The Apple Don't Fall Far
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Jesus is looking for his church that is unhindered. The Bible calls her a bride without spot or wrinkle.
And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Like Lazarus being called forth from the grave - the dead being called to the living - the church is made of people who were all sinners who are called to be the children of God.
Like the grave clothes that bound Lazarus up, the members of the body of Christ are still dealing with the things of their former lives that have them bound up. But Jesus is calling them and equipping them to be free
I want to be one of those free. I want to be part of a church family that is free
Free to worship Christ
Free to live the way that Christ enabled me to live
Free to live because we are living in the truth.
Free to live, because we are following the Way
Leading others to their freedom of life by being the salt and the light in the places where we do life.
Living Free because we are following the pattern for righteous and whole living that Christ gave us in the Beatitudes which he taught on the Sermon of the Mount
- The progression of the spiritual life.
First we recognize our spiritual impoverishment - Once we admit that we don’t deserve his goodness and are lost without it - we get it
Secondly, we become sorrowful over our spiritual status outside of God - As we repent for our fallen state, we discover joy and forgiveness
This brings about a meek spirit - a spirit that is willing to become everything that God wants it to be, because they are glad to just be wanted
These three things develop a strong hunger in our hearts - We want more
As we receive more, we want to give more so we tend to be people who show the mercy that we’ve been dealt with to all those around us
And this creates within us a pure heart.
Not a perfect heart that thinks or does no wrong. But a heart that even in the midst of the wrong around us, seeks to glorify God
A heart that is daily going through the process of sanctification
A heart that is being changed by God’s Holy Spirit - a regenerated heart
The test of the pure heart:
Are my affections set on things above?
Are my motives pure?
Why do I assemble with the Lord’s people
And for the first time, we begin to see God for who He really is - In all of His glory
And all of his glory in our lives.
And this brings about a peace in our lives - a peace that the Bible says, surpasses all situations.
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Who are the Peacemakers? What do they do, that makes them known.
I didn’t say this last week, though it would have really aided as we spoke about the pure in heart. But you get a greater picture of what these terms mean - Pure in heart and peacemakers as you look at the crowd that Jesus was speaking to.
These were Jewish people living in the promised land. They knew the history of how their ancestors came in and took the land. Their God had given them the land
They came in like a force - they fought and won battle after battle, victory over victory to move into houses that they had not built and harvest land that they had not tended.
They saw the gentiles or the ungodly and un-jewish nations as dogs - people to be defeated, people to be warred with.
They hated them - woman - even the dogs get the scraps
They totally expected that when the messiah came, he would lead them into the final battles to secure their land and their freedoms and their lifestyles
And this man who is standing before them, Jesus, is trying to get them to see the bigger picture of heaven.
You see in our last beatitude, the pure in heart get to see God. They recognize his heart for mankind, they see his plan for all human beings.
Even in his birth announcement to the shepherds, the angels tell them that this child in the manger is special - their words - “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
It’s the same heart that we see in Jewish man named Heinz
The Applause of Heaven Chapter 14: Seeds of Peace
The story of Heinz is a good example. Europe, 1934. Hitler’s plague of anti-Semitism was infecting a continent. Some would escape it. Some would die from it. But eleven-year-old Heinz would learn from it. He would learn the power of sowing seeds of peace.
Heinz was a Jew.
The Bavarian village of Furth, where Heinz lived, was being overrun by Hitler’s young thugs. Heinz’s father, a schoolteacher, lost his job. Recreational activities ceased. Tension mounted on the streets.
The Jewish families clutched the traditions that held them together—the observance of the Sabbath, of Rosh Hashanah, of Yom Kippur. Old ways took on new significance. As the clouds of persecution swelled and blackened, these ancient precepts were a precious cleft in a mighty rock.
And as the streets became a battleground, such security meant survival.
Hitler youth roamed the neighborhoods looking for trouble. Young Heinz learned to keep his eyes open. When he saw a band of troublemakers, he would step to the other side of the street. Sometimes he would escape a fight—sometimes not.
One day, in 1934, a pivotal confrontation occurred. Heinz found himself face-to-face with a Hitler bully. A beating appeared inevitable. This time, however, he walked away unhurt—not because of what he did, but because of what he said. He didn’t fight back; he spoke up. He convinced the troublemakers that a fight was not necessary. His words kept battle at bay.
And Heinz saw firsthand how the tongue can create peace.
He learned the skill of using words to avoid conflict. And for a young Jew in Hitler-ridden Europe, that skill had many opportunities to be honed.
Fortunately, Heinz’s family escaped from Bavaria and made their way to America. Later in life, he would downplay the impact those adolescent experiences had on his development.
But one has to wonder. For after Heinz grew up, his name became synonymous with peace negotiations. His legacy became that of a bridge builder. Somewhere he had learned the power of the properly placed word of peace. And one has to wonder if his training didn’t come on the streets of Bavaria.
You don’t know him as Heinz. You know him by his Anglicized name, Henry. Henry Kissinger.
Now I hate to keep beating this drum, but I want you to see the connection of all of these beatitudes here.
The first four show the negatives of the human heart - we are not self-sufficient, we are not self -satisfied, we are not self-important or self-righteous
But when we turn those things over to God - we become merciful toward others
we look at our lives according to the glory and power of God
and here we become the instruments of peace in others lives.
This is what Jesus was trying to get across to this crowd of listeners
There was a different task given to God’s people in the Old and the New Coventants.
In the Old - The Law is given - the prescribed way of life - and Israel is commanded to take the sword and conquer the land - destroying the enemies of God.
In the New - The veil is torn, the Law is fulfilled - we have a savior and now God’s people = Christ’s church are to go into all nations, sharing the good news or gospel of reconciliation through the cross of man to God
This is the fulfilling of the Great commission. This is all the beatitudes coming to fruition.
They all lead to this - This being a peacemaker is the wholeness of the Christian character.
In the Old - the people are the hand of God - the penalty of sinful living exacted
In the New - we are ambassadors for the nation of heaven - Encouraging all to make the move to this heavenly city and enjoy it’s benefits now.
Arthur Walkington Pink makes this statement in his book called The Beatitudes - We must certainly conclude that it is an unspeakable privilege to be sent forth as ambassadors of peace. Furthermore, those who fancy themselves to be Christians, yet have no interest in the salvation of fellow sinners, are self-deceived. They possess a defective Christianity, and have no right to expect to share in the blessed inheritance of the children of God
Pink, A. W. (2005). The Beatitudes and the Lord’s prayer (p. 52). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
So Let me make it clear here that the peacemakers aren’t just those in work who try to work things out between people in disagreement.
They aren’t just the peace lovers or the peace keepers - that’s not what Jesus said.
The peacemakers are those who are reconciling the sinner back to Christ - soul winners.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
My brothers and sisters we are are in warfare. Christ reminded of this in
These things I command you, that you love one another.
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
The peacemaker is the one, accepting what Christ said would be toward him and entering the battle anyway so that not all would be lost.
The Driving Force of the Peacemaker
The Driving Force of the Peacemaker
What is it that causes one to do this? So many of us, in the busyness of our time, find it easier to turn a blind eye toward the brokenness of sin
It takes too much time, too much money and too much energy
But the peacemaker runs to it.
Because they know that there is no peace for the unbeliever.
They know that they are hurting - Situation with Kim B yesterday. We’ve both experienced some horrible things - but I know what brought me through.
and it pains me for her.
And so we will do everything possible to get them acquainted with God.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
We know that their peace will come, as they get to know Jesus.
And so we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit - We trust God to love through us
We trust God to speak through us
We trust God to touch through us
Which means we give God the time and space to prepare our hearts for all of this.
Let me tell you peacemakers spend a lot of time with God.
and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
We spend time with God in preparation and we trust God to send us out.
For They Shall be Called the Children of God
For They Shall be Called the Children of God
Last week - for they shall see God
I am more like my father than I ever thought I would be
Why is that? Because for 52 years, I watched him, I worked with him, I did life with him
Now I have served Christ for some 46 years - How many know I should be like him
I’ve watched him, I’ve worked with him and I do life with him
Brother and sister do you do life with Jesus? Than you should be like him
My wife will say to me, you are your father’s child
Here we see as we lead people to christ we get designated as the child of God.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
He is the God of peace. His children should be people of peace.
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
He is a gatherer of people. He is one who reclaims that which was lost. His children should be doing the same.
We will be called fanatics and laughed at.
We will be persecuted for his name’s sake
Our relatives may not get it
the higher thinkers, look at us as fools
But the great God of heaven calls me his child - His son. That’s enough for me
Pray