Creating a Counter Culture - a Study on the BeatitudesSample

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

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

Close your eyes and imagine the most peaceful place on earth. Does it have a lot of people in it? No! Why is that? Because people disrupt peace. Today, we will look at how to get peace and make peace.

Peacekeeping involves cover-up and control, but peace-making exposes the truth.

The word for peace in Greek, Eirenecomes, is from the root word eírō, meaning “to join.” In Hebrew, Eirene/ Shalom means one, peace, quietness, rest. Jesus says, not only is it blessed to have peace, but it is blessed to be a peacemaker.

How can you be a peacemaker?

a. Know Jesus - Peace is the person and the presence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. He restored ultimate peace between man and God. We cannot have the peace of God without peace with God.

b. Receive His peace - Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. This is like Jesus leaving behind a massive mansion to enjoy, but we need the keys to get in. So what are the keys to peace?

i. Set our mind - We need to set our minds on God’s thoughts and Jesus.

ii. Pray - When you feel troubled or anxious, do you gravitate towards praying or something else? When we pray, Jesus gives us peace.

iii. Practice what you have heard - Faith may come from hearing, but peace comes with practice.

c. Pursues His peace - We cannot be neutral about peace. We are to pursue it. Romans 12:18 says, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with all.” However, the pursuit of peace must not precede the pursuit of purity. There is a reason for the sequence of these beatitudes. Any pursuit of peace over purity is unwise. We could fall into the trap of people-pleasing.

REFLECT AND ASK YOURSELF

• When anxious thoughts and cares take over you, stop and listen for the voice of God by setting aside time for it. Think about how you can practically incorporate this into your daily life.
• Obey the things you understand. Do the things you already know to do. The peace of God is hiding in our obedience.