Blessed are the Peacemakers
Category: Peace & Assurance
Key Passage: Matthew 5:9
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: September 19, 2021
Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Matthew chapter number five. Brother Ricky, would you close that door over there for us, please? I’d appreciate that. Matthew chapter number five in God’s word. We have been on the Beatitudes. This is our seventh Sunday on that subject. And then next week will be missions.
And then the next week, we’re going to see most will say there’s—help me—how many beatitudes are there? Most say eight, but there’s actually nine. I don’t know if we’re going to divide that last one up or lump the two together. We’ll just find out in a couple weeks.
Just hang on to your false teeth. We’ll find out about that a little bit later on. But Matthew chapter number five—I’m already in the hole. Why is that? Well, we lost an hour of sleep. You can go ahead and say it. Then we had breakfast in Sunday school. You can say, “Hey, bad about that one.” So you’ve got a sugar high, but now you’re on your low.
I just saw a lady already with her head on her husband’s shoulders. Brother Fontaine’s eyes—he just played in the right half-mast already. What in the world is going on? Now look at this: We’ve got two men right in the line here. They’re twins. Y’all got to stand up and show everybody. Go ahead. Blue suits, blue shirts, red ties. Look at that! They got the memo, man. They’re looking just like each other. Amen. Matthew chapter number five, and our series, “How to Be Blessed.” This is a little tougher one.
If y’all don’t mind, we’ll just read it, we’ll pray, and we’ll just dive right into it because you’re going to fall asleep pretty soon. I’ve got to get you before you fall asleep. Would you stand out of respect for the Word of God, please? Matthew 5, starting in verse number 9. We’re just going to read verse number 9. Would you read it out loud with me? Matthew 5. Here we go, verse number 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they should be called the children of God.” Let’s pray.
Father, Lord, would you do a work? Lord, I would like to keep their attention. Lord, we need you working. Lord, again, please don’t let me focus on preaching a good message. Lord, just forget about all that. Would you just help somebody? Maybe a marriage, maybe a relationship, maybe a testimony. Lord, would you help somebody today? Lord, I do ask that someone here is not saved. Father, I pray before they leave that they’d be on the way to heaven. Lord, that’s one of your works. Would you do it? Father, I yield to you in that. Thank you for what you do, Lord. And we ask for this, Father, in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated. Blessed are the… Help me out. What does it say?
It doesn’t say peacekeepers. It doesn’t say those that kind of wait for peace to come. It doesn’t say those that accept peace or are trying to hold on to the peace in the house, no. It’s more than that. The Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
It’s the only time in the Bible that it uses “peacemakers.” Now, it talks about making peace a time or two. But peacemakers—it’s much harder once the peace is gone.
And feelings are already flowing, and you’re a little mad and ticked off, and they said this, and you’re hurt over it, and somebody did this. There’s already, whether it be on social networking, or whether it be in a husband-wife situation, or whether it be in school or in the youth group, or just amongst people—it’s harder when the peace is already gone. There are emotions just flowing, and there’s fear, and there’s anger, and there’s hurt, and there’s pain. When all that’s going on, there’s no peace.
Now, that’s what he’s talking about: peacemakers, not peacekeepers. I’m for keeping peace, amen. But that’s not what he says. It’s “Blessed are the peacemakers.” That takes it up a notch or two. A little tougher to do that.
Can I say this? With the peacekeepers, it might be sometimes—we talked a couple weeks ago about the fight-or-flight syndrome—and he’s going, “Man, I’m a flight person. I keep peace.” Yes, you do keep peace sometimes, but sometimes in not talking, there are ill feelings, and there’s not really any peace. There’s just not any conflict, but there’s no real peace.
But he’s not necessarily talking about that here. He’s talking about “Blessed are the peacemakers.” There’s no peace. There’s conflict. There’s hurt. There’s pain. There are tears. Words have already been said that should have been said. And this guy comes in and he makes peace. Y’all will be out there? Y’all got to help me out. I know you lost an hour. I know you don’t eat breakfast. Help me out. If I do like that, would you say amen? Would you say amen? Thank you. That’s like saying, “Sick him!” to a dog when you say amen to a preacher. I need that all the time, actually.
Peacemakers. Spurgeon, a great preacher years gone by, applied this verse to family, church, and the world. I’m going to kind of follow suit there just a little bit, okay? It would apply when a husband and wife—now, I understand you husbands and wives out there never fight, I understand that. You have emotional moments when dishes are flying, I understand, but that’s not a fight. It would apply to that. It would apply to our young people. All of our young people, if you’re 18 years or younger—would you look up at me real quickly here? All those 18 years or younger, it may apply to you and your parents when you and your parents are at odds, and you have a disagreement with your parents. It would apply to you then. Everybody look up. Look up. There you go. Peacemakers. It would be with you and your parents.
It would be inside the church family. You say, “Preacher, there’s never any issues inside the church family.” Friend, do you realize the devil is working at bringing no peace to the church more than anywhere in the world? That’s right where he’s working. Because if he can get that, whoa, man, I got it. That’s God’s military headquarters in this old world. He’s always working at that. When there are problems and there’s a little bit of no peace, it’s somebody that makes peace. It’s at work. When there’s no peace at work, and there’s conflict, and there’s bickering, and there’s biting and complaining between the boss and the employees, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Let me give a couple thoughts about that, especially for husbands and wives. How many have you ever heard this phrase? Raise your hand if you heard this: “It takes two to tango.” You ever heard that phrase? Now, I know it’s a little cliché, but there’s some truth to that. You said, “Well, I was under control.” It still takes two to tango. You might be the little bit more passive one. Maybe you’re controlling your words a little bit, but it still takes two to have a fight, if you will. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
My old brother Howells used to say it just takes one good Christian to have a little peace in the marriage. It takes two to tango. Peacemakers. If I’m going to be a peacemaker, I’m going to have to use this term a lot. I can’t say, “I’m sorry if.” Don’t do that. If I said something wrong, I’m sorry. No, you might as well just kick that old “if” out the door, friend. “I’m sorry if.” Listen, friend, just stop trying to get your side across and your hurt across and your feelings across and what you think about it all. Just forget all that and say, “I’m going to deal with my part,” because typically, there’s blame on both sides. You just focus on your part. “I’m sorry for my part.” You just leave all that aside. He said, “I’m going to be a peacemaker.” You just focus on what you have done. Could you have been a better husband? Could you handle that situation a little better? You just forget about what all they did to you and your side, and you just say, “Hey, I’m just going to deal with me trying to make peace.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” Is that what it says or not, friend? That’s what the Lord Jesus Christ is talking about. Blessed are the peacemakers; they are making peace. It’s when we stop trying to win the argument and we start trying to make peace. Oh, how many of you like to win an argument? The rest of you not raising your hand are lying, amen. I see somebody pointing his finger over his wife—you’re not going to win that argument. Sometimes you win the argument, but you lose the war. That’s when you say, “Hang winning the argument; I want my marriage to win.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” You’re making peace. Sometimes it’s a matter of bridling your tongue. The Bible talks about the book of James: If I don’t bridle my tongue, my religion is vain. I go to work and I’m talking about everybody at work, and I’m talking about that guy, and there’s that to complain about the boss just like everybody else. My religion is in vain. I’m going to say that guy just like the rest of us. But make peace. Blessed are they that make peace—peacemakers.
There are a lot of different forms in how God leads you in them. It may be simply, you say, “You know what, our marriage needs some help. We’re going to get a third party involved and we’re willing to go to so-and-so for counsel and whatnot and kind of put ourselves under a third party.” It may be that you’re a third party for someone else. But blessed are the peacemakers. It’s so important for families, homes. Oh, we’ve got so much fussing and fighting in homes in our day and time. Blessed are the peacemakers in the home.
Let’s talk about church for just a second. Look over, if you will, in Proverbs chapter number six. Very interesting. I’ve known these verses for years by heart, but I notice some new things. Proverbs 6, look in verse number 16: “These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him.” He says, “I hate these six things, but that seventh one—God says that’s like extreme hatred.” This is the Lord talking. Now let’s count them off. “A proud look.” That would be what? Count them off with me. One. “A lying tongue.” Two. “Hands that shed innocent blood.” Three. “A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations.” Four. “Feet that be swift in running to mischief.” Five. “A false witness that speaketh lies.” Six. Here we go. Here’s the one that is an abomination to God: “And he that soweth discord among brethren.” How is that? That’d be among the teen group. That’d be among the church family. That means, you know, if your relatives are Christian, be there. Why did God feel like he needed to put it at just very particular—“they that sow discord among the brothers”? Because Satan, that’s what he’s working at: divide and conquer.
Let me give you this. I heard this from Jack Treber, a great preacher. He said, “Satan is always after three relationships. He’s after the husband-wife. If he’s got that, he’s got the home. He’s after the husband-wife. He’s after the dad and the children.” Praise the Lord for moms; typically, they have that bond with their children. Satan’s after that bond between the dad and the children, and then he’s after the relationship of a pastor and his people. Satan’s always bombarding those three things. I believe he’s right. It’s very interesting. “He that soweth discord among brethren.” So often it’s not the person—he doesn’t say the person caught up in the discord is an abomination to Him. It’s not what it says. It’s he that soweth the discord.
How many of you are going to plant a garden this year? We’ve got a couple of them. You put that seed in the ground. It might not come up for a month later. You might not get fruit from it for another month. It’s amazing how God sees it all. He says that one that sowed just seeds—seeds. He that sowed discord, seeds of discord. Have you ever seen it? It seems like somebody can walk through a crowd of people and they’re fine, but everybody back there is fighting. You’re like, “Man, what just happened there?” Sometimes somebody just sowed it, and they are way on the other side. God sees all that. God says, “Hey, it’s just an extreme hatred God has for people that sow discord.” It’s always sad to hear of a good church that has discord. A lot of times you hear about this person, this person—I wonder so often if it’s probably not even them, but they’re just dealing with the effect of someone else that has sown discord. They’re just reaping the harvest. Now, that would be the opposite of making peace. When all that’s going on and somebody has thrown some discord, and you’ve got to deal with that, somebody’s got to come along and say, “Hey, I’m going to make some peace in the midst of all that.” That’s the people Jesus is talking about. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Very important.
Oh, friend, we’ve got to continue our building. We’re about to move on the new property, and in the Lord’s time, we’re going to build that new building. I’m excited about March 29th, our first service on the new property. We’re going to have that tent set up, have church underneath the tent. The kids are going to have service over there in the detention pond; they’re going to swim all during service. Pray it doesn’t rain on that new property. And the nursery—we’re going to find someplace for the nursery. It’s going to be a great day. By the way, did anyone notice someone put some lights up for our side? It looks so good at nighttime. It’s a blessing. The man in church was burdened about it, and I appreciate it so very much. It looks great. You start a building program, look out! Satan’s going to do all he can to cause discord. Praise the Lord, we’ve got a good church family. We’ve got to guard against that, and I want to be peacemakers in this. Help me out. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Oh, friend, can I encourage you at work? Don’t get caught up in the drama. Young people, don’t get caught up in the drama of school. You’re not going to be called the children of God if you’re caught up in all the fussing and the fighting. But the guy, the lady, the young person, the adult, the parent, the child that goes outside and says, “I’m going to make peace in a bad situation”—here’s the thing: Those are the people about whom people say there’s something different about them. That’s why it says, “for they shall be called the children of God.” I don’t think it’s talking about the Lord calling you His child. Being a peacemaker doesn’t make you a child of God; Jesus Christ makes you a child of God. Amen. He’s talking about you are called a child of God. You’ve heard it said that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. When you go out, you’re making peace in an unpeaceful world.
I remember when I was a young person working at a machine shop and a metal fabrication shop in Florida. There was a man in the machine shop you had to travel through there; he typically didn’t work there, but he was a good Christian man, and he just always had a smile and seemed like he brought peace to the machine shop up front. To this day, that’s been—let me see here, I’m 32 years old now—so that’s been, I don’t know, 30 years ago, and I still think that’s a good Christian, a good godly man. That’s what you’re saying: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” They are making peace wherever they go. They are going to be known; they’re going to be called the children of God. You know why that is? The world can’t do that. They can kind of keep peace sometimes, and they have a hard time.
Now, I want you to notice this; we’ve got to hurry along. We’ve got so much to do, but you’ve got so much breakfast in you. We’ve got an hour of sleep, and I don’t want you to gain that hour back right now. But it’s very interesting, this one in particular of the order. If you look up on that verse right before verse number nine, look at verse number eight there. We preached about that last Sunday morning: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
You get hurt most by those you are closest to. You’re going to be close to your mate if you are married very long. So you get hurt, and those ill feelings and that hurt, and you’re bleeding inside, and the anger and the pain—you’re mad. Now, wait a second. You’re going to have to go to the Lord. I said, “God, my heart’s not pure right now. I can’t help it. I’ve heard it’s all about me and what’s going on on my side.” You have to really let the Lord clean your heart up, and then, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall what?” What’s going to happen to the pure in heart?
Now, here’s the thing: when you get a good glimpse of God—remember last week we talked about it?—you’re going to go see the doctor. You see God; you have an appointment. You get to go in His office, and He says, “Yeah, there are some changes that need to go on here,” and He heals your heart, and He does a work in your heart, and you get to see God. Now you can go out in a situation where there is no peace and make peace. But you’re not really ready to be a peacemaker before that. We are so often focused on our hurts and our wounds and our side and what you did and what you said and all the rest of that. But when you get a meeting with God, God’s the one that brings healing in there. And now you can go out there and say, “Hey, I just want to make peace. I give up my rights to all my side.” The world doesn’t have that in them. That’s why the world says, “That right there, that’s a Christian right there. They’re a child of God,” because you’re making peace.
It’s a sad thing when Christians are creating no peace. They’re not going to have the best testimony at work. But that guy goes around work and he makes peace, and those other people say, “Man, that guy’s got something.” He’s not been talking about the boss, and he’s not been talking about so-and-so and what they did. They just make peace everywhere they go. And they’ll say, “Hey, I want him praying for my uncle when he’s sick. Granny’s about to die. That guy’s been making peace. I know something different about him. I want to go to him and get him praying for me, for my granny.” They’re called the children of God because they’ve seen God. They got the heart purified by the blood of Jesus Christ. They’ve seen the Lord.
I was speaking with a preacher a couple weeks ago at a preacher’s meeting, just on the other side of the Kentucky line up in Kentucky. An older gentleman, maybe in his 70s or 80s, told me how he got saved. His wife was saved, but he wasn’t. He said one night, he and his buddies were out hunting and came in around 3 a.m. He woke his wife up and asked her to cook something for them, though they had been drinking. She got up at 3 a.m. and made food for those men. When a friend asked her how she could do that, she said, “When he dies, all he has to look forward to is hell. I figure I might as well try to give him the best life I can down here.” Praise the Lord, he got saved a little bit after that. He’s been a missionary in Canada for years and years, starting churches in Canada. Somebody was a peacemaker, and he saw something different right there. They shall be called the children of God.
Now let me just give a little tidbit in there for our society and our day and time. God is not for peace at any cost. Are y’all with me out there? God does not make peace with the devil. That’s probably the easiest way to debunk that. No, God’s not going to lower His standards of righteousness and holiness. I heard of a wife—true story, amazing story—whose husband went berserk and took an elementary school hostage with a bomb. His wife followed him in it for the sake of peace. God’s not for that. The Bible’s not for peace at any cost. Romans 12 says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” In other words, there are going to be times you can’t have peace with some people, as much as lies in you. It’s possible. I’m not going to go start a fight with someone, but I’m not going to give up on the King James Bible. Not peace at any cost. Salvation is by the grace of God, with no works included in that. If somebody disagrees, they want to argue with me, I’m going to try to make peace, but I’m not going to change my stance on it to make peace. It’s not peace at any cost, you understand.
When I begin to go out into this world and make peace, they say, “They shall be called the children of God.” God is the one that makes peace. He brings peace. In fact, 1 Corinthians 14:33 says He is the author of peace. He is the Prince of Peace. Let me just change gears for a second here. Jesus is the greatest peacemaker. The most important peace anyone ever has is their relationship with God. Because we’re all sinners, we all have sin—it doesn’t matter how old you are, what color you are, if your hair stands up straight or it lays down flat. We’re all sinners; we’ve all got some sin in our life. Because of our sin, there’s emptiness between us and God. God said, “I can’t look at that sin. We’re separated. There’s no peace between us and God.”
If God were to just say, “Let me take all your sin and sweep it under the rug,” then God would not be a just God. A judge’s job is not to make up the law; he is supposed to uphold the law. If you broke that law, there is a punishment. That’s what a just judge is supposed to do. So if God just swept your sin aside, He would not be a just God; He would no longer be God.
But God Almighty said, “Yes, you’re condemned; you’re a sinner; you’re guilty.” But God, in His love, said, “Let me take my robe of a judge off and let me come down to humanity.” God in flesh—Jesus. The greatest peacemaker there ever has been, Jesus came down and took your sin upon Him. He went to an old rugged cross. The Bible says the wages of sin is what? Death. So Jesus said, “I’ll die,” and He paid that debt. My Jesus, going to that old cross with all my sin, He became the greatest peacemaker there ever has been or ever will be. If someone comes to Jesus Christ and puts their faith in Him, that separation between them and God can be made peace. That’s why the Bible says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” You can have peace with God Almighty because of Jesus. That’s what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:13: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ: For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” He brings peace between you and God. He’s our daysman; He’s our mediator. He’s the greatest peacemaker there ever has been.
Here’s a neat thing about it. When I become a peacemaker—“Blessed are the peacemakers”—can I tell you real quickly the greatest way to be a peacemaker? Let me tell you how you can be a great, great peacemaker. Which one of you guys wants to be my volunteer? Would you help me out? Come on. Ezekiel, thank you. Let me tell you how Ezekiel can become the best peacemaker. If Ezekiel goes over to Brother Anthony, and let’s say Brother Anthony is not saved, he has no peace with God. The Bible says there is no peace to the wicked. Ezekiel comes over and says, “Hey, Brother Anthony, let me tell you about Jesus.” He introduces him to Jesus. Brother Anthony says, “Man, He took my sin. I can have peace with God.” Ezekiel had a part in him having the greatest peace of anybody in the world with God for all eternity.
Now, if Ezekiel goes over here where Mike and Robin are fighting with each other, and he says, “Mike, stop being mean to her,” and they stop fussing and fighting for 20 years, he brought some peace. But if he comes over here and leads just one person to the Lord, he gave them peace not just with each other, but with God for all eternity. So if you want to be a peacemaker, the best thing you do is start telling people about Jesus. That’s the greatest peace. That’s why the angels introduced Jesus to the shepherds and said, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” Jesus is the greatest peacemaker ever was. Thank you, sir. Let’s give Ezekiel a hand. Thank you, Zeke. We were out knocking on doors. A man told me my nine-year-old daughter told me how to go to heaven, how to get saved. He got saved because his nine-year-old daughter became a great, great peacemaker. Someone called me yesterday; his nephew, who he’d been praying for, wants to talk about getting saved this morning. Would you pray? That’s the greatest way to get involved in this making peace. “For they shall be called the children of God.”
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes, please?
You say, “Preacher, I like to be a peacemaker. I like to be a peacemaker. I like to be a peacemaker. I understand it’s more than keeping peace. I like to be a peacemaker.” God spoke to my heart about that right there. If that’s you this morning, just lift your hand. “Preacher, I’d like to be a peacemaker.” God bless you. God bless you. Praise the Lord for all the peacemakers all these years. Praise the Lord. Thank you. It’s wonderful. It takes God. Let’s listen and be sick to let God work through us. Thank you so very much. You can put your hands down.
Maybe you hear this morning and say, “Honestly, preacher, I want to get there, but I’ve got some hurts and some pains and some issues in my heart. I need to get a pure heart. God, would you do a work in my heart? I’d like to see you so I can go out in this world after I got a good glimpse of you and make some peace. God, I won’t go back, Lord. I just need a good glimpse of you. Would you purify my heart? Let me see you, Lord, so I’d be a peacemaker.” God spoke to my heart about that right there. If that’s you, you just lift your hand. “Preacher, that’s me. That’s me.” God bless you. God bless you. Me too, me too. Life has a way of hurts and wounds and nothing in their heart. “Lord, clean my heart up. Let me see you.” Then we go in this world and be a peacemaker. God bless you. Many hands. God bless you.
Two more questions. We’re done. “Preacher, I want to be involved in telling people about Jesus. I’m going to be involved in just doing my part to try to get people saved. I want to get involved in that and be a great peacemaker.” God spoke to my heart about that. If that’s you this morning, just lift your hand. “Preacher, that’s me. That’s me.” Oh, God bless you. Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s wonderful. It’s awesome—peacemakers making peace with God through Jesus Christ in people’s lives. The Lord using you to that end. God bless you. Wonderful, wonderful one. Thank you so much. You can put your hands down.
Maybe you hear this morning and say, “Preacher, I don’t know that I have peace with God. If I were to step out into eternity, I don’t know that I’d go to heaven. I don’t know that I have this peace with God through Jesus. I don’t have that. I’m not a child of God. I’m not saved. I don’t know that I’m born again. I’m on my way to heaven.” Is that you with our heads bowed and eyes closed? “Preacher, I don’t know that I’m going to heaven. I don’t know that I’m saved.” I don’t know that person. I don’t know that person. I don’t know that. I don’t know that. I don’t know that. I don’t know that. God bless you. Would you please stand? Would you please stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. Then we’re going to see Him. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face.” Boy, you see Him, then you go out and be peacemakers. Would you come down an old-fashioned altar? Lord, help us to be peacemakers. It takes God to do that. Oh, let’s just get connected with God there these next few minutes. Let’s get close to Him. Let’s pray. Would you come? Lord, thank you so much for the wisdom of Your word. Lord, help us to get connected to You right now during this time. Father, help us go out in this world and make peace, Lord, so people say we’re children of God, so we can in turn make peace in their life through Jesus. Father, use us to that end. Bless this invitation, Lord. Draw people to You in a special way, please. Help us to respond. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. Would you come? Would you come? Don’t wait for anybody else. “I’d like to be a peacemaker.” Maybe it’s with a relative. Maybe it’s with a mate, a spouse. Maybe it’s with a child. Maybe it’s a grandchild, a grandparent, a parent, a coworker, an employee, employer—peacemakers. All this old world needs peacemakers.
Original File: ＂Blessed are the Peacemakers＂ Pastor Paul Chisgar 3⧸8⧸20 [-Li0R8J8KRY]