Blessed are the Peacemakers

By way of introduction to tonight's verse, Matthew 5 verse

#9 blessed are the peacemakers, for they should be called the

sons of God. Literally, they and they only

are called the sons of God. So by way of introduction, I

want to turn to the ultimate peacemaker, Jesus Christ our

Lord. And so by way of introduction,

turn to Luke chapter 19, Luke chapter 19.

Luke 19 · chapter mention Luke 19 · chapter mention

Everything about the ministry of our Lord is so unique and

precise. And to realize that what happens

at Luke 19 was not just foretold, not just foreseen and

not just for known. It was all fulfilled

specifically. And when you read the narrative

of the triumphal entry and the Lord sends his men into the city

to to get a donkey, that was fulfillment of Zechariah 9 verse

#9 and Christ rise to the city. You, you know the the narrative

to the praises of the people. That too was Zechariah 9 verse

#9 In fact, it's so specific it's quite unbelievable that

Israel did not understand it. In fact, Zechariah 9 verse #9

reads this way. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of

Zion shouted triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, your king

is coming to you. This is what they saying.

They sing joyfully. He is just an endowed with

salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the

full of a donkey, I'll prophesied.

And sure enough, in Luke chapter 19, it happens just as it was

Luke 19 · chapter mention

foreseen, foreordained, foretold, foreknown.

It was fulfilled specifically, but also also everything, not

just about the praises of the people and not just the

presentation of the Savior, but specifically the pain of the

Messiah. For it says this in verse #41

when he approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and he wept over

it. Isaiah 53 verse #3 Messiah would

be a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

It's just so incredible how how everything comes to light.

And so the Messiah who comes to the city of peace, that's what

Jerusalem means the the city of peace.

You have the Prince of Peace on the the backside of a donkey

riding into the city of peace to offer them peace.

And yet he, he sits there and weeps over the city.

Why? Because the people would forfeit

their peace. Listen to what it says, verse

42. If you had known in this day,

even you, the things which make for peace, but now they have

been hidden from your eyes. If only you had known the things

that make for peace. But when Christ came, he, He

came to offer peace. He is called the Prince of

Peace. Isaiah 9 verse #6 Isaiah 54

verse #10 He offers the new covenant of peace.

In Luke 179, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist,

would say that when the Messiah comes, He will guide us in the

pathway of peace. When the angels declared the

arrival of the Messiah, they said peace on earth toward those

with whom He has pleased. Luke 214 Simeon was looking and

longing for the consolation or the peace of Israel, and when he

held the Messiah in his arms, he rejoiced because peace had

arrived. And Anna in Luke 2 was longing

for the redemption of the city of peace, that somehow the

people who lived in the city of peace would be redeemed by the

Prince of Peace. So everything about the arrival

of the Messiah was all about peace because He was the

ultimate peace maker, that there is no peace without the Prince

of Peace. And so he comes right into the

city to the praises of the people, but he weeps because the

peace he offered, they did not once that they were looking for

political peace, they were looking for military peace.

They were looking for national peace, but personal spiritual

peace. They weren't looking for that.

That wasn't even in their minds. But Christ came to offer them

peace and they would forfeit it. Think about this way the Bible

begins that ends with peace. It began in the garden with

ultimate bliss and ultimate peace with no sin.

When it's all said and done in the new Jerusalem, in the new

heaven, in the new earth, total peace, complete, perfect peace.

But when man sinned in Genesis chapter 3, peace was forfeited.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

And So what did Christ do? He came to make sure peace would

be granted to man by settling man's debts at Calvary, because

he wanted to be at peace with man.

And yet when he comes as the Prince of Peace into the city of

Peace, offering them peace, they reject it because it wasn't the

kind of peace they thought they needed.

We live in a world just like their world 2000 years ago, with

no peace. Every peace treaty that has been

made has been broken. One day, Antichrist will come.

He'll confirm the peace treaties in Israel that will begin the

Tribulation period. Daniel 924 to 27 is very clear

about that. That's when the Tribulation

begins. Revelation 6 says that the

Antichrist comes on a White Horse.

He comes with a bow, but no arrows, because he comes in

peace to make peace. And there will be a national

peace. There will be a political peace,

but it's not true peace. It's interesting that there is

no president that can bring peace.

There is no king that can bring peace.

There is no ambassador, no diplomat, no lawyer, no judge,

no individual who can bring peace.

But the Christian can bring peace.

In fact, you, me should be the world's ambassadors for peace,

because we are the only ones who can bring peace, because we know

the Prince of Peace. And interesting that it's God

who commissions us to be his ambassadors.

The world is at war. The world will always be at war.

In 1945 when the UN was established, it had this motto.

Very simply this. To have succeeding generations

free from the scourge of war. Since 1945, there has been no

generation free from the scourge of war.

But that's their purpose. The World Council of Churches

cannot bring peace. The UN cannot bring peace.

No government official can bring peace.

Oh, we can sign peace treaties, but in the years of our

existence there has been less than 200 years with no wars.

There is always going to be war. Why?

Because man is at war with God. And as long as man is at war

with God, he'll be at war with one another.

There will be no peace and Satan is at war with God.

His angelic hosts are at war with God, and that war is

nonstop. One day it will end with the new

heaven and the new earth, and there will be complete and total

peace. But until then, there is no

peace. And yet the Bible says blessed

are the peacemakers, for they and they only are called the

sons of God. Someone has remarked that peace

is that moment in time where everyone stops to reload.

Do you know that there have been more people killed in America by

guns than in wars? 1.5 million by private gun

owners, 1.2 million in wars. We got a problem.

Man is at war, not necessarily with one another.

That's the byproduct of his war. He is at war with God.

It has been since the fall. Man is at enmity with God.

He is the enemy of God, and therefore he becomes the enemy

of God's creation. And yet, as we begin to ascend

this ladder of the Beatitudes, each rung is filled with

blessing after blessing after blessing.

From the time of Matthew 5 verse #3 to the 7th beatitude, the

peacemakers, you just keep beginning to understand how you

get into the Kingdom, how you grow up in the Kingdom so you

can live like a child of the king.

And Christ makes it very clear that the peacemakers are the

only ones that are truly called the sons of God because they are

at peace with God. I don't know where you're at

tonight, but most families don't have peace.

Most marriages don't have peace. There's this ongoing battle day

after day after day. If you're, you're a believer and

you're married to an unbeliever, that there, there there is a

battle that's going on all the time.

I was reminded of the guy who was interviewed one day.

They had been married. He and his wife have been

married almost 70 years. And they, the reporter asked

him, what is the, what is the, the reason behind all the

harmony and and peace that you have in your marriage over all

these 70 years of being together?

To which the man replied, he said, well, well, my wife and I

got married. We made a pact with one another

that if she was angry or, or she was irritated or she was was

upset or bitter, she would just lash out and get it off her

chest. And me, well, if I became angry,

if I became bitter, if I became resentful, if there were things

on my mind, I would go outside and take a long, long walk.

So he said the key to our marital peace and harmony is

that I've spent the bulk of my life outside, not inside.

I thought it was pretty funny. I'm not much of a joke teller,

but I thought that was pretty funny.

But just because you don't bring up a topic or bring up a subject

doesn't mean that there's peace. Just because you refuse to talk

about something doesn't mean there's there's peace.

To shy away from dealing with truth is wrong.

Why? Because when truth reigns, peace

prevails. There is no peace without truth.

Psalm 85 verse #10 says that righteousness and peace have

kissed each other. In other words, the only way

that righteousness really is seen is in the in the realm of

peace and and peace can only be accomplished in the realm of

righteousness, holiness, truthfulness.

But so many times we, we avoid topics.

You, you know about this and your family.

You don't want to bring up this issue because somebody might

blow up. So we refrain from that.

We get together at birthdays or holidays and we make sure we

don't talk about this and we don't talk about that because if

we do, something's going to really explode.

So let's just keep the peace. You're not really keeping the

peace. You're just maintaining the

truth because peace is always, always centered on truth.

Without truth, there is no peace.

That's why Jesus Christ is the God of truth.

That's why he's the ultimate peacemaker because he lives a

righteous life, a holy life. And without that there, there

would be no peace. That's why the Bible says he was

12/14 pursue peace and holiness without which no one would see

the Lord, because the 2GO hand in glove, the 2GO together.

And Christ comes along and says blessed are the poor in spirit,

there's the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who recognize

they, they have nothing sufficient in and of themselves

to accomplish anything for the sake of righteousness, because

they recognize that they have nothing to offer God.

Blessed are those who mourn over the sin, their iniquity.

They are the ones that are are comforted and blessed are they

meet the humble because they'll inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for

they and they only, are the only ones satisfied.

That makes it very clear. He says blessed are the pure in

heart, for they shall see God, and those who are pure in heart

become the peacemakers, and they are truly the sons of God.

James would say it this way. He would say the wisdom from

above is first pure, then peaceable, the order

significant. Every word of God is pure, every

word of God is true, right? Every word of God is clean.

So the wisdom that comes from above is first of all, pure,

pure, unadulterated truth, then peaceable because peace is

rooted in truth. That's why when you when you

watch the State of the Union address last night, half the

audience sat and the other half stood.

Why? Because there's no peace between

the two parties. Why?

Because truth does not prevail in either party.

So without truth prevailing. There can be no peace.

And so even though there are nations that gathered together

to formulate peace treaties, they just want to stop shooting

each other, stop dropping bombs on one another, stop killing one

another. Doesn't mean there is there is

peace because there is still hatred in their hearts toward

one another. So this beatitude becomes very,

very important for us to understand that God is doing

something unique in the life of His children, that they would be

able to represent his Kingdom clearly to those who come in

contact with. So the outline is the same as

it's been the last six weeks. We will make sure we define the

condition, describe the consequences, detail the

characteristics, and then determine our course of action.

OK, let's first of all define the condition by looking at the

origin of peace, the obstacles to peace, and the opportunity

for peace. First of all, the origin of

peace. Well, that's fairly simple for

us to understand. God is called the God of peace.

He's the originator of peace. Six times in the New Testament

He's called the God of peace. In Judges 624 he's called

Yahweh, Shalom, the Lord our peace.

Jesus Christ is the peacemaker, Ephesians 214 for He is our

peace. The origin of peace is in God

alone. So unless you know God there,

there will be no peace, for he is the God of peace.

And so the Bible says that if God is the God of peace and

Jesus is the Prince of peace, then the Spirit is the agent of

peace, because the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy and peace.

The Kingdom of heaven is not eating and drinking in Romans

1417, but righteousness, truth, peace, and joy in the Holy

Spirit without. Without peace there is no joy.

Without righteousness there is no peace.

And the Kingdom of heaven is made-up of a righteous king who

rules purely and truly and holy and offers peace to those who

come to Him on His terms. So here's Christ writing to the

city of Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace, wanting to offer them

peace, and yet they refused it. And someone will say, well, wait

a minute, hold on. Didn't Jesus say in Matthew

1034, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword?

Yeah, that's what he said. Why?

Because there's division in the family when someone believes and

receives the Prince of Peace, the Jewish family.

If if you believe in the Messiah, you're you're ousted,

you're gone, you're done. You, you are dead to the family.

So here is Christ the Peacemaker who comes to offer peace to

those who embrace Him as the as the Prince of Peace.

All the while they do that, it divides their homes.

It brings a separation from those who do not want to know

the true Prince of Peace. So the origin of peace is is

rooted in God. You, you see the bumper sticker,

right? No God, no peace, no God, no

peace, NO God, NO peace KNOW God, KNOW peace.

If there is no God, there is no peace.

But if you understand and comprehend God, then you

understand and comprehend peace, because He is the Prince of

Peace. So He is the origin of peace.

What are the obstacles of peace? Well, if God is holy and just

and true and pure, then the obstacles to peace are the

opposite of that which is holy unholiness, the opposite of that

which is pure impurity, the opposite of that which is true

falsehood, hypocrisy. The obstacles of peace are sin

and that that's why there's never going to be peace in the

world. No matter how hard to be try,

it'll never happen. Why?

Because there is no peace for the wicked.

Isaiah says it twice. No peace for the wicked can't

be. Why?

Because the only way you know peace is to know the God of

peace and without knowing him there is no peace there.

There can be a truce, there can be a laying down of the weapons,

there can be a refusal to say some of the things you used to

say. But without a heart change there

cannot be peace, because peace happens on the inside of the

man. You see, We think that peace is

the absence of something. Peace is actually the presence

of someone. Peace is not the absence of

conflict in your home. It's the presence of God in your

heart. And when the presence of God is

in the heart, there could be conflict in the home because of

those who do not want to stand for the truth and for the

righteousness of God. In fact, I guarantee there's

going to be conflict in the whole mind.

The very next beatitude speaks about persecution.

All those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer

persecution. So.

So peacemakers are dividers. They don't purposely want to

divide, not purposely trying to sow division.

They just automatically divide because they live for the Prince

of Peace and they live for truth, and they uphold truth and

honor truth because they know there's no peace without truth.

And so therefore you become an automatic divider.

Let me ask you something. Christ was a divider.

He troubled man's souls. Here was the peacemaker right

into Jerusalem on Monday, but on Tuesday he goes and cleanses the

Temple, runs everybody out. That's the peacemaker.

Why? Because the peacemaker stands

for truth and does not want truth to be compromised and will

not stand for truth to be compromised.

And he said, you have made my father's house a den of thieves.

So by way of moving people on, he was standing for truth as the

peacemaker. And we think that that because

you're a peacemaker, there are there are things you just don't

say or the things you just don't do.

But listen, the peacemaker always says the truth, and the

truth is the automatic divider of people.

You speak the truth, you will have enemies because they don't

want to abide by the truth. That's OK because the truth

stands and speaks for itself. The Bible says about this

concerning the Christ that he was the one who stirred up

strife. Luke 23I think he's 23/5 his

accusers said he stirreth up the people.

Listen, whatever you speak truth, you expose sin.

Whenever you expose sin, people get what?

Get mad, get upset. Why?

Because they don't want their sin exposed.

And so whenever you preach the gospel as a peacemaker, what

happens? Those who love their sin don't

want to hear what you have to say.

They don't want to follow Christ, that they love their sin

more than they love the Christ. And so they're going to become

angry with you and the things you say about what it means to

be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And they get upset not because you purposely tried to upset

them, you just simply spoke the truth as a peacemaker because

you want to them to enter into peace as you have entered into

peace with the true and living God.

It's very important to understand that.

So God is the origin of peace. Christ is the the Prince of

peace. The Spirit of God is the the

agent of peace. But the obstacle to peace is

always sin, unrighteousness, and holiness, because man is wicked,

he's wicked. And so the Bible says in

Jeremiah 8, they've healed the hurt of the daughter of my

people slightly by saying peace, peace when there is no peace.

The great Puritan Thomas Watson said these words.

Peace always flows from sanctification, but they, being

unregenerate, have nothing to do with peace.

They may have a truce, but no peace.

God may for bear the wicked a while, and stop the roaring of

his Canon, but though there be a truce, yet there is no peace.

The wicked may have something which looks like peace, but it

is not. They may be fearless and stupid,

but there is a great difference between the stupefied conscience

and the pacified conscience. This is the devil's peace.

He rocks men in the cradle of security.

He cries peace, peace when men are on the precipice of hell.

The seeming peace of Sinner has is not from the knowledge of his

happiness, but in the ignorance of his danger.

So true, so true. But the opportunity for peace

comes because of Christ. Listen to what the Bible says in

the book of Colossians, Colossians chapter one.

It says that Christ reconciled all things to himself.

Have He made peace through the blood of his cross?

Through him, I say, whether things on earth or things in

heaven? And although you were formerly

alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He

has now reconciled you and his fleshy body through death, in

order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond

reproach. See, we forget that we, we were

the enemies of God before our salvation and, and, and God and

his great love for mankind went to Calvary's cross in order to

to bridge that gap between himself and mankind.

And therefore he grants us the, the grace of salvation so that

we are no longer enemies of God, but reconciled to God.

Two parties coming together to be one in purpose and one in

life and one in love. God does that for us.

He's the, he's the, the great opportunity for peace.

And Christ provided that so that we could be a part of his

Kingdom. Put #2 What are the

consequences? Let me say it to you this way.

I kind of changed my outline a little bit today.

I got the prerogative to do that.

And that is there are three. A brand new identity, a

beautiful testimony and boundless joy.

A brand new identity, the sons of God.

Just think about that. You're called a son of God.

We oy is the, is the word it, it's a word of honor.

It's the word of prestige. It's the word of position,

right? We've studied that with Christ

being the son of God, we, us and what that means.

It's a, it's a, it's not a term of origin.

It's a, it's a term of honor and position.

And, and we have been granted a position of honor to be called

the sons of God, the children of God.

And therefore we we have this, this brand new identity.

See, we were once sons of our father the devil.

Johnny, remember when Christ talked to religious

establishment and said that you are of your father the devil.

I mean, either the devil is your father or God in heaven is your

father, right? And if the devil's your father,

you're a son of disobedience. And if if God in heaven is your

father, you are a son of obedience.

See, and Christ says blessed are the peacemakers.

Why are they blessed? Why do they have boundless joy?

Simply because they're pure in heart.

They hunger and thirst for righteousness.

But but the fact of the matter is, is that they have a brand

new identity with a with a brand new identity comes a a beautiful

testimony that you are of your father in heaven.

You are sons of God. You you've seen children running

around our our campus, right? And you look at them, that's

their father, right? I can see their Father in that

boy right now, right? Good or bad, you see the Father

and the Son and the Son and the Father, right?

Well, when it comes to being children of God that they see,

they see that we're sons of our Father in heaven, they say that

person knows the Lord. That person follows his Father

in heaven. That person is a true peacemaker

because he wants to live in peace.

He's so committed to the truth. So you have this beautiful

testimony that comes that's based on a brand new identity

that gives you nothing but boundless joy.

The book of Proverbs says this Proverbs 12 verse #20 counselors

of peace have joy that great counselors of peace have joy.

Why? Because they're settled in their

heart. They're at ease.

They're at peace with God. And as they counsel, they want

to lead people into a, a, a understanding of who God is and

a relationship with the living God.

And therefore that brings them nothing but bliss and joy.

That's why the Bible says blessed, happy, joyful are the

peacemakers for those people. They are the sons of God.

What a great tribute that God passes to His people #3 DTN.

The characteristics for them #1 those who are peacemakers have

experienced peace, right? They experience peace.

Remember Titus chapter 3 verse #3 For we also once were foolish

Titus 3 · chapter mention

ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various

lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy,

hateful, hating one another, that that's the characteristic

of the unbeliever. But when the kindness of God our

Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us none of

the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but

according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and

renewing it by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out up on us

richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified

by His grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of

eternal life. The characteristic of a

peacemaker is that he's experienced peace, peace with

God. He's no longer at war with God.

I hope tonight you don't see yourself fighting God, an enemy

of God, because if you are, you're not a believer in the

Lord Jesus Christ. If you've been reconciled to the

Lord, if you've been, if you've been made at peace with God,

then you are one with Him, and the Prince of Peace reigns in

your soul. Isaiah 3217 says this.

And the work of righteousness will be peace and the service of

righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

What a statement. The work of righteousness is

peace. Because of Christ's

righteousness, because of His justice, because of His

Holiness, He made a way for peace.

And that righteousness produces comfort, it produces confidence,

it produces rest in the soul because you've experienced

peace. That's why Christ said, My peace

I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, He says to his

men in John 14. And those who experience peace,

they express peace. They express it.

Romans 12/18 if possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at

peace with all men as much as it depends upon you be at peace

with all men. In other words, that there's an

expression of our lives that exudes peace.

We're not, we're not arrogant, we're not prideful.

We're we're, we're not trying to put people down 'cause strife.

No, we just want to speak truth and live in peace because we

know the Prince of Peace. The Bible says over in in

Matthew 543, you have heard that it was said you shall love what

your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say to you, love your enemies.

Pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of

your Father in heaven. In other words, you've heard

that it was said that you can love your friends and hate your

enemies. No, no, no, you.

You love your enemies. And when you love your enemies,

you do prove yourself to be a son of your Father in heaven.

Who said that in Father? Forgive them, for they know not

what they do. That God demonstrated his love

for us, and that while we were yet still enemies of His, He

died on Calvary's cross for us. So when you love your enemies,

you prove yourself to be a son of your Father in heaven.

You're you're, you're a son of God.

See, you're, you're a peacemaker because you love your enemy.

Don't hate your enemy. And so you not only experience

peace, but you express peace and you explain peace or extend

peace. You explain peace to others.

Peter said this way Acts 1036. The purpose of the church was to

preach peace through Jesus Christ.

Preach peace through Jesus Christ.

Romans 10/15 How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the

gospel of peace. In other words, those who

experience peace live peace. They express that peace, but

they also explain that peace. They they want to extend that

peace to others. So they make sure they

understand who the Prince of Peace is.

They want to live and speak for Christ.

And those who experience peace and express peace and explain

peace will always encounter pain.

They will always encounter pain. Christ it here was the Prince of

Peace who rides into the city of peace to offer them peace.

And what do they do? They hang on a cross.

They crucify him. They kill him, they hate him,

simply because he came to offer them peace that they did not

want. So he encountered the most

excruciating pain known to man. Not physical suffering, ah, but

the separation of his Father in heaven.

My God, my God, why has that forsaken me?

Such pain he encountered as the Son of God.

Paul was known as the the pestilent person because he

would preach peace. When you preach peace, try to

explain peace. You'll be criticized, you'll be

condemned, you'll be persecuted. Why?

By those who want nothing to do with your God.

I love what Vance Havner said. He he said these words he said.

Let it not be forgotten that a twice born and spirit filled

Christian is always a contradiction to this old world.

He crosses it at every point from the day that he is born

again until he passes on to be with the Lord.

He pulls against the current of a world forever going the other

way. If he allows it, men will tone

him down, steal the joy of a salvation, reduce him to the

dreary level of the average. Most church folk dislike having

their Laodicean complacency, upset by those who insist on

walking by faith and not by sight.

So good and so true. And so those who have

experienced peace and want to express that peace to others and

explain that peace so that they can encounter the Prince of

Peace will always encounter pain to some degree.

Rejection, persecution, isolation, you name it.

Stand strong on the truth and see who stands with you.

Very few will they they, they're more willing to compromise truth

to maintain peace. But that's not peace because

peace is rooted in truth. Without truth, there is no

peace. So what's my course quickly?

Number one, you need to love the maker of peace.

That's Christ. He's the ultimate peace maker.

John 1633 says these things. I have spoken to you that you

might have peace. 2nd Thessalonians 316 says May the

Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in

every circumstance. Oh how I love thy law is my

meditation all the day. And great peace have those who

love thy law. If you love the Lord, you love

the law of God. You have to love the Maker of

peace. You love them with all your

heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your

strength. Why?

Because there's going to come a time where you are standing all

by your little lonesome, and no one else is going to stand with

you. But you love the Lord, and you

will stand side by side with the King of the universe, who is the

Prince of Peace. You love the Maker of peace #2

You need to leave the menace to peace.

If you love the maker of peace, you leave the menace to peace.

What's that? Sin, Hypocrisy, compromise.

Leave all that behind. You must if you love the maker

of peace. The Bible says in Proverbs 28

verse #25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife.

He was of a proud heart stirreth up strife.

If strife in your home, are you the reason for that strife?

You need to leave the menace to peace.

Whatever that attitude is, whatever that that ingrown

personality trait you have is, you leave it, Run away from it

because you don't want to become that obstacle to someone else

seeing the Prince of Peace because of your bitterness,

because of your anger, because of your short sightedness,

because of your quick tempered attitude, No, you don't want to

do that. Got to leave all that behind so

many times. It's, it's our self that's the

menace to peace, right? Our selfish desires, we went it

our way and no other way. And that's what you need to

leave behind. Love the maker of peace, love

the Lord. And then if you do, you leave

the minutes to peace #3 labor to make peace.

Paul says in Ephesians 43. Endeavor, work hard to keep the

unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Endeavor to keep that what you have.

Listen, you cannot develop unity in the church, but you can

destroy unity in the church. So Paul says, endeavor to keep

the unity of the Spirit and abundant peace.

You got to do all you can to keep it.

You got to work hard. You got to be zealous to keep

that which God pleased you, where God put you together as a

as a unit, as a body of Christ, right?

Are you working hard? Are you labouring to make peace

because you endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit and the

bond of peace? Clauses 315 says we're to let

the word of Christ be at home in our hearts.

Let let the peace of Christ be at home in our hearts.

In other words, there there is something about being on God's

side that causes great peace and therefore we let it rule, let it

govern every decision we make. The fact that we're on God's

side determines what decision I make with my wife, my kids, my

work, whatever I'm doing. Let the let the peace of, of

Christ umpire in your hearts, right?

Let let the fact that you're on God's side call all the shots.

That's just a great thing because see, I don't have to

call any shots. I don't have to be the empire.

Sometimes I act like the empire, but I don't have to be the

empire. Why?

Because I let the peace of Christ be the empire in my

heart. Let the fact that I'm on God's

side, let God make the decision. How do I know what the decision

is? That's what I got the word of

God for, right? That directs me and guides me.

And lastly. Live as a messenger of peace.

Live as a as a messenger of peace.

Listen to what Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 18.

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to

himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of

reconciliation. We have been given a ministry of

reconciliation, of bringing two parties together that are at

odds and enmity with one another, God and man.

God has reconciled us to Himself so that he would impart to us a

ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ

reconciling the world to Himself, not coming to

trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the

Word of reconciliation. See, God gave you the word of

bringing parties together that are enemies one with another.

That's why you are the ambassador of Christ.

That's why God has commissioned you to be his peacemaker.

Nobody in the government can do it.

Nobody in your school can do it. Only God's peacemakers can bring

peace, peace with God, and God wants us to live as a messenger

of peace. How about you?

You want to do that because true blessing comes to the

peacemaker, because those people truly are the sons of God.

My, my, my prayer is that you understand that you are his son

of the living God. Let's pray together Father,

thank you for today. All that you do chance to be

together. Bless us, bless this night.

As we leave this place, may we take with us the opportunity to

speak forth the truth, maybe lift for you and honor you.

Glorify your precious name in Jesus name, Amen.