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

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is … peace.

   

Some questions that come from these verses are:

1. What is a peacemaker?
2. What is godly peace?
3. What does it mean to be a son of God?
4. How do we apply these things?

WHAT IS A PEACEMAKER?

God approves of those who are peacemakers... and because of His approval they get to be called sons of God!

WEBSTER’S 1913 DICTIONARY

Peace, n. A state of quiet or tranquility; freedom from disturbance or agitation; calm; at rest; specifically: (a) Exemption from, or cessation of, war with public enemies. (b) Public quiet, order, and contentment in obedience to law. (c)  Reconciliation; agreement after variance; harmony; concord.

S G1518  eirēnopoios i-ray-nop-oy-os´  1x  

a peace-maker, one who cultivates peace and harmony, Mt. 5:9*

Peace is something we all want. Inner peace with ourselves and our past, peace amongst family and friends, peace with our neighbors and colleagues, peace within our cities, states, and country, and global peace. “Why can’t we all just get along?”

Well, with wars, crime, riots, selfish demands, unrighteous anger, physical and verbal abuse, hatred, jealousy, strife…or if all that could be put into one word, SIN, it is impossible to get along!! Ultimately, the effect of sin is death, but before death it produces a lifetime of devastation, destruction, chaos, confusion, and the total lack of peace, which causes us to always long and continually search for peace.

People can be incredibly cruel and sinful.  Any amount of joy or peace you might have in your life (no matter how little that might be), if they don’t have it, it becomes an opportunity for them to try and take that away from you, out of jealousy and their own misery.  A miserable person absolutely loves miserable company!

A peacemaker is first and foremost someone who has peace themselves…you can’t promote something you don’t possess.  Kind of like a pitcher or glass, you can only pour out of it, what is already inside of it.  You can’t put in gasoline and expect to pour out water, and in the same way, in order to pour out peace to others (be a peacemaker) there has to be peace inside of you!

So, how do we receive the kind of peace that everyone is looking and longing for?  That is tied to the fruit of the spirit, which is godly peace, which comes from God to you and me and then is transferred by the Holy Spirit outward.  The same is true for all the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 – God pours it into you first and then it flows out of you to others. That’s why you can’t just try your hardest to produce the fruits of the spirit on your own, it doesn’t work that way.  Unless God transfers something inside, nothing good will come out!

WHAT IS GODLY PEACE?

Since a peacemaker is simply someone who displays godly peace towards others, let’s look at the Bible to see how we get it and what godly peace is.

First, all spiritual gifts come from above:

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Those gifts of course include Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the written Word, spiritual gifts, physical and eternal life, a new heart, the church, all of creation, family, etc. etc.  Included in that list is “peace”.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Jesus gives us His peace and distinguishes it as different from the world’s version of peace. His peace assures us that our hearts will not be troubled or afraid.  Jesus describes the idea of “trouble” a little more in John 16:

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (persecution, hatred). But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

In the world there is trouble for everyone, believer or not, and peace can only be found situationally, meaning that it can occur under the right circumstances, but just as easily taken away as well.  Jesus is referencing a peace only found in Himself, that regardless of the situation on earth cannot be taken away.

Jesus continues after this verse right into what is called His “high priestly prayer” to His Father in heaven to watch over and protect His disciples, knowing they will face terrible persecution and death, just as He is about to do:

John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

John 17:2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 17:4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

John 17:6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

John 17:7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

John 17:8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

John 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

John 17:10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

John 17:12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

John 17:13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

John 17:14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

John 17:15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

John 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

John 17:20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

John 17:21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

John 17:23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

John 17:25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.

John 17:26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Immediately after this, Jesus is betrayed and arrested, falsely accused, wrongly judged, and sentenced, beaten, mocked, and hung from a cross, where He took the full wrath of the Father for sin, and then died.  Hardly a picture of circumstances under which we would expect to find peace, yet He prayed to His Father just before all that happened for all followers to be kept from evil, united as one, that they would be with Christ one day and even now have the love of Christ in them.  Christ even asked for forgiveness for those who were crucifying Him and forgave one of the thieves on the cross next to Him. All of that is a message of peace.

2Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Jesus Christ, who never wavered from His Father’s will, will also give believers the inner peace to move forward regardless of circumstance or outcome.  His peace is necessary because He promises rejection, persecution, and tribulation. The necessary protections needed for peace amongst the troubles are displayed in Colossians like armor or clothing:

Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

With all those things now “put on” it establishes the next few verses:

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Peace produces thankfulness, wisdom, and a joyous heart that sings songs of praise. Notice also that peace is dependent on the things that are first put on, just like in the beatitudes where peace comes near the end of the list, just before persecution.

1. Poor in spirit (humility).
2. Mourning over sin (submission).
3. Meekness.
4. Righteousness.
5. Merciful (forgiveness, not vengeance).
6. Pure in heart (holiness).
7. Peace…
8. Persecuted for doing the right thing.
9. Reviled for who you are in Christ.

Peace comes through prayer:

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It’s interesting to note that while everyone can understand what peace is to some degree, the Bible makes it plain that peace from God is not like the world’s idea of peace, and even that it is beyond understanding. Someone who is a peacemaker, and displays godly peace, should have an impact on others that causes them to question:

1Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

1Peter 3:16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Peter mentions here that those who show an obvious hope to others, which is shown through the fruits of the spirit, will be slandered, and hated for it, which are the next 2 beatitudes!  One of the biggest things that causes envy, is when you have peace in the middle of chaos and tribulations.

Peace only comes from God, and it can only be internalized and displayed with the Spirit’s help and guidance.  The alternative is not pretty:

Proverbs 6:12 A worthless person, a wicked man,          goes about with crooked speech,

Proverbs 6:13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger,

Proverbs 6:14 with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord;

Proverbs 6:15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

Proverbs 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him:

Proverbs 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,  and hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 6:18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,

Proverbs 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Proverbs 10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Proverbs 10:10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Proverbs 10:13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

Proverbs 10:14 The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Proverbs 15:19 The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.

Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 15:21 Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.

Proverbs 16:27 A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Proverbs 16:28 A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

Proverbs 17:19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

Proverbs 17:20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

Proverbs 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Proverbs 20:3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

Proverbs 22:10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease.

Proverbs 26:20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

Proverbs 26:21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

Proverbs 28:25 A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.

Proverbs 28:26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 29:22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Proverbs 29:23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

James 4:2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

There are literally thousands of verses that talk about what it looks like for those who lack peace in their lives, along with the effects of that on everybody else around them – nothing but anxiety, frustration, and stress!!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SON OF GOD?

 

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is a child of God. While being human does mean that we are made in the image of God, it does not automatically mean that we are children of God. Being a child of God is limited to those who actually believe in God, and that is in regard to the right God as well.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

John 1:7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

John 1:8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

John 1:9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

John 1:11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Galatians 3:26 for in Christ Jesus (the Son) you are all sons of God (the Father), through faith.

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Being a child of God means that you have a heavenly Father!  Your identity is ultimately in the Trinity, not your immediate family or surroundings.

2Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

2Corinthians 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

2Corinthians 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

     “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

              and I will be their God,

              and they shall be my people.

2Corinthians 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst,

              and be separate from them, says the Lord,

     and touch no unclean thing;

              then I will welcome you,

2Corinthians 6:18 and I will be a father to you,

              and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

     says the Lord Almighty.”

Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

This last verse is not a general reference to your immediate parent known as your father, but instead “Father” was a term reserved for the patriarchs in Israel’s history and for the revered teachers from the past (the allegedly oldest portion of Mishnaic tradition—the “Sayings of the Fathers” or the earliest authoritative body of Jewish oral law – the Mishnah). Basically, this verse is calling us to recognize God’s role in His sovereignty in creating, sustaining, and shaping us – much like the role we see in earthly fathers, but of much more importance is our heavenly father because He is the one who creates, sustains, and shapes all fathers!

It is more than enough for us to be slaves, as we don’t even deserve that, but nevertheless God is gracious enough to treat us as children:

Galatians 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

And, as a son that means an heir who receives an inheritance.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

• First, we will get to be with God forever.

• Second, we will be transformed into the image of Christ.

• Third, we will be free from all sorrow, pain, death, and suffering.

• Fourth, we will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service according to our faithfulness.

• Fifth, we will get to share in Christ’s glory.

It’s also easy enough to tell the difference between who is and who isn’t a child of God, and there are only two parents in this category – a child of God or a child of the Devil:

1John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1John 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

You will do the desires of whichever father you serve:

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

John 8:43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

It’s like at the end of Joshua where there is a choice to be made:

Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Or as Moses was speaking to the Israelites giving them a choice:

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Deuteronomy 30:20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

How hard of a choice is that really?  Why would you choose the devil as your father? Would you rather have a curse instead of a blessing?  Death instead of life? Is it any wonder that Jesus wept over Jerusalem, the city that rejected Him? And notice what Jesus offered to them and then hid from them as well:

Luke 19:41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,

Luke 19:42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

So, what does a peaceful, peace-making son of God look like?

I will tell you what they are not…Someone who causes anxiety and stress in others. Someone who worries all the time. Someone who complains to everyone who will listen to them. Someone who sucks the life out of others who have any amount of joy or peace! Someone who promotes division and strife everywhere they go. Someone who looks to argue and show their superiority at every opportunity. Someone who is never satisfied. Here is a list from Scripture describing such people:

2Timothy 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

2Timothy 3:3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

2Timothy 3:4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

2Timothy 3:5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

These are the peace-takers, not the peacemakers!

And, if you don’t have at least some peace from God, while claiming to be a believer, indwelt with the 3^rd member of the Trinity, aware of the doctrinal truths and promises found in God’s Word, then who exactly are you putting your trust in?  Just how unreliable and small is the God you serve that you don’t have any inner peace?

How unfaithful has God been to you that you can’t fully trust Him?

How many promises has He reneged on that cause you to doubt?

The truth is that our lack of inner peace reveals just how little faith we have at times.  Inner godly peace is directly related to your faith, the more faith you have, the more peace you will have. Look at the story of Job:

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

Then Satan came along and was allowed to test Job and destroy all of his livestock, servants, and children:

Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job 1:22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Satan was annoyed that Job did not sin and stated that Job would curse God if his body was inflicted somehow so God allowed Satan to test Job again so long as he didn’t kill him.

Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

Job 2:8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

The next 30 chapters is a conversation between Job and his three “friends” who give him bad counsel at best, while Job mourns the fact that he was even born.

The next 6 chapters after that Elihu steps into the picture and corrects all four of their stinking thinking dialogues.

The last 5 chapters has God answering and questioning Job who is speechless at first, then he says he know nothing and repents in dust and ashes, has to pray for his 3 “friends” who spoke wrongly about God while they offer sacrifices, so God doesn’t kill them right then and there, and is finally restored with all that he had before and then some (twice his wealth), he gets just as many kids and his daughters were the most beautiful in the land, and lives a long, blessed life seeing four generations of little “Jobians” running around.

Job was not a perfect man but look how much it took for Job to lose a tiny amount of his inner peace to at least question God’s intentions – the loss of his entire fortune, all his servants, all his children, and his health (notice his wife was allowed to stick around to remind him of all that, no doubt over and over and over…).  Job admits that his whining was because he could not understand all the deep things of God.  After all, Job never cursed God, and never lost faith in God, but just wished that he had never been born, which is kind of like saying to God, “I think you made a mistake here, I would have done this instead!”

How much peace do we have, and how much does it take for us to lose it? The Peacemaker simply dishes out what is already present on the inside. The term peacemaker describes someone who God has given peace to and then distributes it through. And obviously someone like that is a born-again believer which could also be called a “child of God”.

Do you want peace in your life? How about in your marriage, with your family and friends, your job? I mean, do you REALLY want peace?  Or would you rather just keep limping along, anxious, angry, frustrated, and afraid?  Do you know how many health problems have a direct correlation to a lack of peace?

If you truly want peace, then just ask God for it.  But be prepared though because it’s kind of a package deal!  You get peace, but also the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, along with the church and a church family, spiritual gifts, eternal life, mercy, blessings, joy, love, hope, meaning, purpose and so much more…come to think of it, maybe it’s because of all those things God gives us, that then produces inner godly peace, because He gives us everything we could ever want or need, so what do we have to stress or worry about? The short answer to that is…nothing! 

Let’s pray…