2002.6.16. Rev. Chan Young Jang

Eight Characters of Transformed Christians(7)
Peacemaker's Disposition

Matthew 5:1-12

The theme I would like to reflect together today has to do with what Christ told us as the 3rd admonition on the attitude we should take toward the world as Christians. And that is the profile of peacemakers.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." True Christians not only love peace but also seeks peace actively. Christians show mercy to the world, and treat others with pure heart. Between God and man, and between man and man, they play the role of mediator to bring about peace as dedicated servants. So today's theme, peace, must be thought from 3 perspectives: first, peace with God; second, peace with neighbors; and third, peace with yourself.

First, let us look at Bible and see God as the source of peace and see how He is described as God of Peace. "The Lord blesses his people with peace." (Psalm 29:11). According to Isaiah, who prophesied the birth of Christ, "He will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace." (Isaiah 9:6). St Paul said in Romans, "God of Peace be with you all" and in the First Corinthian, "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (First Corinthian 14:33).

Christ is king of peace. He came to this world for peace, died for peace on the cross, and resurrected for peace. According to Luke, when Jesus came, the angels said: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests," (Luke 2:14). So, you see for those who receive Christ, you will experience peace flowing in the deepest part of your heart as river water flows.

And St Paul recorded Jesus' role clearly in Ephesians 2:14-16. "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments & regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.

Jesus Christ reconciled God and his once-enemy human beings, made them one through the cross. Just as His ultimate mission was the role of peace, the Christians' ultimate mission is also the mission of peace. This peacemaker's role is described in the 2nd Corinthian 5:18. "All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is to say, our Lord commanded us: since Jesus became the sacrifice for reconciliation, you go out to the world and bring peace.

But the problem is: against God's commandment, today's history and reality are war not peace, breakdown, not reconciliation, hate and not love, full of hate and not forgiveness. In any country we cannot find peace any more. Even though we may have Nobel Peace Prize, UN Security Council, demonstrations for peace, and countless documents on peace, as days pass, we only see increase in evil, war violence and destruction in the world. We know definitely that the future will bring a more horrible world than now.

Then, what is the source of the war and division of the world? Bible says that it originates from human nature. Prophet Jeremiah said: "human nature is more false and corrupt than anything else." Ever since leaving God, God-given peace has disappeared in human nature. History has been full of murder, violence, and falsehood and there were no righteous persons. If we look for a righteous person in Jerusalem, we will find that our human nature is full of corruption and sin, not deserving God's promise to save Jerusalem. Therefore, until the sin of leaving God is resolved, true peace will not be possible.

In the New Testament, peace is referred as "aerene" and in the Old Testament it is referred as "shalom". This word means "absence of want", "maturity after difficulties and adversities", and completeness. Further, the word was used to mean the correct human relationship. When the Jews greet you with "shalom", it means "God's most goodness to you." God's peace means God's righteousness to bring true prosperity and harmony. Where God's righteousness reigns, true peace will come. The definition of peace must be connected to God's righteousness. It is not a simple absence of problems, but peace is where Jesus Christ reigns. So, without God's righteousness peace is gone. Wherever sins are prevalent, the selfish and the arrogant are waiting. This is the source of breaking peace. So, peace means the restoration of righteousness and God's sovereignty. According to Romans 5:1: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Yes, true peace will come only when we, the sinner, become righteous through Christ and our human nature becomes reborn. So, peace is not pastoral scenery where there are village houses, stream flows and birds nest, but a place where God's righteousness rules and God reigns. So, someone drew a picture with the theme of peace - and it is not an idyllic scene of peaceful village farm, but in a terrible weather with heavy wind, rain and storm, a small bird nests safely on a cliff. Peace is not an easy state. It is not an absence of war. In spite of terrible reality, peace is a refuge under His care while watching His reign.

Today we said: "blessed are the peacemakers." We must first think "the peacemaker" in the following three terms:

First, peacemakers are neither accusers nor bystanders. Christians were not called to accuse, remonstrate, or judge. Today's world is full of accusing and blaming, and struggle is considered commonplace. Haves and have-nots, employers and employees, and government and people fight. So, it is asked: "should Christians always stay on the side of the weak?" As if the Bible recommended it. But clearly no words in Bible say that God only loves the poor and hate the rich. It is only that the poor will receive mercy and He awakened the rich from mistaken materialism. Jesus loves the employees and employers all. He said: "the lazy do not eat." He also said: "Give to God what belong to God and to Caesar what belong to Caesar." When Israel was under Rome's control, Jesus recognized the existence of Rome's government that collected tax. Peacemakers do not take only one side to bring peace. They destroy the blocking wall, help adversaries reconcile, and help them reborn as new men. Therefore, peacemaking Christians mean that they are not accusers nor are cold bystanders.

Second, peacemakers mean more than merely loving peace. Some want only peaceful state - hating division, fight and war. But he does not lose sleep over active peacemaking, does not sacrifice himself nor dedicate himself to the cause of peace. And there are those who watch others dying of disease, hunger, and persecution at one corner of the earth, and say that it is the way it is and show some degree of sympathy. But Bible does not end with sympathy alone. Just as Christ came to this world as peacemaker even though he knew he would not be welcome and be killed, the peacemaking Christians must actively pray for such condition and mobilize everything in his power and actively involve in the situation.

Third, to be a peacemaker, one must gladly pay the price. For peacemaking, one may experience unpleasantness, loss of popularity, misunderstanding, pain and even fatal loss. It is possible that you may give up a good job or experience loss in your business while working for peace. You may feel powerless as lamb being led to the slaughterhouse. It is from a different perspective of resistance and accusation. Jesus never used violence for peace. He never yelled, demonstrated, or threw bomb bottles. To reconcile human beings to God, he received countless criticism, misunderstanding and persecution, and ultimately died on the cross. Our Lord was the true reconciler. Peter describes the image of our Lord in the 1st Peter 2:22. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him, who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins, and live for righteousness. By His words you have been healed.

There is an English proverb: "no cross, no crown". Yes, without hardship, there is no glory of cross. Without cross, there is no victory of resurrection. The problem is that we want the crown without the cross. The worst disease of the modern Christians is to be afraid of the hardships. The problem is that without self-denial and self-abnegation, we are merely occupied with cheap PR and our own blessings. There are many churches. Many people associate church with dissension and division. My fellow congregation. When can the church revive spiritually and become a public entity with full of grace? It is time that we experience loss, loss of pride, and material loss. It is time that we pay the price for the effort and hardship. We may argue using logic and reasoning, and decide who is right and wrong. But the church and Kingdom of God is not built on logical reasoning. This is the secret of the Kingdom of God. What is the source and secret of happy family? Is it the economic law of distribution? If this were the secret of family happiness, the family as an entity would have disappeared.

The true disciple's life pays the price. The principle of true happiness rests on first experiencing loss and hardship. This is only when we can find the true peacemaker's image.

Then, what kind of person can be the peacemaker?

First, the one who reconciles himself with God can bring peace to other people. Those who have not experienced peace directly cannot become true peacemakers. They are pure in heart and meek in spirit. There may be gain from the process of reconciliation, but he does not seek any gains for himself. The true peace does not come from us. We are merely bridges, because we know it comes from God. St John tells us who is the real master of the peace making in 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 heart be troubled and do not be afraid."

My fellow congregation, do you wish to be the true peacemaker? Do not be offensive or critical. Don't be angry often or accuse others easily. Above all, do not dwell on your righteousness and accomplishments. The peacemaker experiences peace making himself first and knows God's grace. The person whose indebtedness is reduced knows the pain and weight of the debt. So, he is reborn and serves others with the grace he received.

Secondly, the peacemaker is the one who can lead others to God. In other words, he is the missionary. If you narrowly define the role of missionary, he is the one who brings a person to the church. What is missionary service? It has to be understood from the reconciler's perspective. He experiences the power of cross, and can introduce Christ who gives joy and peace to those who face death and despair. He does not show his own peace but Jesus' peace, not man's reconciliation, but God's reconciliation. The missionary knows what is the reconciliation between God and man. Without the reconciliation with God first, there cannot be the fundamental human reconciliation. All discords come from the discord with God. Therefore, by returning to God all human problems will be solved. The one who is close to God is also close to other man. The one who is friendly to God is also friendly to other man. God told Abraham that He is friend. He told David what was in his mind. He came to this world as Son of man and as friend of man.

Thirdly, the peacemaker is the one who helps other reconcile. He forgives others' weaknesses and problems, helps to see their strong points, helps to see other perspectives and help them to walk to the same destination. Romans 12:8 says " if possible be peaceful with yourselves." Jesus mentioned that the unreconciled mind has an effect on worship to God. Mathieu 5:23 says that "therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift."

From one perspective, then peace is more important than worship. He said that He does not receive worship from unreconciled heart. Therefore all Christians must have the reconciler's image after Christ. So the true worship service is that of peace and that of forgiveness. If the minister gives sermon without reconciliation, if the congregation listens sermon without the heart of peace and reconciliation, it is not a true worship. An artificial flower, pretending to be real, does not produce fragrance. Butterflies and bees may come but quickly fly away. As we know salt by its taste, Christians as children of God are marked by their disposition and action.

My loving members of congregation, peace making is the 7th disposition of transformed Christian. He does not criticize or accuse. He is not a critic, accuser nor instigator. Even though other people have these tendencies, the peacemaker must lead them to the heart of mutual understanding and encouragement. The reconciler opts to accord in lieu of discord. The reconciler is not hero but a martyr. The peacemaker is not a popular star but an unseen salt. God blesses peacemakers as the sons of God. Just as it is a blessing to have a good family and good parents, God calls peacemakers as his sons and promises to pass on His ability to us as his sons. What belongs to father belongs to son.

Son imitates father. Christians are the men of Christ. You imitate him through love. You came here today because you love Him. You came here to worship Him. You imitate Him because you love Him. Just as He came to this world as peacemaker, we have to live as peacemakers as well. Because we love Him.

"The peacemaker is the happy person. Why? Because he is already son of the Father. You are already sons and daughters of God. Amen.