Matthew 5:9 (NKJV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
We are made in the image of God therefore we are able to act as peacemakers and initiate peacemaking. The new creation in our spirit being has the nature of God. We are to put on the new man by constantly reminding ourselves that we are a new creation. The old man before salvation was full of himself, did not bow down to God and allowed his emotions to always get the better of him. This old man is dead and crucified on the cross together with Jesus. We have identified with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection when we profess that He is our Lord and Savior. The baptism is only a public declaration of what has already happened in our hearts. We have risen to a new life in Christ and we choose to live for Him.
We are able to yield to the Holy Spirit who empowers the new creation. The born-again person is able to choose not to succumb to the flesh by not participating in a tit for tat treatment towards one another! We have the whole fruit of the Holy Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control residing in us. Therefore, we are expected to be peacemakers because we are the children of God. It is really a blessing to be a peacemaker because we are the restorers of peace just as God took the initiative to restore peace with us. Since we are the children of God then we will naturally take on the nature of our Heavenly Father who is a peacemaker.
Karl A. Pillemer, a family sociologist and professor at Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College, discovered that family rifts were surprisingly pervasive and often result long-lasting emotional and physical distress. (When a Family Is Fractured, Jane E. Brody @ The New York Times)
No one would like their family members to have long-lasting emotional and physical distress. Christian families, especially those who are well-established in the Word and are walking out the truth, should and can be different. We should also note that while we work towards being peacemakers, it does not mean that the opposing party will be willing to have a reconciliation. We should accept the fact that reconciliation might not be possible if the other party refuses to participate in the restoration of a relationship but at least we have tried to create peace.
Similarly, not everyone has responded to the reconciliation extended to us by God. While we cannot decide for the opposing party, we should work on it and it will also be a good closure for us in regards to the rift in a relationship.
We need to be mindful that it is counterintuitive for our flesh to want to be a peacemaker because the flesh wants to live independently of God. It is natural for our flesh to want to take revenge, prove that we are right, have the last say in a conversation and to continue to torture those who have offended us. Therefore, we need to crucify our flesh and die a thousand deaths by choosing to walk in the Spirit to work on taking the first step to initiate peacemaking between parties! We need to pursue love and peace and not cause division and strife! That is what is expected of us as peacemakers.
Sermon Series: Peacemaker
使人和睦的人
马太福音 5:9 使人和睦的人有福了！因为他们必称为神的儿子。
我们是按着 神的形像造的，因此我们能够成为使人和睦的人并开始建立和平。在我们灵里新造的人有着神的本性。我们穿上新人，时常地提醒自己是一个新造的人。得救之前的老我充满自我，不顺服 神，并总是被情绪主宰。如今老我已经死了，和基督同钉在十字架上。我们与耶稣一同死去，一同埋葬，当我们宣告祂是我们生命的主和救主的时候，我们也和祂一同复活。洗礼只是公开宣告我们心中已经确信的事。我们在基督里复活成为一个新的生命，并且选择为祂而活。
我们能顺服圣灵，祂赐力量给新造的人。重生的人能作出选择不屈服于肉体，不用以牙还牙的方式对待彼此! 在我们里面有圣灵所有的果子内住，就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔和节制。我们被期待成为使人和睦的人，因为我们是 神的儿女。成为使人和睦的人真的是一个祝福，因为我们是和平的修复者，就像 神主动与我们和好一样。既然我们是 神的儿女，那么我们会自然地接受天父使人和睦的本性。
康奈尔大学(Cornell University)和威尔康奈尔医学院(Weill Cornell Medical College)的家庭社会学家卡尔·皮勒默(Karl Pillemer)发现，家庭裂痕出人意料地普遍存在，并常常导致长期的情感和身体痛苦。
没人希望他们的家人遭受长期情感和身体的痛苦。基督徒的家庭，尤其是那些在神的真道上建立的稳并行出来的，更应该可以显出不同。我们还应该注意到，虽然我们努力成为使人和睦的人，但这并不意味着对方愿意和解。我们应该接受这样一个事实，即如果另一方拒绝修复关系，和解或许是不可能的，但至少我们已经努力成为使人和睦的人。
同样，并非每个人都对 神给予我们的和解做出回应。虽然我们不能为对方做决定，但我们应该为此努力，这也会使我们关系中的裂痕有一个很好的弥补。
我们需要意识到，让我们的肉体成为使人和睦的人这是反常的，因为肉体想要的是不依靠神的自我意志而生活。很自然地，我们肉体的本性是想要报复；证明我们是对的；在对话中拥有最终的发言权；以及继续折磨那些冒犯我们的人。因此，我们需要将肉体一次次地钉死在十字架上，并选择行在灵里努力迈出第一步，成为各方之间使人和睦的人! 我们需要追求爱与和平，而不是制造分裂和冲突。这就是对我们作为使人和睦的人的期望
讲章系列：使人和睦的人