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"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS"
I. WAR AND STRIFE BEGAN BEFORE THE HISTORY OF MAN.
A. It began when Satan pitted his will against the will of God.
1. The five I will's of Lucifer as recorded by Isaiah.
ISA 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
ISA 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
ISA 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
ISA 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
B. When God created the earth for Adam and Eve, very early in the history of man this conflict was brought to the earth.
1. Satan sought to enlist man in his rebellion against God.
2. Through Adam's eating of the forbidden fruit, he joined with Satan in rebelling against the authority of God.
3. Man was now also at war with God.
C. Man soon found himself in the middle of a war that was being fought on three major fronts.
1. He was at war with God.
2. That created a war within. The flesh against the spirit.
3. When you have a war raging within you, it has a way of spreading outside of you and you begin to war with those around you.
E. Man has declared war against God.
1. To fight against God has to be the height of foolishness.
2. Isaiah said, "Woe to him that strives with his Maker."
a. To fight against God is a no win situation.
b. Should you win in your striving against the Spirit of God who is calling you to surrender to Jesus Christ, then you have eternally lost.
F. The internal conflict is a war of the flesh against the spirit.
1. Adam yielded to the lusts of his flesh and this was the beginning of man's war against the Spirit.
2. James asked,
JAM 4:1 Where do war and fighting come from? Do they not come from your lusts that are at war in your body?
JAM 4:2 You lust, and have not: you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war.
3. Paul wrote to the Galatians, "The spirit lusts or wars against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit and these two are contrary."
4. In
Romans 7 Paul writes of his own internal struggle.
ROM 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
ROM 7:15 For that which I allow not I do: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
ROM 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good.
ROM 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.
ROM 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.
ROM 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
ROM 7:20 Now if I do that which I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
ROM 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
ROM 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
ROM 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
ROM 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
G. The war began with your fighting against God, but it soon spread from the initial battlefield, and you began an internal conflict. And now you find yourself at odds with so many people. If you do not have peace with God, you cannot have peace with yourself, if you do not have peace with yourself, you cannot have peace with others.
1. The second recorded sin in the Bible is the story of Cain killing his brother Abel.
2. This again was a spiritual thing, they both brought their sacrifices to God and the Lord accepted the sacrifice of Abel while rejecting that of Cain.
3. Cain became jealous of his brother and began to hate him and when the opportunity arose and he killed him.
H. This was just the beginning, it has followed all through the history of man. The war of the natural man against the spiritual man.
1. The history of man is one of continual wars and strife.
2. God had said that there was no peace for the wicked.
Isa.48:22
II. THE NATURAL MAN HAS DECLARED WAR AGAINST GOD.
A. He has stood in opposition to God and has sought to destroy God.
1. He has sought to destroy God by saying that God did not exist.
2. "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God."
3. There are many today seeking to destroy God by denying His existence.
4. They make the totally irrational, ludicrous assumption that man exists as the result of billions of fortuitus occurrences of accidental circumstances over billions of years of time.
B. When Jesus the Son of God the Creator of the worlds came to the earth as a peacemaker to bring man peace with God. They again sought to kill God by nailing Him to the cross.
1. They rejoiced for three days in their supposed victory. They actually thought that they had destroyed God.
2. But the third day He rose from the grave.
C. The world hates Christianity.
1. Solomon said, The bloodthirsty hate the upright: and [he that is] upright in the way [is] abomination to the wicked.
2. Jesus said to His disciples, And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: He also said, "In this world you will have tribulation."
3. John wrote "Marvel not if the world hates you."
4. Jesus said,
JOH 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.
JOH 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
III. GOD HAS TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO MAKE PEACE.
A. You would think that man would take the initiative since man has so much more to gain through peace with God.
B. But over and over we find God calling the people to turn from the path of destruction.
ISA 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
ISA 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
EZE 33:11 Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
MIC 7:18 Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy.
IV. JESUS, THE SON OF GOD IS THE TRUE PEACE MAKER.
A. When Isaiah prophesied of Him he said,
ISA 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
ISA 9:7 Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
B. Jesus said to His disciples,
JOH 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
V. OUR MISSION AS PEACE MAKERS.
A. We first seek to bring men peace with God.
1. Isaiah called on the people to:
ISA 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
ISA 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
2. Jeremiah was counselling king Zedekiah to surrender to the Babylonians that the city of Jerusalem might be spared destruction. Zedekiah was fearful that the people might turn him over to the Babylonians and Jeremiah responded, obey I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
3. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
2CO 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. To the Romans he wrote:
ROM 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
4. The gospel we share is the gospel of peace.
ROM 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
EPH 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
5. God wanted to announce to the children of Israel His peace.
NUM 6:22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
NUM 6:23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
NUM 6:24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
NUM 6:25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
NUM 6:26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
NUM 6:27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
B. We seek to be peacemakers by bringing men to know the inward peace. At the birth of Jesus the angels declared: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men."
1. Man can actually experience the peace of God.
Phl 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
2. Job's friend said to him, "Aquaint yourself with God and be at peace, and He will bless you."
PSA 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
4. Isaiah wrote:
ISA 26:3 Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.
5. Jesus spoke to the disciples whose hearts were troubled,
JOH 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
C. We seek to be peacemakers to those who strive with others.
1. Solomon gave words of wisdom concerning learning to live in peace.
PRO 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
PRO 17:14 The beginning of strife [is as] when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.
PRO 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and [it is] his glory to pass over a transgression.
2. Paul wrote:
ROM 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
1TH 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any [man]; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all [men].
EPH 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
VI. "THEY SHALL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD."
A. God is a God of peace. God wants people to be at peace with Him and to know His peace in their lives.
1. The true path of peace is the path of the spirit.
2. The path of the flesh leads to all the strife and wars
JAM 4:1 From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your lusts that war in your members?
1CO 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
GAL 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
GAL 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
GAL 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
B. When I am doing the work of God by reconciling men to God and showing them the way to inward peace, and seeking to guide them in the path of the Spirit, I am called a child of God, for I have become like my Father.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
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