Over the last few weeks we have been looking at what it means to live “At Peace.”

• Peace is something that everyone longs for. We look for so many earthly, transitory things to bring us peace, but peace cannot come through things that

with time.
• Peace instead begins as we are

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to God. Then that peace with God flows outward from the core of who we are to give us peace with ourselves, to shape our identity. But it doesn’t stop there.
• Today we want to explore how peace flows

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even beyond ourselves.
• In light of these truths, it seems like we should

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ourselves to let love and healing and peace not just reside in us, but flow out from us to the relationships around us. So, in our day, the words of Jesus ring true evermore >> Matthew 5:9.

Matthew 5:9| “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

• Dallas Willard >> What we have come to call the Sermon on the Mount is a concise statement of Jesus’ teachings on how to actually live in the reality of God’s present kingdom available to us
• As the greatest of teachers, Jesus

the nature of His message through His introduction. This introduction contains quick snapshots of the kind of people who have been remade by the King. We call them the Beatitudes.
• “Blessed” >> could also be translated “happy,” “Happy” could mean Jesus is describing a state of being that is truly human and in line with God’s

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for creation.
• “Peacemakers” >> In Ephesians 1:20 and Colossians 2:15, Paul uses a similar word to describe the work of God in

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to make peace.
• A

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marked by God’s blessing overflows with peace. Peace with God, peace from within, and peace with others.
• God equips His people to make peace through the Gospel >> Ephesians 6:15 | and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
• Since they bring peace in a world of chaos like their

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, they are called “children of God.”

What does it mean, practically-speaking, to be a peacemaker?

1. Resolve
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   conflicts as quickly as possible.
2. Determine that you won’t get
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   .
3. If you are being accused (fairly or unfairly), realize that you don’t have to
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   yourself.
4. Find a way to
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   the person to whom you are speaking.
5. Listen to
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   . Don’t listen to
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   .
6. Affirm
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   ground. Be “we-centered” instead of “me-centered”
7. Don’t
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   , respond with truth and love.
8. Ask, “What does peace look like in this situation?” Forgiveness is
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   possible. Reconciliation and restoration may not be.

A few warnings:

• If you are personally involved in the conflict, pursue peace as quickly as possible.
• If you simply a concerned third party, be cautious.
• Before you step in to be a peacemaker, ask the question, “Is peace actually desired? Are they teachable?”