Blessed are the Peacemakers

(upbeat music) - Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called "Sons of God." We are dealing and continuing with the Sermon of Mount and the Beatitudes in this episode of the podcast. We come to a particular verse that I think has been understood in a multitude of ways. And it behooves us, it benefits us to really grapple with what it means and what it looks like to be a peacemaker. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called "Sons of God." So let me state this in sort of a big idea, so to speak, for those who are familiar with preaching parlance, the big idea, this is the main idea. Here's the proposition for you. peacemakers aggressively strive to in conflict. You can see that that is, it seems to be contradictory in and of itself. peacemakers aggressively, peacemakers aggressively strive to end conflict. Notice it does not say peacemakers aggressively strive to stay out of or to remove themselves from conflict. A peacemaker is one who wants to end conflict. Again, I go back to Lloyd Jones who said there is nothing in the whole range of scripture which so tests and examines and humbles us as these be attitudes. The be attitudes in the Sermon of the Mount are completely counter-cultural. When we hear peace, when we hear peacemaker, there is an assumption that that means passivity, that it means passivity, but that is not what we're talking about and that's not what is meant in terms of a peacemaker. So let's unpack this along two fronts. The beliefs of a peacemaker and the behavior of a peacemaker. So unpacking the beliefs of a peacemaker, we start with the problem of peace, the problem of peace. Couple of questions here to help us get at this. The first one is, why do we struggle? And this is what some people think. These are questions that some people might ask. So we want to address these questions had on and this helps us understand the beliefs of a peacemaker particularly in reconciling the problem of peace. So a question might be, why do we struggle with a lack of peace when people are basically good? Well, obviously, most of you listening to this podcast, you've already spotted the problem in that question. People are not basically good. And why would we ever believe this? If anyone believes this, it is willful ignorance. We must view life ourselves and these issues with a proper perspective, meaning through the lens of the Bible. I am amazed at our willful ignorance on God's perspective on matters. We claim to value God's perspective, but we don't typically or oftentimes consult it. And often we agree with a culture against God. Think back to Romans three. Romans three says very clearly there is no one good. There is no one who seeks God. And then just back all the way up to the beginning of things, the biblical narrative of man's evil starting with Canaan able. Then go to Genesis chapter six. You can go to Genesis chapter eight. Look throughout scripture where God does not hide wars and violence and rape and all kinds of horrible things that are happening among humans. So by the time we come to Romans three chronologically, we are all aware that people are not good. People are not good. So second question, why don't we struggle with peace when peace as some might say is our natural position? Meaning doesn't everyone want peace? That's how you that's how you win a pageant. Is it not to be for world peace? Everybody wants peace. In reality peace is not our natural meaning default position. And again, why would we ever believe this? If we do, it is willful ignorance. We've already consulted the biblical narrative. Think of the historical narrative where you have small villages that look at another small village and they desire something that this other small village has. And so what do they do? They end peace and they go to war. Think of the history of nations, the history of superpowers. The historical narrative is not one that would reflect peace as our default positions. And human initiatives have demonstrated this. There have been more peace keeping initiatives and organizations in the previous 100 years than all years combined. Yet wars and strife continue because we are unwilling to look at the true source of the contaminant, which is the human heart. Peace is not our natural or default position. In the absence of peace is a direct result of the presence of sin. The absence of peace is a direct result of the presence of sin. As Lloyd Jones would say, quote, why is their conflict war or strife? The explanation of all our troubles is human lust, greed, selfishness, self-centeredness. It is the cause of all the trouble and the discord whether between individuals or between groups within a nation or between nations themselves, end quote. The problems in your marriage, the problems in your family, all of the strife comes from the reality and the presence of sin. As peacemakers, those who want to be peacemakers, those who are called by God to be peacemakers. As peacemakers, we must recognize the source of conflict in the world and in our hearts. And we address the source aggressively so that we can end conflict in our own lives and in the world. So what are our beliefs as peacemakers? Considering the problem of peace. Now we move to the prince of peace. If the problem is sin, is there something to address that problem? These are basic worldview questions. What is the problem? What is the solution? If the problem is sin, then what has God done to address the problem? What has God done to give us a solution? We look no further than Ephesians chapter two versus 14 through 18. For he himself is our peace. Who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace. And in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who are far away and peace to those who were near. Verse 18, "For through him we both have access to the Father by one spirit." Peace making reveals that we are God's children. It doesn't make us God's children. It reveals that we are God's children. We have become that adopted son of God or daughter of God, a child of God and the family of God through the reconciliation of Christ. We have been adopted into his family. How do we know that we are his children? Well, because we reflect God. We reflect the prince of peace in our lives. We see, don't we? That God is a God of peace. We see this in Jesus. If Jesus is the prince of peace, as he's called, who's the king of peace? If we are also sons and daughters of the king, and doesn't that, in a sense, make us a prince or a princess of peace quite different than Jesus, obviously, we are adopted into the family and we should reflect those family characteristics. The children of God should resemble God. It's more than simply claiming to be God's children. There must be a resemblance of some sort. If Jesus has saved us, he has resolved the greatest conflict in our lives. And since we are no longer internally conflicted, we seek not just won't we seek to end external conflict. In essence, we become a little prince or a little princess of peace, doing God's work throughout our lives. And one of the most important ways we can engage in peacemaking is by doing the work of evangelism, introducing people to the prince of peace, the only one who can end that internal conflict in their soul, we try to introduce, we want to introduce people to Jesus and we do that through evangelism. So those are the beliefs of a peacemaker. Now we move quickly to the behavior of a peacemaker, the behavior of a peacemaker. So the pursuit of peace is what we wanna talk about next, the pursuit of peace. Some 34 or 14 says turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. As Quarrel said, peacemaking is the work of reconciling alienated parties. It's working towards a resolution of conflict. We wanna bring unity, we wanna bring harmony. We also see peacemaking in Colossians 1 verse 20, James chapter 3 verse 18, and this is emphasizing ending conflicts between individuals. Now, let me back up a second and say this. Let's talk about what peacemaking is not. peacemaking is not being nice or being tolerant. Tolerance and niceness, they are not synonyms for peacemaking. A peacemate is not peace. appeasement tends to mean acting unjustly or unrighteously. It's just avoiding. And that does not bring peace. One one scholar said our approaches to peace are often simply cowardice masquerading as virtue. Peacemaking is hard work. It requires us to take an active interest. It requires us to be active and do what is necessary to promote reconciliation, to promote unity, to promote harmony. And when we do that, the pursuit of peace is taking priority over the pursuit of self. So the first step in peacemaking is to die to self, meaning suppress your self-interest. And your self-interest lies in, I don't want to be a part of that. I don't want it being engaged in that. I want to get away from that as best I can. But peacemaking requires that you suppress your self-interest, that you die to self, and you engage this conflict that needs to be reconciled. The absence of selfish ambition, which by the way marks the earlier be attitudes, is the only way you can be a peacemaker. The approach of self-centeredness is how is this affecting me and what is this doing to me? But the peacemaker has an entirely new perspective of himself. He despises his natural state, grieves over his sinfulness, and realizes his need for God. And he doesn't think that he's worthy of anything, and he deserves nothing. Our natural goal is actually not a piece, but of self-comfort. We live to please self, and our personal relationships tend to be negotiations for self-convert and self-interest. We negotiate to the right level of peace to get what we won't from the person. We aren't interested in their interests unless their interests benefit us. We look at relationships as business transactions rather than growth opportunities. We as peacemakers, we must end the negotiation for self-interest, and we must live for the interests of God and for others. That is the pursuit of peace, and finally, here's the process of peace. Step number one, live to glorify God. Needs no explanation, simply stated, live to glorify God. Step number two, live to serve others for their benefit, for their good, not worrying about your good. We are in a culture of self. Everything we do is focused on self-care and self-interest and self-love. If you want to be a peacemaker, you die to self, and you live to serve others, not worrying about your good. Again, I go back to the great Louis Jones. He said the peacemaker wants the glory of God and is willing to sacrifice anything and everything, including himself, to make sure that God's glory is spread. The peacemaker filters every decision, every reaction through the effect on the kingdom and the effect on the church, meaning how will this impact the spread of the gospel? We aggressively strive to have peace in our personal relationships, or we should, as Romans 12, verses 18, reminds us, if that possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Chapter 14, let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Hebrews 12, make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy. So this is the call, brothers and sisters. It's to seek out conflict in the church and aggressively strive to end it. It's to seek out, let me say that again, it's to seek out conflict in the church and aggressively strive to end it. According to Jesus, we should be known by our love, love requires doing what is hard. It requires doing what sometimes is costly for the good of the one we love. Peace is not a peacement. Peace is not peace at any price. It comes through pain and it's not cheap. John Stott said, we have no mandate from Christ to seek unity without purity, purity of both doctrine and conduct. We live to serve others for their benefit, for their good, not worrying about our own good. And oftentimes that means we seek conflict out and we want to bring it to an end. Live to go off our God, live to serve others. Third peacemakers, die to self-interest. We've already mentioned this. Imagine if our decisions in church were about actively striving for peace rather than actively striving to get our way and to have our personal preferences met. A peacemaker must forget himself. He's not sensitive, he's not touchy, he's not defensive, because he's died to self-interest. Finally, the peacemaker controls his tongue. The peacemaker lives to glorify God, lives to serve others for their benefit, dies to self-interest, and controls his tongue. Once more to Lloyd Jones. It feels like saying things, but for the sake of peace, he does not. His tongue is filtered through his heart for peace. So the peacemaker only speaks what is wholesome and useful for building others up. Ephesians 429 is helpful, isn't it? Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. Our churches are struggling and our churches desperately need godly, biblical, Matthew chapter 5 verse 9 kind of peacemakers. Do you want to be a peacemaker? Do you want to be the kind of person that this verse would call son of god, an adopted heir to the throne of god, where we are bearing his image throughout the world? You want to be that kind of person where you must be a peacemaker and peacemakers aggressively strive to in conflict. Let's go find some conflict and let's get engaged. Your mission is to find where conflict is in your life and in the life of the church. Go find it and then aggressively strive to end it. Stop ignoring it. Stop running away from it. Stop looking to your own self-interest engage and aggressively strive to end that conflict. Let's be peacemakers to the glory of god and for the good of others and the good of the church.