Peacemakers Part II

December 14th 2025

Last Sunday we looked at the same verse we’ll be looking at today; Matthew 5:9. In His introduction to His longest recorded Sermon, Christ gave us these Beatitudes to “jump start” as it were, a description of what citizens of His kingdom look and act like. Those who are poor in spirit and mourn over their sin, are those who have been given a new heart by Him. They are also those who meekly hunger and thirst for righteousness as they show mercy and are mercifully given a new heart. And this pure heart, as we spoke about last week, is a necessary prerequisite to being a peacemaker. It is only from a pure heart that anyone can go about fighting for peace in a world that desperately needs it. 

Were someone to not have a heart that has been purified by the refining fire of God that punished Christ in their place, the only peace they can make will be one of two things. It will either be a refusal to make conflict when it is necessary, or making a conflict when it isn't necessary. These are the only two options for the non-Christian when it comes to peacemaking. 

Closing out last week we were careful to understand that our culture is in the midst of a massive change. The zeitgeist of 2025 America is shifting in a certain direction, and the Church must refuse to shift with it. No matter the direction of the current, to the left or the right, the only things that go with its flow…are dead things. It takes intentional effort to not be confirmed to this World, especially when the World seems to look like the Church. Hating all the things that God hates, but refusing to love while they do it, is something the pure of heart must never do, and can never do. 

To make peace, the Christian stands between every side of every human divide, and gets attacked from both sides as we give them the Gospel. The audible proclamation of who Jesus Christ is, and what He did to make peace between God and man, is the only way in which peace can be made in a fallen world.

As we go about with the understanding that peace is not something that naturally occurs in a fallen world, but instead must be made; a thousand different scenarios will present themselves to our thoughts. Questions of ‘this’ person or ‘that’ person, and the things they did or didn't do. Questions of Nations, people groups, policies, and politicians; the choices and laws they make or don't make. And while it is wise to grab your umbrella when you see rain clouds on the horizon, one of the negative aspects of the globalization that has been unfolding in 2025, is the idea that everyone needs to care about everything.

Everyone is connected to everyone; stories about strangers we’ll never meet have been filtering through our phones for a decade; and as a result, we have (intentionally or otherwise) assumed that we have a moral obligation in situations we can never affect. Is it bad that Israeli forces have killed thousands of Palestinian children in the last 25 years? Of course. Can you do anything about it? Is it bad that Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria? Of course. Can you do anything about it? On and on we are forced to see war and tragedy while thinking that our complaints are accomplishing peace, all the while ignoring the sin we have refused to repent of. Plainly stated, if you aren't going to take physical or spiritual action against a problem, then stop complaining about it, giving it a path into your soul, and allowing it to distract you from making peace in your own life.

This does not, however, mean that when we are confronted with situations in our own life, we are to make peace at any cost. Most of the time, when people use that phrase, they aren't speaking of confronting sin, they are speaking of ignoring it. It is a fairy tale to think that time heals all wounds, or that problems go away when they aren't faced. The only thing necessary for weeds to grow, is to ignore them. The only thing you need to do for your house to be a mess, both physically and spiritually, is to ignore it. 

Problems don’t magically disappear when they are ignored, they only grow.

When Christ says “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God” He is not speaking of the temporary “playing nice” we do with those who disagree with us; or of the manner in which we tip-toe across so many egg shells to avoid any conflict. The one who ignores problems or covers them with pleasantries is no peacemaker at all, and is therefore no child of God.

And the same can be said of those who we also mentioned last week, who caused a conflict when it wasn't necessary. Picking a fight for no other reason than a love of battle, twisting and using God’s word to justify their bloodlust or emotional sadism; who would rather fight than forgive, is no peacemaker. It is the peacemakers, Christ said in our verse, who are children of God.

This inevitably begs the question then, doesn't it? “How do I determine if a conflict is necessary?” If I don't want to avoid one that is required, or cause one that isn't, how do I tell the difference? And furthermore, even if I did discern the right path forward…what happens if peace isn't made despite my best efforts? When I fail at making peace, am I therefore not a child of God?”

Before we answer these big questions, we need to understand what “peace” actually is.

We see no armed combatants occupying our country, and think we have peace, pay no attention to the cultural combatants. No tanks are rolling across our manicured and watered lawns, our grocery stores shelves are filled to the brim with so much food it paralyzes us with indecision, and we think we're at peace. Pay no attention to the 800 million abortions in New York alone. No enemy aircraft has broke our blue skies, the waves of amber grain still grow beneath the purple mountains of majesty, and we think we have peace. Pay no attention to the roughly 400,000 murders since 2000.

Using just those two numbers; the abortions in NY and the murders in all of America since 2000, it means that 8.4 million lives have been lost. That’s the entire population of Louisiana; every man, woman, and child. Without even taking into consideration the numbers for rape, assault, robbery, or human trafficking; it still doesn't sound like America has peace.

This kind of teaching is hard to wrap our minds around, brothers and sisters. We read about the great wars of old, and see our favorite sport or movie on TV inside of our climate controlled homes, compare the two, and think we're at peace. 

God has set America upon the pinnacle of human societies, giving us the greatest Nation to have ever existed. He has bestowed upon us blessings the likes of which would confound previous civilizations. Physically, in our wealth and land; civically, in our Laws being based on His; and spiritually in our freedom to gather and worship. Because blessing after blessing has been given to us, we have taken peace for granted…without ever having to define it, and have therefore exploited it. Used and abused it; and are left with what we see on the news every day. 

In a thousand years, when a child begins to learn about the ancient Americans, about us here today, and asks her teacher: “What did America do with all of her peace and freedom and money and churches and laws?” What will she learn? “Were the poor fed, the stranger treated right? Was God glorified in her homes and churches and streets and courts? What about her art, surely with the abundance America had at her disposal they must have created works of art that we should be studying and filling our museums with…right? Where are the American songs? The American books and paintings and sculptures? What are the contributions to human society that America developed or perfected or defended?”

What will we leave behind for the future generations to study,

and what will they learn?

With watered down language humanity has consistently twisted the word of God to mean what they want it to mean, to the point that one can claim they are in a state of peace simply because there is no immediate physical danger. When bullets don't fly and the engines of war rest silent, we believe that peace has been made…which means we are peacemakers… which means we are children of God. But the peace Scripture teaches of is not the absence of conflict. It is “Shalom”...it is “completeness”. When the Bible speaks of peace, it is speaking of evil actually existing and then being brought to its conclusion by righteousness. Peace is not the absence of war, death, or disease; it is the presence of righteousness.

Psalm 85:8-11

“I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. [9] Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. [10] Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. [11] Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.”

When mercy meets truth,

righteousness creates peace.

When the mercy of God; Him who is gentle and lowly in heart (Mt. 11:29); who is faithful to forgive any sin (1 Jn. 1:9); who inhabits both the heart of the humble and eternity itself (Is. 57:15); meets the truth of God; Him who can not be seen lest we die (Ex. 33:20); who is angry with the wicked everyday (Ps. 7:11); and whose holiness none can stand in the presence of (1 Sam. 6:20; Heb. 12:14)...when the mercy of God meets the truth of God…Jesus Christ is crucified, evil is punished, brought to its conclusion, and peace is made.

For that is what happened on the Cross, brothers and sisters. The truth of God’s mercy met the truth of God’s righteousness on the broken body of His only begotten Son. True peace in a fallen World looks like evil being punished, it looks like Christ on the Cross. When we fought and hated and worked against God, acting out the desires of our evil hearts, earning nothing from Heaven but Hell; Jesus Christ met it, took our sin upon Himself, died in our place, and made peace.

And because we are at peace with the God of reality, we can: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let (y)our requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard (y)our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6 & 7)

Because we are at peace with the God whose hand can not be held back (Dan. 4:35), we can stand before kings and conquerors, death and disease…and be at peace. When we are plagued by questions of self worth; when shame settles and fear flows; when doubt about our future rises to meet our present; when families fall apart or nations descend into chaos; open the perfect Word of the Lord, see the lengths to which He went to save you, hear the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs sung aloud by the men and women to your left and right, and be at peace, because the King of the Universe, who arranged all of reality down to the most painstaking detail, has promised to use everything for our good. (Rom. 8:28)

When evil is allowed to spread and grow, we find peace in the crown of thorns. When we sin in ways we swore we never would again, we find peace in the empty tomb. When loved ones are snatched away; when evil people act; when houses burn, cancer grows, cars crash, when sorrows like sea billows roll…there is peace for the children of God. Nothing can ever come your way that God has not foreseen, planned for, allowed, and promised to use for your good…

How can we not be at peace?

Because Christ on the Cross is the source and foundation of true peace, it means those who refuse to repent will never know peace. They will grasp at hobbies and desires and pleasures from every direction, trying to forge a life of meaning in the furnaces of a fallen World…and will always fall short. They find their identity and the meaning of why they exist, in games, hobbies, or other people. They surround themselves with clones, all in an attempt to carry the voice of their frustrations higher than the stars they sin beneath, thinking if they have the numbers, then their life has meaning. But what happens when sorrow or tragedy break through the embankment of selfish desires they have built around their heart? What happens when they make a choice they wish they hadn't made, or when others make choices they don't approve of? What happens when they wake to see a Nation in the throes of a cold civil war, or questions of self doubt arise in their dead heart? How does the unredeemed answer when they are asked questions about Laws, Climate, or Crime? And how do they handle the negative ramifications of their own bad choices bringing them a life they don't want? What do they do?

They will consistently blame-shift every problem they see in their life or in society at large, somewhere else. Pointing their fingers at the Republicans or the Democrats; the blacks or the whites; the gays or the straights; the rich; the poor; the Christians; the muslims; the immigrants; the racists; they’ll blame their parents and events of their childhood; their families; their careers or their boss; on and on the unrepentant lives in a state of continuous unending warfare becasue they are at war with nature and nature’s God. Marching onward into every theater of war their dead hearts have directed them towards, trudging through mortar and cannon fire, flame and field, they carry their weapons at all times, no respite, no retreat, no reprieve. Nothing but combat. Nothing but violence. In a life of constant warfare against a God they can’t attack, they attack those who look like, and act like, and represent, and talk about…Him, leaving casualties on every battlefield. Always winter, and never Christmas. Always war and never peace.

But when righteousness is present, there is peace. When evil is met by the light of God; when the broken and weary bring their sin to the foot of the Cross, mourning with every step; when someone turns from their previous ways because their conscience has been washed clean by the blood of Christ; when sin is forgiven because Jesus died for it…there is peace. And then…those with purified hearts go out into the World and make peace, meeting evil with a sword between their callused fingers as it blazes in the noon day sun, a weapon which no man can oppose (2 Cor. 10:4), piercing between soul and spirit (Heb. 4:12).

Isaiah 32:16 - 19 → “Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field. [17] The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. [18] My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, [19] Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.”

Where did Jesus go to be Baptized? Tempted?

Though hail may fly and cities be brought low, there is peace.

However, when evil goes unmet, unconfronted and unopposed, there is no peace. Where sin is allowed to live, it grows, rots, and corrupts, both within the individual and nation, and there is no peace. When a person refuses to confront the sin in their life, but instead embraces it, they will never have peace in their family. When a Government or Culture refuses to confront sin within their borders, but instead protects it and encourages it; there is no peace in the nation.

Psalm 12:1 → “The wicked prowl on every side when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

As we said last week, this is the World in which Christ told us to be peacemakers within. A fallen world filled with fallen people, where death does live and tears do fall. And the temptation to face our individual enemies with hatred instead of love, is something that Christ Himself spoke of, in Matthew 5:43-48 → “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ [44] But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, [45] that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? [48] Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

How can the individual make peace in a fallen world? By standing unmoving before people who hate them…and loving them in return.

“But then, Pastor…” you might be thinking right now, “...that still doesn't answer all of my big questions. I understand that I have to make peace surrounded by, and even with my enemies, by confronting hatred with love, but how do I know if I am causing a necessary conflict or not? How do I tell the difference between when to act or not act?

If I want to make peace…shouldnt it be always? When I see the blue-haired barista or the smiling abortion supporter; when my friend or relative flies their sodomy flag or the muslim or jew or mormon begins to lie about Jesus; should we live in constant conflict whenever there is a fight to be fought? Furthermore, how harsh or gentle should I be? Should I be like Jesus as He clears the Temple, or like Jesus when He shares a meal with a prostitute? Am I casting my pearls before swine? Should I shake the dust from my feet and move on?”

Before I give you a foundational answer upon which all others are built; it is through partaking of the Ordinary Means of Grace that we are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. It is through the Word, the Sacraments, and Prayer. When we make a conscious effort to spend more time in our Bibles than our phones or TVs, when we have dedicated times of prayer, when go to Church and take of the Lord’s Table while singing as loud as we can, and then pay attention to the preacher as he opens the unchanging Word…is how our discernment grows. It is how we learn when doors are opened or closed in our relationships. Plainly stated, living how a Christian is supposed to live is how we become sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

This does not mean, however, that we are going to treat God like a vending machine, insert the proper behavior, press the "discernment" button, and expect the answers about when to start a conflict to come tumbling out of the pages of our Bible.

When someone asks: “What do you think about this or that situation?” They never like my answer, because I always ask what part of the Bible they are reading through in their daily devotions. If you are choosing to not study the Bible with other believers, give little to no effort in paying attention on a Sunday morning, then leaving and going about your week without prayer, you are setting yourself up for failure. You will constantly second guess yourself and God, be confused about the way the world is unfolding, filled with fear anytime a scary scary news story pops up, overwhelmed with anxiety, will have no idea what to think or do or say, end up doing nothing at all, and not making peace. If you are trying to figure out your life with a closed Bible, you are going to fail.

And that truth hints at the foundational answer beneath it all. To help us see this, we're going to look at two different verses that might seem to be contradictory, one of which will be very fitting this time of year.

Luke 2:8 - 14 → “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9]And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. [10] Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. [11] For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: [14] “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Matthew 10:34 - 39 → “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. [35] For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; [36] and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ [37] He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. [38] And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. [39] He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

There is peace on Earth

because

Jesus brought a sword.

The Sword of the Spirit; the truth which can not be denied, opposed, held back, suppressed, or return void to Him who spoke it (Is. 55:11) is that which unites and divides. The truth of who Jesus Christ is, brings both peace and conflict. It heals, and it hurts. It sets free, and it binds.

There is peace on Earth because “...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Is. 53:5). Do you see yourself as guilty before a holy God? Then repent, be forgiven, and live in peace with the God who made the stars you so willingly sinned beneath. And there is conflict because “...a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” (Matt. 10:36). Can you live with the truth that those enemies who hate you, that you are called to love in return, will be those of your own flesh and blood?

The results of all of your peacemaking endeavors, brothers and sisters, are fully and completely dependent upon God. You show love in truth, never compromising a syllable of Scripture while you confront sin, and trust that God, who is merciful and compassionate, also crushes the wicked. Trust that the God who forgives, is the One who knows everything we need to be forgiven of. The sword that divides is the same sword that brings peace.

2nd Corinthians 2:15 - 16 → “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. [16] To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”

When we go about life, giving the Gospel to everyone, being the only way peace can be made, when our words fall on the ears of the pure in heart…it brings peace to the depths of their soul. And when the impure in heart hear those very same words, it is a declaration of war. We are sheep among wolves, called to be as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove (Matt. 10:16) as we make peace. We live how the Bible tells us to live, say the things the Bible tells us to say, and as children of God we imitate His behavior. The one who does not snuff out a smoldering wick or break a bent reed (Is. 42:3), who died to make peace between God and man; is the same God who will be continually crushing the wicked beneath His white-hot wrath in the caverns of Hell. (Rev. 19:3) He is the one who produces results, and His results are always perfect.

So what do we do then? How do I know if I'm avoiding a necessary conflict or starting an unnecessary one? How harsh should I be? How gentle? Did I succeed in making peace? Am I a child of God? Is my prodigal going to come home or go to Hell? Is America going to crack and shutter under the weight of an angry God, or repent and shine like a beacon of Godliness?

Well…what part of the Bible are you going through in your daily devotions? How much time did you spend in prayer last week? Why weren't you at Bible Study last Wednesday? Why could I see you on your phone while I was preaching? What media are you feeding your soul, is it good, true, and beautiful? What is the last thing that enters your brain before you fall asleep and take your hands off the wheel of your mind? What about your daily habits, are you daily picking up your cross to follow Him (Lk. 9:23)?

If that is the case, and you are doing all of those things, then the level of importance your questions hold…will begin to fade away.

Do you believe that “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord? (Ps. 37:23), if you do…then take a step.

Do you believe that the effective and fervent prayers of the righteous avail much? (Jms. 5:16), if you do…then put your phone down and pray.

Do you believe that no purpose of His can be held back (Job 42:2); that He commands the falling of snowflakes just as much as He commands the falling of nations (Is. 40:15); and that both life and death are in His hands to do with as He pleases, giving either to whoever He has decided, both physically (Job 1:21) or spiritually (Jn 3:8)? Then trust Him with your peacemaking endeavors…no matter if it results in the hardening or softening of a heart or a Nation. No matter if relationships are given a breath of God loving life and restored, or if they are broken to never be repaired. No matter if America falls to war and ash, or repents and shines. We aren't called to produce results, we are called to obey.

If that is the foundation of all our peacemaking endeavors; knowing that God has all of reality under sovereign control, oh what a world we will make! When we are at peace with God, innocent and righteous in His eyes, then and only then, we can…

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” (Rom. 12:9-13)

…knowing that the results He produces will be for your good and His glory, you can…

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.” (Rom. 12:14-17)

…because He is the one who produces the results. And because we do live in a fallen World, you should…

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” (Rom. 12:18) 

But when evil is enacted against you…

“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:19-21).

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

Matthew 5:9

Rev. Jacob Marchitell

December 14th 2025