Peacemaking – The Seventh Step To Happiness
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the “be” attitudes. Each beatitude begins with the word “blessed”. “Blessed” can also be translated “happy”. So as we have been going through the beatitudes we have been finding steps to happiness. Today we are going to look at verse nine – the seventh beatitude. Please follow along with me as I read.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)
A three year old boy had a friend over to his house to play – but it turned out to be a tough day. The little boy was arguing about the toys and was grumpy. He just plain wasn’t nice. When the mother came in to offer them some snacks she said to her son, “You know you should really be nicer to your friend. He came over to play with you – but you’re not being very nice to him. You should share your toys better.” The little boy replied, “Well Mom – sometimes I’m mean – sometimes I’m not. People are like that you know.” Out of the mouth of babes – wisdom comes.
Did you know there are three types of people in this world? There are:
Peace–Breakers, there are Peace–Fakers and there are Peace–Makers.
We are going to spend a few minutes today looking at peace breakers and peace fakers, then we are going to talk about what it means to be a peace maker. Let’s look first at:
1. Peace–BREAKERS
Peace–breakers are people who go out of their way to cause trouble and division. They are just plain trouble makers. They are deliberately confrontational. They walk around with a chip on their shoulder looking to pick a fight. They will fight about anything and everything - even things that don’t really matter. They disagree – just to disagree. Look at what Proverbs says about troublemakers:
“Troublemakers start fights; gossips break up friendships.” Proverbs 16:28 (MSG)
God doesn’t take to kindly to troublemakers. He desires peace makers – not peace breakers. Look at the people God says He loves:
“God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship.” Proverbs 22:11 (MSG)
Go ahead and circle the word “friendship”. Friendship is characterized by learning to get along with people. In the church we should be friends because we are family. God is our Father. Christ is our Savior. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We need peace makers in the church. We need people whose goal is unity – who strive for unity. Look at how God tells to deal with trouble makers:
“Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down; you need a break from bickering and griping!” Proverbs 22:10 (MSG)
Now before we take this verse and go on a “witch hunt” to get rid of all the troublemakers – let us remember that all of us can have bad days. Just like the little boy in story – sometimes we’re mean. We need to examine our own hearts and see if we are peace makers rather than peace breakers.
Folks let me say this – Proverbs 22:10 bears this out – the easiest way to be a peace breaker is with the use of your tongue! Gossip, slander, being a busy-body, being judgmental these things don’t belong in the church. We need to kick those things out! We are here to build each other up – not to tear each other down. We are here to create unity not division. We need to be peace–makers not peace–breakers.
Before we start looking at others we need to listen to what we are saying ourselves. We need to hear the words that come out of our own mouths. We need to ask, “Are my words building up – or are they tearing down?” All of us are capable of doing both. We can either build up – or we can tear down. We can either bless or we can curse. Look at what James says:
“Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way.” James 3:10 (HCSB)
Let us be peace makers with our actions and also with our words.
The second group that we are going to look at is:
2. Peace–FAKERS
What do I mean by ‘peace-fakers’? Peace-fakers will go to any lengths to avoid any kind of conflict, confrontation or argument. In doing so they settle for a counterfeit peace that is based on avoiding the real issues. They avoid talking about things because it may upset the other person. Or they give up – give in – even when the issue is vital.
Some people will try to ride both sides of the fence just to avoid conflict. They will agree with everyone – no matter what the issue is. They will tell people that they agree with them and then turn around and tell that next guy they agree with them too – even though the issues are in direct opposition to one another. They are faking peace – because peace is not appeasement. Let me give you an example:
A pastor saw a good friend of his headed in the wrong direction - so he decided to say something to his friend. The pastor approached the friend in gentleness and kindness – but you guessed it the friend got mad. So the pastor said, “I’m sorry, I’ll never mention it again.” The pastor never did. Do you know what happened? His friend ended up making the wrong turn and ruining his life. The pastor came to him later and apologized to him. He said, “I failed you. I let you down. The day I approached you I should have said, “You can hit me. You can scream at me. You can dislike me. But I’m concerned about you and I’m going to stay on your case and not leave you alone – because I love you.”
You see – peace at any price is not peace. When you know you need to tell the truth the enemy will whisper in your ear, “Don’t do it! Maintain the status quo. Don’t upset the apple cart.” Folks be very careful what you say – or don’t say – to keep the peace. Look at what Paul says in Ephesians:
“Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.” Ephesians 4:25 (MSG)
Folks don’t fake peace at the expense of truth – but seek peace for one another.
Now let’s look at:
3. Peace–MAKERS
God wants us to be peacemakers above everything else. Remember our focal text:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)
Peacemakers are very different kind of people. Let me give you some reasons that they are different:
A. Peacemakers pay attention to what they SAY.
Peacemakers are prepared to tell the truth and to trust God for the outcome. They want peace with out compromise. They want peace that is lasting and worthwhile – but when they are trying to help people they do it gently. Look at what Proverbs chapter fifteen says:
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1
B. Peacemakers attack the PROBLEM not the person.
You can’t focus on fixing the problem if you’re focused on blaming at the same time. It’s impossible. If you think you’re peacemaker – but all you do is blame the other person for the problem – then you’re not a peacemaker. You’re still trying to pick a fight. If you’re still trying to establish blame – you’re still bitter. Focus on the problem not the person. Look at what it says in Ephesians chapter four:
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV)
C. Peacemakers COOPERATE as much as possible.
Look at what Romans chapter twelve says:
“If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 (HCSB)
Circle the phrase “on your part”. There are some people that it’s hard to get along with. But do your part to try to get along with them. Do everything you can. Here is fact:
Peace always has a PRICE.
If you want peace in your home, your marriage, your church – there is always a price. It costs you your self centeredness. It costs you your selfishness. It costs you your self inflated ego. You may need to say, “Maybe my wife was right.” “Maybe my husband has a point.” “Maybe my co-worker has a legitimate gripe.” You see peace has a price. It’s letting go of self to let God take control.
There is an old movie by the name of “Love Story”. How many of you remember it? In that movie the last words said were, “Love means you never have to say you’re sorry.” You know what – that’s wrong. Love means telling the one you love that you are sorry over and over again. In relationships we hurt each other. Accidentally – intentionally – we just do. We need to say to one another, “I’m sorry.” It’s not easy to do. To be honest with you I find it very difficult. But I’ll be the first to admit – I’m not perfect – but thank goodness – I’m forgiven – and if you know Christ – you’re forgiven too. We ought to forgive one another – just as Christ has forgiven us.
God wants peacemakers in our homes – in our workplace – in our church – in our community. We need to be bridge builders not bridge breakers. “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.”
D. Peacemakers emphasize RELATIONSHIPS above resolution.
Folks here is a simple fact – people are different than you. They don’t always see things the same way that you do. We don’t always agree – but we can agreeably disagree. There are things we will never see eye to eye on – but we can still always walk hand in hand.
Did you know that men are different than women? It’s true – they are. On the average a man will speak 15,000 words a day. On the other hand a woman will speak 27,000 words a day. So here is what happens – a man goes off to work and he is dealing with the public all day long. He talks and talks and talks. By the time he gets home he has used up his 15,000 words – he has nothing left to say. The wife on the other hand has had a quiet day. Hasn’t said much to anyone – so when the husband gets home she still has 20,000 words left. She asks him about dinner. She says, “What do you want to do?” He says, “I don’t know what do you want to do?” The man’s brain is gone – his words are used up. He can’t think anymore – he can’t talk anymore. So the conversation keeps going – “What do you want to do?” “I don’t know what do you want to do?” They end up going out for pizza.
Seriously though – all of us are different. We don’t always see things eye to eye – but we can walk hand in hand. Building relationships matters. Look at what it says in Second Corinthians chapter five:
“Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (MSG)
God is in the peacemaking business. God has called us to be in the peacemaking business too. God says that relationships are important. That is what life is about. When all is said and done – you won’t have possessions – but you’ll still have relationships. Heaven is about relationships. You get into heaven by the relationship you have with Jesus. We won’t have “stuff” in heaven but we will have each other and Jesus too. Relationships matter. Relationships need to be emphasized above resolution.
How can you be a peacemaker? It all begins by knowing the “Prince of Peace” – Jesus Christ. It all begins by have a relationship with Him. He wants you to trust Him – to believe in Him – to have faith in Him. He has the ability to change things. He has the ability to fix that which is broken. He can even calm the storms at sea. In Matthew chapter eight there is a story of a storm. The storm was so strong. The storm was powerful. The storm was life threading. The storm was so fierce that the disciples thought they were going to die. Their little boat was being tossed around like a cork. Waves were coming over the sides. But do you remember what Jesus did? “He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:26 (HCSB)
You see Jesus was a peacemaker. He changes things. Where there is a storm – He creates calm. Where there is chaos – He creates order. Where there is bitterness and strife – He creates peace. He is the Prince of Peace. He has called us to be peacemakers too.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)
