Would you describe your family as peaceful? Peaceful families are blessed, and peacemakers will be called children of God. How can we be a peacemaker in our family? What does it mean to be a child of God? We will look to the example of the Prince of Peace, the Son of God, Jesus.

Bless This Home 5: Peacemakers – Redemption Church Plano Tx from Redemption Church on Vimeo.
 
Welcome
Final week of Bless This Home applying Beatitudes to our family
This week: the only Beatitude that mentions family
Matthew 5:9 NIV Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
This brings up three major topics:
1) Peace
2) Children of God
3) Application to our family
Peacemaker
Do you like peace? Do you want peace in your life? your home?
What is peace? How do we make it? What does it mean: Peacemaker?
Bible has a lot to say about peace. Jesus has a lot to say about peace.
Jesus is the embodiment of Matthew 5:9: Peacemaker & Son of God
Jesus made peace. Jesus lived peace. Jesus encouraged peace.
But not always in the way we would expect.
Matthew 10:34 NIV “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Matthew 10:35 NIV For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
Matthew 10:36 NIV a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’”
Bless this home!
Two kinds of peace.
First, Worldly Peace
Fill in the blank: Peace through ___________?
 
 
Peace Through Strength
In this world we achieve a peace through strength.
1980’s, Pax Romana, families
Can easily turn into Peace Through Domination
Pax Romana, families
Second, Jesus offers a different kind of peace.
John 14:27 NIV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
“Do not be afraid,” does that sound like peace through domination?
Peace Through Meekness
Peace through submission to God and to others.
It is not of this world.
Philippians 4:7 NIV And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
These two kinds of peace came face to face when Jesus was before Pilate
Which peace won? Who is still alive? Which kingdom still exists?
His Peace is a lasting peace.
The peace of this world is fragile.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
Jesus takes a sword to the peace of this world.
Jesus embodies Godly peace through submission, and He gives it to us.
 
John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We make peace when we believe in Him and embrace His peace
Abide in him, trust in Him, and share His peace with others by living out His peace
In order to be peacemakers we must be like Jesus.
And if we do that we become Children of God
Children of God
John 1:12 NIV Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
But what does it mean to be a child of God?
It means we are different. It means we are like Jesus.
1 John 3:1 NIV See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
The world did not understand Him, and so the world hated Him. And if we live as He lived,