Pure and Peacemaking

Introduction

Jesus has been speaking of those who are his disciples. He has been describing the marks by which they may be identified and identify themselves. We come to the sixth and seventh of those marks, which will inevitably be found in anyone who is truly Christ's disciple, anyone who is truly a Christian, and here is what we have set before us: that man or woman, boy or girl, who is a believer, having been humbled by their spiritual poverty, their sin as it is laid bare before God and their conscience, and having found the answer to their poverty in the grace of God which fills them with the righteousness of God himself, next finds that they have been rendered pure in heart and active in the work of making peace.

• The Christian is a person who has been made pure in heart (8)
• This is necessarily so. The believer has been forgiven their sin, but also had it taken away. They have the righteousness of Christ and are cleansed from all unrighteousness. There is nothing in them that defiles them in the sight of God. They are pure in heart.
• Once again, Jesus takes up a theme that is rooted in the Old Testament. The description, pure in heart, is taken from Psalm 73:1-Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. This theme again shows up in Psalm 24:4-6, where it is said that the pure in heart will stand in God's presence.
• The word, pure, means clean or innocent. In Psalm 73 it has the connotation of ritual cleanness or purity, such as would be the result of a sacrifice being offered to cleanse the worshiper from defilement. The idea that is being conveyed by Christ is that of being pure in heart, not just outwardly, but inwardly. There is no sin or defilement of any sort to keep the disciple from ongoing fellowship with God. This would be so for two reasons-first because the sin that would hinder that fellowship has been removed by sacrifice, and second, there is a perseverance in holiness. The pure in heart are those who are whole-heartedly committed to Jesus Christ, to living for him and for his glory. They let nothing get in the way of their relationship to Christ. They are active in seeking to put to death sin and their sinful nature. John speaks to this in 1 John 3:9. It is not that he does not sin, ever, but rather, sin is no longer the believer's natural tendency. So that when he sins, he not only sins against God and against men, he sins against himself. All of this is well summed up by Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. When the believer comes to Christ he lays claim of the work of his High Priest, Jesus, who offered himself for his sins. On this basis he is able to come to the Lord God and be assured of a warm welcome and acceptance with him, for his heart is now pure-it is sprinkled from and evil conscience. His body is cleansed also-in other words, he is pure inside and out by the work of Christ.
• Which is to say with Jesus that such a one is blessed/happy. For they shall see God. It is not a physical seeing but the sort of seeing the psalmist experienced that is in view. And he is then able to have unhindered fellowship with God as his God and his Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Look again at Psalm 73. In that Psalm the psalmist goes on to recount his struggles with the seeming goodness of God to the wicked, and then his realization that the wicked may have it good in this life, but it will all end for them in disaster. On the other hand, the psalmist is able to see that, while the wicked may have it good for the present, he has an unending good from God now and on into eternity (23-28). In short, he has seen God, seen his goodness, in his life and circumstances, and been encouraged by his sight of God. Put another way, he has eternal life. He sees God now, by the eye of faith. And then, in the future, he will also see God in the last day and throughout all eternity in heaven.
• Thus, if you are a believer, you have come a long way-from being poor in spirit, mourning over that poverty and being humbled by it, through the period of hungering and thirsting for righteousness and receiving mercy, to now when you have attained to the greatest of all joys, close and unhindered communion with God. This is one mark of a disciple that is exceedingly precious. He knows God and sees him with the eye of faith and enjoys fellowship with him. Is this true of you? Do you have a pure heart? Well, if you have a pure heart, it is because God has given you one. If not, then you do not know Christ in a saving way and I would urge you to seek him for that peace with God which will as one of its fruits, give you a pure heart.
• The Christian disciple is one who has a heart made pure by the grace of God. And that will also inevitably lead once again to the believer reaching outside of himself in a Christ like way.
• The Christian is a peacemaker (9)
• What is a peacemaker? The only other place this verb appears in the New Testament is in Col 1:20, which speaks of Christ making peace, by reconciling all things to God by means of his blood being shed on the cross. The term itself indicates that the he or she is one who helps resolve conflict. But more than seeking to resolve conflict, the peacemaker seeks to establish Biblical peace, what the Old Testament calls, Shalom. Shalom is wholeness and well being. Therefore the peacemaker is one who seeks to make establish an atmosphere of wholeness and well being among others. And to add to it the category that Ken Sande (OPC Elder) puts in his book, The Peacemaker,  it is the kind of peace that glorifies God by Biblical resolution of conflicts. And is that not Christ-like?
• What does a peacemaker look like? The peacemaker is someone who works to keep or make peace between two or more people. In the 17^th Century, Jeremiah Burroughs, a Puritan who was also a congregationalist, who also attended the Westminster Assembly, preached a sermon on this very text, and called upon Presbyterians and Congregationalists to stop fighting over the form of Church Government because the differences among them were not all that great. He sought to make peace between them. He was a peacemaker. And so is anyone who seeks to bring Biblical resolution to conflicts. And of course, the great peacemaker, Jesus Christ, has called us all to be peacemakers by declaring the gospel to the world, to seek to bring men to reconciliation with God.
• Two aspects of this peacemaking then are brought forward. First there is the matter of peace between God and men. That is the function of the gospel. So we are talking about Evangelism in the first place. But then there is the matter of peace among the members of the church. Ephesians 4:3 and Colossians 3:15 are the key texts here. The disciple is a peacemaker.
• And Jesus pronounces the peacemakers blessed, because they will be called the Sons of God. They are like their Father in heaven who sent into the world his own peace offering for sinners, in the person of his Son. It is one more mark of the disciple of Jesus that he or she seeks to make peace-peace between God and sinners, and peace between men. And in fact, the latter is never truly possible except on the basis of the former. Further, this idea of seeking to make peace between God and men is at the heart of Evangelism. Thus we may put it this way, that the disciple is marked by a concern for the souls of the lost. If you are son of God by grace, you will be interested in reaching the lost with the gospel. And if you are a Christian then you will seek to make and maintain peace in the church.
• Let us dwell briefly on this matter of peacemaking. I think some practical instruction would be helpful here so that you know what is involved. Ken Sande gives four principles that are Biblical and helpful:
• Glorify God (1 Cor 10:31-whatever you do...) Biblical peacemaking is motivated and directed by a desire to please and honour God-his honour and reputation and interests rule and overrule all personal agendas and interests. You begin by putting God's pleasure above your own.
• Get the Log out of your own eye (Matt 7:5) Face up to your own attitudes, faults and responsibilities before trying to tell someone else what they have done wrong-being ready to overlook the minor offenses of others. Figure out how you need to change first. This could lead the other side to do the same. You are looking to be constructive by removing that in your own life that would hinder reconciliation.
• God and show your brother his fault (Matt 18:15) In a gracious but firm manner seek to show your brother where his fault and responsibility lies. Sometimes this will involve others or even the elders to be involved., and always with the goal of making or restoring peace.
• Go and be reconciled (Matt 5:24) You must be committed to restoring damaged relationships and developing just and fair solutions that are satisfactory to all parties. This means forgiveness must be granted and a cooperative spirit will be maintained at all times, again with the goal of making and maintaining peace.

Conclusion

If you are a believer, then you will find that by God's grace you have a pure heart. Sin will and has become increasingly hateful to you, and your fellowship, your loving communion with your Father in heaven too precious for it to be broken by it. And then you will want to give to others, as much as lies in you, the gift of being able to enjoy that relationship with God too, as well as a good relationship with others both on your part and as you see others in conflict.

Let me again give you some specific applications:

1. To those who are not believers: you have a major conflict to deal with, one that is between you and God over your sin. It cannot but end in eternal disaster for you. But there is a remedy for you in Christ. Believe in him, trust in his saving work, that you might find peace with God and with your own soul.
2. To those of you who are believers: know that it is a normal thing for sin to be source of conflict in your life. The key thing to focus on is maintaining your walk with God. This is done by constant repair to the Cross of Christ for forgiveness of sin and a constant application of that Cross to your relationships with others. The Scripture says that having been justified by faith we have peace with God. Let the peace of God reign in your heart and have peace both with God by repentance and confession of sin, and with men by seeking to repair the breaches that have developed between you and your neighbor. And if you need help to do this, then see me or one of the elders to help you.
3. Finally, to the children: Never let a day go by without telling God you are sorry for your sin and asking his help to break sinful habits that you have. And never let a day go by in which you do not tell God you love him and do loving things for others. And if others hurt you or you hurt them, try to make it right with them by asking their forgiveness if you have done wrong and forgiving them if they have done wrong. If you will do this, dear children, you will like Jesus.

May God grant us a pure and peaceable heart like that of Christ who died to make sinners holy and to bring peace between God and sinners. Amen.

Rev. Arthur J. Fox, Pastor
10 Spruce Street
Middletown, PA 17057
(717) 944-5835