Blessed are the Peace Makers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:9-12

The past few weeks we have been enjoying a sermon series called Authentic Christianity about the Beatitudes. Today we are continuing our review as we prepare for the final wrap up sermon this coming Sunday morning.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Matthew 5:9 Step seven in Authentic Christianity is an ability to settle conflict and bring peace to a troubled world and thus reflect the nature of God in His desire for peace.  There seems to be no greater need in the world today than peace. We live in a world torn apart with strife.  The absence of peace is not just related to nations. Life is relationships and there is no place Satan can bring chaos in our lives than in the destruction of relationships at all levels. Political, personal, public or private strife destroys peace. We need peace. God is a peace-loving God, and a peace-making God. We can do nothing more God-like than bring peace to those who are separated from God and others.

Peacemakers:

•                Seek solutions - not arguments

•                Calm the waters - not stir them up

•                Lower their voices rather than raise them

•                Generate more light than heat

People who have become sons of God have the character of their heavenly Father. And we know from Scripture that their heavenly Father is a "God of peace".

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:10-12  Step eight in Authentic Christianity is the ability to withstand insult and adversity on behalf of the Kingdom realizing the blessing of being used by God. The fact of and prospect of persecution in the life of a believer is well documented throughout the New Testament.  It is true that a disciple can avoid persecution, but only by negating the influence of Christ on their life.  When you fight sin, you fight men.  There is no way to make friends and combat unrighteousness.  The church becomes the conscience of the world.  The world will inevitably try to silence that pesky voice.  The world becomes tolerant of Christians but only to the degree that Christians become tolerant of the world.  The absence of persecution or some confrontation with the world should drive a Christian to his knees faster than the presence of persecution.  Christian persecution calls attention to Christ, not the one being persecuted. Persecution is promised to all who reveal Jesus.  When Christianity is lived fully, the hearts of men are revealed. When you desire to be godly in all your affairs and relationships there are two possible responses people can have who stay around you; persecution or conversion.  Christ’s followers do not possess the Kingdom because they endure suffering but because they are possessed of the Kingdom.

Join us this Sunday to hear the wrap up to this incredible sermon series to find out how to apply these lessons from Christ to our life. 
Scripture to Claim:  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.  John 3:21