Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20220109 - Are You A Peacemaker or Troublemaker? - Matthew 5:9

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#20220109 - Are You A Peacemaker or Troublemaker? - Matthew 5:9 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live from Calvary Chapel in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace media, visit us online at Calvary
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Aurora dot org, or download our free app on all platforms.
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And now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen.
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Take your Bibles. Open them to three places.
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It? You'd like John chapter 14 is
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where we'll start. Then we'll go to Romans chapter
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5 and then finally, we'll be in Matthew Chapter 5.
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So John 14. And we'll be in Romans 5 and
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then we'll be in Matthew Chapter 5 and the title of my message
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today is, are you a troublemaker or a peacemaker?
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Are you a troublemaker or a peacemaker?
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Now, a couple months ago, I stumbled upon a Bible study from
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a friend of mine, Pastor Tim Brown.
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He pastors a Calvary Chapel up in Northern California and he
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was teaching on the topic of being a peacemaker and I watched
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it and it was so powerful that I then took it into our staff
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meeting, we put it up on the screen and we watched it
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together as a staff and it stirred up.
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So many ideas in my heart. And my mind, which by the way is
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why I choose to take notes when I listen to Bible studies
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because I everything gets stored stir But if I don't write it
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down, there's a good chance. I'm going to forget it so I
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started jotting it down and I felt like as I was praying that
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God wanted me to deliver a similar message.
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So I emailed him and I asked him if I could use some of his, some
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of his message that we listen to and develop a Bible study around
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it and of course, he allowed me to do that.
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And so this weekend as we launch into another unknown year,
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another year, really not understanding how it's going to
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turn out what's going to happen. I believe the Lord has a word
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for us. Us.
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And that word is peace. Peace that we walk in.
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Not only with the peace of God but we also walk into this new
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year as peacemakers. Notice what Jesus says in John
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chapter 14, a draw. Your attention there.
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To verse 27. Jesus says peace.
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I leave with you. My peace.
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I give to you not as the world gives.
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Do I give to you let not your heart.
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Be troubled. Neither Let It Be Afraid as we
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enter into a new year, we received the gift of the peace
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of God. As born-again Believers.
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We have received the, the sub sum and substance of the peace
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of God in our lives. Jesus says, I'm going to give it
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to you. All you need to do is receive it
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and enjoy it and live in it. So notice with me now in Romans
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chapter 5 as born-again Believers piece is one of the
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gifts we receive from the Lord Paul and he's writing to the
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Church in Rome, he says therefore, having been
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Justified. This is 5:1 having been
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justified by faith. We have peace with God.
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So Jesus says, you will have. And now Paul says, we do have,
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we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ through
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whom. Also, we have access by faith
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into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope
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of the glory of God. I'm reminded again, Paul would
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write to the Philippians. He Say be anxious for nothing.
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But in all things by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving,
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make your requests be made known to God.
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And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will
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guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus having that
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settled peace. Is something that only a True
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born-again Believer can experience to know that
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everything's crashing in around us and all the chaos is
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happening. To us all the drama and
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difficulty that might be in the world today that might be in our
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families today. They might be in our church
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today. We can face it even an unknown
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year. We can face it with the peace of
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God. We have peace and then the Lord
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would have us to move forward as peacemakers.
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I love this because when Paul says we have peace with God,
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he's basically declaring that the war is over the war with God
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is over. The Bible describes Those apart
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from God as being at enmity with God, like there is a animosity
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between those that are unbelievers and God you remember
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back in Genesis and the Garden of Eden, God created a perfect
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environment and then created to perfect human beings and up
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until the moment that they sinned, they had a beautiful
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existence with God. A sweet Fellowship that not even
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you. And I have experienced yet
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because they experienced it without sin, they experience.
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The a purity of relationship that was amazing.
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But of course, they made a decision to rebel and they lost
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that sweet fellowship or as we're learning in the book of
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Acts that Koinonia with God so much so that they lived under
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such condemnation and shame that they tried to run away from God
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and hide themselves in their separation.
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They actually recognize that now their lives are against a holy
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and a righteous God, because they no longer were wholly or
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righteous. But by faith in Jesus, we have
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peace with God. If you like to write in your
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Bibles you can Circle that word. Peace, and along with it.
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It has the idea of Binding Together Binding Together that,
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which was separated. There's a picture of facing God.
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What were you when you when peace is Binding Together and
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that word with has the idea of proximity and relationship, when
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you're with somebody, you're close to them and being close to
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them. You're often face to face.
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And so you have this piece now with God facing him you can say,
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you can look God in the eye and know that by the blood of Jesus
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Christ, you are at peace with God, but there's also another
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type of piece that we get to enjoy.
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It's Just the peace with God, but we also get to enjoy the
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peace of God. That's settled.
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Contentment that I can trust God with my life.
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That is Ours by Faith by the blood of Jesus Christ.
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We now have the peace of God. Now, it's true.
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I don't always enjoy the peace of God.
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As you know, Z, those of you that are worriers or those of
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you that are easily troubled, you to have your peace of God
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attack from time to time. But you've got to come back to
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that place of Faith. It's kind of like the love of
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God, we Always have the love of God, but as we learned
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previously we need to learn to keep ourselves in the love of
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God where we can enjoy it. And I think peace is the same
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way. We always have the peace of God.
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It's ours by faith but we need to make that effort to keep
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ourselves in a place where we enjoy the peace of God.
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No matter what's happening around us.
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There are things that just come into our lives.
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That are peace, robbers, and joy Stealers.
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But by faith, we are people of Peace which leads us to Matthew
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Chapter 5, which is the bulk of our time today.
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And that is, as people of Peace. We are to be peacemakers, not
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troublemakers. And there is a big difference
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between the two. We are to be peacemakers.
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The place of blessing is being a peacemaker.
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The place of constant turmoil is being Troublemaker enjoy your
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attention in verse 1. In Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus.
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It says, seeing the multitudes went up on a mountain.
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When he was seated, his disciples came to him and he
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opened his mouth and taught them saying blessed are the poor in
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spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be?
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Comforted blessed, are the meek for they shall inherit the
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earth. Blessed are those who hunger and
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thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
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Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain?
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Mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart
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for they shall see God. Then he comes to verse 9,
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blessed are the peacemakers For they shall be called sons of
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God. Blessed are those who are
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persecuted for righteousness sake?
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For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven?
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Blessed? Are you, when they revile and
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persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for
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my sake, Rejoice, be exceedingly.
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Glad for great is your reward in heaven for.
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So they persecuted the prophets who were before you Never before
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has the world needed peacemakers like today.
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Now, I'm not saying that other times in history peacemakers
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weren't needed because Jesus is teaching this in the very
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beginning of his ministry remaining in the first century
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that there's a blessing to Peacemaker, but I'm speaking to
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our generation. I'm speaking to those of us that
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are alive. Now those of us were born for
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this moment in time never before as we've seen the necessity of
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being a peacemaker, then now that the church would be the
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church, Looking into very difficult situations, with the
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goal, in the motive of being, under the blessing of God.
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And that blessing is being a peacemaker.
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Why? Because I mean, look around.
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We see the damage all around us just in the last few years and
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the Damage that's been done just in the last few years, has been
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built upon generation after generation turning their backs
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on God and it's not just in our country.
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It's a worldwide phenomenon rebellion and resistance against
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the things of God. But For us personally.
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I mean think about the things you've endured in the last
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couple years. Of course there's the medical
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pandemic with a real virus. That is done real damage to many
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lives. There's partisan politics
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surrounding all of that. There's an intensity of racial
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divides and discrimination. There's tensions like never
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before and on and on the list could go in the storm in the
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wake of the storms of the last couple years.
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There's an uneasiness. There is an imbalance, I mean,
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think about it, right? When you think things are
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getting back to some kind of normal, remember, we've been
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learning all these years. Don't look for normal, don't
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look for normal, look for the Lord, because you'll be highly
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disappointed, because whatever normal is is going to change
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from, from time to time. So instead, we're going to keep
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our eyes on the Lord, we're going to look to him.
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We've been learning that very much, you know, we've been
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emphasizing that very much now the last few years, but just
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when you think things are going to stabilize the rug gets pulled
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From under you and some new thing happens.
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Some new challenge happens both in a global but also on a
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personal level, the damage is all around us and I want you to
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consider, let's break it down a little bit.
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I want you to consider a few of the things that you and I have
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lived with and live through and perhaps are living with even now
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just in the last couple of years.
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Number one, this increase of division, have you ever seen a
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time? That's been more divided than
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now? I mean, the division is
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unbelievable divisions in churches, the visions of
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churches, against churches, divisions, with pastors
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divisions and families. I mean, you think about it we've
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just got through the holidays and how many had difficult
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conversations at the Thanksgiving table?
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How many had difficult conversations at the?
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How many of you got mad? How many?
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I mean it's been like, it's just unbelievable, unbelievable, the
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division that we've been experiencing it's like nothing
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I've ever seen in the entirety of my And my walk with the Lord.
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Number two, there's an increase of broken trust broken.
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Trust, think about you, how hesitant we are to trust people.
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Now we're not sure if anybody's telling us the truth anymore.
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Well we're the the institutions we used to look to can't be
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looked to anymore and the information we receive we're not
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sure. Then even when we go to check it
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out, we're not sure if that's sure and we're not sure about
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and which like who do we trust anymore?
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And we're just learning to live that way which is isolating
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making People independent and more divisive.
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Thirdly, we see all these shattered, relationships
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isolations increased separation loneliness.
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People are just writing people off now, or as we see in our
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culture, there's a whole new phrase, the cancel culture
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that's happening has been happening, but we're seeing it
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much more. Will you just not willing to
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dialogue anymore? Not willing to learn how to
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disagree, agreeably, not learning how to lovingly.
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One another, it's not new, but it certainly increasing.
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Add to that fourthly this level of anger and angst.
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That doesn't seem to go away. So many people, angry, and
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upset, and expressing it. And it's, there's, there's a lot
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of different things adding to it, but I want you to consider
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just how angry you've been lately.
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And even if you haven't allowed it to come out with, like, with
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this big, you know, outbursts of Wrath, how you've been keeping
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it in and keeping It in and you're like on a hair trigger,
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you are right on the edge, so many people living on the edge
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today and just the wrong time in the wrong situation and it's
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explosive. And I know a lot of Believers
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go, you know, as the Bible says I can be angry and not send you
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have a bro, you passed that a long time ago like that you have
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you were Way Beyond what G, what Paul was referring to there?
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That righteous anger. It's not righteous anymore.
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Just angry about everything. Add to that.
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Number 5, the hurt and the trauma just everyday life.
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Some of you have lost loved ones, some of you've been
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diagnosed with cancer, some of you lost your jobs, some of you,
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the separation has been family members, so that cuts deep.
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And you know, injuries and hurt and Trauma.
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They don't heal so quickly. You carry a lot of this trauma
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and all the way into heaven. And just beaten and battered,
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and challenging, and difficult, then you add to that.
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Sixthly. We see so much suspicion now
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suspicion where it's not that you just don't know who to trust
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anymore. Suspicions, more Sinister and
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that's really divisive because when I'm suspicious of you, I
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automatically think the worst about you.
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I'd only give you the benefit of the doubt.
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I don't know what you're up to and how you want to take
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advantage of me. And you can see how that damages
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the psyche and the soul, the human being how it deeply deeply
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hurts. People.
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And so what does Jesus give to us?
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He gives us the seventh. Beatitude the seventh beatitude
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for us as Believers that have the peace of God that enjoy
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peace with God, the peace of God, he says okay now there is a
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blessing for you being a peacemaker.
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Now, take that piece and go help other people.
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Find the same piece, be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker.
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Now, peacemaking just doesn't happen all by itself.
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It's within the context of these behaviors.
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We've studied this in depth in our study in Matthew.
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But for the sake of our time today, understand the
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progression of the position in the posture of a peacemaker.
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It starts out with recognizing your poverty, your spiritual
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poverty, recognizing who God is, and who You are and then,
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secondly, then leads to your morning, like you have an
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emotional response to the pain and the hurt of this world.
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You have emotional response to your own poverty, your own
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distance, from God, Like You realizing what a great gift of
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Salvation, God has given to you, then you are respond with a
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meekness or as we read in the in the psalm today a broken heart
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and a contrite spirit. You live in humility.
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Meekness is not weakness. It's the same word that's used
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to describe Moses back in numbers.
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Of his humility. It's also the same.
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You word to use to describe Jesus in his ministry of
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humility, its power under control.
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It's holding back when, you know, you can.
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But you choose to submit yourself to the Cross to the, to
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the Lord in humility. And then he says, now, what are
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you really hungry for? What do you really thirsty for?
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And he says, you're going to be blessed when you're hungry and
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thirsty. For right things for the
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righteousness of God, when you apply Matthew 3, when we seek
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first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, all these
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things will be added unto us, then you have that merciful
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heart. Mercy is super powerful and it's
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a wonderful attribute to have to help you understand the
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definition of mercy. I want to give you three words
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because you got to remember these all these three words
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together. The words judgment mercy and
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Grace. Those three words will help.
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You understand. You need to understand all three
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of them. Not only in relationship to your
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God but also to Others. When you learn how to love the
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Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind, you have to
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understand these three words. So judgement by definition is
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getting exactly what you deserve when you receive judgment.
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Like, for example, if you've been convicted for a crime and
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you're standing for the judge for sentencing, he is going to
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hand down the Judgment. You will get what you deserve.
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That's why nobody standing before.
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A judge says, give me what I deserve instead.
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What do they say? We want Mercy, show me mercy.
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See. Well, why would you ask for
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Mercy? Well, if judgment is getting
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what you deserve, Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
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So if they reduce the sentence or put you on probation or
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something, you don't get what you deserve, you're guilty.
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But you've been treated with Mercy.
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Think about what Mercy would look like in a world that's
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broken in a world. That's difficult with the people
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you disagree with. When you don't give them what
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they deserve, why? Because the third word Grace,
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judgment is getting what you deserve.
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Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
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What is Grace receiving? What you don't deserve?
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Receiving what you don't deserve.
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That's why Grace is so valuable the Forgiveness of our sins, the
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removal of Shame and guilt, why not?
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Because of our good works. But because of the finished work
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of the cross of Jesus Christ, you are a blessed man and a
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blessed woman when your merciful he says, not only that when your
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merciful you also receive Mercy It's a sweeter world when we're
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not all going around trying to give each other with everyone
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deserves but rather showing Mercy.
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Then notice he says, in verse 8 that there's a blessedness to
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purity of heart. I mean by the time you get here,
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you're just in a place of Lord, whatever you have for me.
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I love you. I so appreciate you.
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I know the world is chaotic and out of control but I'm abiding
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in you and you've given me a steady place of power and peace.
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And which leads you to the blessing of being a peacemaker.
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Being a peacemaker. I love how Chuck Swindoll
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describes this. I want to read it to you.
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And I quote those who make peace relieve tensions and don't feed
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fuel to fires of controversy and me, repeat that those who make
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peace relieve tensions and don't feed fuel to fires of
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controversy. A peacemaker.
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Seeks resolutions to arguments and debates.
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A peacemaker, works hard to keep offenses from festering into
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fractured. And ships a peacemaker is words,
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generate light but not heat. Proverbs 15:1 says a gentle
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answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.
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It's important to note that being a peacemaker, does not
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amount to being a passive person who lies down like a doormat and
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lets people walk all over them. The kind of peacemaking referred
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to here is active, not passive. Peacemakers are engaged in a
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Ministry of reconciliation and Eurasian entering Troubled
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Waters to help bring calm in this way.
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They model in this life, the ministry of Jesus.
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The son of God who came preaching, peace and
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Reconciliation to those willing to hear.
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Peacemaking is not trouble. Making, not making things worse,
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not destroying people, not hurting them, harming them
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looking down upon them. I want you to consider a few
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things as it relates to peacemaking in the last couple
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of years. Things that have become very
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divisive things that have created a lot of Destruction.
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A lot of Suspicion, just hot topics, and the hot topics of
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day will soon pass, it'll be new, Hot Topics in the future.
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Until the Lord returns. But I want you to consider, it
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didn't want to quote Pastor, Tim on this on some of the things
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that we've been dealing with, in the last couple years, you
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cannot be a peacemaker. If you're offended by unwise,
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decisions and perceived foolishness of others, you can't
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be a peacemaker. If you're always offended by
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decisions that you don't like that, you don't want and you get
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upset with them. And you find yourself alienating
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people because you disagree, With them.
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Let me show you what I mean. Look notice in verse 21 of
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chapter 5 of Matthew, chapter 5 of Matthew.
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Jesus goes on to teach in the very same message.
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You have heard it said to those of old, you shall not murder and
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whoever murders will be in danger of the Judgment.
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But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother without
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a, cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
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And whoever says, to his brother Raca shall be in danger of the
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council and whoever says, you fool shall be in danger of the
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Hellfire. And so it's easy to read through
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the Bible and read through this and and almost come to this and
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say, well this'll never applies to me because I can't think of
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the last time I ever told somebody raka.
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It's like I can't think of it. So I guess it doesn't apply to
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me because I don't go around telling people Rocca.
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Okay? I want to give you another word
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to replace raqqa. That the English could be
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translated here as well. Basically, Jesus is teaching us
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that murderer in our heart occurs when we diminish the
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value of someone because We disagree with them while we're
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angry with them and it's Progressive.
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Its first angry anger without a cause then we start to think
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bad, we start to call them names and we diminish them as foolish
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and unwise. But the word Rocca is
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interesting word that use more common today that could be
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translated instead of raqqa is idiot.
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When you call someone an idiot. You diminish their value and you
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place them in a position where no longer in your mind.
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Do they deserve the love of God? Why?
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Because they're an idiot and decisions are idiotic and I
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can't believe they did this. What are those idiots doing?
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And whether you ever say it, it's enough to think it.
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I'll tell you where this word comes to mind in my life.
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I wish I could stand up here and go.
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Everybody be like me. I never say rock.
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Aw, but I don't it comes up a lot.
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When I'm driving. And I feel so selfish on the
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road and and I get upset with some behavior of someone's
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driving. And you know what the truth is?
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I don't know what's going on in that car.
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I don't know where they're headed.
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I don't know if they're on their way to the hospital.
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I don't know if they're running away, I don't know anything
23:49
about them, but I am very selfishly quick to assign to
23:53
them some some name, some some thought or even perhaps saying
23:59
it out loud. Where I too am guilty of this.
24:04
It's become very popular in the political environment today, for
24:09
Christians. Believers to be saying things
24:13
about people that should never come out of our mouths that we
24:17
have murdered people in our hearts and we think it's okay.
24:21
And then we wonder why is the world not capture?
24:23
Why is the world not being turned upside down?
24:25
Why do not pee? What why is it that we're not
24:27
making any progress for the gospel?
24:28
Could It Be Your Own Heart? Could it be you, could it be me
24:33
and my abiding presence? Am I no longer standing in a
24:36
place of Peace, consider these things, again, quoting from
24:40
Pastor Tim here. And I quote, if you think that
24:43
those who are against covid-19, vaccinations or complete idiots,
24:48
you can't be a peacemaker. If you think that those who
24:51
approve of covid-19, vaccinations are fools and
24:54
puppets, you can't be a peacemaker.
24:57
If you see your main goal is trying to persuade people to
25:00
think that Hey, you. Do you can't be a peacemaker if
25:03
you avoid people who don't think the way you do, you can't be a
25:06
peacemaker. If you can't move past what
25:09
others think about masks? Vaccinations churches, opening,
25:12
or closing who they voted for for president.
25:15
You can't be a peacemaker. If you're stuck in the deadlock
25:19
of disagreement, you can't be a peacemaker.
25:22
A peacemaker. Is seeks to break up Deadlocks.
25:24
Not make them worse, a peacemaker.
25:27
Peacemaker looks beyond. What is to what could be?
25:30
A peacemaker isn't out to punish enemies but to make friends
25:34
peacemakers don't shun or shame. Those who they disagree with a
25:38
peacemaker, doesn't seek to find common ground in a cause.
25:42
But in Christ, So the question is are you a peacemaker or a
25:46
troublemaker? If you're all about showing
25:49
people, they're wrong, putting people in their place, you're
25:53
more a troublemaker than you are a peacemaker.
25:57
Peacemaking, doesn't actually begin with a decision to be a
26:01
peacemaker. Peacemaking Begins by being a
26:05
person of Peace yourself. Trusting in God's will for your
26:10
life. Remembering, you were born for a
26:13
time like this. You were born as a born-again
26:17
Believer to live in this actual time.
26:20
Living out your faith in Jesus and of course they'll be people
26:24
you disagree with. And of course, they'll be
26:25
opinions that you hold. And of course you'll have
26:28
personal convictions. But the question is how do you
26:31
live them out? And what's really important to
26:34
you? That's a question.
26:36
We have to ask is the church. What's really important?
26:40
Peacemaking isn't like a skill set that you can read a book or
26:44
listen to a Bible study. Like, you know, like if a police
26:47
officer wanted to grow and maybe take a class on being a
26:50
negotiator, you can teach someone how to negotiate.
26:53
You can give them those skills. Peacemaking isn't like a skill
26:57
to be learned. It's a position to be lived.
27:01
When you elevate yourself and your own causes and opinions
27:05
above the cause of Christ, you're not going to be a
27:07
peacemaker. When you take strong positions
27:12
because of personal convictions of things that really God gives
27:17
room for in his scriptures, you're not going to be a
27:20
peacemaker. A peacemaker is at rest in the
27:23
middle of a storm, not making a storm worse, not jumping in the
27:27
middle of it. A peacemaker is not.
27:31
When evil is done to him. when the winds and the waves push you
27:35
back, A peacemaker. She knows that Jesus has her
27:39
back and her main purpose isn't to punish an enemy.
27:42
But to make a friend, through the manifestation of the
27:45
blessing and mercies of God of the position, it sounds a lot
27:49
like Jesus. Remember.
27:50
In First Peter 3:18, Peter writes for Christ.
27:54
Also suffered wants for since I want you to see suffering tied
27:59
to listen Christ, suffered once for sins, the just for the
28:03
unjust that he might bring us to God.
28:06
That is why you're on the planet Church to bring people to God
28:11
and it's going to be attached naturally to suffering in this
28:16
world. Jesus said in John 16, you're
28:18
going to experience tribulation suffering.
28:21
But be of good cheer because I've overcome the world, you
28:24
have a singular goal, get people to Christ, bring people to God.
28:29
And here's the thing, a great tragedy is overtaking the
28:31
church, the last couple years even some of my friends men that
28:35
I've served in Ministry with together.
28:37
I mean, there's one brother. This one brother, I was watching
28:40
a video not too long ago and he's there and he's just boom,
28:44
boom, boom, he's putting all the popular things and everything
28:47
that's popular right now. And what does he do?
28:49
He had categorize as a group and, you know, He calls them
28:53
idiots. How can you possibly justify
28:56
that? How can you possibly?
28:59
And then have it out there and go.
29:00
This is what I believe and I'm and he's a pastor of the Gospel
29:03
of Jesus Christ. You just can't go around doing
29:06
that. Jesus said, you're being
29:08
murderer in your heart. And what's happened in the
29:12
church in the last couple years. I don't think it's a new
29:15
phenomenon, but it's certainly something we've experienced now.
29:18
I think, for the very first time is that causes have eclipsed
29:24
Christ as the common ground. So now people are separating by
29:29
their causes and not by Christ. So you got this group over here
29:34
and then this group over here is upset with this group over here
29:37
because they got these causes when we all should be at the
29:40
cross. Where that's where even, that's
29:43
where we're all equal. That's where that's where we all
29:47
recognize. Our lostness, our poverty of
29:49
spirit where we're morning of our condition where we're
29:52
praying for the world where we're bringing people to Christ,
29:56
it's no longer enough to confess with your mouth, that Jesus is
29:59
Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the
30:01
dead. Now, you have to confess Jesus
30:04
and believe in the resurrection and be an anti Massacre.
30:08
Now, you have to be a pro masker, you have to confess with
30:11
your mouth, the Lord Jesus, but also you need to advocate for
30:14
vaccinations or not vaccinations and now the common ground is no
30:18
longer Christ. And now you have people calling
30:22
each other names and looking down on each other for more
30:24
reasons than ever before no longer disc does our Creed
30:28
include Eternal truth, about the Father, the Son, and the Holy
30:31
Spirit. But now we've added causes,
30:34
we've added causes about what political party you in.
30:36
Because I mean if you're a republican then you can't be a
30:38
Democrat. If you're a Democrat you can't
30:40
be a Republican and and there you are looking down.
30:43
I can't believe those guys. You know, I can't believe this
30:45
and look who's present and look who's a like, okay.
30:48
But what happened to the gospel What happened to the gospel?
30:53
The good news that someone sense can be forgiven by the blood
30:56
that was shed by Jesus Christ. And now there's a category of
31:00
people that you can look down to, and to go raqqa.
31:02
All Undead, I've never said raka.
31:04
I know, instead you're watching a news going idiots.
31:09
Idiots. That's our church.
31:11
Some of you And there you are just justifying.
31:15
What do you think's going to happen to your heart?
31:18
Where you're sinning and justifying sending and
31:20
justifying. So what do you think's going to
31:22
happen to your heart? I'll tell you, you don't need
31:23
to, you don't even need to worry about it.
31:25
I'll tell you, your heart will become hard to the things of
31:28
God, and then you'll go through the motions and go through the
31:31
motions, eventually finding someone that agrees with you.
31:34
So now you got a pastor, with a hard heart, encouraging, your
31:37
hard heart, not making a difference for the gospel at
31:40
all. I mean, this is these are life
31:43
and death issues that we're in and it's just been so
31:46
polarizing. And these last couple years and
31:49
the polar. If you're stuck on one of the
31:50
sides, it's going to be very challenging for you to be a
31:53
peacemaker. It's going to be very
31:56
challenging for you to help as Chuck Swindoll said, relieve
32:01
tensions. It's going to be very hard for
32:03
you to provide Solutions and resolutions.
32:05
It's going to be very challenging for you to reconcile
32:09
because you've taken up a side Common Ground today is no longer
32:14
faith in Christ, but now we got political parties, the direction
32:17
of our nation on and on it goes It's no longer faith in Christ,
32:23
but it's your political philosophies and your cultural
32:26
causes and the irony is that as causes of multiplied, there's
32:31
less common ground for people to stand on for.
32:34
They don't know what to believe in, because they don't know
32:36
which position to hold because they don't know if they're going
32:38
to get beat up for their come to talk to you about Jesus, and all
32:41
you want to do is talk about your thing.
32:44
Talk about your conviction, just lay into him about, why do this?
32:48
And why that instead of making room so that more and more
32:51
people can come to the Cross, like, you know, that there's
32:54
going to be a fence with people that were always be offended,
32:58
but don't let the offense be you, and your opinion and your
33:03
convictions, and you being upset all the time.
33:06
Don't let the offense be your position, your personality, your
33:09
name calling, you're diminishing.
33:11
I mean, you think about the diminish, a person It in the
33:14
image of God is a sin, a sin that we all need to repent from
33:19
that when we begin to see people as see anyone other than someone
33:23
created in the image of God believer or unbeliever alike.
33:27
Then we automatically begin to think.
33:28
Well, if they're not, if they're less than me then, I don't need
33:31
to love them. I don't need to care about them.
33:34
I can write them off. Imagine that Christians writing
33:37
people off, may the Lord forgive us.
33:41
And the church at Large. You know, we think we're
33:45
fighting for Nations and constitutions and things, you
33:48
know, when I read the Bible, I see God using Nations to judge
33:52
his people for becoming idolatrous.
33:55
I see entire countries taking into captivity because they
33:59
turned their back on God. And I see God answering the
34:03
repentant heart and drawing repentant Hearts back to them.
34:07
You see God. He wants to save people.
34:10
You could have a message like, this and go ahead.
34:12
Why don't you care about our country?
34:13
Of course, I do. I know this is a sensitive
34:15
topic. I think of those of you that
34:17
served in the military or those of you that lost someone in the
34:20
military to fight for our freedoms.
34:22
I respect that. I honor that, I appreciate that.
34:25
I think of those that you there are police officers getting
34:28
getting treated as if you're not needed or not wanted or on the
34:31
other side of them. We say, we appreciate you.
34:34
I think of those of you that are people of color that have been
34:37
discriminated against your whole life, and I say, I appreciate
34:40
you. But I'll tell you this, I
34:42
appreciate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
34:44
Greater He's the one that died for us, he's the one that
34:48
allowed us to be in the same room together.
34:51
He's the one that allowed us to live our lives, to please him.
34:54
He's the one that, you know, as I look at my own life, I see how
34:57
my convictions are changed over the years, have yours.
35:00
I mean, now, when somebody asked me as a parent, you know, they
35:03
asked me for parenting advice. I look back and go, man.
35:05
I wish I would have parented like this back then, because
35:09
I've changed my mind now. Sound like I wasn't, like, in
35:12
some kind of sin, but, but over time, I've matured Then, I've
35:16
grown and I would do it differently.
35:18
Even, as a Believer. Now, I look back on going, man.
35:20
I would do it differently for that, and so my kids are going,
35:22
I wish you would up to, but that's too late for that.
35:26
God got us through it because we're all making mistakes,
35:28
right? We're all learning and Grace but
35:30
think about what's happened. Why is the church?
35:32
So an effective today? It's not just because we haven't
35:34
gone back to the book of Acts. It's because we're an
35:36
unrepentant sin. That's why it's not because
35:40
we're not in the early church where the power of the Holy
35:42
Spirit upon his know, the power of the holy spirit is upon us
35:44
were just grieving the holy A spirit.
35:48
And if we, if we find ourselves, adding see what happens when you
35:52
add something to the gospel, not only do you lose the gospel but
35:55
you create more division. When you add something to the
35:59
gospel, it doesn't bring Unity. It brings another group to
36:02
divide over and now we no longer see each other for who we are in
36:06
Christ. We no longer see a lost watching
36:09
world when we no longer find ourselves wanting to love and
36:13
show mercy and Grace to others. Now, we want to fight for our
36:16
cause And I'm telling you what the Lord won't bless that.
36:21
You will not be in a position of blessing.
36:24
We need to call the church back to its Mission its mandate and
36:28
the message of Christ singularly.
36:32
And I don't have responsibility over the whole church.
36:35
That God has given me a small responsibility over this church.
36:39
And I am now passionately begging you that if you have
36:43
left, get back to the message of the cross.
36:47
Get back. Peace with God.
36:51
Comes by means of the Cross. I'll tell you the reason why
36:54
causes are popping up so much and people are so excited about
36:57
them is they don't require you to die to yourself.
37:01
If you adopt a cause you don't have to die to yourself as a
37:03
man. It's the exact opposite.
37:05
You get to live, you get to speak.
37:08
You get to be loud. You get to be surrounded with
37:10
people that agree with you and we're all going to be and and a
37:13
cause doesn't require you to deny yourself.
37:16
It does the exact opposite Elevate yourself a cause doesn't
37:20
require you to take up a cross. Because that's the thing that
37:23
the cross is what's giving you the cause it's not the Cross of
37:27
Christ. It's your own perceived pain and
37:29
difficulty that you've gone through. no, the message of the
37:33
Cross is what defensive it is offencive To be told, you know
37:38
what you want to follow. Jesus deny yourself.
37:42
You want to follow Jesus, take up your cross.
37:45
Absorb yourself in him. Peacemakers are those that deny
37:49
themselves and carefully and deliberately follow Christ.
37:54
Everything is crucified, so that Jesus will be glorified.
37:59
And listen, it's not that you'll lose your opinions.
38:02
Of course, you'll have your opinions and it's not that
38:05
you'll lose your convictions. Of course, you'll have
38:07
convictions and it's not that you're going to lose your
38:10
strongly held beliefs know, you will make sure that their
38:14
subordinates To the cross of Jesus Christ.
38:18
And you know what will happen, they will become less, right?
38:21
What we remember what job John the Baptist said when he saw
38:24
Jesus says he must increase and I must decrease.
38:29
So as you hold onto these things, as they change from year
38:31
to year and they change from time to time as you as you hold
38:36
onto these. But you elevate the cross, the
38:38
things that you think are so important, you start to let go
38:42
because you subordinate them to the Cross.
38:45
That's what's it? I saved you not some cause.
38:48
The cross saved you, not some opinion, the cross of Jesus
38:52
Christ is what brings salvation. When we allow political
38:56
positions or cultural causes or concern convictions.
39:01
Eclipse, the gospel. You no longer have the gospel.
39:09
Paul would say in 1st Corinthians 1, we preach Christ
39:12
crucified. That's our message.
39:15
He is the common ground. We rest upon stand upon build
39:20
upon you and me every True Believer in town.
39:23
A peacemaker, doesn't have enemies to punish, but friends
39:26
to make a peacemaker, looks beyond what can be from.
39:30
What is a to? What can be seized a kingdom
39:34
that's coming. Not the little kingdoms that
39:37
exist today. a peacemaker, overcomes evil, not with law or
39:42
power or threats, but with good A peacemakers, not a politician,
39:48
a peacemakers, a person of peace.
39:51
Paul would tell the Romans repay, no one evil for evil,
39:54
have regard for good things in the sight of all men, and if
39:57
it's possible listen, if it's possible as much as depends on
40:01
you, live peaceably with all men.
40:06
As much as depends on you a soft answer turns away wrath.
40:09
We learn Proverbs 25. 15 says, patients can persuade a prince,
40:14
but soft speech. Can break, bones.
40:17
A peacemaker. Doesn't need to be provocative
40:19
or controversy, or try to All these followers on YouTube or
40:23
like you don't need you don't you just need to be the man and
40:25
woman that God has called you to be a peacemaker.
40:28
Understands The Power of Words and uses them carefully to bring
40:33
Unity. Not more division.
40:36
There's a stark difference between reaction and response.
40:41
And a summary of that could be reactions.
40:43
Usually are sharp words and condemning things.
40:46
Like putting people when you react it almost as it almost has
40:49
this sense of defensiveness and then defensiveness always leads
40:53
to attack. Ask any married couple.
40:55
They'll tell you, you get defensive and then boom, you go
40:58
back on the attack. As you don't want to be
40:59
defensive. And that's happens in the world
41:03
and reactionary, just reacting to this.
41:05
I'm reacting this and what are we getting all this info?
41:07
All this up. All in a reactor.
41:08
Yeah. Crack in the churches.
41:11
Lost their mind. Pastors of Auntie good friends
41:15
of mine. I can't really spend a lot of
41:18
time with them anymore. Because they have gone off in a
41:24
way that I just, I can't be a part of, it's not the gospel.
41:28
And you know, if I shared that with them they wouldn't agree
41:30
with me but that they're just going to take it to the Lord.
41:35
And I wonder how many listening to me right now near and far, it
41:38
just left the gospel. And there's just this
41:40
reactionary angry mad person that if you were caught, one of
41:46
your actions were caught and posted on Tick-Tock, you'd be
41:49
embarrassed. Everybody's watching all
41:53
everyone else we even got names from their Karen's.
41:55
Well, what have you or Karen? And we played you up on the
41:58
screen. How would you be proud of your
42:00
Christian witness? Because you got caught up in it.
42:03
All you forgot the cross. You're upset, somebody left
42:08
their shopping cart in the wrong place.
42:11
You're upset because somebody has a bumper sticker of a
42:14
opposing political party. You're upset because you fill in
42:19
the blanks What happened to the cause of Christ Church?
42:24
We don't know. 20 22 is the last year, we don't know even as my
42:28
brother Ray and beautiful wonderful Health instantly is
42:33
gone within moments. We don't know when our last
42:35
moments here. We got to live out our life
42:38
going strong for the things of Jesus.
42:41
We want to learn not to be so reactionary but to respond.
42:45
To respond responses are usually given with more grace and
42:50
patience the fruit of the spirit love joy.
42:56
Peace patience. Kindness goodness, faithfulness.
43:00
Gentleness self-control. And so today, as we enter into
43:07
2022, I recognize not an easy receive, not easy to receive a
43:12
message like this. I understand this could be
43:14
replayed every year. It's a lord gives us more that
43:16
God is calling us to be a peacemaker.
43:18
That's always been the calling Jesus taught this in the first
43:21
century but never more than ever do.
43:24
We need to re-evaluate and reassess our own walk with the
43:26
Lord. Us personally, believe me, this
43:29
is a hard, this is a hard message to deliver but it's a
43:31
harder message to receive putting it together pretty.
43:35
Through it asking each line. Do you really want to say that?
43:38
Do you really want to say that? Do you really want to say that,
43:41
you know, every Pastor goes through that?
43:43
Do you really want to say that? We pray that you've been
43:47
encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
43:50
sanctuary of Calvary, Aurora for prayer or a copy of the study,
43:54
call us at 877, 30 Grace, that's eight 77304, 2:53 or visit us
44:03
online at Calvary, Aurora dot-org, be blessed as you
44:08
worship Jesus this week.