Peacemakers Series

BEATITUDES SERIES:

PEACEMAKERS

MATTHEW 5:9

#Beatitudes

READ Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

We start this morning with a video that is under 4 minutes and introduces the central idea of Matthew 5:9. One of the key phrases that caught my attention as I watched as the phrase “Taking what is broken and restoring it to wholeness.” Let’s watch.

VIDEO INTRODUCTION… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLYORLZOaZE [3:48]

READ Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

“Taking what is broken and restoring it to wholeness.” I like that phrase a lot. That is what a peacemaker does. That is what Jesus Christ did for us and so when we act like Him, we do the same. As I was thinking about Matthew 5:9, another passage from the New Testament came to mind and I believe fleshes out Matthew 5:9 very well and all that Jesus means to teach us.

READ 2 Corinthians 5:14–21 (ESV)

“14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

PEACE CHRIST GAVE US (verses 14-17)

The first part of the passage, verses 14-17, focus on the peace that Jesus Christ gives us. If I were going to summarize verses 14-17 in one word, I would use: regeneration. Regeneration is a fancy long word that means “new birth” (Vine’s NT and OT Words, page 517).

Regeneration in verse 14 in that we die and now are under love.

Regeneration in verse 15 in that we live for God not ourselves.

Regeneration in verse 16 in that we are alive spiritually.

Regeneration in verse 17 in that we are a new creation in Christ.

Paul says we are “in Christ.” Before we get to the action oriented part of the passage, the Apostle Paul explains some thought processes and ways of thinking that we should have as Christians. Paul explains to us, and to those to whom he is writing, that we are “in Christ.” That is a particular way of being. Christians are “in Christ” which means we are new people and have a new position with God because of Jesus Christ.

When I see that phrase “in Christ,” I cannot help but think of John 15 where Jesus Christ explains what that phrase “in Christ” means. Jesus uses a gardening metaphor to explain what it means to be “in Christ”:

READ JOHN 15:1-6

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

Being in Christ means we have accepted the Word of Jesus Christ and we believe in Him. Being in Christ means not only that we believe in Him, but that fruit and action and results come from that belief. Being in Christ means that the faith that we profess impacts our actions, attitudes, ways of living, worldview, the way we manage money, what we think about racial issues, how we define sexuality, and every aspect of our lives. Being in Christ means love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control are fruit of our lives. Being in Christ also means, as we will see in a minute, sharing Christ with others who do not know Him.