Being a peacemaker is always costly
Thanks for joining me here at Backyard Conversations. This is the blog format of 100 Fold Ministries. You can also find some challenging thoughts on our podcast environment, Kingdom Offerings.These, along with our Kingdom Parable page “The Kingdom of God is like . . .” are also on our homepage at 100foldministries.org.
This blog will wrap up our two week Backyard Conversation on Biblical peace. In moving forward let’s make sure we have a proper understanding of the word “peace” as the Jews practiced the term in the first century.
The Hebrew word for peace is a very sophisticated word with a depth of meaning that is lost when we simply translate it peace. Shalom can be used like the Hawaiian word ‘aloha’ as both hello and goodbye. Paul uses the term Shalom both in his greeting in Romans 1 and as his goodbye in chapter 16. Shalom also refers to a peaceful and calm and tranquil state of mind. I can be at Shalom or in Shalom. I am experiencing spiritual Shalom when I am at peace with myself and with you and with God. I can also use it to capture a sense of evenness or completeness. A kind of integrity when it applies to say “the integrity of a piece of metal.”
When I have paid off my debts to you, we will be at Shalom.When things are made complete or full or whole. This idea of being made whole is going to be an important part of our conversation, so let’s not lose sight of it as we move forward now. It is complex, but I think you get the idea.
I want to unpack the idea of our being peacemakers. If you have been walking with Jesus for a season, or even if you simply appreciate good literature, I’m guessing that you have heard of the “Beatitudes” – a collection of blessings found in Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 6).
Last week we discussed the idea of finding peace in troubling times. We spoke of remembering our new status “in Christ” (remember our bucket?). Our lives are held together by Him and when we cannot hold it all, he holds it for us.
Now before we go too far, I want to establish a premise that will be important for us for this morning. I want to say that most often and for good reason, our biological children physically resemble us. It is not uncommon for someone to look at our newborn child and say,“She has her mother’s eyes, aren’t they pretty!” or “He has his father’s nose . . . isn’t it big.” So, the image of the parent is given at birth to the new child. Now to develop this point, in a spiritual sense, we as God’s children resemble him. Spiritual children resemble their spiritual Father. At least they should.
Spiritual children should resemble their Father.
Shalom is quite a miracle. We were once at war with God. We did not have peace. Then Christ came to our aid, and He changed our status. He took upon himself the burden of sin and the penalty of sin, and we have not only now been set free, but we have the privilege of believing in Him and becoming His child, joining His family. If we want to see how to become a son or daughter of God, we can look at the Scriptures to see what that looks like.
It is a bit tricky here. Let me just say that peace making is not swallowing your tongue. It is not stifling your opinion. It is not being quiet for the sake of making the argument go away temporarily. That is simply the “absence of war,” and we have said shalom is such a bigger idea. So much evil has happened when Christian truth is obscured for the purpose of so called keeping the peace. But we are careful to bring truth and peace in the same manner that Christ brought truth and peace. It is an act of our will just as it was an act of His will to leave the throne in Heaven, to give up His place, to take the blame. Rather than getting the credit He deserved, He is not only uncelebrated, but also despised! Remember this passage?
Peacemaking is not passive.
This verse reminds us of that reality:
The only way to not become swayed by the world into being complacent about conflict is to have it in your mind to act on the command to bring Shalom into your world. Our best hope of doing that is to so abide in Christ that I experience his Shalom without limits and then bring that naturally into the rooms that we enter. To the people that we love.
Peace making is active and it is also personal.
Only I can bring the Shalom of God to my world. I must make the first move . . . and the second . . . and the third . . . and the seventy times seventh. I act first because Christ acted first. I love when others don’t because Christ loved me when others didn’t. I don’t care who gets the credit and I don’t even care if I get the blame. Because Christ doesn’t yet get His due credit and we blame Him for the evils we bring upon ourselves. What about justice, you ask? How can this be fair? It is just because our Father in Heaven sees our circumstances. He sees that we are bringing His peace. Jesus put it this way –“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). So, in due time we will see His justice and we will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary! O ye of little faith, do you not know him better than that by now?
Paul put it this way:
Peacemaking is not passive, it is definitely personal and it is always costly. It cost our dear Savior eternal blood to cover the weight of eternal sin. The worship song says, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon the cross.” Peace making is always costly. It may cost time, money and status. It most likely means that you stop keeping score. It most certainly means that you consider others more important than yourselves.
Making Shalom will mean swallowing your pride. But as sons and daughters of the Most High we live to be like Him. We remember that He took our shame ‘joyfully.’ “For the Joy set before Him” – the joy of bringing peace – he suffered the loss of heaven and his Kingly status. Despising the shame, He faced the cross. The justice and honor came later, after shalom had been won. Don’t be surprised if peacemaking costs you status or money or time. It’s ok, it was never your time or your money or your status. Everything we have has been given to us.
Keeping score is a satanic habit. It means carrying a grudge and it is evidence of unforgiveness. We bring peace when we, like our Savior, have cast sin away as far as the east is from the west. Keeping score creates good soil for a root of bitterness to take root. Do you keep track of so-called injustices you’ve endured? Release them, in fact – joyfully release them!
What a difficult idea it is to consider others more important than yourself. You know what is really hard about it is that this act of self-discipline is not merely a mind game. There is no room for false humility. You are not to act as though they are more important (knowing in your heart they are not). No, we are to actually believe that these our brothers and sisters are in fact, more important. You see, Peacemaking is definitely bearing one another’s burdens.
Bearing one another’s burdens is tough work. It is best done in community. But if no one will join you, go it alone. Your Savior did!
This blog will wrap up our two week Backyard Conversation on Biblical peace. In moving forward let’s make sure we have a proper understanding of the word “peace” as the Jews practiced the term in the first century.
The Hebrew word for peace is a very sophisticated word with a depth of meaning that is lost when we simply translate it peace. Shalom can be used like the Hawaiian word ‘aloha’ as both hello and goodbye. Paul uses the term Shalom both in his greeting in Romans 1 and as his goodbye in chapter 16. Shalom also refers to a peaceful and calm and tranquil state of mind. I can be at Shalom or in Shalom. I am experiencing spiritual Shalom when I am at peace with myself and with you and with God. I can also use it to capture a sense of evenness or completeness. A kind of integrity when it applies to say “the integrity of a piece of metal.”
When I have paid off my debts to you, we will be at Shalom.When things are made complete or full or whole. This idea of being made whole is going to be an important part of our conversation, so let’s not lose sight of it as we move forward now. It is complex, but I think you get the idea.
I want to unpack the idea of our being peacemakers. If you have been walking with Jesus for a season, or even if you simply appreciate good literature, I’m guessing that you have heard of the “Beatitudes” – a collection of blessings found in Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 6).
Last week we discussed the idea of finding peace in troubling times. We spoke of remembering our new status “in Christ” (remember our bucket?). Our lives are held together by Him and when we cannot hold it all, he holds it for us.
Now before we go too far, I want to establish a premise that will be important for us for this morning. I want to say that most often and for good reason, our biological children physically resemble us. It is not uncommon for someone to look at our newborn child and say,“She has her mother’s eyes, aren’t they pretty!” or “He has his father’s nose . . . isn’t it big.” So, the image of the parent is given at birth to the new child. Now to develop this point, in a spiritual sense, we as God’s children resemble him. Spiritual children resemble their spiritual Father. At least they should.
Spiritual children should resemble their Father.
Shalom is quite a miracle. We were once at war with God. We did not have peace. Then Christ came to our aid, and He changed our status. He took upon himself the burden of sin and the penalty of sin, and we have not only now been set free, but we have the privilege of believing in Him and becoming His child, joining His family. If we want to see how to become a son or daughter of God, we can look at the Scriptures to see what that looks like.
- John 1:12
To all who received him [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
- Galatians 3:26
For in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God, through faith.
- Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
It is a bit tricky here. Let me just say that peace making is not swallowing your tongue. It is not stifling your opinion. It is not being quiet for the sake of making the argument go away temporarily. That is simply the “absence of war,” and we have said shalom is such a bigger idea. So much evil has happened when Christian truth is obscured for the purpose of so called keeping the peace. But we are careful to bring truth and peace in the same manner that Christ brought truth and peace. It is an act of our will just as it was an act of His will to leave the throne in Heaven, to give up His place, to take the blame. Rather than getting the credit He deserved, He is not only uncelebrated, but also despised! Remember this passage?
- Philippians 2:6-8
Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. It was His choice in order to bring us peace. It was Christ’s choice to obey the Father. Peacemaking is active. It is demanded of us by Christ as we are His sons and daughters.
Peacemaking is not passive.
This verse reminds us of that reality:
-
Hebrews 12:14-15
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble . . .
The only way to not become swayed by the world into being complacent about conflict is to have it in your mind to act on the command to bring Shalom into your world. Our best hope of doing that is to so abide in Christ that I experience his Shalom without limits and then bring that naturally into the rooms that we enter. To the people that we love.
Peace making is active and it is also personal.
Only I can bring the Shalom of God to my world. I must make the first move . . . and the second . . . and the third . . . and the seventy times seventh. I act first because Christ acted first. I love when others don’t because Christ loved me when others didn’t. I don’t care who gets the credit and I don’t even care if I get the blame. Because Christ doesn’t yet get His due credit and we blame Him for the evils we bring upon ourselves. What about justice, you ask? How can this be fair? It is just because our Father in Heaven sees our circumstances. He sees that we are bringing His peace. Jesus put it this way –“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). So, in due time we will see His justice and we will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary! O ye of little faith, do you not know him better than that by now?
Paul put it this way:
- Romans 12:16-18
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Peacemaking is not passive, it is definitely personal and it is always costly. It cost our dear Savior eternal blood to cover the weight of eternal sin. The worship song says, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon the cross.” Peace making is always costly. It may cost time, money and status. It most likely means that you stop keeping score. It most certainly means that you consider others more important than yourselves.
Making Shalom will mean swallowing your pride. But as sons and daughters of the Most High we live to be like Him. We remember that He took our shame ‘joyfully.’ “For the Joy set before Him” – the joy of bringing peace – he suffered the loss of heaven and his Kingly status. Despising the shame, He faced the cross. The justice and honor came later, after shalom had been won. Don’t be surprised if peacemaking costs you status or money or time. It’s ok, it was never your time or your money or your status. Everything we have has been given to us.
Keeping score is a satanic habit. It means carrying a grudge and it is evidence of unforgiveness. We bring peace when we, like our Savior, have cast sin away as far as the east is from the west. Keeping score creates good soil for a root of bitterness to take root. Do you keep track of so-called injustices you’ve endured? Release them, in fact – joyfully release them!
- Philippians 2:2-4
Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
What a difficult idea it is to consider others more important than yourself. You know what is really hard about it is that this act of self-discipline is not merely a mind game. There is no room for false humility. You are not to act as though they are more important (knowing in your heart they are not). No, we are to actually believe that these our brothers and sisters are in fact, more important. You see, Peacemaking is definitely bearing one another’s burdens.
- Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
- Mark 2:1-12
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So, he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Bearing one another’s burdens is tough work. It is best done in community. But if no one will join you, go it alone. Your Savior did!