I. Int.
A. This statement was a great shock to the Jews
1. They looked for a military, national, materialist kingdom
2. They expected their Messiah to Marshall in an army- march against Rome-Establish Israel as the dominant conquering, master race
a. Even the disciples seemed to have held to that idea
b. After He fed the 5,000 they (Jn. 6:l-15) “would have taken Him by force, to make Him a “King”
B. The Bible speaks of Jesus as a peacemaker
1. Isa. 9:6-7 says; Jn. 14:27; 16:33
2. Now, the Prince of Peace says “Blessed are the”
II. LET US LOOK FIRST AT THE WORD “PEACE”
A. THIS BEATITUDE IS NOT FULLY APPRECIATED WITHOUT FIRST AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARD PEACE
1. Consider its dictionary definition
a. Peace-“freedom from strife...harmony...serenity, calmness, quietness”
b. Peaceful-“not quarrelsome, free from disturbance, calm”
2. I Cor. 14:33 says “God is not the God of confusion”
3. Again and Again , He is called the “God of peace”-Rm. 15:33; 2 Cor. 13:11; Ph. 4:9; I Th. 5:23; Heb. 13:20
4. One of the most familiar and forceful statements in Proverb “these things”-Prov. 6:16-19
B. WE MUST RECALL THAT JESUS IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE-Isa. 9:6-7; Lk. 2:14
III. SIN IS THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM IN THE WORLD
A. ALL STRIFE RESULTS FROM SIN
1. This is true whether we speak of families, churches or nations
2. The way to have peace on earth is to eliminate sin
3. Man is separated from and an enemy of God because of Sin - Isa. 59:2; Eph. 2:1-3, 12
B. THIS IS A PASSAGE ON RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
1. It involves the blood and death of Jesus-Col. 1:20-
2. It involves the doctrine of peace-Rm. 10:15; Eph. 2:17; 6:15
IV. LET US LOOK AT THE WORD “PEACEMAKER”
A. NOTE THAT PEACE MUST BE MADE-IT COMES NOT WITHOUT EFFORT
B. WHO IS THE PEACEMAKER?
1. The Peacemaker here is not the compromiser of disagreements and the settlers of disputes
2. It is a passage on Reconciliation to God and involves the doctrine of peace with God, and he peacemaker is the peace preacher, the disciple who show the people of the world to find peace with God
3. It is the peace of Rm. 10:15
4. It is the peace that Christ came to preach, as expressed by Paul in Eph. 2:14-17
5. It is the peace that Peter preached to the children of Israel and to Cornelius, as recorded in Acts 10:36
6. It is that peace that comes through justification by faith, as stated in Rm. 5:1
7. It is the peace of reconciliation by the blood of the cross, as declared in Col. 1:20
8. It is the peace of reconciliation to God
C. THE PEACEMAKER IS THEREFORE THE PEACE PREACHER
V. WHAT DOES THE PEACE PREACHER PREACH?
E. PREACHES FAITH IN CHRIST-Jn. 3:16; 8:24
F. PREACHES THE NEED OF BEING “IN CHRIST” TO HAVE PEACE-Eph. 1:3; 1:7
C. PREACHES REPENTANCE-Acts 17:30
D. PREACHES BAPTISM FOR THE REMISSION OF SIN-Acts 2:38
E. PREACHES ONE BODY-Eph. 2:16
VI. “CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD”
A. “CALLED”-Here means “Owned”
B. God will “own” or recognized them as His children
VII. FINALLY THE PEACE PREACHER PREACHES PEACE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH-Eph. 4:1-3