Mat 5:9; We Are to Be Initiators of Peace = Reconcilers.

Wednesday May 1, 2024

Idea: Making peace is to purposely initiate, which is called reconciliation.

The making of peace is reconciliation. 

Eph 2:11-22.  

Peace with one another (Jew and Gentile) and us with God through Christ’s cross.

Peace with God and man is made by God - the restoration of order and healing relationships. 

Only God can place man in a place of peace (reconciliation) to Himself and He did so at great cost (Rom 5:1, 10). 

We must be delivered from ourselves (poor), from self-interest, from self-concern. You must want peace.

Peace is the sphere of God above self. (rights, winning, effect on self … must be laid aside.)

Col 1:13-22

Christ holds all things together. He is the peace maker through His cross. He reconciled us to God and to one another.

Reconcile - apokatallasso: change from enemy to friendship

We will naturally reconcile with those we love and we should. But the Lord has individual conflict (anger), marriage, and enemies in mind as the standard (Mat 5:43-48). 

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to do what is necessary (Rom 14:17; Gal 5:22; Eph 4:3). 

Longish memory enables you to make peace with your enemy (even if he rejects it).

Remembering where you came from, Col 1:21; alienated enemies by evil works. 

Remembering how He reconciled you, Col 1:22; in His fleshly body through death. 

Remembering what His love and sacrifice made you; holy, blameless, irreproachable; made pure to stand in the presence of God.

Application: we do the same for others. 

If we do, the promise is that we will be “perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.” (Greek: complete, finished, perfect, whole) 

The OT word for peace means complete or whole. Shalom results from doing the Lord’s will and resting in Him. You know that when you have done what He would do, or have you do, that all battles must be fought by Him and all enemies must be dealt with by Him - Psa 4.