1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:11,780 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN 365. 3 00:00:11,780 –> 00:00:14,320 Or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org. 4 00:00:14,320 –> 00:00:18,120 Let’s get to the message. 5 00:00:18,120 –> 00:00:20,660 Here is Pastor Colin. 6 00:00:20,660 –> 00:00:24,000 Will you open your Bible at Matthew and chapter five and verse nine. 7 00:00:24,000 –> 00:00:29,020 Matthew chapter five and verse nine. 8 00:00:29,040 –> 00:00:32,240 The words of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 00:00:32,240 –> 00:00:42,279 Blest are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God. 10 00:00:42,279 –> 00:00:50,160 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God. 11 00:00:50,160 –> 00:00:55,279 Now, as we have followed this series, we have been seeing that our Lord Jesus describes 12 00:00:55,279 –> 00:00:58,660 the character of a Christian in seven beatitudes. 13 00:00:58,660 –> 00:01:03,580 There is, of course, as you will know, an Eighth Beatitude that follows, but that one 14 00:01:03,580 –> 00:01:08,059 is different, because it speaks about the experience of a Christian, which is to be 15 00:01:08,059 –> 00:01:12,379 blessed by God and to be persecuted by the world. 16 00:01:12,379 –> 00:01:19,400 But this is the last of our Lord’s seven-fold description of Christian character. 17 00:01:19,400 –> 00:01:23,300 And as we said at the beginning of the series, the Beatitudes tell us what a true Christian 18 00:01:23,480 –> 00:01:24,480 looks like. 19 00:01:24,480 –> 00:01:30,480 They give us a kind of grid on which we can measure our progress. 20 00:01:30,480 –> 00:01:37,059 And today we then come to the last of these seven distinguishing marks. 21 00:01:37,059 –> 00:01:38,059 And what is it? 22 00:01:38,059 –> 00:01:41,720 It is that the Christian is a peacemaker. 23 00:01:41,720 –> 00:01:44,419 A peacemaker. 24 00:01:44,419 –> 00:01:51,500 Again, our plan is to look today at what that means, and next week at how we can pursue 25 00:01:51,500 –> 00:01:53,860 this calling. 26 00:01:53,860 –> 00:01:59,699 The fact that this is the last of these seven descriptions of a true Christian tells us 27 00:01:59,699 –> 00:02:00,699 two things. 28 00:02:00,699 –> 00:02:06,400 Remember, there is order and there is progress throughout the Beatitudes. 29 00:02:06,400 –> 00:02:12,320 And so as we come to this, as it were, the top rung of the ladder, or to use the analogy 30 00:02:12,320 –> 00:02:18,419 we have used, the last ring on this line of rings over which we’ve been picturing ourselves 31 00:02:18,419 –> 00:02:20,300 swinging. 32 00:02:20,300 –> 00:02:25,339 The fact that this is the last, that this is the ultimate, quite clearly indicates its 33 00:02:25,339 –> 00:02:28,860 importance to God. 34 00:02:28,860 –> 00:02:34,580 It also indicates its sheer difficulty. 35 00:02:34,580 –> 00:02:38,220 Have you noticed that as we’ve gone through this series, each was more difficult than 36 00:02:38,220 –> 00:02:39,220 the last. 37 00:02:39,220 –> 00:02:41,899 The first one was dead easy. 38 00:02:41,899 –> 00:02:48,259 To be poor in spirit, to admit and to recognize that I don’t have what it takes when it comes 39 00:02:48,279 –> 00:02:49,979 to standing before God? 40 00:02:49,979 –> 00:02:51,740 Boy, you can’t see that. 41 00:02:51,740 –> 00:02:54,539 That’s the easiest. 42 00:02:54,539 –> 00:02:59,300 But as we have moved through, we’ve found that the challenge has become greater and 43 00:02:59,300 –> 00:03:00,300 greater. 44 00:03:00,300 –> 00:03:01,300 The stretch has become further. 45 00:03:01,300 –> 00:03:04,160 We’ve gone up to purity of heart. 46 00:03:04,160 –> 00:03:09,460 Now we’re doing something that’s more difficult still. 47 00:03:09,460 –> 00:03:19,940 The ultimate stretch, the highest and the hardest calling of all, to be a peacemaker. 48 00:03:19,940 –> 00:03:25,199 Now, the importance and the relevance of this subject, is surely obvious to us all. 49 00:03:25,199 –> 00:03:30,240 Even in these last weeks, the city that we love, the city that is our home, has again 50 00:03:30,240 –> 00:03:35,339 become notorious for its violence. 51 00:03:35,339 –> 00:03:40,360 The Bible speaks in Psalm 55, you might like to turn back to that for a moment, I’m going 52 00:03:40,360 –> 00:03:42,940 to read a few verses from Psalm 55. 53 00:03:42,940 –> 00:03:48,820 The Bible speaks about violence and strife in the city. 54 00:03:48,820 –> 00:03:57,059 And there is strife and violence in the city because there is strife and violence in the 55 00:03:57,059 –> 00:04:02,020 family, and there is strife and violence in the family because there is strife and there 56 00:04:02,139 –> 00:04:07,020 is violence in our own hearts. 57 00:04:07,020 –> 00:04:15,820 Psalm 55, as you’re turning to it, there is a lament over broken relationships. 58 00:04:15,820 –> 00:04:21,019 When David says in verse 9, I see violence and strife in this city, which city is he 59 00:04:21,019 –> 00:04:23,380 talking about? 60 00:04:23,380 –> 00:04:26,040 The city of God. 61 00:04:26,040 –> 00:04:28,820 The city of Jerusalem. 62 00:04:28,820 –> 00:04:35,399 And the lament and the pain that comes out of Psalm 55 is that the strife did not come 63 00:04:35,399 –> 00:04:43,940 from invading armies, it rose up from among the people of God themselves. 64 00:04:43,940 –> 00:04:51,959 Probably this psalm was written around the rise of Absalom, David’s own son, who raised 65 00:04:51,959 –> 00:04:55,600 an army against him. 66 00:04:55,679 –> 00:05:04,339 And so anyone who has experienced or is experiencing right now the fracturing of a family, division, 67 00:05:04,339 –> 00:05:15,619 enmity, breakdown of relationship, marriage has become turbulent instead of loving. 68 00:05:15,619 –> 00:05:22,640 Now you’ll relate to these words verse 12 and verse 13 of Psalm 55, it is not an enemy 69 00:05:22,720 –> 00:05:26,859 who taunts me, because then I could bear it. 70 00:05:26,859 –> 00:05:31,959 It is not an adversary who deals insolently with me, because then I could hide from him. 71 00:05:31,959 –> 00:05:33,700 I just make my distance. 72 00:05:33,700 –> 00:05:41,779 But here’s the problem, it’s you, my companion, my familiar friend. 73 00:05:41,779 –> 00:05:52,600 We used to take sweet counsel together within God’s house, when we walked in the throng. 74 00:05:52,600 –> 00:06:01,899 So anyone who knows the grief of a trust being betrayed in a marriage, a business partnership, 75 00:06:01,899 –> 00:06:10,420 even in a church, you’ll understand verse 20, verse 21, my companion stretched out his 76 00:06:10,660 –> 00:06:18,019 hand against his friend, my companion. He has violated his covenant, his speech was 77 00:06:18,019 –> 00:06:30,059 as smooth as butter yet war was in his heart, and David says, therefore, verse 22, cast 78 00:06:30,059 –> 00:06:39,859 your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to 79 00:06:39,880 –> 00:06:45,420 be moved. As soon as we look at the real world, whether 80 00:06:45,420 –> 00:06:51,140 it be privately, within the context of the family, whether it be the world of churches, 81 00:06:51,140 –> 00:07:04,839 whether it be the world of cities, we see so many experiences of the saddening fracturing 82 00:07:04,839 –> 00:07:13,239 of life. For anyone who loves Christ, it is a great burden, and it is a cause, as in Psalm 83 00:07:13,239 –> 00:07:22,279 55 with King David, to lament. Thomas Watson has an extraordinary phrase, 84 00:07:22,279 –> 00:07:28,359 a little picture, now I have found it and I think it will always stay with me. He says, 85 00:07:28,359 –> 00:07:34,079 Satan kindles the fire of contention in men’s 86 00:07:34,079 –> 00:07:41,920 hearts, and then he stands and warms himself at the fire. Isn’t that powerful? That is 87 00:07:41,920 –> 00:07:51,220 what Satan does. Satan stirs the flames of contention, of division, of fraction, of conflict, 88 00:07:51,220 –> 00:07:56,799 of quarrelling. He kindles all that in the hearts of men, and of once he gets the fire 89 00:07:56,920 –> 00:08:11,059 going, Satan warms himself at the fire. Isn’t that an awful picture? Satan warming himself 90 00:08:11,059 –> 00:08:19,799 at the fires that burn within a human heart. Fires of anger, fires of contention. 91 00:08:19,799 –> 00:08:25,200 Now, in that world, and I’ve just taken these moments to try and earth and describe for 92 00:08:25,359 –> 00:08:32,020 us the world with which we’re all familiar and of which we’re all part. Into that world 93 00:08:32,020 –> 00:08:39,020 we, by Christ, are called to be peacemakers. There are peacemakers, there are peacebreakers, 94 00:08:40,039 –> 00:08:47,039 and God calls us to be peacemakers in a world of conflict. 95 00:08:47,380 –> 00:08:52,979 Let me give you some Scriptures that remind you of the importance of the blessing and 96 00:08:52,979 –> 00:08:58,280 the calling of being a peacemaker. Here’s the first, and sometimes short statements 97 00:08:58,280 –> 00:09:03,239 are really helpful because the eclipse catch things clearly for us. 98 00:09:03,239 –> 00:09:10,239 Number one, God has called you to peace. That is 1 Corinthians 7 in verse 15. A definitive 99 00:09:10,580 –> 00:09:14,960 statement. If you are in Christ, this is your calling, and it’s a calling from God. It’s 100 00:09:14,960 –> 00:09:21,960 not an option. God calls you to contribute to peace in your family. 101 00:09:22,640 –> 00:09:27,739 Picture your father, your mother, if they are living, your brother and sister, if you 102 00:09:27,739 –> 00:09:31,960 have one, your son, and daughter, if these gifts have been given to you, your grandchildren 103 00:09:31,960 –> 00:09:41,820 and so on and on. They are your family. They may love you dearly, they may be at each other’s 104 00:09:41,820 –> 00:09:50,039 throats, they may not be speaking to one another. But whatever the situation in regards to these 105 00:09:50,760 –> 00:09:55,940 relationships, God’s calling to you is that to the best of your ability, you contribute 106 00:09:55,940 –> 00:10:02,119 to the peace of your family. That however bad it is, at least your influence will be 107 00:10:02,119 –> 00:10:07,880 making it better. That’s a direct calling of God upon your life. God has called you 108 00:10:07,880 –> 00:10:16,099 to peace. It’s the same in the church. Here we are and we are members of this marvelous 109 00:10:16,099 –> 00:10:18,559 congregation and privileged to be a part of it. 110 00:10:18,780 –> 00:10:23,260 What is God’s calling to you, and to me, to each of us? It is that we contribute to 111 00:10:23,260 –> 00:10:27,859 the peace of the body. That is not an option. It is a calling, and it’s a calling directly 112 00:10:27,859 –> 00:10:35,119 from God. It’s the same at your work. It’s the same in the community. It’s the same 113 00:10:35,119 –> 00:10:40,219 when you go and eat a meal in a restaurant. Wherever you go, whatever you do, keep this 114 00:10:40,219 –> 00:10:46,140 in your mind, God has called me to peace, 1 Corinthians Chapter 7 verse 15. 115 00:10:46,539 –> 00:10:48,440 Second, since this is the 116 00:10:48,440 –> 00:10:56,020 calling of God, we should be intentional about pursuing it. Proverbs 12 verse 20, I had not 117 00:10:56,020 –> 00:11:05,419 noticed this phrase before, and it’s very helpful. Those who plan peace have joy. Plan 118 00:11:05,419 –> 00:11:12,719 peace, the Bible says. In other words, where we don’t have peace, a faithful Christian 119 00:11:12,719 –> 00:11:18,280 is to be thinking like this, what is the best way to get there? What would be some steps 120 00:11:18,280 –> 00:11:22,940 that will move us in the direction of peace? How can I plan this? How can I strategize 121 00:11:22,940 –> 00:11:27,760 this? How can I think about moving in that direction? Where we do have peace, and thank 122 00:11:27,760 –> 00:11:33,859 God for that in the body here. Then the question is, always, how can we be wise in protecting 123 00:11:33,859 –> 00:11:40,719 that and in maintaining that? Maintaining the spirit in the bond of peace? And of course, 124 00:11:40,780 –> 00:11:45,099 peace is more than the absence of conflict. You know the great Hebrew word shalom, that’s 125 00:11:45,099 –> 00:11:49,280 become well known in our culture, that it’s not only the absence of conflict, but it means 126 00:11:49,280 –> 00:11:56,280 the active enjoyment of all that is good. And so, as I think about what I say and about 127 00:11:56,599 –> 00:12:02,179 what I do, in any sphere of life, this is an important question, what would promote 128 00:12:02,179 –> 00:12:08,780 the greatest good in my family, in my church, among my colleagues at work, among my neighbors 129 00:12:08,859 –> 00:12:15,159 and among my friends. And then I should plan for that, should strategize for that, should 130 00:12:15,159 –> 00:12:22,159 say that’s what we’re going to go for, because those who plan peace have great joy. 131 00:12:23,940 –> 00:12:28,340 And then as we’re called to peace and we’re planning peace we’re to work for peace. 132 00:12:28,340 –> 00:12:33,380 Peacemakers don’t stop with plans, it doesn’t simply remain there. We’re to plan the 133 00:12:33,380 –> 00:12:40,380 work of peace and we are to work the plan for peace. And Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 134 00:12:40,479 –> 00:12:46,659 14 catches this, strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one 135 00:12:46,659 –> 00:12:52,780 will see the Lord. The word strive indicates effort, sheer hard work, certainly perseverance 136 00:12:52,780 –> 00:12:59,780 indicates this is not going to be easy. So as we’ve tried to frame the world in which 137 00:13:00,340 –> 00:13:06,859 we live with all of it’s fracturing and the calling of Christ that is so distinctive 138 00:13:06,859 –> 00:13:13,859 to us and is repeated in so many scriptures, I want us to focus in here today on what it 139 00:13:15,039 –> 00:13:22,039 really means to be a peacemaker and why peacemakers are called sons of God. What does it mean 140 00:13:22,359 –> 00:13:29,359 to be a peacemaker? Let me give you this description. Peacemakers 141 00:13:30,039 –> 00:13:37,039 are people who bring peace to others because they have it in themselves. Two parts to that 142 00:13:41,039 –> 00:13:48,039 description. Peacemakers are people who bring peace to others because they have it in themselves. 143 00:13:50,719 –> 00:13:56,960 If we begin at the last part of the definition or description there, it’s obvious you cannot 144 00:13:57,119 –> 00:14:04,119 give what you do not have. A person who is to use the great phrase of Kent Hughes, a sort 145 00:14:04,280 –> 00:14:11,280 of walking civil war. A person who is an embodiment of unresolved conflict. Conflict will simply 146 00:14:15,039 –> 00:14:22,039 follow that person around. The reason that conflict follows some people is that conflict 147 00:14:22,200 –> 00:14:29,200 lives so much in some people. And what fills you will spill out from you when other people 148 00:14:30,440 –> 00:14:34,900 bump into you. That’s one of the reasons why the Bible is so very clear in saying that 149 00:14:34,900 –> 00:14:40,919 it is important for the protection of the body to mark, the Bible says, a contentious 150 00:14:40,919 –> 00:14:44,039 person. In other words, for there to be an awareness that that person is not going to 151 00:14:44,039 –> 00:14:48,640 be a good influence. And then you’ll warn a contentious person once, the Bible says, 152 00:14:49,140 –> 00:14:53,559 you have nothing more to do with them, because that will be like a cancer within the body 153 00:14:53,559 –> 00:15:00,059 that will spread very quickly. What is inside of you will spill out from you. So how are 154 00:15:00,059 –> 00:15:05,880 we going to be peacemakers, this great calling of God to us? Well, I’ve got to have peace 155 00:15:05,880 –> 00:15:10,679 in my own heart. And how can I have peace in my own heart? 156 00:15:10,679 –> 00:15:15,919 This far on in the series, you’ll probably anticipate where I’m going to go, because 157 00:15:16,000 –> 00:15:23,080 been seeing it right through the series. The beatitudes are a continuum in which each comes 158 00:15:23,080 –> 00:15:32,500 out of what went before, and the seventh beatitude comes directly from the sixth. What that means 159 00:15:32,500 –> 00:15:42,400 is simply this, that peace in your heart flows from purity in your life. Notice the order. 160 00:15:42,419 –> 00:15:49,020 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Sixth beatitude. Verse 9, blessed 161 00:15:49,020 –> 00:15:55,520 are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. There’s a direct connection. 162 00:15:55,520 –> 00:16:01,859 The reason that we read from James 3 is that in this passage, the direct connection is 163 00:16:01,859 –> 00:16:09,320 made quite explicit. Look at verse 17 from James 3 that was read for us. The wisdom of 164 00:16:09,460 –> 00:16:16,460 God, the wisdom that is from above. What are its characteristics? It is first pure, then 165 00:16:18,080 –> 00:16:25,080 peaceable. Did you notice that? First pure, then peaceable. 166 00:16:26,119 –> 00:16:33,119 There is clearly an order there. First, then. Chronology, order. Peace of heart flows from 167 00:16:33,960 –> 00:16:40,960 the purity of life, and if you think back to what we’ve been learning about about purity 168 00:16:40,960 –> 00:16:45,320 of heart is really all about you’ll see why. What is purity of heart? Purity of heart is 169 00:16:45,320 –> 00:16:52,320 to will one thing. The person who wills one thing is the person who can be at peace. The 170 00:16:54,099 –> 00:16:58,840 problem with the impure person is that he or she is so fundamentally divided, conflicted, 171 00:16:59,340 –> 00:17:03,419 he or she wants contradictory things at the same time, and as long as that unresolved 172 00:17:03,419 –> 00:17:09,619 conflict rages in the soul there is no peace. And that person cannot be a peacemaker because 173 00:17:09,619 –> 00:17:15,540 what’s coming out of them is the conflict that is unresolved within them. That is why 174 00:17:15,540 –> 00:17:20,560 James chapter 4 and verse 1 if you’d like to turn over there. James goes right to the 175 00:17:20,560 –> 00:17:25,680 heart of where strife, division, and quarreling comes from. And he identifies precisely this. 176 00:17:25,680 –> 00:17:31,400 He says what causes quarrels, what causes fights among you. James 4, verse 1. Is it 177 00:17:31,400 –> 00:17:39,180 not this that your passions are at war within you, he is saying you’re not people of one 178 00:17:39,180 –> 00:17:45,300 thing, he says to his audience, because you’re not people of one thing there is not purity 179 00:17:45,300 –> 00:17:52,619 therefore there is not peace. You see the connection, passions are at war within the 180 00:17:52,619 –> 00:17:59,719 person, he is divided therefore he becomes divisive and if this person could have come 181 00:17:59,719 –> 00:18:04,300 to the place of purity of heart to have willed one thing, they would have the means of dealing 182 00:18:04,300 –> 00:18:08,560 with all the stuff that comes to all of us by way of temptation. But without this purity 183 00:18:08,560 –> 00:18:13,540 of heart, without this ability of the apostle Paul to say, one thing I do and whatever the 184 00:18:14,160 –> 00:18:19,739 I’m after following Jesus Christ, that’s what matters most to me. That is the beginning 185 00:18:19,739 –> 00:18:28,859 and the middle and the end of what I’m after. Without that purity, this person, divided 186 00:18:28,859 –> 00:18:36,739 person, becomes, in Elija’s words, the person who is always limping between two opinions, 187 00:18:36,739 –> 00:18:43,719 never makes much progress, just always limping between two opinions. And because the person 188 00:18:43,719 –> 00:18:56,739 is divided in his own heart, he becomes divisive. Because what is in him comes out of him. 189 00:18:56,739 –> 00:19:03,420 Purity of heart is the only path to peace of life. And that is why the Bible says, there 190 00:19:03,699 –> 00:19:10,699 no peace for the wicked. The wicked cannot have peace. Why? Because they do not have 191 00:19:13,280 –> 00:19:20,280 purity. And purity is the way to peace. So here’s what we’re learning, and this is 192 00:19:20,439 –> 00:19:27,439 very practical and motivating when you see it. The more you pursue purity, the more you 193 00:19:28,300 –> 00:19:35,300 will enjoy peace. And the more you give way to impurity in your life, the more you will 194 00:19:37,979 –> 00:19:44,979 become a conflicted, disturbed, restless, and ultimately divisive person. So being a 195 00:19:47,420 –> 00:19:52,959 peacemaker, it has to begin with the cultivation of peace in your own heart, and that’s a 196 00:19:53,479 –> 00:20:00,479 direct outcome of the pursuit of purity. The wisdom that comes from above is first pure. 197 00:20:02,319 –> 00:20:08,739 Then it’s peaceable. Now out of peace that is growing and to being 198 00:20:08,739 –> 00:20:14,959 cultivated within the heart of a growing and maturing believer, there is there the capacity 199 00:20:14,959 –> 00:20:21,520 to be a peacemaker, to bring what is growing within the heart and to bring it into the 200 00:20:21,520 –> 00:20:35,500 lives of others. And most of us, and probably all of us, will be able to think of a relationship 201 00:20:35,500 –> 00:20:46,900 or relationships that did not end as we would have liked. We live in a fallen world in which 202 00:20:46,979 –> 00:20:53,599 at our best we are sinners in the process of recovery. Other Christians are in the same 203 00:20:53,599 –> 00:21:01,739 position. Sometimes we find ourselves as David found with his own son in a position where 204 00:21:01,739 –> 00:21:08,619 he was not able to make peace and that Psalm 55 came out of that. Just the agony, he could 205 00:21:08,760 –> 00:21:18,959 not make peace with his own son. And how do you live with that? And that’s a struggle 206 00:21:18,959 –> 00:21:27,660 that many and perhaps all of us at some point in life will face. 207 00:21:27,660 –> 00:21:35,739 You want to be a peacemaker in this fractured world and by definition it does not always 208 00:21:35,739 –> 00:21:44,099 happen. The world persecutes the Christians so there’s certainly no peace there. 209 00:21:44,099 –> 00:21:55,020 This entire series has been about, big word now, sanctification. What is sanctification? 210 00:21:55,020 –> 00:22:00,339 It is about how you grow as a Christian. It is about Christian growth. It’s about Christian 211 00:22:00,380 –> 00:22:10,119 maturity and what that looks like. And sanctification is a journey in which 212 00:22:10,119 –> 00:22:16,459 every Christian makes progress but no Christian completes this journey in this 213 00:22:16,459 –> 00:22:24,239 life. That’s really important to get hold of. Justification is an event, it is a 214 00:22:24,239 –> 00:22:30,079 gift. You come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and you cross over from darkness 215 00:22:30,099 –> 00:22:33,719 to life, you move from condemnation to no condemnation. 216 00:22:34,000 –> 00:22:41,219 Your sins are forgiven and you are in Christ. You’re saved. But sanctification 217 00:22:41,219 –> 00:22:46,800 is a process, it is a journey, it is a journey by which by definition every 218 00:22:46,800 –> 00:22:49,800 person who is a Christian is on this journey. You’re not on this journey, 219 00:22:49,800 –> 00:22:53,520 you’re not a Christian, every Christian is on this journey, every Christian makes 220 00:22:53,520 –> 00:22:57,880 progress on this journey, but no Christian completes this journey. 221 00:22:58,680 –> 00:23:03,239 There’s no Christian perfection in this life. 222 00:23:03,239 –> 00:23:08,599 Think about it. Purity of heart, to will one thing, hunger and thirst for 223 00:23:08,599 –> 00:23:13,319 righteousness, to meekly submits to the will of God, all of these are dimensions 224 00:23:13,319 –> 00:23:16,979 of our Christian growth, of our sanctification. Think about these 225 00:23:16,979 –> 00:23:20,400 Beatitudes as we’ve been learning them, think about them as a group. The 226 00:23:20,400 –> 00:23:25,839 beginning of all these things is in the heart of every child of God. 227 00:23:26,319 –> 00:23:29,920 Do you not have some hunger or thirst for righteousness? Do you not desire to be 228 00:23:29,920 –> 00:23:34,880 one who wills one thing, and do you not seek to live for Christ above all else? 229 00:23:34,880 –> 00:23:40,680 Do you not mourn over your sins at least in some degree? The beginnings 230 00:23:40,680 –> 00:23:46,780 of these things are in every Christian, but the beginning and the completion 231 00:23:46,780 –> 00:23:53,479 are two different things. So, whenever we look at the Beatitudes and we look 232 00:23:53,599 –> 00:24:00,260 at ourselves as in a mirror, we will always have two reactions. One is that we 233 00:24:00,260 –> 00:24:05,260 shall be thankful for the grace of God by which this journey is begun for us. 234 00:24:05,260 –> 00:24:12,160 And second, we will be greatly humbled by the degree of progress 235 00:24:13,599 –> 00:24:21,599 that we still have to make. Now grasping this whole matter of sanctification, 236 00:24:22,260 –> 00:24:27,579 is an issue that is troubling for many people. In fact, I found over the years 237 00:24:27,599 –> 00:24:31,119 that there are more Christians who are troubled over the issue of 238 00:24:31,119 –> 00:24:38,520 sanctification than any other major Christian doctrine. Some lack progress 239 00:24:38,520 –> 00:24:42,760 because they just don’t see what they could become. They say, well I’m forgiven 240 00:24:42,760 –> 00:24:45,540 and that’s good and I’m going to heaven, but they don’t really have any vision 241 00:24:45,540 –> 00:24:50,500 of growth or what they could become. Then there are others who have such a clear 242 00:24:50,579 –> 00:24:54,939 vision of what God is calling them to be that they feel crushed by their own lack 243 00:24:54,939 –> 00:25:01,479 of progress and there is immense confusion and often discouragement in 244 00:25:01,479 –> 00:25:09,160 this whole area and it is one in which we desperately need biblical balanced 245 00:25:09,160 –> 00:25:15,520 thinking. And I want to share with you three words that I came across 20 years 246 00:25:15,560 –> 00:25:21,260 ago and they have helped me ever since and I don’t think I’ve ever shared this 247 00:25:21,260 –> 00:25:26,900 in a message before but I think that it will be useful to you as a framework for 248 00:25:26,900 –> 00:25:31,380 thinking not only about this beatitude but all of the beatitudes and indeed the 249 00:25:31,380 –> 00:25:37,140 whole doctrine of what it means to live the Christian life. Many years ago I 250 00:25:37,140 –> 00:25:43,760 found a little book by Bishop Hanley Moule. I was in a lecture in London 251 00:25:44,300 –> 00:25:51,119 where John Stott, quoted from this man and the quotations were so helpful that 252 00:25:51,119 –> 00:25:58,900 I tracked down the book, it’s called Thoughts on Christian Sanctity. That is 253 00:25:58,900 –> 00:26:05,439 not the most exciting title in the world is it? By the way in the 19th century 254 00:26:05,439 –> 00:26:12,959 people read books primarily because they felt there was something to be gained 255 00:26:12,959 –> 00:26:21,760 from the author. They did not rely on fancy titles and jazzy covers and let me 256 00:26:21,760 –> 00:26:24,959 just say this is an aside. Always remember this in choosing what you read 257 00:26:24,959 –> 00:26:31,400 because you invest a lot of time in reading a book. Who you read is far more 258 00:26:31,400 –> 00:26:37,800 important than what you read. Choose who you read. Choose books by authors, not by 259 00:26:37,800 –> 00:26:43,359 titles. Choose books that you’re going to, that are going to be shaping for your 260 00:26:43,359 –> 00:26:49,119 life by the fact that you know enough 261 00:26:49,119 –> 00:26:52,979 about the author to know that this is a person who is radically committed to 262 00:26:52,979 –> 00:26:58,880 Jesus Christ and is pursuing godliness and therefore something of that may 263 00:26:58,880 –> 00:27:05,140 drip out through the writing into your own soul. Choose by who, not by what. So 264 00:27:05,439 –> 00:27:08,040 Now, that’s just a little aside, but someone said that to me years ago and it 265 00:27:08,040 –> 00:27:13,500 has helped me immensely, saved me hundreds of hours of wasted time. Now the 266 00:27:13,500 –> 00:27:17,619 first chapter of Moole’s book has these three little words that have been so 267 00:27:17,619 –> 00:27:20,660 helpful, right off the bat, you can download it on Google by 268 00:27:20,660 –> 00:27:24,459 the way if you want to, there’ll be a sudden rush and demand on that one 269 00:27:24,459 –> 00:27:34,140 perhaps, but it’s all free, it’s great. The first chapter, aims, limits, and 270 00:27:34,260 –> 00:27:40,060 possibilities. Now these three words have helped me immensely to understand the 271 00:27:40,060 –> 00:27:49,739 Christian life. Aims, limits, and possibilities. Under aims, he says, it is 272 00:27:49,739 –> 00:27:55,819 nothing less than the supreme aim of the Christian Gospel that we should be holy. 273 00:27:55,819 –> 00:28:03,180 In particular, he identifies these aims for every Christian to be like Christ 274 00:28:03,579 –> 00:28:10,959 whom having not seen we love, to displace self from the throne, and to 275 00:28:10,959 –> 00:28:18,959 enthrone him. To make not the smallest compromise with the slightest sin. Isn’t 276 00:28:18,959 –> 00:28:23,599 that a great phrase? Oh God by your grace that’s what I want to do this week 277 00:28:23,599 –> 00:28:29,880 I want to make not the smallest compromise with the slightest sin. Quote 278 00:28:29,880 –> 00:28:36,719 we aim at nothing else than to walk with God all day long and to abide every hour 279 00:28:36,719 –> 00:28:43,880 in Jesus Christ to love God with all of our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. 280 00:28:43,880 –> 00:28:47,640 That’s the aim and that’s the aim of every Christian and if you’re a 281 00:28:47,640 –> 00:28:52,319 Christian your heart will resonate with that and you’ll say amen that’s my aim 282 00:28:52,319 –> 00:28:58,719 that’s what I want for my life. Then he goes to limits. He says this I quote I 283 00:28:59,180 –> 00:29:05,920 mean of course not limits in our aims for there must be none nor limits in 284 00:29:05,920 –> 00:29:12,959 divine grace itself for there are none but limits however caused in the actual 285 00:29:12,959 –> 00:29:21,560 attainments by us of Christian holiness. Then this there will be limits to the 286 00:29:21,560 –> 00:29:33,000 last, and very humbling limits, to the last, it will be a sinner who walks with 287 00:29:33,000 –> 00:29:37,359 God. Now as you think about this series of 288 00:29:37,359 –> 00:29:43,339 the beatitudes, there will be limits in what you attain in relation to every one 289 00:29:43,339 –> 00:29:49,119 of these beatitudes. What you actually attain in terms of 290 00:29:49,119 –> 00:29:53,439 purity of heart, willing one thing. What do you actually attain, in terms of 291 00:29:53,439 –> 00:29:57,760 meekly submitting to all of the will of God. What you actually attain in terms of 292 00:29:57,760 –> 00:30:01,319 hungering and thirsting after righteousness and mourning over your 293 00:30:01,319 –> 00:30:06,619 sins, and there will be limits to what you actually attain when it comes to 294 00:30:06,619 –> 00:30:14,300 peace-making. Peace is never complete in this life. The world will persecute you, 295 00:30:14,300 –> 00:30:17,979 will hate you, it will say all kinds of evil things against you, there won’t be 296 00:30:17,979 –> 00:30:24,900 peace there, and even within the Christian family, Romans chapter 12 and 297 00:30:24,900 –> 00:30:29,699 verse 18, is a profoundly helpful verse. Write that one down for future 298 00:30:29,699 –> 00:30:37,300 reference. Romans chapter 12 and verse 18, Paul says if possible, if possible, so far 299 00:30:37,300 –> 00:30:41,459 as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 300 00:30:41,459 –> 00:30:46,979 The nature of peacemaking is that more than one party is involved, and there may 301 00:30:47,020 –> 00:30:49,839 be situations quite clearly from what Paul is saying in the Book of Romans 302 00:30:49,839 –> 00:30:54,079 where it’s just not possible. David found that in regards to his own son 303 00:30:54,079 –> 00:30:59,699 Absalom. But if possible he says, and in as far as it depends on you, look at your 304 00:30:59,699 –> 00:31:07,319 own part in this, he says. And as far as it depends on you, live at peace with 305 00:31:07,319 –> 00:31:17,160 everyone. Aims, limits. And then Hennelly Mould says this, we’ve got to think about 306 00:31:17,160 –> 00:31:22,979 possibilities. And under possibilities he says this, it is possible by God’s grace 307 00:31:22,979 –> 00:31:29,900 to live at peace in the midst of pressure. It is possible to have 308 00:31:29,900 –> 00:31:37,319 affections, that’s your love, and imaginations purified through faith. It 309 00:31:37,319 –> 00:31:42,239 is possible to see the will of God in everything. And then I love this phrase 310 00:31:42,239 –> 00:31:49,839 he says, not with a sigh, but with a song. And I think I know what it is sometimes 311 00:31:49,839 –> 00:31:56,119 with uncomfortable things in my life to say well I guess it’s the will of God 312 00:31:56,380 –> 00:32:01,619 and I’ll accept it. That’s the will of God with a sigh. And then I think about 313 00:32:01,619 –> 00:32:08,520 Paul and Silas, and they’re in the prison and that’s the will of God for 314 00:32:08,520 –> 00:32:11,680 them, and what are they doing? They’re singing, 315 00:32:11,680 –> 00:32:18,060 they’re finding joy that the hand of God is upon them. We had a funeral service 316 00:32:18,060 –> 00:32:22,459 here. It was a celebration service just this week. I was so privileged to be part 317 00:32:22,800 –> 00:32:30,060 of it for Annette Anderson who over these last months, knew the decline of 318 00:32:30,060 –> 00:32:38,020 her strength, died of cancer, and the radiance of her testimony and the 319 00:32:38,020 –> 00:32:45,839 brightness of her face, submitting to the will of God not with a sigh but with a 320 00:32:45,839 –> 00:32:54,239 a song. My wife visited her on Wednesday of last week. Her last words to Karen 321 00:32:54,239 –> 00:33:00,420 were, I’ll be home by tomorrow. That’s submitting to the will of God with a 322 00:33:00,420 –> 00:33:09,359 song. Now says Hanley Moole, there are aims, there are limits, there are also 323 00:33:09,520 –> 00:33:16,000 possibilities. And if you can grasp these three words and frame out their 324 00:33:16,000 –> 00:33:20,400 application in your life, you’ll be a long way to grasping the biblical 325 00:33:20,400 –> 00:33:24,599 framework of what the Christian life is all about. See every Christian is united 326 00:33:24,599 –> 00:33:28,040 with regards to the aim. If you don’t get the aim, then you’re probably not yet a 327 00:33:28,040 –> 00:33:31,199 Christian, because the Holy Spirit just says within the heart of every believer, 328 00:33:31,199 –> 00:33:34,839 you had to walk with Christ and to love you. That’s what I want. 329 00:33:34,839 –> 00:33:39,160 Maybe far from it, but that’s my aim. Here’s where we get into difficulties. 330 00:33:39,199 –> 00:33:45,020 Some Christians get into trouble because they forget the limits. They are 331 00:33:45,020 –> 00:33:48,760 perfectionists in nature, they are constantly chiding themselves from their 332 00:33:48,760 –> 00:33:52,420 lack of progress. After all these years, I should be so much further on than I am. 333 00:33:52,420 –> 00:33:58,280 And they do nothing but beat themselves up, instead of moving forward. 334 00:33:58,280 –> 00:34:02,680 So remembering the limits will help you, otherwise you get caught like a deer in 335 00:34:02,680 –> 00:34:08,780 the headlights. But others are hindered, because they don’t see the possibilities. 336 00:34:09,360 –> 00:34:13,280 They’d kind of given up any real hope. They’ve believed that Christ can forgive 337 00:34:13,280 –> 00:34:16,479 them, but they’ve not really grasped what God can do for them. They find it very 338 00:34:16,479 –> 00:34:21,439 difficult to even picture a better self. And so they constantly speak about, well 339 00:34:21,439 –> 00:34:24,360 I have to come to terms with who I am, and of course I’ll never be very 340 00:34:24,360 –> 00:34:28,899 different. And there’s a sadness about them, because they don’t really have much 341 00:34:28,899 –> 00:34:31,959 hope of being different, or of making progress in Christ. 342 00:34:31,959 –> 00:34:37,120 They need to see the possibilities. Aims and limits, possibilities, here’s what you 343 00:34:37,139 –> 00:34:42,139 need for a balanced biblical approach to sanctification, to the Christian life, 344 00:34:42,139 –> 00:34:48,399 three phrases. Embrace the aim. Recognize the limits, and go after the 345 00:34:48,399 –> 00:34:55,520 possibilities. There’s the Christian life. Embrace the aim. Recognize the limits. You 346 00:34:55,520 –> 00:34:59,379 will never be all that you would like to be in terms of your actual attainment, 347 00:34:59,379 –> 00:35:04,399 until you’re with Christ in heaven. When we see him, we’ll be like him. Embrace the 348 00:35:04,399 –> 00:35:10,419 aim. Recognize the limits, but go after the possibilities, with all that is 349 00:35:10,419 –> 00:35:15,899 within you. All of that has brought to my mind again a prayer of Robert 350 00:35:15,899 –> 00:35:20,040 Murray M’Cheyne, that I’ve often used in the past, and not so much recently, and 351 00:35:20,040 –> 00:35:23,800 I’m so glad it’s come back to my mind. Robert Murray M’cheyne framed this 352 00:35:23,800 –> 00:35:32,139 brilliant prayer, so helpful, because it gets sanctification. He said, oh God, make 353 00:35:32,379 –> 00:35:39,739 me as holy as it is possible for a pardoned sinner to be. Do you see 354 00:35:39,739 –> 00:35:43,719 the possibilities there? Do you see the aim there? Do you see the limits there? 355 00:35:44,199 –> 00:35:54,580 He’s got it. Make me as holy, oh God, as it is possible for a pardoned sinner to 356 00:35:55,080 –> 00:36:02,500 be. If you keep a journal, write that one into your prayer book and use it. I’m 357 00:36:02,500 –> 00:36:10,320 gonna start using it again. Lord make me as holy as it is possible for a 358 00:36:10,320 –> 00:36:23,340 pardoned sinner to be. Arms, limits, possibilities. What it means to be a 359 00:36:23,379 –> 00:36:32,639 peacemaker. Then just this, why are peacemakers called sons of God? Blessed 360 00:36:32,639 –> 00:36:40,860 are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Answer, because God 361 00:36:40,860 –> 00:36:47,459 himself is the God of peace beautifully beautifully described in that way, in the 362 00:36:47,459 –> 00:36:51,100 Scriptures. Think of what that means with who God is, 363 00:36:52,080 –> 00:36:57,979 for his Fathr and Son and Holy Spirit, one in love, one in purpose. No tension 364 00:36:57,979 –> 00:37:06,620 within the Godhead. God of peace. And Christ comes into the world as the Prince 365 00:37:06,620 –> 00:37:11,159 of Peace. He comes in to make peace. Ephesians says, he is our peace. He does 366 00:37:11,159 –> 00:37:16,280 it by shedding his blood on the cross. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of peace. 367 00:37:16,280 –> 00:37:20,719 Remember, he comes upon the Lord Jesus at his baptism. And how is he 368 00:37:20,820 –> 00:37:25,179 manifested? How is he seen? He’s seen as a dove. Everyone knows what that 369 00:37:25,179 –> 00:37:33,179 means. The Spirit of peace. The greatest revelation of the glory of God is made 370 00:37:33,179 –> 00:37:37,360 at the cross where his love and his justice meet. And why are his love and his 371 00:37:37,360 –> 00:37:42,320 justice meeting? Because in this, he is making peace through the shedding of his 372 00:37:42,320 –> 00:37:48,340 blood on the cross. And so Jesus says, blessed are the peacemakers for they 373 00:37:48,340 –> 00:37:52,100 shall be called sons of God. What does that mean? It simply means that when you 374 00:37:52,100 –> 00:38:01,260 do something that is making peace a recognizable reflection of the supreme 375 00:38:01,260 –> 00:38:09,120 glory of God is manifested in you. And even if the world does not recognize it 376 00:38:09,120 –> 00:38:23,280 the angels would say, How like the father is that son? how like the father is that 377 00:38:23,280 –> 00:38:32,260 daughter? Making peace. That’s what God himself does. 378 00:38:32,699 –> 00:38:37,659 Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of 379 00:38:37,659 –> 00:38:42,919 god. And how does God make peace. This is just a little slip way into next 380 00:38:42,919 –> 00:38:45,699 week where we’re going to try and get down to some of the practicality of 381 00:38:45,699 –> 00:38:49,939 pursuing this. But let me just give you this very, very briefly. To begin thinking 382 00:38:49,939 –> 00:38:58,820 about it, how does God make peace? By not standing on his rights. By not standing 383 00:38:58,820 –> 00:39:05,320 on his rights. Christ was in the form of God. Every right to an eternity 384 00:39:05,320 –> 00:39:10,360 uninterrupted in heaven. But he did not grasp on to that. He makes himself 385 00:39:10,360 –> 00:39:15,840 nothing. He comes into the world. And why does he do it? To make peace. You cannot 386 00:39:15,840 –> 00:39:22,860 make peace by standing on your rights. Lloyd-Jones says this, if God stood upon 387 00:39:23,159 –> 00:39:30,040 his rights, upon his person, every one of us would be consigned to hell and to 388 00:39:30,040 –> 00:39:36,580 absolute perdition. If God stood on his rights. Now, there will be many times in 389 00:39:36,580 –> 00:39:38,300 your life when you use this phrase, you’ll 390 00:39:38,300 –> 00:39:43,419 say, it’s my right. And the culture is screaming that all over the place. That’s 391 00:39:43,419 –> 00:39:46,020 why there’s very little peace in the culture because everyone’s going after 392 00:39:46,219 –> 00:39:52,760 their right and the two things are in tension. And so, when you say that and I 393 00:39:52,780 –> 00:39:56,780 acknowledge it may be your right and it may be appropriate to assist on your 394 00:39:56,780 –> 00:40:02,020 right. But every time the phrase it’s my right comes into your head, well you try 395 00:40:02,020 –> 00:40:09,260 to do this. At least give this thought a moment. That if God stood on his rights, I 396 00:40:09,260 –> 00:40:15,620 would be in hell and so would everyone else. And then ask the question, whatever 397 00:40:15,620 –> 00:40:20,540 my right is, what is the best way to make peace? Because that’s what God called me 398 00:40:20,540 –> 00:40:28,659 to. Then, God’s way of making peace involves moving towards trouble. 399 00:40:28,659 –> 00:40:35,979 That’s what he did in the Incarnation. A wise person once gave me good counsel on 400 00:40:35,979 –> 00:40:41,040 dealing with situations of conflict. He said this, always move towards the 401 00:40:41,520 –> 00:40:46,080 barking dog. imagined that. is that what you do by the 402 00:40:46,080 –> 00:40:53,300 way? that’s the last thing I want to do. Dogs barking? Always moved towards the 403 00:40:53,300 –> 00:40:59,199 barking dog. I want to move away from the barking dog. You think about this, 404 00:40:59,199 –> 00:41:08,879 when the world is barking at God, God does not retreat. He moves towards the 405 00:41:08,879 –> 00:41:20,659 barking dog and what happens. The dog nails him to a cross. But he makes peace. 406 00:41:20,659 –> 00:41:24,260 That’s why I’m saying to you the peace-making is the hardest thing of 407 00:41:24,260 –> 00:41:27,820 all. It meant the shedding of the blood of Jesus so don’t think that this is 408 00:41:27,820 –> 00:41:31,979 about being a kind of gentle and sort of, you know, fair kind of person, with a 409 00:41:31,979 –> 00:41:35,260 quiet sort of spirit. No this is the hardest thing of all. It takes immense 410 00:41:35,659 –> 00:41:41,560 courage. It costs Jesus the shedding of his blood. It is not for the 411 00:41:41,560 –> 00:41:46,879 faint-hearted. That’s why Jesus says I do not come to bring 412 00:41:46,879 –> 00:41:50,439 peace but a sword. What in the world did he mean by that? He meant this, that his 413 00:41:50,439 –> 00:41:58,179 very coming would raise a flaring up of violence and opposition against him. 414 00:41:58,179 –> 00:42:05,060 He had to go through it in order to be the peace maker. And the very last 415 00:42:05,419 –> 00:42:10,620 thing is this. That in order to make peace, God not only does not stand on his 416 00:42:10,620 –> 00:42:17,479 rights, he not only moves towards the trouble at an immense cost. But he loves 417 00:42:17,479 –> 00:42:22,419 before he is loved in return. God demonstrates his own love for us in this 418 00:42:22,419 –> 00:42:24,780 that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. 419 00:42:24,780 –> 00:42:32,439 We love him because he first loved us. The more you think about that, the 420 00:42:32,639 –> 00:42:38,979 more amazing it is. You say could you do that? Keep on loving where love is not 421 00:42:38,979 –> 00:42:52,320 returned? Of course not. Unless, of course, the spirit of God himself were to live 422 00:42:52,520 –> 00:43:00,939 you and I you let’s pray together 423 00:43:01,580 –> 00:43:20,399 Oh God make me as holy as it is possible for a pardoned sinner to be through 424 00:43:20,479 –> 00:43:28,899 together said you’ve been listening to a sermon with pastor Colin Smith of Open 425 00:43:28,899 –> 00:43:35,959 the Bible to contact us call us at 1-877-open 365 or visit our website 426 00:43:35,959 –> 00:43:44,159 openthebible.org