WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:02.240 Good morning, everybody. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:03.839 My name is Barry. 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:05.360 I'm one of the elders here. 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:17.120 I think uh Brian did a really good job last week of uh helping to establish for me a low bar because Martin Lawrence is also my spiritual mentor. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:19.440 Love everything about that guy. 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:25.760 Uh I've read Martin Luther's stuff, and sometimes that's a bit heady, so I can relate to Martin Lawrence a little more. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:32.000 Um, I'm excited to uh to share God's word with you this morning. 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:45.280 Um and I just have to say I was telling Bo earlier that while I enjoy the opportunity to come and share God's word with you, I always get nervous about the week of preparation going into it. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:55.439 And the main reason for that is because I go in thinking it's gonna be one thing, and then by the time I get to Sunday morning, I'm like, whoa, I didn't know it was all of that. 00:00:55.840 --> 00:01:04.879 So uh for some of you this morning, I may uh bust your bubble a little bit if you have had the same historical view of the Beatitudes as I had. 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:05.439 Right? 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:14.319 I thought the Beatitudes were the list of blessings that Christ was teaching his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:22.560 And unfortunately, I had gone into it, and if you've been listening to the sermons as we've been going through this, uh, you may have done what I've been doing. 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:24.239 You looked at it and went, meek. 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:28.400 Hmm, maybe sometimes, not so much. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:29.599 Peacemaker. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:32.319 Yeah, maybe that's I'll take that one, right? 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:45.599 So I was shocked to learn that this is not like spiritual gifts that you can pick and choose or that you've been given, but actually the Beatitudes are blessings that are tied as a bundle. 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:50.719 As a matter of fact, they literally are Christ's character. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:56.560 These blessings that we see in the Beatitudes, Christ demonstrates them all. 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:02.959 And so the minute I had that realization, I was like, whoa, I've got to spend more time praying before Sunday. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.319 Because I was ready to pick one, but now there's a whole list of them. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.680 So bow with me as we pray this morning. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:14.319 Heavenly Father, God, I pray, Lord, that you would be with us this morning. 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:16.960 Father, I pray that you would speak through me. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:21.280 Father, God, I pray that I would not get in the way of your word and your message. 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:27.520 Most importantly, Lord, I pray that you would open the hearts and the minds of these, my brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:33.120 And Lord, we pray that through your Holy Spirit, you would change us today by your word. 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:42.000 God, I pray that the meditations of my heart and words of my mouth would be pleasing in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:59.039 So it's interesting that uh even this past week at work, uh I was given a presentation, and I don't know if any of you had these college professors, but my favorite college professors were the ones that would start out the class, very first class, saying, This is what you're gonna need to know for the final. 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.039 Do any of you have those professors, right? 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:03.840 It's like, I'm like, this is where I need to be, right? 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:08.719 Because he's telling me at the very beginning what I need to be prepared for on the exam, right? 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:18.479 So I'm gonna give you three points before we talk about peacemaking and what that means, and before it gets too heavy and too heady, um, three things I want you to take away. 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:19.039 Okay? 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:22.400 So if you don't hear anything else, focus on these three things. 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:28.080 If we are in Christ, we are called to be peacemakers. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:34.159 If we are in Christ, we are peacemakers. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:43.280 And if Christ is in us, the Prince of Peace is who equips us to be peacemakers by giving us his peace. 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:44.240 Okay? 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:46.400 Three simple things. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:55.680 It's not that we have to be peacemakers in and of ourselves, it's because we have Christ that we can be peacemakers. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:56.159 Okay? 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:02.479 So I've actually titled this lesson, The Beatitudes and Peacemaking a Package Deal. 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:14.879 And the reason I call it a package deal is because in reading through all of them, which I'm going to take just a minute to do that this morning, just in case any of you were on the same page that I was, thinking you could pick and choose, let's look at the total. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.560 So I'll start in Matthew 5, verse 1. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:22.800 Now, when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:31.360 His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:34.959 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:38.720 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:43.839 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:47.600 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:51.279 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:55.360 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:02.879 Blessed are those who perse who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:08.160 So our text this morning is Matthew 5.9. 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:13.040 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:22.800 Let me just ask you, in light of the past week or two weeks, do you think we're living in a world that needs peacemakers? 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:31.600 I mean, do we think that our world, our country, even our community is at peace? 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:37.600 It's almost funny that I've gotten to a point to where I don't watch the evening news very often. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:42.800 But when I do, I'm totally reminded that we need peacemakers, right? 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:57.439 If you take a look at the events in Nice, France, in Turkey, the racial tension that took place in Louisiana, Dallas, there's no question that the world is looking for peacemakers. 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:06.000 So let's see by digging into this one simple verse what God has for us here. 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:12.639 So in order to define peacemakers, let's look back to the original Greek word. 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:15.920 Um, and if any of you are Greek, I'm gonna say it up front. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:18.000 I will not pronounce this correctly. 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:31.040 Ira not Ireno Pois is the original Greek word for peacemakers, defined as pacific, loving peace, a peacemaker. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:37.439 So let's identify what are peacemakers and what are peacemakers not. 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:37.920 Okay? 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:40.079 I'll start with what they are not. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:46.000 Peacemakers are not passive people who avoid conflict and strife. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:51.360 They are not cowards, yet they are not belligerent or obnoxious. 00:06:52.399 --> 00:07:08.079 Now I think it's easy in our human terms to a lot of times meet someone who's relatively calm, right, tends to avoid conflict, doesn't want to make waves, and we may look at that person and say, well, it's a pretty peaceable, calm person, right? 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:12.959 But that's not really the definition of a peacemaker. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:25.360 According to Scripture, peacemakers are people who seek opportunities to actively help people and institutions reconcile for the common good. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:32.079 Not easy, and sometimes even causes pain, suffering, or death. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:44.160 So to be a peacemaker, you're actively seeking out opportunities to reconcile two parties that are at odds. 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:47.279 That's the definition of a peacemaker. 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:48.639 It was interesting. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:55.120 Uh, the book that Russ gave to us as we got into this is uh it's called Crucifying Morality by R. 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:55.439 W. 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.680 Glenn, and he's a pastor. 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:24.480 And on this particular piece, he said it was amazing that as a pastor, in him doing uh marital counseling, that he would oftentimes find that he's meeting with a husband and a wife, and they're going through issues, and over a period of weeks, he would tend to find sometimes that before the counseling sessions would end, both the husband and the wife were now convinced that he was the problem, right? 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:32.320 So by him trying to bring peace to them in their situation of conflict, they then turned and both pointed towards him, right? 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:34.720 Where you're the problem now, Pastor. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:59.120 Um and I think it's kind of funny, just uh in a in a previous uh portion of my career, and I work with private equity-backed ventures, and sometimes I get in this situation, and three years ago I was in this very situation where the uh founder of our business, the entrepreneur, and the private equity firm, uh kind of got at odds, right, about six to seven months into the relationship. 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:02.720 And the owner was kind of thinking, why did I sell part of my business to this crew? 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:04.159 They don't understand what I'm doing. 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:10.240 And and of course, I was brought in by the private equity fund to work with the uh the entrepreneur and the founder. 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:19.360 And uh, interestingly enough, I would spend no less than 50% of my time trying to make peace between the two factions, right? 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:24.879 The owner and the entrepreneur, and my true bosses, the private equity firm. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:43.120 And so we lived through this situation for about six months, and I wasn't very good, obviously, at being the ultimate peacemaker, because since I was part of the private equity guy, the owner and founder figured out a way that, okay, well, if you're the private equity guy's guy and you're in my business and I'm in Columbus, I'm gonna ask you to move to Columbus. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:54.480 Now he knew I was not gonna move to Columbus, but that was part of his strategy to be able to get back at the private equity company to say, okay, this was your guy, he's your my whole company is in Columbus, I want him in Columbus. 00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:01.360 So there I was being a peacemaker, thought I was being a peacemaker, and at the end of the day, I'm the one who gets moved out, right? 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:14.080 So a very personal illustration in my own life of how sometimes you can play the role of the peacemaker, but you're not guaranteed, number one, to assure peace, and number two, you might be the one in the end who uh gets moved out, right? 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:16.000 For lack of a better way of saying it. 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:21.679 So we've defined peacemakers in terms of who they are and what they're not. 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:25.600 Now let's look at who's actually equipped to be a peacemaker. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:36.000 Now, in our natural selves, a lot of us, if we're not criminally minded and we're not thinking of things, we may be tempted to say, well, I'm basically a naturally good person. 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:40.720 I don't look to harm anyone, so therefore, wouldn't I be qualified to be a peacemaker? 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:47.360 Or we may ask the question: can someone be at peace apart from God? 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:48.480 Right? 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:52.960 Because we as Christians know that true peace comes from God. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:55.039 He is the Prince of Peace. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:55.440 Right? 00:10:55.519 --> 00:11:02.960 When they were announcing Jesus' birth, they said before time when it was even being prophesied, he shall be called the Prince of Peace. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:03.759 Right? 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:06.960 So can you have peace if you're apart from Christ? 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:16.960 Well, 2 Corinthians 5.18 says, those whom God reconciled to himself have now received the ministry of reconciliation. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:23.120 This means God Himself has equipped them to do his very work in the world. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:28.080 Peacemakers labor as ambassadors for Christ. 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:35.039 According to 2 Corinthians 5.20, imploring others to be at peace with God. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:37.679 So what's that tell us? 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:48.080 By the fact that God has reconciled us to himself, by that very act in and of itself, he has made peace with us. 00:11:48.799 --> 00:11:53.440 The Bible says that we, in our natural state, were enemies of God. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:58.960 The only way that we can be at peace with God is through that act of reconciliation. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:02.960 So, who is the ultimate peacemaker? 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.399 The ultimate peacemaker is God the Father. 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:11.440 Jesus tells us that one of God's main characteristics is peacemaking. 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:30.399 Colossians 1, 19 through 20 says, 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. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:49.840 Now, I think it's interesting if we understand that God the Father is the ultimate example of the peacemaker, and we as Christians are to live to be like him, that then we have been given that ministry. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:54.639 We don't get the option to say we're not peacemakers. 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:59.759 Because he made peace with us, therefore we're equipped to be peacemakers. 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:03.279 So, what does the work of a peacemaker look like? 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:05.200 So, R.W. 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:20.720 Glenn, who wrote the book Crucifying Morality, says this: the gospel of the Beatitudes states it this way: peacemakers do the hard work of reconciliation because they themselves have been reconciled to God. 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:31.440 Peacemakers right wrongs and restore relations between individuals and institutions preaching the gospel to the enemies of God. 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.000 Now I'm going to tell you, this was another part. 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:41.440 I had no idea of the connection in reading this one verse of how much gets poured into peacemaking. 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:57.120 But if you think about your own salvation and the fact that we were enemies of God and through Christ and the Holy Spirit raising us to new life, he brought reconciliation and peace to us through that salvation. 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:03.279 Therefore, we should be motivated to share that same reconciliation with others. 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:14.399 So peacemakers, by nature, are involved in evangelism because everyone around us who is not a believer is at war with God. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:23.279 So it's part of our duty as a peacemaker to be sharing Christ and what He's done in us to those who don't know Christ. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:33.440 So, nevertheless, peacemakers are evangelists because they cannot help but share the good news of Jesus with their family and friends, colleagues and classmates. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:40.240 They care about the spiritual condition of others and they do not want them to be with at war with God anymore. 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:48.080 I have to say, in this area, my father, who works on a golf course, he's retired. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.559 This is about his sixth job after retiring. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:56.000 And he says if he had known he could get a job like this, it would have been his first job instead of his sixth job after retiring. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:59.360 But he loves to tell people about Jesus. 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:07.600 And it's so interesting that I was talking to him a couple of weeks ago, and I was just asking how his day went, and he said, had a great day today. 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:08.320 I said, Really? 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:08.720 That's awesome. 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:10.000 I said, what was so great about your day? 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:14.480 And he said, I got to tell two people from work about Christ. 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.639 I'm like, man, that's that's awesome, Dad. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:18.000 Tell me a little bit about the situation. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:24.799 So he goes through and he gives me the details, and you know, one of them is a guy he barely knew, um, and the other guy he had never met before. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:32.080 Um, but he is just filled up with thankfulness of what Christ has done for him. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.399 And he doesn't have any seminary training. 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:41.519 I mean, he doesn't have, you know, he probably couldn't even quote the Roman road or the four spiritual laws or any of those kind of things. 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:45.440 But if you give him the opportunity, he's going to tell you about Jesus. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:49.279 Especially if he thinks there's any question of whether or not you know Jesus. 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:55.600 So I look at him and I see, though he's not perfect and he's he's flawed, but he is a peacemaker. 00:15:55.679 --> 00:16:00.720 And he's a peacemaker that wants to bring others to Christ through evangelism. 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:06.240 So, what's another form of the work that peacemakers do? 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:11.519 Well, there's an element of adoption that's tied with peacemaking as well. 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:13.840 And this came out of R.W. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:18.720 Glenn's book, but I just couldn't help but bring it to you this morning because I thought it was so powerful. 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:22.159 Think about the kids the Lord adopts. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:33.759 Every single sinner that he makes into a son started out as a rebellious, disobedient, selfish, indignant brat. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:40.480 Not only did we not deserve our adoption, we fought against it, kicking and screaming. 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:43.200 Yet we will never be disowned. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:47.039 Our status as God's children can never change. 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:51.360 Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.039 That's Romans 8, 39. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:58.080 Because his love for us is nothing less than the love of adoption. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:00.240 Now listen to this part here. 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:12.960 The Father let you murder his only begotten Son in order to adopt you as his son or daughter through faith in Christ. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.279 Because of what Jesus has done, you can be God's beloved child. 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:24.880 And you can be confident that since you did not deserve his love in the first place, he will never remove it based upon your performance. 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:31.839 You did not earn adoption, but received it as a gift, without any reference to your own goodness. 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:36.559 So you can be sure he will not take it away when you fail him now. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:44.160 Nothing can separate you from the adoptive love of God that is in Christ Jesus. 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:47.519 I gotta read that one part one more time. 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:56.400 The Father let you murder his only begotten son in order to adopt you as his son or daughter through faith in Christ. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:17:58.559 That's powerful, isn't it? 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:01.839 Amazing stuff. 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:07.440 So what's our response to being a peacemaker? 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:09.680 A couple of things. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:17.759 First, God has reconciled us to himself and given us the ministry of reconciliation. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:25.759 We must live in the peace of God in Christ in order that we may be peacemakers. 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:31.039 God through Jesus Christ bought for you and me eternal peace. 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:39.759 Psalm 29, 11 says, the Lord gives strength to his people, and the Lord blesses his people with peace. 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:46.160 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:47.759 Let's pray. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.640 Holy Father, we are so grateful this morning. 00:18:53.119 --> 00:19:06.880 We're grateful, Father, for your love for us that you have displayed through the reconciliation of us to you, through your blood on the cross of your Son Jesus Christ. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:08.880 Father, we stand in awe. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.839 We are amazed that we can sing, It is well with my soul. 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:29.440 We can be at peace in the midst of a world that is full of turmoil, not because of guns or security or police officers, but God, because we have you, the Prince of Peace. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:35.759 Father God, I pray for us as believers, as your sons and your daughters, adopted into your faith. 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:40.880 Father God, that you would equip us, that you would motivate us to be peacemakers. 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:45.359 And we're so thankful, Father God, that it's not us that has to do it. 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:48.319 Father God, it's you and us that will do it. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.640 And Lord, we are grateful for that. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:54.480 And we pray all of this in your precious and holy son's name. 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:55.200 Amen.