Preacher- Adrian
|
The Peacemaker –
God’s child
Mat 5 Adrian Warnock
The Peacemaker by Ken Sande ‘There is no need for
another book on this topic to be written now that his volume exists’ CJ MahaneyMuch of
the following notes are adapted from the above book which is highly
recommended.
How does the following quote make you
feel?
With each beatitude another nail is driven
into a coffin. Inside the coffin lies the corpse of a false understanding of
salvation. The false understanding said that a person can be saved without
being changed. Or: that a person can inherit eternal life even if his attitudes
and actions are like the attitudes and actions of unbelievers.
One after the
other the beatitudes tell us that the blessings of eternity will be given only
to those who have become new creatures…..If we don't
obtain mercy, we receive judgment. If we don't see God, we are not in heaven.
If we aren't called the sons of God, we are outside the family. In other words
these are all descriptions of final salvation…it is
promised only to the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers.
Therefore the beatitudes are like long
spikes holding down the lid of the coffin on the false teaching which says that
if you just believe in Jesus you will go to heaven whether or not you are
merciful or pure in heart or a peacemaker. In fact, from beginning to end the Sermon
on the Mount cries out, "Get yourself a new heart! Become a new person!
The river of judgment is at the door!" You recall the words of verse 20:
"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and pharisees, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20)…..In
other words, a life of disobedience to the beatitudes and to the Sermon on the
Mount will not stand in the judgment no matter what we believe! (PIPER)
Oh to be called a child
of God!
nHow
is Gods reputation is affected by how we treat others?
n"My prayer
for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that
just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world
will believe you sent me."
(John 17:21, NLT)
nJesus
is the ultimate peacemaker and true peace can only come through him
nGod
intends for us to be at peace
n
With God
n
Within ourselves
n
With others
n What does this mean in practive?
nWe
have a duty to serve others in this area- How? (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, ESV)
The price of peace
nJesus
paid the ultimate peace price & He wants us to pay the peace price
n
Dying to self and own desires
n
Dying to the right to be indignant
n
Dying to the right of reply
n
Dying inside to say ‘Sorry’ and mean it
nPeacemaking
is a lifestyle not just for conflicts
nMany
do not know there is such a thing as peace and forgiveness
Lies
that destroy peace
n
Look out for number one
n
God helps those who help themselves
n
Surely God doesn’t want me to remain in an unhappy
situation
n
Ill forgive you but I cant forget
n
Dont get mad, get even
n
I deserve better than this
nWhich
of the above lies are hardest for you personally to resist?
Conflict management styles
n
Avoidance, Accommodation, Competition
Compromise Collaboration Stewardship
What is your conflict management
style? Can you think of examples of
each from the media?
The Peacemakers checklist…
nHow
can I please and glorify God in this situation?
nA
broken situation needs TACS
nTACS – Trust God
n
"You keep him
in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on you, because he
trusts in you. Trust in the
Lord forever, for the Lord
God is an everlasting rock." (Isaiah 26:3-4, ESV)
n
"I will
contend with those who contend with you." (Isaiah 49:25, ESV)
nIs
my situation…a chance event?….
done to you by someone else?
nOR….allowed by God for a specific purpose?
n"When
Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that
Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a
message to Joseph, saying, “… now, please forgive the transgression of the
servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him……But
Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant
evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people
should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your
little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. " (Ge 50:15-21)
Do you find it easy to see every situation as allowed by God for a specific purpose for good?
nHow
would your feelings, attitude and behaviour change if you saw this situation as
an assignment from a loving, all powerful God
for your good?
nAcknowledge God in prayer and by bringing him into your
situation
nResolve
to Obey Gods commands
nResolve
to Serve others even in conflict
Gods commands -GO
n
Its my fault- (Matt 5:23-24, ESV)
n
Its not my fault (Matt 18:15, ESV)
n
Its up to them now(Ro 12:18, GNB)On a
scale of 1 to 100 how hard have I tried?
n
Its not my problem (Galatians 6:1, NIV)
nGO to solve conflicts
n
NOT an E-mail
(worst of all!)
n
NOT a letter
n
NOT a phone call
n
Face to face
nBut first…….Get that log out!
n"You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:5, ESV)
nWhat
have I done to contribute even 5% to this conflict?
n"So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." (Matthew 7:12, NIV)
7 A’s of confession
nAddress everyone involved
nAvoid ifs but and maybe
nAdmit specifically- Call a sin a sin.
nApologize
nAccept the
consequences- How can you reverse the damage you have caused?
nAlter your behaviour- What changes do you intend to carry
out?
nAsk for forgiveness- Trust may need to be earned
Do
I have to confront them?
nLove covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8, ESV)
n"If you are
sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great
virtue to ignore it."
(Proverbs 19:11, GNB)
nHas
anyone other than you been hurt?
nHas
Gods reputation been damaged?
nHow
serious is it?
nIs
there a significant risk to others? – always involve
the relevant authorities
nCan
you ‘DROP’ it without a
confrontation?
Forgiveness means to ‘DROP’ it
nNot a feeling
nNot
forgetting
nNot
excusing –Don’t say ‘it was nothing’
nD- "I will no
longer dwell on this incident."
nR- "I will not
allow this incident to stand between us or hinder our relationship. "
nO- "I will not talk to others about
this incident."
nP- “I consign this to the past. I will not punish you for
this incident or use it against you.
nBan the
use of the words always or never
Just DROP
it!
By
making and keeping these promises, you tear down the walls that stand between
you and your offender. You promise not to punish by holding the person at a
distance. You clear the way for your relationship to develop unhindered by
memories of past wrongs. This is exactly what God does for us, and it is what
he commands us to do for others.
Because
few people realize that forgiveness involves such marvelous promises, even when
they hear the words "I forgive you" they frequently continue to
struggle with feelings of guilt and estrangement.
Therefore,
whenever you forgive someone who may not understand what biblical forgiveness
is, make it a point to explain the four promises you have just made.Ken Sande
nThen and only then- Speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15)
n Not ‘you are
insensitive’ but ‘I felt upset’
n Be peaceable in your approach & don’t get historical
nIf
adequate confession and repentance DROP it or involve a mature Christian
Are you
at Peace?
nWith
God?
nWithin
yourself?
nWith
others?
Do you plan to, or have you already put into practice the principles and checklist that are outlined above? (Specifics need not be mentioned!!!)