The laws of the kingdom part 8 - blessed are the peacemakers
2008 Issue 5-6 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Counsel of Chalcedon
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Transcript of 2008 Issue 5-6 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Counsel of Chalcedon
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8/12/2019 2008 Issue 5-6 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Counsel of Chalcedon
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Blessed are
th
Peacemakers
Wayne Rogers
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church
McDonough Stockbridge Conyers Covington
Monticello Ga.
I t is impossible
to
do
justice
to
this beatitude
or any
beatitude in
one
hour.
In attempting to do
so I'm reminded of the story of
the
man who was
sentenced
to
99 years in prison. He was 76 years
old at
the
time.
lIe said to the
judge, "But
your
Honor, I will never be able to do it alL" "Never
mind," the judge said,
"just
do
as
much as you
can." So, I am going to do as much as I can
First,
Peacemakers are
messed - "Blessed" are
the peacema kers. Second, The Peacemakers
messing
-
"They shall be called Sons
of God."
Third, Peacemakers are a Blessing; they "make-
peace." They proclaim the
gospel of
peace,
Romans 10:15, ''And how shall they
preach unless
they
are
sent? s
it
is written: 'How beautiful
are the
feet of
those
who
preach the
gospel of
peace, \\Tho
bring
glad
tidings
of good things
"
(Isa. 52:7). Ephesians 6:15, "having
shod your
feet
with
the
preparation of
the
gospel of peace;"
Peacemakers pursue, promote, and practice
Biblical peacemaking. \Ve are called to peace,
1
Corinthians
7:15,
God
has caned
us to peace.
We are
to
seek
and
pursue
peace,
1 Peter 3:11,
"Let him turn
away
from evil and do
good;
Let
him
seek peace
and pursue it;" Hebrews 12:14,
"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness,
without which no one
will see
the
Lord:" 'Ve
are
to
strive for peace with
all
men, Romans
12:18, if
it
is possible,
as much as depends
on you, live
peaceably
with
all
men."
The
ounsel
cd halcecl
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8/12/2019 2008 Issue 5-6 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Counsel of Chalcedon
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L Peacemakers are Blessed.
The
Greek word, makarios,
blessed,
is
sometimes
translated happy.
That is totally
inadequate.
Even
divinely
happy"
isn't sufficient.
A Blessed is that
rich
covenant
promise God
announced
to
Abraham
in
Gen. 12:1-3
and
continued in
17:lf, in
which
God had said that He
would
bless
Abraham
and his seed and
through him
all
nations
would be
blessed.
Matthew
proclaims that
this Jesus
is
the Christ, the
son
of David,
the
son of Abraham,
Mat. 1:1,
17
John and Jesus both
announce
that the
kingdom of
heaven as
at
hand,
Mat. 3:2, 4:17,
23.
Jesus, as the Christ, has
come
to inaugurate the blessings
of
the covenant promises.
B
Jesus, like Moses, went up
on
a mountain, Mat. 5:1ff,
and
there he began to expound
the
true
meaning of
the
law
and
covenant
life.
The beatitudes
are the
pronOlmcement
of the
blessings of God parallel to the
covenant
blessings of Deut. 27-28.
t
is against
this background
and
in this
context that Jesus
announces
the
blessings of God's
covenant promises and declares
those who
are
the objects and
recipients of
the
blessings of
the covenant in the beatitudes.
t is
the poor in spirit, those
who mourn,
those
who
are
meek, those who
hunger
and
thirst after righteousness, the
merciful, the
pure in
heart,
the
peacemakers
who are
blessed
with
the realization and
participation in
the
realization
of God's covenant promises.
This
was a
shock to
the
leaders
of the Jews of that day. They
thought they would
inherit the
blessi ngs of the covenant
because
they were the
seed,
the children
l\ aking
the Nations Christ s
Disc iples
of Abraham. John
addressed this
in Mat. 3:7-10, Do not think to
say
'we have
Abraham as our
father.'
Jesus doesn't say
Blessed
are
the
Jews,
or even "Blessed
are those
who keep the
law, but
blessed are the peacemakers.
The Jewish leaders of
that
day
were not
peacemakers. They
should
have
been peacemakers,
desiring and pursuing peace, and
longing
for
the peaceable kingdom
of
Isaiah
11. The
God
of
Abraham,
whose seed they
were, was a
God
of
peace.
He instituted
the peace
offerings in the OT
in
Exodus
and
Leviticus.
He
commanded
his
people
to
seek peace and
pursue it in the covenant: Psalm
34:14, Jer. 29:4-7. His
covenant
is
described in terms
of
peace:
Num.
25:12, Isa. 54:10, EzelL 34:25,
37:26, Mal. 2:5. Ultimately, the
lvlessiah is
the Prince
of
Peace,
Isa. 9, and
comes
to
establish
peace in the earth,
11:6-9.
Thus,
at his birth, the message is
one
of peace, Luke 1:79, 2:14, 29.
The leaders of the people were
not
for
peace,
however;
they
stirred
up
strife and pursued
private and
personal
revenge.
They should
have
considered
what God had done
to
make
peace with
them in the costly
peace offerings of the OT
and
that
the Lord had foretold a future
of peace
among all nations,
Isa.
9:6-7, 11:10. But, they regarded
the Gentiles
with
hitter
contempt
and hatred. They looked for a
Messiah who
would
completely
destroy or subject
the
Gentiles to
the
chosen
people
of God.
They
stirred
up
civil
commotions
and
seditions against
the
Romans;
they
aided and shielded Barabbas
and
the likes of
him
in
their
seditions and murders. They
were
not prepared to be
Jesus'
disciples and
enter Ilis kingdom.
II.
The
Peacemakers'
Blessing - They shall be
called
"Sons of God.
ThiS, too,
would have
been a
shock
to the leaders of
the
Jews
of
that
day. By being the seed of
Abraham, they
were
the
"sons
of God, Ex. 4:22-23. Thus, they
would
expect the
Messiah,
the
Christ, to say
"Blessed
is the
seed
of Abraham, for they are the sons
of
God.
But that
is not
what Jesus
says;
Jesus
says
peacemakers
are called "sons of God. Jesus
is getting to
the
heart of the
covenant
life
which God desired
and
required and which
He, as
the
Christ,
had
come to
accomplish.
They are called "Sons of God.
\Vhat
is
the
Significance of
being
called
a
"son
of
God"? Some
translations have "children
of
God.
The Greek word here,
however, is
not
ta
teIma,
"the
children,"
but whioi, sons. The
difference in Greek
is
slight
but
Significant,
says
D A. Carson.
"Then the article
is omitted
in
Greek,
the emphasis is on kind or
quality. A
"child
of
someone
states
that there is a filial relationship
with someone as
a
parent.
"Son
of, however,
implies being
a
part:'lker
of the character
of.
One
could
have a filial relationship
with
a person as a
child
but
in
reality be
a
"son
of a dog in
character. Both expressions
refer
to some sort of filial
relationship,
but "son of puts the
emphasis
on
character more than
position.
The point
is
that
to
be called
a
"Son of God" not only
implies
a
relationship with God
but
partaking of
the
character of God.
God is a
Peacemaker
Romans
15:33, Now the
God
of peace
[be] with you all. Philippians 4:9,
"The things which you learned
and received
and
heard
and saw
in me, these
do, and the God of
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8/12/2019 2008 Issue 5-6 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Counsel of Chalcedon
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lessed
are the Peacemakers
peace
will
be
with
you. Hebrews
13:20, Now
may the God
of
peace
who brought
up
our Lord
Jesus from the
dead,
that great
Shepherd
of
the
sheep,
through
the
blood
of
the
everlasting
covenant.
Romans
16:20, "The
God of peace
will crush
Satan
under your feet shortly. God is
a
God
of peace
and
to be a "son
of God" means that you af a
peacemaker, you
partake of
the
character of God
your
Father.
D. A. Carson states,
"The
peacemaker's reward,
then,
is
that
he
will be called
a
son
of
God.
He
reflects
his
heavenly
Father's wonderful peacemaking
character ... t is part
and parcel
of being a son of God. The
Sermon on the
Mount,
Baker
Book House Co.,
1982,
Pp. 26-27.
III.
The Peacemaker
is a BleSSing;
He is a
"Peace-maker." The
Greek
word for peacemaker is a
combination
of eirene, peace,
plus
the
verb
poleo,
to
make. He
is a
maker of
peace.
A peacemaker is
not just someone who is at peace,
desires peace,
is
peaceful, but
a peace-maker. John Wycliffe
translated this
word
"peaceable
men."
William
Tyndale
later
translated
it "the maintainers of
peace."
Both of
these miss the
poinL
Peace is something that
needs
to
be made. The ancient
Greek
writers
Plutarch
and
Xenopon both used
the
word for
ambassadors commissioned to
negotiate peace with alienated
parties,
a task
which
required
effort and labor. A
peacemaker
proclaims, pursues, promotes,
practices, and holds forth
the
gospel
promise
of
peace.
A. PEACE
(eirene
in
Greek),
SHALOM
in
Hebrew):
1.
Peace was the standard
grceting which
God taught
his people to
use.
Luke
24:36, Now as they
said
these things, Jesus Himself
stood
in
the
midst of
them,
and
said to them, "Peace to
you.
Nearly all
the
NT.
epistles
begin or end with a salutation
or benediction
of
peace.
Romans
1:7, To al l
who
are in
Rome, beloved of God,
called
[to be] saints: Grace to you and
peace
from God our
Father and
the
Lord
Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
Romans
15:13, Now
may the
God
of
hope
fill you
with
all
joy
and
peace
in
b.elieving, that
you
may
abound
in
hope
by the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
(NKJV)
2.
The
Definition of Peace:
a. Peace is a
personal
inner
condition
- a tranquil
state
of soul.
Jesus said
My peace
I leave
with
you.
Peace is
a condition of
the
heart.
b. Peace is
a
condition between
two or more parties in which
there is
harmony,
unity, a
lack
of friction.
Psalm
120:7,
"I
fam
for] peace; But when I speak,
they
[are] for war. (NKJV)
The
opposite of peace is
warfare,
hostility,
animosity:
MaL 10:34-36:
'Think
not that I am
come
to send
peace on earth:
I
came not
to
send
peace,
but a sword. For I am
come
to set a man at
variance against
his father,
and the
daughter
against
her mother, and the
daughter
in
law against
her
mother
in law. And a man's foes [shall be]
those
of
his
own household."
c. Peace is
the Hebrew word
"Shalom."
Shalom is
that rich
word
that
goes beyond
inner
peace
or the absence
of
conflict
with
others; it conveys the
idea
of
wholeness,
health,
well-being.
This
peace is
not merely inner
peace, the absence
of war, the
cessation of hostilities between
nations,
but positively,
wholeness,
all
that
constitutes
well-being.
The
New Bible Dictionary
captures
the
full
meaning
of
the
word
shalom:
"The biblical
concept
of
peace
is
one in which
God's
authority and power
over
his
created order
are seen to
dominate
his relations with
his world, including both the
material and the human spheres.
In the OT
peace
results from
a person subjecting himself
or
herself appropriately
to
God
..or to God's emissary,
the
promised
Davidic king.
(1). God's Salvation,
Redemption, Covenant, and
Kingdom have peace as their goal.
Numbers
25:12, "Therefore
say, 'Behold, I give
to
him
My covenant
of
peace'"
The Messianic
hope
was of an
age of
peace
(Is. 2:2-4; 11:1-9;
J lg. 2:7-9),
or
of the
advent
of
the
Prince
of peace (Is. 9:6f.;
compare
Jer. 33:15f.; Ezk. 34:23ff.; Micah
5:5; Zeeh. 9:9f.). Isaiah foretells
the coming
of a redeemer
who
will
embody peace and bring it to the
people;
this
will
be the climax
of
Israel's history and the
solution
to
their present
difficulties, Is. 9:4-7
and 11:1-9.
The Lord promised
a
future
of
peace to
His people,
universal
peace
as
a
result
of
the
shoot from
the
branch of David.
Isaiah 52:7, How beautiful
upon thc mountains are the
feet
of
him who brings
good news,
V ho proclaims peace, \Vho brings
glad
tidings of
good
[things,] Who
proclaims salvation, \\Tho
says
to
Zion, 'Your
God reigns "l
(NKJV)
The ounsel ql Ghalcodo
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Isaiah
54:10,
"'For the
mountains
shall depart and the
hills
be removed,
but My kindness
shall
not depart from
you,
nor
shall My
covenant
of peace
be
removed,' says the LORD,
who
has
mercy
on you. (NKJV)
Zechariah 9:9-10, Rejoice
greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout,
o
daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King
cometh
unto
thee:
he [is]
just,
and
having
salvation; lowly,
and riding upon a donkey, and
upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.
And I will cut off the chariot
from Ephraim, and the horse
from Jerusalem, and
the
battle
how shall
be
cut
off: and lIe
shall
speak peace
unto
the heathen:
and
His dominion {shall be] from sea
[even] to
sea,
and from the
river
[even] to
the
ends of the
earth."
In contrast
to the
peace
which
the
Messiah
will
initiate,
the
wicked
wi111{now no peace.
The last
27 chapters of
Isaiah,
Chapters 40-66, arc
divided
into
three divisions of 9
chapters
each.
In
these chapters
we
read
some
of the great pronouncements and
promises
of
peace.
Each
of
those
3
divisions
of 9 chapters each end
with the fact that
there
is no
peace
for the Wicked, 48:22, 57:21, 66:24.
(2).
Jesus
Christ is
the
Prince
of Peace.
(a).
At
his birth, peace
was
mlliounced. John the Baptist
went before the Lord to give the
knowledge of
salvation
to His
people, by the remission
of sins,
Luke
1:77,
'To givc light to
those
who sit in darkness and the
shadow of death,
To
gUide
our feet
into the way of peace," Luke 1:79
A
heavenly host joined
to
angel who announced the
birth
of Christ
the Lord in the
City of
DaVid, praising God and saying,
Nlaking the
Nations
Christ s
Disciples
Luke 2:14 "Glory to God
in the
highest, and on earth peace,
goodwill toward
men "
(NKJV)
(b). In Christ
peace
has corne
(Luke 1:79; 2:14, 29f.). Jesus
Christ is
the Prince
of
Peace,
Isa. 9:6-7. By Him
it
is
bestowed,
Mark. 5:34; Luke 7:50.
True, Jesus said that He did
not
come to bring peace
but
a
sword, to
set
a man against his
father, Mat. 10:34-37. What lIe
meant was that conflict
would
be the inevitable effect
of His
coming because
He
does
not
come to appease or to pursue
peace at any
cost.
In that sense,
the
effect would
be
to
separate
families,
but peace
would
be
the
ultimate
result of His coming.
(c).
At
Ilis
resurrection,
peace
was
pronounced.
John
20:19, 21, 26.
B The Disciples of
Jesus
have
peace
with God and
are
callcd
to be peacemakers. They are
called
to
peace with
God,
Rom.
5:1, Col. 1:20 through Jesus
Christ. Jesus
pronounced
the
blessing
of peace upon
those
who
followed and believed in I-lim
as the
Christ,
the
Son
of
God,
John 20:19, 21, 26. This
was
the
fulfillment
of
the
great Aaronic
blessing
of
Num.
6:24-26, "The
Lord
bless you and keep you; The
Lord make
His
face
shine upon
you,
And be
gracious
to you; The
Lord lift up His
countenance
upon you, And give
you
peace."
Only
when
one has
peace
with
God can
inward
peace can follow
, (Phil. 4:7), unhindered by the
world's strife (In. 14:27; 16:33).
They arc
called to proclaim thc
Messianic
peace of God
through
Christ, Isa. 52:7, to pursue
and to strive
for peace
with all
men, to live peaceably with all,
Blessed are the
Peacemakers
and to practice peacemaking:
I Cor. 7:15,1
Peter
3:11, IIeb.
12:14, Rom. 12:18, Mat. 5:8.
1 His disciples
are
its messengers,
Luke
10:51.,
Acts
10:36.
2. Peace is a prominent
theme
in Paul's epistles:
His
salutation
was
grace
and
peace
or
grace,
mercy, and peace,
Rom.
1:7,1
Cor.
1:3, 2
Cor.
1:2,
GaL
1:3, Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2, Col. 1:2,1
Thess.
1:1, 2
Thess.
1:2,1 Tim. 1:2,
2 Tim. 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 3.
IIe taught that Christ came
to make
peace between
God
and
men,
men and
men,
Col. 1:20,
Eph.
2:15, 2 Cor. 13:11,
Eph.
6:23.
Peace
is
a
fruit
of the
Spirit,
Gal. 5:22. The peace of God will
"guard your
hearts,"
Phil. 4:6-7.
Christians
are to
let the "peace
of God rule in your hearts,"
CoL 3:15. Paul prays that the
"God of hope and peace will
fill you
with joy
and peace,"
Rom. 15:13,33. "The God of
peace
will
crush Satan under
your
feet shortly, 16:20
3.
Peter's, John's, and Jude's
epistles
all pray for and
pronounce
peace:
1
Peter
1:2, 5:14, 2
Peter
1:2,2 John
3,3
John 14.
C.
HOWTOBEA
PEACEMAKER:
1. A
peacemaker
proclaims
the gospel of peace, Isa. 52:7.
Peace and
appeasement
are not
synonymous. It is not peace at
any
price.
To
proclaim
peace
when there is
no
peace is to
be a false prophet, Jer. 6:14.
Peacemakers proclaim the
necessity
of
peace and
the way
of peace through Christ alone:
Continued on
age
47
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8/12/2019 2008 Issue 5-6 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Counsel of Chalcedon
5/5
8
Blessed are the
Peacemakers
a. You
can either
be a
peace-
breaker,
a peace-faker,
or
a
peace-
maker. How do
you
respond to conflict? Flight or
Fight?
Retreat or
Attack?
b. A Biblical Definition of
Conflict: Conflict is a difference in
opinion or
purpose that
frustrates
someone's ,goals
or
desires. A conflict does not
have to
be
about
sin,
Mat. 18;
it
may simply
be
a
preference
or desire
that
people have
which
conflict with
one another
(The Peacemaker, Ken Sande,
Baker Books, pg 29fl.).
c. How to View Conflict:
ou should change the
way you view conflict:
(1). Conf lict is an opportunity
to glorify God, 1 Cor. 10:31.
(2). Conflict is an opportunity
to serve others, Luke 6:27-28.
(3). Conllict is an
opportunity to grow in
grace
yourself, Rom. 8:28-29.
d.
The
4 G's of Peacemaking:
(1). Glorify God, 1 Cor.
10:31: How can I please and
honor God
n
this
situation?
(2). Get
the
log
out
of
your own eye, Mat. 7:5. How
have I contributed to
or
created this
situation?
(3).
Gently
restore, GaL 6:1.
How can 1 help the other person
to see how they have created or
contributed to this conflic(?
(4). Go
and
be reconciled,
Mat. 18:15-20.
d.
Practice
biblical Confession
and Forgiveness:
(1).
The Beven
"N's of Confession:
Address everyone involved (All
those
whom you have affected.
Avoid the words if,
but,
and maybe (Do not try to
excuse
your
wrongs)
Admit
specifically (Both
attitudes and actions)
Acknowledge the hurt (Express
sorrow
for
hurting
someone)
Accept
the consequences
(Such as malting restitution)
f n ~ ~
Writer, Speaker, Teacher
FIN ING HOP
www.inamanlypainter.com
Ina@inamanlypainter cam
Alter your
behavior
(Change
your attitudes and actions)
Ask
for forgiveness
See Matthew 7:3-5; 1
John
1:8-9; Proverbs 28:13.
(2). The Four
Promises
of Forgiveness:
I will not dwell on
this incident.
I will not bring
up this incident
again
and use it
against you.
I will
not talk
to
others
about this incident.
I will not let this incident stand
between
us or
hinder our personal
relationship.
Peace on earth Peace
be to the Brethren
The
Counsel
qf
Cha/ced