| Introduction In 2004 the Rolling Stone magazine ranked the 1971 John Lennon hit, Imagine, as the number 3 greatest song of all times (the greatest hit of all times was Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan and the second was I Can't Get no Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones). In it, Lennon says: "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." When asked exactly what he meant by the song, Lennon answered: "It's not a new message: 'Give Peace a Chance'—we're not being unreasonable. Just saying 'give it a chance.' With 'Imagine' we're asking, 'can you imagine a world without countries or religions?' It's the same message over and over. And it's positive." According to John Lennon peace comes to humanity by the abolition of national identities and religion. That seems to be the prevalent view of our times as exemplified by the United Nations, the European Union, and the political left. Yet, peace cannot be made or achieve through global efforts to destroy nationalistic ideology and religious convictions. Peace can only be made or achieve through the Prince of peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. "Jesus is not speaking about the mere cessation of hostilities among the nations. He is speaking about the cessation of hostilities between man and God. This is the peace he came to establish." Sinclair Ferguson "Our hearts are restless till they find rest in you." Augustine in Confessions Isa. 26:3 – You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. You see, our biggest problem isn't that we don't get along with one another and we need to work on it. Our biggest problem is that we have sinned against God and he is in enmity with us. I. Who Is the Peacemaker? A. In our passage, the peacemaker is described as the one called son of God. 1. I used to think that sons here was a generic expression for children of God. 2. But the more I studied how this expression is used in the NT, the more I have come to believe that Jesus didn't mean to use sons as a generic word for children. a. Jesus could have used the word children as he used in other occasions. b. He literally meant sons of God. 1) Before we come up with some idea that only males are sons of God or get up in arms because the Bible is sexist, note that he is actually elevating the status of women. 2) The peacemakers are those who have been legally adopted as sons of God with all the legal rights of being a rightful male heir of God. a) Under first century Roman law, only males could be legally adopted and receive the name of the adopted father. b) Jesus is saying that in his kingdom men and women are adopted by the Father in a way that surpasses anything that had every been heard before. B. So, the peacemaker is the one who has been adopted by God and brought into his family. C. How can God adopt sinful people who are his enemies into his family? He has made peace with us through Jesus Christ. Rom. 5:1-2 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 1. Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, God is your enemy. Rom. 5:10 – For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. a. He is not powerlessly loving the unbeliever, wringing his hands just waiting for the time when they feel like acknowledging him. b. It is because of his common grace bestowed on the wicked that they are not consumed. 2. But through Christ he has reconciled those who were his enemies to himself. Rom. 5:10 – For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 3. In Jesus Christ, God is reconciled to us and we are reconciled to him. 2 Cor. 5:18-21 – Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. a. That tells us that sin is a big deal. b. It took the sinless Son of God becoming guilty of our sins for the Father to forgive us and adopt us – Stuart Townend How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away as wounds which mar the chosen One, bring many sons to glory. Behold the Man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished. II. Our Adoption into God's Family Makes Us Peacemakers. A. God is described throughout the NT as the God of peace – one example in which he brings together the idea of peace, the blood of Christ, and our equipping. Heb. 13:20-21 – 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, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. B. As children of the God of peace, we must resemble our heavenly Father. "Now it [the title 'sons'] belongs to the heirs of the kingdom who, meek and poor in spirit, loving righteousness yet merciful, are especially equipped for peacemaking and so reflect something of their heavenly Father's character." D.A. Carson C. We have found peace with God through Jesus Christ, now we become messengers and practitioners of that peace. D. We are called to bring peace to the world. 1. The primary means to bring peace to the world is not through treaties and UN resolutions. 2. The primary means to bring peace to the world is the evangelizing of the nations. "Jesus is not speaking about the mere cessation of hostilities among the nations. He is speaking about the cessation of hostilities between man and God. This is the peace he came to establish." Sinclair Ferguson "Our hearts are restless till they find rest in you." Augustine in Confessions Isa. 26:3 – You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 3. The peacemaker is first and foremost the evangelist because evangelism is the way of peace. 4. Take, for example, all the fighting in the Middle East. a. Though we appreciate all the men and women of our armed forces very much who are willing to put their lives on the line for our country, that is not the ultimately solution. b. And we are also excited about the recent peace treaty between Israel and some Middle Eastern nations. c. The ultimate solution, however, is for you and me to spend our lives preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of a hostile people. d. The ultimate solution is for you and me to give up our sons and daughters to go die for the cause of Christ among the Muslims, or among the Europeans, or among the Chinese, or among the Americans. 5. It is Christ who is the Prince of peace who rules the nations through his Church. a. It is Christ who will cause the lion to lie down with the lamb. b. It is Christ who will turn the sword into plowshares. c. And right now, he is doing that through the preaching of the Gospel. 1) He is doing it right here as we consider his Word. 2) He will do it through you later today as you instruct and disciple your children. 3) He will do it through you tomorrow as you tell your co-worker about the awesome time in God's presence you had as you came to church. 4) He will do it through you on Tuesday as you have coffee with your unbelieving friend, and you love her to the point of telling her what her condition is without Christ. E. We are called to be peacemakers among ourselves. 1. The Holy Spirit tells us that the wisdom that comes from above is peacemaking. Jam. 3:17-18 – But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 2. So, the children of God will seek peace among themselves, in the fellowship of the family of God, the Church. a. To promote peace in the church is one of the things we promise to do when we become members of this church. "Do you pledge to study the peace of the church in areas where you disagree with the doctrinal standards of this church?" b. One of the oaths that a BP pastor takes is as follows: "Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the Gospel, and the purity and peace of the Church; whatever persecution or opposition may arise unto you on that account?" c. How easily forgotten, however, this oath is. "…is it not strange that the churches that experience a great deal of disruption are often those that most loudly proclaim allegiance to God's infallible word?" Sinclair Ferguson F. Let me give you two wonderful word pictures that illustrate Jesus's teaching on being peacemakers among ourselves. 1. Peace is the referee who blows the whistle on any action that is out of line. Col. 3:15 – And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. a. Peace, the harmony and well-being of our fellowship must be as important as its purity. b. This means that we will submit our will, our position, our natural desires to the well-being of our fellowship. 1) Some Christians never do that. 2) They do not seem to know or care that Jesus prayed that his people might dwell in unity as he and his Father do. 3) To disrupt peace in a church is to despise both the prayers of Christ and the blessing of Christ. c. Having said that, it is important for us to define what peacemaking is and is not. 1) Peacemaking is not avoiding, denying, or fleeing real conflicts. 2) Peacemaking is not forcing people to agree with you by attacking and bullying them. 3) Peacemaking is dealing with all conflicts that arise in the church and your relationships in a biblical, glorifying way. a) Peacemaking may include confrontation. b) Peacemaking may include admonition. c) Peacemaking may even include being removed from the church. d) One of the greatest peacemaking passages in the Bible is Matthew 18. Mt. 18:15-17 – Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 2. Peace is the bond, the cord, that ties us all together. Eph. 4:1-3 – I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. a. By nature and by instinct, we would never act as one body. b. But God's peace can accomplish that. c. Illustration from John Owen: Imagine a man collecting wood for his fireplace. He finds a good supply of branches, but they are of varied shapes and sizes: some long and thin, others short and thick; some straight, others twisted. He binds them together with a rope, and in one bundle easily carries them home. Conclusion So it is with the church. We are a varied bunch. How will Christ carry us home? He ties us together with the bond of peace! Cut that bond, and you cut the cord that Christ himself tied. Let me challenge you to examine your heart and consider where you have been guilty of peace breaking instead of peacemaking. If there is a fellow child of God, a brother or a sister, that you must make peace with, go to him, go to her. Gain a brother or a sister back. May we all seek the peace of Christ's church.
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