Blessed Are the Peacemakers | Matthew 5:9 and Hebrews 5:11-6:3

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and you're listening to the Sermon Podcast from January 4, 2026.

[0:13] Happy New Year! This is the first Sunday of 2026, and what better way to begin than with our theme for the entire year? Blessed are the Peacemakers!

[0:25] Today, we are looking at Matthew 5, 9, and Hebrews 5, 11-6, 3.

[0:36] Last year in 2025, our theme was building bridges, building relationships with friends, family, church, and the community. This year in 2026, we're stepping forward to cross those bridges together in faith.

[0:53] We are actively carrying out Christ's mission to the world as peacemakers. In the Beatitudes, Jesus pronounces a blessing not on those who simply avoid conflict, the peacekeepers, but on those who actively make peace.

[1:09] He says in Scripture, This isn't about peacekeeping, which is about avoiding tension and staying comfortable.

[1:22] This is about peacemaking, something that is active, something that is intentional, and something that is relational. It's about entering into broken relationships with wisdom, love, and the transforming power of Christ.

[1:37] But how do we grow into this calling? Hebrews 5, verse 14 tells us that mature believers have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice.

[1:50] The writer of Hebrews lays out six elementary teachings of the faith. Repentance from dead works, faith towards God, baptism, the laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

[2:04] These are foundational, but we're called to move beyond arguing over elementary things and to seek the higher things of God to grow in maturity.

[2:16] As we listen to this message, we'll discover what it means to live as children of God who reflect our Father's character by actively building bridges in a divided world.

[2:27] We'll explore how God transforms us from the inside out and bearing fruit as peacemakers. Let us step boldly into 2026, growing in maturity, wisdom, and discernment, becoming peacemakers who trust Christ to walk with us one step at a time.

[2:47] Let's dive into God's Word together. Well, good morning, everyone. Happy New Year. I hope and trust you all are well rested, and hopefully none of you all got sick.

[3:01] It seems at the end of the year is a good time to get sick, you know, maybe not on Christmas, but maybe after the fact. I'm so glad that we are here in 2026 as we are just entering this new year together.

[3:18] And what I'd like to share with you is this year's theme. We've entered 2026. We have left 2025.

[3:29] And I want to just remind each and every one of us that 2025 was a time for us to focus on building bridges. Building bridges with our neighbors, with our friends, those in the community, and those in the church.

[3:45] It's important for us to establish relationships with other people. And not to be focused on the things that divide us, but rather the things that bring us together.

[3:57] And we have to think about how that ties in with this year. And this year in 2026 took a lot of prayer and reflection on not only what God is doing here in this place, what God has done for the past 80 years, what God was working in 2025.

[4:19] But also, what does God have in store for us today? And to take time to reflect on what would this year's theme be is a very powerful question nonetheless.

[4:32] For us to think that God has provided us peace. He provides us salvation. And he provides us a path for newness of life. And we have to think, how are we to continue building bridges?

[4:49] But how are we to move forward into 2026? And I'd like to share with you, blessed are the peacemakers. And this is going to be the central verse, the theme that we have for this year in 2026.

[5:06] It is the call for us to be a peacemaker. Can we say that together? Blessed are the peacemakers. Let's say that one more time. Blessed are the peacemakers.

[5:18] To be a peacemaker is something that is incredibly powerful. We find this from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5 verse 9 as part of the Beatitudes where Christ is pronouncing a blessing for someone who is a peacemaker and not a peacekeeper.

[5:38] How many of you have heard the phrase before, keep the peace, right? Don't cause an argument, right? Well, peacemaking is something that's entirely different.

[5:51] And we have to distinguish the difference between being a peacekeeper and being a peacemaker. We have to consider that peacemaking is something that is active.

[6:03] It is something that is intentional and it is something that is relational. For Jesus Christ gives each and every one of us, again, not only salvation, but this peace that surpasses all understanding that enters within our own hearts.

[6:21] A peace that is, well, beyond human reason and human understanding. A peace that is so powerful that it radiates in our own minds and in our own hearts.

[6:31] I'm sure that for many of us, we have met someone who has the peace of Christ. Something about them. A sense of calm. Something that is different about them.

[6:43] That no matter what happens, they have that peace of Christ. And that same kind of peace that is within our minds and within our hearts, we are to share to other people. Now, what's very important is the question of what is a peacemaker then?

[7:01] Well, we only find that in scriptures, there's only one time in scripture that the word peacemaker shows up. There are other times and instances where there are similar words that are referencing a peacemaker.

[7:12] But the specific word peacemaker only shows up once. And it is a person who has received peace and one who brings forth the peace of Christ into the broken world.

[7:25] We have to think about the world in which we live in. I know that Matt earlier today was talking about praying for things that are happening in our own world. And it's important for us to realize we should not be afraid of the world.

[7:42] In fact, when any news or event that happens in our own lives, our own community, the nation or the world, we stand firm on the word of God, the truth of who he is, the love and that peace that comes from him.

[7:59] And so, as we are children of God, we are called to grow in our faith. Right? We're called to receive salvation.

[8:10] Just as that image of the seed that gets planted into the ground. Well, when you're planting any sort of seed into the ground, you hopefully want it to grow. Amen? It's important for us to see plants that grow.

[8:22] And in the same way for each and every one of us, we are called to receive the word, to receive salvation, and for it to take root. Right? You want to have deep roots.

[8:34] And you want to be able to grow into a magnificent fruit-bearing tree. Now, it wasn't that long ago when my wife and I, we went out to pick apricots out in a Weezer here.

[8:47] And there was this big giant tree. And it had so many apricots that the amount of weight that that tree had, instead of sprouting out like this, what did it do?

[9:01] Shh. It sagged, right? And let me tell you, when my family and I, when we went over to this place, the guy said, take as many as you want.

[9:11] And it seemed that no matter how long we were there, no matter how many fruits we had picked, by the time we were done, it looked like we hadn't made a dent at all.

[9:23] Now, I don't know about you, that's an amazing kind of tree. And that's the kind of tree you want to have that bears the kind of fruit in the real world. And we have to think in our own context, as we are growing in the knowledge of God and being transformed from the inside out, we are to bear fruit.

[9:41] We are to be peacemakers and not peacekeepers. For there is a blessing in sharing in the Word of God, the good news of the Gospel, speaking truth in love, balancing grace and truth.

[9:56] Scripture calls for us to grow into faith, to grow in our faith and to seek the higher things. Scripture also mentions for us to be trained, for us to be able to have the ability to discern good and evil, truth from lies.

[10:18] Scripture calls for us to be transformed and to become more like Christ. In other words, being Christ-like. That's something that is powerful, remarkable, and people can see it, whether you're a Christian or not.

[10:32] You can see God work in a person. How many of you have met someone? You don't have to raise your hand, but I know I can say I have met someone who, you know, they're walking with the Lord.

[10:45] And you know that God is working in and through them. That's something that is, it helps us in our own faith journey to see, look at how God is working in this person.

[10:56] I want God to continue to work in my life. Or if you're not even a believer, I want God to work in my life like that. That is the kind of faith, that is the kind of relationship that I want to have with the Lord.

[11:07] And so we develop in discernment and wisdom and we allow for Christ to transform us in love. And I'd like for us to turn, because we only had these set of verses from Blessed Are the Peacemakers, I wanted us to go to a scripture that is found in Hebrews here.

[11:26] And there's a reason why. Something that's very important as we are growing as a church, as a church body, is the simple fact that we are to seek the higher things and to not be divided on, well, things that are divisive.

[11:49] Right? Things that are, I call them silly, but you can call them other things. And I want to show you something that's just absolutely remarkable in here. So it's going to be Hebrews chapter 5, verses 11.

[12:12] And we're going to go all the way to chapter 6, verse 3 in here. Are we all there? It's on page 1190. Okay.

[12:26] Let's read it together. You can read out loud or read quietly in your ESVP Bible or Bible of choice. So in verse 11, about this, we have much to say.

[12:38] And it is hard to explain, since you have become what of hearing? Dole of hearing. Uh-oh, right? You're not listening. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the what?

[12:53] The basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk and not solid food. What a tragedy to happen, right? To go back to the basics. And it's also important.

[13:03] Sometimes we do need to go back to the basics. Sometimes it's good to just go back in that. But in this sense, that's not necessarily what's happening. Here it's like you need milk and not solid food.

[13:14] Verse 13. For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a what? A child. Right? Verse 14. But solid food is for who?

[13:25] Mature. For those who have their powers of what? There it is. Discernment. Right? The ability to know right from wrong. Right? Trained by constant practice.

[13:37] Right? It explains what discernment is. Right? It takes practice to distinguish good from evil. Now, many of you have heard these verses, but it doesn't stop there.

[13:47] And this is where it gets very important. Chapter 6, verse 1. Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of...

[14:01] So there's six things that are being listed here. Repentance from dead works. And faith towards God. Instruction about washings. It's called baptism. Right? The laying on of hands and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

[14:16] And we will do if God permits. You have six things that are being listed upon here. And what's very important for us as we're reading this, I want you to really pay attention here, is that the writer of Hebrews is explaining things that are considered basic or elementary to the faith.

[14:34] And what's so fascinating, for us to be called to be peacemakers, we cannot be divided on the elementary things.

[14:44] Now, I don't know about you, but these six things can be the most divisive things within the church. Right? The first thing, the repentance of dead works.

[14:56] Right? That we don't live based off of works. We're not a works-based salvation. Right? The second thing being faith towards God.

[15:07] You have to have faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Right? So that's pretty basic. Right? It's not about what we do, but it's about what has been done. And we have faith in Jesus Christ.

[15:19] There's the instructions about washings. Now, this is interesting. Baptism is considered an elementary thing of the faith. That's fascinating. And yet, I'm sure for many of us, you've heard or maybe you've experienced a specific debate between someone regarding baptism.

[15:38] I know I have. But what's important is that it's not that any of these are less important. They are very important, but they are considered elementary.

[15:50] That's wild. Baptism is considered elementary. Right? Then we have the laying on of hands used for commissioning ministers. There's laying on of hands through prayer and through healing.

[16:03] Right? There's the resurrection of the dead. Well, that's kind of important. Right? That's considered an elementary thing. Knowing that there will be a final resurrection and final judgment. All of these things are, to us, it should be very basic.

[16:19] And we should seek things that are higher than that, not be divided on any of these six examples. All of these things are important. And in your notes, you'll see that there are verses that are concerning these things.

[16:33] Our faith is meant to grow, not to argue with one another. And if we are to be peacemakers, we cannot, we cannot divide over secondary things or these elementary things.

[16:48] They are there in scripture. And should you ever run into someone who fights you tooth and nail? Well, that's the battle that they want to have. We certainly pray for those who may oppose us.

[17:02] We pray that God will illuminate their lives, give them truth, let there be healing. I cannot tell you in my own experience and maybe in your own experience how many times people have fought over silly things.

[17:17] Right? Silly, secondary things. Our core is putting our faith and trust in the living God. There is the importance of baptism. There is the importance of knowing about the final judgment and the resurrection of the dead.

[17:32] And even when it talks about the laying on of hands, that's also something that's important. So when the verse then is talking about we are to seek the higher things, as it mentions in Colossians, or we're to go on into growth and maturity, we're talking about transformation.

[17:48] For God to continue to work in and through our lives. To not just be focused, right? Think about that. That is milk. I want to grow in discernment if that's considered maturity.

[18:02] Knowing the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. I want to seek God and to be transformed. And to spread the good news of the gospel. So when we are talking about being a peacemaker then, we have got to understand the elementary things.

[18:20] They are important, don't get me wrong. But we cannot just stay there. We continue to grow in Christ and to allow for him to transform us. As I mentioned Colossians, we're not going to turn there.

[18:32] But we're even called to put on the new self. To put on this new identity in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. In other words, the peace of Christ is to rule our hearts.

[18:47] And from that transformation, we are able to go out into the world and to make a difference in the name of Christ. Think about it. With God being on our side, we are able to be present with other people.

[19:01] We are able to share in the good news of the gospel. We are able to share in our testimony and how God has worked in our lives. And even share about how God has worked in other people.

[19:13] That God continues to transform us. Let us be encouraged and not discouraged in this year that God is doing a new thing here in this church, in this place.

[19:24] Much like how God is doing a new thing for each and every one of us. Let us be ready to be transformed and to be molded by him. No matter what the circumstance or season of life, some of us are wrestling with going from one season to the next.

[19:40] Or from going from one time period to the next, right? Thinking about going from a child to becoming a teenager. From a teenager to an adult to going into college or working.

[19:52] And then you have retirement. You have all of these different seasons that happened in life. And we trust in God in every season because he's there with us. And that's something that is powerful.

[20:05] So what do we then, what can we learn from this then? Let's go to that next slide here. Peacemaking then, it flows from identity and not avoidance.

[20:20] And what I mean by that is that when we go back to blessed are the peacemaker for they shall be called children of God. Jesus blesses the participation in peacemaking.

[20:33] Not merely peacekeeping. Do you understand the difference, church? It's a pretty significant difference here. That we are to share in the word of God.

[20:44] We are to share in the good news of the gospel. And peacekeeping then is keeping the peace, right? I mentioned keep the peace.

[20:56] There's other variations of that. Don't rock the boat. That's one my mom used to say all the time, right? Don't rock the boat too much. But in that, to be called children of God then means that we reflect on who God is.

[21:11] And God leads us. He transforms us. He guides us through every season of life. We fully rely on him as he is the source. And I want you to ask yourself the question then, do I avoid having difficult conversations?

[21:30] Do I avoid, am I more of a peacekeeper or am I more of a peacemaker? That's something to reflect on not only this Sunday, but as we go through this year.

[21:40] It's my heart. It's my goal for us to keep Christ as the main thing. And not to be divided over so many things that divide us.

[21:55] You know, there's so many, so much division in the world. Between politics, between generations, between mindsets and all sorts of things. But when it comes to Christianity, we seek Christ.

[22:13] And we go towards Christ. We let him transform us. Because are we all on, we should all be journeying towards Christ. But where you are at in your own spiritual walk, is certainly going to be different than the person next to you.

[22:29] How God is forming you, how God will form you, is different. But there's still that transformation process that happens to each and every one of us.

[22:40] Let us not resist that. Let us allow for God to do this. The second thing then is that peacemaking requires what, church? Spiritual obedience, growth, and maturity, right?

[22:54] That we are to follow in the footsteps of Christ. And Hebrews reminds us then that immaturity, right? It showed us this idea that you needed milk and not solid food.

[23:06] And again, like I mentioned, sometimes it's important for us to go over the basic things again. But what a tragedy it would be to have to go all the way back and to be essentially forced to go back to the basic things of God.

[23:20] And it also goes to show that there's an importance of spiritual maturity and there's an importance of discernment, right?

[23:31] The ability to know right from wrong through the eyes of God. How many of you had the Spirit talk to you and say, don't talk to this person?

[23:46] Or how many of you had the Spirit lead and guide you to talk to someone? This is part of maturity. Allowing for the Holy Spirit to guide your very life.

[23:59] There have been times where my wife has a much better gift of discernment and there have been times I've met people and I really get to know them and they're really good and my wife's like, yeah, there's something off about them.

[24:11] And then we find out later there really was something off. And I'm like, really? Like, why couldn't I have known that from the get-go kind of thing? But that's just one example. There can be your own experience that might have happened before.

[24:24] But it's important for us to know that discernment is learned through practice. It is learned through training. Much like how Scripture says that we are to train our children, right?

[24:35] Our physical children to know the ways of God and know the ways of the Lord. Well, think about when we are spiritual children, right? In the same way we are to be trained.

[24:45] We are to be trained in discernment. That's a very powerful thing when you really think about it. Knowing right from wrong, good from evil, these kind of things. And it's also important that we cannot remain fighting in the elementary things.

[25:03] Now, I always thought it was so, it's fascinating because it's almost as though the things of the world and the things of God are kind of flipped. Here's what I mean. In the world, you learn your ABCs.

[25:16] And there's not much dispute on that, right? Or at least I hope not. You learn your ABCs. You got your little blocks. You learn your one, two, threes, right? You learn how to sound out certain phrases.

[25:28] I guess there's debate on pronunciations, but I guess that's neither here nor there. You have these basic things. You crawl before you walk, right? You take your first steps and you move on.

[25:39] Well, there's not much debate on that. And yet, when you go further into more academics and more PhDs, masters, there's a lot more debate on theory, right?

[25:53] And a lot more debate on, well, one person argues this and the other person argues that and there's new information. Things are always changing. That's kind of interesting. But when it comes to the things of God, the elementary things are the things that are fought over.

[26:08] That's interesting. Most debates I've ever ran into have been over elementary things. How many people argue over discernment, right?

[26:20] How many people argue over putting on the new self in Christ? How many people argue about God transforming your life, but yet those are the higher things? So it's almost as though it's flipped.

[26:32] I think that's just kind of a very interesting thing. And I don't know why that is, but it is a wonderful observation nonetheless. And so in all of this, we learn the elementary things, but we seek the higher things so that we can do greater things in the name of Christ.

[26:49] How many of you know that verse where Christ is saying to his disciples, you're going to do greater things than I? Show of hands. Isn't that a hard passage? How are we going to do something greater than Christ?

[27:03] Christ did the greatest thing in history. What in the world are you talking about? When we're talking about ministry and sharing in the gospel, there's going to be opportunities for each and every one of us to share in his love, to share in his grace, to share in his truth.

[27:19] And we have to think, wow, God, you're going to call us to do these greater things. I struggle with that. But it's a powerful thing nonetheless.

[27:32] For us to go out into the world, proclaim the gospel, be present, be that ambassador, and to be a peacemaker then. And ask yourself the question, is God asking you to grow in your faith?

[27:47] Maybe. Maybe. I hope so. And if so, how? Where is Christ calling you to grow beyond being a spiritual infant? And then finally, the last thing, if we can go back on that interpretation, is that peacemaking is the fruit of Christ at work within us.

[28:07] That Christ works in and through us, and we bear fruit in that sense. That peace must be received from Christ. It is divine.

[28:18] It is not man-made. It is not man-constructed. Now I know in the world we can make a lot of really great things, but making peace, that's a little bit different.

[28:28] Something that is coming from the Lord. Something that is higher. And Christ will transform us inwardly, right? Transforming us from, I love that phrase, from the inside out, right?

[28:41] Just like how scripture says, create in me a new heart, oh God, right? And renew a right, what? Spirit within me, right? That God's going to transform. I mean, that's a prayer right there from Psalms.

[28:54] But that's essentially what happens, is that God transforms us from the inside in how we think of God and how we think of people, how we see the world, and even how we interact with the world as well.

[29:07] How we interact with people, that's something that is important for us. So the peace then moves outwardly. Peacemaking then becomes witness towards other people.

[29:22] It's not just about behavior modification and changing your habits. It's something that is much more than that. That people can see who we are by what we do.

[29:33] And it's important, I always got to reemphasize this, that we're not saved by what we do. But we are saved so that we can do incredible things in the name of Christ.

[29:46] And so, ask yourself that question. Is the peace of Christ, is that ruling within your heart? If not, ask for that peace to rule within your heart.

[29:58] Let us go on to the application then. How should we live? What do we do about this? Well, the first thing is to make peace with Christ by what, church?

[30:10] We have got to, first and foremost, you've got to know Christ. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection, right? Begin to learn the elementary things and then continue to grow.

[30:23] Begin by receiving salvation. Receive the peace that surpasses all understanding. And true peace comes from the simple fact that we are reconciled to God.

[30:34] This is where the work begins. Maybe it's important for you to ask God to renew that peace within your heart. I understand that the world can be very overbearing.

[30:46] Amen? We all understand that. But that's why we seek God, to continue to grant us peace. And so, ask yourself if you're not a Christian, or have I received salvation?

[31:00] Or you can even ask yourself, have I received the peace of Christ? If not, let this be a call for you to do so. The second thing then is to what, church? Let's read it together. To grow into spiritual maturity, right?

[31:14] To not just be children, right? We see that in the physical world, and we should see that also in the spiritual. We should experience that in the spiritual world. To go from being a child, being a cute little baby, but to continue to grow in Christ.

[31:32] For God wants us to be transformed, and for us to grow into maturity then. And we need to commit to following in the footsteps of Christ, reading scripture, developing prayer habits, but also, may you be trained in discernment.

[31:48] That's something that we can all practice. Practice, train, and live every day with God on your side. When we talk about transformation, we've got to act upon that transformation.

[32:01] And that's so important for all of us. May we not remain stagnant in our faith. May we continue to grow in it.

[32:12] Grow in him, and don't stop. Think of God as the great potter, molding us and shaping us. How many of you guys have done pottery before?

[32:26] Now, you've got to pay a lot of attention, right? Into that. And if you're not careful, what happens? Well, you're going to make a big mess, right? And so, to think of the amount of intentionality and the amount of work that God does in molding us is really a remarkable image, if you really think about that.

[32:48] All of the, I don't know if they're crevices, but the amount of pressure, right? Molding into certain types of shapes in the, when things are spinning round and round.

[32:58] We can think about that. But you should allow for God to mold you and to form you over time so that you can be a witness, so that you can be a peacemaker then.

[33:11] And ask yourself, is God, is the Lord asking you or inviting you to grow in a certain area? Maybe that's something for you to reflect on. How can you grow this year?

[33:22] How can you be molded? Or how can you be a better peacemaker? And then thirdly, church, let's read that one together. Step forward as a peacemaker, right?

[33:35] I want you to choose one relationship that you can share the peace of Christ with. Find that this week or find that this year. Let that be your New Year's resolution, right?

[33:46] To share the peace of Christ with someone else. A friend, a family member, a co-worker, a fellow student. There's many different relationships that you can work on.

[33:57] Who can you speak to? Who can you share truth with? Who can you witness to? We have to remember that our faith is to be active and not inactive.

[34:10] Consider that and take one intentional step towards peace. We can think of, for example, just having a simple conversation, right? Or simply being present.

[34:21] Sometimes it is having difficult conversations. But we need to trust God in our spiritual walk one step at a time. Don't let this overwhelm you.

[34:34] Sometimes it's just having a simple phone call or a text. Hey, I'm praying for you. Thought about you today. Sometimes it's visiting someone. How you answer that is unique to you.

[34:46] And so I want you to think as we get closer to closing here, where can I live? And how can I live as a peacemaker this year?

[34:58] And so I have this image here of to be a peacemaker. And I have this image. You've probably seen images like this, right? Where the water droplet goes and it creates a ripple effect.

[35:09] And we have to think of how Christ is like the greatest drop, right? And it creates this ripple effect into the world. And how in the same way that as we receive the peace of Christ, we are to share in Christ's peace with others.

[35:21] Creating little ripple effects in other people's lives. In church and in culture. That's how we make a difference in the name of Christ.

[35:32] And so I want you to think about this image. And this last year, as we closed today, we focused on building bridges with friends, family, with the community.

[35:44] And this year, we are crossing that bridge. We are being ambassadors of Christ, right? We are being peacemakers, crossing the bridge together in unity.

[35:56] Carrying out the mission of Christ to the community. Imagine the profound impact that we can have together by sharing in the love of Christ. By sharing in the peace of Christ.

[36:08] By sharing in the gospel message. This does not mean that we forget to build relationships. We are building upon last year's theme. The importance of cultivating relationships and to speaking the truth in love.

[36:22] We step out boldly in faith to live out what God has called for each and every one of us individually. But also for each and every one of us as a church.

[36:32] Let us be peacemakers. Let us journey in faith to become more mature in it. Let us think about all these things. May God supply us strength, wisdom, and train us to be more discerning in our walk with him.

[36:49] Let us not compromise who we are. But let us show the love of Christ with other people. In our words and in our actions. And Christ calls us to move beyond the elementary things.

[37:04] Let us not be divided over these silly things. There's an importance of baptism. There's an importance of the laying on of hands. These are the elementary things. The foundational things.

[37:14] We are to move beyond that. And to allow for God to transform us every single day. Let us move beyond fear to faith.

[37:25] May we move beyond the things that divide us. And focus on the things that unite us together. May we move on from all of this hatred and anger that we see in culture.

[37:38] And instead let us focus on love and compassion and peace. And let us know Christ by believing in him.

[37:48] Let us grow in our faith. Let us put on the new self and live as peacemakers. Children of God who bring light into a divided world.

[38:00] Let us pray together. Father God we thank you for this time and this opportunity for us to gather today. As we are kicking off this new year, 2026.

[38:11] And what a year. It's already seemed to begin. There's already a lot of things that are going on. So we're off to a good start. Well Father, whatever start is happening in this year.

[38:23] May we fully trust in you. We ask for your peace. To be in our hearts and to rule our hearts as Colossians say. May we be called to be peacemakers and not peacekeepers.

[38:37] May we step out boldly in faith to live and to love like you. To share in your word and our testimony to other people. Father, you are doing a new thing in this area.

[38:50] You're doing a new thing in this church. I pray for everyone who is here in person. Everyone who is here online. And everyone who will listen. Whether that's watching the video or listening to the audio recording.

[39:05] I pray that you will have your way. That you will transform each and every one of us. Not to be divided but to be united in you. May we focus on your son Jesus Christ.

[39:17] Who is the way, the truth and the life. May we keep Christ as the main thing. As our main goal and objective. To live and love like him. Father, we are grateful for your word.

[39:31] We're grateful for this church. And we're grateful for just everyone who is a part of this church. We're grateful for this technology that's able to broadcast and to record far and wide.

[39:45] Father, we're encouraged to know about the thousands of podcast downloads. And the amount of people who are being influenced. Not by me. But by you. And we're just grateful.

[39:58] Have your way. Let your spirit move in this place. And may we humbly continue to walk in faith. And journey with you. Every single day.

[40:09] It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. And we all say together, Amen church. Amen. Thank you for joining us for this message from Ontario Community Church. I want you to think about this image.

[40:21] When you drop something into water, it creates a ripple effect. Christ is the greatest drop. Creating peace in the world. As we receive his peace, we share it with others.

[40:33] Creating ripples in people's lives. In our church. In our community. And in our culture. Last year, we focused on building bridges. And this year, we're crossing the bridge together as peacemakers.

[40:48] Carrying out Christ's mission. Let us move beyond the elementary things that divide us. Let us move beyond fear to faith. Division to unity.

[40:59] Hatred to love. Let us know Christ. Let us grow in our faith. And let us live as peacemakers. Children of God who bring light into the world.

[41:10] You can find all of today's resources at OntarioCommunityChurch.org. There, you will find slides, sermon notes, Bible studies, and the interactive reading.

[41:20] We're also on YouTube, Rumble, Facebook, TikTok, or wherever you get your podcasts. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you and give you peace.

[41:34] May God shape you to be a peacemaker in 2026. God bless and thank you. God bless you and thank you.

[42:20] God bless you and thank you.

[42:50] God bless you and thank you.

[43:20] God bless you and thank you.

[43:50] God bless you and thank you.