Peacemakers

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
02/25/07 - Sunday Morning

Peacemakers

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9)

The Need for Peacemakers

One look at current events and recent human history in the world reveal the essential importance of needing more “peacemakers”. We see the desperate need for peace when we consider:

· Two World Wars in the last century.

· Constant international tensions.

· High divorce rates and the breakdown of the family.

· The divided nature of not only the religious world, but even among those that claim to be “Christian”.

· The amount of violent crime in our culture and the amount of lawsuits in the courts.

· The vast amount of people who are presently outside of Christ, and out of harmony with God and their fellowman.

The Pure in Heart are Peacemakers

The one that is pure in heart….”is transparently sincere in all his dealings and seeks to play a constructive role as a peacemaker” (Christian Counter-Culture, John Stott p. 54). “The sequence of thought from purity of heart to peacemaking is natural, because one of the most frequent causes of conflict is intrigue while openness and sincerity are essential to all true reconciliation”(p. 50).

What is a Peacemaker?

One current view of a “peacemaker” is that such a person is a very laid back and easy going individual who does not stick his nose into other people’s business and just lets everyone else live their own life. Yet this is not what Jesus meant by being a peacemaker. We can see this from simply looking at Jesus’ own example. He did not practice peace at any price, remain quiet when others were making sinful decisions, or avoid entering any and all controversial subjects. Jesus drew definite lines in the sand concerning right and wrong (Matthew 5:28; 15:19), challenged people when they were in the wrong (Matthew 16:23; 23:1ff), and took a position in controversial matters (Matthew 22:17-46). Thus, one can be a laid back “nice guy” and still not be anywhere near a “peacemaker”. A peacemaker does what is best for all, no matter what the cost.

· “Loving peace” (Thayer p. 183). “Making peace” (Arndt p. 228). “They that work peace--more than 'peaceful'”(Alford p. 26). “Maintainers of peace. It's hard enough to keep peace, it is still more difficult to bring peace where it is not” (Robertson p. 42). “Peacemakers are active, heroic promoters of peace (Ephesians 4:3; Romans 12:18) in a world full of alienation, party passion, and strife”(Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 100). “Active promoters of peace, he does not fold his hands, but rolls up his sleeves” (Stott p. 51). This is not peace at any price, because the next verse reveals this fact, for these peacemakers are being persecuted (5:10-12).

· “He made peace with us at immense cost, even at the price of the life-blood of his only Son. We too--though in our lesser ways--will find peacemaking a costly enterprise when we are involved in a quarrel, there will be either the pain of apologizing to the person we have injured, or the pain of rebuking the person who has injured us, or again, we may not be personally involved in a dispute, but may find ourselves struggling to reconcile to each other two people or groups who are estranged and at variance with each other. In this case there will be the pain of listening, or ridding ourselves of prejudice, of striving sympathetically to understand both the opposing points of view, and of risking misunderstanding, ingratitude or failure” (Stott p. 51).

Peace Can Be A Reality

One argument or excuse that is often heard is that real or lasting peace is virtually an impossibility between men because we all come from different upbringings, with different points of view, and hold different standards of what is normal or acceptable. Actually, such peace would be an impossibility if we were left on our own, but what makes all the difference is Christ. “For He is our peace, who made both groups into one...so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace...and He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:14-17). If Jews and Gentiles in the First Century could not only enjoy each other’s company, but agree on the same truth, then there is hope for not only every marriage, but every local church. In fact, the local congregation should be a working example of people from all different backgrounds, former political views and values, finding agreement in Christ (Isaiah 2:2-4).

The Peacemaker’s Guide

· “Stop thinking how things may or will affect me”:

“Before you can be a peacemaker you really must be entirely forgetful of self because as long as you are thinking about yourself, and shielding yourself, you cannot be doing the work properly. The peacemaker is one who is not always looking at everything in terms of the effect it has upon himself” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Jones, p. 122). This is one reason why various peacemaking attempts among men in the past have failed, because they have entered a conflict that involves themselves or third parties and have attempted to broker a deal that benefits them. Making peace means doing the right thing and not thinking about, “How will this affect me?” “What will be the consequences for me?” “Will I lose a friend in this?” “How will this make me look?” “Is this fair for me?” “Am I getting my rights and dues?” Consider the example of Jesus, the ultimate peacemaker on this point. “Who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking the form of a bondservant” (Philippians 2:6-7).

· Shielding self makes us argumentative:

One obvious question is, “How do I handle confrontations without becoming argumentative?” Paul specifically commanded, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome” (2 Timothy 2:24). Jones notes, “You must not be sensitive, you must not be touchy, you must not be on the defensive. If you are, you will not be a very good peacemaker” (p. 122). If we place “self” up front, then we will probably become very defensive and quarrelsome, but if we place “peace” as the most important consideration and goal, then our sensitivity will be for restoration, salvation, and restored relationships.

· Humility Is Essential:

The text notes that humility was an essential step on the path of Jesus acting in the role of our peacemaker (Philippians 2:8). For us, humility would include remembering that we have made both mistakes and have committed sins in the past, and so have a little mercy (Galatians 6:1). Yet it equally demands an attitude that does not resent the peacemaker role. If my attitude is, “All I need is someone else with a problem” or “I have better things to do with my time than help…”, I will not succeed in bringing peace. Peacemakers do not resent being called upon and they do not enter into a conflict being bitter because someone has interrupted their schedule.

· View situations from the standpoint of the Gospel:

Get self out of the way and put the gospel in the place that self once occupied. “We should always view any and every situation in the light of the gospel. When you face a situation that tends to lead to trouble, not only must you not speak, you must think. You must take this situation and put it into the context of the gospel and ask, ‘What are the implications of this?’ It is not only I who am involved. ‘What about the cause of Christ?’ ‘What about the church?’”(Jones p. 125).

· Listening is a Priority:

“But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Notice that this rule applies to “everyone”, it is not that some Christians are to be good talkers and others good listeners, but that all God’s people are to be good listeners. One of the best ways to become a peacemaker is to learn when not to speak. I have often observed that peace remains elusive for people who insist on either getting in the last word, getting in one last verbal punch, re-opening an old wound, bringing up an old offence or just making one comment too many. In addition, consider the connection between careful listening, careful speaking, and controlled anger. Careful speaking will following good listening because when we really listen to both sides, we will realize that the answer to this situation does exist but just needs to be thought out. In addition, good listening is one key to controlling our anger, for we will see clearly the points being made by both sides, and instead of getting upset, we will be more concerned with giving a fair and accurate answer.

· “Us” and “We” instead of “You”:

Young preachers are told to avoid saying “you” in a sermon, as if the relationship with the congregation was adversarial, but rather, say “we” and “us”. The language of the peacemaker will include such expressions as, “How can we solve this problem”, “We can overcome this”, “We are in this together”.

· Answers as well as Criticism:

There is a place for constructive criticism, for the problem does need to be diagnosed and the current damage and possible future damage seen for what it is and could be. Yet peacemakers do not stop at exposing the problem; before they speak their case, they have already come up with a possible solution. The chances of our criticism being received in the right spirit will be increased by gently stating it along with a scriptural solution.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017