Forgive from the Bottom Up

From Extreme Righteousness: Seeing Ourselves in the Pharisees:

Perhaps an even more telling gauge of our self-righteousness is the stance from which we offer our forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Is our forgiveness offered from a pedestal?

When sinned against, it is easy to occupy a superior position, extending forgiveness like a benevolent dictator to those who demonstrate their sincere repentance. Our stance is top down; our demeanor is paternalistic; our attitude is self-righteous.

In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus contrasted true piety with people-pleasing religiosity. Speaking about prayer, Jesus delivered a stern warning about forgiveness. Forgiveness, he said, is a natural and necessary fruit of our having been forgiven by God. We must forgive those who sin against us, not like benevolent dictators from the top down but rather as fellow sinners from the bottom up.

(HT: What's Best Next)

Chris Brauns on Unpacking Unforgiveness

Chris Brauns, author of Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds, shares some helpful insights about the need for Christ and his word in dealing with unforgiveness:

His audio from the recent Peacemaker conference on Forgiveness can be downloaded here.

Peacemakers Conference on Forgiveness: Audio Now Available

If you're not familiar with Peacemakers Ministry, you should be. Ken Sande's book, The Peacemaker, is the best introduction to the topic of biblical peacemaking available. It is a must read for every pastor, church member and Christian.

They recently hosted a conference on the topic of "Forgiveness," featuring keynote speakers Josh Harris, Thabiti Anyabwile, Ken Sande, and Chris Brauns (author of Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds).

The audio from the keynote speakers is now available for free download online.

John 17:20-23 – The Lord’s Prayer: The Son Prays for a Sanctified, Unified, Missional People

© Eric M Schumacher – Preached March 21, 2010 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The Creation Purpose.God’s purpose in creating mankind was to have a sanctified, unified people to engage in the mission of displaying God’s glory to the ends of the earth.

Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Here we see a people sanctified. As we saw last week, to be sanctified means to be “set apart” by God and for his purposes. Man is a special creation, created in the image of God. Man is therefore holy, sanctified—set apart by God from all other created things.

Here we see a people unified. God created man male and female. The man and the woman, though distinct, have one nature and one purpose. And, the husband and the wife will be made “one flesh.” They are to be united—created for the good of one another.

Here we see a people who are to engage in mission. To be created “in the image of God” is to be created as God’s representative, made to “image forth God.” God assigns this sanctified, unified mankind a mission. That mission is to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion [over all that lives in it].” They were to spread out over all the earth and exercise God’s rule as his representative, according to the instruction given through his word. In short, man was to show the glory of God to all the earth.

The Fall.
As the story goes, Adam and Eve reject this mission. They disobey God’s word and sin. And this sin brings alienation, separation and division into the storyline.

Sin brings alienation from God. Adam and Eve are sent out of the Garden, where God walked with them. They would no longer enjoy the fellowship of God.

And, sin brought alienation from man. In the fall, man was divided. When God approaches Adam about this sin, Adam’s response is to throw Eve under the bus—“It’s her fault!” he declares.

And this division amongst men only grows worse as the storyline of the Bible continues. Adam and Eve have two sons, brothers, Cain and Able—one of whom grows up to murder the other and to have a great-grandson who brags about being a murderer. So mankind gets to the point of boasting about how it mistreats one another. It even gets so bad that God destroys all of mankind, except one family, in a flood.

But the descendants of Noah do not do any better in becoming a sanctified, unified people on mission to display the glory of God.

In fact, post-flood mankind finds unity—but a unity that God hates and opposes, because it opposes him. Mankind finds a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. Instead of spreading on mission throughout the earth for God’s glory, they decide to make a tower with its top in the heavens so that (a) they will not be spread out and (b) they can make a name for themselves.

Instead, God foils their plans, confuses their languages, and scatters them throughout the earth. It would seem that God’s purpose of a set-apart, unified people on mission to display his glory is lost. But, not so.

The Redemption Purpose.
If God is to bring redemption, it must mean redemption of all that was lost. It must mean restoration of unity—man’s unity with God and man’s unity with man. And this unified people must be set-apart from the world for the purpose of God’s original mission—to display his glory in all the earth.

God chooses a man named Abraham. He promises that Abraham’s descendants will become a great nation. Therefore, this nation is sanctified—they are set apart by God from the rest of the world, and are to be sanctified by God’s word—to be unified as one people, to be a people on mission. Their purpose is to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. They are the chosen people who are to show the nations who the Lord is.

But, just as Adam and Eve and as with Noah’s descendants, the nation of Israel both rejects and fails in this calling.

Israel rejects their sanctification and their mission. They persistently refuse to walk in God’s word—and so refuse to show the nations the glory of God. Instead of showing the nations what the Lord is like, they chose to become like the nations.

Israel ends up a divided people. Whether it was Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery, Absalom plotting against his father David, or the kingdom divided into two kingdoms—Israel was not a unified people.

So, if a sanctified, unified, missional people were not to be found in Adam and Eve, in Noah’s descendants, or in Israel—from where would it come? All these failures show us the need of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah.

Reviewing the Lord’s PrayerSo, we should not be surprised that Jesus’ earthly ministry—and his final prayer here—are filled with overtones of sanctification, unity and mission.

We saw last week, in verses 18-19, that Jesus prayed for the unity and sanctification of his people. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” And yet, this sanctification, this “setting apart” of his own people, is not merely for the sake of personal holiness—rather, it is for mission. Jesus says, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” “For their sake I sanctify myself (I set myself apart to be a sacrificial offering to reveal the Father’s glory), that they also may be sanctified in truth (set apart in the Gospel for the sake of mission, to reveal the Father’s glory).”

Jesus Prays for the ChurchBut Jesus does not stop with praying for the band of disciples who believed in him at that time. He prays in verse 20 for the church. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in my through their word.”

The Petition: UnityJesus’ main petition is the unity of his people.  “I ask,” he prays, “that they may all be one…” Unity is the greatest burden of Jesus’ prayer.

That should not surprise us. The unity of God’s people is the purpose for which he came, lived, and died. In John 10:16, Jesus said that he, the Good Shepherd, calls his sheep from every fold and lays down his life for them, “so there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

And in John 11:52, John comments that Jesus would die, not only for the nation of Israel, but “to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

What is this unity?But everyone—from hippies to communists to atheists to Buddhists—talks about unity. What exactly is this unity that Jesus prays for? What is Christian unity?

Jesus prays for unity…
1: …that begins with belief in the Gospel. Christian unity is founded upon acceptance of the revelation of the Father in the Gospel of the Son, passed down by the Apostles. Jesus prays for those that believe in him by the Apostles’ word.

That is John’s purpose in writing this Gospel—so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing may have life in his name.

Jesus is God’s anointed King. He is God’s Son—fully God—who became fully man. He lived a perfect life of obedience and submission to his Father. And then, he willingly offered himself as a sacrifice for sin when he was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day, he rose from the dead, showing the world that he had conquered death and made satisfaction for sin.

Those who believe in Jesus are those who understand that this is who he is. They confess that they are sinners in need of such a Savior. And, repenting of their sin, they trust in Jesus Christ alone. On the basis of their faith, by grace and not according to works, God pronounces them to be forgiven and grants them eternal life.

Only by believing may anyone be reconciled to God. And, therefore, only by believing may a person be joined with the people of God. That is why we require you to profess faith in Jesus Christ, to demonstrate an understanding of the Gospel before you become a member of Northbrook Baptist. Unless you believe in Jesus Christ, you cannot become one with us—for you are not one with us.

So, before we go any further, let me exhort you to believe in Jesus. Coming here, singing with us, listening with us, praying with us and eating with us does not make you one with us—only believing in Jesus Christ does that.

2: ...that is like the unity of the Father and the Son.Jesus prays that they may be one, “just as you, Father, are in me and I in you.” The model for the unity of believers is the unity of the Father and the Son.

The Father and the Son, though distinct, are one in their purpose, one in their love for each other, and one in their mission. So, believers, though distinct persons, are to be one in purpose, love, and action—all of this as they submit together to the revelation of God they have received in the Gospel.

Jesus says, “as you Father, are in me.” This is a statement about the Son being the agent and mediator of the Father. The Father is doing something in and through the Son, speaking and working through the person of the Son.

Throughout John’s Gospel we have seen that the Father created all things through the Son (John 1:3) and that Jesus only speaks and does what the Father tells him (14:10). The Father is doing his works through Jesus.

And, Jesus says, “I in you.” For Jesus to be “in” the Father means that the Son is dependant upon the Father and obedient to the Father as the one through whom the Father works.

Again, through John’s Gospel, we have seen Jesus depending upon the Father for his mission, for instruction, for authority, for words, for works as he completely obeys the Father (4:34; 5:19, 30).

Jesus wants them to be unified “that they also may be in us” He desires that the unified believers in Jesus will be in the Father and the Son, just as they are in each other.

This means: (a) Like the Son was the focal-point of the Father’s work in the world, believers are the focal-point of the Father and the Son’s work in the world (dependant upon the Father and Son for life and fruitfulness).

The Father and the Son will accomplish their mission in the world through the believing people of the Messiah. This is what Jesus meant when he prayed, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

This also means that: (b) the believers will depend upon the Father and the Son (as they dwell in the believers through the Spirit and the word) for direction, for instruction, for authority, for words and works to speak and perform, just as Jesus was dependant upon the Father (14:12; 15:4).

What was the purpose of the unity between Father and Son in the Son coming into the world?

3. …that is for the purpose of mission. (21b)That discussion on the relationship between the Father and the Son and Christian unity has already hinted at the idea of mission. But, now Jesus makes it explicit that the purpose of Christian unity is mission.

He prays that his believers might be one, “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Jesus is praying for a unity that is so great it can only be explained and understood if the Gospel is true—that is, if God the Father sent Jesus Christ the Son.

First of all, this means that this unity, in some way, must be observable. It cannot be merely unity in the same faith (though it is that). It must be a tangible, visible unity. Something the world can observe and be astonished by, convicted by, convinced by.

Second, unity is a prerequisite for mission (along with love – 13:34-35; 15:12-13; 17:26). Mission cannot happen outside Christian unity. Jesus has already said that the world will know whether we are disciples by the way we love each other. Now, Jesus says our unity speaks the same truth.

Therefore, third, this means that mission may not be divorced from the local church—because that is where such unity occurs and is seen. The place where Christian love and unity is lived out, experienced, and put on display is in the local gathering of committed, accountable believers—what we call a local church.

You cannot refuse church membership and think that you are missional. A refusal to unite yourself with the body of Christ is a refusal to put the Gospel on display to the world.

Mission, evangelism is not the special task of an elite gifted portion of the church. It is the task of the whole body, together.

This is good, especially in a post-modern society, where abstract truth is not valued but people are hungry for love and relationships. People need to believe abstract truths to be saved. You must believe certain facts about God and Jesus and yourself to be saved.

Nevertheless, we live in an age when many will not be interested at all in debates about the historicity of the resurrection. In fact, some will say, “Yes, it is a fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Who cares? It doesn’t effect me!”

And so, we must show them something more than logical, historical deduction. We must show them the Gospel. We must put the Gospel on display for them. We must bring them out of a dog-eat-dog world, where every man fends for himself, into a Gospel-shaped community, a Gospel-centered unity, where believers in Jesus lay aside their own rights and defer to the preferences of others for the good of their brothers and sisters. We must show them a community that looks like Jesus on the cross—so that they can become convinced of the facts of the cross.

That—a mission to display the Gospel to the world—is what unity is about.

Unity Defined—for MissionJesus goes on in verse 22 to pray, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them” That is a startling comment. After all, the Lord says in Isaiah 48:11, “My glory I will not give to another.” What is Jesus speaking about?

Jesus is not speaking about his preexistent glory as God, which he had before he became man. We know that, because Jesus began this prayer asking the Father, “glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” In asking for this glory to be restored to him, it is implied that it has not yet been given to him.

So, we need to ask, what glory did the Father give to the Son? And, the first place we see “glory” mentioned is in John 1:14, where we read about the Son becoming a man:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We read in John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” So, the purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth was to reveal the Father to the world. The glory that is seen—the glory given to Jesus—was the revelation of the Father.

This is confirmed in John 2:11, when Jesus turned water into wine. John writes, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” Jesus showed what the Father was doing in and through him, manifesting his glory—with the result of believing disciples.

Later, as Lazarus was dying, Jesus said (John 11:4), “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” What Jesus did in raising Lazarus from the dead was to show that he was the resurrection and the life, so that those who believe in him will never die. The resurrection that the Father had promised had come in the Son, Jesus Christ.

And, of course, Jesus repeatedly refers to his crucifixion as his “glorification.” In John 12:23, Jesus, referring to his crucifixion, said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” On the cross, the Son was glorified. There he revealed the Father to be just and forgiving, righteous and merciful, wrathful and loving, jealous for his glory and gracious to sinners. The Son’s glorification was the task of revealing the Father in self-sacrifice for the good of God’s people, when he died for their sins on the cross.

So, the Son’s glory was the task of revealing the Father to the world—revealing the Father’s character, person and work by being an obedient, suffering servant, who sacrificed himself for the good of God’s people and God’s glory.

So, for Jesus to give us this same glory means that we are given the mission of revealing the Father to the world by being a dependant, suffering people who, in self-sacrifice pursue the good of God’s people and the glory of God. And, that is impossible outside of unity with God’s people.

4. …that is not self-generated, it is the work of God by drawing his people into relationship with himself.The right application from this prayer is not first to work harder for unity (though we should do that). It should tell us something that Jesus is praying for this unity. Evidently, it is something that God the Father does and produces in his people, or else the Father would not be asked to do it.

And we see that in verse 23, where Jesus prays, “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.” Unity happens as a result of us being draw into the relationship of the Father and the Son.

The Father is in the Son, revealing himself to the world. In the same way, the Son is in believers, so that they might reveal the Father and the Son to the world. And as all believers are in the Son, they become perfectly one.

Jesus has two purposes for his petition. “So that the world may know that you send me and loved them even as you loved me.”

First, as earlier, their perfect unity is for the sake of mission—so that the world might know that the Father sent the Son.

His second purpose is that their perfect unity will convince the world that the Father loves them (believers) even as he loves his Son. The Father loved the Son by setting the Son apart to reveal him to the world, after which he would receive him into eternal glory. And, in the same way, the Father has set apart believers—the people he has given to his Son—that they might reveal the Father to the world and afterward be received into glory.

Their unity of believers shows the world that they really are the people who are loved by God. Their unity proves that the Father has loved them and changed them and made them one.

5. …that is not an end in itself, but is for the glory of God in the Gospel.Do you ever wonder why prayers for unity in the church fail? After all, unity seems to be the will of God, and Jesus promised that if we ask according to his will, he will answer!

I would suggest it is possible to pray for unity amongst believers, and be praying outside of God’s will. Do you remember what reason James gave his readers in James 4:3 for why their prayers went unanswered, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

I wonder how often Christians work and pray for unity for all the wrong reasons. It would be possible to pray for unity in the church…

…because it would be more comfortable for us. Division is inconvenient and painful.
…to have growth in numbers.
…to keep what we’ve worked for and what we’ve built.
…to see growth in finances.
…to see success in programs.
…to have better organizational efficiency and productivity.
…because that is what good leadership brings.
…for sake of unity itself.

All of those things can be idols—things we worship and pursue, mainly because they make us comfortable and happy.     But, Jesus is no idolater—and he does not pray for unity for the sake of any of those things.

Rather, Jesus is praying for the same thing at the end of this prayer that he prayed at the beginning—the glory of God. Jesus began by praying that the Father would glorify him, so that he could glorify the Father. And, now he gives the church glory and prays for unity so that the church might display God’s glory.

Unity is for the sake of revealing the glory of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That means that we must always be asking the question with every Christian relationship we have—particularly within the local church—of how our behavior in the relationship reveals the glory of God the Father in the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son.

Our unity reveals the Gospel we preach. Our disunity denies it. When the Gospel is at stake, we should always divide. But, whenever we think about dividing, we should always remember that the Gospel is at stake.

• When we part ways with other believers because our pride has been offended, our behavior denies the Gospel we proclaim.    But, when we lay aside our rights, suffer shame and mistreatment, humbly forgive, and continue to love, we reveal the Gospel.
• When we divide with believers because our preferences have been overlooked, we contradict the Gospel. But, when in humility we count others more significant than ourselves and look to the interests of others, we reveal what Jesus did in the Gospel.
• When we severe relationships with believers because we are not able to show off how great are spiritual gifts are—we deny the Gospel, because Jesus did not come to glorify himself. But, when we use our gifts only for the strengthening and building up in love of the entire body, we reveal the Gospel.
• When we leave Christian community because relationships are difficult and inconvenient, we deny the Gospel. But, when we inconvenience ourselves to pursue relationships with others, we show what Jesus did in the Gospel.
• When we shrink back from fellowship and eventually leave because no one in the church seems to notice us, to value us, and to pursue us, we deny the Gospel. Jesus was not esteem and was counted as nothing, overlooked and scoffed at, but continued to serve even those people. And so, when we pursue, serve, love and remain committed to those who seem to have forgotten us, we show the world what the Gospel is.

Put aside your selfish pride! Church unity is not about you! So often, we divide from other believers, end relationships, or simply give the cold-shoulder to other Christians—we quit attending and then count the days until someone contacts us—because our pride (our glory) has been offended. But what we are doing when we refuse to humbly, self-sacrificially forgive and serve other believers is not to protect our glory—but to hide and deny the glory of God in Christ.

Jesus Christ was hurt, offended, mistreated, hated, rejected, and wronged by the people the Father gave to him. And his response was to love those very people and generously give everything he had—even his own life in an agonizing death—for their good! When the world rejected God, his response was not to move away from the world. Rather, he pursued a relationship with them all the more strongly.

So, what does the glory of God look like in Christian unity? It means that when we are offended, mistreated, hated, rejected and wronged by other Christians, we do not withdraw. We do not pout. We do not slink back and lick our wounds and throw a pity-party. Rather, we pursue. We inconvenience ourselves. We prefer our offender. We forgive. We sacrifice for their good. We love to the point of death.

And we do this because we love the glory of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ more than we love ourselves.

Remember, Jesus prayed.What a calling! This is scary. This is hard. This is painful. This is impossible with man.

But just as Jesus prayed for Peter before he denied him, Jesus has prayed for us. And that is why such unity will be a reality.

The Father has chosen us to be a set-apart, unified people on mission. The Son has prayed that we would be set-apart, unified people on mission. And the Son has died that we might be a set-apart, unified people on mission.

If that is true, then we can pursue such unity and mission  in the confidence that God will give us grace. And, he will. For he cannot deny His Son.

What Do You Believe?

Perspectives from Peacemaker Ministries on Vimeo.

When Churches Have Disputes

Six disgruntled members are attempting to get Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, fired in ways that do not honor the Lord. And, unfortunately, they took it public.

Tullian addresses the watching Floridians with an excellent op-ed piece for the Sun Sentinel, entitled "When Churches Have Disputes."

Submitting to One Another

In 1836 Judge William Gould led a movement at First Presbyterian Church, Augusta, Georgia, to buy their first organ. It was a break with tradition. In a congregational meeting, one member rose and demanded chapter and verse where the Bible authorizes "the worship of God with machinery." But the members voted for the organ, and Judge Gould was appointed to raise the money.

Soon after the Judge ran into Robert Campbell, a member who had opposed the organ. Mr. Campbell asked the Judge why he had not asked him for a donation. Gould replied, "I knew you did not wish to have the organ." "That makes no difference," said Campbell. "When the majority of the members of the church have decided the matter, it is my duty to put aside personal feeling and assist as well as I may."

Narrated in David B. Calhoun, Cloud of Witnesses, pages 40-41.

(HT: Christ is Deeper Still)

An Example of Peacemaking

A great example of peacemaking in the church from 1836.

May God give all of us such hearts.

Matthew 5:9 - Blessed Are the Peacemakers (Part II)

© Eric Schumacher – Preached May 29, 2005 at Bethany Baptist Church, Keokuk and August 12, 2005 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

On Memorial Day, our nation remembers those who have sacrificed to ensure that we could leave in peace. What we remember on Memorial Day is that peace is not cheap. Peace comes at a cost.

If you want to have peace on a national level, you don’t sit back and pretend that slavery is not a problem. You don’t give Hitler whatever he wants in order to make him happy. This is not the path to peace.

To have peace, you must do something. You must address the issues that threaten peace. Peacemaking, as the mother of any dead soldier can tell you, is costly.

Christ has called us to be peacemakers.

Last week, I gave the follow definition of a biblical peacemaker:

“A peacemaker is someone who

1. acknowledges that fellowship has been broken,

2. addresses the issue that has broken fellowship, and

3. takes biblical steps to resolve the issues and to restore fellowship.”

What is biblical peace?

Biblical peacemaking is spiritual health and wholeness that results when a relationship is brought under the Lordship of Christ so that together the parties believe and behave according to His revealed will and righteousness.

How Do We Biblically Make Peace?

Steps to Biblical Peacemaking:

1) Pray

Galatians 5:22 says that, “the fruit of the Spirit is...peace.” This means that we must pray for the Spirit to produce peace in our lives and relationships.

2) Examine...

...the conflict.

Make sure that you understand the situation correctly. You might ask these questions:

· Do I have the facts? Or, am I reacting hearsay and gossip?

· Am I seeking the truth? Or, am I reading into things?

· Do I assume sin on the part of the other party while not examining myself?

· Is this as important as I’m making it out to be? Is it more important than I’m willing to admit?

...yourself.

We must approach conflict as persons who are “poor in spirit,” “mourning” over our sin, and “meekly” confessing that we are sinners as much as anyone else. Before condemning anyone else, we must examine the priorities and purity of our own hearts first.

We should ask: Is Peace a Priority? Am I Inclined Toward Peacemaking?

D. A. Carson explains, “Instead of delighting in division, bitterness, strife, or some petty ‘divide-and-conquer’ mentality, disciples of Jesus delight to make peace wherever possible.” The first response of a born-again heart should be a desire for genuine peace and no substitute.

There are some people who live lives full of suspicion. They are always sure someone is out to offend them. They insist on their own rights regardless of what is actually righteous. They are perpetually perturbed. They are always upset about what someone is doing or isn’t doing. They are quick to pick a fight or run away mad. But, these are not Christians.

Christians are not perpetually mad about someone or something. Christians will take stands, but they are not looking for a fight. Christians are not people whose first reaction when upset is “Fine, I guess I won’t be fellowshipping with them anymore!” That might be the end result, but that is never the desire of a Christian, or the first option. Christians are hungry to see biblical peace be established.

In fact, later in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:23-24), Jesus says that if you are going to worship and remember that you have done something to offend your brother, you should drop your offering and go be reconciled with that person. If you haven’t taken biblical steps to be reconciled to the person you’ve offended, you have no business worshiping God. We cannot allow the ceremony of Sunday morning worship to replace our duty to love our neighbor.

Is My Life and Heart Pure?

Jesus will also go on to explain in Matthew 7:3-5 that we are to examine the purity of our own lives before begin to help a brother become more pure. Jesus does not say that we should not notice or remove specks from our brother’s eye. He says that we should first make our own eyes pure and then we will see clearly to take the speck out of our brother’s eye. A pure life is required for peacemaking.

Colossians 3:14 and Ephesians 4:1-3 tells us to be sure and practice love, which these verses say is what creates the bond of peace. If you do not love those you are in conflict with, there will never be peace.

Are My Motivations Pure?

James (4:1-2) says, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

In other words, James is saying that the reason there was fighting and quarrelling is because of the motivations involved. They are coveting something and not getting their way, so they fight and quarrel. They desire what they want and cannot have it, so they murder the other parties with their gossip, slander, complaining, murmuring, and ungodly actions.

If the parties when quit worrying about what they want and start asking “What does God want?” the situation would be over and done. But since they care more about themselves and their comfort, their sinful, self-centered motivations prolong and encourage the quarrelling and fighting.

What are your motivations? Are you asking, “What do I want? What do I like? What is best for me?” Those are the questions in the heart of a peacebreaker.

Or, are you asking, “What does God want? What promotes His Kingdom and His righteousness? How do I apply the Word of God to this situation?” Those are the questions in the heart of a peacemaker.

Am I Tempted to Act Impurely to Resolve the Situation?

We may be tempted to run away. We might break promises we’ve made in a marriage covenant by seeking a divorce with biblical warrant. We may break promises we’ve made in a church family by stopping attending church, refusing to serve in church, or leaving a church without taking biblical steps to approach the issue.

It may be that we are tempted to resort to sinful behavior to get our way. We may seek revenge. We may use physical violence or murder without biblical warrant. We may complain about and criticize people behind their backs (or listen to such without confronting it). We may resort to gossip, slander, murmuring, and backbiting. We may bring up past offenses or complaints to attack a person’s character. We may try to get our way through manipulation of circumstances instead of addressing the issue. We may try to confuse the issue or ignore the issue, when God calls us to address it with clarity.

It may be that we are tempted to compromise biblical truth or righteousness for the sake of pleasing another party. This can never happen. We are never called to peace at the expense of truth and righteousness.

But, the Christian will have none of these, because peace cannot be divorced from purity in our beliefs and our behavior. James 3:17-18 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable...” Biblical wisdom is always pure before it is peaceable. If the solution that you have selected requires you to go against the Word of God, then it is not pure and should be rejected.

Charles Spurgeon said on this Beatitude, “Never let us be peacebreakers; evermore let us be peacemakers. Yet we must not cry ‘Peace, peace, where there is no peace.’ The verse before this speaks of purity and this of peace. First pure, then peaceable: this is God’s order, and it should be ours.”

3) Assess all the options to make peace

4) Choose an Option

Peacemaking may involve:

a) Overlooking an Offense.

Proverbs 19:11 “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”

There are some situations which are so insignificant that they should be overlooked. To determine whether to overlook an offence, we might ask:

· Is this a one-time offense or a pattern of behavior that needs to be stopped?

· Will overlooking this offense result in bitterness and anger in my heart?

· Will overlooking this offense encourage or discourage biblical love and fellowship?

· Is it an important issue? Does this matter?

· What is at stake in this issue? Will overlooking this offense...

o ...endanger the truth of God’s Word?

o ...require compromise of biblical truth or righteous behavior?

For example, Paul opposed Peter to his face before the entire church in Galatia because (Galatians 2:14) Peter’s conduct was “not in step with the truth of gospel.” Peter’s behavior was a threat to the truth of God’s Word. Paul could not overlook Peter’s behavior and still have a clean conscience before the Lord.

Again, if “peace” requires us to deny the Lord and His Word, then we should avoid this kind of “peace” at all costs. Abraham Kuyper once wrote, “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become your sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

Should you choose to overlook an offense, you are committing to:

· not be resentful.

· not harbor bitterness.

· not save the conflict for later use.

b) Confronting Sin.

i) Discuss the situation with the other person(s) in private.

Scripture tells us that we have the responsibility to make peace through loving correction and forgiveness.

Luke 17:3 If your brother sins, rebuke him

Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

This means that we gently show someone where they are wrong so that they can see it and repent.

If we have offended someone else, we should go to them and seek forgiveness as soon as it comes to mind (Matthew 5:23-25).

There may be times when we go to a third party first to seek advice about how to approach a situation. However, we should never criticize or complain about someone to a third party, even if it is true, when we are unwilling to go to that person in private to seek peace.

If you are a person who has done this, then you need to go to the person you’ve been complaining about and seek their forgiveness. If someone comes to you to complain about someone else, you now have the responsibility to stop them and to send them to that person to make peace.

ii) Bring in others, if needed.

After talking to them in private, it may be required that you bring one or two others along to mediate. In some situations they may be there make suggestions or ask questions. They may also be there as witnesses as to the attitudes and behaviors involved:

Matthew 18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

iii) Involve the church.

Some situations may involve bringing in the church to decide the dispute for you (1 Co 6:4).

In situations of unrepentant sin, the sinner is to be rebuked by the congregation. And, if they still will not repent, they are to be removed from the fellowship of the church.

Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

Disputes over church doctrine and practice–over what the church body believes and how it conducts itself–should never be had at a personal level. They should be brought before the church body to decide, because these are church issues, not personal issues. But, disputes between individuals should always be handled in private between those individuals before they are ever brought before the church.

5) Evaluate the progress

You should ask: How have I responded? Is my response in keeping with biblical peacemaking? Is there anything else that I must do or can do?

How has the other party responded?

What if they do not repent?

Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” It will not always be possible to leave at peace with everyone.

When Do You Part Ways?

There are times when we are to part ways:

1) Repentance has been refused.

Matthew 18:17 if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

2) The Word of God has been rejected.

Matthew 10:11-15 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

2 Thessalonians 3:14-16 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. ¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

You are required to show sinners the truth of God’s Word. But, if after you have attempted to show them God’s Word, a person or a church flatly rejects the Word of God, then you are free from your obligation to them. This should be a sad occasion. But, it is necessary. Biblical fellowship cannot be had in a church outside the Word of God.

It is sad that I cannot fellowship in church membership with my Presbyterian friends. But, a church cannot both baptize infants and not baptize infants at the same time. Until we come to agreement on how to practice baptism, we cannot have the fellowship of membership in the same church. That peace should be sought, but not at the expense of the truth.

When considering whether to part ways with someone, it is best to keep these things in mind:

· You may not part ways if you have not done everything the Bible requires to make peace. If you have not pursued peace in a biblical fashion, parting ways is sin.

· You may part ways if you have followed the biblical pattern but no repentance has come or the other party refuses to make peace. In such a case, it is the other party that has broken the fellowship, not you.

· You must part ways if you can no longer remain in the situation with a clean conscience. If remaining in the situation is made impossible by the other party, or if remaining in the relationship would require you to make compromises that would be sinful, then you must leave.

If the person repents, you must forgive them and love them (Lk 17:3; Mt 18:21-22; 2 Co 2:6-11).

The goal of peacemaking is peace. So, if someone has broken fellowship with us through sin and they repent, we should extend forgiveness and live in peace.

We should keep in mind that God has forgiven us by sending His Son to die for our sins. There is no one that has offended us even half as much as we have offended God. If he is quick to forgive us, then we ought to be quick to forgive one another.

Sons of God

“Sons” receive the inheritance of their fathers. Sons also tend to reflect the character of their father. So, to be a “son of God” is to look like God the Father. To be a “son of God” is to be one to whom the Father gives the inheritance of the kingdom.

Who is it that looks like God? Who is it that inherits the Kingdom? “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”

Jesus is saying, “These are the people who reflect the character of God. These godly people are the ones who will inherit the Kingdom.” Do you reflect the character of God? Will you inherit the eternal Kingdom? Are you a peacemaker?

"Blessed Are the Peacemakers" - Part 1 of 2

© Eric Schumacher – Originally Preached May 22, 2005 at Bethany Baptist Church, Keokuk, Iowa. Preached July 15, 2007 (PM) at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids.

What Is Peacemaking?

Based on what we will see in Scripture this morning and in the sermon to follow, I will offer this three-fold definition of a peacemaker:

“A peacemaker is someone who

1. acknowledges that fellowship has been broken,

2. addresses the issue that has broken fellowship, and

3. takes biblical steps to resolve the issues and to restore fellowship.”

God Calls Us to Peace and Peacemaking

1 Corinthians 7:15 God has called you to peace.

Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Romans 14:19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone

1 Peter 3:11 seek peace and pursue it

Peacemaking ought to be normal. It is part and parcel of following Christ.

God Warns Us Against Peacebreaking

Scripture says that we should not associate with divisive people because they are “warped and sinful; self-condemned”:

Titus 3:10-11 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Paul writes:

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

The “you” in these verses is plural. Paul is speaking to the members of the church about the church. The church is God’s temple, it is the place where his Spirit dwells. When you encourage division through gossip, slander, murmuring, quarrelling, refusing to talk about issues, or not being active in the church, you are destroying the unity of God’s temple. Scripture promises that anyone who destroys God’s temple will be destroyed by God.

So, you should stop now and ask yourself whether you are a biblical peacemaker or an unbiblical peacebreaker. The answer determines the eternal fate of your soul.

Christ Calls Us To Costly Peace Not Cheap Peace

Dietrich Bonheoffer once wrote about “cheap grace.” “Cheap grace” was a gospel where eternal life was promised without any demand of repentance and without any cost of discipleship. You could refuse to leave all to follow Christ and still have the security of eternal life in heaven. Bonheoffer rightly showed that this “cheap grace” was a false gospel. Following Christ is costly.

Just as “cheap grace” has been preached in many churches, “cheap peace” has been pursued in many churches. “Cheap peace” is peace that is achieved by compromising biblical doctrine and practice to pander to the desires of people. “Cheap peace” refuses to address errors, sweeps problems under the rug, and wants to pretend to have unity where there really is none.

God’s Peace is not cheap peace.

Colossians 1:20 says that Christ made “peace by the blood of his cross.” The peace God made with us was not cheap. It was costly. It was made by the blood of Christ’s cross. Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross as a substitute for sinners. Their sins were laid on him. God’s wrath was poured out on him. It was painful and hideous. It was peacemaking.

In the cross, God 1) acknowledged that fellowship has been broken through our sin, 2) addressed the issue of our sin, and 3) took steps to resolve the issue and to restore fellowship. The removal of the issue–our sin–was accomplished through the blood of God’s Son. It was not cheap and easy. It was painful and costly.

Ephesians 5:1 calls us to “be imitators of God, as beloved children.” If the peacemaking that God undertook was painful and costly and we are called to imitate him, then our peacemaking will be costly as well.

Biblical peacemaking is...

Not mere emotional peace. God did not make peace by having a “peaceful, emotional feeling.” Biblical peacemaking is not an Eagles’ song, “I’ve got a peaceful easy feeling.”

Not pretend peace. God did not make peace by pretending everything was okay. God did not turn a blind eye to our sin and refuse to address it so we could just get past it.

In fact, one of the complaints God had against the leaders in Jeremiah’s day was this:

Jeremiah 6:14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.

In other words, they said there was peace when there wasn’t. They “healed the wound lightly.” This means that they did not address the wound in the proper manner. They applied the wrong medicine. They used a bandage when open-heart surgery should have been performed.

Biblical peacemaking is not ignoring problems and pretending that everything is okay. Biblical peacemaking is not pasting on a fake smile and saying “Peace, peace” or “Unity, unity” where there is none. It is not sitting around, pretending that we’re not disagreeing, and singing “I’m So Glad I’m a Part of the Family of God.”

Pretending all is well when it is not is as deadly to a relationship as it is unbiblical. Imagine if we acted that way with our bodies.

Imagine a man that cuts his toe on some metal while walking at the beach. He says to himself, “I am not going to address that cut or do anything to fix it because God wants me to have health.”

Sometime later the toe is black with gangrene. The man says, “I will ignore that toe and I refuse to do address it because God calls me to health.”

The gangrene spreads to his foot, his calf, his thigh, into his torso. Each time it grows worse, the man says, “Health! Health! God calls me to health. I will not do address this!”

What will happen to that man? He will die saying “Health! Health!” where there was no health.

What should he have done? When he saw that the cut was not healing correcting, he should have taken steps to ensure the healing. And, if his steps did not work, he should have sought out help to end the infection before it grew worse.

Being concerned for health in the body does not mean you refuse to address whatever is unhealthy in your body. Concern for health means that you acknowledge when something unhealthy exists and you do all you can to remove the sickness. It is the same with our friendships, marriages, workplaces, and churches.

The friendship, family, or church that shouts “Peace! Peace!” when there is not peace and refuses to acknowledge that anything is wrong will end up like that man–dead!

Not appeasement. God did not make peace with sinful man by giving us whatever we wanted.

I remember seeing a television program which featured a mother with a 3 year old son who weighed over one-hundred pounds. This three year old ate a Big Mac and fries for lunch everyday. Whenever he asked for anything to eat, his mother gave him whatever he wanted. When the interviewer pointed out that she was ruining her son’s health and probably killing him, she began to scream, “I love my son! I love my son! And that means if he wants something, I give it to him. I love my son and so he gets what he wants.”

This mother obviously felt that loving her son meant bowing to his every desire. If she didn’t give him what he wanted, he would cry and pout. So, she thought, being loving meant “pandering to the pouter.” The result of such pandering was detrimental to this boy’s health.

But how often do we find “pandering to the pouters” in our families, friendships, and churches. How often is it that if someone pouts and withdraws for long enough, yells loud enough, gives their sob-story often enough, or threatens to leave that we change our behavior and give-in?

Could you imagine what it would look like if we did that? There are people in Cedar Rapids that would prefer that we baptize infants. There are some that wish we would marry homosexuals. There are some that wish we would teach Mormon doctrine. They would be comfortable with that. They would attend our church. We could have “peace” with them. We could be “united” with them. So, should we baptize infants, marry homosexuals, and teach Mormon doctrine for the sake of “peace” and “unity.” Just like that mother with the 100-pound three year-old, such pandering is detrimental to the health of a friendship, family, or church.

Not avoiding confrontation. In the book of Genesis, after the fall, we see two sinful ways of dealing with conflict. One manner is that chosen by Cain. He was jealous of his brother, so he killed him. He chose the option of attack.

The manner is that chosen by Adam and Eve when they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden. They did not choose to “attack,” they chose to “avoid.” They hid from the Lord, hoping that if he did not see them, then everything would be okay.

These two responses could be characterized as “fight or flight.” Neither one is biblical. We cannot avoid the issues that break fellowship by running away. And, our confrontation cannot be an attack, through which we are merely trying to “win” and get our way.

God did not make peace by avoiding confrontation with our sin. Biblical peace never evades the true issue. Just like the man with the cut toe, sometimes you must confront the problem if you are to have health.

Not peace at any cost. God did not make peace by compromising the truth or his righteousness.

Matthew 10:34-36 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

In this passage, Jesus is letting us know that when we stand for biblical truth and righteous behavior even the people closest to us may reject us. That is the cost of honoring God. We do not have permission from Jesus to seek peace at the cost of purity in doctrine or conduct.

In John 17 (11, 15-16), Jesus prays,

“…keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ...I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Jesus prayed that his followers would “be one.” He prayed that we would have peace. But, notice what kind of peace it is.

Notice that Jesus prayed that we would be kept from evil and sanctified in God’s Word. That means our peace can never include us sinning, compromising our biblical convictions or acting against our conscience. That means our “peace” can never require that we go against what God has revealed in his Word–whether that be our belief or behavior.

Notice that Jesus also prayed, “that they may be one, even as we are one.” We are to be one as Jesus and the Father are one. What are they divided over? What do they have differing beliefs on? Nothing. We are to strive for complete unity in the truth, not compromised unity.

Jude 1:3 tells us, “to contend for the faith.” There are times when we must contend for the truth. We cannot abandon biblical doctrine or conviction for the sake of ‘cheap peace.’

Christ Calls Us to Costly Peace

Peacemaking is often painful.

Colossians 1:19-22 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. ²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death…

Pain of confronting and rebuking. Sometimes peacemaking involves pointing out sin to someone. It may include helping an unbeliever come to understand that he is a sinner who deserves to go to hell. It may include helping a believer understand that his conduct is not in line with the Word of God.

Proverbs 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” There are times when the proper thing to do is to overlook an offense. We need to possess the wisdom and the maturity to know when to do so.

Yet, Scripture often calls for us to confront and rebuke sin:

Luke 17:3 If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him

1 Timothy 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Titus 1:9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith

Titus 2:15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Scripture tells us to avoid quarrelling. This means we should be free from the love of conflict and argument. But avoiding quarrelling does not mean avoiding confrontation.

2 Timothy 2:24-25 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.

Notice that Timothy is called to both avoid being quarrelsome and to correct his opponents. This means that pointing out error is not necessarily being quarrelsome.

Done correctly, confronting and rebuking sin is what it means to be conformed to the image of Christ, to be godly. God confronts and rebukes our sin against him–and it is loving and it is peacemaking. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, confronted for the sake of peace. The people complained in Luke 23:5 “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, also spoke words like these:

Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.

John 4:16-18 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." ¹⁷ The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true."

We cannot be peacemakers without being willing to openly confront and address the issues that threaten peace with both grace and truth. There can be no “congregational cold-wars.” At a conference in Des Moines a few years ago, Greg Frizzell stated that the Baptist church’s favorite phrase is “Let’s just move on...” He commented that this attitude is “as unbiblical as it can possibly be.” When there is persistent division and disagreement, neither Christ nor His Word will allow us to ignore that division and “just get past it.”

Pain of confessing and repenting. We have no peace with God unless our sin is addressed, confessed, and repented of. In order to be saved and have “peace with God,” we must suffer the pain of humbling ourselves, admitting that we have done wrong, and believing that we can do no good thing to save ourselves. We must feel the pain of being poor in spirit, we must mourn over our sin. We must have the meekness to being willing to put all our faith in Christ alone to save us from our sins.

It is the same with having peace with one another. When an issue divides us, sometimes it requires the pain of confessing that we have done wrong and being willing to repent, to leave our sin and change our heart, mind, and behavior. When we have done wrong, we cannot have peace with God or one another until we are willing to humble ourselves and admit it.

Peacemaking Requires Action. Making something requires action. Jesus does not call us to be peacewaiters or peacehopers. He calls us to be peacemakers. This means that we must take action. We must take steps. We must take the initiative to make peace. That is what the Scripture teaches:

2 Timothy 2:22 pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace

1 Peter 3:11 seek peace and pursue it.

Romans 14:19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace

Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone

Peace is something for which we must strive. We must seek peace and pursue peace. Will you be someone who sits around and complains that there is no peace? Will you be someone who sits back, ignores problems, and pretends there is peace when there is none? Will you settle for cheap peace?

Or, will you be willing to humble yourself and lovingly, gently, humbly do the hard work of peacemaking in your friendships, your families, and your church? Will you pursue, seek, and strive for the costly peace that honors Christ?

Application

In the next sermon we will examine the steps of biblical peacemaking. For now, I would encourage you to examine yourself with these questions:

• Am I committed to costly peace? Or do I settle for cheap peace?

· Is there someone I am having a conflict with right now?

o How will I address it?

· Is there someone I have sinned against?

o Will I go repent?

· Is there someone I know who is living in sin?

o How will I address it?