Last December I was invited by Nathan to give a message for Advent on peace.
!
He makes peace and he preaches peace.
Today I've been invited again to speak about peace.
We had a little laugh at the dinner table when I told our young ladies,
Wow, Dad, you just preached on peace in December.
But it's a further aspect that I think somewhat completes the idea that we began to look at back then.
And it has to do or highlights the continuing role that Jesus' followers have in bringing his peace to fruition.
So let's look at, read together Matthew 5 and verse 9.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Father, thank you for your word that it is life to us.
That your spirit is here with us.
And we ask you to awaken our hearts to grasp exactly what you want us to hear and know.
And to strengthen us in order to live faithfully.
In the light of your love and desire to bring your kingdom.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
I think the topic of peace should pique our interest because the world around us is so much in need of peace.
Someone in 2003 calculated that of the last 3,400 years of recorded history,
only 268 of those years have been war-free.
That sink in.
These continually present wars show us the desperate need for peace among nations.
But in addition, lingering racial tensions show us the ongoing need of peace among people groups.
And the present high rate of divorces, broken families, conflicts with roommates, neighbors, and co-workers that we all face show us the need for peace in our interpersonal relationships.
But as much as negotiated truces and discrimination laws and counseling have been helpful,
history and our own experience has shown us that the world's peace is at best uneasy and temporary.
But in contrast, the gospel, the gospel that we cherish, the gospel that we love and proclaim every week offers a different kind of peace.
It is a powerful peace.
It is a peace that Jesus makes between God and his people and between you and other believers.
It is a peace that doesn't just restrict hostility.
It completely eliminates the hostility.
The prophetic portrait of the church in the book of Revelation depicting a great multitude that no one can number from every nation,
from all tribes of people and languages,
standing before the throne and the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.
This depiction is not just a roll call of everybody that's going to show up in heaven someday.
This is an amazing glimpse into the glorious destiny of the church.
True unity among great diversity.
This unity appears to be foremost in the mind of Jesus just before he was crucified.
And we can see it in his prayer in John chapter 17.
And I like to read a couple passages out of John 17.
First in verse 11, he is praying,
And he makes that request even stronger and broader when he continues in verse 20.
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.
That's us.
That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you.
That they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
If this was so important to Jesus, then I hope you agree with me.
It should be a primary concern for us who are his followers.
The beatitude we are looking at this morning in Matthew 5 verse 9
affirms this point in the strongest way.
It links the very identity of God's children with the activity of peacemaking.
It must be obvious to us that the church has not yet fully experienced this peace.
Our assurance is that one day it will be complete.
But perhaps what is not so obvious is that each one of us has a role in the process.
Church splits.
Segregated congregations.
Crises among Christian families.
Other broken relationships among believers show us that the task is far from finished.
And what the passage before us this morning suggests is that the peacemaking that Jesus describes
is the normal activity of the children of God.
And that which best represents our father's nature.
In a fallen and divided and conflict-ridden world.
Of course, in this world, peacemaking is usually a painful process.
Now, like most Proverbs, Matthew 5 verse 9 has its limitations.
It doesn't instruct us how to be peacemakers.
Nor does it even command us to be peacemakers.
Neither does it show the context for peacemaking.
Rather, I believe it simply serves to encourage us that the change that God has worked in us to make us peacemakers is evidence that we belong to him.
And the fact that we thus belong to him is what makes us blessed.
I believe this morning Jesus wants to encourage you and me by reminding us of what truly makes up the blessed life.
Each succeeding beatitude affirms this.
And in this seventh beatitude, we focus first on the idea of peacemakers.
And then the benefit that belongs to you and I.
First, Jesus wants you to know that peacemakers are among those who are blessed.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Very straightforward.
So, to begin with, I'd like to consider what peacemaker is.
The Greek term that we find behind this word is a compound word that is translated literally peacemakers.
Really simple.
But it's only used right here in the New Testament.
When a word is only used once in the scripture, it's difficult to interpret it.
More difficult, perhaps, because we don't have the support of other uses to determine meaning.
But in this case, we do have some other help.
In Colossians 1.20, we find a verbal form of the same compound that refers to Jesus as one making peace by the blood of his cross.
And closely related to that is Ephesians 2.15.
Where there are two words.
Where the two words of the compound are used separately.
To simply say, making peace.
And there he describes the mysterious work of Jesus when he created a unity between Jews and Gentiles who were previously enemies.
Now, both passages emphasize God's work of reconciliation.
And the use of the word peace in these passages, I think, aligns more with the Hebrew relational idea of shalom rather than the Latin pacts or the Greek irain.
Which we get the name Irene.
Both which refer to a state of being consisting of no war.
There's a, you know, that kind of peace is just the absence of war.
It's a state of quiet.
Whereas the Hebrew word shalom refers more to harmony and wholeness and welfare.
And it's a relational kind of term.
And the uses in Ephesians and Colossians suggest to us then that Jesus' peacemakers are those who are somehow involved in his reconciling work.
Now, further than that, we have a passage right here in Matthew chapter 5 that appears to shed some light on the idea.
Look at verses 43 through 45.
In chapter 5 of Matthew.
I'll read those verses.
You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
For he makes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Now, even though the word peace is not used here in this section,
the connection to this seventh beatitude is quite strong.
The main similarity is the use of the phrase,
Sons of your Father who is in heaven.
And Jesus is saying that contrary to the present religious teaching,
he instructs his followers to love their enemies.
And he says it's an attitude that reflects the care that God has for those who are evil as well as good.
And the characteristic of love in a follower of Jesus is what designates him as a son.
A son of the Father.
The same identification we find in Matthew chapter 5 verse 9 for peacemakers.
So what I think Jesus is describing is not someone who simply tolerates enemies,
but who actually loves and actively demonstrates that love through prayer and interaction with them.
And really that's the heart of peacemaking.
Verses 44 and 47 provide two simple ways this love is demonstrated.
First, pray for those who persecute you.
This is a way in which peacemaking is accomplished.
And second, by, interestingly, greeting.
They're not complex tasks, but they can be difficult.
God has not left us alone in the process of peacemaking.
It's his task, but he wants us to participate with him.
And so prayer must be natural.
And praying for enemies is a first and major, perhaps the most important step.
But why does he mention greeting?
Hey, enemy.
Perhaps it's simply a simple but powerful way of making a bridge.
There's someone who doesn't like you, hates you, has a problem with you.
John Piper has an insightful insight here.
He says, peacemaking tries to build bridges to people.
It does not want the animosity to remain.
It wants reconciliation.
It wants harmony.
And so it tries to show what may be the only courtesy the enemy will tolerate.
Namely, a greeting.
The peacemaker looks the enemy right in the eye and says, good morning, John.
And he says it with a longing for peace in his heart, not with a phony gloss of politeness to cover his anger.
Peacemaking is not necessarily a pleasant task.
And there are major areas that fall under this category.
Important, serious issues.
But we have to begin right here.
Right with our neighbor.
Right with the conflict that we are experiencing.
And to love.
And to seek reconciliation.
Whether it's a conflict between you and another person.
Or between two other people.
Or between groups.
The process is difficult.
And it's often painful.
And it's not always successful.
But the point is, it's the normal occupation of every believer of Jesus.
According to Jesus, these, as well as the previous Beatitudes, these peacemakers are the blessed.
Nathan has already adequately explained the difficulty in translating the Greek word from which we get the word blessed.
Blessed.
Most translators and scholars understand the limitations of the word blessed.
But they use it anyway.
And so I'm using it anyway.
I think it's because all the other words suggested have their own problems as well.
And we just don't have in English a 100% equivalent word.
And so, blessed is sufficient.
But what's really important to see here is that peacemakers are included in this unusual list that is described as having great benefit.
And so whether you use the word blessed or whether it's fortunate or whether it's happy or whether it's flourishing,
ending the peacemaker is a beneficiary and this will be well known.
But also, like the other subjects of the Beatitudes, the benefit isn't the condition or the subject or the activity being described.
in other words there's nothing blessed about the pain of desperation the pain of sorrow there's
nothing blessed about the pain of restraint restraint or unsatisfied longing or the pain of
of standing in the middle of warring people and getting hit from both sides there's nothing
blessed in that the reason they're blessed is because of the promise and that brings us to the
second part of the verse not only does jesus want you to understand that peacemakers are among those
who are blessed but he understands he wants you to understand why peacemakers are blessed
because they will be called the sons of god
now if you were to go to israel or
run into some israeli people in walmart
there are various ways to ask someone their name you can simply ask what's your name
ma shemcha or ma shmech
but you find commonly this other phrase and it's simply
eich korim lacha or eich korim lach if it's a female so memorize that when you run into an israeli at walmart and you hear them speaking hebrew you just walk up to him and say eich korim lacha and they'll go oh you speak hebrew okay of course they'll say it in hebrew and you won't understand what they're saying but
but it is literally translated how
how
do they call you
eich korim how are they calling you in other words what's your name
and i think
eich korim lacha and i think it's very similar
and i think it's very similar
it's very similar
to the sense used here by the verb
it's an idiomatic way of stating one's identity
they will be called the sons of god because
they are
the sons of god
now
this concept of the sons of god is an important one for us and
it has a rich
biblical context
context
all the way back to the garden
god announces something unique about the
creation of humanity
they
among all his creation will be created
in the image
and likeness of god
now though there are various opinions about exactly what that image and likeness
referred to
there's strong evidence in
in
the scripture itself
and in the context of the
the ancient world at that time
that both rulership and sonship
are in view
man was created as the image of god
according to
genesis 1 26 through 28
and first corinthians 11 7 supports that
in relation to the world
man is
a ruler
in relation to god
he is a son
now this idea
of sonship
is supported by the use of the same term in
genesis chapter 5
verses 1 through 3
they're
referring to the relationship between a human father
and his son
let's look at that just for a minute
if you want to turn there
genesis 5
1 through 3
this is the second
place where
image and likeness are used
in the scripture
and it says there in genesis 5
1
this is the book of the generations of adam
when god created man he made him in the likeness of god
male and female he created them and blessed them
and named them man when they were created
and adam lived 130 years
or when adam lived 130 years
he fathered a son
in his own likeness
after his image
and named him
seth
and on and on it goes
and the idea is further supported by luke
in his genealogy
in chapter 3 verse 38
where he
ending the genealogy of jesus
says in verse 38
the son of enos
the son of seth
the son of adam
the son
of god
so as a son
adam was to reflect
god's likeness
in a way that he
in the way that he ruled over creation
mediating god's will
later the designation
of son of god
was inherited by israel
eventually being applied
to the kings of israel
solomon especially
he will
he will be a son to me
i will be his father
and then jesus
in jesus
the idea of sonship
takes on its full significance
and then finally
the designation
sons of god
continues to those who believe in him
and that's us
now some of the translations say
children here
and that's
legitimate
because
of
the fact that it is generic
although
man in the old testament
is generic there
at least where it speaks
of humanity
and not specific man
adam
but i think the word
sons here
helps us
because it links us
back to this rich history
of sonship
and what god
is implying
by this term
in the old testament
this image
and likeness
was to be
reflected in man's
dominion
over creation
in his character
in the way he rules
he had
relationship with god
in the garden
and from that relationship
then he was able
to
to adequately
and
and represent god
in a way that
that
was consistent
with who god
was
and is
but here in matthew
there seems to be
an added dimension
and that is
not just
rulership
but love
motivated
peacemaking
and it's appropriate
considering
the state
the world
is in
what jesus
appears to be saying
is that peacemakers
reflect
god's heart
for reconciliation
and unity
in such a way
that reveals
that they are
actually
the sons of god
that is why
they are blessed
the blessing
is that god
has included you
in his family
and this
blessing
is consistent
with the other
blessings
of the beatitudes
possessing the kingdom
of heaven
being comforted
inheriting the earth
being satisfied
seeing god
being called
the sons
of god
these all
reflect
in different
words
and
different
nuances
the same
idea
that
the blessing
is that we
are included
the blessing
is that
we belong
to god
the blessing
is that
the kingdom
is ours
the blessing
is that
we
are a part
of god's
plan
and that's
the hope
i believe
jesus wants
you to have
to hold on
to
to take
with you
this morning
now in conclusion
and i know my
family's really
surprised to hear
me say that
so soon
it's funny
because i showed
one of my
daughters my
notes today
she goes
six pages
that's all
miracles
happen
but i believe
that jesus's
reason for
beginning the
sermon on the
mount with
these beatitudes
is just
as important
to us
today as it
was to the
disciples that
first heard
him
just like
them
he wants
to encourage
you
who follow
him
to keep
your hope
fixed
on him
to understand
that peacemakers
are among
those who are
in this way
blessed
and that
peacemakers
are blessed
because they
will be called
the sons of
god
as the
introduction
to jesus's
sermon on
the mount
the beatitudes
have an
important place
when you think
of this in the
context of the
sermon
the sermon
is a beautifully
structured
teaching
that warns
against
deceptive
religious
hypocrisy
that relies
on external
righteousness
that seeks
the approval
of man
rather than
god
that exhibits
a compromising
loyalty
to god
and to
the things
of this
world
and that
kind of
religion
jesus makes
very clear
is not
enough for
salvation
and will
crumble
in the
storms
of
judgment
the vision
of a
higher
kind of
life
a better
righteousness
is cast
in the
beatitudes
and it's
unpacked
in the rest
of the
sermon
many of us
today
are in
similar
or in
danger
of a
similar
religious
approach
to our
faith
god
will love
me
if i do
this
you might
even be
thinking
i gotta be a
better
peacemaker
i gotta
you know
do this
kind of
thing
because
i want
to be
right
with god
that's
what he's
trying
to have
us
avoid
and
the
sermon
on the
mount
helps
us
with
that
but
there
is also
another
kind
of
danger
another
kind
of
deception
and it's
a
deception
that
relies
solely
on
mental
assent
to
certain
doctrines
as
evidence
and
assurance
that
we are
god's
people
rather
than
looking
for
evidence
in our
lives
we
we ask
ourselves
if we
believe
the right
things
or we
have a
list
of
things
that
we
know
if we
believe
these
things
we're
okay
with
god
and
they
even
sound
good
justification
by
faith
scripture
alone
trinity
and
we
believe
these
things
as
long
as
we've
got
that
together
we're
okay
and
yet
somehow
we
might
not
see
the
brokenness
of
spirit
we
might
not
see
a
mourning
in
us
we
might
not
see
a
desire
for
the
unity
of the
body
that
Jesus
is
praying
so
passionately
for
and
we
should
be
alarmed
if
we
don't
see
those
things
in
ourselves
and
I
think
that's
the
reason
why
the
sermon
on
the
mount
is
given
to
us
to
show
us
that
the
work
that
the
cross
accomplished
in
reconciling
man
to
God
and
reconciling
one
another
to
each
other
and
in
changing
us
from the
inside
so that
can be
possible
that
work
will
be
demonstrated
it
will
happen
we
should
be
able
to
see
it
in
us
and
that
is
the
evidence
that
we
are
among
the
blessed
Jesus
wants
you
and
I
to
escape
both
deceptions
he
wants
us
to
look
at
our
hearts
and
our
lives
and
to
evaluate
whether
or
not
we
see
Christ's
righteousness
being
formed
in
us
we
should
not
only
ask
ourselves
if we
believe
rightly
about
something
but
we
should
also
ask
ourselves
if
we
see
the
word
of
God
in
our
heart
making
us
long
with
Jesus
for
the
unity
of
the
church
and
to
be
determined
to
be
involved
Amen