Session 9
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WELCOME-PEACEMAKER
Do you consider yourself a peacemaker? Briefly share how you exemplify it.
WORD
Matthew 5:9 New International Version (NIV) says
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
We all want peace. Every nation on earth aims for peace. In fact, the United Nations was established with the goal of world peace. But ever since it was formed, there was never a year without a war. Peace is definitely elusive. We need not look too far. Right at home, families are breaking apart, children are suing parents or each other & divorce is rampant. Suicide & depression are on the rise because people have no peace inside. The truth is peace should begin with every person. If we do not have peace, how can we be at peace with others? The wicked have no peace, because they do not have God.
Isaiah 57:20 New International Version (NIV) says
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
which cannot rest,
whose waves cast up mire and mud.
We cannot have peace apart from the Prince of Peace.
Romans 16:20 New International Version (NIV) says
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Isaiah 9:6 New International Version (NIV) says
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
John 14:7 New International Version (NIV) says
7 If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
The truth is, we were all at war with God until we surrender our life to God & be justified by faith. Only then will we have peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1 New International Version (NIV) says
Peace and Hope
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
To have the peace of God, we first need to have peace with Him.But peace will not come to you without surrendering yourself to Him. The Bible uses two words for peace-the Hebrew word 'shalom' & the Greek word 'eirene'. Both words express the idea of peace that comes from God. Not just the absence of war, God's peace is experiencing God's very best being in a state of security & freedom from anxiety.
HAPPY ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
The seventh Beatitude tells us that happy are the peacemakers, not the troublemakers. Troublemakers gossip, they cause division, add fuel to the fire, instigate disagreements & want people to take sides.
Proverbs 26:20-21 New International Version (NIV) says
20 Without wood a fire goes out;
without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
The Bible speaks against them. In fact. if we cause dissension we are as guilty as the sexually immoral & the likes; troublemaking is a serious sin
Galatians 5:19-21 New International Version (NIV) says
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
so, we cannot be neutral about it.
Proverbs 20:19 New International Version (NIV) says
19 A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid anyone who talks too much.
Romans 16:17 New International Version (NIV) says
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
Being a peacemaker, however, forms part of the marks of a true follower of Jesus Christ. As peacemakers, we should not cause division. Instead, we should love one another, which is an evidence that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.
John 13:35 New International Version (NIV) says
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
By our unity, the world will know Jesus Christ.
John 17:23 New International Version (NIV) says
23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
But what are the characteristics of peacemakers? A peacemaker takes initiatives
Matthew 5:23-24 New International Version (NIV) says
23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
In the days of Jesus Christ, it will take days to go to the temple in Jerusalem if you are from Galilee or Nazareth. But if at the altar, you remember that a family member has something against you, Jesus Christ says you should go back to be reconciled first before giving your offering in the temple. If we are the ones hurt our act of peacemaking is to talk to the person in private,
Matthew 18:15-17 New International Version (NIV) says
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15 "If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
not in public, not in Facebook or with other people who are not part of the problem nor part of the solution. If the other person refuses to listen, we elevate it to another level to resolve the issue. Some people may refuse to be at peace with us but if possible, let us be at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18-19 New International Version (NIV) says
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[a] says the Lord.
Peacemakers are not passive or indifferent, but they take the word of God seriously to fix the problem. A peacemaker speaks the truth in love
Ephesians 4:15 New International Version (NIV) says
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Love must be balanced with truth. It is not easy to tell someone he is wrong, but if we really love him, we will tell him.
Proverbs 27:5-6 New International Version (NIV) says
5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Speaking the truth is painful because people do not want to be corrected. But we should not run away from the problem & instead seek to speak the truth in love. A peacemaker asks for forgiveness & forgives others
Colossians 3:13 New International Version (NIV) says
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Without forgiveness, it is hard to restore relationships. People who cannot forgive have a problem. They probably do not know Jesus Christ yet because until one has experienced the forgiveness & grace of God, it will be hard to forgive others & to ask for forgiveness. A peacemaker reconciles people to God & one another
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 New International Version (NIV) says
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
God loves us. He has forgiven us through Jesus Christ & reconciled us to Himself. Once we are reconciled with Him, He gives us the ministry of reconciliation. Once we experience reconciliation with God, we also want others to be reconciled with Him & to one another as we become ambassadors of Jesus Christ. They will be called SONS OF GOD; As a peacemakers we are not only ambassadors, we are called sons of God. The Bible uses the word 'son' as an adjective, for example, Barnabas is the son of encouragement,
Acts 4:36 New International Version (NIV) says
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"),
James & John are sons of thunder.
Mark 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV) says
16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder"),
To be called the 'sons of God' comes with the highest honor of representing what God is like-a peacemaking God. As peacemakers, we have the highest title representing God & His family. When people look at us, do they see God in us? To be true followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be peacemakers.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:(PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANYMORE YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE BECAUSE WE ARE NOW AT THE PRESENT)
1. What is the promise & blessing to peacemakers according to Matthew 5:9?
Mia's answer: The promise & blessing to peacemakers according to Matthew 5:9 is they will call children of God
Kathy's answer: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
2. How should you respond to people who refuse your initiative to make peace with them?
Mia's answer: I should respond to people who refuse my initiative to make peace with them by praying to God
Kathy's answer: Same with me. I would just lift my cares upon God Almighty. Amen.
3. Identify the people you need to make peace with. Which characteristics of a peacemaker will you put into action starting this week?
Mia's answer:The people I need to make peace with is the relative my ex-husband; the characteristic of a peacemaker I will put into action starting this week is speaking in truth in love
Kathy's answer: The person I need to make peace with is my father. And we are living in the same roof. We should care each other. I am the one who would take care of him because he is already old. Amen.
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