Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Pledging to be a peacemaker and seeking to put peace into practice instead of just letting it remain a principle may be a pretty tall order but how different would our world be if we would all pledge to be peacemakers? In his book “The Peacemaker” Ken Sande provides the following pledge that I have found particularly helpful in my life.

As people reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we believe that we are called to respond to conflict in a way that is remarkably different from the way the world deals with conflict (Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:27-36; Galatians 5:19-26). We also believe that conflict provides opportunities to glorify God, serve other people, and grow to be like Christ (Romans 8:28-29; 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1; James 1:2-4). Therefore, in response to God’s love and in reliance on his grace, we commit ourselves to respond to conflict according to the following principles:

• Glorify God

Instead of focusing on our own desires or dwelling on what others may do, we will rejoice in the Lord and bring him praise by depending on his forgiveness, wisdom, power, and love, as we seek to faithfully obey his commands and maintain a loving, merciful, and forgiving attitude (Psalm 37:1-6; Mark 11:25; John 14:15; Romans 12:17-21; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 4:2-9; Colossians 3:1-4; James 3:17-18, 4:1-3; 1 Peter 2:12).

• Get the Log out of Your Own Eye

Instead of blaming others for a conflict or resisting correction, we will trust in God’s mercy and take responsibility for our own contribution to conflicts—confessing our sins to those we have wronged, asking God to help us change any attitudes and habits that lead to conflict, and seeking to repair any harm we have caused (Proverbs 28:13; Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 19:8; Colossians 3:5-14; 1 John 1:8-9).

• Gently Restore

Instead of pretending that conflict doesn’t exist or talking about others behind their backs, we will overlook minor offenses or we will talk personally and graciously with those whose offenses seem too serious to overlook, seeking to restore them rather than condemn them. When a conflict with a Christian brother or sister cannot be resolved in private, we will ask others in the body of Christ to help us settle the matter in a biblical manner (Proverbs 19:11; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:29; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; James 5:9).

• Go and be reconciled

Instead of accepting premature compromise or allowing relationships to wither, we will actively pursue genuine peace and reconciliation—forgiving others as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us, and seeking just and mutually beneficial solutions to our differences (Matthew 5:23-24, 6:12, 7:12; Ephesians 4:1-3, 32; Philippians 2:3-4). By God’s grace, we will apply these principles as a matter of stewardship, realizing that conflict is an assignment, not an accident. We will remember that success in God’s eyes is not a matter of specific results, but of faithful, dependent obedience. And we will pray that our service as peacemakers will bring praise to our Lord and lead others to know His infinite love (Matthew 25:14-21; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:18; 1 Peter 2:19, 4:19).

I want to challenge you as we start this New Year to make peace a part of your resolution. Take some time to read through and study the scripture passages that are referenced, pray through the pledge, and then I want to invite you to join me in pledging to be a peacemaker and pursuing God’s plan of peace. Sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the war and the hate we see in the world around us and feel like what we are doing to pursue peace is pointless. We question whether one person can even make a difference. Well Church historian Theodoret tells us about Telemachus a man who pursue peace and tried to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheater. Telemachus was a monk who lived in the 4th century and upon arriving in Rome found the streets thronged with excited people. When he asked why everyone was so excited he was told that this was the day that the gladiators would be fighting and killing each other in the coliseum. He thought to himself, “Four centuries after Christ and they are still killing each other, for enjoyment?” So he ran to the coliseum and heard the gladiators shouting, “Hail to Caesar, we die for Caesar” and he thought, “this is wrong.” So he jumped over the railing and went out into the middle of the field, got between two gladiators, held up his hands and said, “In the name of Christ, forbear.” The crowd protested and began to shout, “Run him through. Run him through.” A gladiator came over and hit him in the stomach with the back of his sword. It sent him sprawling in the sand. He got up and ran back and again said, “In the name of Christ, forbear.” The crowd continued to chant, “Run him through.” One gladiator came over and plunged his sword through the little monk’s stomach and he fell into the sand, which began to turn crimson with his blood. One last time he gasped out, “In the name of Christ forbear.” A hush came over the 80,000 seat coliseum. Soon a man stood and left, then another and then more, and then the whole arena emptied out. It was the last known gladiatorial contest in the history of Rome for the Emperor Honorius was so impressed by the monk’s martyrdom that he issue a historic ban on gladiatorial fights. There is a cost to chasing peace but one person pursuing peace can make a difference. Jesus died on a cruel rugged cross to make peace for us. His blood was shed so that we might know the meaning of eternal peace. In order to be identified as a child of God, we should be willing to do no less. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power and Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Interestingly as Paul lists out the armor we are to wear in verse 15 it says, “for shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Putting on peace is not what one would normally think of when it comes to preparing for battle, it’s the opposite of what the world wants to do. But if we want to pursue peace then we have to put God’s plan into action. Are you participating in God’s peace plan? What shoes are you wearing, are your feet shod with the gospel of peace? The footprints we leave behind as believers should be impressions of peace. What footprints are you leaving on this world, ones of war or peace?

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Peace is not just a bunch of principles we put on a shelf it’s something we have to be put into practice. Our world talks a lot about the importance of peacemaking, but until we pursue it and put peace into practice, it’s just words. So what action steps should we take?

• Make sure you’re at peace with God.

You’re never going to make peace with others until you make peace with God, and the only way you’re going to make peace with God is to surrender to Him. Colossians 1:20-22 tells us that: “through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” Have you surrendered to the Savior? If you have never placed your faith in Christ then you are an enemy living in enmity, at war with God. There is a story told about Admiral Nelson, arguably England’s greatest naval officer who was noted not only for his inspirational leadership but also his superb grasp of strategy. After one of Nelson’s decisive victories against the French, the French Admiral came before him to surrender. As the French admiral came aboard the British gun boat, dressed in his full regalia, medals pinned to his shoulder, and his sword hanging by his side he reached out his hand to Nelson. Even though he was surrendering he wished to be friends with his famous foe and so as he reached out his hand to Lord Nelson he asked, “will you not shake hands?” Lord Nelson just stepped back and said, “Your sword first” and after it had been surrendered he said and “and now your hand, business must come first.” You can’t just come up and shake hands without first laying down your sword. Have you participated in the peace conference with the Prince of Peace? Have you surrendered your sword? There is no way to have the peace of God until you know the God of peace. Many never surrendered their sword to the Savior because they don’t want to bow and let Him be the boss. There are many who want be saved they just don’t want to surrender and let Him be Lord of their lives. They want to be right with God and still retain the reigns of control, in reality they want to be God, which is the fundamental issue that causes us to war with God. It’s what is at the root of our rebellion; we want to be our own God. But we will never have peace until we surrender to the Prince of Peace. Haddon Robinson once said, “No peace will exist between nations until peace reigns in each country. And no country will have peace unless peace resides in each community. And no community will have peace unless peace dwells within its people. And no people will have peace unless they surrender to the Prince of Peace.”

• Lead others to be at peace with God.

Ephesians 6:15 calls us as believers to have our feet fitted with “the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 says that, “God has given us this task of reconciling people to him” Are you living a life that actively seeks to share the good news of God’s peace? The truth is that God loves you and wants you to know Him so He can fill you with peace and give you real life. John 3:16 says that ” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” and in John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” So if God planned for us to have peace and life then why are we so far from God? Because we are separated from God by our sin, since the beginning we have chosen to disobey God and go our own way. Romans 3:23 says “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s holiness.” Sin is choosing to say or do or think things that are against God’s plan and the result of unforgiven sin is death. But we don’t have to be slaves subject to sin; God offers us the gift of eternal life provided through the payment of His Son on the cross. There is only one way to reach God, Acts 4:12 says: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Jesus Christ Died for our Sins on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for our sin, bridging the gap between us and God. 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us that: “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” God has provided the only way and we must make the choice to receive Christ. We must trust Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and receive Him as our Savior and serve Him as our Lord. John 1:12 says: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believed on His name.” Have you responded and received God’s gift of grace, are you sharing the good news?

• Be at peace with those around you.

Make things right with those you have wronged or those who you are at odds with. Is there anyone you need to forgive? Or is there anyone you need to ask forgiveness from? Pursuing peace means admitting when we are wrong and seeking to make things right, it means humbling our hearts. Are you going to let pride prevent you from peace or let peace put pride in its place?

• Come alongside others who are in conflict.

Are you willing to let God use you to build bridges between people who are in conflict? Peace is hard to make and even harder to keep. It’s usually easier and often seems a lot less messy just to walk away from a problem than it is to get involved. But pursuing peace means caring about more than just your personal agenda. But there is a price to peace and the question is, are we willing to pay the price and get involved?  It’s easy to walk on by but what would happen if we would all pledge to pursue peace? Do you care enough to come alongside and help those who are in conflict or are you so caught up in your own personal agenda that you don’t have time to pursue God’s peace? Are you at peace with God and those around you, are you helping those caught in conflict? Are you a conduit of concord or one of conflict?