Peacemakers – Matthew 5:9
Pastor Tan Thai · Aug 14, 2011
This sermon expounds the seventh Beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount: 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.' The pastor distinguishes between those who actively create peace and those who passively wish for it. The sermon emphasizes that true peace requires a cost, and believers are called to follow Christ the Mediator by actively reconciling broken relationships.
The sermon opens by acknowledging humanity's universal longing for peace, especially among Vietnamese people after thousands of years of war. The pastor surveys conflicts from the two World Wars, the war on terror, and the 2011 London riots, then notes that conflict occurs not only between nations but within families and churches, beginning with Cain and Abel. Jesus Christ is introduced as the Prince of Peace who came to bring peace between God and humanity, and between people.
The central section distinguishes two types of people: peacemakers, who actively and wholeheartedly work to create harmony, and peacekeepers, who passively wish for personal tranquility without contributing anything. The pastor emphasizes that true peace is never free: Christ's salvation cost His very life, and national security costs the blood of soldiers. He warns against 'cheap peace' through the historical example of Prime Minister Chamberlain appeasing Hitler, and through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's concept of 'cheap grace' in The Cost of Discipleship.
The sermon then outlines the character qualities required of a peacemaker: awareness of one's own sinfulness and need for forgiveness, genuine repentance and humility, a hunger for impartial justice, a merciful and forgiving heart, sincerity and integrity, along with knowledge of God's Word, wisdom, and experience. The peacemaker must be careful in speech, yet courageous enough to speak the truth in love rather than staying silent while problems grow.
The final section draws on Romans 12:18 and 14:19 to present two dimensions of peace: first, each believer must do everything possible to be at peace with those around them, examining themselves before helping others; then, actively seek to reconcile others and set a good example. The pastor uses the story of King David's silence after Tamar's assault to warn against passivity and its consequences. The sermon closes with a call for the congregation to live with the intentional purpose of bringing news of peace to all people, so that they may rightly be called children of God.