Peacemaking v. Peacekeeping

It a lot gallery in Florence Italy. As you walk in there. There are two paintings side-by-side, and as you look at them from a distance they look alike and you would wonder who would paint to paintings and who would make a decision to put two paintings and look alike next to each other but then in closer examination you gonna discover that there really ought a contrast one painting has a picture of a stormy sea with wild waves and there is lightning flashing in the sky and then in the midst of this raging water.

You see a face of a man obviously drowning with a picture of despair and horror expression on his face. The painting right next to it shows an ocean the same kind of ocean cost with an equally violent tempest, but in the midst of the water is huge rock against which those white Breakers – in vain in the cervical, this boulder you see a pigeon sitting in the nest quiet serene, peaceful, in the midst of the wild fury of the element piece in the midst of the storm is the title of the painting piece is the desire of all people's piece is on the lips of every politician around the world peace is what the heart wants. In fact, it was Pres. Ford in his book a time to heal those a story that took place during the Civil War in Greece in 1948, a villager was planning to immigrate to the United States. But before he left his village, he met with his weary beleaguered poverty-stricken neighbors and he said to them what you want me to send you from the United States. Should I send you food should I send you money. Should I send you clothing. No said one of his wise neighbors.

If you can send us a ton of peace. Peace of mind is with all people long for and yet it seems to elude most of them.

Most people identify with the painting where the man is drowning than they do with the pigeon in her nest in the cervical of the boulder.

Yet our Bible is a Bible of peace.

Our Bible opens with peace and closes with peace. There was peace and tranquility in the garden of Eden before the fall and then a closes with peace and tranquility in the book of Revelation with the heavenly Jerusalem, coming down but somehow in the midst in the pages between those two covers there is more stories of war and the constant war. It is not because God has waged war against humanity. No, but the reason humanity is filled with war because humanity has waged war against God. God created angels and the brightest in the brightest of them, with one third of them have rebelled against God.

They declared war against God and that was thrown into the abyss, God created a man and a woman. They both conspired and David declared war against God, and now we have both Satan, together with the fallen humanity seemed to be fighting with God, the God of peace and they are fighting for segmented and full control. I want to tell you that when the world talks about peace. Listen to me carefully place when the world talks about peace.

The world is not talking about the biblical peace that are not talking about the peace of God, they are not talking about the peace that passes understanding. They are not talking about the piece that does not make sense. They are talking about truth truths that is declared in order to give people time to reload the weapons to fight again because the Hebrew word shalom does not merely mean absence of war, but rather it means plausible well-being of mind of heart of soul and spirit. Shalom does not merely mean the absence of hostility but rather having victory over hostility shalom does not merely mean just absence of war.

But it is that divine quality that gives calmness and serenity in the midst of the storms in the Thomas of life. Shalom, humanly speaking, is that unexplainable confidence in the midst of fear in the midst of terror. Shalom is that supernatural quality is that supernatural assurance in the midst of uncertainty in the midst of confusion. That's what biblical peace is all about. Our world is constantly emphasizing self listen, you don't have to look very far in the commercials and then use everywhere you turn self self self. It is, and destruction. It is in all, is taught in the schools but only tell you one thing about that philosophy. Peace that God gives is greater than all the peace of the world talks about when you place self first. You can have one simple little problem jotted down a few wanted because I don't want you to forget it.

Whenever the self comes first. Peace comes last. Whenever self comes first. You will harvest strife, you will harvest division, you will harvest hatred and you gonna harvest war in the seventh beatitude in the series of sermons entitled the Masters manifesto. The seventh beatitude is an invitation of the Prince of peace to all the disciples of Jesus Christ to be imitators of that heavenly daddy God wants his disciples wants his children to be ambassadors for his peace he wants his children to be messengers of his peace.

He wants his children to be envoys of peace, but we cannot do that unless we have received this piece. In fact, it was CS Lewis who said God cannot give us happiness and peace, apart from himself. There is no such thing and you can have all the peace conferences in the world without the peace of God, it is merely truths now to divide this beatitude into three segments. First of all I want to talk to you about the tariff of peace that I want to talk to about the truth in relationship to peace. And thirdly, I want to tell you about the prize of peace. The apostle Paul delineate to us the tariff of peace. The cost of peace, the price of peace in Colossians chapter 1 verse 19. The apostle Paul said that Jesus made peace. How at any price.

No, Jesus made peace with his blood shed on the cross.

That is the tariff of peace. That is the price of peace.

God's piece has a price God is the God of peace and he himself paid the price of that piece. God wants his people to be peacemakers but God word tells us that peace ain't cheap, that peace is not without cost but peace is always as a price. The price of God's provision for our peace with them in our reconciliation with him and that we can be able to come and call him heavenly daddy.

The price for that was the blood of his only begotten son. When God wanted to break the barrier between us and himself.

He had to give his most prized. He had to give his most tragic possession is all begotten son hung on the cross.

Listen to me very carefully please when you and I try to break any barrier that is been directed by sin. That is been directed by disobedience. There is a paragraph that it has to be paid when sin erects a barrier between us and God. Repentance is that tariff when sin erects a barrier between a husband and wife as the enemy would love to do vulnerability and asking for forgiveness is the tariff peace when sin builds a wall between two believers humility and confession is a tariff for peace for any peace to occur. There is a price that has to be paid. Sometimes the prices vulnerability and brokenness which are provide nexus recoil from sometimes the price of submission and surrender. We don't feel like it.

Sometimes the price is obedience.

We don't want to obey, but to be a peacemaker is to be willing to pay the price for building the bridge to be a peacemaker is to be willing to pay the price for making peace and taking the blame to be a peacemakers to be willing to pay the price for reconciliation in Jewish weddings. They take a glass and they lifted up item in their lives fall in the drops to the ground and is shattered into atoms and pointing to the fragments.

The couple is exhorted to guard jealously.

The sacred relationship into which they have entered why because they believe that once it's fractured, it can never be restored again.

But here we live in the New Testament when Jesus Christ died on the cross for us and therefore we know that the fractured relationship can be restored again and again and again. A man belongs here for act across all of humanity's hatred at the cross. All of humanity's anger were vented against God at the cross through pain and through agony of God looking down upon his only begotten son, the pure and holy dying for sinners, God brought peace at the cross through the shedding of that innocent blood. We were able to be reconciled to God the father. No wonder even in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah chapter 32 in verse 17 it tells us that the work of righteousness is peace. Listen to what Jesus said to the disciples in John 1633 he said these things are spoken to you, that in me, and the Lord Jesus Christ and only in him might have in the world you gonna have tribulation, but be of good courage, for I have overcome the world. And that is why the one who does not belong to Jesus Christ and neither have peace not be at peace or be a peacemaker and it is my prayer today if is one person with two people three people anyone is here today who has not experienced at peace with God the father through the Lord Jesus Christ. This will be your decision today.

The tariff of peace. But secondly, the truth and peace. Peace at any price is not the biblical peace with God's truth is compromised.

What you going to have is a phony peace is a shadow of peace is a pale approximation of peace I read, but a small city in southeastern France. The citizens called the police to come to open the door of our university dormant because they heard enough room some noise, some clever and some shouting an argument to the police came and they opened the door and they found the windows are broken and the furniture is overturned and the curtain was torn down the one man was dying and the other one was dead and the dying man as they were holding him out. He whispered he said we are to doctors, a philosophy we had agreed on our desire for world peace, but we have disagreed somewhat on the proper methods of attaining world peace.

People can stop fighting without truth and righteousness, but people cannot live peaceably without righteousness and truth.

When truth is applied and will not only put an end to conflict, but it will also administer healing of love the peace of God which is based upon God's truth will not only stop war, but that will produce joy, the peace of God which is based upon God's own truths will not only expose sin, but is going to produce goodness and righteousness.

Man's peace is only a cessation of hostility.

But God's piece is building of unity. Man's peace is only a Cold War but God's piece is one friendship man's peace is only a temporary truce. But God's piece is a permanent tranquility.

Why, because God's piece is built upon God's truth writing down God's peace can only be built on God's truth. What I mean by that. Listen carefully until hatred is resolved. This agreement will only go underground until jealousy is dealt with fighting will only be put temporary on hold until selfishness is confronted enmity will break out again and again and again wanted to listen to a James said, describing the wisdom of God. When James said in 317. He said it is pure first is pure, then peaceable, it cannot be peaceable without first being pure iron then surprise the Jesus when he gave this manifesto tells us. Blessed are the pure in heart. First, and then goes down the side.

Blessed are the peacemakers purity first then peace integrity first, then peace honesty first then peace any other form of peace without the truth is not really peace of God, it is not the peace of God is a two people whether there are believers or not believers in the two people cannot be at peace until they expose the wrong attitudes toward the truth of God. Two people cannot be at peace with each other until they expose the cause of conflict in the light of God's truth for the psalmist said righteousness and peace have kissed each other the right, no matter how much we try to bring harmony into a situation, try as you might, you will not succeed if it is built on compromise of God's truth and if you try, you gonna fall for both IW I occasionally confess to you.

How have people come to me and not enough with the get off but I people comfortably undersell yourself if you would just go we would appeal to these folks over here if you would just go easy on that group or that you know that thing will be able to attract this group of people they view it on the stuff in your tone down.

We will bring souls onto the church to tell you what I tell them to save your trip.

I love you with all my heart. God gave me a pastor's heart, and in the seller wanted, but I have one judge I have one Lord, I have one master. I have only one measurement for the truth is God's word and preaching the truth will not bring some function to the church, God's where they are. God did not call me to entice people to come to church you call me to preach his peace based upon his truth.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 34 do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth but sure our son Michael has run around the same looking for contradiction in the Bible is contradiction city in chapter 5 is it.

Blessed are the peacemakers. In chapter 10 is a valiant attempt to bring peace is a contradiction in the Bible. The only contradiction of the heavens between their ears did not contradiction here is nothing country about this.

The peace that Jesus came to bring is not peace at any price.

There has to be resistance before peace can come in. There has to be opposition before, harmony becomes reality, there has to be a strife before God's peace rule and dominate to be a peacemaker on God's terms. Nothing man's term.

You must be a peacemaker on God's term of truth and righteousness, which the world rejects the world is unlike the world call that extremism the world call this fanaticism the world calls this intolerance. But this only presets with the name is like a surgeon struck, it must cut before it heals my daily reading my daily devotion. I go through Scripture every year I've been reading through Jeremiah in the last couple of weeks and in Ezekiel and remount warm your heart and here's Jeremiah talking about the judgment of God and all the corrupt religious leaders of Jeremiah's day like the liberals of our days corridor running around and saying peace. Peace.

Peace. Peace. And Jeremiah said that he has no peace. There is liberals running around saying everybody's gonna make it everybody's gonna make it. You don't have to believe in Jesus went on to tell you and end up in the day of judgment is going be too late. Jeremiah's message of judgment wasn't very popular but I want to tell you it was God's truth and therefore judgment came not peace. Jesus never invaded era. Jesus never evaded the wrong lifestyle he never winked at sin when he confronted the Samaritan woman first of all, he confronted her with her sinful lifestyle. And then he directed her about her information about her knowledge of worship, and then he said to her, my father wants people who worship him in truth and spirit, not people who go to the right places of worship to be seen that the use of translation, but you understand what I mean. The terrorists for peace, the importance of truth and peace and thirdly the trophy of peace those who are peacemakers shall be called the children of God.

This what Jesus said they shall be recognized by their daddies characteristics.

They shall be called that his boy and that his girl unlike your daddy who is peace and a peacemaker you to when you help spread the gospel of peace. You are a peacemaker you are a child of God, the Lord give me an incredible revelation this week that just tore me up. The parent who is worthy of a title parent loves his children more than his own life in God loves his children. He loved more than his life that he died for them. God loves his children today as he loved Israel of old because the church is the new Israel of God. According to Paul told the Galatians, the church is a holy nation, according to the apostle Peter all the promises of the Old Testament have now become fulfilled in the church is a become our promises to claim and therefore when God says this people.

You are the apple of my God is saying that to you today that you are the apple of God's you are the apple of the eyes that the cornea of the eye, which is the most sensitive part of the body. I'm told it is also the most protected and that is how God sees his children. He is most sensitive about his children. He is most protective about his children and those who attacked God's children. They do not know it now, but they are poking God in the and when Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, later to become the apostle Paul.

He did not confronted him on his way to Damascus when he was going to kill Christians and murder Christians and imprisoned Christians. Not say to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting the church now presents long Saul, why are you persecuting me according to Psalm 56 in verse eight God puts the tears of his children. The bottle is an expression through which God wants everyone of us to know that is not a drop of our tears. That is not important to God. Don't ever please plead with you, don't ever take the privilege of calling the creator of the universe.

Daddy don't ever take that for granted as we seek to be peacemakers as we seek to be reconciling men and women to God.

And, as much as possible, says the apostle Paul live at peace with everybody. Sometimes we gonna find that people may treat us the same way they treated our Lord. Sometimes we gonna discover that they will misunderstand us and that there will not honestly seek the truth and the may condemn us, and even crucify us, but I wanted to remember this, that, while hatred blinds.

Love enlightens, while hatred always feels victimized. Love six victory over victimization. The people of war will always throw stones at us.

But the peacemakers are going to pick up those same stones in the gonna put it down and build the bridge for the peace of God, the people of war will come to us with the sword, but the peacemakers are going to disarm them with love and they beat their swords into plowshares. The people of war will always throw spears, but the peacemakers will always put it into pruning hooks. Peacemakers not avoid the battle. Listen carefully. Peacemakers do not avoid the battle but by the power of God's Holy Spirit, they will triumph in the battle. Do you have war at home. Do you have war inside of you. The armies of fighting, then you have war at work you have war in your heart, your heavenly daddy wants you to have peace and be a peacemaker. He wanted to be like him, we ask him today. The tariff of peace. God might be calling you to pay a price for peace, the truth and peace, requiring you to tell the truth and say things that the world might not accept but always remember there's a trophy for peace. You will be a child of God in this holy moment of decision. If the spirit of God has been like a hammer shattering away at the hardshell. Please let him it was like a surgeon's knife.

This cutting away. Please let fees bring you under conviction something you need to do someone, you need to call but your pride under the blood. Humble yourself.

Please, for Jesus sake, do it. Heavenly father we were everyone of us enemies of the cross. Everyone of us at some point have declared war against you, but your love has overpowered us your love has overcome us, your love has broader strip teachers to be like you, teach us to be peacemakers stand with the truth and for the truth that reach out that precious and mighty named Jesus the Christ, thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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