Blessed Peacemakers 8/13/17

Transcription

1 Blessed Peacemakers 8/13/17 -Peacemaker revolver On October 26, 1881, shots rang out at the O.K. Corral. -Within the first 30 seconds of the conflict, three members of the Clanton gang were killed. -Those who were victors in the battle, like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, became immortalized because of what happened in Tombstone, Arizona partly because they were firing a legendary weapon. -The Colt Single Action Gun has held many names over the years. -The official title is the New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol. -But soon it became known by its nicknames: -The Frontier, the Equalizer, the Model P, and most famously, the Peacemaker. The Peacemaker held 20 years of service with the United States Army and became the iconic revolver of the West Jesus makes a statement about peace in the next Beatitude we are going to look at today. -Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. -Of all the statement that Jesus makes in these 8 happy statements this one made the ears of His listeners perk up. - Blessed are the peacemakers? - Are you serious? - Don t you know the power that sits in authority over us at this very moment? -ROME -The Messiah in their minds would come as a conquering, political king that would finally crush the Power of Rome over them and return them back to ultimate power and the master race. -This is more than likely where John the Baptist s mind was as he was sitting in prison. -He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him, Are you the Messiah or should we be looking for someone else? - Are you the One who s going to overthrow Rome or should we be looking for someone else to do that? -Jesus even makes a statement in Matthew 10 that would cause His followers to believe that even He leaned in the way of overthrowing Rome. -Matthew 10:34 (NLT) "Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

2 -Yet when Peter brandished his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Jesus said to him, Put it away. -So, what did Jesus mean when He said, Blessed are the peacemakers? -Let s first talk about this idea of peace. (1) It s not referring to our spiritual position before God as Christ-followers now. -Ephesians 2:14-18 (NLT) For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. -What a tremendous truth, but that s not what Jesus is referring to. (2)Not referring to the gift of peace that now reigns in the hearts of people who have encountered Christ, especially in anxious situations -Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Again, a wonderful truth but not what Jesus is referring to. (3) Not about being a peaceful person or a person who keeps the peace. -It s not a human characteristic but a transformational characteristic of the Holy Spirit. -Remember, these statements are all linked together that are not to be separated but taught as a whole, continuous thought. -How to become Citizens of Heaven and how that citizenship plays out in our lives now because of the invasion of the Holy Spirit So, let s talk about peace in that light. -The word peace use here by Jesus meant wholeness or well being -The greeting would mean not Have a nice day but that peace would reign in your whole life. -Jesus couples the word peace with another word, maker. - Maker is literally someone who negotiates peace.

3 -It s not a passive term but an active term, meaning it requires action. -If you belong to Christ, He turns you into a peace-maker. -So, what kind of peace are we to be negotiating? -Does it refer to refereeing a disagreement between friends or negotiating peace between nations (don t we need that!) -In one sense, we are to be making peace everywhere we go and every chance we get. -But this is not the main idea that God has in mind. -Do you know what s on His mind? -2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. -Pleading with the world, Be reconciled to God. -Idea of an ambassador by Dr. Stephen Davey. - In modern times we think of ambassadors who spend time attending banquets, wearing out tuxedos or dinner gowns, nodding and smiling at foreign dignitaries who really don t mean what they say. You need to understand that when Paul wrote this letter, Roman provinces were divided into two types. Provinces which were peaceful and had no need for stationed troops were called senatorial provinces. Provinces which were turbulent typically following their loss in battle to the Roman Empire they would have troops stationed in them and were called imperial provinces. Ambassadors assigned to imperial provinces were there to effectively deliver to the vanquished people the terms of surrender. The ambassador would determine the boundaries of the new province; they would draw up a constitution for its new administration; they were literally responsible, as one historian called it, for bringing these people into the family of the Roman Empire. The ambassador revealed the terms of peace from the conquering king; the ambassador effectively assimilated people who surrender into the family of the victorious empire. It was the great responsibility of the Ambassador to commend his country to the people amongst whom he is placed. An ambassador s goal was not to be assimilated into that country, but to consistently represent his country to speak highly of the kingdom before whom this vanquished people must surrender. (Overcoming the Me- Attitudes) -A peacemaker is one who is ultimately concerned about the fact that all people should be at peace with God. -Jesus brought us peace with God on the cross.

4 -Broadman Commentary: Jesus plunged into the midst of human life to bring order out of chaos, reconciliation out of estrangement, love in place of hate. -Romans 5:1 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. -Colossians 1:19-20 (NLT) For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. -He made peace with us. -The Holy Spirit of Jesus within us compels us to do the same. -It s the excitement of getting a new car and showing it off on Social Media. -It s the birth of a baby and you want everyone to know about it. -It s the understanding that the greatest gift God could ever give has been given to you by trusting in Christ and you want everyone to know about it and experience it. -It can t be contained. It flows out of you because of the Holy Spirit. -Isaiah 52:7 (NLT) How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! -That s what being a peacemaker is all about. -Proclaiming peace to people who have no peace with God Notice what these peacemakers are called - Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. -Jesus uses a term for children, not referring to us as little children, but as a moniker for Sonship. -It speaks of dignity and honor. -We literally bear the honor and dignity of God as we bring peace to those who are far off. -We march with a noble stride as Sons and Daughters of the King announcing the terms of reconciliation and surrender and urging people to give God glory. -Do you know that s what evangelism is all about? -Urging more and more people to give God glory in their lives. -2 Corinthians 4:14-16a (NLT) We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 16 That is why we never give up. -Giving people the opportunity to give God great thanksgiving so that God can receive more and more glory.

5 -And as we do that as ambassadors of Jesus, we imitate our Heavenly Father who is all about the thanksgiving of mankind and the glory of Himself After World War II was over, there were reports coming out that there were still Japanese soldiers, dug in, preparing to be attacked. -The Japanese government sent messages to many of these holdouts in the various Pacific islands: THE WAR HAS ENDED. -Some of those bearers of good news were shot by the holdouts believing them to be enemy spies. -One of the most famous soldiers to surrender long after the war had ended did so in 1974 (30 years after the wars end). -In 2005, it was rumored that on the island of Mindanao that an 87 year old and an 85 year old Japanese soldier was ready to come out of hiding and give up their arms. -They were afraid that they would be court-martialed and disciplined for desertion by the Japanese government. -For 60 years, no one told them that the war was finally over and that peace terms had finally been agreed upon. -They lived as prisoners even though peace had already been won People in every walk of life need to know the terms of peace between God and man. -They need to know that they can have a reconciled relationship with God through Jesus -The Holy Spirit turns us into Peacemakers. -Who do you know that needs to hear God s term of peace? Bridge Group Questions: (1) What stood out to you most about this week s message? (2) How did this week s sermon help you to understand the term peacemaker? Did you interpret it differently before? (3) How and when did you agree to the peace terms with God? (4) Has the Holy Spirit urged you to become a peacemaker? Are you excited to share Christ with others? Are you afraid of what they might say? (5) Who do you know that has yet to respond to God s offer of peace? What part does God want you to play in their story?