Matthew 5:9

I do sit down and turn with me to Matthew chapter 5 and verse 9.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

! Matthew chapter 5 and verse 9.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

We're going through the Beatitudes and really trying to look at the Beatitudes as a lens for how we view the Christian life.

And so, it seems to me, over church history, many people took the Beatitudes and kind of learnt them, meditated on them,

dwelt in them in many ways, and it was such a great blessing to the church.

Often today, we just kind of do the Sermon on the Mount in about five sermons, and there's good things about that.

But there's real value, I think, in taking the Beatitudes and chewing on them week by week.

And so, that's where we are.

Matthew 5, verse 9.

Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they should be called sons of God.

Everyone loves peace, don't they?

And here's the first really popular word in the Beatitudes.

All the other ones we've looked at, can you see them?

They've been strange and unpopular.

They've been quite unusual.

And so, we've seen, as we've gone through the Sermon on the Mount, these Beatitudes,

how radical and how disturbing this statement of Jesus is.

And so, there's not many people out there that want to be pure.

There's not many people out there who are just dying to mourn, verse 4.

There's not a crowd of folk in Ealing, desperate to be meek.

It's not very popular.

People don't think that hunger and thirst are good things.

And even the last two are not valued very highly in our city, are they?

Merciful and pure.

But everyone, every person loves peace.

Every single one of them.

It's universally popular.

And a peacemaker, in theory, would be valued very, very highly, wouldn't they, in our culture?

So, there's a prize, isn't there?

An annual prize that's given each year for peace.

The Nobel Peace Prize.

It's a big thing when people win it.

It's in the news.

It's given from the proceeds of a manufacturer of gunpowder, Nobel.

Universities have peace studies.

Peace.

There are peace processes.

There are peace initiatives.

Peace is a good thing.

And yet, we live in a world that's pretty bereft of peace.

Out of the last 4,000 years, there have been about 320 years of peace.

I don't really know how they work that out.

But on a personal level, there's not much peace around our society.

Our society is not notably peaceful.

Family breakup.

Lockdown and domestic abuse.

Well-being.

Stress.

Mental health.

Those things are so popular, aren't they, to talk about?

It's decided as a good thing.

Good mental health, people think is elusive and hard to obtain.

And so, I think it sharpens our interest when we come to verse 9.

What is Jesus talking about?

And so, I want to kind of look at it from three directions.

First of all, who we are.

Who are we as the people of God?

Well, it says, blessed are the peacemakers.

And so, it's really important that the context tells you and I that this doesn't stand on its own.

We see that this Beatitudes comes after other Beatitudes.

And so, what you've got in the Beatitudes is a picture, isn't it, of every believer.

And they're not a set of unrelated qualities.

It's not, well, I'm a decent mourner, and I'm pretty good at purity, or I'm more strong in peacemaking.

No, Jesus is not saying there are eight sorts of people in the church with different sorts of strengths.

There are some merciful, some poor in spirit, some who mourn.

No, he's saying, here is the picture of Christian character.

This is what it is to be a true believer in Jesus.

This is what it is to be in the kingdom.

It's to be true of every single one of us who's a believer.

They are the birthmarks, if you like, of what it means to be born again.

They are the signs of the Holy Spirit working in your life and in my life.

All of us who claim to be Christians should be characterized by all of these things.

And so when Jesus says, blessed are the peacemakers, he's not speaking of some activity out there,

which we may or we may not choose to take on as Christian service.

It's a kind of optional extra.

He's not foremost, he's not kind of primarily talking about what we do.

He's saying this is who we are.

What are we like?

What's our character, our personality?

And so what we've seen, haven't we, that the Christian is somebody who's a changed person.

Somebody who has been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

And so that there is a part of us which works itself out in being a peacemaker.

Because this man or woman or boy or girl has been changed by God so we make peace.

And of course that is one of the weaknesses, isn't it, with human peacemaking.

When you try to have a peace process between two communities, it can be too superficial.

Because mere human peacekeeping never deals with the real issue.

And the real issue is with what people are like inside.

And so you and I can cobble together a peace process.

And while it's made between people who are not peaceable, it'll never be permanent.

And so the world, when it talks about peace, it deals with external factors.

And it never deals with the real problem.

So in James chapter 4, verse 1, if you turn there if you want to, you'll find that there's a really profound analysis.

James 4:1

James says, what causes fights?

What causes quarrels among you?

Think about that.

There's a quarrel in a church.

Or there's an argument in a church.

And there's hostility in a family, maybe.

Or in the workplace.

What causes that?

What is behind that?

Well, you could look, couldn't you, at all sorts of external factors.

And say, it's because of this.

It's because of lack of sleep.

It's because of lockdown.

It's because of the pressure people are under.

But James goes way deeper than that.

He says, don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

You see, the reason that there are conflicts and arguments,

and quarrels,

and fights,

is because of the people we are.

It is the sin within us.

And so most human effort at peacekeeping

is rather like, isn't it,

trying to clean up a river downstream

from where the pollution is coming into the river.

And you and I need to remember that

blessed are the peacemakers

is the seventh beatitude.

It doesn't stress,

it doesn't stand alone.

So,

blessed are the peacemakers

is addressed to people who are,

look at verse three,

poor in spirit.

So it's saying that you and I,

as Christians,

we are not to be proud.

We're not to be arrogant.

We're not to be people that know it all.

We're not to try and dominate.

We're to recognize

our own personal guilt

and our own personal weakness

and our own wrongdoing

that actually you and I

are like beggars before God.

And we are to be people,

verse four,

who mourn.

That is,

we're really sorry

and we're ashamed

for our own sin

and for our own weaknesses.

And that leads,

doesn't it,

verse five,

to make us meek.

So we're not always trying

to get our own way all the time.

We're not trying to manipulate

the situation

so we get our way.

We don't try to get everyone

to follow us.

We don't think

we always know best.

We remember our own weakness

and our own frailty

and our own guilt.

And we're meek.

And because we recognize that,

we long above everything else

for holiness,

verse six,

for righteousness.

We long for God's will to be done.

And so we are merciful

because we find it easy

to forgive and forget.

And we find it easy

to pardon our fellow human beings.

We're not judgmental.

We're not harsh.

And we don't have long memories.

Why?

Because the Christian recognizes

that God has forgotten

our sins.

And because God

has forgotten our sins,

so we have to be willing

to forget the sins of others.

And so the person

who was described here

doesn't bring things up

from years ago

and use them as clubs

to beat people over the head with.

Because God would never

do that with us.

God never says,

you're always doing this.

Remember you did that

five years ago?

And so we're merciful people.

And we're pure in heart

with a single eye for God

and for his glory.

And then having said

all of that,

Jesus then says,

he says,

and blessed are the peacemakers.

because we see ourselves

in a new way

as a result of the Beatitudes.

We're not nearly as important

as we once thought we were.

We're not nearly as clever

as we once thought we were.

We're not nearly as good

as we thought we were.

We're a lot humbler.

And we're a lot more realistic

about ourselves

and about others.

And we see other people

in a new way.

And we love them.

And when we see their faults,

we know that we have faults.

And because we've experienced mercy,

we are merciful towards them

and meek towards them.

Because love covers over

a multitude of sins.

So blessed are the peacemakers.

And we take on

the essential character

of peacemakers.

It's not a mask that we wear.

It's not a duty

that we give ourselves to.

It's not a course

that we go on.

What is being a peacemaker?

It is the overflow

of real spirituality.

And so please don't take

verse 9

out of its context

and

kind of

out of its place

in the sermon.

What I'm saying

or what I'm trying to say

is that

for all the benefits

of peace to come,

you and I

need to be changed people.

We need to be

pure in spirit

and mourning

and meek

and merciful.

And you can't have peace

without that.

And so I'm saying

as we consider this text,

it's vital to consider

the other text.

It's vital

for you and I

to work out

our own spiritual growth.

That is our reading

of scripture,

our prayer,

our putting sin

to death,

our dealing

with ourselves,

our growing

in faith

and love.

because that's all

part of the picture.

There are no shortcuts

into becoming

a peacemaker.

You can't take it up

as a hobby

or a little extra

Christian activity.

And so the truth

is this, isn't it?

It is probably

too late

in church,

in a church,

when trouble comes

to be thinking

then

and only

then

of being

peacemakers.

Because when

trouble comes

in a church

or a family,

it doesn't just

come like that.

People always say

that to me.

They always say,

we didn't see it coming.

It just came

out of nowhere.

It never comes

out of nowhere.

Never, ever.

In a church context,

the rot sets in

normally years

after earlier.

There's been a failure

in vital

godliness.

And then you see

the fruit of it.

And the problem

didn't arise

in a week,

one meeting,

or a month.

It had been something

that had been going on

for a long time.

And so you've got

to keep the verse

in its context.

Who we are,

changed people,

people in whom

God's spirit is working,

people who are growing

in Christ.

And so it points

to who we are.

Secondly,

it points to what we do.

What we do.

So in verse 9,

blessed are the peacemakers.

And so we need to begin

with a couple of negatives,

don't we?

Peacemakers are not

people who are easygoing,

who avoid confrontation.

They're not wimps.

Peacemakers are not weak,

and they're not ineffectual,

and they're not cowards,

and they're not compromising.

And that's not what

Jesus is talking about,

isn't he?

Peace has to be based

on truth and righteousness.

And in reality,

sweeping things

under the carpet,

it doesn't make peace.

Ignoring wickedness

doesn't make peace.

God speaks,

doesn't he,

in Jeremiah 6,

Jeremiah 6:14

verse 14,

they're famous verses.

And he speaks

to the preachers of the day,

the leaders of the day,

and he says,

you dress the wound

of my people

as if it wasn't serious.

You say,

peace, peace.

But there is no peace.

And so in your own marriage,

and in your own family,

and in your own home,

to sweep things

under the carpet

is not making peace.

To bury things

in the sand

is not making peace.

To ignore something

is not what our Lord

is talking about here.

And he's not just speaking

about peace keepers,

if I can put it like that.

They're vital, aren't they?

We are to be people

who are peaceable.

We're to control

our tempers.

Proverbs 15,

18 says,

a hot-tempered man

stirs up dissension.

We'll control our speech.

Proverbs 15, verse 1,

Proverbs 15:1

a gentle answer

turns away wrath.

But a harsh word

stirs up anger.

We've got to avoid gossip.

It's a plague, isn't it?

And it's a curse

in church life.

So Proverbs 26, 20 says,

without a wood,

the fire goes out.

Without gossip,

a quarrel dies down.

And we have to be

peaceable people.

We'll see later on

in Romans,

the Apostle Paul says,

as far as it's possible,

live at peace with everyone.

And so we've got to be

peaceable,

men and women

and boys and girls,

not always looking

for a fight.

But I think there's

more than that here

that Jesus is saying.

He is saying,

blessed are the

peacemakers,

not just those

who keep the peace,

as important as that is.

It's going further

than that, isn't it?

It's making peace.

It is bringing peace.

It is creating peace.

It is establishing peace.

It's a very

positive,

dynamic quality.

And so,

when we think of peace,

how do we think of it

in our culture?

We think of peace

as the absence of war.

But in the Bible,

the word peace

is far richer,

far more beautiful.

It's a far more

beautiful concept.

peace in the Bible

is a state of

well-being

and wholeness

and prosperity

and safety

and blessing.

So with us,

the way we think of peace,

we think of peace

as the absence of something.

The absence of war

or the absence of fighting.

But in the Bible,

peace is the presence

of something.

It is the presence

of wholeness

and prosperity

and soundness

and blessing.

It's a positive thing.

So being a peacemaker

is much richer.

It is much

more wonderful

than stopping fights.

Being a peacemaker

is creating wholeness

and wellness

and prosperity.

peacemakers

and so peacemakers

repair gaps.

Peacemakers

heal preaches.

Peacemakers

bring people

together.

Peacemakers

want to create

unity

and soundness

to create

God's

shalom.

God's peace.

for you and I to be peacemakers

that will mean we've got to listen

listen to people

to take time to understand

what they're saying and where they're coming from

and very often to differentiate

between what they say and what they mean

because

people often

don't always say what they mean

or mean what they say

and so

as we listen we are asking

what is this person trying to communicate to me

peacemakers want to reduce

tension and look for solutions

not to describe

problems or make them worse

peacemaking is positive and constructive

and healing

so Paul says in Romans 14 verse 19

Romans 14:19

let us make every effort

to do what leads to peace

and mutual edification

and so above all isn't it

above everything else

what peacemaking surely means

is telling the gospel to people

because that is isn't it

the finest and the most ultimate

and the most permanent

and the most constructive way of making peace

telling people of a God in heaven

who has sent his son

the Lord Jesus Christ

the saviour

so that

you and I can have peace with God

and as we've seen in Romans

peace with God

is not just

absence of hostility

it's not just that the war is over

but there's wholeness

and blessing

fullness

the fruit of the spirit

Galatians 5.22

the fruit of the spirit

is love

joy

peace

patience

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

gentleness

and self-control

and so when you have people

filled with the Holy Spirit

you will have peace

and so what we do is

we're to be healers

builders

facilitators

bringing people together

to bring God's

shalom

to the earth

that's part of our family calling

isn't it

that is part of

the creation mandate

of Genesis 1.27

to rule and subdue the earth

it is to bring order

and beauty

out of the chaos

in God's world

subduing the earth

who we are

and what we do

and then lastly

who we resemble

who do we resemble

blessed are the peacemakers

for they shall be called

sons of God

it's sometimes

mistranslated

children of God

but it's

sons of God

our children

refers to our

status

sons

refers to our

nature

we're all

aren't we

part of the

bride of Christ

I hope

you men

rejoice in that

we are part of

the bride of Christ

there's no kind of

sexist

in this

when the New Testament

speaks about the

sons of God

we are all

sons in the

son

there's nothing

sexist

for you women

in being

sons of God

our identity

our character

Jesus is saying

we are the

offspring of God

we bear the

likeness of our

father

and he says

if we are

peacemakers

we will be

recognized by

other people

and they will

say

ah

they are

sons of God

they will be

known and

acknowledged as

sons of God

like the

son of God

and we can really

understand that

can't we

easily understand

that because

God

as we saw

this morning

God is the

great peacemaker

isn't that the

whole history

of redemption

from the

moment that

Adam and Eve

fall

to the second

coming of

the Lord Jesus

Christ

what is it

the story of

the whole of

the Bible

is the story

of God

bringing peace

to his

disturbed

and disordered

world

and the

gospel

is the

gospel of

peace

the good news

of peace

Satan

came

into the

garden

of Eden

and he

disrupts

the space

he came

into

and he

breaks

the unity

he breaks

what is it

in Eden

is it

just in the

absence of

war

no there's

shalom

in Eden

isn't there

there's

fullness

there's

wholeness

there's

beauty

and Satan

comes and

he disturbs

that

and yet

God

in his

plan of

redemption

has sent

his son

into this

world

to heal

the world

he is the

prince of

peace

and God

promised

this

doesn't he

I will

make a

covenant

of

peace

with

them

and the

Lord

Jesus

when he

left

his

disciples

do you

remember

what he

said

he said

he breathed

on them

and said

peace

be unto

you

and the

apostle Paul

as he

calls

God's

blessing

unto

people

what does

he say

he says

grace

mercy

and peace

to you

and so

when Jesus

returns

he will

bring with

him the

complete

and everlasting

peace

of God

and in that

promise in Isaiah

Jesus is who

he is the

prince of

peace

and so

God is the

God of

peace

and his

work is

in that of

bringing peace

and wholeness

and unity

and soundness

and blessing

that's what we

look forward to

when we come to

the Lord's

table

when there

will be

wholeness

and unity

and soundness

and blessing

and we will

partake of the

wedding supper

of the Lamb

and so what I

think Jesus is

saying to us

is that when we

make peace

we are

God like

we are

God like

and truly

that's

tremendously

encouraging

isn't it

to us

we make

peace

with a

friend

we've

had an

argument

with someone

there's

been a

coldness

between

us

or a

quarrel

so I

need to

say to

you this

it is

a

God

like

thing

and it

is a

Christ

like

thing

to

make

peace

to go

to that

person

and make

peace

when our

children have

been angry

with us

and they're

irate

with us

we put

our hand

on their

shoulder

and we

tell them

that we

love them

and we

speak

gently

to them

and wisely

and we

make

peace

that is

a

God

like

thing

that is

a

Christ

like

thing

and when

you go to

two friends

who've

fallen out

with each

other

and you

pray

and you

talk with

them

and you

seek to

help them

understand

and to

help each

other

and to

forgive each

other

and you

try to

bring them

together

as best

you can

that is

a

God

like

thing

and a

Christ

like

thing

to

go into

a church

when it's

divided

and to

try and

bring

people

together

and not

make the

situation

worse

that is

a God

like thing

to do

and a

Christ like

thing to

do

and God

says

blessed are

the peacemakers

for they will be

called the sons

of God

we resemble

God

when we

make

peace

in some ways

I could finish

there but

I think

we need

to see

the

challenge

of

these

verses

because

it's

all very

well and

good for

me to

say to

you

it is

God

like

when you

make

peace

and that's

a great

encouragement

but we

need to

understand

how did

God

make

peace

so

let me

read you

from

Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1

it was

our

assurance

of

pardon

this

morning

Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1

and

verse

19

for

in him

that's the

Lord Jesus

Christ

all the

fullness

of God

was pleased

to dwell

and through

him to

reconcile

that's to

make peace

to bring

back

together

to himself

all things

whether on

earth or

in heaven

making peace

by the

blood

of his

cross

peace

and so

if there's

anything

that's

clear

in the

New

Testament

it's

this

it is

this

that it

costs

God

to make

peace

and making

peace

is costly

one of the

Puritans

said

the God

who said

let there

be light

could not

say

let there

be peace

the God

who said

let there

be light

could not

say

let there

be peace

because God

had to

make

peace

and God

made peace

through the

blood of

his son

shed on

the cross

and peace

making in

the Bible

the gospel

tells us

is very

very costly

and so

tonight

as we come

to this

table

we rejoice

in God

because we

have come

to peace

with God

through the

life and

death

of the

blessed

son

of God

and as

you eat

of the

bread

and as

you drink

of the

wine

it

reminds

you

of the

cost

of peace

this

is my

body

given

for you

this

is my

blood

shed

for you

and so

it is

with us

chapter 5

verse 1

seeing the

crowds

he ran

up on

the

mountain

and when

he sat

down

his

disciples

came to

him

and so

what you've

got in

the

sermon

on the

mountain

is you've

got him

speaking to

the

disciples

with the

crowd

listening

in

and amongst

that crowd

there would

have been

hardline

right wing

conservative

Jewish

nationalists

and as

Jesus preached

to them

that day

they hated

the Romans

they were

desperate

that the

Romans

would be

got rid

of out

of their

land

and their

eyebrows

would have

been raised

and they

would have

sneered

when Jesus

said

blessed are

the peacemakers

it was a

hard thing

for Jesus

to say

in a

kind of

politically

charged

atmosphere

but think

for a

moment

what did

it mean

for Jesus

when he

says

this

that

when he

says

blessed

are the

peacemakers

for they

should be

called

sons

of

God

he

knows

what it

will cost

him

to make

peace

that he

was going

to die

on a

cross

to make

peace

it's not

sentimental

is it

he would

lay his

body

on the

line

to make

peace

the peace

that we

enjoy

blessed

are the

peacemakers

and I

need to

say to

you

it is

costly

if we're

going to

do

this

and so

this week

who is

there

that you

can make

peace

with

and there

will be

situations

I expect

for the

people in

this room

in your

family

in your

circle

in your

friendships

in this

church

even

where

the Holy

Spirit

is

speaking

to you

through

this

verse

and saying

to you

you need

to make

peace

and making

peace

pleases

God

and I

don't say

that sentimentally

I know

that is

costly

and for

peace

to be

made

it may

well be

absorbing

an awful

lot of

pain

and an

awful lot

of hurt

and coming

to the

Lord

Jesus

and saying

I can

only do

this

in your

strength

sometimes

being accused

being a

peacemaker

is accused

of being

a compromiser

it's often

that in

church life

sometimes

when you

try to

make peace

people will

say why

don't you

just mind

your own

business

nothing to

do with

you

people

won't

understand

but what

a way

to spend

our

lives

blessed

are the

peacemakers

for they

will be

called

sons

of

God

and we

follow a

saviour

who made

peace

and he

made peace

at the

cost of

his life

as it

seems to

me that

we are

never more

Christ-like

and we

are never

more

God-like

than when

we're seeking

to make

peace

and it

may be

for you

that it's

a very

small

and limited

way

that whatever

way this

week you

can make

peace

but when

you do

that

blessed

are you

that you

should be

called

sons of

God

let's

pray