The Perfect Standard For Life
Peacemaking Wins God’s Heart - Part 7 of 8
Reading: Matthew 5v9
Two historians by the names of Will and Ariel Durant wrote in their book The Lessons of History, “War is one of the constants of history, and has not diminished with civilization and democracy. In the last 3421 years of recorded history, only 268 have seen no war”.
“That’s a frightening thought, isn’t it?”
Today we have CNN, the BBC, and many other news agencies around the world who bring into our homes, as wars are being fought around the world.
It’s become a reality of life.
It’s almost a given in the times we live in that there’s war happening somewhere in the world, and many people have many answers on how to stop these wars.
They come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas.
Some people say there has to be at least one superpower to control everything, and if they become a superpower by winning a war, then let it be so.
Some people suggest that people must not turn up for war when their country calls them into duty.
They ask the question, “What if they had a war and nobody came?”
Other people again say, if we live by the Golden Rule then wars will stop.
Now, this last suggestion only touches on the solution, but it does not go far enough, because no person can by their own strength live by the Golden Rule.
In other words, our own efforts to make peace are like those unfortunate firefighters who were called to rescue a cat that was stuck in a tree.
Their rescue was successful, carried out by the book, but as they put their truck into gear to return to the station they backed over the same animal they had just rescued.
Yes, they had the right motive, but they ended up with the wrong result.
…and so the answer lies not in simply applying ethics.
The answer to war lies in the pages of the Bible and we Christians have the answer to this dilemma.
Jesus said, “Blessed [approved of God] are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God”.
…and if we understand this statement of Jesus correctly and apply it to our hearts in the right way, then it can do two things for us.
It can bring peace to our own hearts -, and we can become peacemakers.
In other words, we can become the very people who mediate peace amongst people.
What Does “Peacemakers” Mean?
Let’s start at the beginning.
If we take the first half of the word “peace”, it means very much the same as the Hebrew word “Shalom”.
“Shalom” has the idea of wishing someone else the absence of trouble in their lives, but it says more than that.
It also speaks of a certain wholeness and a complete life.
In other words, the word “shalom” includes all of a person.
It says, “God’s highest good to you”.
The second half of the word “makers”, tells us that you and I must not be passive and inactive about peace, but we must be a source of peace as well.
So if we take these two meanings together it describes for us a person who is active in pursuing peace in it’s complete fullness.
In other words, a “peacemaker” as it is used here, is someone who not only pursues the absence of conflict in another person’s life, they also pursue wholeness and total well-being in that person’s life as well.
But then also if we want to understand what the word “peacemakers” mean, then we first have to look at what it does not mean in order to understand what it actually means.
a. It Does Not Mean Being An Easygoing Person.
A peacemaker is not a person who does not care what anyone else does as long as it does not affect themselves.
b. It Does Not Mean Being Tolerant All The Time.
A peacemaker never says, “You do your thing, and I’ll do mine”.
c. It Does Not Mean Having Peace At Any Cost.
Agreeing to a truce or appeasement does not make peace, it only puts off the conflict until another time.
What Is A Peacemaker Like?
There are three things I want us to look at:
a. A Peacemaker Is An Honest Person.
In other words, an honest person never hides a problem when there’s one, he always admits it, because you cannot fix what you don’t admit!
Ezekiel spoke about people who act as if all is well, when in fact it is not.
He says in Ezekiel 13v10 of such people, “They shout peace when there is no peace”.
In other words, people like this kind of just plaster over the cracks, but never fix the cracks permanently.
The plaster just hides the problem and years later when the plaster falls off, the cracks or the problems are still there.
Jeremiah said the same thing in 6v14, “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there! Yet the priests and prophets give assurances of peace when all is war.” (LB).
The peacemaker does not do this.
In other words, the peacemaker is completely honest about the true status of relationships in the world and the society he moves in, and in his own personal dealings with the people he comes into contact with.
The peacemaker admits failed relationships in his own life and in the lives of other people.
He admits that he is at odds with others, if it is so!
He honestly admits the tension if others have something against him.
It means that a peacemaker never pretends everything is alright, when it’s not!
Therefore a peacemaker refuses to say, “Peace, Peace”, when there is no peace.
“Isn’t that true about our own lives as well?”
I know there are people who have real tensions with other people, yet they tend to plaster over the cracks.
Problem is our avoidance of these stressed relationships now only brings more trouble later.
Two people cannot be at peace until they recognize and fix the wrong attitudes and actions that caused the conflict between them, and then bring themselves to God for cleansing.
Peace that ignores this cleansing is not God’s peace at all.
Peace cannot come where sin remains, because sin can produce nothing but conflict and trouble.
James says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing”.
In other words, you cannot avoid facing other people with the truth, for the sake of peace.
…and this kind of leads us neatly into the next point.
b. A Peacemaker Is Willing To Risk Pain.
John Andrew Holmes rightly said of our efforts to bring peace, “Yes, we love peace, but we are not willing to take wounds for it, as we are for war”.
Many people mean well, but their meanness is worse that their wellness, isn’t that true?
…and so the peacemaker is always at risk being rejected, or put aside, or blamed for wanting to bring peace to a relationship gone wrong.
The peacemaker is always at risk when they have the task of rebuking and reprimanding another person in love.
…and yet sometimes that is what we have to do when someone is out of step.
Listen to what God has to say about that in Matthew 18v15-17, “If a brother sins against you, go to him privately and confront him with his fault. If he listens and confesses it, you have won back a brother. But if not, then take one or two others with you and go back to him again, proving everything you say by these witnesses. If he still refuses to listen, then take your case to the church, and if the church’s verdict favors you, but he won’t accept it, then the church should excommunicate him.” (LB).
So if you want to be a peacemaker, then you must be willing to risk these things.
You must be willing to pay the price, because this kind of confrontation will often bring more chaos and bitterness.
Sin that is not dealt with will always disrupt and destroy the peace.
c. A Peacemaker Is A Fighter.
In other words, a peacemaker sometimes makes trouble to bring about peace.
To put it into different words: a peacemaker wages peace.
God says this about that in Ephesians 4v3, “Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.” (LB).
Another translation says, “Make every effort [not just some effort] to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”.
God also says in Romans 14v18-19, “If you let Christ be Lord in these affairs, God will be glad; and so will others. In this way aim for harmony in the church, and try to build each other up.” (LB).
Now, if a peacemaker is a fighter it still gives you no license to kill people with your words, because a peacemaker is never argumentative.
Rather, as we have seen earlier, a peacemaker is covered with the “Shalom” of God.
A peacemaker is always gentle but honest.
A peacemaker is never arrogant and does not demand perfection of others.
…and God describes for us the kind of attitude a peacemaker must have in
James 3v17-18, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.” (LB).
We see in the Bible that Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, yet there was nothing cheap about His peacemaking.
Paul writes in Colossians 1v19-20, “…for God wanted all of himself to be in his Son.
It was through what his Son did that God cleared a path for everything to come to him—all things in heaven and on earth—for Christ’s death on the cross has made peace with God for all by his blood.” (LB).
In other words, Jesus saw the need but did not ignore it.
He did something about it, therefore Jesus was aggressive about doing something about the problem -, so He made peace with God His Father on our behalf so that we could have eternal life.
So Jesus then became the source of peace among all people.
For Christ himself is our way of peace and so the feud ended at last at the cross!
In other words, by becoming our peace, Jesus then puts His peace in our hearts.
Jesus says in the Bible says in John 14v27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you”.
This then should make you promote peace amongst people, however we cannot do this by ourselves, but only as Jesus becomes our peace.
Now, Jesus not only made peace possible with God and peace amongst people, He went further than that and actually told us how to go about it.
He says is Philippians 2v3-8, “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing. Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross.” (LB).
In other words, if we follow Jesus’ example here, being a peacemaker will cost you lots, but it’s worth it.
Peacemakers are willing to lose their dignity.
Peacemakers are willing to lower themselves in order to bring shalom to people’s lives.
This is the way it works.
However, this peacemaking cannot take place without a radical change of heart and the help of the Holy Spirit.
It demands a radical makeover of your heart.
“How do get this radical makeover?”
First you must experience the shalom of God, because you cannot become a peacemaker until you have peace yourself.
You see, without God’s grace in your heart you will always be an enemy of God, so your heart must first be changed, because you cannot give away what you do not possess.
Then when you’ve made your peace with God and experience His peace in your life, then the Holy Spirit comes and makes you a peacemaker.
He molds you to become more peace-loving, more gentle, more humble, more forgiving.
He convinces you not to say “peace, peace”, when there is no peace.
He leads you to pursue peace.
What Is The Result Of Being A Peacemaker?
The result is, “They will be called the sons of God”.
Like all the other Beatitudes, the idea is that they, and no-one else will be called the sons’ of God.
…and by the way, it is only God who determines who His children are, because He has determined that they should be humble,… repentant over their sins, gentle, seekers of righteousness, merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers.
…so it is God, not any person who gives you the title of “son”, and being God’s son means you have complied with His standards for the Kingdom.
…and what does “sons of God” mean?”
Well, it refers to character.
Look what God says about that in Luke 6v35, “Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don’t be concerned about the fact that they won’t repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as sons of God: for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are very wicked.” (LB).
In other words, peacemakers involve themselves in the character of God.
What Job Description Goes With This Title?
a. God Calls Us To Be Peacemakers, Not Troublemakers.
A peacemaker helps others make their peace with God.
A peacemaker builds bridges between other people and God and also between people and other people.
In other words, a peacemaker always build’s a bridge between themselves and other people.
…and yet peacemakers are sometimes trouble makers for the sake of peace, but not troublemakers who spread rumours and gossip.
“Now, don’t you just know people like that?”
Don’t you just know people who constantly bring unhappiness amongst people, people who always find it their mission in life to bring you trouble and scandal?
Don’t you just know people who walk around with a long face always looking for a fight?
Don’t you just know people who always find fault with the leadership of the church, people who actually speak slanderous things about the leadership of the church?
Don’t you just know people who always point fingers at other believers and find fault with their fellow believers, find fault with their spouses and their children, find fault with everyone they come into contact with?
Don’t you just know people who are never willing to forgive another Christian, even their very own sons or daughters, even their own husbands or wives?
“Do you know any bitter people like that?”
“Aren’t they just the most unhappy people you’ve ever seen?”
Well, God says, if you are such a person, then you’re not a peacemaking person, and therefore you’re probably not a Christian.
Listen to what God says of such people who always complain, people who always find fault, people who always gossip, people who always slander and insult other people.
Galatians 5v19-21 says, “But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—…let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (LB).
Again, this is not a matter of whether you occasionally fall into these things or struggling to control them now and then.
No, - but rather whether these things are actually part of your everyday character.
In other words, if this is what you’re like day in and day out, - and please be honest with yourself and look inside your heart before you look at anyone else’ heart, - if you’re like this, then you’re not in the Kingdom of God.
b. God Calls Us To Pray For Peace.
“Where does security come from?”
It comes in answer to your prayers.
…and doesn’t it take extra special effort to be at war with someone you’re praying for?
You know, sometimes we’re like that little boy who wanted a new CD player for Christmas.
He said to his parents, “I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know whether to ask Father Christmas, or pray for it”.
Problem is, most often we use prayer as a second option, isn’t it?
Someone once said, “Prayer is not a device for getting our will done through heaven, but a desire that God’s will would be done on earth through us”.
How Do You Become A Peacemaker?
a. First You Must Make Your Peace With God.
People are without peace because they are without God, because God is the source of peace.
In other words, you cannot attempt to be a peacemaker when your inner live is a walking civil war.
So you must first experience peace in your own heart before you can express it in the world out there, because God can only work peace through you, if He has worked His peace in you.
Its like this story of a frightened soldier who was running from sniper bullets.
He dove into a bunker thinking that he was alone.
To his surprise another soldier crawled into the bunker as well.
The second soldier happened to be wearing a cross around his neck.
“Thank goodness you’re here”, said the frightened soldier, pointing to the cross around the other soldier’s neck.
He asked, “How do you work that thing anyway?”
Well, let me say this, - the cross of Christ isn’t something you “work”.
It is something that works for you, because you can have 100 crosses around your neck, and still not be related to Jesus Christ or enjoy His peace in your heart.
If you want peace, then make your peace with God by giving Him your heart and your entire life.
God’s peace will only come to you God’s way!
b. Climb The Ladder Of The Beatitudes.
When we started with the Beatitudes, I asked you not to miss any single Sunday, because all these Beatitudes build on the previous one.
In other words, all the other Beatitudes builds up to this one.
You cannot be a peacemaker if you haven’t followed all the other Beatitudes.
Beatitude One: First you must experience a poverty of spirit which says, there is nothing in myself and of myself that recommends me to God.
Beatitude Two: You must mourn over your sins. You must come face to face with your sins.
Beatitude Three: You must experience a gentleness and humility in dealing with other people.
Beatitude Four: You must hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Beatitude Five: You must be merciful to others and show forgiveness.
Beatitude Six: You must live a pure life in order to see God.
Beatitude Seven: Now, having these, you must become a peacemaker and display the character of the Kingdom in your life.
Conclusion.
God has a family album, and just like any other photo album that capture the variety of human characteristics on film, God’s album also displays a variety of spiritual characteristics.
One trait is predominant though and it is seen on the face of every true believer in God -
that trait is peace.
You see, those who show signs of being in God’s family by making peace are called the sons of God, and only those who belong to Christ can be the messengers of peace.
Therefore God says in 2 Corinthians 5v18, “…now all these things are from Christ, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”.
…and the ministry of reconciliation is the ministry of peacemaking.
There is this amazing story of 11 people who found themselves adrift on a huge ice block on a river, and they were headed for a waterfall.
The brother of one of the people on this ice block arrived at the scene and begged onlookers to help him rescue these people.
He even offered them money, but the people refused.
“It’s too dangerous”, they said.
At that critical moment the brother took a desperate step.
He tied a line around his waist, waded into the icy waters and invited the others to do the same.
Four of the onlookers responded, forming a human chain.
Walking into that cold water, they achieved what money couldn’t buy, the rescue of every person trapped on that ice berg.
In the same way, Jesus Christ offered His life as an example.
He offered Himself as a rescuer and then said to a dying and watching world,
“Tie yourself to me”.
In other words, together with Him, you and I can reach those people who are trapped in not having made their peace with God as yet.
We can make peace.
Jesus is asking you to respond this morning and tie yourself to Him and make your peace with Him that He offered you through dying on the cross for you.
“Will you do that?”
If you’re already a Christian this morning, then go and make your peace with the person who has wronged you and insulted you and hurt you.
“Will you do that?”
