SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
(Matthew 5: 9) "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God”
(Proverbs 12:20) "Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy."
(Proverbs 16:7) "When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
(Hebrews 12:14) "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."
(Romans 12:18) "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
(James 3:17-18) (17) "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." (18)" Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."
(Jude 1:20-23) (20) "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost," (21) "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (22) "And of some have compassion, making a difference:" (23) "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."
PREFACE SUMMARY
Dear reader, I am sharing this message from the book of Matthew, chapter five and verse nine. I want to ask you: What is a peacemaker, and why does God bless those who choose to be peacemakers in both deed and truth?
A peacemaker is someone willing to pursue peace at any cost, knowing that God himself paid the ultimate price to establish peace with fallen humanity through the death of his Son.
The peacemakers are called the sons of God because they reflect the work of the Son of God that brought peace. The scriptures state in Colossians 1:20, "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven."
The Beatitudes are arranged in a specific order and are not just there by chance. The first four Beatitudes deal with our outward man and relationship with God. The last four Beatitudes deal with our relationship with others and teach us how Christians should live their lives amid other believers, including realizing that they live in a glass jar.
When I was a teenager, some rough people roamed the streets, and some belonged to a ruthless motorcycle gang called "the Peacemakers." These bikers would parade through town looking like they were three weeks overdue for a bath, attempting to strike fear in people as they rode by.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who build up and tear down. It doesn't take too much effort to be someone who tears down, but it takes a made-up mind and a willing heart to be someone who strives to edify and build up the body of Christ.
Beloved, let us strive to be peacemakers and children of God who reflect the work of the Son of God that brought peace to the world.
Church, in these trying times with trouble on every corner, we must keep fighting the fight of faith as a unified body working in harmony. We must hold on to His everlasting arms because many facing what we face today are losing hope and giving up.
Beloved, we may make many mistakes, but that does not define who we are. What matters most is that we dare to believe (Jeremiah 29:11) ESV: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
The enemy has a way of knowing when God is getting ready to move for us. He will send distractions to get our eyes off our assignment. Therefore, saints of the Living God, may we hold on just a little longer and realize we need each other. We are nearing the end of the day of grace, and His coming maybe sooner than we think.
"PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD"
Dear readers, did you know that people are essential to God, and He does not want us living in bondage? Instead, He wants us to live in the power and victory of the cross. Our beloved Savior dealt a mighty blow to man's sin at the cross.
God raised Christ for our justification so we could come into His holy presence as one with no sin. We are declared righteous through the blood of Jesus.
Church, as those who know Christ, we need to start living as people who have received a free pardon from sin. We must put the devil where he belongs, under our feet. We must never give the devil an inch in our lives because his primary strategy is to entice and lure us to take his bait, like an angler trying to catch a fish.
Satan, our arch deceiver, will make his lure (temptation) look appealing. But, saints, please remember that taking the bait will have consequences and place us in bondage.
Church, it is time to come to God out of the irons of past hurts, bad habits, stinking thinking, and things holding us back from getting our breakthrough. We need to start living the life that God chose for us in Christ from the foundation of the world.
(Joshua 23:10) "One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fights for you, as he has promised you. One man."
(Leviticus 26:8) "And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword."
Saints, the time is now upon us to cease acting like a bunch of loose body parts. We must recognize that we make up the body of Christ here on Earth.
Beloved, did you know that wood needs other wood to burn? Did you know that if you move a piece of wood away from the other wood in a fire, it will not have enough heat to keep burning and will soon go out?
Dear readers, may I ask what your life's source of strength and stability is? For a friend, if your trust is in anything but the Lord, you are walking on unsteady ground.
We find in God's word that the Lord never changes, that He is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His ways are higher than ours. Therefore, beloved, may we take comfort in knowing as His children that He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
(Isaiah 40:31) (28) "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Beloved, one does not need a psychic or horoscope to predict their future; all they need to do is delight in themselves in the Lord and look at what lies within.
Dear readers, our future is not ahead of us as some would think, but it was placed within us at birth by a loving God who planned our lives before the foundation of the world.
"BECOME A WORLD CHANGER"
Dear readers, it's safe to say that anything can go downstream, but it takes something with power to go against the current. The bottom line is, "We can either be a part of the problem or help find a solution."
Beloved, did you know that there have been times in our ministry, where some people have complained about things not meeting their standards, and did you know that instead of making suggestions on how to remedy the problem, they left the ministry? Did you know that after a short absence, they start making calls asking if they can come back?
The answer was evident when we asked if they had paid their dues and sent their annual forms with updated information. They had not donated any money nor attended quarterly meetings to find a better way to resolve the problem.
I see these types of people as thermometers in a room. Their sole function is to reflect the temperature of the room. If the room is cold, the thermometer demonstrates a low temperature. It can't change the temperature in the room. Like these thermometers, some people can only complain without offering solutions.
In contrast, a thermostat is designed to change its surroundings. A peacemaker is like a thermostat. They can change the atmosphere in a room. A room full of complaining people can change to a different thought pattern when a peacemaker enters the room and says something positive about the situation.
God wants peacemakers in the church, workplace, and the world who will influence people’s lives. A peacemaker is willing to pursue peace regardless of the cost. Remember that God was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice and establish peace with fallen man through the death of his Son.
Peacemakers are called the sons of God because they reflect the work of the Son of God that brought peace. As it says in Colossians 1:20, "And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven."
To be a peacemaker, we must stand up for our moral and ethical values and not compromise them. Did you know that for the world to experience peace, there must be an atmosphere of peace in the home? If you cannot keep peace at home, your chances of doing so in other environments are not good.
Dear reader, the Apostle Paul states in (Romans 12:18) ] "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Our way of life is in contrast with the world and there may be times when peace with men may not always be possible, but we can seek to accomplish this commandment by maintaining a well-disciplined prayer life.
The ones who place their trusts in God, will not think it necessary to avenge themselves, for they will leave the vengeance up to God and give way to wrath living their life to overcome evil with good.
(Matthew 5:11-12) “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, persecute you, and falsely say all manner of evil against you for my name’s sake. “Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted were the prophets before you.”
Dear reader, it is said that anyone can float downstream in a river, but to go upstream against the current requires power and strength. This highlights the famous saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
As faithful and committed people, we must stay committed because we will be judged by our faithfulness in our works, which will be tried by fire.
(Luke 16:10) "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." This verse means that if we can be trusted with a little, we can also be trusted with a lot. Our faithfulness reflects our character.
The Beatitudes are designed in a specific order and not just by chance. The first four Beatitudes deal with our outward man and our relationship with God, including what it means to be a Christian. The last four Beatitudes deal with our relationship with others, teaching how Christians should live their life amid other believers, realizing that they, too, live in a glass jar.
The bottom line to this message on being a peacemaker is that it makes us "A World Changer." The first four Beatitudes focus on our needs, while the last four Beatitudes focus on our responsibility to God and our fellow man, making us accountable to God and our elders.
In the book of Matthew, the sermon on persecution and beloved follows the sermon on the peacemakers. This is no accident, for God wants us to know that the Christian life can be a lonely and costly life, but the rewards are out of this world.
Beloved, let me say in closing that "the world has the peace of God, but you and I who know Him as our Lord and Savior have peace with God because our sins have been forgiven, and we have been adopted into His royal family as sons and daughters of the Most-High God.
"Saints, my favorite scripture in the bible, can be found in (Psalms 19:14) "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer." A-Men
MY CONCLUSDION
Dear readers, the sinful nature was passed down to the seed of Adam through his disobedient act of breaking the only commandment God gave him. That commandment was not to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and evil. God warned that on the day that Adam ate of it, he would surely die. (Genesis 2:17)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ can free you from sin's effects, no matter your past. Even if you have been confined in a prison, the devil cannot hold your past against you once you have accepted the blood of Christ as God’s requirement for your sin. You are set free from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:2) "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death that we might become the righteousness (right standing with God) of God in Christ Jesus.”
Beloved, the world may offer "the peace of God" for a short time, but we whom His amazing grace has saved know Him as Savior and Lord can experience "peace with God." This peace can give us the grace needed to forgive someone who has violated us or a family member, such as a rapist or even a murderer.
We now see the accurate picture, which is that people without a changed nature who have not dealt with the sin problem will act like and serve their master, who is Satan, and beloved, the world may be offered the peace of God, but we who are saved have peace with Him because the blood of God’s precious lamb has cleansed us. (1 John 1:9) The fellowship we lost through Adam can now be restored by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus as God’s final payment for our sins. (John 3:16-17)
Dear readers, I want to personally thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me in studying the gems we have discovered by choosing to be different.
In closing, let us bow our heads in worship and thank God for His excellent plan that predestined our birth and life for His cause and purpose.
Dear readers, let us thank Him for the blood of Jesus, which will protect us from evil, make our lives count, and keep the enemy from bringing his accusations against us as we stand our ground, not allowing an out-of-control society to cause us to not live peacefully with all men. In closing, I would like to end this message with prayer.
"Dear Lord, we believe You sent Jesus to pay the sin debt and die in our place. We also believe He died and rose again for our justification.”
“Lord, we approach Your throne of grace in the name of Jesus, repenting our sins. According to (1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
“Dear Lord, we accept Your free pardon and ask You to create a clean heart and right spirit in us. Lord, wash us in Your Son's blood and remove anything we may have inherited from our bloodline.”
“Heavenly Father, in closing, we ask that You make our life count, and with our whole hearts, we pledge our allegiance to You and Your kingdom. For it is in You that we have discovered the purpose for our life here on this planet." Amen.
International Evangelist
Jerry W. Hulse Ph.D.
Miracle Life Church International
