"Blessed are the Peacemakers"

Well, good morning. It's good to see you all. Will you join me in prayer as we go to God's Word?

O Lord, this morning we come to your Word.

Lord, I pray this morning that we would tremble before it.

Lord, your thoughts are not our thoughts and your ways are not our ways.

Lord, how much we need to learn from you.

O Lord, have mercy on us this morning.

As we look into your Word, God, give us humble hearts.

Lord, help us to submit to your Word.

And by your Spirit, will you search our hearts to help us see if there be any wicked way in us.

Lord, I pray that for me this morning.

And Lord, I pray that the truth of your Word, by the power of your Spirit,

would move us to know you more and to be like you.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

He's a chip off the old block, so the saying goes.

Meaning, he's kind of like where he came from.

Literally, this phrase comes from back in the 1600s,

the idea that a chip off of a block of wood or stone would be made of the same substance

and have the same character.

And it is often used to describe a family resemblance.

I have been told that my family has a strong family resemblance.

You can see it in baby photos.

If you look at my grandfather's baby photo and my brother's baby photo

and my nephew's baby photos,

they have remarkable similarities to them.

My mom used to say that when we would call her on the phone,

she would pick up the phone and we would say,

Hi, Mom.

And this was before cell phones and caller ID.

So she would often have to say,

Hello, it's good to hear from you.

Now, which one are you?

Because she didn't know.

Because we sound alike.

And rumor has it that though my brothers and I

don't physically resemble each other that much,

when the four of us together,

everyone says,

Oh, yeah, they're brothers.

They sure are.

The Bible has a similar language

to describe this family resemblance,

and it's the language of the son of.

So in Matthew 8, verse 12,

Matthew 8:12

Jesus talks about sons of the kingdom,

those who resemble the kingdom.

In Matthew 9, 15,

the ESV will use the words wedding guests

to describe the sons of the wedding hall,

which is a very interesting phrase.

In Matthew 13, Jesus will talk about and contrast the sons of the kingdom

and the sons of the evil one.

And later in Matthew 23,

he will say,

The sons of those who killed the prophets.

Now, let's just be clear.

This is not a gendered term in the way it's being used.

This is a resemblance term.

This is sonship in the first century would be the characteristic family resemblance relationship.

We can broaden it to just say children,

but I want you to understand how the Bible communicates this idea of family resemblance.

And it raises a question for us today.

As the church of Jesus,

whose son do we look like?

Do we look like the son of Jesus?

Or are we the chip off another block?

Certainly in our world today,

the public perception of the church

is that we tend to be self-righteous,

smug,

judgmental,

and maybe even more recently,

angry,

scary,

violent,

and intolerant.

Is this the Jesus that we see in the Bible?

And is this the kingdom that he proclaims?

This is what brings us to our passage this morning.

We're in the Beatitudes.

That is Matthew 5,

the first teaching section in the Gospel of Matthew,

where Jesus is explaining and expounding on what he came to do,

and particularly in this section,

what kind of kingdom he has come to bring.

And it's in contrast,

in many ways,

as we have seen over this series,

contrast to what the expectations of the day were.

And it's talking about present,

inbreaking of the kingdom,

and the future fullness of the kingdom

that he will bring

as the one who is bringing the kingdom of God.

So, this is our passage.

We're going to read Matthew 5,

Matthew 5:1–11

verses 1 through 11.

And I didn't get the page number.

740?

759?

759.

There we go.

Thank you for your help.

759 is where it is

if you want to use the Pew Bible.

Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

I'm going to read this whole section.

We're going to be focusing on verse 9 today.

So, Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

starting in verse 1.

Seeing the crowds,

he went up on the mountain,

and when he sat down,

his disciples came to him.

And he, that is Jesus,

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 satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive 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 all others revile you

and persecute you

and utter all kinds of evil

against you falsely on my account.

This is God's word.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called

the sons of God.

To live in God's kingdom

is to be one who makes peace

like our Father in heaven.

So we're going to look at this

in three steps this morning.

First, we're going to look at

the context of peacemaking.

Secondly, we're going to look

at the meaning of peacemaking.

And finally, we're going to look

at the power of God's peacemaking.

So if you're taking notes,

there's our outline for this morning.

First, the context of peacemaking.

If you remember in the first century,

Israel was an occupied territory

by an oppressive Roman empire.

Now, the Romans wouldn't have

thought of that.

The Romans thought they were

bringing them in to bless them

and to help them be a part

of a great civilization.

But Israel probably didn't see it

that way, did they?

And particularly, there were those,

the zealots in the first century,

who were fomenting and working

towards active military rebellion.

And beyond all of this,

there seemed to be this assumption

that when God's Messiah would come,

he would bring a military conquest

to overthrow Roman rule

and to establish the kingdom of heaven.

And so there was,

at least in certain circles at least,

an expectation that the kingdom of heaven

would come with war

and with violence.

Friends, it's not that hard

to see that this is true today as well.

Certainly, we see in the world

there is much war and violence,

whether it be in Gaza

or in Ukraine

or in Myanmar

or South Sudan

or other places.

We live in a world

that has much war and violence.

Certainly, we see it in our politics.

For heaven's sakes,

a couple of weeks ago,

we had an attempted assassination

of one of the presidential candidates.

We see it in our society.

If you go to YouTube

and type in road rage incidents,

you will be there

for the rest of your life

watching YouTube videos

about road rage

and the way that it's happening

being filmed by dash cams.

We see it in our homes

as we see domestic violence increase.

And we see it even in our own hearts.

James chapter 4 verse 1

James 4:1

has a very insightful statement.

It says,

what causes quarrels

and what causes fights among you?

Is it not this,

that your passions

are at war within you?

You desire and do not have,

so you murder.

You covet and cannot obtain,

so you fight and quarrel.

You do not have

because you do not ask

and you do not…

you ask and do not receive

because you ask wrongly

to spend it on your passions.

Friends, peacemaking

is such a need

because our hearts

are so sinful.

We are driven by ego,

selfishness, envy.

We have a desire for power,

possessions, prestige.

We want to win.

We want to get revenge.

We want to punish.

Sometimes we experience conflict

because others come at us

with these attitudes.

Other times we initiate this

with others.

And in the midst of it,

the question is,

do we even…

even when we are

the recipients of this

and not the initiators,

do we respond

with a spirit of peacemaking?

These are the questions

that rise up in our mind

about what's the context

of peacemaking?

Is it out there in the world?

Is it here?

Is it in our hearts?

Is it in our relationships?

And I think the answer

is probably all of the above.

Interestingly,

when you look through

the New Testament,

the concept of peace

with regard to human relationships

is most often applied

to relationships

within the church

and with not easy subjects either.

Think about how much conflict

we have in our own churches

about these topics

that the Bible addresses.

So in Ephesians 2,

it talks about God

bringing peace

between ethnic divisions.

In Romans 14,

it talks about bringing peace

into situations

where people disagree theologically

and in practice

about how to deal with food

offered to idols.

In 1 Corinthians 14,

it's how to bring peace

into situations

where spiritual gifts

are getting out of control

and people want it

to be this way

or that way

and to lift themselves up

and put others down.

In 1 Thessalonians 5,

peace comes from

honoring leadership,

those who are raised up

to be servants among you.

So we need to recognize

that church,

if we are going to think

about being peacemakers,

we need to start at home

in our own church.

And I'm thankful.

I'm thankful for this church.

We have certainly had seasons

of conflict and difficulty.

But I'm thankful

for God's sustaining grace.

And I pray that God

will continue to help us

with this.

There are some other passages

that talk about peacemaking,

not just within the church,

but more broadly

as Christians in the world.

So Romans 12

is maybe the clearest one

that we see

where Paul encourages

the church there,

repay no one for evil,

for evil,

but give thought

to do what is honorable

in the sight of all.

If possible,

so far as it depends on you,

live peaceably with all.

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.

And 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.

Do not overcome by evil,

but overcome evil with good.

So friends,

in the broader world,

this is our call.

This is our call

to entrust ultimate justification

to God,

ultimate vindication to God,

and to do good

and to seek peace with all

as much as we are able.

So this is the need

and this is the call

for peacemaking.

But,

you may be asking,

what is it?

What does it look like

to be a peacemaker?

Well,

it's easy to understand,

so I want to clarify

a few things.

One,

being a peacemaker

isn't seeking for inner peace

in your own heart.

Though it is true

that knowing God

brings peace in the world,

this is not about

your soul care

and inner self.

Peacemaking is about

relationships,

first and foremost,

vertically with God

and then secondarily,

horizontally with others.

In those contexts,

then,

secondly,

it is not the absence

of all conflict.

I'm just going to make

a few statements

without defending them all

because we'd be here

all morning

if I tried to,

but I don't believe

that this beatitude

calls us to pacifism,

where we would never,

ever be involved

in international war,

serving in the military,

or that sort of thing.

I don't believe

that Christians

are excluded

from those things.

Though some may have

that conviction

and I want to honor them

and give them

the freedom of conscience

in that,

I don't believe

it is the call

for all believers

in that.

Secondly,

we need to recognize

that the Bible

talks about conflict

in the fact

that we will always

have a spiritual conflict

because in Ephesians 6,

there is a conflict

in the spiritual realms

between the enemy

of our souls

and those who serve him

and us.

And so there is

spiritual warfare

that is ongoing

and we will always

be involved in it

until the end of the days.

And if you want

to know more about that,

go back and listen

to last year's sermons

on Revelation

and you'll get to see

that in full force

and we'll see all that.

But thirdly,

I want you to remember this.

These words

that Jesus spoke

in Matthew 10,

do not think

that I have come

to bring peace

to the earth.

I have not come

to bring peace

but a sword.

I have come

to set a man

against his father

and a daughter

against her mother

and a daughter-in-law

against her mother-in-law

and a person's enemies

will be those

of his own household.

Whoever loves

father and mother

more than me

is not worthy of me

and whoever loves

son or daughter

more than me

is not worthy of me

and whoever does not

take up his cross

and follow me

is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life

will lose it

and whoever loses his life

for my sake

will find it.

Now,

what Jesus is really

teaching here

has to do

with the wholehearted,

singular worship

of God

above all others.

and he is addressing

what is a very human pattern

where we love

our family

more than we would love God

and we would seek

to love God

only in as much

as it wouldn't provide

conflict

of loyalties

and God

and Jesus says

that's not what it means

to follow me.

I am either Lord of all

or I'm not Lord at all.

Right?

So that's what Jesus

is saying here

but recognize

that he's acknowledging

the coming of the gospel,

the conflict

of these values

when God says

you must worship me alone,

when we live in a world

that says worship

all these other things,

there's going to be conflicts

because of those things.

So we need to recognize

that this will be true

in our world.

And yet in the midst of that,

Jesus says

blessed are the peacemakers.

So knowing that

these conflicts

will happen inevitably

if we are faithfully

following the Lord,

how do we then live

as peacemakers

in the middle

of those contexts?

And again,

there is so much

we could say

on public discourse

and I'm going to say

very little about it.

I'm going to focus more

on relationships

and interpersonal conflict

just so you know.

So what does it look like

if it's not those things?

Well, passively,

peacemaking is not being quarrelsome

or easily provoked.

Proverbs 19.11 says,

good sense makes one slow to anger

and it is his glory

to overlook offense.

Colossians 3.12 and 13 say,

put on then as God's chosen one,

holy and beloved,

compassionate hearts,

kindness, humility,

meekness, and patience,

bearing with one another

and if one has a complaint

against another,

forgiving one another.

As the Lord has forgiven you,

so you must also forgive.

Have you ever met someone

who always seems to be

spoiling for a fight?

They're always looking

for the thing to disagree about.

They're always looking

for the ideal

that's being fallen short of

so that we can be critical

of others.

They're often sensitive,

easily offended,

and quick to anger.

Often they're insecure

and they're attacking

as a way of building someone up.

The peacemaker is the opposite

of these things.

They will look for common ground

even in the midst of conflict.

They will extend grace

and overlook offense

where possible.

They're grounded

and able to endure slights

because they know

their identities in Christ.

So this is the passivity

of not being quarrelsome

or easily provoked.

It doesn't mean

that they won't ever

stand up for right.

It doesn't ever mean

that they would address

wrongdoing or conflict,

but still doing those things

with a peaceable heart

and a peacemaking heart.

Remember that this beatitude

is not in isolation,

that this beatitude

is one of many,

that we are to be those

who hunger and thirst

for righteousness

and do so with meekness

and with mourning

and with a purity of heart

and with…

Which one did I forget?

That's all I can remember.

So off the top of my head.

That it's all of these

characteristics together

that characterize

the kingdom of God.

So actively,

what does it look like

to seek reconciliation,

particularly in

interpersonal conflict?

These are passages

you've probably heard.

Matthew 5, verse 23,

Matthew 5:23

Jesus says,

So if you are offering

your gift at the altar,

but remember that

your brother has something

against you,

leave your gift there

before the altar

and go.

First be reconciled

to your brother,

and then come

and offer up your gift.

And then Matthew 18, 15,

says,

If your brother sins against you,

go and tell him his fault

between you and him alone,

and if he listens to you,

you have gained a brother.

So in both of these,

whether you know someone

has something against you

or whether you have

something against someone,

the Bible calls us

as peacemakers

to address these situations.

What does it look like?

Well, friends,

we could do seminars on this.

I'm going to point you

to a book

and a website,

Peacemakers by Ken Sandy.

This is a great

biblically informed book

to help think through

how do we address conflict.

They have a website

that's Relational Wisdom 360

that's connected

to the peacemakers

that you can find easily

through a Google search

that has lots of practical wisdom

and advice

about how to go about

addressing personal conflict

in a helpful way.

I'm going to give you

four quick to-dos,

so to speak,

on what it looks like

to be a peacemaker.

And these come pretty much

straight from the website

and from the book.

So the four G's

of reconciliation,

the first one

is to glorify God.

As Christian,

when we seek reconciliation,

our first view

is to God Himself,

not to the other person.

And what that means is

we go looking at Him

and seeking to please Him.

Peacemaking is not seeking

to please other people

just to please other people.

And some of us like that

and we want to be people pleasers,

and so that's what

we're tempted to do.

Some of us don't care

about it at all

and we want to be

more antagonistic

towards others.

And both of these attitudes

disappear before

the throne of God.

And we go and we pray

that God would be at work

in our hearts

and in the hearts of the other

and that He would help us.

It allows us,

as we seek God,

to trust Him,

to feel like we don't need

to win because we can believe

that He will make it clear.

We will let His love

and grace fill us

as we go to the other person.

The second step,

the second G,

the first one is glorify God.

The second one is

get the log out of your own eye.

You guys know Jesus said this

in He said,

before you go to a brother

and try and take a speck

out of his eye,

you have to get the log

out of your own eye.

We need to ask ourselves

the question,

have we been critical?

Have we had a negative

or overly sensitive attitude

towards the other

that has caused

unnecessary conflict?

Have we actually sinned

against the other person

in word or in action?

And friends, listen,

we often don't see it.

We have blind spots.

That's a part of our sin nature

is we like to justify ourselves

and so it's hard to see

when we sin.

But hopefully,

we are connected

with other brothers and sisters

that we can ask for their input

and say,

this is what I've done.

What do you see?

What do you think I've done?

Ask for help

so that you can get this log

out of your own eye

so you can take

an objective look at yourself

and face up

to your contribution

to a conflict.

The third G

is to gently restore

the brother.

Galatians 6.1

says,

Brothers,

if anyone is caught

in transgression,

any transgression,

you who are spiritual

should restore him

in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself

lest you too be tempted.

How often does conflict

come about

because our desire

is to judge

rather than to restore?

And again,

it's not that we don't

have discernment,

but when we see

with eyes of discernment

sin that needs to be addressed,

our heart in going in it

is to bring restoration,

to bring reconciliation,

and to look at your own heart

to make sure

you aren't doing this

for yourself

but for the good

of the other person.

We're not just

confronting people

to give them a list

of their wrongs.

we're bringing

something to them

so that there might

be a restoration

of relationship

and of fellowship.

Our attitude

should be one

of gentleness

rather than anger

and our purpose

should be restoration

rather than condemnation.

And then the fourth one

is go

and be reconciled.

One of the most

unique features

of biblical peacemaking

is the pursuit

of genuine forgiveness

and reconciliation,

writes Sandy.

It means taking

the initiative.

It means starting

the conversation.

It means broaching

the awkwardness.

Go and be reconciled.

Now,

it's important to say

not all relationships

can be reconciled.

There are times

when in a fallen world

we can work

really hard

to do it

and still not come

to a good place.

Paul and Barnabas

came to a place

like this

in Acts,

I don't remember,

13,

about John Mark

and whether they were

going to take him

with him or not.

Friends,

this should be

an opportunity

for us to grieve

the fallenness

and to recognize

that we never

give up

on hoping for

and longing

for reconciliation

and for longing

for peace.

We always want

that to happen

but there are times

when the Romans 12

passage that we read

earlier comes to mind.

As much as you are able

or as much as you,

as have you done

everything you can do

to bring peace,

do this.

So this is a basic

outline.

I want to take it

one step further

in peacemaking

because

further on

in the Beatitudes

Jesus says this.

He says,

you have heard it said

you shall love your neighbor

and hate your enemy

but I tell you

love your enemies

and pray for those

who persecute you

so that you may be

sons of your father

who is in heaven

for he makes his son

rise on the evil

and on the good

and sends rain

on the just

and on the unjust.

Friends,

peacemaking extends

even to our enemies

and we don't always

make enemies

our friends.

We can't always

change their perspective

or their motives

or their actions

but we must have

the peace,

the heart of a peacemaker

even as we address

those who hate us

and revile us.

We'll see this next week

in the last Beatitude

about those who hate

and persecute

and revile Christians

because they follow Jesus.

Even in that

we are called

to be peacemakers.

And I hope you see

through this

simple

and it's not

it is simple

it's a simple

outline for a very

complex situation

emotionally

and relationally

but it's a start

for us

to think about

am I a peacemaker

following these things?

And I hope you see

clearly that

peacemaking

is not

for weak people.

Peacemaking

is really hard.

It is costly

and it requires

a strength.

it requires

self-examination.

It requires

courageous initiative.

It means

seeking to understand

before being understood.

It will cost us

thought

and time

and the energy

of our heart

and it will cause us

call us to humility

to die to self

and to put

others first.

It is a high calling.

And friends

we don't

always

do it

perfectly.

I certainly

know that I

haven't always

in this church

but by God's

grace

may it be so

more and more.

Many of you

may be thinking

of the prayer

written by

Francis Assisi

long ago.

I know we're

going long

but I do want

to read this

because I think

it will be

helpful for us

that this would

be the prayer

that we would

pray as well.

Lord

make me an

instrument of

your peace

where there is

hatred

let me sow

love

where there is

injury

pardon

where there is

doubt

faith

where there is

despair

hope

where there is

darkness

light

where there is

sadness

joy

oh divine

master grant

that I may

not so much

seek to be

consoled

as to

console

to be

understood

as to

understand

to be

loved

as to

love

for it is

in giving

that we

receive

it is in

pardoning

that we

are pardoned

and it is

in dying

that we

are born

to eternal

life.

Friends

this is the

power then

finally

of God's

peacemaking

work

Francis of Assisi

gets it

this last

verse of his

prayer

prayer

is in

dying

that we

are born

to eternal

life

how do we

know that

because this

is what God

has done

for us

Colossians 1

Colossians 1:19

verse 19

says this

for in him

that is in

Christ

in Christ

all the

fullness of

God was

pleased to

dwell

and through

him to

reconcile

to himself

all things

whether on

earth or in

heaven making

peace by the

blood of

his cross

and you

who were

once alienated

and hostile

in mind

doing evil

deeds

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

if indeed

you continue

in the faith

stable and

steadfast

not shifting

from the

hope of the

gospel that

you heard

which has

been proclaimed

in all

creation

under heaven

and of

which I

Paul became

a minister

God came

to us

in Christ

and Christ

came and

laid down

his life

for us

and shed

his blood

for us

to make

peace

between us

and God

for we

in our sin

are full

of ego

pride

insecurity

greed

and envy

but God

comes to

free us

from these

things

in Jesus

incarnation

we see

God's

initiation

towards us

even when

we were

enemies

in the

shed blood

of Christ

we see

the way

that God

can offer

us the

forgiveness

of sin

by bearing

the penalty

for our

sin

by his

death

we see

his love

for us

and by his

resurrection

we see

the new

life

that he

gives us

the new

heart

and the

new

spirit

where we

who were

once enemies

are now

welcomed as

family

and we

who are

far off

have been

brought

near in

Christ

and in

this new

heart

and new

spirit

in this

new life

we have

we are

able to

be in

increasing

measure

more and

more like

him

making

peace

for the

gospel that

we proclaim

is a

gospel

of peace

peace with

God

first and

foremost

and then

as peacemakers

in this

world

and friends

when we

are like

this

we are

called

chips off

the old

block

sons

of God

the God

who is

the one

who made

peace

blessed are

the peacemakers

for they

shall be

called

sons of

God

let's

pray

Lord

Jesus

we thank

you

for this

word

Lord

it is

searching

if we

are

honest

Lord

we pray

that you

would allow

it to

search

our

hearts

today

Lord

if there

are places

where we

need to

go

and

initiate

reconciliation

Lord

will you

show us

these

things

Lord

if there

are any

here this

morning

who don't

know peace

with you

who haven't

put their

faith in

Christ

I pray

this morning

that they

would know

that Jesus

your blood

is enough

and your

death

is enough

that by

trusting in

you

Lord

they can

have forgiveness

of sin

and eternal

life

and Lord

I pray

that as we

go from

here

in our

homes

and our

workplaces

Lord

will you

make us

peacemakers

that others

might see

a little

bit

of what

kind of

God

you are

we pray

this in

Jesus name

Amen