By Ronald
E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church
Around Christmas 1944, Burt Frizen was fighting in the Battle of the
Bulge. Hit by enemy sharpnel,
badly wounded, and unable to move, he lay out on the battlefield, waiting for
death or whatever was to come. Much
of the time during those six long hours he sang softly, over and over again,
the words of the song he had learned from his mother, "There is a name to
me most dear . . . like sweetest music to my ear . . . for when my heart is
troubled, filled with fear . . . Jesus whispers peace."
He heard a sound nearby. Opening
his eyes, he saw a German soldier standing over him with a gun.
This is it, thought Burt as he waited for the shot.
As Burt began to sing the song again, he felt the German lift him in
strong arms and place him on the ledge of a rock.
His own medics sported him a few minutes later and took him to safety.
Jesus had whispered peace in the midst of war.
Remember
who you are. Who am I as a
Christian? If you can remember who you are then you will know what you are
not. You will remember what you
have and what you have not. You
will remember who your Father is. You
will know where you came from and where you are going and what you are
supposed to be doing these years and days of your life. These be-attitudes
describe the characteristics of the person who has become born again into the
kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
These are the keys, principles, or laws of Christ’s new kingdom.
Where is the kingdom? The
kingdom is the domain of the king. If
He is King in your house then these principles apply.
The kingdom was inaugurated by Christ and will culminate at the end of
the age. These principles of the life of the Christian are for each one who
has allowed Him to rule in their life. This
is a description of the spiritual life of the follower of Jesus.
The
Purpose of this message is to show why it is good to be a peacemaker.
“Peace is not the
absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” -- J. Oswald Sanders
Scripture
Text: Matt 5:1 (KJS) And
seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his
disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4
Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed [are]
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed [are] they, which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed
[are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed [are] the pure in
heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they
shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed [are] they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11
Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they
the prophets which were before you.
World’s
Standards: Blessed are those who
are tolerant of alternative lifestyles, for they will be called politically
correct. The world
doesn’t recognize the difference that exists between living with the Lord
and without. As long as we are
tolerant of the sinful lifestyles, which the world calls “alternative”,
then we won’t cause a war. Thus
there is no need to make peace with God or with anyone else, since everyone is
his or her own island. But we
know that there is a problem with lives that are lived without God.
The problem is the war that the Bible says exists between God and those
who don’t know Him. Before we
come to know Him we are enemies with Him.
And the question remains: Will
you Rest in peace, if you don’t live in peace?
How can you know peace now and forever?
“There
may be those on earth who dress better or eat better, but those who enjoy the
peace of God sleep better.” -
L. Thomas Holdcroft
1.
What is Peace? Peace is a positive force in our lives.
It is more than the absence of war or strife.
It is a harmony that exists for the strength and help of the
individual. Peace is like a
field that is cleared of all weeds and unwanted shrubs.
It is still a barren field until it is planted in corn, beans, and
other vegetables. The field then
becomes a garden. The gardener
works with the field to produce the fruit that is desirable and beneficial to
all. That is a field of peace.
Peace in the lives of individuals reflects the presence of the Prince
of Peace. He has come to live
within the life of the one who experiences it.
Peace requires the agreement of two opposing views or sides.
This may or may not mean two different entities, since we need to make
peace within ourselves.
“A minister once talked to a
man about his soul and the man said he was unsaved. The minister said, "You have no peace in your heart, you
need Jesus."
The man answered, "Oh, yes, I do, I am very
happy." But the minister answered, "No you do not.
I have proof that you have no peace.
I know your heart is not content."
Rather angrily the man asked how he knew.
He answered, "Because the Bible says, 'there is no peace, saith my
God, to the wicked.'"(Is. 57:21)
With downcast eyes and humble
heart, he admitted that he was not happy, that his heart was not content, that
he had no rest for his soul.” (Rice--132)
2.
Where
will we make Peace?
a.
Inner and outer peace. Be
in harmony with God inside and outside. Stop fighting God and start surrendering to him,
because surrender to God is the only way to win with Him. What do you win? You
will win Peace. You will win Him. You will finally be together.
Peace that passes understanding. Phil
4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is the peace that Jesus gives.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as
the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
This is peace that you can have in your heart through Jesus Christ with
God and with each other. You will
no longer be at war with God, with your self, and with others.
Peace comes from the presence of the Prince.
b.
Forward Not Backward. Peace
in your life to live or forward instead of backward.
This gives you someone or something to live for.
Stop living in the past. You can forget all those past hurts. You will
be able to forgive and forget. You
will have peace within that will take you into the future.
You will be able to make peace within.
There is no regret and guilt. You
can repent and be forgiven. “If there is light in the soul, there will be
beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony
in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the
nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
- Chinese Proverb
c.
Vertical Peace: God’s Gift to us is peace. The story is told
of a young dockworker that heard a minister named Henderson deliver a sermon
based on Romans 5:1. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Although impressed with the truth that one can have peace
with God only through the merits of the Lord Jesus, he did not trust Him as
his personal Savior. This is the
vertical beam on the cross.
The next day that man joined the crew and sailed on the
steamship London. A short time
later it met with disaster on the high seas. Several months passed, and a
sailor came to the clergyman and inquired, "Are you Pastor
Henderson?" "Yes, I am," he replied.
"I've come to tell you that I talked and prayed with a young man
on board the London who had heard you preach on Romans 5:1.
He was concerned about his soul but didn't quite understand the plan of
salvation. I finished what you
began and led him to the Savior. Only
a few minutes later we were shipwrecked, and he and I were told to launch one
of the lifeboats. While doing so, he said to me, 'Mate, if you get to shore,
be sure and tell Pastor Henderson that I've been saved.' Somehow he failed to get into the lifeboat in time, and we
had to row away immediately to keep from being capsized by the suction of the
sinking ship. The last I saw of
him, he was up in the rigging of the doomed vessel, waving his hat and
shouting to me above the noise of the waters, 'Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!'"
Several years ago a
submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours.
When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did
the terrible storm last night affect you?"
The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm?
We didn't even know there was one!"
The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the
area known to sailors as "the cushion of the sea."
Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the
waters below are never stirred. The
Christian's mind will be protected against the distracting waves of worry if
it is resting completely in the good providence of God. There, sheltered by His grace and encouraged by His Holy
Spirit, the believer can find the perfect tranquillity that only Christ can
provide.
Higher
and lower Natures . both in
agreement. Completely decide for God, Will you accept His will for you?
John 6:24 We can’t serve two masters.
d.
Horizontal Peace: This
is our gift to each other. This
means we can make peace with others:
Psalm 34:14 says, Turn
from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Bring them to God. He
works through us. Keep the Golden
rule for life. Giving up our
rights takes personal suffering, and this sacrifice is one of the first steps
to make peace. Someone has to
take the first step. Seek peace
with God and with others. Make
peace at Home and stop fighting and start praying.
Make peace in the community between people.
Make peace in the church by giving up your rights and working for the
rights and peace of others. This
is the horizontal beam of the cross.
Peacemakers
are the Children of God. This
is who you are if you are a follower of the Prince.
Peace is what you have and peace is what you will work toward.
Why, because you know Him. Jesus
is the Prince of Peace. Have you
received the peace of God? Peace
knows the presence of the only true living God.
Have you worked to make peace with one another and with each other?
He is our peace and we have the privilege of giving him to others.