People Of Peace
Matthew 5:1-9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” vs. 8
Imagine
Imagine by John Lennon
Imagine there is no heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky
Imagine all the people Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too
Imagine all the people Living life in peace
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you will join us And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people Sharing all the world
(Repeat Chorus)
That song is pretty catchy. You hum it, sing it, etc. without realizing the implications of the words. Reality is that many people believe these words. They believe this is that picture of ideal peace. But let me summarize what John Lennon is saying: if you can just get to a nothingness state, a place of no boundaries, no rules, no nothing, you find peace. He even claims that if you can get to a place of no religion you can find peace and yet what John Lennon is promoting here is Eastern religion. Jesus teaches us something much different. It’s found in Matt. 5:9. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s word, Matthew 5:1-9:
Read Passage – Matthew 5:1-8
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Ready For War
These words were pretty startling to the Jews. They were expecting their Messiah. Their Messiah was going to be their king. He was going to establish his kingdom and a Jewish empire; this would displace the oppressive ruling Roman empire and finally set all things right by re-establishing Israel’s kingdom and their rule. In their mind this meant war because it would have had to have been something like a hostile takeover. They were expecting war and Jesus talk about being peacemakers.
The Importance of Peace
Since the earliest of times “peace” was a concept built into the Jewish culture. Peace is more than a passive state. Concept of Shalom: peace coming and going. They didn’t have words for hello and goodbye. As people would meet they would be greeted with peace, “shalom.” As people were leaving they were sent out with peace, “Shalom.” It was a concept built into their thinking as young children and something they would give to each other.
People of Peace Have…
So what does real peace look like? To John Lennon, it was the absence of everything, including God. I believe that peace is different than that and I believe the Bible teaches us that peace is much greater and encompassing than nothingness. I also believe it teaches us that we can be people of peace and experience that greater peace. Here’s where I think Lennon got it wrong; he had a view of God that he was some cosmic dictator and his purpose was to control and manipulate us. 2 Thess. 3:16 tells me something much different:
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.”
2 Thess. 3:16
I focus on the words “Lord of peace.” If I believe these words, and I do, then real peace doesn’t come from nothingness but from God himself. I would even throw out that the reason Lennon couldn’t find real peace was he was looking for it outside of God. He cut out the source of peace and then struggled when it wasn’t there.
So I want to look at what our lives can be like with the peace that comes from God and discover how that changes our lives.
- A New View Of God
First and foremost, we have a new view of God. He doesn’t look like a dictator or manipulator or a king sitting on a throne with a scepter ready to whack us when we step out of line. Instead, he looks like a loving father that brings stability and joy to our lives. Psalm 85:8 tells us:
“I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.” Psalm 85:8
He promises us peace. What we begin to discover is that when we trust him, follow him, and listen to what he says, he pours out peace. This is reworking our view of God; it is a mental shift from the “dictator” that Lennon believed to the “father” we need.. We understand his ways are ways of love and direction and that the things we go through are meant for our good and are best for us. A father wants the best for his children. A father has to discipline and train a child. A father has the child’s future and best life in mind for them and wants to do everything he can to help his child experience that abundant life. But this takes trust on the part of the child and obedience. Romans 5:1says:
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 5:1
Our faith and trust in him lead us to experience the peace that only God can bring to life. I think David understood this when he wrote Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, and it is all about delighting in the law of the Lord. A new view of God says he gives us the boundaries and direction we need so that we do experience only a peace he can bring.
- The need to discipline yourself to practice to become good at something like a sport, music, art. etc.
The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be. -Tom Landry
- A New View Of Yourself
Second, people of peace have a new view of themselves. Unfortunately, we have bought into the idea that we are “good” people if we have certain things, money, material possessions, power, fame, etc. and that those things will bring us peace. But let me give you a quote from Jesus himself about this very idea, it comes from John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Notice it says he gives us peace but not as the world gives. What does that mean? It means that in the worlds eyes peace is found in the “things” that we have. Jesus is telling us that in God’s eyes, you are everything he wants, not your things and that your identity is not in what you have but who you are and whose you are. In the world’s eyes we compare ourselves to each other to determine our worth and our value. With God, we can stop comparing and accept the love that he has for each of us and it’s his love that fills our hearts and brings us peace. The things the world tells us that give us peace are temporary, they don’t last long.
- March Madness – A team wins and they are on the top of the world, the lose the next game and they are breaking down in tears and defeat.
- A peace that God brings is when we are so caught up in him that we experience a deep peace and one that lasts. The deep peace that comes from serving and helping others, i.e. serving food at a soup kitchen, volunteer at a school, volunteer at elderly home, helping someone fix their house, etc.
- A New View Of Others
Third, when we understand how much God loves us and that we are all he wants, we come to the realization that it is that way for everyone and that they are everything God wants too and we look at them in a much different way. We may not get along with them, their personality may not mesh with ours, their styles and likes may differ from ours, but we see them differently because God has just as much love for them as he does for us and we in turn choose to love them through God’s view. Col 3:15 says:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” Col. 3:15
It also says in Romans 12:18:
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18
God’s peace changes our view of others. I believe this is captured in a song by Matthew West called My Own Little World. Here is a portion of that song.
Ex. Matthew West – My Own Little World
Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours Give me open hands and open doors Put Your light in my eyes and let me see That my own little world is not about me What if there’s a bigger picture? What if I’m missing out? What if there’s a greater purpose? That I could be living right now I don’t wanna miss what matters I wanna be reaching out Show me the greater purpose So I can start living right now Outside my own little world
- A New View Of The World
Fourth, God’s peace gives us a new view of the world. In John Lennon’s song these words were sung: “Imagine there’s no countries, It isn’t hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion, too…” Lennon is actually saying that everything is meaningless and worthless…that includes you and I. God on the other hand says that you are worth dying for. Jesus says that you are worth dying for and he backed that up by living it out. John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
This kind of peace is a sacrificial and giving peace. We are called to be like Christ so we follow his example and we serve.
Peace Identifies Us With God
Our acts of service, acts of kindness and our acts of peace all lead others to see that we are no just another person but that we are children of God; verse 9:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” vs. 9
Part of the promise here is that when we point people to God and help them see what real peace is, we then are fulfilling our mission of spreading peace and being peacemakers in the world.
