Blessed are the Peacemakers

By way of introduction to tonight's verse, Matthew 5, verse number 9, blessed are the peacemakers, for they should be called the sons of God. Literally, they and they only are called the sons of God. So by way of introduction, I want to turn to the ultimate peacemaker, Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so by way of introduction, turn to Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19. Everything about the ministry of our Lord is so unique and precise.

And to realize that what happens at Luke 19 was not just foretold, not just foreseen, and not just foreknown. It was all fulfilled specifically. And when you read the narrative of the triumphal entry and the Lord sends his men into the city to get a donkey, that was the fulfillment of Zechariah 9, verse number 9. And Christ rides into the city, you know the narrative, to the praises of the people.

That too was Zechariah 9, verse number 9. In fact, it's so specific, it's quite unbelievable that Israel did not understand it. In fact, Zechariah 9, verse number 9, reads this way, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you. This is what they sang.

They sang joyfully. He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. All prophesied.

And sure enough, in Luke chapter 19, it happens just as it was foreseen, foreordained, foretold, foreknown, it was fulfilled specifically. But also, also, everything not just about the praises of the people, and not just the presentation of the Savior, but specifically the pain of the Messiah. For it says this in verse number 41, when he approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and he wept over it.

Isaiah 53, verse number 3, Messiah would be a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. It's just so incredible how everything comes to light. And so the Messiah who comes to the city of peace, that's what Jerusalem means, the city of peace, you have the prince of peace on the backside of a donkey, riding into the city of peace to offer them peace.

And yet he sits there and weeps over the city. Why? Because the people would forfeit their peace. Listen to what it says.

Verse 42, if you had known in this day, even you the things which make for peace, but now they have been hidden from your eyes. If only you had known the things that make for peace, but when Christ came, he came to offer peace. He is called the prince of peace, Isaiah 9, verse number 6. Isaiah 54, verse number 10, he offers the new covenant of peace.

In Luke 1:79, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, would say that when the Messiah comes, he will guide us in the pathway of peace. When the angels declared the arrival of the Messiah, they said, peace on earth for those with whom he is pleased, Luke 2:14. Simeon was looking and longing for the consolation or the peace of Israel.

And when he held the Messiah in his arms, he rejoiced because peace had arrived. And Anna in Luke 2 was longing for the redemption of the city of peace, that somehow the people who lived in the city of peace would be redeemed by the prince of peace. So everything about the arrival of the Messiah was all about peace because he was the ultimate peacemaker.

There is no peace without the prince of peace. And so he comes right into the city to the praises of the people, but he weeps because the peace he offered they did not want. They were looking for political peace. They were looking for military peace. They were looking for national peace, but personal spiritual peace, they weren't looking for that. That wasn't even in their minds.

But Christ came to offer them peace and he would forfeit it. Think about it this way. The Bible begins and ends with peace.

It began in the garden with ultimate bliss and ultimate peace with no sin. When it's all said and done in the new Jerusalem, in the new heaven, in the new earth, total peace, complete perfect peace. But when man sinned in Genesis chapter 3, peace was forfeited.

And so what did Christ do? He came to make sure peace would be granted to man by settling man's debts at Calvary because he wanted to be at peace with man. And yet when he comes as the prince of peace into the city of peace, offering them peace, they reject it because it wasn't the kind of peace they thought they needed. We live in a world just like their world 2,000 years ago with no peace.

Every peace treaty that has been made has been broken. One day Antichrist will come. He'll confirm the peace treaties in Israel.

That will begin the tribulation period. Daniel 9:24 to 27 is very clear about that. That's when the tribulation begins.

Revelation 6 says that the Antichrist comes on a white horse. He comes with a bow but no arrows because he comes in peace to make peace. And there will be a national peace.

There will be political peace. But it's not true peace. It's interesting that there is no president that can bring peace.

There is no king that can bring peace. There is no ambassador, no diplomat, no lawyer, no judge, no individual who can bring peace. But the Christian can bring peace.

In fact, you, me, should be the world's ambassadors for peace because we are the only ones who can bring peace because we know the prince of peace. And interesting that it's God who commissions us to be his ambassadors. The world is at war. The world will always be at war.

In 1945, when the UN was established, it had this motto, very simply this, to have succeeding generations free from the scourge of war. Since 1945, there has been no generation free from the scourge of war. But that's their purpose.

The World Council of Churches cannot bring peace. The UN cannot bring peace. No government official can bring peace. Oh, we can sign peace treaties. But in the years of our existence, there has been less than 200 years with no wars.

There is always going to be war. Why? Because man is at war with God. And as long as man is at war with God, he'll be at war with one another.

There will be no peace. And Satan is at war with God. His angelic hosts are at war with God.

And that war is nonstop. One day it will end with a new heaven and a new earth, and there will be complete and total peace. But until then, there is no peace.

And yet the Bible says, blessed are the peacemakers, for they and they only are called the sons of God. Someone has remarked that peace is that moment in time where everyone stops to reload. Do you know that there have been more people killed in America by guns than in wars? 1.5 million by private gun owners, 1.2 million in wars.

We've got a problem. Man is at war, not necessarily with one another. That's the byproduct of his war.

He is at war with God, and has been since the fall. Man is at enmity with God. He is the enemy of God, and therefore he becomes the enemy of God's creation.

And yet as we begin to ascend this ladder of the Beatitudes, each rung is filled with blessing after blessing after blessing. From the time of Matthew 5, verse number three, to the seventh Beatitude, the peacemakers, you just keep beginning to understand how you get into the kingdom, how you grow up in the kingdom, so you can live like a child of the King. And Christ makes it very clear that the peacemakers are the only ones that are truly called the sons of God, because they are at peace with God.

I don't know where you're at tonight, but most families don't have peace. Most marriages don't have peace. There's this ongoing battle day after day after day.

If you're a believer and you're married to an unbeliever, there's a battle that's going on all the time. I was reminded of the guy who was interviewed one day. He and his wife had been married almost 70 years.

And the reporter asked him, what is the reason behind all of the harmony and peace that you have in your marriage over all these 70 years of being together? To which the man replied, he said, well, when my wife and I got married, we made a pact with one another that if she was angry or she was irritated or she was upset or bitter, she would just lash out and get it off her chest. And me, well, if I became angry, if I became bitter, if I became resentful, if there were things on my mind, I would go outside and take a long, long walk. So he said, the key to our marital peace and harmony is that I've spent the bulk of my life outside, not inside.

I thought that was pretty funny. I'm not much of a joke teller, but I thought that was pretty funny. But just because you don't bring up a topic or bring up a subject doesn't mean that there's peace.

Just because you refuse to talk about something doesn't mean there's peace. To shy away from dealing with truth is wrong. Why? Because when truth reigns, peace prevails.

There is no peace without truth. Psalm 85 verse number 10 says that righteousness and peace have kissed each other. In other words, the only way that righteousness really is seen is in the realm of peace, and peace can only be accomplished in the realm of righteousness, holiness, truthfulness.

But so many times we avoid topics. You know about this in your family. You don't want to bring up this issue because somebody might blow up.

So we refrain from that. We get together at birthdays or holidays and we make sure we don't talk about this and we don't talk about that because if we do, something's going to really explode. So let's just keep the peace.

You're not really keeping the peace. You're just maintaining a truce because peace is always, always centered on truth. Without truth, there is no peace.

That's why Jesus Christ is the God of truth. That's why He's the ultimate peacemaker because He lives a righteous life, a holy life, and without that there would be no peace. That's why the Bible says in Hebrews 12:14, pursue peace and holiness without which no one will see the Lord because the two go hand in glove.

The two go together. And Christ comes along and says, blessed are the poor in spirit. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who recognize that they have nothing sufficient in and of themselves to accomplish anything for the sake of righteousness because they recognize that they have nothing to offer God. Blessed are those who mourn over their sin, their iniquity. They are the ones that are comforted.

And blessed are the meek, the humble, because they'll inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they are the only ones satisfied. That makes it very clear when He says, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

And those who are pure in heart become the peacemakers and they are truly the sons of God. James would say it this way. He would say, the wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable.

The order is significant. Every word of God is pure. Every word of God is true, right? Every word of God is clean.

So the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, pure unadulterated truth, then peaceable because peace is rooted in truth. That's why when you watched the State of the Union address last night, half the audience sat and the other half stood. Why? Because there's no peace between the two parties.

Why? Because truth does not prevail in either party. So without truth prevailing, there can be no peace. And so even though there are nations that gather together to formulate peace treaties, they just want to stop shooting each other, stop dropping bombs on one another, stop killing one another.

Doesn't mean there is peace, because there is still hatred in their hearts toward one another. So this beatitude becomes very, very important for us to understand that God is doing something unique in the life of His children that they would be able to represent His kingdom clearly to those He comes in contact with. So the outline is the same as it's been the last six weeks.

We will make sure we define the condition, describe the consequences, detail the characteristics, and then determine our course of action. Okay? Let's first of all define the condition by looking at the origin of peace, the obstacles to peace, and the opportunity for peace.

First of all, the origin of peace. Well, that's fairly simple for us to understand. God is called the God of peace. He's the originator of peace.

Six times in the New Testament He's called the God of peace. In Judges 6:24 He's called Yahweh Shalom, the Lord our peace. Jesus Christ is the peacemaker, Ephesians 2:14, for He is our peace.

The origin of peace is in God alone. So unless you know God, there will be no peace, for He is the God of peace. And so the Bible says that if God is the God of peace and Jesus is the Prince of peace, then the Spirit is the agent of peace because the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace.

The kingdom of heaven is not eating and drinking, Romans 14:17, but righteousness, truth, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Without peace there is no joy. Without righteousness there is no peace.

And the kingdom of heaven is made up of a righteous king who rules purely and truly and wholly and offers peace to those who come to him on his terms. So here's Christ writing to the city of Jerusalem as the Prince of peace, wanting to offer them peace, and yet they refused it. And someone will say, well, wait a minute, hold on, didn't Jesus say in Matthew 10:34, I did not come to bring peace but a sword? Yeah, that's what He said.

Why? Because there's division in the family when someone believes and receives the Prince of peace. In the Jewish family, if you believe in the Messiah, you're ousted, you're gone, you're done, you are dead to the family. So here is Christ the peacemaker who comes to offer peace to those who embrace him as the Prince of peace.

All the while they do that, it divides their homes. It brings a separation from those who do not want to know the true Prince of peace. So the origin of peace is rooted in God.

You’ve seen the bumper sticker, right? No God, no peace, no God, no peace. N-O, God, N-O, peace. K-N-O-W, God, K-N-O-W, peace.

If there is no God, there is no peace. But if you understand and comprehend God, then you understand and comprehend peace because He is the Prince of peace. So He is the origin of peace.

What are the obstacles to peace? Well, if God is holy and just and true and pure, then the obstacles to peace are the opposite of that which is holy, unholiness. The opposite of that which is pure, impurity. The opposite of that which is true, falsehood, hypocrisy.

The obstacles to peace are sin. And that's why there's never going to be peace in the world. No matter how hard we try, it'll never happen.

Why? Because there is no peace for the wicked. Isaiah says it twice. No peace for the wicked. Can't be. Why? Because the only way you know peace is to know the God of peace. And without knowing Him, there is no peace.

There can be a truce. There can be a laying down of the weapons. There can be a refusal to say some of the things you used to say.

But without a heart change, there cannot be peace because peace happens on the inside of the man. You see, we think that peace is the absence of something. Peace is actually the presence of someone.

Peace is not the absence of conflict in your home. It's the presence of God in your heart. And when the presence of God is in the heart, there could be conflict in the home because of those who do not want to stand for the truth and for the righteousness of God.

In fact, I guarantee there's going to be conflict in the home life. The very next beatitude speaks about persecution. All those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

So peacemakers are dividers. They don't purposely want to divide. They're not purposely trying to sow division.

They just automatically divide because they live for the Prince of Peace. And they live for truth. And they uphold truth and honor truth because they know there's no peace without truth.

And so therefore, you become an automatic divider. Let me ask you something.

Christ was a divider. He troubled man's souls. Here was the peacemaker riding into Jerusalem on Monday, but on Tuesday, he goes and cleanses the temple, runs everybody out. That's the peacemaker.

Why? Because the peacemaker stands for truth and does not want truth to be compromised and will not stand for truth to be compromised. And he said, you have made my father's house a den of thieves. So by way of moving people on, he was standing for truth as the peacemaker.

And we think that because you're a peacemaker, there are things you just don't say and the things you just don't do. But listen, the peacemaker always says the truth. And the truth is the automatic divider of people.

You speak the truth, you will have enemies because they don't want to abide by the truth. That's okay. Because the truth stands and speaks for itself.

The Bible says about this concerning the Christ, that he was the one who stirred up strife. Luke 23, I think it's 23:5, his accusers said, he stirreth up the people. Listen, whenever you speak truth, you expose sin.

Whenever you expose sin, people get what? Get mad, get upset. Why? Because they don't want their sin exposed. And so whenever you preach the gospel as a peacemaker, what happens? Those who love their sin don't want to hear what you have to say.

They don't want to follow Christ. They love their sin more than they love the Christ. And so they're going to become angry with you and the things you say about what it means to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And they get upset. Not because you purposely tried to upset them. You just simply spoke the truth as a peacemaker because you want them to enter into peace as you have entered into peace with the true and living God.

It's very important to understand that. So God is the origin of peace. Christ is the prince of peace.

The spirit of God is the agent of peace, but the obstacle to peace is always sin, unrighteousness, and holiness, because man is wicked. He's wicked. And so the Bible says in Jeremiah 8, they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly by saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace.

The great Puritan Thomas Watson said these words: peace always flows from sanctification, but they being unregenerate have nothing to do with peace. They may have a truce, but no peace. God may forbear the wicked a while and stop the roaring of his cannon, but though there be a truce, yet there is no peace.

The wicked may have something which looks like peace, but it is not. They may be fearless and stupid, but there is a great difference between the stupefied conscience and the pacified conscience. This is the devil's peace.

He rocks men in the cradle of security. He cries, peace, peace, when men are on the precipice of hell. The seeming peace a sinner has is not from the knowledge of his happiness, but in the ignorance of his danger.

So true. So true. But the opportunity of peace comes because of Christ.

Listen to what the Bible says in the book of Colossians, Colossians chapter 1. It says that Christ reconciled all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross. Through him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshy body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and just.

Beyond reproach. See, we forget that we were the enemies of God before our salvation. And God, in his great love for mankind, went to Calvary's cross in order to bridge that gap between himself and mankind.

And therefore, he grants us the grace of salvation. So that we are no longer enemies of God, but reconciled to God, two parties coming together to be one in purpose and one in life and one in love. God does that for us. He's the great opportunity for peace. And Christ provided that so that we could be a part of his kingdom.

Point number two. What are the consequences? Let me say it to you this way. I kind of changed my outline a little bit today. I've got the prerogative to do that.

And that is, there are three. A brand new identity, a beautiful testimony, and boundless joy. A brand new identity.

The sons of God. Just think about that. You're called a son of God.

Huioi is the word. It's a word of honor. It's a word of prestige.

It's a word of position. Right? We've studied that with Christ being the son of God, huios, and what that means. It's not a term of origin.

It's a term of honor and position. And we have been granted a position of honor to be called the sons of God, the children of God. And therefore, we have this brand-new identity.

See, we were once sons of our father, the devil. John 8, remember when Christ talked about the religious establishment and said that you are of your father, the devil? I mean, either the devil is your father or God in heaven is your father. Right? And if the devil is your father, you are a son of disobedience.

And if God in heaven is your father, you are a son of obedience. See? And Christ says, blessed are the peacemakers. Why are they blessed? Why do they have boundless joy? Simply because they're pure in heart.

They hunger and thirst for righteousness. But the fact of the matter is that they have a brand new identity. And with a brand new identity comes a beautiful testimony that you are of your father in heaven.

You are sons of God. You've seen children running around our campus, right? And you look at them, that's their father. Right? I can see their father in that boy right now.

Right? Good or bad, you see the father in the son and the son in the father. Right? Well, when it comes to being children of God, they see that we're sons of our father in heaven. They see that person knows the Lord.

That person follows his father in heaven. That person is a true peacemaker because he wants to live in peace. He's so committed to the truth.

So you have this beautiful testimony that comes that's based on a brand new identity that gives you nothing but boundless joy. The book of Proverbs says this, Proverbs 12, verse number 20, counselors of peace have joy. Isn't that great? Counselors of peace have joy.

Why? Because they're settled in their heart. They're at ease. They're at peace with God.

And as they counsel, they want to lead people into a understanding of who God is and a relationship with the living God. And therefore, that brings them nothing but bliss and joy. That's why the blessed, happy, joyful are the peacemakers.

For those people, they are the sons of God. What a great tribute that God passes to His people.

Number three, detail the characteristics for them.

Number one, those who are peacemakers have experienced peace, right? They experience peace. Remember Titus chapter 3, verse number 3, for we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. That's a characteristic of the unbeliever.

But when the kindness of God, our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing it by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that being justified by His grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The characteristic of a peacemaker is that he's experienced peace, peace with God. He's no longer at war with God.

I hope tonight you don't see yourself fighting God, an enemy of God, because if you are, you're not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you've been reconciled to the Lord, if you've been made at peace with God, then you are one with Him, and the Prince of Peace reigns in your soul. Isaiah 32:17 says this, and the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

What a statement. The work of righteousness is peace. Because of Christ's righteousness, because of His justice, because of His holiness, He made a way for peace, and that righteousness produces comfort.

It produces confidence. It produces rest in the soul, because you've experienced peace. That's why Christ said, my peace I leave with you.

My peace I give unto you, He says to His men in John 14. And those who experience peace, they express peace. Peace.

They express it. Romans 12:18, if possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men. As much as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men.

In other words, there's an expression of our lives that exudes peace. We're not arrogant. We're not prideful.

We're not trying to put people down, cause strife. No, we just want to speak truth and live in peace, because we know the Prince of Peace. The Bible says over in Matthew 5:43, you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

Ah, but I say to you, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. In other words, you have heard that it was said that you can love your friends and hate your enemies. No, no, no.

You love your enemies. And when you love your enemies, you do prove yourself to be a son of your Father in heaven, who said to them, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That God demonstrated His love for us, and that while we were yet still enemies of His, He died on Calvary's cross for us.

So, when you love your enemies, you prove yourself to be a son of your Father in heaven. You're a son of God. See? You're a peacemaker, because you love your enemy.

Don't hate your enemy. And so, you not only experience peace, but you express peace, and you explain peace, or extend peace. You explain peace to others.

Peter said it this way, Acts 10:36. The purpose of the church was to preach peace through Jesus Christ. Preach peace through Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:15. How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. In other words, those who experience peace, live peace.

They express that peace, but they also explain that peace. They want to extend that peace to others, so they make sure they understand who the Prince of Peace is. They want to live and speak for Christ.

And those who experience peace, and express peace, and explain peace will always encounter pain. They will always encounter pain. Christ did.

Here was the Prince of Peace, who rides into the city of peace, to offer them peace, and what do they do? They hang Him on a cross. They crucify Him. They kill Him.

They hate Him, simply because He came to offer them peace that they did not want. And so, He encountered the most excruciating pain known to man. Not physical suffering, ah, but the separation from His Father in heaven.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Such pain He encountered as the Son of God. Paul was known as the pestilent person, because he would preach peace. When you preach peace, try to explain peace, you'll be criticized, you'll be condemned, you'll be persecuted.

Why? By those who want nothing to do with your God. I love what Vance Havner said. He said these words, he said, Let it not be forgotten that a twice born and spirit filled Christian is always a contradiction to this old world.

He crosses it at every point. From the day that he is born again until he passes on to be with the Lord, he pulls against the current of a world forever going the other way. If he allows it, men will tone him down, steal the joy of a salvation, reduce him to the dreary level of the average.

Most church folk dislike having their Laodicean complacency upset by those who insist on walking by faith and not by sight. So good and so true. And so those who have experienced peace and want to express that peace to others and explain that peace so that they can encounter the Prince of Peace will always encounter pain to some degree, rejection, persecution, isolation, you name it.

Stand strong on the truth and see who stands with you. Very few will. They are more willing to compromise truth to maintain peace.

But that's not peace, because peace is rooted in truth. Without truth, there is no peace. So what's my course? Quickly.

Number one, you need to love the maker of peace. That's Christ. He's the ultimate peacemaker.

John 16:33 says, these things I have spoken to you that you might have peace. Second Thessalonians 3:16 says, may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. Oh, how I love thy law is my meditation all the day and great peace have those who love thy law.

If you love the Lord, you love the law of God. You have to love the maker of peace. You love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.

Why? Because there's going to come a time where you are standing all by your little lonesome and no one else is going to stand with you. But you love the Lord and you will stand side by side with the King of the universe who is the Prince of Peace. You love the maker of peace.

Number two, you need to leave the menace to peace. If you love the maker of peace, you leave the menace to peace. What's that? Sin, hypocrisy, compromise.

Leave all that behind. You must. If you love the maker of peace, the Bible says in Proverbs 28, verse number 25, he that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife.

He who is of a proud heart stirreth up strife. You have strife in your home? Are you the reason for that strife? You need to leave the menace to peace. Whatever that attitude is, whatever that ingrown personality trait you have is, you need to leave it.

Run away from it. Because you don't want to become that obstacle to someone else seeing the Prince of Peace because of your bitterness, because of your anger, because of your short-sightedness, because of your quick-tempered attitude. No, you don't want to do that.

Got to leave all that behind. So many times it's our self that's the menace to peace, right? Our selfish desires. We want it our way and no other way.

And that's what you need to leave behind. Love the maker of peace. Love the Lord.

And then if you do, you leave the menace to peace. Number three, labor to make peace. Paul says in Ephesians 4:3, endeavor, work hard to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Endeavor to keep that which you have. Listen, you cannot develop unity in the church, but you can destroy unity in the church. That's what Paul says, endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

You got to do all you can to keep it. You got to work hard. You got to be zealous to keep that which God placed you, where God put you together as a unit, as a body of Christ, right? Are you working hard? Are you laboring to make peace? Because you endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? Colossians 3:15 says we're to let the word of Christ be at home in our hearts.

Let the peace of Christ be at home in our hearts. In other words, there is something about being on God's side that causes great peace. And therefore we let it rule, let it govern every decision we make.

The fact that we're on God's side determines what decision I make with my wife, my kids, my work, whatever I'm doing. Let the peace of Christ umpire in your hearts, right? Let the fact that you're on God's side call all the shots. That's just a great thing because, see, I don't have to call any shots.

I don't have to be the umpire. Sometimes I act like the umpire, but I don't have to be the umpire. Why? Because I let the peace of Christ be the umpire in my heart.

Let the fact that I'm on God's side, let God make the decision. How do I know what the decision is? That's what I got the word of God for, right? That directs me and guides me. And lastly, live as a messenger of peace.

Live as a messenger of peace. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18, now all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We have been given a ministry of reconciliation, of bringing two parties together that are at odds and enmity with one another, God and man.

God has reconciled us to himself so that he would impart to us a ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting the trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. See, God gave you the word of bringing parties together that are enemies one with another. That's why you are the ambassador of Christ.

That's why God has commissioned you to be his peacemaker. Nobody in the government can do it. Nobody in your school can do it.

Only God's peacemakers can bring peace because they've been reconciled to God. They're at peace with God. And God wants us to live as a messenger of peace.

How about you? You're willing to do that? Because true blessing comes to the peacemaker because those people truly are the sons of God. My prayer is that you understand that you are his son of the living God. Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for today, all that you do, a chance to be together. Bless this night as we leave this place. May we take with us the opportunity to speak forth the truth.

May we live for you and honor you. Glorify your precious name. In Jesus' name, amen.