And let's join together in reading from Matthew chapter 5 verses 3 through 10. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Amen. You may be seated. Again, we are focusing this morning or this afternoon on verse 9. the seventh of the eight Beatitudes, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. And once again I am benefiting from the reading of the Puritan Thomas Watson who calls this the seventh step in the golden ladder which leads to blessedness. Blessed are the peacemakers. Watson also says, that religion is suspicious, which is full of faction and discord. As has been our custom, we're looking, as Christ laid it out here, first of all at the blessing, the beatitude, and then at the promise that is affixed to it. And within the beatitude, blessed are the peacemakers, we can see that there is a duty implied, namely that we be peaceable-minded, and a duty expressed that we be peacemakers. We are to be peaceable-minded. Before we can promote peace among others, we must have peaceable spirits within ourselves. Watson calls a peaceable spirit, the beauty of the saint. It is a jewel of great price. There are four areas Watson talks about where the believer is to be a peacemaker. First of all, he says there is what he calls an economical peace and you know the English word economy or economics comes from a Greek word economos, which means a household and And so when he says there's to be an economical peace. He means there is to be a household peace there is to be peace in the sphere of our families and We should endeavor, Watson says, that our houses should be houses of peace. Is your home a home of peace? That doesn't mean, is there never any, if you've got children in the home, there's going to be some noise. There's going to be some rattling around. But generally, is there, is it peaceful? Are people arguing with each other all the time? Are there spiteful things being said? Mean-spirited things being said? Are there contentions and quarrels constantly? Brothers and sisters fighting? Parents fighting? We're to be peacemakers. Our homes are to be peaceable. Watson says, It is not fairness of rooms makes a pleasant house, but peaceableness of disposition. You know, there are lots of people who have these mansions these days, these houses that are opulent, lots of square footage, beautiful rooms, lots of furniture. But it's not fair rooms well appointed that makes for a peaceful house, a blessed house. It's a home where there is peace. where there is concord, where there's harmony, that makes for a peaceful house. Second sphere is, he says, there is a parochial peace. By that he means a peace in the parish or peace within the local church. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5.13, be at peace among yourselves. Watson says, one bad member in a parish endangers the whole. Third sphere, there is political peace. This is peace in the civil sphere, in the city or in the nation. It's interesting to read that today, given that we're seeing so much in the news these days about unrest in places like Egypt. And I know when I was a missionary in Hungary, in Budapest, and this was not long after communism had fallen, one morning I went out to go to the school where I taught. I taught English in a Baptist seminary and I had to travel about two hours by public transportation one way. I would leave very early in the morning. I would ride a bus and ride a subway and ride a tram to get to my school. But I rode my bus to a stop and then all the public transport stopped. And I went outside and there was a truck driver strike. They had, I don't know if they had increased the price of fuel or taxes, but they just, they blocked all the roads in the city of nearly three million people. And there was no way you could travel. And I was about an hour's away from my house and about an hour's away from my work. And there were literally tens of thousands of people in the street. Order completely broke down. It was much like some of these scenes that you're seeing, we're seeing on TV now, like Cairo. There wasn't any violence, thank goodness. But it was just complete disorder and chaos. You think about among the many things we often take for granted is that in our society in general God has given us peace So there is peace in the political sphere then fourthly says there is an ecclesiastical peace or church peace and this is beyond the local parish, but in sort of the church and with the in a bigger sense of a of Christianity across denominational lines, is there peace within the larger church, doctrinal peace, orthodox peace. And then Watson says we are to be peacemakers in all these spheres, in our homes, in our local church. in our society, in the larger church. Why should we be peacemakers? Well, Paul in 1 Corinthians 7.15 says, God hath called us to peace. Watson adds, it is the nature of grace to change the heart and make it peaceable. Peaceable-mindedness is the saint's true character. I thought it was interesting at this point that Watson also asserts a bit of a caution. And that is, he says that this beatitude does not mean that the Christian is someone who is kind of, I think, a doormat who is walked over. Nor does this beatitude argue for maybe what many of the Mennonites or Amish might take it for arguing for pacifism. Watson says that this beatitude does not mean that the saint makes a virtue of being abused. He says, a man may be of a peaceable spirit, yet seek to recover that which is his due. If peace has been otherwise sought and cannot be attained, he says, for example, a man may go to law and still be a peaceable man. He may commence a suit in law, yet be of a peaceable spirit. His goal is not to do another wrong, but to do himself right. It is a desire rather of equity than victory. And likewise, if a nation is invaded, he says, then peace can be purchased by no other means than war. Here it is lawful to beat the plowshare into a sword. So you understand that caution? He also says that the desire for peace that we are given here to be peacemakers has a double limitation. First, we should not take this verse to mean that we should have what he calls a league of amity or friendship with sinners in their sin. David, he says, would not sit on the ale bench with sinners. You see, you shouldn't use this verse to say, well, I need to go, you know, Jesus hung out with the sinners, and so I need to go down to the bar and hang out on the ale bench with the sinners. I'll be a peaceable, spirited man. No. Watson says, we must not purchase peace with the loss of holiness. Second limitation, we must not seek peace with others as to wrong the truth. We must not purchase peace by selling the truth. And he has quite a discussion here of not making peace with those he calls anti-scripturalists, or with Sassinians, which were those in his day who denied the deity of Christ, were the foreigners of Unitarians. You know, in some churches where you've got modern churches and some, unfortunately, evangelical churches where there's a lack of confessional unity and people's beliefs are sort of all over the map, people will, if you ever start pushing for expression, definition of doctrine, people say, can't you just, you're being fussy, can't you just leave that alone? Can't we just all get together and be one-minded? Watson says, no, don't make peace with those who wrong the truth. This is not what this beatitude is calling for. Watson also offers a sound reproof to those who are unpeaceable. The Christian is not to stir up strife and contention. This is particularly true in the Christian spheres. Watson notes that in Tertullian, Tertullian was an early church father, and he was quoted as saying about the growth of the Christian movement that the pagans would look at the harmony of Christian churches and they would say, see how Christians love one another. But then Watson laments that in his own times, when the Puritans were living in a time where there was incredible social religious turmoil, they were trying to reform the Church of England and make it be more biblical. Watson says, unfortunately, in our time, people are more prone to look at the Church and say, see how the Christians snarl at one another. Then he adds, Satan kindles the fire of contention in men's hearts. and then stands and warms himself at the fire. Satan kindles contention and then warms himself at the fire. Watson gives these eleven exhortations to peaceable-mindedness. I'll pass through them rather quickly. He says, quotes Romans 12.18, If it is possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men. First, he says of these 11 exhortations. First, he says men should be peaceful by natural frame. We don't have the paw of a bear, the tusk of a boar, or the sting of a bee. We're made to be peaceful, he says. I don't know how he counted for fists and teeth, but we were made to be peaceful. Second, he says a peaceful spirit is honorable. Third, it is prudential. It's wise. A wise man doesn't stick his finger intentionally into a hornet's nest. He doesn't try to stir up trouble. Fourth, it brings peace and comfort. Fifth, it is a God-like disposition. Sixth, we should remember that Christ prayed for peace. John 17, the High Priestly Prayer. Seventh, remember that Christ bled for our peace. Colossians 1 20 having made peace through the blood of his cross eighth strife and contention hinder growth and grace Ninth peaceableness among Christians is a powerful lodestone To draw the world to Christ. We're peaceful. We're more likely to be useful in evangelism Tenth lack of peace makes Christians act like the heathen and Eleventh, it is the mind of Christ that we live in peace. As Jesus said in Mark 9 50, have peace with one another. And then he lists some helps to being peaceable minded. And he does so by first of all saying, we should take heed of things that hinder peace. These include outward things, outward actions that we might take. And so, Watson says, don't be a whisperer. You know, in Romans 1.29, Paul lists a number of things that can cause contention, and one of them is being a whisperer. Watson says, there are some who will be buzzing things in our ears purposely to exasperate and to provoke. These include tail-bearers. He adds, the devil sends his letters by this post. The tail-bearer is an incendiary. He blows the coals of contention. Things to hinder also include internal things. Externally, don't be a tail-bearer, don't be a whisperer. Internally, we upset peace when we're filled with self-love, when we're filled with pride, when we're filled with credulity. I thought it was interesting on this score. He says, he quotes Proverbs 14, 15. The simple believe every word. Credulity. When you believe anything that you're told. A credulous man, watch it says, is like a fool. He believes all that is told him. And this often creates differences. As it is, a sin to be a tail bearer. So it is a folly to be a pale believer. A wise man will not take a report at the first bound, but will sift and examine it before he gives credit to it. Over the lunch table we were talking about how newspapers and news media often misreport and misinterpret facts. A wise man avoids the error of credulity. He's not overly credulous. So take heed of things that hinder peace, but then secondly, labor for things that maintain and cherish peace. Have faith in God and his word. Seek Christian communion. There should not be too much strangeness, Watson says, among Christians. Third, don't look upon the failings of others, but upon their graces. Watson says, oh, let us not quarrel with the infirmities of others as to pass by their virtues. If in some things they fail and other things they excel, it is the manner of the world to look more upon the sun in an eclipse than when it shines in its full luster. And then he says, pray to God for peace. I love this quote. He says, we should not as vultures pray one upon another, P-R-E-Y, but we should pray for one another. P-R-A-Y. All Christians must be peacemakers rather than peace breakers. If peacemakers are children of God, peace breakers are children of the devil. Deuteronomy 27 24 says, Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor secretly. That is, he who backbites and so sets one friend against another. If there be a devil in a man's shape, Watson says, it is an incendiary. one who spoils peace. Let us labor then to be, as Isaiah puts in Isaiah 58, 12, repairers of the breach. Peace makes the church of God on earth in some measure like the church in heaven. The peacemaker will have peace with God and peace in his own bosom, which is the sweetest music in the world. So that's the Beatitude. We're called to be a peacemaker in our families in our local church, within our society, within a larger Christendom. And then what is the reward? What is the reward? The reward is that we have a title bestowed upon us. Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called the children of God. Watson's entire discussion is wonderful. This is one of the few of these Beatitudes where He spends less time describing the blessing and more time describing the reward. And he says so much in it, I can't summarize it all, but let me point to a couple things. He says that if we are truly God's children, if we're peacemakers and then truly God's children, that there should be nine signs of this. How do you know you're a child of God? First of all, you have tenderness of heart. The true child of God, for example, grieves for his sin. He melts then under God's mercy, and he trembles at God's threatenings. Secondly, you show you're a child of God by what he calls assimilation. That is, you begin to resemble your Heavenly Father in your words and actions. Third, you have the Spirit of God. The Spirit has a regenerating work in God's child. We are not God's children by creation, but by renovation. And before our spiritual birth, we may experience birth pangs, the bruising of the spirit, then the spirit brings us to life. The spirit has a supplicating work in the heart, and it has a witnessing work in the heart. Fourth sign of our sonship is we have a zeal for God. The true believer that is born of God is impatient for God's dishonor, and he takes injuries done to God as done to himself. Fifth, God's children have a more noble and celestial spirit than men of the world. Sixth, God's children have love to his other children. 1 Peter 2.17 says, love the brotherhood. We love the saints, Watson says, notwithstanding their infirmities. The believer recognizes that the best saints have their blemishes. A saint in this life is like a fair face, he says, with a scar in it. We love to see the image and picture of our Father, though hung in a poor frame. I love this one line. Write this down in your devotional book. We love to see a rich Christ in a poor man. We love to see a rich Christ in a poor man. Seventh, a sign of divine sonship. God's children delight to be much in God's presence. Children love to be in the presence of their father. Where the king is, there is the court. Eighth, God's children are compliant to the will of the father. And ninth, truly, the child of God labors to make others the children of God. Well, there's so much more I could add to what he has to say about being children of God. But if we are His people, by nature we will want to be peacemakers and not peacebreakers. And if we, by His grace, are able to do that, then the reward for us It's his bestowal upon us on the title of honor that we are his children. He adopts us. He makes us his sons and daughters. And this is an incredible reward for us. Let me watch you stand together. Let's pray. Lord, we are thankful for your word. And we would just get in line one after another, we could say that we have fallen short, we have not pursued the blessed life as we should have, we have erred, and we have robbed ourselves of a blessing. But Lord, we ask that you would give us a hunger, a craving, For living the blessed life and as part of that that we would be peacemakers That to the degree that we are able that we would live at peace with all men We would live in peace with one another that our homes would be peaceable places Safe havens in a world that is often filled with unrest and discontent, that our homes would be exactly the opposite. Peaceful places. Our churches would be peaceful places. People who are distraught and confused in the world would come in and notice immediately.