Blessed are the Peacemakers
Matthew 5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Peacemaking is an attitude and an action; an inner state and an outer-state. It is not passive.
The message of peace is the message of the gospel; people find peace with God, peace within themselves, peace with others around them. Thus they are called children of God. (Myron S. Augsburger)
Peace in three directions.
Peace With God:
All of us need to make peace with God. Sometimes people will speak of making peace with God jsut before they die. But peace with God is more than that. It is being in relationship with Him, now.
And this peace we do not have the ability to make. God has made His peace possible to us through Jesus.
John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus personified peace in Himself. Ephesians 2:14-17:For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 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, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
When we talk of peace with God we mean we have Jesus as our peace. We know who we are and where we are going.
Peace Within:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
There is a certain je ne seis quoi about Christians. It’s the peace!
In the most of crisis we are different. That does not mean we do not have challenges or worries. We are unshakeable because Jesus is our peace.
It means sometimes others see that peace within in us when do not feel it! Because peace is not a feeling or an emotion, it is a deeper reality than that.
Let me tell you a story about the peace of God in my life. I apologise if some of you have heard this - I have only lived one life.
Story: I’m about 6 years old and I was at a friend's house being babysat with my brother. We were left with the other kids. Long story short, I was attacked and mauled by their white Alsatian dog that one of the other kids had been teasing and I had my back to it. It was traumatic, I have scars all the way up my right leg. You could see one of the bones in my calf. Unsurprisingly, I ended up with a pathological fear of dogs. If a dog was in a house barking, I would cross the road, have a full on panic attack.
Years later I was living in South Africa shortly before Barbie and I married. She was picking me up from my place but I had popped out to corner shop and was on my way back.
Turning into the apartment carpark, a ferocious dog ran out and started to bark at me, blocking my way. Bearing its teeth, saliva flying in all directions, I froze. I could not move. I just thought it’s going to kill me. Barbie was waiting and just said, “Ignore it, come on!” But I could not move.
The owner came out to see what savage beast was barking at. She looked at me as though I had done something wrong. She scooped up her chihuahua (complete with pink bow in the collar) and went inside.
A while later I was completing a spiritual inventory with a lady called Phyllis Greensalde (kind of like Steps to Freedom in Christ). Did I have any fears? Me, big strong Keith. Yes! I am petrified of dogs. Her pray was simple: “Give Keith your peace”.
I now love dogs. I’m a dog guy. Not a cat guy. I have a healthy respect for guard dogs but I don’t have panic attacks anymore.
Remember peace is not a feeling, it is a reality for the believer.
To have peace within we need to accept what the Lord says about us.
Peace With Others:
Greek word eirene (peace) and poieo (to make).
The Greek word for peacemakers means ‘founders of peace.’ (Myron S. Augsburger)
The emphasis is on the verb ‘make’.(Myron S. Augsburger)
Shalom, Hebrew for peace, is not a negative state; it is not the absence of evil, but is a positive word which has to do with the well-being of another, seeking the highest good for them. Being a peace-maker means working for right relations with all people and between us. (Myron S. Augsburger)
Peacemaker is not a passive acceptance of everything that comes along. It is an active involvement to find the solution.
In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus gives us the qualifications of peace-maker.
Psalm 34:14: Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it
“He who practices peace is a child of the world to come,” (Jewish Sifra ((commentary)) on Numbers 6:26).
The peace we are to make in this context is the right relationships with those in the human family.
When we work for reconciliation we are called children of God (hyioi theou). This refers to those who bear a family resemblance to the father by acting as God acts.
“Being a peace maker is showing the mercy we have received towards others.” (Wiersbe). Pastor Jess spoke on Blessed are the Merciful for they will be shown mercy a few weeks ago.
A peacemaker is a merciful person. They are forgiving but also show that the sin against them has not disturbed them.
Ministry of reconciliation; a peacemaker participates in the mission of Jesus to bring salvation.
Romans 5:11: Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21: So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
More Than a Word:
Jesus's concept of peacemaking is deeply rooted in the Hebrew idea of shalom.
Here are 12 meanings and facets of shalom:
- Wholeness and completeness: At its core, shalom signifies a state of being fully and perfectly complete, with nothing broken, missing, or lacking.
- Health and soundness: This meaning extends to physical well-being. Asking about someone's shalom is an inquiry into their overall health.
- Safety and security: Shalom provides a sense of security and protection, as a wall with no missing stones is considered shalom (complete) and therefore secure.
- Prosperity and welfare: The term can refer to a state of well-being, success, and prosperity. In the Bible, God promises to bless his people with shalom in the form of spiritual abundance.
- Tranquility and contentment: On a personal level, shalom is a feeling of inner peace, rest, and serenity, regardless of external circumstances.
- Harmony: It represents the right relationship between different elements, such as individuals, communities, and nations. For the biblical prophets, shalom was the ideal of flourishing for all creation.
- Absence of conflict: While a simplistic definition, shalom can also denote the cessation of war and hostile relations between parties.
- Reconciliation: Shalom is a peace that goes beyond a mere truce; it is an active restoration of a broken relationship. Making shalom between warring kingdoms meant they would begin working together.
- Restitution: The root shalam is sometimes used in legal contexts, meaning to make full restitution or repayment for something that was lost or stolen.
- A divine gift: In religious tradition, true shalom is not something that humans can achieve on their own but is given by God. One of God's names is Yahweh-Shalom ("The Lord our Peace").
- Greeting and farewell: In modern Hebrew, shalom is a standard greeting and farewell, used to wish a person this deep sense of peace.
- Perfect peace: The phrase “shalom, shalom" emphasises the meaning, signifying a state of "perfect peace" or "peace, peace" for those whose minds are focused on God.
Why are these peacemakers promised to be called “children of God” by Jesus?
Two reasons.
One: the shalom that Jesus confers is divine. It cannot be stirred up from human effort. It goes beyond what we are capable of within our own abilities. That is recognised n the title ‘children of God.’ It is not that we are gods - but that we are operating out of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirt.
Two: because it is divine, there is a recognisable family resemblance. Two of my sons look more like me than Barbie. One son looks more like Barbie than me. Put all three together and there’s a family resemblance. We are called children of God by others because of the peacemaking family likeness to our Father in heaven.
Romans 12:18: 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.Pease here is eirēnē (ay-RAY-nay). This noun refers to a state of tranquility, wholeness, and harmony, which the New Testament uses to translate the Hebrew concept of shalom.
You do not just display peace, you share the shalom, the peace, with others. When they are around you they should feel the well-being, the safety, the tranquility.
Coming into Land:
You access this through Jesus (John 14:27). Need peace? Then become a child of God by accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Romans 10:9: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
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