Peacemaker, Like Father Like Son

Peacemakers - Like Father, Like Son

OKAY MGCC – let’s do this.

AND – I want to begin our conversation this morning, the way I almost always do…

By reading some alive and active, God breathed words, and by praying us into His presence…

In Luke 9… (some of us read this in our FCFH this week)

One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone.

NOW – some in here really need to do that…

AND – all of us need to do that more.

Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!” Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was.

Because it was not yet His time…

AND NOW – once they know for sure who He really is, Jesus for the very time tells them what He came to do.

WHICH – no doubt blew their minds.

“The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower,

QUESTION…

• Does anyone here want to be His follower (I hope that is why you are in this room today – with an hour less sleep)?

• And remember the guy that we are following is the same guy who in Luke 9 who set His face to go to Jerusalem, fully aware of exactly what was waiting for Him there… death?

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

OKAY – I think Jesus is being pretty clear here…

I MEAN – He is leaving no room for doubt, interpretation or for wiggle…

UNDERSTAND – we want to follow Jesus

WE MUST… (underline that)

• Give up our own way (Circle that)

• Take up our cross… (Circle that) Okay so what does that mean… It means every day we must die to our wants, our desires, to ourselves… Yes, everyday we must die to ourselves – at home, at work, in our relationships, in this world and in His church

• Follow Him… (Circle follow me) And listen following Him implies that we are headed to the very same place.

B/S – really think about those 3 things and what they mean lived out in your life…

Not easy right?

BECAUSE – there are things we want to do, ways we want to be and hang on to…

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? - Luke 9:18-25

NOW THIS MORNING – we are going to unpack the 7th beatitude in a conversation that I am calling… “Peacemakers – Like Father, Like Son.’

(Now to be honest… I wanted to skip this Beatitude, because I was not sure I wanted to hear what God has to say)

Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God. – Matthew 5:9

PRAYER

Blessed are the peacemakers… - Matthew 5:9

NOW – the word peacemaker is made up of 2 Greeks words

The word PEACE – which means…

• Exemption from rage a havoc of war

• Harmony between individuals

• Security, safety, peace of mind, serenity, fulfillment

• And freedom from trouble, and from anything which hinders contentment.

TO MAKE…

• To cause

• To produce

• To render

• To be the author of

• To execute and bring forth

UNDERSTAND – it’s a word that is bursting with energy.

IT - mandates action and initiative.

IT – describes someone willing to drag two combatants to the table and give them a reason to put down their arms.

NOW NOTICE - Jesus did not say “Blessed are the peacewishers or the peacehopers or the peacedreamers or the peacelovers or the peacetalkers or the peacekeepers.”

He said blessed are the peacemakers

BECAUSE

Peace must be made.

Peace never happens by chance.

Peace must be fought for.

BOTTOM LINE - a peacemaker is never passive.

INSTEAD - they always active, taking the initiative, entering the fray. They are up and they are doing. They are actively pusuing peace…