Peacemakers, 23 August 2020
16 08 20 Filed in: Sermons | Blessed: The Beatitudes
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed: The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:9
Series Big Idea: The greatest sermon in history is radical, revolutionary, and relevant.
Big Idea: God is on your side when you are complete in Him and help others experience shalom.
NIV: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
NLT: God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
NKJV: Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)
The Message: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (Matthew 5:9)
Shalom!
It’s not only a greeting, it’s one of my favorite words. Many simply translate it as “peace,” thinking, perhaps, of Richard Nixon fingers or a groovy, tie-dyed, hippie saying. Shalom is so much more than the absence of conflict. Shalom is more than peace. It means wholeness, completeness, everything in its right place, mutual flourishing.
We’ve been looking at the Beatitudes this summer, eight invitations, eight announcements of blessing from the lips of Jesus. These are not instructions to follow, but rather they are declarations of reality, both present and future. What does it mean to be blessed? The greatest blessing is the presence and favor of God.
NIV: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
Blessed are the wholeness-makers.
Blessed are the shalom-creators.
What comes to mind when you think of peace? I may have tainted your answer by referencing images from the 1960s and 70s! Quite often we think of the opposite of war. Maybe you picture a quiet place near water—a peaceful location. A dove is a popular symbol for peace.
We’ve been blessed to live in a country that has been relatively peaceful for the past century or so. Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are the only physical attacks I’m aware of on our soil since the 19th century. War is a foreign concept to most of us (and to those of you who have served in the military, thank you).
Let me say again, peace is not merely the absence of war or conflict. True shalom means wholeness, completeness, everything in its right place, mutual flourishing.
Inner Peace
We often sing a song called “It is Well.” Is it well with your soul today? Do you feel whole, complete, at peace? Before we talk about peacemaking, let’s begin with ourselves. If you don’t have peace, you can’t make peace. You can’t give away something you don’t possess.
Our mission, our hope, our purpose, our life as First Alliance Church is all about Jesus. We worship a Person, not a book. We are about a relationship, not a religion. As we saw last week, it begins with what’s inside—our heart—not a bunch of rules to follow. We are to be known for our love, not our politics.
Whenever I think about Christian maturity, I’m constantly drawn to the fifth chapter of the book of Galatians where it says the fruit of the Spirit is
…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a, NLT)
Where do we get love? It begins with God. God is love. You can’t create love, but you can receive and share it.
How can we experience joy? The joy of the LORD is our strength. Dallas Willard said, “God is the happiest, most joyful being in the universe. God is not mean, but He is dangerous.”
How do we experience inner peace? The prophet Isaiah wrote,
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:3-4)
Trust in God is the pathway to true, personal peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Paul said, “He himself is our peace” in Ephesians 2:14). He has made peace between a holy God and sinners like us.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)
Followers of Jesus are engaged in a process called sanctification, becoming like our Teacher and Master. It’s a lifelong journey of death to our ego and agendas. It’s a process of growth, suffering, redemption, and maturity. It begins with time with God. You are your friends. You can’t follow someone you don’t know. This is why prayer, Bible study, and worship are so important. They are three of the many habits we engage in to know God…not just about God, but truly know Him. As we know Him, we trust, surrender, and become like Jesus.
George MacDonald wrote,
Christ died to save us, not from suffering, but from ourselves; not from injustice, far less from justice, but from being unjust. He died that we might live—but live as he lives, by dying as he died who died to himself that he might live unto God. If we do not die to ourselves, we cannot live to God, and he that does not live to God, is dead.
Put another way, Satan and God both want us dead…for different reasons!
Is it well with your soul? Do you have peace? If not, tell Jesus, the Prince of Peace. I don’t promise that a five-second prayer will instantly fix everything, but surrender is the first start, welcoming Jesus into your life. Additional steps may include eliminating certain media and social media, fellowship with other Christ-followers, Celebrate Recovery, and/or biblical counseling.
Making Peace
Once we have peace with ourselves, we begin to look at our relationships. Much of our own inner turmoil is due to unresolved conflict with others. Who do you need to forgive? Who needs to forgive you?
We cannot guarantee peace, but we can work toward it. You and I have a responsibility in our relationships, but we’re never one hundred percent responsible for the health of those relationships. It takes two to tango!
I’ve spent years working on reconciling broken relationships. It’s not fun! It’s not easy! It’s included a lot of prayer. I want to rush the process. I want to fix it. I’ve been encouraged by Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)
We might not live a peace with everyone, but we can try. We can refuse to hold grudges. We can reject bitterness. We can extend grace. We can seek to understand. But sometimes peace is not possible.
Thankfully, we serve the God of the impossible!
My Story: Lynn Kampfer
Peacemaking is costly, but ultimately worth it.
You can hear that in Lynn’s story. Driving to Wisconsin is costly enough (do you know how expensive the tollways are, to say nothing of gas?!). The emotional expense was far greater, yet God clearly rewarded her for her efforts.
Peacemaking can be messy. If you think about it, most anytime you make something, you create something, you get involved with something, there is risk and sacrifice. If you make a cake, it takes time, money, and some dishes to clean! If you make a campfire, you may get slivers or encounter wildlife as you acquire wood…and may even burn yourself lighting it. Relationships are arguably the most risky, complicated, messy things we can create, yet nothing has a greater reward. There is no great gift you can offer than yourself.
Peacemakers are countercultural, accepting God’s invitation to join Him in the upside-down reality. When we engage as peacemakers, we are blessed, but clearly others experience the joy of reconciliation, of wholeness and completeness, of shalom, too.
The Telos Group
I was introduced to The Telos Group through Stu G and The Beatitudes Project. They are a stunning example of peacemaking. Their mission is to “form communities of American peacemakers across lines of difference, and equip them to help reconcile seemingly intractable conflicts at home and abroad. In the Middle East, they are pro-peace, Pro-Israeli, and pro-Palestinian.
So What?
Your next step today might not be to travel to the Middle East and make peace between Israelis and Palestinians! But I can’t let you off the hook, either.
Like each of these Beatitudes, the applications are endless…and unique. Begin with yourself. Where is it not well with your soul? Where are you experiencing conflict, tension, unrest? What keeps you up at night? What makes you anxious? Who do you need to forgive? What broken relationship needs to be reconciled?
Thinking beyond yourself, where do you see or find yourself in the midst of conflict? It might be at work, in your home, or even on social media. How can you promote listening, respect, dignity, and even love among others, perhaps even among enemies? This is especially timely as two political parties and their followers are at war with one another. Cancel culture frames everything into binary categories. Nuance is eliminated and attacks are made, often without any basis in fact or reality.
I think about the old song, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” C.S. Lewis said, “The fingerprint of God is in the present.” It is now. In this moment we can know God and be transformed by the peacemaking God who is the God of peace.
Shalom—wholeness—and healing are both incremental processes. They take time. It’s a journey of a million miles that begins with one step What is your next step?
The first place to start, of course, is on our knees, praying not only for God to bring peace, but for Him to reveal how we can participate, how we can respond to this invitation, how we can be an answer to our own prayer…and that of so many others.
Family, now is a brilliant time for true believers in Jesus Christ to put down our weapons of “rightness,” debate, and attack against whomever you consider the enemy…and set an example of peace, of love, of grace. I’m not saying there’s no place for healthy, respectful dialog, but even if you’re right, an arrogant spirit will repel rather than engage another.
Children of God
NIV: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
There is no greater title or identity than child of God. This is the reward. This is the promise.
Your primary identity is not in your occupation, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or even citizenship. You are a child of the Most High God, created in His image with dignity, value, and worth. That identity is affirmed and confirmed when we are peacemakers. As we become like the Prince of Peace, we experience, keep, and make peace.
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (Matthew 5:9, The Message)
God is on your side when you are complete in Him and help others experience shalom.
Prayer
LORD, bring more wholeness and healing into my heart that I might live in more harmony with others, that I could be self-giving and others-centered just as Jesus, the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6), did. LORD, may our hearts be filled with shalom, the multi-faceted wholeness you want to bring to us and through us to the world. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Credits: Some ideas from The Beatitudes Project
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Blessed: The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:9
Series Big Idea: The greatest sermon in history is radical, revolutionary, and relevant.
Big Idea: God is on your side when you are complete in Him and help others experience shalom.
NIV: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
NLT: God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
NKJV: Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)
The Message: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (Matthew 5:9)
Shalom!
It’s not only a greeting, it’s one of my favorite words. Many simply translate it as “peace,” thinking, perhaps, of Richard Nixon fingers or a groovy, tie-dyed, hippie saying. Shalom is so much more than the absence of conflict. Shalom is more than peace. It means wholeness, completeness, everything in its right place, mutual flourishing.
We’ve been looking at the Beatitudes this summer, eight invitations, eight announcements of blessing from the lips of Jesus. These are not instructions to follow, but rather they are declarations of reality, both present and future. What does it mean to be blessed? The greatest blessing is the presence and favor of God.
NIV: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
Blessed are the wholeness-makers.
Blessed are the shalom-creators.
What comes to mind when you think of peace? I may have tainted your answer by referencing images from the 1960s and 70s! Quite often we think of the opposite of war. Maybe you picture a quiet place near water—a peaceful location. A dove is a popular symbol for peace.
We’ve been blessed to live in a country that has been relatively peaceful for the past century or so. Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are the only physical attacks I’m aware of on our soil since the 19th century. War is a foreign concept to most of us (and to those of you who have served in the military, thank you).
Let me say again, peace is not merely the absence of war or conflict. True shalom means wholeness, completeness, everything in its right place, mutual flourishing.
Inner Peace
We often sing a song called “It is Well.” Is it well with your soul today? Do you feel whole, complete, at peace? Before we talk about peacemaking, let’s begin with ourselves. If you don’t have peace, you can’t make peace. You can’t give away something you don’t possess.
Our mission, our hope, our purpose, our life as First Alliance Church is all about Jesus. We worship a Person, not a book. We are about a relationship, not a religion. As we saw last week, it begins with what’s inside—our heart—not a bunch of rules to follow. We are to be known for our love, not our politics.
Whenever I think about Christian maturity, I’m constantly drawn to the fifth chapter of the book of Galatians where it says the fruit of the Spirit is
…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a, NLT)
Where do we get love? It begins with God. God is love. You can’t create love, but you can receive and share it.
How can we experience joy? The joy of the LORD is our strength. Dallas Willard said, “God is the happiest, most joyful being in the universe. God is not mean, but He is dangerous.”
How do we experience inner peace? The prophet Isaiah wrote,
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:3-4)
Trust in God is the pathway to true, personal peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Paul said, “He himself is our peace” in Ephesians 2:14). He has made peace between a holy God and sinners like us.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)
Followers of Jesus are engaged in a process called sanctification, becoming like our Teacher and Master. It’s a lifelong journey of death to our ego and agendas. It’s a process of growth, suffering, redemption, and maturity. It begins with time with God. You are your friends. You can’t follow someone you don’t know. This is why prayer, Bible study, and worship are so important. They are three of the many habits we engage in to know God…not just about God, but truly know Him. As we know Him, we trust, surrender, and become like Jesus.
George MacDonald wrote,
Christ died to save us, not from suffering, but from ourselves; not from injustice, far less from justice, but from being unjust. He died that we might live—but live as he lives, by dying as he died who died to himself that he might live unto God. If we do not die to ourselves, we cannot live to God, and he that does not live to God, is dead.
Put another way, Satan and God both want us dead…for different reasons!
Is it well with your soul? Do you have peace? If not, tell Jesus, the Prince of Peace. I don’t promise that a five-second prayer will instantly fix everything, but surrender is the first start, welcoming Jesus into your life. Additional steps may include eliminating certain media and social media, fellowship with other Christ-followers, Celebrate Recovery, and/or biblical counseling.
Making Peace
Once we have peace with ourselves, we begin to look at our relationships. Much of our own inner turmoil is due to unresolved conflict with others. Who do you need to forgive? Who needs to forgive you?
We cannot guarantee peace, but we can work toward it. You and I have a responsibility in our relationships, but we’re never one hundred percent responsible for the health of those relationships. It takes two to tango!
I’ve spent years working on reconciling broken relationships. It’s not fun! It’s not easy! It’s included a lot of prayer. I want to rush the process. I want to fix it. I’ve been encouraged by Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)
We might not live a peace with everyone, but we can try. We can refuse to hold grudges. We can reject bitterness. We can extend grace. We can seek to understand. But sometimes peace is not possible.
Thankfully, we serve the God of the impossible!
My Story: Lynn Kampfer
Peacemaking is costly, but ultimately worth it.
You can hear that in Lynn’s story. Driving to Wisconsin is costly enough (do you know how expensive the tollways are, to say nothing of gas?!). The emotional expense was far greater, yet God clearly rewarded her for her efforts.
Peacemaking can be messy. If you think about it, most anytime you make something, you create something, you get involved with something, there is risk and sacrifice. If you make a cake, it takes time, money, and some dishes to clean! If you make a campfire, you may get slivers or encounter wildlife as you acquire wood…and may even burn yourself lighting it. Relationships are arguably the most risky, complicated, messy things we can create, yet nothing has a greater reward. There is no great gift you can offer than yourself.
Peacemakers are countercultural, accepting God’s invitation to join Him in the upside-down reality. When we engage as peacemakers, we are blessed, but clearly others experience the joy of reconciliation, of wholeness and completeness, of shalom, too.
The Telos Group
I was introduced to The Telos Group through Stu G and The Beatitudes Project. They are a stunning example of peacemaking. Their mission is to “form communities of American peacemakers across lines of difference, and equip them to help reconcile seemingly intractable conflicts at home and abroad. In the Middle East, they are pro-peace, Pro-Israeli, and pro-Palestinian.
So What?
Your next step today might not be to travel to the Middle East and make peace between Israelis and Palestinians! But I can’t let you off the hook, either.
Like each of these Beatitudes, the applications are endless…and unique. Begin with yourself. Where is it not well with your soul? Where are you experiencing conflict, tension, unrest? What keeps you up at night? What makes you anxious? Who do you need to forgive? What broken relationship needs to be reconciled?
Thinking beyond yourself, where do you see or find yourself in the midst of conflict? It might be at work, in your home, or even on social media. How can you promote listening, respect, dignity, and even love among others, perhaps even among enemies? This is especially timely as two political parties and their followers are at war with one another. Cancel culture frames everything into binary categories. Nuance is eliminated and attacks are made, often without any basis in fact or reality.
I think about the old song, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” C.S. Lewis said, “The fingerprint of God is in the present.” It is now. In this moment we can know God and be transformed by the peacemaking God who is the God of peace.
Shalom—wholeness—and healing are both incremental processes. They take time. It’s a journey of a million miles that begins with one step What is your next step?
The first place to start, of course, is on our knees, praying not only for God to bring peace, but for Him to reveal how we can participate, how we can respond to this invitation, how we can be an answer to our own prayer…and that of so many others.
Family, now is a brilliant time for true believers in Jesus Christ to put down our weapons of “rightness,” debate, and attack against whomever you consider the enemy…and set an example of peace, of love, of grace. I’m not saying there’s no place for healthy, respectful dialog, but even if you’re right, an arrogant spirit will repel rather than engage another.
Children of God
NIV: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
There is no greater title or identity than child of God. This is the reward. This is the promise.
Your primary identity is not in your occupation, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or even citizenship. You are a child of the Most High God, created in His image with dignity, value, and worth. That identity is affirmed and confirmed when we are peacemakers. As we become like the Prince of Peace, we experience, keep, and make peace.
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (Matthew 5:9, The Message)
God is on your side when you are complete in Him and help others experience shalom.
Prayer
LORD, bring more wholeness and healing into my heart that I might live in more harmony with others, that I could be self-giving and others-centered just as Jesus, the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6), did. LORD, may our hearts be filled with shalom, the multi-faceted wholeness you want to bring to us and through us to the world. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Credits: Some ideas from The Beatitudes Project
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.