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[0:00] Thank you guys. Thank you choir for leading us in that time of worship through song. If this is your first Sunday with us, you might be expecting me to preach a passage like from! Resurrection morning from the end of Matthew or the end of Luke or the end of John. But if you've! been here for any length of time, then you know exactly what I preach here every Sunday, and that is the next verse. We preach line by line, verse by verse, and this Sunday we're going to continue our study through the Beatitudes, through the Sermon on the Mount. We're going through the Gospel of Matthew as a church, and we've been studying the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are eight qualities that Jesus expects of his followers or of kingdom citizens. The Beatitudes are eight qualities that Jesus expects his followers to exhibit or to live out. We've looked at six of them so far, and so today, our time together, we're going to look at the last two. Starting in verse 9 of Matthew chapter 5, the word of the Lord says,

[1:10] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. You're blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

[1:38] Let me pray for us. Lord Jesus, we love you. We pray to you because you are alive and on the throne. We know that you hear our prayers. We know that you gather with us when we come together in your name.

[1:55] So Lord, I pray for your blessings over the remainder of this service today, and over the rest of our time together in Sunday school and in the next service. God, I pray that you will be absolutely magnified. We love you, Jesus, and it's in your name that we pray. Amen.

[2:14] Amen. Has anyone come to church this morning early? He's shaking your head yes. Yeah, you have come to church this morning. Good. Has anyone come to church this morning with some baggage? You know, is there anything going on in your life that is stressful? Or is there anything that's causing some unrest or disruption? Is there a lack of peace in your life at any point? Right? Someone said yeah. Amen.

[2:46] So statistically, it is probable that most, if not all, in this room have some baggage. All right?

[2:56] So listen to some of these stats. In the focus on the family, they run a marriage report in America. In 2025, they reported that 21% of U.S. marriages are in crisis. That means like on the brink of divorce, already filed for divorce, or considering divorce, or feel like there's no hope in their marriage.

[3:16] 21% of U.S. couples. Now that number goes down for practicing Christians, but it goes up even higher to 25% for people who are non-believers and for people who are nominal Christians. That means not not consistently faithful in their walk with Jesus. 25% of people. 21% of people. That's a lot of people.

[3:39] If there were 100 people in this room, 20 would be experiencing some marital stress. Now this is also interesting. There was a study done by a professor at Cornell University, a sociologist, who specializes in family estrangement. He said that 27% of U.S. citizens have a strained or an estranged relationship with at least one member of their family. So that number, 27%, represents 67 million Americans.

[4:12] That's a lot of people. Do you have a broken relationship with a child? Do you have a broken relationship with your family, with your parents, or a sibling? You'd be one of those 67 million. What about work, what about your workplace? Does anybody have any conflict at work, maybe with a co-worker, or a boss, or a subordinate, or a client, or something like that? 85% of Americans say that they have workplace, workplace drama that causes them stress. Workplace conflict. Look, regardless of the situation that you have going on in your life, I am so glad that you've made it here today.

[4:50] All right, we come to church, often we come to church because we want to have a break from the baggage of life, right? We want to find some peace in the midst of suffering or trial. We want to be calm for a minute, right? Sometimes we come to church for that. So I'm glad that you're here.

[5:08] I'm glad that you're here today, and that we get to study the Word of God, and think about and consider the way that the resurrected Lord Jesus calls us to live, and because of His resurrection, enables us to live. All right, so as I said, we're looking at the Beatitudes, and we have two more to go. So we're starting in verse 9, looking at that first one, which is, blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God, or they will be called children of God. So the first point I want you to take home today. You ready? Be a peacemaker. Be a peacemaker. What is a peacemaker? Well, as Charles Spurgeon puts it, is a 19th century preacher from London, famous, famous preacher, really good sermons, but as he, as Charles Spurgeon puts it, a peacemaker is someone who loves peace. And I'm talking about like in like the hippie, like, what's up man, peace, you know, peace and love. Not like, not like that, right?

[6:09] Someone who loves genuine peace, unity, right? Genuine unity and peace. A peacemaker loves peace. And notice that he didn't say, and the description doesn't really fit, that a peacemaker is someone who hates chaos or hates disorder. No one likes chaos. No one likes it when life is all upside down, when things are hard. No one likes it when my marriage isn't going well, or my child is, you know, not talking to us. No one likes it when those things are going on. But here's the problem.

[6:39] So often, we find ourselves in situations of disruption or unrest or unsettled, in an unsettled spirit or whatever. And we do nothing to stop it, right? We're, we're not being peacemakers. We're not actually pursuing peace. We just complain about how hard it is or how much we dislike it. We're not trying to fix the relationship. We're not trying to mend what's broken. We're not being peacemakers.

[7:02] I also want you to notice that Jesus says, blessed are the peacemakers, not the peacekeepers. You see the, you understand the difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper? Let me, let me, let me fill that out a little bit. Peacekeepers will compromise where they shouldn't.

[7:16] So that they can feel unified. So that things feel good. So that it's less stressful, less uncomfortable. Peacekeepers, if I can say it so bluntly, stand without a backbone very often.

[7:28] Peacekeepers will, will waver or fall on essentials if it means everybody stays happy and, and nobody's at odds with one another. And Jesus doesn't call Christians, he doesn't call kingdom citizens to be peacekeepers. He calls us to be peacemaker. A peacemaker will work to resolve conflict in a lasting way. Right? Not, not just happiness for a moment, not just keep everybody appeased, but genuine peace, resolution of conflict. A peacemaker will stand strong on biblical convictions without hesitation, because they know that true peace comes from God and his word. Peacemakers won't let people who seek to disunify have the loudest voice. A lot of time, a lot of times churches fall into peacekeeping mode instead of peacemaking mode. Have you ever seen this at a church? Like everybody just wants to keep everybody else happy so that the status quo doesn't get rocked, you know? When there's things that are happening in the church that need to be addressed, maybe there's, you know, blatant sin, public sin that needs to be addressed, but people would just like, would rather say, I don't really want to deal with how mad they might get, so I'm not going to address that. Far too often the church falls into peacekeeping mode. And when that happens, the church becomes no different than the public square or any other place in life, right? Your workplace. If everybody's just trying to keep everyone else happy, walking on eggshells, and, and not trying to stand firm for truth, and then very quickly the church becomes no different than the rest of the world. But the Christian must necessarily be a peacemaker.

[9:10] You have a responsibility. If you believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, you have a responsibility. Now, I have a few questions that I want us to think through today, okay? First, why should I be a peacemaker? Why be a peacemaker? Well, if it isn't enough that Jesus himself very clearly wants you to be a peacemaker, very clearly calls his followers to be peacemakers, think back to those statistics that I mentioned a moment ago. We, we need to be peacemakers as Christians because the world needs peacemakers.

[9:40] The world is in disorder. The world is very out of, out of whack, right? To put it, you know, I guess in a funny way. The, the world needs peace. People long for peace. People will do anything it takes to find peace. And too often the church is not out trying to make peace with the world.

[10:05] If we don't stand firm as peacemakers, then the enemy who seeks to divide and seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, he'll have the loudest voice. There's a very real threat. And, and so the world needs peacemakers. The world's need, the world needs peacemakers who, who are biblical peacemakers.

[10:24] Number two, uh, well, the enemy is sowing disunity. I already said that, but I didn't put the slide up. Okay. Number three, righteous people cultivate peace. So why be a peacemaker? Because Jesus has already called us to a life of righteousness. So if you're a Christian, we've already looked through these beatitudes. So we have, uh, back here at verse six, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They will be filled. We talked about this on Friday night. Jesus has called his followers to a life of righteousness and righteous people cultivate peace. So why be a peacemaker?

[10:53] Because if you are living out the rest of the beatitudes, it will flow out of you. Peace will flow out of you. If you are a transformed follower of Jesus Christ, then you will cultivate peace.

[11:05] In James chapter three, James talks about the wisdom of the world versus the wisdom of God and how the wisdom of the world leaves things in disorder and in chaos and in every kind of evil practice. But then he says in James three 17, but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering without pretense.

[11:30] And the fruit of righteousness is sown by those who cultivate peace. See, not only do righteous people cultivate peace, but by cultivating peace in the world, by being people who are peacemakers, we will show the world righteous living. You see what I'm saying? We'll sow the fruit of righteousness. People will see the glory of God. But I have another question. How can I be a peacemaker?

[11:55] Because that seems kind of hard, right? The idea of standing so strongly for something that I might make someone mad for the sake of peace is a little bit intimidating, right? That's why so often we go back into that peacekeeping mentality instead. So how can I be a peacemaker? Number one, I want you to look to Jesus. It seems obvious. It's resurrection Sunday, but look to Jesus. Today is the day we celebrate the resurrection. Do you know what Jesus did when he died on the cross and rose again?

[12:31] That was a genuine question. Yes or no? Do you know what Jesus did when he died on the cross and rose again? Jesus Christ purchased our peace with God. The Bible says that in sin, and everyone has sinned, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In sin, the Bible describes us as enemies of God.

[12:58] God. Enemies. That means we are not on good terms. And here's the thing. God is supreme, righteous, holy, perfect. And there is nothing that we can do, there is nothing that we can do to reach God or to make peace with God. We can't do it on our own. And so Jesus Christ entered into our world. He lived a perfect life without sin. And Jesus went to the cross and he took the punishment of sin that we deserve. In taking the punishment for sin on the cross, Jesus fulfilled the punishment that we, that was required for our sin. Jesus did that for us. So that, Romans 5, 1 says, we, if we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So we're all sinners, but if we've believed in Jesus Christ, if we've repented of our sin, trusted in him as Savior, the Bible says that Jesus bought our peace with God. Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 and 20 says, for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. The shed blood, the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ, the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ bought our peace with God. Let me ask you a quick question. Do you have peace with God? Do you have peace with God? Are you at peace with God Almighty? If you were to die today, and I hope that no one does, for the record. If you were to die today driving home, maybe the sun or the rain comes back out. Okay, you have a car accident. I don't know.

[14:49] If you were to die today. If you were to die today. If you were to stand in the presence of God Almighty, and he were to ask you, are you my friend or my enemy? What would you say? If you say friend, why? Anything less than I'm your friend because the blood of your son has saved me and made me clean and made me your friend. Anything less than that is not good enough.

[15:19] You'll be cast out from his presence. So all of us have to wrestle with the question, do we have peace with God? And I'm not talking about, I've used this illustration before, I'm not talking about that Forrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan, I think he made his peace with God that day, you know.

[15:34] I'm not talking about genuine peace with God on his terms, not on your terms. You don't dictate the terms of peace with God Almighty. He wrote the peace treaty. It was the body and blood of his son. Do you have peace with God?

[15:51] So Jesus bought our peace. Also, he is our peace. Ephesians chapter 2 says, for he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility in his flesh.

[16:02] He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to those of you who were far away and those of you who were near. Listen, Jesus came to earth to secure a peaceful relationship between us and God.

[16:16] And apart from Jesus Christ, we do not have peace with God. We stand as enemies. Yet Christ sought us out. Romans 5, 8, but God demonstrates his own love for us.

[16:29] The most powerful demonstration of love in all of existence is Jesus on the cross. God demonstrates his own love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

[16:43] Jesus came and died for his enemies. Us. We were his enemies and he died for us so that we could have life. What a great love that is. One other reason to look to Jesus is because when Jesus was going to the cross, he told his disciples that he leaves them with peace.

[16:59] John 14, 27, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Do not be troubled as the world, I do not give it to you as the world gives. Don't let your heart be troubled or fearful.

[17:11] So how can I be a peacemaker? Look to Jesus. Look to Jesus. Also, I want you to be led by the Spirit. How can I be a peacemaker? Well, be led by the Spirit.

[17:22] The Spirit of God always moves towards peace. Ephesians chapter 4, verses 1 through 3 says, Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received.

[17:33] With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. The Spirit of God is always moving towards peace.

[17:45] When we move away from peace, when we move to disunity because we don't like the way someone said something, we don't like the way someone looked at us, you know, we conjure up ideas of what people think about us.

[17:55] When we move away from peace, we are not moving in step with the Spirit of God. Be led by the Spirit of God. The fruit of the Spirit is peace. Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23.

[18:07] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such a thing there is no law. Listen, the Bible makes it clear that the Spirit of God provokes within believers a heart of peace.

[18:23] So how can we be a peacemaker? Well, we look to Jesus and we're led by the Spirit of God. Number three, embrace the ministry of reconciliation. There's another word for making peace, for peacemaking.

[18:34] Okay? It's reconcile. To fix a broken relationship between two opposing parties. Okay? Reconciliation. If you've been saved by the grace of God, you will seek peace and you will seek to make peace.

[18:47] Because Jesus Christ has made peace between you and Himself. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 18 says, Everything is from God who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

[19:01] The ministry of reconciliation is given to all believers. You are a minister of reconciliation if you believe in Jesus Christ. It means that you have a responsibility to tell people about how they can be reconciled to God.

[19:15] And not only tell them about how they can, but call them to be reconciled to God. Invite them to be reconciled to God. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.

[19:29] And He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Verse 20, Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. Since God is making His appeal through us, we plead on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

[19:40] Friend, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have to embrace the ministry of reconciliation and call men and women, boys and girls, your daughters, your sons, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your family.

[19:54] You have to call people to be reconciled to God because that is our only hope. It's our only hope because Jesus really did raise from the dead.

[20:06] Jesus bought our peace so that we can be peacemakers. So what relationships are strained in your life that you need to seek to reconcile? I want to remind you that God sought reconciliation with us.

[20:24] He pursued us. We were the offending party, not Him. So if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you know what that means? No matter how bad someone's hurt you, no matter how wrong someone has treated you, you have the responsibility to seek reconciliation.

[20:47] Not them. Christ followers, peacemakers, don't sit around and wait for someone else to come start the process of reconciliation. Christ followers pursue it.

[20:58] We pursue peace. So what relationships do you need to reconcile? What about this? Where in your life are you trying to keep peace instead of make peace? There's something that's rubbing you the wrong way, and you really wish that there was more that you could do about it, but you don't want to rock the boat, you don't want to offend, so you're trying to keep the peace instead of making peace by calling people to repentance.

[21:21] Where in your life do you need to make peace instead of keep the peace? Finally, I want you to think about this. Romans 12, 18 says, If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

[21:33] So who in your life, or who in your sphere of influence, or who that you might encounter, are you not making an effort to live at peace with?

[21:45] Who have you written off? Who are you unaffiliated with completely? Where are you not pursuing peace? You need to be a person of peace with your friends, with your enemies, with your spouse, with your neighbors, even if your neighbors park behind your driveway and you can't get out of the driveway.

[22:05] You know what I mean? Be friends. Be people of peace. Hey, check this out. Be a person of peace with your Republican friends. Be a person of peace with your Democratic friends.

[22:16] The peace of God doesn't know a party affiliation. Live at peace. Make peace with people because that glorifies God.

[22:29] The second beatitude that we're going to look at today is very interesting because it's a call to be prepared for persecution. So number two, prepare for persecution.

[22:40] Verses 10 through 12 says, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.

[22:51] Be glad and rejoice because your reward is great in heaven, for that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Look, the irony is not missed on me that Jesus, in the same breath, says to go and be peacemakers and get ready for persecution.

[23:10] It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Be a peacemaker. Someone might try to kill you. You know what I mean? A little bit ironic. But I think Jesus does this intentionally.

[23:22] It's because the call to follow Jesus is not a call to an easy life. It's not a call to a simple life. There is a very real cost to discipleship.

[23:32] It'll cost you friendships. It'll cost you potentially jobs. It'll cost you, you know, all sorts of things. It could cost you your life if you follow Jesus.

[23:43] The call to follow Jesus is not a call to an easy life. You're not going to find a health and wealth prosperity gospel preached here at this church. I'm not going to promise you that if you give tithes that your mortgage will miraculously be paid off.

[23:57] If you give tithes, your cancer is going to go away. I'm not going to make you those promises because God doesn't make those promises. But I'll tell you this. If you follow Jesus and you live the righteous life that he has called you to, if and when you face persecution, that will be to the glory of God most high.

[24:19] Persecution is something actually that's a joyful experience. That sounds crazy to say, but your faith is strengthened in persecution. There's also a blessing in the fact that you're joining in with thousands upon thousands of years of saints and Old Testament prophets and all of these different people who have faced the sword or faced the stake or faced anything so that they would be glorifying to God.

[24:51] These people, you're joining in a long line of persecuted saints. There is a joy to being persecuted. Now listen, there's three things that persecution does. Number one, persecution aligns you with Jesus.

[25:04] Today we celebrate the resurrection, but if you were here on Friday, you'll remember that we talked very graphically about the death of Christ. I shared a lot of details, medical details, about the suffering that Jesus endured.

[25:19] I want you to understand that if you are persecuted because of righteousness, you are aligned with Jesus.

[25:30] And it is an honor to be considered worthy of the same suffering of our Lord. Number two, persecution brings a comfort unknown, a comfort that you have not yet experienced.

[25:42] There's a closeness of the Lord when believers face persecution. Persecution. This is well documented, by the way, throughout the history of the church.

[25:53] Martyrs, people who are facing persecution, they all stated how comforted they were in the presence of the Lord during their time of persecution. Matter of fact, it even starts, it predates that, in the book of Acts, when Paul's about to stand before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council of leaders, Luke tells us that that night, before he went before them, the Lord Jesus came and stood beside him and told him, you've proclaimed my name here, but you're going to proclaim my name in Rome also.

[26:20] So there, Paul was facing persecution. He was arrested because of his faith. He was beaten because of his faith. All these different things. And in that moment of persecution, the Lord Jesus stood closer to him than any other time.

[26:33] You also have the example of different saints of old. I'm going to tell you about one of them, okay? Because he's got my favorite name in church history, okay? His name is Polycarp. Have you ever heard of Polycarp? Polycarp?

[26:45] It's like five fish or something. Is Poly five? Or is it just many? Many fish? Anyways, okay. Look, I'm good for at least one statement that makes me sound really dumb per sermon.

[26:57] So, yeah. Anyways, okay. Polycarp. He was a Christian who was born in like 80, 70, somewhere right around there. And he became a bishop in the church in Smyrna.

[27:08] He was a very influential leader in the earliest church. He was actually a disciple of John, the disciple of Jesus. He was a disciple of that John. Polycarp faced persecution at the hands of Rome.

[27:22] He was brought before the tribunal and he was told to renounce Christ and to declare Caesar as Lord. And do you know what Polycarp said? It's one of the most legendary quotes of all time.

[27:33] He said, 86 years I have served Christ and he has done me no harm. How then could I blaspheme my king who saved me? They took that 86-year-old man, they laid him on a stake, and they lit him on fire.

[27:50] Now, here's the thing. Well, I'm talking about the comfort of God in the midst of persecution. The story goes, I wasn't there, I can't verify it, but I'm going to tell you the story.

[28:01] The story goes that as Polycarp laid on the stake, he was at peace, laying there still, not moving, not in pain, and the flames did not consume him.

[28:12] So they had to run him through with a sword to kill him. If you think for one moment that God wasn't present in that martyr's story, you'd be sadly mistaken.

[28:23] The comfort of God led him to be bold and to stay firm in his faith in Jesus Christ and not renounce Jesus. The third thing that righteousness does, that persecution does, is it validates righteousness, or it validates your righteous living.

[28:41] Look, Jesus makes it very clear. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. This is not like you get a speeding ticket because you were speeding, and then you say, well, I'm just being persecuted, you know?

[28:52] That's not what this is, okay? Persecuted because of righteousness. This is not the result of your own actions. This is not a consequence. This is because of your faith in God, because you are living out the life that Jesus has called you to, okay?

[29:06] When someone persecutes you for your faith in Jesus Christ. If you're a faithful, beatitude Christ follower, if you're poor in spirit, if you mourn your sin, if you're humble before God and man, if you seek righteousness day and night, like as if it was bread and water, if you're pure in heart, if you are a peacemaker, understand that you will face persecution, and also understand that God is mightily glorified in those things.

[29:36] I want to talk just for a moment about the blessings promised to these two different people. The peacemakers will be called sons of God or children of God.

[29:48] You'll be called a son or a daughter of God if you are a peacemaker, I think particularly because peacemaking is the industry of the son of God. Peacemaking is the work of Jesus Christ.

[30:00] And so if you are interested in making peace, if you pursue peace, God will be glorified and you will be called his son or daughter. Remember, these are qualities of Christ followers.

[30:11] The assumption is that you're a Christian. Number two, if you face persecution because of righteousness, you have a great blessing. The kingdom of heaven is yours. If you read the book of Revelation and just study the blessings bestowed on those who were martyred for their faith, the celebration of the saints who faced the sword for their faith, what an amazing blessing they possess in heaven.

[30:35] And if you look around the world, by the way, if you look at what's happening to the Christians in Nigeria, listen, there is a real animosity towards Christ in the world. There's a real animosity towards Christians in the world.

[30:47] And the safety and the security that we are so unbelievably blessed with here in the United States may not always be the case. And whether it is or it isn't, whether you can publicly profess your faith in Jesus and live out your faith or you can't, we have to prepare for persecution.

[31:06] And understand that if we face persecution, we can be strengthened and encouraged because we have a blessing waiting in heaven. Now, don't have a martyrdom complex, okay? Don't seek persecution, but prepare for it.

[31:18] So the challenge is before us. We have to seek peace even when it's difficult to us, even when it's not fun for us.

[31:28] We're called to be peacemakers. That means we don't wear our hearts on our sleeve. That means that we turn the other cheek. That means we're gracious, we're kind, we're generous in mercy, we're repentant when we sin, we're honest about our sin.

[31:44] That's what it looks like to be a peacemaker. I also want you to notice something. This is really interesting. It's Resurrection Sunday, so I want to point this out. Have you ever noticed some of the first words that Jesus said whenever his disciples or whenever the women encountered him after the resurrection?

[32:01] In Matthew 28, verses 9 and 10, Jesus met them and said, greetings. And that word greeting is like a greeting of peace. He brought peace to them. And then he told them, do not be afraid. So Jesus, the first encounter with the resurrected Lord, was a greeting of peace and encouragement to not be afraid.

[32:19] In Luke chapter 24, verse 36, the disciples were in a room behind a locked door and as they were there, Jesus just appeared before them. He walked through the wall. Pretty awesome, okay? But he stood in their midst and Jesus said, peace to you.

[32:32] John chapter 20, verse 19, when it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them and said, peace be with you.

[32:43] Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross and rose again and some of the first words that he said to those who loved him most were wishes of peace and blessing.

[32:57] And Jesus offers that peace to us today so we can be peacemakers because God has given us peace with himself. Number two, the other challenge that we have is to prepare for persecution.

[33:08] Prepare for persecution. Look, all of the Beatitudes, all of the Beatitudes were modeled perfectly by Jesus. But I don't think there's a more clear picture of what it looks like to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness than in the example of our Lord himself.

[33:28] So we have the opportunity, if we face persecution, to join in the sufferings of Jesus. And as we close our time together, I just want to remind you of two more things, okay?

[33:41] So if you are here today and you have never given your life to Jesus, you've never professed faith in Jesus as Lord, you do not have peace with God, I want you to understand something, okay?

[33:52] This first point is very, very important, okay? Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again, and he loves you. Jesus Christ loves you. He loves you so dearly that he gave his life for your sin.

[34:04] He offered himself so that you could be saved. And if you're like, well, that's cool, but I'm really not that bad. Sin isn't that big. Listen, your sin is an offense to the glory of God. All of our sin is.

[34:16] And so Jesus Christ stood in your place and took the punishment of sin that you deserve. That's how great his love is for you. Number two, if you choose to follow Jesus, if you give your life to Jesus, if you are saved by the grace of God, understand that it is a call to eternal life.

[34:35] It is a call to a glorious life in the Lord. But it is not a call to an easy, simple life. You might face persecution.

[34:46] Listen, Jesus didn't let people follow him without telling them of the cost to follow him. He made it very clear. You're going to lose relationships.

[34:57] You have to prioritize me above everything else. You have to follow my teachings. You have to love me more than you love anything else, more than you love yourself. Jesus made it very, very clear. So following Jesus is not an easy task.

[35:10] You don't just pray a prayer and say you're saved and then never worry about it again. You devote your life to him. And by his grace, he saves you. So listen, for those who are believers in the room, be agents of peace.

[35:25] Pursue peace. Make peace. Whatever situations in your life you're facing, whatever brokenness you're dealing with, you be the one to pursue peace. Don't wait for the other party. Pursue peace.

[35:35] And prepare for persecution. And then, again, if you remember my question from before, if you were to stand before God and him ask you if you are his friend or his enemy, what would you tell him?

[35:49] Listen, the only way that God will allow you into heaven is if you have confessed your sin and repented of it and trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

[36:02] Then and only then can you stand before God in heaven and say, I am your friend because of the blood of your Son. He shed his blood so that I can come to you.

[36:14] Only then can you stand in the presence of God if you believe in Jesus Christ. So listen, as we sing a song, as we close our time together, we're going to have a time of invitation.

[36:27] You'll be invited to respond to the word of God however you feel so led. But I want you right now to just close your eyes. I want you to stay focused on the call to being a peacemaker and the reality of the fact that Jesus Christ bought peace for you if you will only trust him.

[36:50] I want you to think about those things. And if you're in this place today and you've never given your life to Jesus, listen, I'm going to do something. I don't normally do this. But I'm going to lead a prayer of repentance.

[37:04] And if you feel that God is calling you to himself for salvation and you join me in praying this prayer, you have to mean this from your heart. Cry out to God for salvation.

[37:16] Don't just repeat words and think that you're good. Believe, believe, believe. If you pray this prayer, then come and share that with us.

[37:30] Let us celebrate the work of God in salvation. Let me pray. Lord Jesus, we love you. Oh God, I pray your blessings over everyone in this room. I pray that you would strengthen us by your word. And Lord, for those in the room who do not know you, God, who you're calling to yourself for salvation right now, Lord, hear their prayers.

[37:52] Hear their cries. And save them from their sin. Give them new life. If you feel so led, pray this prayer in your heart and mean it or out loud.

[38:05] But Lord Jesus, I have sinned against you. I am a broken, broken person. I can do nothing to save myself except to fall at your feet and plead for your grace.

[38:24] Lord Jesus, I know that you are the son of God. That you lived a perfect life and that you died on the cross in my place for my sin.

[38:36] Lord, forgive me of my sin. I repent of my sin. I turn from it. I turn to you. Lord Jesus, I put my faith and my trust and my hope in you and you alone for salvation.

[38:50] Amen. If you prayed that prayer and you want to share that with us, please, please do that today. Boldly come and share that you have given your life to Christ. Stand and sing and respond as God leads.

[39:03]