PEACEMAKING: A LIFE OF BLESSINGS
A life of blessings begins and ends with Jesus. Jesus in His famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount said, "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called children of God" (Matt. 5:9).
- Peacemakers have Jesus on the inside in the heart! You have heard computer manufacturers say this computer is the best because it has Pentium on the inside. Well, I came by to tell us today that we must have Jesus on the inside in order to be a peacemaker!
- Jesus is the Prince of Peace! He always brings blessings of peace when He is on the inside. Isaiah prophesied approximately 740 years before Jesus was born declaring, " For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end ....of peace.... To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this" Is. 9: 6-7). Without the "Prince of Peace" we have disorder characterized by: chaos, confusion, contention, quarreling, fussing, fighting, mumbling, grumbling, complaining, nagging and all sorts of other warring activities.
- The Hebrew word Shalom was translated into the English word peace. Let's say Shalom to one another. What is Shalom? Health, well-being, wholeness, completeness, balance, harmony, joy, perfect happiness, perfect relationships with God neighbor and self.
- The Hebrew word Asah means to work, labor, to make, create, construct, build, accomplish. It is used to describe God's creative activity.
- Peacemaker = Shalom Asah; Jesus was the Creator of Peace. When Jesus is on the inside He creates peace and a peaceful existence. Jesus creates a foundation of peace.
- Paul explained How we can become peacemakers: "So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another" (Rom. 14: 19).
- Begin with Jesus as the Cornerstone. Peter quoted Isaiah the prophet who prophesied, "Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed" (Is. 28:16, 1 Pet. 2: 6). Peter went on to explain that for those who disbelieve, "The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, ..." (1 Pet. 2: 7-8).
- Jesus is the Cornerstone, the anchor that gives our lives purpose, meaning, and peace! Shalom Asah!!!
- The Greek term eirenopolos was translated into the English word peacemakers. Spiros Zodiates said that the term peacemaker in (Matt. 5: 9) is one who received peace in their own heart and then makes peace in others.
- The Holman Bible Dictionary defined peacemaker as one who "actively works to bring about peace and reconciliation where there is hatred and enmity".
- Cain Hope Felder said of peacemakers that "the vision and promise of peace are calls to action on the part of persons seeking to participate in God's Kingdom (reign)".
- Jesus "Blessed are the Peacemakers" they are Contented, Satisfied, and Happy! There is never a dull moment with Jesus. Some say they are bored as a result of idle time. Satan is the one who whispers "You are bored and you do not have anything to do" Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10: 10). We Do Not have to be bored! We can carry the Bible with us to read when we have idle time. We can pray for others when we have idle time. There is no reason to be bored if we have Jesus on the inside.
- Peacemakers use their free time wisely to be a blessing. They are not bored, discontented, or dissatisfied because they are blessed.
If we want this good life of blessings and long life we must believe in Jesus and we will not be disappointed! The Bible provides the roadmap for a life of blessing and peace within.
- Peter instructed the early Church long ago and us today that four things are needed to be a Peacemaker with a life of Blessings.
- 1. Right Attitude in the Church
- 2. Right Response with Unbelievers
- 3. Right Speech with Everyone
- 4. Right Standard: Righteousness, Justice, and Mercy
I. Right Attitude in the Church
5 Building Blocks for Unity
- Love : Agape : The highest form of love for God, neighbor and enemies What is love? One of you said "Let love be real". What is God's idea of love? Paul described, "Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails:"(1 Cor. 13: 4-8). Every Sunday we say the Decalogue: "Hear what Christ, our Saviour saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets". Jesus said, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matt. 5: 44). One of the major reasons The Civil Rights Movements was successful was because it was built on the Biblical Principle of Loving ones enemies. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught nonviolence and love of enemies and sought to win their friendship. God spoke to him at his kitchen table in the early morning hours not to be afraid but to go forward and He would be with him. The power of love changes people.
- Harmony - Peter instructed, "To sum up, all of you be harmonious...."(1 Pet. 3: 8). The Church must have unity of spirit and work together. Some eight pastors I interviewed said that 80% of the churches that they were familiar with were divided and were characterized as having a "Family Feud" going on in the church. One family sits on one side and the other family sits on the opposite side and the two families do not like one another much less love one another. A peacemaker seeks to create harmony.
- Humility - Peter declared, "all of you be .... humble in spirit" (1 Pet. 3: 8). We must have an honest estimation of ourselves and not be arrogant and think we are better than anyone else. We must lift other up and rejoice in their success rather than brag about our own achievements.
- Sympathetic — We are called to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of others. Peter concluded that we must all be sympathetic, (1 Pet. 3: 8).
- Compassionate — We must be moved by the Holy Spirit to help others in need. Peter said, "all of you be.... Kindhearted" (1 Pet. 3: 8).
God calls the church to use these 5 building blocks to add to Jesus the cornerstone in order to build a peacemaking community. A peaceful community starts with Jesus and a strong spiritual foundation built on love, harmony, humility, sympathy and compassion. An actual foundation of bricks was laid on a table to illustrate how peacemaking is created. A double brick represented Jesus the cornerstone and each of the 5 concepts were represented by a brick in the foundation. The words were also written in large letters on a flip chart on the side outside the altar rail. This portion of the illustration was conducted directly in front of the congregation not in the pulpit.
II. Right Response to Unbelievers.
Peter continued, "not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing" (1 Pet. 3: 9).
- Bless those who curse and abuse you.
- Pray for those who persecute you.
- Love your enemies and let your right responses win their friendship. )=. Jesus said, ".... Do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Matt. 5: 39).
- Do not retaliate. We should do good to them that hurt us. Be kind and live righteously giving respect to all people.
- Children will often hit back if they are struck by another child. They have to be taught the way of Jesus.
- Adults hit back usually in one of two ways: Hot & explosive way of arguing back, giving them a piece of their mind or gossiping about the person or Ice Treatment also known as the cold shoulder with shunning or not speaking.
- Question: Do either of these two approaches solve the problem?
- Do they bless or curse?
- We must be a blessing to others in order to inherit a blessing. Find a point of agreement and seek to build bridges that create a peaceful relationship.
III. Right Speech that builds up.
Peter quoted Psalm 37: 12-13 saying "For, "The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit".
- Evil speech dishonors God and the person he created. All people have worth and value.
- Lying and deceit deliberately tricks or misleads another person.
- Peacemakers have gotten rid of malice, deceit and slander. They do not argue back but tell the truth in love.
- What controls our speech? Jesus stated, " .... For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matt. 12: 34). Jesus on the inside or satan on the inside.
- We must watch what we say to others. We have the capacity to speak life or death, blessing or destruction. James declared, " the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets a on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell But no one can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way" (James 3: 6, 8 10).
- James concluded, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3: 17-18).
- Our words seek to punish those who we believe obstruct us from getting our way.
- We have a choice to speak wise words that bless and be a peacemaker receiving a life of Blessings.
IV. Righteous Standards of Peacemaking
- Peter quoted Psalm 34: 14-16 saying," He must turn from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" ( Peter 3: 11-12).
- We must reject the sinful treatment of others.
- Seek Peace and pursue it by actively building good positive relationships that build up others. Actively seek to live in harmony, tranquility with joy and happiness.
- JOY = Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself third!
- Only one out of eight pastors interviewed understood peacemaking as building peaceful healthy relationships centered on Jesus. The others talked about prayer, scripture, and conflict resolution.
- Peacemaking is a life of blessings. If more of us were biblical peacemakers there would be less conflict to resolve in the Church. Pastors that were surveyed (20) did not think gender disputes were a major problem in the Church however the eight pastors interviewed indicated that they had been involved in gender disputes. More pastors acknowledged that relationship disputes existed in the Church.
- Unfortunately many scholars and pastors have not clearly understood what Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers".
- If Churches were filled with peacemakers there would not be eighty percent of the churches in a particular denomination with division and "Family Feuds" going on actively in the church.
- We must examine the Scriptures and come to a more accurate understanding of peacemaking: the life of blessings.
Rom. 12: 18 "If possible, so far as it depends on you, are at peace with all people". 1 Thess. 5: 13 "Live in peace with one another".
Rom. 14: 17 "For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit".
2 Cor. 13: 11 "Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be likeminded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you".
2 Tim. 2: 22 "Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart".
Heb. 12: 14 "Pursue peace with all people and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord".
Conclusion: The Blessed Life of a Peacemaker will possess six things: Jesus as the Cornerstone, love, harmony, humility, sympathy, and compassion. A peacemaker will be characterized by the fruit of the Holy Spirit, Prayer, wisdom and a good reputation (Acts 6). They create a foundation upon which peaceful relationships and peaceful communities are built. It is a spiritual house not made by human hands but by the Spirit of God. Jesus gives us unconditional love. The power of that love is creative, active and inspirational.
The good life is not nails, hairdos, fine cars, expensive houses, and vacations in the Bahamas, alcohol, illegal drugs, and sex outside of marriage, videogames, money, and success. Many with all these things are not happy because they do not have peace within because they do not have Jesus on the inside.
Peacemaking: The life of Blessings has two parts.
1. Glorifying God by building peaceful relationships and peaceful communities. This involves the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture, and fasting. All the pastors agree that the church must be active in providing Bible Study and Prayer Meetings. The disconnect occurs when peacemaking is not seen as an integral part of the regular and positive activities of the church.
2. Restoring distorted, tattered, wounded, bruised relationships.
A. Get the log out of our own eye. We cannot understand our own contribution to conflict and discord due to the logs in our eyes. We must go through a process of self examination and introspection with the Holy Spirit's guidance to perceive our own sins. In a dispute there is hardly ever one party who is without fault. Each must confess their own sins and seek forgiveness for healing restoration and reconciliation to occur. Stay tuned to next week's Bible Study for further dialogue of how this works in the life of the Church.
B. Gently restore the relationship. (Gal. 6: 1; Prov. 19: 11; & Matt 18: 15)
C. Go and be reconciled. (Col. 3: 12-14; 1 Cor. 13: 5; Ps. 103: 12; & Is. 43: 25)
We all need to examine ourselves to see if we have true peace within that comes from knowing Jesus for ourselves. We invite all who have never experienced this peace we have discussed to invite the Prince of Peace into your heart today. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus will be pleased to welcome you into God's kingdom. He will say welcome home. You can be a peacemaker and have the life of blessings.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow that three people made a commitment to become members and serve at our church today.
Have a blessed and peaceful week and "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13).
Note to Dr. Moschella, there was enough material to preach and teach for a month on this topic. I included the most important new theology in this sermon.
