“Blessed are the Peacemakers” (Ready to Worship S14E7)

This season on Ready to Worship we are considering the attitude that we are to have in worship. As you know, one of the requirements of true worship is that it be in spirit or with the right attitude (John 4::23-24). This season we will analyze and adjust our attitudes by examining the beatitudes of the Bible. This week we will consider Matthew 5:9:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.”

 

Our God is a God of peace. Five times in the New Testament, He is so designated by inspired writers (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; Phil. 4:9; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 13:20-21). Consider the closing words of Hebrews: “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21). God wants His sons and daughters to be like Him. Rather than sowing discord, something that He hates (Prov. 6:16-19), God wants His children to sow peace (Jam. 3:17-18). Rather than striving about words that won’t profit men, God wants His children to strive after the gospel of peace which is profitable for all men (Rom. 10:15; 2 Tim. 3:16). Perhaps, you are thinking, “What does this have to do with worship?” How does being at peace or not being at peace with others affect our worship of God? Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, we are not only commanded to love God, we are commanded to love our neighbor (Mat. 22:37-39). We cannot truly love God and hate others at the same time (1 John 4:20-21). We cannot curse men and bless God with the same mouth (Jam. 3:9-10). If we are not at peace with others, then we cannot be at peace with God. Our prayers and our worship will be rejected by Him because we are rejecting His word concerning how we are to treat others (Prov. 15:8; 1 Pet. 3:7). No doubt, this is why Jesus said what He did in the Sermon on the Mount. He declared, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mat. 5:23-24). Please notice the instructions. First, be reconciled to your brother and then offer your gift. We must be at peace with our brother before we can present our gift to God. If we get all the way to the worship altar and then remember a problem with a brother, we are not to finish up worship and then go to our brother. We are to go to our brother and then return to worship. We can’t have war in our hearts for our brother and worship in our hearts for God at the same time (Psa. 120:7). Sadly, I fear that many are trying to do so.

 

As we get ready to worship this week, let’s make sure that we are peacemakers. Troublemakers, gossips, hotheads, and others like them can’t love and worship God properly until they change their hearts.