Making Peace God’s Way
{You can Watch today’s message at: https://youtu.be/CW4cwFu-lsc }
OR
{You can Listen to today’s message at: https://mega.nz/file/eIETnSxR#ku00yOlW9Ets6SlYKdq3lQGH0ZqIGG2k18a5JYAJF70 }
A three-year-old boy named Matthew had his friend Luke over for playtime. Matthew, however, was having a tough time. He was arguing about the toys Luke was playing with and became very grumpy.
When his mother put him down for a nap she said, “Matthew, Luke is one of your best friends. You should really be nicer to him.” And Matthew replied, “Well, sometimes I’m just mean, and sometime I’m not, just like Dad.”
Out of the mouth of babes: “Like father like son?”
Ever notice that whenever one of our children does something we’re proud of we say, “They’re just like me.” And whenever they do something embarrassing, we say they’re just like our spouses? But either way they’re just like us.
It’s this story that leads us into today’s message on our need to make peace, but not in accordance with what the world says that we are to do it, but rather we are to do it God’s way, because then we truly will be like our Father in heaven.
But let me start by looking at this new plague of violence that has gripped our nation. I saw a picture of a man standing on the charred remains of a burned out car destroyed in the surge of violence holding up a sign saying, “No Justice, No Peace.”
And while I am in agreement that all injustice should be dealt with, it should be done in a way that is productive and doesn’t promote more violence and injustice, which is what Jesus taught.
After Peter cut of the ear of one of the High Priest’s servants who came to arrest Jesus, Jesus said, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)
So instead of more violence, which in turn inspires more in return, we need to seek justice in a way that promotes peace, which is at the heart of God as Jesus makes this one of the main attributes of a Christian.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9), which Solomon calls the wise course of action (Proverbs 29:8).
But before we move on as to what it means to be a peacemaker, I’d like to point out that there is a real scary part of wanting justice, which I believe needs to happen, but the scary part of this equation is that justice must first be procured within ourselves.
What do I mean? Before justice can be pronounce upon another, God reminds us of the justice that He demands first, which starts with the wrongs we’ve done to others and especially to God.
To those who wanted justice against the woman caught in adultery, and who were ready to mete out such justice right then and there; Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone." (John 8:7)
Jesus reminded them that they had to deal with their own injustice to God and His law before any justice could be meted out upon anyone else.
A man innocent of a crime was approached by a friend who said they were praying for justice. The man responded, “Don’t pray for justice, pray for God’s mercy.”
Therefore, the peace we need, the peace we long for isn’t found in justice being served, but rather in God’s mercy being poured out.
Further, look again at Jesus’s beatitude and note that it says, blessed are the peacemakers, not the peace lovers, or the peaceable. In other words, blessed are those who make peace, that is, those who actively seek to resolve conflict rather than create it.
So how can we learn to make peace, not only with one another, but also with God?
First it’s not avoiding or running away from a problem. It’s also not pretending that a problem doesn’t exist. And if truth be known, none of us like conflict, and I really don’t know anyone who has the gift of confrontation. But to avoid a problem usually makes it bigger over time.
Next, we should never try to appease our way to peace, that is, letting others have their way, or to continue to let them off the hook, thus allowing them to continue to walk all over us. This isn’t peace; it’s abuse.
Why is this important, because when we don’t make peace God’s way in whatever confronts us, and whenever conflicts arise, then it not only hinders our fellowship with God, but it also hinders our prayer life as well.
When there is unresolved conflict, our worship of God will be hindered, and we’ll have a hard time hearing Him speak into our lives. So I think it’s safe to say that we all need to learn how to be peacemakers, and actively seek to resolve conflict?
How Can We Become Peacemakers?
1. Reconciliation
The first way is through the act of reconciliation.
To reconcile means to reestablish a relationship, and to bring that relationship back to one of harmony and peace.
Jesus said when someone is at conflict with us we’re to “Go and be reconciled to that person.” (Matthew 5:24a NLT)
Jesus is saying to take the initiative. Don’t wait for others to make the first move, whether we’re the offender or the offended. Please know that conflict is never resolved accidentally, nor does it resolve itself.
After I brought our church into Foursquare denomination, several pastors were upset and left creating conflict within the church. Knowing what the Bible says, I scheduled a sit down with all the pastors individually and let them air their complaints.
Other pastors in the community thought I was crazy, but by taking the higher ground and following God’s word I found peace and the church was settled.
Next, I think that it is important to emphasize reconciliation not resolution.
There will always be legitimate differences. There are always differences. Take men and women. On average men speak 15,000 words a day, while women speak 27,000 words a day. What this means is that wives if you think your husband isn’t listening, realize that God didn’t create men to take that much in. There’s approximately 12,000 words a day that’s going right over our heads.
But there are honest differences and we’re not going to resolve them all. So God’s wants us to reconcile, that is, have peace even though the problems may still exist. In Christian vernacular we have to learn to disagree agreeably.
God actually models reconciliation for us saying, “All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18 NKJV)
What I found interesting is that the word “reconciler” is a synonym for peacemaker. God sent Jesus so we can have peace with Him. And so God is the original peacemaker.
2. Empathy
J.B. Phillips in his translation of Philippians 2:4 says, “None of you should think only of his own affairs, but consider other people’s interests also.” (Philippians 2:4 J.B. Phillips)
The definition of empathy is the action of understanding and being sensitive to another person; to vicariously experience their feelings, thoughts, and experiences; in other words, we need to put ourselves in their place. Walk a mile in their shoes so to speak.
The Greek word for “consider” is where we get our word, “scope.” It means to focus in upon, to pay attention to, and to hone in on the needs of others, like a scope on a rifle or a telescope.
As a believer in Jesus, this is what I need to do, because in so many ways what others have experienced I never have. But I do know those who have literally been brutalized and abused by those in authority or authority figures in their lives, just because of their gender, the color of their skin, their nationality, or because of their faith.
And I have had members of my own family that I grew up with who have used hurtful words. They have even discriminated against my family and children because of their hatred, not because of anything they had experienced, but because of what and how they were taught.
And so we need to have greater understanding and empathy for others, because frankly we don’t know what they have gone through, and as Christians that is how we are told to conduct ourselves. We are told to pursue peace with all people, (all, no matter where they are from, or their race, nationality, or faith) and the Bible says that besides pursuing peace, we’re to pursue holiness as well (Hebrews 12:14).
And so let’s take Paul’s admonition who said that we are to do everything we can to live at peace with everyone, in other words, there is no exceptions. He said that as far as it depends upon us, we are to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18), or this is our responsibility, to be those peacemakers.
Our problem is that it is all about us, we’re the only ones we’re thinking about. It’s about us and our hurts, so we don’t care about others, but God says that as Christians we’re to reverse that trend. We’re to focus in on other’s and their needs, and not just our own.
Just one last point in this area, and that is our need to remember what Jesus endured as He was brutalized and abused by those who were in authority as well, and for a crime he never committed. He was completely innocent, but He went through it all so that we can have peace, peace with God and the peace of God, and so that we can extend that same peace and forgiveness to others.
3. Understanding
Attack the problem, not the person. We can’t fix the problem if we’re fixing the blame at the same time.
“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” (Proverbs 15:1 NLT)
We need to engage the mind before we engage the mouth.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)
To use Dale Carnage’s famous saying, “Never criticize, condemn, or complain.”
But this step of understanding has another layer. It is to understand that it isn’t the person that we are having the problem with; rather it is the power behind that person, that is the spiritual forces that are behind the rift or problem that is causing the strife.
When Peter came against Jesus trying to prevent Jesus from going to Jerusalem, Jesus understood that it wasn’t Peter that was actually doing the speaking, but rather it was the spiritual force of Satan using Peter to try to sway Jesus away from His purpose and God’s plan for our salvation.
Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23 NKJV)
And this is exactly what Paul brings out in his letter to the church in Ephesus.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
4. Cooperation
We need to build bridges, not bomb them. What can we do together to make right the wrong?
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18 NIV)
This truly is one of the hallmarks of being a Christian. It’s not so much about how much we pray or read the Bible as it is about how we get along with others. It’s by our love that they’ll know that we are Christians.
Now, the underlying phrase is “as it depends on you.” There are some people that are just hard to get along with. But we’re told to do everything possible to be at peace.
In relationships we get hurt and we hurt others; accidentally or intentionally, but hurt happens.
The Apostle James says, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 NIV)
Peacemakers plant seeds of peace, and in the end they’ll reap a harvest of goodwill, because there’s a truism that says whatever we sow in life is exactly what we’ll be reaping.
If we want people to cooperate with us, then we’ve got to cooperate with them. If we want people to be nice to us, we have to be nice back. It takes two to tango; therefore we are as much a part and contributor to that conflict as the other person.
Whatever seeds we’re sowing are what we can expect to reap, so it’s far better to cooperate and have peace than it is to criticize, condemn and complain.
Conclusion
But to be a peacemaker we have to have God’s peace inside, which calls for a relationship with Him. We have to stop looking to others to meet our need for peace and look to God. Others are going to let us down, which we see as a huge contributor to the present violence that is going on in our country. But God will never let us down.
The Apostle Paul said, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15 NIV)
The Greek word for “rule” is where we get our word “umpire.” When Jesus comes into our hearts, He’s the umpire. He’s the one who calls what is fair and what is foul. And when Jesus rules and is the umpire over our hearts, then God’s peace will follow. Only then will we be peacemakers.
One last point and that is many people think they have the peace of God in their heart, when in reality what they have is only a ceasefire. It’s where they keep God at a distance, and if God isn’t bothering them then they’re at peace. But this isn’t peace, rather it’s a false peace and it isn’t going to last.
The Bible says that sin makes us God’s enemies. If there exists any un-confessed and un-repented sin in our lives then we’re not at peace, instead we’re at war with God, and if that’s the case, we’re going to lose.
And so blessed are the peacemakers because they experience the real joy of a personal relationship with God. And if we are peacemakers that is when we become just like God, or like our story of little Matthew, “like Father, like son or daughter.”
Jesus says there is one thing we can always do in this life that makes us just like our heavenly Father, and that is when we become peacemakers.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NKJV)
Or, like Father like son or daughter.
