Becoming Peacemakers Series

PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS: BECOMING PEACEMAKERS

A. Today we are studying the seventh Beatitude in our series, BECOMING PEACEMAKERS.

ILLUSTRATION:

There was a man being held by BANK ROBBERS who, as he was HIKING deep into the woods, stumbled onto an OLD CABIN and found the MONEY they had STOLEN and then HID it from the ROBBERS. The man was a RUSSIAN IMMIGRANT and was unable to speak English. So, one of the ROBBERS went into the city and found a man who could speak RUSSIAN and

brought him back to the CABIN to INTERPRET for them.

“You tell this man,” they said to the INTERPRETER, “that we are not going to HURT him. All we want is our MONEY and we’ll be on our way.” The INTERPRETER turned to the HOSTAGE and said in Russian, “They said that they’re not going to HURT you. All they want is their MONEY and then they’ll leave you alone.” The HOSTAGE, however, REFUSED to

tell them where the MONEY was.

One of the ROBBERS pulled a GUN, pointed it at the HOSTAGE and said to the INTERPRETER. “You tell him that we mean business! He better tell us where the MONEY is or

we are going to KILL him.”

The INTERPRETER swallowed hard, wiped the SWEAT from his BROW and said to the HOSTAGE. “Listen. These guys mean business. They are going to SHOOT you DEAD unless

you tell them where you have HIDDEN their MONEY.”

The HOSTAGE cried out, “Tell them not to SHOOT! I took the HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS and hid it in the TRUNK of a HALLOW OAK tree just about a 100 PACES straight

south of the CABIN. Just tell them not to KILL ME!”

The INTERPRETER then told the ROBBERS. “He said, ‘You might as well go ahead and

SHOOT him, because he’s NOT going to tell you where the MONEY is.’”

COMMENT:

If you are ever in a CONFRONTATION with somebody, you definitely don’t want this guy to be your “PEACEMAKER.”

A. Jesus- “Blessed (HAPPY) are the PEACEMAKERS, for they will be called sons of God.” – v. 9.

1. When Jesus said “Happy are the peacemakers . . .”, it must have sounded strange to those

LISTENING.

COMMENT:

There was so much STRIFE in Judea. Samaritans and Jews didn’t get along. Gentiles and Jews didn’t get along. Even among the Jews, there were so many different RELIGIOUS ORDERS and FACTIONS: the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes who couldn’t get along.

2. Now Jesus PLEADS for His DISCIPLES to be PEACEMAKERS.

COMMENT:

And that PLEA is still desperately needed today in a world of CONFLICT, DIVISION and STRIFE. Everywhere we turn we see FIGHTING over everything from the use of PRONOUNS to

POLITICS. In our society PEACE is difficult to FIND and even harder to MAINTAIN.

But the most disheartening FACTIONS is what we see in the CHURCH—between brothers and sisters in Christ fighting over things like WORSHIP STYLES, SONG SELECTIONS, BIBLE TRANSLATIONS, BIBLICAL OPINIONS on NONESSENTIAL MATTERS, CULTURAL and GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES, LEADERSHIP DECISIONS, and so on.

MESSAGE:

I. GOD CALLS US TO BE PEACEMAKERS

A. We must understand that the SOURCE of PEACE is God.

1. God sent Jesus as a PEACE OFFERING between HIM and US (sinful human beings) and

between US and EVERYONE ELSE- Ephesians 2:12-18 (READ and COMMENT)

COMMENT:

Through Jesus we can live in PEACE with God and each other. If Jesus’ SACRIFICE on the CROSS can make PEACE between a PERFECT God and an IMPERFECT human being, then His DEATH can certainly make PEACE between people regardless of any BARRIER.

2. The Hebrew word for PEACE is SHALOM.

a. It describes not only the ABSENCE of STRIFE and CONFLICT, but also the PRESENCE

of SERENITY, PROSPERITY, and HAPPINESS.

b. The PEACEMAKER endeavors not only to remove STRIFE and CONFLICT from among

people, but also to establish GOOD WILL and WELLBEING.

3. James 3:18- “PEACEMAKERS who sow in PEACE raise a HARVEST of RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

COMMENT:

Consider Jesus. We don’t see Him settling many DISPUTES or negotiating CONFLICTS. But we do see Him CULTIVATING inward HARMONY through ACTS of LOVE: . . . WASHING the FEET of men He knew would DENY and BETRAY Him. . . . having LUNCH with a CORRUPT TAX OFFICIAL. . . . HONORING the sinful woman whom SOCIETY had

SCORNED.

Jesus built BRIDGES through His ACTS of SERVICE. He prevented CONFLICT by

HELPING people to take an HONEST LOOK at themselves FIRST.

4. And like Jesus, we can go around SOWING SEEDS of PEACE.

ILLUSTRATION:

Compliment a CO-WORKER. Take your WIFE out to LUNCH. Tell your HUSBAND how much you appreciate him. Bake a CAKE and carry it next door. Give a PAT on the BACK

to a TEACHER. SMILE at a CHILD. Give a fellow Christian the BENEFIT of the DOUBT.