Beatitudes - Sermon on the MountSample

When do you feel most peaceful? Is it in the quiet moments when you first wake up or when you’re watching a beautiful sunset? In these moments, it’s easy to think…” Yes! I’m blessed!”. Is this the kind of peace that Jesus talks about in the beatitudes?

Jesus says, Matthew 5:9 (CEV), “God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!” Jesus teaches that God blesses people who MAKE peace, not just keep the peace, find peace, or enjoy peaceful times and peaceful places. It’s about forgiving one another, how we speak to one another, and not adding tension or anger to our relationships.

The blessing promised by Jesus is that peacemakers will be called God’s children. Children reflect the nature of their father, and Jesus, God’s own son, is the ultimate peacemaker. Through Jesus dying on the cross and coming alive again, we can have peace with God. To be a peacemaker in God’s Kingdom, we reflect Jesus to others.

We don’t want to be people who just show peace the best we can in our own strength. There are sure to be things we face in our families, with our friends, and with people we meet where the kind of peace we can muster up within ourselves just isn’t going to cut it. We want the kind of peace that comes only from Jesus. Being people who have clean hearts, are merciful, and make peace means that we can genuinely care for others. Living as part of God’s Kingdom, we know it’s not all about ourselves.