Mr Steven Ooi
MYF SUNDAY!
23rd May 2010
Matthew 5:9: "Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children!"
*It is so easy to be naive in peace
*When 2 or 3 people come together, there will eventually be conflict
*Satan loves when we backstab
*If we don't have peace, we have forgotten that we belong to one-another (quoted by Mother Theresa)
*Lack of peace is so pervasive
*Conflict between Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel that lead to a brother's death
*Continuous conflict, Jesus showed us 'Blessed ar the peacemakers, for they become the Sons of God -Matthew 5:9
*Not reaching options or ideas- the 8 beattitudes marks off Jesus Christ to follow him whole heartedly
*One of the fruits of the Spirit - Peace
Phil Morgan
1. Peace Breakers
Romans 16:17-18: I urge you, my brothers: watch out for those who cause divisions and upset people's faith and go against the teaching which you have recieved. Keep away from them! For those who do such things are not serving Christ our Lord, but their own appetites. By their fine words and flattering speech they deceive innocent people.
God's heart is rebuild in Psalm 133:1: How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony!
*Can peace be broken without knowledge?
*Have you been pushing any buttons lately?
*It is easier to break than create peace
2. Peace Fakers or Peace Keepers
Ephesians 4:25 : No more lying, then! Everyone must tell the truth to his fellow-believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ.
-put off falsehood and speak truthfully
Members of 1 body
*If things are not resolve and when peace is being tried so hard, it is harder to resolve
3. Peace Makers-to do (strong word), to create
*Must be actively made- not by chance
*Often messy work
*Peace must be pursued and guarded
*A peace maker builds a bridge in spite of all the stones
*Hatred looks for a victim and peace wins the victory
12 Principles of Peace
1. Peace must be pursued
Romans 14:19: So then, we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help to strengthen one another.
Psalm 34:14: Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart
Ephesians 4:3: Do your best to perserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.
1 Thessalonians 5:13: Treat them with the greatest respect and love because of the work they do. Be at peace among yourselves.
2. Being a peacemaker can be lonely
Psalm 120:6,7: I have lived too long with people who hate peace!
When I speak of peace, they are for war.
3. Peace must be prayed for
Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you prosper.
4. The Promoter of peace finds joy
Proverbs 12:20: Those who plan evil are in for a rude surprise, but those who work for good will find happiness.
5. Pleasing God is a prerequisite for peace
Proverbs 16:7: When you please the Lord, you can make your enemies into friends.
6. Those who bring peace have beautiful feet
Isaiah 2:17: Human pride will be ended, and human arrogance will be destroyed.
7. Jesus gives peace unlike any other
John 14:27: "Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.
8. Churches grow during times of peace
Acts 9:21: All who heard him were amazed and asked, "Isn't he the one who in Jerusalem was killing those who worship that man Jesus? And didin't he come here for the very purpose of arresting those people and taking them back to the chief priests?"
"grew in numbers living in the fear of the Lord"
9. We must do everything possible to live at peace
Romans 12:18: Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.
10. Peace is a directive from the God of peace
1 Corinthians 7:15: However, if the one who is not a believer wishes to leave the Christian partner let it be so. In such cases the Christian partner, whether husband or wife, is free to act. God has called you to live in peace.
2 Corinthians 13:11 :And now, my brothers, good-bye! Strive for perfection; listen to my appeals; agree with one another; live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Colossians 3:15: The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful.
11.Righteousness is rewarded to peacemakers
James 3:18: And goodness is the harvest that is produced from the seeds the peacemakers plant in peace.
12. Jesus is the model of peace
Ephesians 2:14-17: For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people.With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies. He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace. By his death on the cross Christ destroyed ther enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body nd brought them back to God. So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all - to you Gentiles, who were far away from Gd, and to the Jews, who were near to him.
*Making peace is also found in the beattitude
Rewards for peacemakers
1. We are all blessed when we make peace
2. This beattitude ends with an intriguing phrase
"For they will be called Sons of God"
*Officially designated of holding particular rank like a chairman
*Own or know or recognize as what they really are -children of God, child of the Prince of Peace
*Peacemakers bears a family resemblance you will reflect the character of Father in heaven
*If you want to resemble God, be a peacemaker
*Would God be happy or sad for you to make peace?
*Until we put these into actions, they are just words
Action steps:
1. Make sure you're at peace with God
Malachi 3:8-10: I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. 'How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there.Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour our on you in abundance all kinds of good things.
Ephesians 2:3: Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.
*We don't have peace unless you have peace in God
*Awesome privilege to be in work with God
*No country with peace unless peace resides within its community and unless they surrender to the Prince of Peace
2. Lead others to be at peace with God
2 Corinthians 5:15:He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for him who dies and was rised to life for their sake.
*Our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted mission, go and make disciples- the great commission
*Make things right / forgive and seek forgiveness
3. Be at peace with those around you
*Do you need to settle problems with anyone?
4. Help others who are in conflict
*The peacemakers' pledge
*Peacemakers release tension, strive for resolution
2 Thessalonians 3:16 - The Benediction
"May the Lord Himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all."
**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**
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