#1peacekeeper Vs. Peacemaker Series

#1 PEACEKEEPER VS PEACEMAKER?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Thanks to Pastor Joe Girdler,

Kentucky District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God for the fodder that started the thinking of this lesson...

This is part #1 of a 2 part series.

TEXT:

Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

I. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE BLUE HAT OF A PEACEKEEPER?

I would like to ponder what a PEACEKEEPER and a PEACEMAKER are?

A. Is there any difference between a PEACEKEEPER and a PEACEMAKER?

If there is a difference --- what is it?

WHICH AM I?

B. Peacekeepers may only require PASSIVE ACTIVITY...

Peacemakers require talent, effort and finding a creative use of conflict.

C. I landed in Haiti. One of the first things I noticed were the BLUE HATS OF THE UNTIED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING FORCE.

I talked with many of the troops...

1. Most of them hated being there...

2. They hated have contact with the Haitian people...

3. They could not wait to return home... this duty was painful to them?

D. SOMETIMES I PONDER THAT CHURCH MINISTRIES GROW THE SAME

ATTITUDES OF PEACEKEEPERS WHEN GOD CALLED US TO BE PEACEMAKERS...

E. As I was preparing for this lesson, I asked several of my friends to

comment on peacekeeper vs. peacemaker...?

I received a note from a pastor friend Bill Meeks in Tennessee.

Bill told about the PEACEMAKER?

What is a PEACEMAKER?

I looked it up... THE PEACEMAKER was a Colt Single Action Army Handgun.

The Peacemaker was a Colt .45 handgun used by the Army from

1873 to 1892.

The PEACEMAKER was also known as the EQUALIZER.

I can understand the EQUALIZER, but I have never thought of the value of a gun as a PEACEMAKER?

F. Years ago I was in Oliver Springs, TN, traveling playing music.

After service we went home with an old lady named Morgan.

The Oliver Springs Police Force consisted of one man.

The Policeman was called, there was two drunk men causing big a scene.

They were fighting and refusing to co-operate with the policeman.

He arrested the men and told them to submit to the handcuffs...

One of the drunk men said: THERE ARE TWO OF US AND ONE OF YOU!

The officer said: I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MR. COLT AS HE

TAPPED HIS PISTOL.

He then stepped to the Police car and pulled out a shotgun, he then said:

THIS IS MR. WINCHESTER, THAT MAKES IT 3 AGAINST TWO.

Both men quietly turned around and was handcuffed and walked

and climbed into the officers car.

II. WE MUST STRENGHTEN THE VERY FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH

TO RELEASE OUR FAITH TO BELIEVE --- THEN TO KNOW PEACE...

DO YOU KNOW THERE IS PERFECT PEACE? DO YOU WALK IN PERFECT PEACE?

GOD HAS A WRITTEN COVENANT OF PEACE FOR THOSE THAT TRUST HIM...

FAITH GIVES BIRTH TO BELIEVE --- BELIEVE GIVES BIRTH TO PEACE...

A. Perfect peace is available to every believer...

few believe in it... even fewer have the FAITH required to completely trust

all to the UNSEEN HANDS... we have a blessed assurance...

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

B. Seems we would rather know the subjunctive believe...

THAT YOU MIGHT BEGIN BELIEVING... it is much easier to believe the news

paper and the media than to trust WHAT SAYS THE WORD OF GOD...

C. NO GOD --- NO PEACE ... KNOW GOD --- KNOW PEACE ...

D. To KNOW PEACE requires each believer to trust God.

Many would rather worry, fret, go under --- than to TRUST THE UNSEEN HANDS OF A MIGHTY GOD that is in control and KNOWS what He is doing...

E. In my opinion FAITH AND BELIEVE and PEACE are not passive actions but a great assurance of more than standing on the sidelines cheering.

FAITH IS ACTIVITY --- REAL FAITH GIVES BIRTH TO BELIEVE, and then IF ONE

REALLY BELIEVES THEN THEY SHALL HAVE GREAT PEACE...

F. To have peace one must believe! To believe one must have faith!

To believe is not a passive hope or a static belief --- IT IS A COMPLETE TRUST IN THE NAIL SCARRED HANDS OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD...

G. We must make a TOTAL COMMITMENT to KNOW THE SWEET PRESENCE OF

THE HOLY SPIRIT on a daily walk with Him.

III. DO WE RECOGNIZE THERE IS A JEHOVAH-SHALOM IN OUR MIDST?

Genesis 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord,

only makest me dwell in safety.

A. JEHOVAH-SHALOM: The Lord is PEACE! THE LORD SENDS PEACE.