a peacemaker is. They wanted people in that horrific, horrific trial to know the peace of God. In fact, they met a pastor’s wife. This is what they wanted them to know. In the article they note this pastor’s wife, Russian pastor’s wife whose name was Rya. Her and her husband, five of their kids were hostages in that building, four of them died in it. One made it out, one daughter, whose now traumatized in the hospital, and doesn’t speak. But they know Jesus, so this lady Rya actually would say this in the midst of the smell of death, “I rejoice, knowing that my children are with Jesus.” So Pastor Bradley’s there, because he knows the peace of God, he’s a peacemaker, and they need to know peace, this is horrible, but there’s hope and there’s peace, there’s life in Jesus Christ. That’s what Jesus is saying, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, this new breed of people that come in the church, this new man.’ A true peacemaker is somebody who leads others to Christ, he’s an evangelist, we’re evangelists, we’re called to be evangelists. We go out and we find people that are at war with God, at war with one another, and we say ‘here’s the deal, let me tell you about Jesus.’ Peacemakers bring unity between God and between man, and they also are used to bring unity between men and men. It’s amazing what happens when people receive Christ, you know, as I’ve noted. I mean, there’s this hostility in a family, but suddenly with Jesus it ends. Hostility, warring issues in a community, and God sends his peacemakers, and people get saved, and now things start to change in the community, and the crime rate goes down, and gangs are starting to change, and that’s this incredible work. [Comment: I have not been able to verify this story, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true or partly true. In a British prison in Northern Ireland one and then a few notorious IRA terrorists were led to the Lord and accepted Christ. Then more did the same. It lead to the peace, or partly so, that has spread over Northern Ireland, and at least to the current period of time they’re enjoying without hostilities between the I.R.A. and the Protestants and English troops. If this is even partly true, it is one of the most amazing cases of people, IRA gunmen, terrorists, coming to Christ, and then becoming peacemakers. Now of course, not all IRA participants have become peacemakers like this. They’re out of work, so many of them have hired themselves out as merc’s in the world’s hotspots. I personally would like to receive more verification for this story, so if anyone can provide more verification for me, send me a note on the Guestbook. Also if you haven’t accessed that link about the ministry of reconciliation going on in Rwanda, log onto http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/26.28.html.] A peacemaker is somebody whose just reflecting the peace of God to a world without peace. So, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” I like the Weymouth’s New Testament rendering of this, “For it is they who will be recognized as sons of God.” So when it says “They shall be called sons of God”, you may read that and go “Well God’s going to call them sons of God”, but it’s possible too the world is going to go “they’re a child of God.” Meaning this, that when I’m a peacemaker and you’re a peacemaker, that is the greatest way, I’m at the greatest place and experience, more than any of the other beatitudes, that when people can really see Jesus in me. When you’re standing across the room and there’s been hostility, but now with Christ, you have a different attitude and you’re saying loving things and you’re saying gentle things, and you’re seeking to make peace. You know, you write those letters, whatever, and there’s people going ‘There’s something very different about them. There’s this God-thing going on in their life, and I don’t even know God. But there’s something going on that’s not normal, as far as man is concerned.’ So, you can’t be any more like God than when you’re a peacemaker. I mean, if you want to be like the Lord, like Jesus, go out and be a peacemaker, share the Gospel, let the peace of God just work through you and diffuse through you. Let Jesus plead through you, implore others to be reconciled to God. Of course the Bible tells us, Jesus himself is the great peacemaker, he is the Prince of Peace, Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. I mean, before he even showed up there were prophecies, an angel showing up, Luke chapter 1, verse 79, speaking as he was about to come, “That he would give light to those who sit in darkness in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.” And so, you come to the New Testament and there’s not a book except for one, all of them have something about peace. Only 1st John doesn’t say it directly, but it certainly has the message of it. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Do you know peace? Do you have peace with God? You can have peace with God this morning. And if you know peace, of course we could do a lot more studies on it as Christians, Philippians chapter 4. Right? I’m a Christian, I now have the peace of God. But yet there are times when God gives extra measures of peace, you know, Philippians 4, ‘don’t be anxious, don’t worry, pray and be thankful, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will come upon you.’ There’s a story about Abraham Lincoln, at a real critical time, in the battle of Gettysburg, at that particular time, hard things going on, and there were people that noted that he was very peaceful. You know, “How can he be so peaceful in the midst of such a traumatic time in our nation?” This one particular day he was asked, and he says “I just spent a lot of time praying this morning with my God, and I just have this work of God in my heart.” So that peace that passes understanding, even part of the Christian experience.
Peace of God (or lack thereof) can guide us in our
decisions---how the Holy Spirit leads
And then we’re told in Colossians chapter 3, “Let the peace of God rule in your heart”, there’s measures of peace that God even gives me to lead me in my decisions. And when I don’t have peace, it can just be the Holy Spirit telling me that something is not right, a decision I’m going to make, a situation I’m in, a lifestyle I’m living in, or something that’s come my way. “Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” Let it umpire, to tell you you’re in, or your out, you’re on track of off track. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God”, it goes with the Christian experience. And I pray, as a church, you and I are peacemakers, people filled with peace, walking in peace, and leading others in peace…you know these guys are out blessing the people, going out, making peace, leading people in peace. You’d think that, you know, ‘Hey, here comes the peacemakers, great they’re coming to our town, ah, such gentle peaceful people. But the very next words of Jesus are, “Blessed are you when people persecute you, blessed are you when they revile you, blessed are you when they say all kinds of evil about you.” Blessed are the peacemakers, that’s what I am, but then Jesus says in Matthew 10, verse 22, “And you will be hated by all men.” Peacemaker, filled with the peace of God, leading others to peace, yet the response of darkness, the response of those that are apart from God is ‘Ugh, you bug me, man, don’t be so nice, you know, I like this hostility, don’t try to make it any better, I don’t want to hear that Jesus stuff.’ Interesting, you go from ‘Peacemakers’ you’d think you’d go into the parades and accolades of the world. No you don’t, you go into ‘The world is really going to be bugged by it.’ And that is the meaning of verses 10-12 of Matthew 5…[transcript of a connective expository sermon covering Matthew 5:9, given somewhere in New England.]
Related links:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/26.28.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_hostage_crisis
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