Matthew chapter nine, the title
of our lesson this morning is blessed are the peacemakers.
I'm going to continue our study in the Beatitudes this morning. And this word blessed, our Lord
uses throughout the Beatitudes. I hope you remember means supremely
blessed. This is a person who is supremely
happy. They've been supremely blessed
of God. So in the Beatitudes, the Lord
is not telling us how to be saved. You don't have to produce these
these attitudes and these things that the Beatitudes in order
to be saved. Salvation comes from faith in
Christ. It's not something we do, anything
we produce. Salvation is all in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's laid hold upon by faith
in Christ. And Lord's also not telling us
how to live. The Beatitudes don't tell us
what a believer ought to be. The Beatitudes tell us what a
believer already is. This is what God has made his
people. So the Beatitudes are evidences
of salvation. And this morning we're talking
about peacemakers. And if God has saved us, we will
be a peacemaker. Now verse nine of Matthew chapter
five, our Lord says, blessed are the peacemakers for they
should be called the children of God. Now peace is defined
as a state of tranquility. Peace between people means there's
tranquility between them. They have friendship. There's
no conflict between them. They have fellowship. Peace in
our minds means we don't have any oppressive thoughts. Thoughts
that just constantly are tormenting us. We have a clear conscience. We're emotionally calm. There's
peace. Peace of mind. Peace of heart
is to be content with such things as you have. Isn't that a blessing?
To not always want more, more, more, more, more. Need more,
more, more, more in order to be happy. But to have peace,
to be content with such things as you have. And that true peace
is a great blessing. It's very valuable because it's
so rare in this life. Well, why are God's children
called peacemakers? You've heard of phrases about,
we talk about our children, a chip off the old block. When our daughters display a
little bit of attitude, this is what I'm told, they're a chip
off the old block. I won't tell you who says that, but I'm told
that. And you can't deny it, it's true. You hear, like father,
like son. Well, the same thing applies
to God's children. God's children are peacemakers.
because they've been given the nature of our Heavenly Father.
Just like we give our children, fortunately or unfortunately,
we give our children our nature. In the new birth, God's children
are given the nature of our Heavenly Father. Five times in the New
Testament, God is called the God of peace. All peace comes
from God. He's the God of peace. First
Corinthians 14.33 says this, God's not the author of confusion,
and that word confusion means tumult and unquietness, the opposite
of peace. God's not the author of that,
but of peace. God's the author of peace. And
Christ, our Savior, our elder brother, he is the Prince of
Peace. His name should be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince
of Peace. That's our big brother. And the
gospel of Christ, the gospel that declares salvation in Christ
is called the gospel of peace. The gospel declares the terms
of peace to sinners. This is God's terms of peace.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou shalt be saved. You believe
on him and you will have peace. The gospel answers the question
that's impossible to answer by the flesh. How can a sinner have
peace with God? The gospel tells us that if you
look at second Peter, chapter chapter one, here's how sinners
like you and me, here's how God's people have peace. It's by knowing
Christ. Second Peter, chapter one. Simon, Peter, a servant and an
apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious
faith with us through the righteousness of God and our savior, Jesus
Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you. Now, how is grace and
peace multiplied to us? Through the knowledge of God
and the knowledge of Jesus, our Lord. God's people have peace. They have union with Christ by
knowing him. Now, when we say God's people,
his children, are peacemakers, that does not mean that they
have made their peace with God. Doesn't mean that because it's
impossible for you and me to make our peace with God. Christ
is the peacemaker. The Prince of Peace is the peacemaker. He's already made peace for us
by the blood of his cross. The sacrifice of Christ took
away the sin that made God angry. So God's at peace. There's no
reason for God to be angry, to be at war with his people anymore
because the blood of Christ took away everything that made him
angry. And that same sacrifice of Christ
makes God's elect not angry at him. That makes us at peace with
him. Look at Colossians chapter one.
Colossians one, verse 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, and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight."
What a blessing it is, what peace it gives the heart to be unblameable
and unreprovable, to be holy in the sight of Almighty God. In Romans 15, the Apostle Paul
tells us how God's people enjoy this peace with Him. It's through
faith. Romans 15, verse 13. Now the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, how? In believing. In believing. We enjoy this peace
through faith in Christ. Now, the peace that we're talking
about, this great blessing that we're talking about is not peace
among nations. That's wonderful. I'm glad there's
peace among nations. Seemed like when I was a little
boy, everybody thought that the United States and Russia were
always at the brink of war. And if you're a certain age,
you remember having these drills where you'd hide under your desk
in case of a nuclear blast, you know, nuclear bomb. And I remember
looking at that desk thinking, what good is this thing going
to do me if the Russians start lobbing nuclear bombs over here?
That's what we did. It's frightening. It doesn't
seem to be that we're that close to the brink of war now. I'm
thankful. But boy, we could be the drop of a hat. We're not
talking about peace among nations. We're not talking about peace
among people, although we're to strive for that. The peace
that we're talking about, the blessing that makes us supremely
blessed, supremely happy, is peace with God. Now remember
the definition of peace. Peace is described as a state
of tranquility. Well, by nature, we don't have
a state of tranquility with God, do we? When Adam sinned, Adam
and all of his race was thrust out of the presence of God. God
was angry because of sin. Adam could no more have fellowship
with God face to face like he did before. But in Christ, we
have peace. We have a state of tranquility.
Not only is there no longer open conflict with God, but there's
friendship, there's fellowship with God. And the blood of Christ
gives the believer peace of conscience too. The law can't oppress God's
people with thoughts of punishment, fear of punishment. because Christ
has already been punished for us. The law can't oppress us
with the law of the debt collector coming and demanding payment
on the great debt of our sin because Christ has already paid
for the sin of His people with the blood of His cross. There's
peace. And the believer has emotional peace, emotional calmness when
we think about judgment. When we think about death, it's
appointed unto men once to die. After this, the judgment. Well,
the believer is emotionally calm about that. There's no fear of
death for the believer because Christ has already died for us.
He's already paid the debt. And then peace is to be content.
Well, the believer is content. Christ has saved you. He is all
your salvation. You're content. Content with
Christ. I am so content with Christ. I wouldn't want salvation any
other I wouldn't even want salvation by my righteousness. I'd a whole
lot rather have it by his, wouldn't you? I'd rather have it by his
sacrifice. I'm thankful. That's peace, to
be content with Christ. And believers are peaceable people. They have peace and they are
peaceable people. God calls his people his sheep.
For sheep are peaceable animals. So believers ought to be peaceable
neighbors. Be good neighbors. You know,
we ought to be able to find a way to have peace with our neighbors.
And when people talk to our neighbors, they ought to be glad we're their
neighbor. They ought to say, that's a good neighbor. And believers
ought to have peace on the job. Our co-workers ought to be glad
to work with us. They should. They ought to be
able to say, that fellow's easy to get along with. He's hard
working. We need to remember this. We're so self-centered. We think about getting up and
going to work Monday morning, and we think, how work is so
hard for me. Well, you know it is for everybody
else getting up and going over there to the plant, to the office,
too. Well, let's not make it harder
on them, because they've got to work with us. Let's do our
job. Let's work hard doing our job,
so they don't have to take up the slack for me. Let's take
some time to show compassion for people at work. It'll go
a long way, a long way toward making peace at work. You're going to have to work
30, 35 years. Try to make it peaceable. Don't make it more difficult
on yourself. Now, I know some people make
that impossible. I've had neighbors. I've had
co-workers. I don't care what happens. I don't care. It doesn't
matter what you do. You will not have peace with
him. I understand that. But when that happens, let's
not use that as an excuse to go out there and act like a jackass.
When that happens, let's make absolutely certain it's them
doing it, not us. Make absolutely certain. Romans
chapter 12. Verse 17. Recompense to no man evil for
evil. Provide things honest in the
sight of all men, if it be possible. If it be possible, as much as
lieth in you, not as much as lieth in somebody else, as much
as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved,
avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it
is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him. If he thirst, give him drink.
For in so doing, thou should heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Now, you know what this is teaching.
If somebody does something evil to you, don't get back at them. Don't seek to get revenge. Don't
start a never ending tit-for-tat battle with them. You'll never
have peace that way. But if you just take the wrong
and hold your tongue, there'll be peace. You know what Solomon
said? A soft answer turneth away wrath. But grievous words stir up anger. Well, don't use grievous words.
Don't stir up anger and there'll be peace. If you don't escalate
the war, there probably won't be You know, don't start no trouble
and there won't be no trouble. I tell you how we do that, just
keep our mouth shut. And even more importantly than
having peace in the neighborhood, peace on the job, more importantly,
believers should have peace at home. Our homes should be a place
of peace. This is something that I learned
from my dear wife She has always insisted on peace in the home. She just wouldn't let it happen. There's going to be peace. Now,
turmoil would arise, you know, from time to time like it does,
but it was squashed quickly because her home was going to be a home
of peace. You know, it may be hard to have peace with your
neighbors. You may find it difficult to have peace with your co-workers
because they don't love you and you don't love them. Everybody
lives in your home, loves one another. They're supposed to,
aren't they? Love one another. But where there's
love, there's peace. See that our homes are places
of peace. You know, if we love one another,
it'll be easier to swallow our tongue and not say something
that we're going to regret later that will cause warfare, that
would be contrary to peace. You know, we need to remember
this about folks, especially when they get under a lot of
stress, they get in, like people do in this world, you know. And
if somebody finds themselves in that situation, they're going
to say things they don't mean. They're going to be afraid of
things they're not normally afraid of. They're going to, and if
we cut them some slack and think, you know, they might be going
through something here that's pretty deep. that's pretty difficult,
I don't know anything about. If we just cut them some slack,
I bet you we'll have more peace. I bet you we will. Our homes
ought to be places of peace. This world, you're never gonna
have peace in this world. Never. Our poor children gotta
go out to school, and I remember being in school. It was the most
miserable years of my life. I mean, just, ah! Well, they
ought to have a home to come home to that's an oasis of peace. There's peace there. There's
unity. There's love here. Our homes ought to be homes of
peace. Our prayer is that God be the
king of our home. Isn't that right? Well, if the
prince of peace is the king of our home, it ought to be a place
of peace. And even more importantly than that, there should especially
be peace in the church. I'm not talking about the church,
the body of Christ. I'm talking about in the local
church. There ought to be peace. And I'm thankful the Lord's given
us that. When you pray in your private
prayers, give thanks. God's given us a place of peace.
We meet together in peace and love and unity and we can worship
together. We have peace one with another.
Don't take it for granted. Don't take it for granted. Yes,
it's been that way, but don't take it for granted. Make it
your business to promote peace with one another and seek peace
with one another. Seek ways to have peace with
each other. Look at 1 Peter. Peter tells us something about
this. 1 Peter 3. beginning in verse seven. Likewise,
just like Christ loves his bride. Likewise, ye husbands dwell with
them. Dwell with your wives according
to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as under the weaker
vessel and as being heirs together, the grace of life, that your
prayers be not hindered. Amen. If we'll do our best to
follow that instruction right there, we'll have peace. You
do that, you love your wife, giving honor under hers, under
the weaker vessels, airs together the grace of life, she'll follow
you anywhere. That, the peaceable home, the
responsibility for that lies on the shoulders of the husband,
primarily. And then, verse eight, he says,
finally, be ye all of one mind, all you together in the church,
all of you be of one mind, having compassion one of another. Love
is brethren. Be pitiful, be courteous, be
kind one to another. Not rendering evil for evil or
railing for railing, but contrary wise. Blessing, knowing that
you are there unto call that you should inherit a blessing.
For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain
his tongue from evil. Just don't speak those words
and refrain his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew
evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue
it. Seek peace, ensue it, chase after
it. Do everything you can to promote
peace in the church. Now, we're human beings. We're
in the flesh and there can be hard feelings arise from time
to time. If there are, get rid of them. I mean, right now, get
rid of them. Don't let those things fester.
The gospel of peace can't be preached and won't be blessed
in a place that's full of fussing and fighting because that's contrary
to peace. It's contrary to grace. God's
children are peacemakers and peacemakers actively pursue peace. They do things that promote peace
with everybody around them. Well, all right. How can I be
a peacemaker? How can you be a peacemaker?
Let me give you a few things. Number one, this is most important,
by preaching the gospel of peace. We don't all preach, but this
ministry is our ministry. It's not my ministry, this is
our ministry. And you all promote peace in
this preaching of the gospel of peace by supporting the preaching
of it, by standing for it, and by praying for it. This is something
I remind you of often, I beg of you, that you would pray for
this ministry, that you would pray for me as I study, as I
preach, that you pray for one another. Praying is one of the
best things we can do to promote peace amongst one another. You promote peace by loving the
gospel of peace and standing for it. How beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, that bring glad
tidings of good things. Now it's impossible for believers
to have peace with the world. The world that hates our God.
Something that is on our hearts constantly. Wayne prayed about
this morning. Our children, our loved ones
that don't know the Lord. Well, what's the best thing we
can do for this world? What's the best thing we can
do for this world to promote peace? Is preach the gospel of
peace to the whole world. The best thing we can do to promote
peace is preach the gospel of peace everywhere the Lord gives
us an opportunity. And if the Lord, by His grace,
enables somebody to hear that message and gives them faith
in Christ, the war's over. We're going to have peace with
that person. Now, that does not mean, this
is so important, this does not mean that we are ever to compromise
the truth for peace in order to have peace with somebody.
were to never do that. Our Lord didn't do that. He said,
think not that I'm come to send peace on the earth. I come not
to send peace, but a sword. I come to bring a sword. We can
never compromise the gospel to try to have peace with somebody.
I promise you it won't work. Because all that is, is crying
peace, peace, where there is no peace. The only place a sinner
can have peace is in Christ, then let's preach Him. If God
enables us, let's preach Him. That's the number one thing we
can do to promote peace is to preach the gospel of peace. People who are under that ministry
will be peaceable people. All right, number two, look at
James chapter three. If you would be a peacemaker,
pray for wisdom. James chapter three, verse 14. But if you have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth.
If you've got that bitterness in your heart, don't don't lie
against the truth. Say God gave you that heart.
This wisdom, this kind of wisdom that causes bitter envying and
strife in your hearts, the sin is not from above, but it's earthly. It's sensual. It's it's comes
natural to the flesh and it's devilish. Or where envying and
strife is, there's confusion. and every evil work, but the
wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle
and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits without
partiality and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make peace. Now, if you would
be a peacemaker, that's going to take wisdom that doesn't come
naturally to this flesh. You know that just as well as
I do. What comes natural to the flesh when somebody strikes out
at you? It's to strike back twice as
hard. Somebody says evil things about you, what is natural to
this flesh? What's natural to this flesh
is to get down in the muck and the mire and try to fight them.
Isn't that right? That wisdom comes naturally.
And that kind of so-called wisdom will never promote peace. The
kind of wisdom that makes a person a peacemaker, that makes them
a child of God is a supernatural wisdom. It's wisdom that's given
from above. Then pray and ask God to give
it to you. Pray and ask God who giveth liberally
to give you this wisdom. You know, it takes God-given
wisdom to suffer somebody speaking unkindly to you and you just
keep your mouth shut. It takes God-given wisdom to
do something for somebody that's not thankful for it. Not only
do they not say thank you, they don't send you a thank you note,
they don't say thank you, they just take you for granted, they're
not thankful. But if you keep your mouth shut
about that, and do it because that's what you're supposed to
do, do it out of love, that's God-given wisdom. That's impressive
to see. It takes God-given wisdom to
suffer a wrong. That takes wisdom from above.
But it's that wisdom that promotes peace. Let's pray for it. Pray
and ask God to give it to us. Pray and ask the God of peace
that he might give us this wisdom. All right, thirdly, look at Philippians
chapter 4. We'll have peace and we'll be
peacemakers if we have the same agenda. If our agenda is Christ,
we'll have peace. Philippians 4 verse 2. I beseech you, Odius, and beseech
Syntyche, that you be of the same mind in the Lord." That
word, same mind, the apostle uses there means to have your
affection set upon the same thing. Well, let's all of us set our
affection on Christ. Let's all of us make it our business
as a church body for the glory of Christ, to promote the cause
of Christ, to preach Christ, So that people will know Christ. Not so that they'll know our
name. Not so that they'll be impressed with us. But they'll
know the name of Christ. That they'll be impressed with
Him. You and I, two people, are both looking to Christ. And it
is our goal, our aim, the glory of Christ. It will be impossible,
impossible for us to fight for one another. There's going to
be peace if our goal is Christ. If we've got our own little agendas
that we're wanting to work out, you know, for our own purposes,
there won't be peace. Christ is our common goal. We'll
have peace. And God's preacher is to help
promote that peace. You know how? Not by being a
psychologist and going around getting everybody to, you know...
Here's how God's preacher promotes peace. By preaching Christ. Look at verse 3. Paul says, I
entreat thee also, true yoke fellows, He's speaking there
to the pastor. Help those women which labored with me in the
gospel, with Clement also, and with other of my fellow laborers
whose names are in the book of life. Preach Christ to them. That's how we have peace. And
you'll have peace, verse four, if you rejoice in the Lord always.
And again, I say rejoice. You'll have peace if you let
your moderation, your kindness, your gentleness be known unto
all men. The Lord's at hand. You have
peace if you be careful, anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request
be made known unto God. If you preach that and the peace
of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and your
minds through Christ Jesus. That's why we preach Christ.
He gives you this peace through Christ Jesus. If you would be
a peacemaker, look at verse eight. Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of a good report, if there be any virtue
and if there be any praise, think on these things. If we would
think on these things and not think on my hurt feelings and
what this person did or did not do to me, we'll have peace. Then
fourthly, if you would be a peacemaker, mind your own business. First
Thessalonians chapter four says this, verse nine, but it's touching brotherly love.
You need not that I write unto you for yourselves are taught
of God to love one another. And indeed you do it toward all
the brethren, which are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you,
brethren, that you increase more and more, set your affection,
chase after this thing of peace, showing your love and that you
study to be quiet and to do your own business, to work with your
own hands as we commanded you. Now, when we talk about minding
our own business, you know, we have to. Scripture also tells
us to exhort and to warn one another. But at the same time,
be careful to mind your own business. You know, we start going around
handing out unsolicited advice and start telling everybody how
to do every little thing. We're acting like we're a whole
lot better than them. And I promise you, hard feelings are going
to set in and we won't have peace. So mind your business. And more
than likely, people know how to run their own lives. Mind
your own business. Then fifthly, look at Romans chapter 12. We'll
just read these verses, and it gives us some good instruction
on being peacemakers. Romans 12, verse 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. Use your bodies, your faculties,
whatever it is that God's given you, to serve the Lord and not
yourself. and you'll have peace. Verse
3, for I say through the grace of God given unto me to every
man that's among you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think, but to think soberly according as God
has dealt to every man the measure of faith. Don't think too highly
of yourself. Don't start thinking that we're
better than everybody else because there won't be peace. Verse 16,
Paul says, be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not
high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise
in your own conceits. Don't think too highly of yourself
and think some job's too low for you. Or don't somebody's
too low for you to be able to have fellowship with them and
talk to them and encourage them. Don't think too highly of yourself.
Have some humility. And humility is just an honest
view, accurate view of ourselves. That will promote peace. Chapter
15. This is the last thing we'll
look at. Chapter 15, Romans verse 1. We that are strong ought to bear
the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let
every one of us please his neighbor. Seek to please your neighbor
for his good, identification. For even Christ pleased not himself,
but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell
upon me. Now bear, with your younger brethren. Bear with weaker believers who
don't see everything as clearly yet as you do. Give them time. Give them time to learn. Give
them time to grow and bear with them. Don't be harsh with them.
If you're harsh with them, that's not going to promote peace, is
it? And if this is a younger believer, we're harsh with them.
What are we teaching that younger believer? We're teaching them
someday, you're going to grow up so much, you can be harsh
to somebody else. It just starts a never-ending cycle, doesn't
it? But to promote peace, bear with one another. Bear one another's
burdens. Pray for one another. And we'll
have peace. Allah. Lord bless you.