JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT SERMON SERIES9. Blessed are the Peacemakers
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Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus is explaining the principles of the kingdom of God. What makes a peacemaker so important to the kingdom of God?
God Himself is a peacemaker. It is part of His character.
Adam and Eve rebelled against God by eating the forbidden fruit. By rejecting God's authority in their lives they cut themselves off from the life-giver. They earned for themselves the consequence of sin which is eternal death. When Adam and Eve rebelled, what did God do? Without speaking to Adam and Eve did He annihilate them? No, He came to talk with them. He called out to Adam and asked him what had happened. By doing so, God gave opportunity for Adam and Eve to confess and repent.
Adam and Eve were hiding from God. When Adam and Eve sinned they did not seek God out to make reconciliation. God sought them out.
When Adam and Eve sinned they yielded the dominion of the earth to Satan whom they obeyed. There was perfect harmony between Satan and Adam and Eve at that point and they were under Satan's complete control. But God Himself broke up that harmony and put enmity between Satan and Eve and the descendents of Eve:
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
The situation is the same with every one of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. They do not seek God, God is seeking them.
Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
You may say, "I have sought the Lord. I have been looking for salvation." True. But what you need to understand is that the Holy Spirit of God works on your heart and mind to awaken that desire. You don't possess this desire naturally.
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Spirit of God draws sinners to Jesus because He is the sacrifice for sin.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
It was while we were still sinners, still enemies with God that Jesus died for our sins. God makes the first move to reconciliation.
Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
God is the great peacemaker. He is the one seeking reconciliation. His Spirit draws us to repentance:
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
If you are a subject of the kingdom of God then you are a peacemaker.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Everywhere we look there is contest, fight, disagreement and war.
There is war in the home:
Husbands and wives are fighting. Each one is upset because the spouse is not doing what the other one wants. Each is clamoring to get their own way. One threatens to leave. The other says, "Go then! See if I care!" There is shouting, there is crying, Everyone is expecting the other to apologize first. Sometimes there is even violence in the home. The man hits his wife.
Does that sound like your home? What can you do about it?
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Perhaps you view yourself as the innocent party in the fight in your home. That may be true or maybe you are more to blame than you think. The first thing you can do is examine your own life. Remember that self is always trying to express itself, defend itself, find honor for itself. The troubles in the world spring forth from people as they seek to serve self and exalt self. Are you angry with your spouse because you feel that your honor has been slighted? Do you feel unappreciated? If self is strong in your life these may be the sources of your unhappiness. But when self is dead and your life is hid in Christ, these slights and neglects will not disturb your peace. Jesus said:
Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The unselfish love of God seeks what is best for others. This is the nature of God and the principle of His kingdom. Do you find it difficult to yield your own opinion or way? Is pride the real reason that you are unyielding? Are you always asking yourself this question, "Why is my spouse not doing this and that for me?" Ask yourself these questions instead, "What is best for my spouse? What am I doing to make my spouse happy?"
I am not saying that a man or woman should yield principles of truth or righteousness for the spouse. God comes first. But many arguments and fights would settle if people would seek the good and happiness of their spouse first and yield.
Perhaps you are man and your cultural upbringing has taught you that you must always have your way in the home. That may be your culture. But your culture is not the kingdom of God. You do not have to have your way in everything.
Are you the innocent party in the fight in your home? The fight may be with your spouse or your children or your parents or relative. Then you can be the one to seek reconciliation. When Adam and Eve sinned, God was the innocent party. Yet He sought reconciliation. He did not wait for Adam and Eve because they would never have come to make reconciliation. God sought them. Every human being has sinned and yet God sought reconciliation by providing a sin-offering in Jesus. Are you willing to seek reconciliation with a family member or acquaintance?
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
What if the other person does not want reconciliation? You cannot force someone against their will. But even when they reject your attempts at reconciliation you can still do what is best for them. You can treat them with dignity and respect and you can yield to them when it does not involve the principles of God's law. Remember that it is the love, longsuffering, forbearance and goodness of God that leads people to repentance.
Do you believe that Jesus was a prophet? Good. The devil also believes that but it does not save him. Why? Because when you say, "I believe that Jesus was a prophet" there is no benefit or power in that statement. They are empty words by themselves. To really believe that Jesus was a prophet is to believe the words that God gave Him to teach the world and practice them in your life.
Jesus said,
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Be a peacemaker. Be a spiritual child of God.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus is explaining the principles of the kingdom of God. What makes a peacemaker so important to the kingdom of God?
God Himself is a peacemaker. It is part of His character.
Adam and Eve rebelled against God by eating the forbidden fruit. By rejecting God's authority in their lives they cut themselves off from the life-giver. They earned for themselves the consequence of sin which is eternal death. When Adam and Eve rebelled, what did God do? Without speaking to Adam and Eve did He annihilate them? No, He came to talk with them. He called out to Adam and asked him what had happened. By doing so, God gave opportunity for Adam and Eve to confess and repent.
Adam and Eve were hiding from God. When Adam and Eve sinned they did not seek God out to make reconciliation. God sought them out.
When Adam and Eve sinned they yielded the dominion of the earth to Satan whom they obeyed. There was perfect harmony between Satan and Adam and Eve at that point and they were under Satan's complete control. But God Himself broke up that harmony and put enmity between Satan and Eve and the descendents of Eve:
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
The situation is the same with every one of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. They do not seek God, God is seeking them.
Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
You may say, "I have sought the Lord. I have been looking for salvation." True. But what you need to understand is that the Holy Spirit of God works on your heart and mind to awaken that desire. You don't possess this desire naturally.
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Spirit of God draws sinners to Jesus because He is the sacrifice for sin.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
It was while we were still sinners, still enemies with God that Jesus died for our sins. God makes the first move to reconciliation.
Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
God is the great peacemaker. He is the one seeking reconciliation. His Spirit draws us to repentance:
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
If you are a subject of the kingdom of God then you are a peacemaker.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Everywhere we look there is contest, fight, disagreement and war.
There is war in the home:
Husbands and wives are fighting. Each one is upset because the spouse is not doing what the other one wants. Each is clamoring to get their own way. One threatens to leave. The other says, "Go then! See if I care!" There is shouting, there is crying, Everyone is expecting the other to apologize first. Sometimes there is even violence in the home. The man hits his wife.
Does that sound like your home? What can you do about it?
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Perhaps you view yourself as the innocent party in the fight in your home. That may be true or maybe you are more to blame than you think. The first thing you can do is examine your own life. Remember that self is always trying to express itself, defend itself, find honor for itself. The troubles in the world spring forth from people as they seek to serve self and exalt self. Are you angry with your spouse because you feel that your honor has been slighted? Do you feel unappreciated? If self is strong in your life these may be the sources of your unhappiness. But when self is dead and your life is hid in Christ, these slights and neglects will not disturb your peace. Jesus said:
Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The unselfish love of God seeks what is best for others. This is the nature of God and the principle of His kingdom. Do you find it difficult to yield your own opinion or way? Is pride the real reason that you are unyielding? Are you always asking yourself this question, "Why is my spouse not doing this and that for me?" Ask yourself these questions instead, "What is best for my spouse? What am I doing to make my spouse happy?"
I am not saying that a man or woman should yield principles of truth or righteousness for the spouse. God comes first. But many arguments and fights would settle if people would seek the good and happiness of their spouse first and yield.
Perhaps you are man and your cultural upbringing has taught you that you must always have your way in the home. That may be your culture. But your culture is not the kingdom of God. You do not have to have your way in everything.
Are you the innocent party in the fight in your home? The fight may be with your spouse or your children or your parents or relative. Then you can be the one to seek reconciliation. When Adam and Eve sinned, God was the innocent party. Yet He sought reconciliation. He did not wait for Adam and Eve because they would never have come to make reconciliation. God sought them. Every human being has sinned and yet God sought reconciliation by providing a sin-offering in Jesus. Are you willing to seek reconciliation with a family member or acquaintance?
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
What if the other person does not want reconciliation? You cannot force someone against their will. But even when they reject your attempts at reconciliation you can still do what is best for them. You can treat them with dignity and respect and you can yield to them when it does not involve the principles of God's law. Remember that it is the love, longsuffering, forbearance and goodness of God that leads people to repentance.
Do you believe that Jesus was a prophet? Good. The devil also believes that but it does not save him. Why? Because when you say, "I believe that Jesus was a prophet" there is no benefit or power in that statement. They are empty words by themselves. To really believe that Jesus was a prophet is to believe the words that God gave Him to teach the world and practice them in your life.
Jesus said,
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Be a peacemaker. Be a spiritual child of God.