The Pursuit of Happiness #8

#8/9 The Pursuit of Happiness Stockwell Road MBC
November 15, 2009 MW
A WARRIOR FOR PEACE
Matthew 5:9
INTRODUCTION:
A. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan introduced the mobile M-X Missile. This missile because of its mobility and more modern guidance system would be a great deterrent to war and foreign aggression. He dubbed this military marvel, “The Peacekeeper”. If a person is going to set about keeping the peace, it is evident that he or she is going to need weapons. Sometimes the more, the better. It appears that “peacekeeping” is at best, a stopgap measure that is fraught with danger. History has shown that most peacekeeping efforts have had only mixed results and by and large have failed. In the over 3100 years of recorded world history, the world has only been at peace 8% of the time or a total of 286 years and 8000 treaties have been made and broken. It appears “peacekeeping” does not work.

B. This is why the Lord chose the word “peacemaker”. There is a big difference in being a peacekeeper and a peace maker. A peacekeeper is a person who enforces, by whatever means, by force of personality or by superior weapons, a truce. A peacemaker is one who actually discovers the origin of the conflict, and finds a way to resolve it, and helps the parties to restore a proper, loving relationship. This applies to individuals or nations. He or she actually “makes” or “constructs” peace.

C. The Bible is a book of peace. It begins and ends with peace yet in the middle of its pages is the war that has waged between man’s rebellion and God’s offer of peace. God wants to be the peacemaker in your life. God desires NOT to take away all of your heartaches and troubles, that isn’t peace anyway. Peace is not the absence of affliction but it is the presence of God. Is Jesus in your life? Is His presence felt in your heart even now? If not God wants you to have peace with Him and peace from Him so you can experience the peace of God in EVERY situation of life. When you are at peace you can be the “Warrior for Peace” the God wants you to be. Peter told us in I Peter 3:11, “Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.”

D. This morning, notice 3 basics concerning peacemaking.
BODY:
I. THE PERSONS OF PEACEMAKING
Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:14, Matthew 10:34-37
Note: Jesus introduced through the old testament scriptures as the Prince of Peace and the angels proclaimed that peace and good will had come to the Earth when He was born. However, listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 10…He doesn’t sound much like a peacemaker does He?
A. The Priority of Jesus Christ—Truth
B. The Principle of Jesus Christ—Terms
C. The Power of Jesus Christ
1. brings peace to our doubts
2. brings peace to our despair
3. brings peace to our disgust of others

II. THE PLAN OF PEACEMAKING
Note: Before you set out to build something you need a set of plans. In order to be a peacemaker like Jesus, we need to follow His plan!
A. For Peacemaking with Inward Struggles
--we are all familiar with what to do if we ever are caught on fire…STOP DROP and ROLL. Notice how this works for our inner struggles!
1. Stop—whatever you are doing
2. Drop—to your knees in prayer
3. Roll—with God’s Will
Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

B. For Peacemaking with Outward Struggles
1. Be a mediator---don’t pick sides! You are on the Lord’s Side!
2. Point Others to Jesus—know the Bible!

III. THE PURPOSE OF PEACEMAKING
A. For Harmony

B. For Identity—they shall be called!

CONCLUSION:
Do you need peace with God this morning? God wants to be the peacemaker of your heart this morning. God also wants you and I to be peacemakers, in fact He wants us to be a warrior for peace.

Consider this morning the story of Telemachus the Monk. 4th century monk…went to Rome…saw gladiator contest…jumped the rail…3x “In the name of Christ forbear…ended all of the gladiator contest by his action.