Grosey's Messages

The numbers are staggering. Over 365 million Christians face significant persecution and discrimination for their faith, according to Open Doors. 1 in 7 Christians around the world are persecuted worldwide. Last year, almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith. Almost 15,000 churches and Christian properties were attacked. Over 4,000 Christians were detained.

The  Pursuit    The Reality of Persecution

Because it's hard to get our mind around numbers, sometimes we need to hear stories, stories like:

Amila, a single mother in Sri Lanka, who is determined to follow Jesus and raise her daughters to know him. When she became a Christian, her husband left them and she moved in with her mother and sister to have help with childcare. She faces hostility and mistreatment from her family, as well as relentless pressure to return to her previous faith.

The wife of a pastor in Laos in Southeast Asia, along with her two children. Her husband had been warned to stop preaching and promoting the gospel, but he refused. On July 23, two men wearing masks parked a motorbike in front of his home. They asked for the pastor's whereabouts from some children who were by the entryway of the house, which he overheard. He went out front and greeted the visitors. They proceeded to shoot him six times.

Or a 19-year-old girl in Uganda, whose father burned her with a hot flat iron and hot water because she had put her faith in Christ.

The numbers are staggering, and the stories are crushing. What would keep these 365 million Christians faithful to Christ in the face of suffering? What will keep us faithful to Christ if we're ever exposed to similar forms of suffering?

Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust; your injustice is the proof that we are innocent... The more we are hewn down by you, the more numerous do we become.  The blood of Christians is seed. (Tertullian, Apology 50:13).

A. Personal Insult  when others revile you

So what was their problem? Verse 9 tells us: "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."

This church was suffering at the hands of its opponents. The word tribulation can be translated "crushing pressure." They were a church that faced intense pressure from opponents who wanted to destroy them.

What was the nature of the pressure? Slander, particularly from the Jewish community. It seems that the Jewish community in Smyrna wasn't very excited about the presence of Christians in the city. Romans had come to an understanding with Jews. Generally speaking, they wanted every people group to worship Roman gods. They had come to accept that this was a no-deal for Jews, who would rather die than stop worshiping the Lord. No other group had that exemption. It may be that the Jewish community exposed the Christians and said, "Look! They're not worshiping the Roman gods, and they're not one of us!" They slandered the Christians, which resulted in their persecution.

And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1b).

 

 

B. Physical Abuse and persecute you

This is not a benign persecution. Behind this persecution, Jesus says, is Satan himself.

Not only that, but Jesus tells them that things may get worse. Jesus says in verse 10, "Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death…" Imagine hearing that! Jesus doesn't give them assurances that things are going to get better. Instead, he tells them that things may actually get worse. Some of them were going to be imprisoned. Some of them could expect to die for their faith in Jesus.

Here's the thing we need to realize. At some point, we may experience persecution. The fact that we have not yet experienced this kind of persecution is a blessing, but not a guarantee. There may be a time in which we are called to join the 365 million Christians around the world who are suffering high levels of persecution for their faith.

Remember what happened to Paul? He got pursued from city to city. He was nearly stoned to death a few times.

2 Tim 3:10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra---which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Christianity versus Rome                A Conflict of Culture

The Roman military personnel were required to swear oaths to the emperor,

 

2 Corinthians 11: far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.28

C. Social Stigma    and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account

Cut off from work. Cut off from trade. Cut off from government. Left out for death.

The Persuasion for Persecution   The Reason for Persecution.

The second part of verse 11, "...because you are My followers." The fact is, the right reason for harassment is… "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also." (John 15:20).

A. The Life We Live   for righteousness' sake

we are "a peculiar people." (1Peter 2:9) And, this world doesn't like peculiar people. It doesn't say we're odd. Now, I know some of us are odd, but that isn't what peculiar means. It means that we are different. We're children of light;; they're children of darkness. We live by faith; they live by sight. We understand them;; they don't understand us. We are salt, and salt stings and irritates. We are light, and light reveals.

A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible and knows that which passeth knowledge."― A.W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous

1 Peter 4: 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something st range were happening to you.13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?18 And "If the righteous is scarcely saved,  what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

I heard of a lady who called her Husband on the car phone.

He was an elderly man. He'd gone Aldi. She said, "Now, Herbert, I've just listened to the news, and there is a crazy man on the expressway going the wrong way. Be careful."

He said, "One crazy man going the wrong way? They're all going the wrong way!"

When you stop being in collusion with the devil, you will find yourself being in collision with him.

B. The Lord We Love   on my account

John15: 18"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.'

 

Tertullian said that attendance at the Roman circus and theater was the equivalent to sacrificing to false gods.                  Roman religious tolerance vs Christianity's Exclusive claims.

Imperial cult    Reflected in our calendar  July (Julius Caesar)  August (Octavius Augustus)

Alexander the Great        Later Greek rulers

Octavius Augustus  Greek:  Huios tou Theou    Priene Inscription:  "…the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of glad tidings [euangelion] for the world…"

Nero : Great Fire of Rome: 64 A.D.      Christians charged with atheism

Torture:   Crucifixion       Torn by animals       Burning        Dragged to death

"They were clad in the hides of beasts and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed."  Tacitus, Annals 15:33

Polycarp 156 AD "Eighty-six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

Justin Martyr 100-165 AD   Gentile pagan who grew up in Shechem   Became a Christian Started a school in Rome Beheaded for refusal to sacrifice to Roman gods  "The holy martyrs glorifying God betook themselves to the customary place, where they were beheaded and consummated their martyrdom confessing their Saviour."

Diogenetes  They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life (4).    Do you not see them exposed to wild beasts, that they may be persuaded to deny the Lord, and yet not overcome? Do you not see that the more of them are punished, the greater becomes the number of the rest? This does not seem to be the work of man: this is the power of God; these are the evidences of His manifestation (7).

The Promises in Persecution

A.   You Reign in Life    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Revelation 2:9: "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."

Jesus knows. Imagine how this church must have felt hearing this letter read out to them. Imagine them hearing the rebuke to Ephesus, and wondering what Jesus might say to them as they faced crushing pressure. And then imagine hearing him say, "I know." And he did, because Jesus knew what it was like to suffer. He'd been there too. We serve a Saviour who suffered and died for us to save anyone who comes to him from their sins. Jesus not only suffered; Jesus had died, which is why Jesus says, "The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life" (2:8).

And so when Jesus says, "I know," he really means he knows because he's been through suffering and persecution too.

Jesus stands among his churches. In Revelation 1:13, we read that Jesus stands among the seven golden lampstands, which represent the seven churches. Jesus stands among his church.

This should bring comfort to every church. Jesus knows.

Friends, Jesus knows us at Hope. He knows everything about it. Why? Because we are His church, and He stands among us. He cares more about this church than any of us do. Whatever we go through, we can always count on the fact that He knows, and He cares.

Jesus stands with us.

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Your suffering will be Rewarded  "for your reward is great in heaven"

 (Rev 2:10-11). "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death."

If this life is all that there is, suffering makes no sense. But this life isn't all there is. Those who endure suffering will receive the crown of life. Jesus uses the image of the laurel wreath that was given to those who finished the race. If we are faithful, we will receive a crown that can't wither or fade. We will receive eternal life itself, an eternal reward that outweighs any suffering we can experience now.

And we won't be hurt by the second death. Nobody can escape the first death unless Jesus comes back first. We all will physically die. But those who trust Jesus and endure to the end will escape the second death, the spiritual death.

Friends, our sufferings in this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). "This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

What does Jesus say to the persecuted church? Indeed, what does he say to every Christian who may be called upon to suffer for him? When persecuted, take courage because Jesus knows, Satan is limited, and your suffering will be worth it.

B.  You Can Rejoice in the Lord   Rejoice and be glad

 Rejoice over it.

v. 12 "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad."

He's not saying rejoice in the pain. He says, When people put you down for your faith – not because you're obnoxious or being pushy, but because you're being like Jesus, which means you'll be different - He says don't complain, celebrate.

Why should you rejoice?

1) It means that God's Spirit can be seen in my life.  If it couldn't be seen in your life nobody would be harassing you. It's an indication that people can see Jesus in your life. I Peter 4:14 "If you are insulted because of Christ, you are blessed, ... for God's Spirit rests on you."

If they outlawed Christianity, would there be enough evidence to convict you? If you were put on trial for being a Christian, could they prove it? Or would it just be circumstantial evidence?

2) It means God can trust me.

The Bible teaches that when you are being persecuted, harassed, it means that God can trust you with it.

Acts 5:41 "The apostles were full of joy that God considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for Jesus' name."  "considered them worthy".  We Christians in Australia know so little about persecution. We have it so easy. Yet around the world, thousands of Christians are martyred everyday.

3) It is only temporary.

2 Cor. 4:17 (Living Bible) "These troubles won't last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God's richest blessing upon us forever and ever!"

Look at it from an eternal perspective. When you get an eternal perspective all of a sudden all the cars don't matter. It's all going to burn up at the judgement. What is going to last is how I used my life now for the 70+years, then I get to reap the rewards for millions of years. You will spend far more time on that side of eternity than you will on this side of eternity. Make your life count.

Remember my reward.

v. 12 "Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward [not average, great] is your reward in heaven."  There are special honors reserved for those who experience persecution. Jesus says you are in good company: Apostles, Elijah etc. There are going to be degrees of reward in heaven. We're not all going to be the same.

Remain faith-full. 1Peter 4:19 "So those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."

Remain faithful, persevere in doing what's right. People can laugh at you until hell freezes over but it can't stop you unless you let it. A laugh never destroyed anybody. A put down never destroyed anybody. A rejection never destroyed anybody. Unless you let it.  The Apostle Paul was absolutely unstoppable. Nothing could stop the guy. In Acts he says, "I'm going to go back to Jerusalem." They said, "Don't you know there is a group in Jerusalem that have committed themselves to killing you. They've taken a vow before God that they're going to kill you if you come there." He said, "Big deal! A guy's got to die sometime. I'm going to Jerusalem."

Diognetes  "They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life (4). Do you not see them exposed to wild beasts, that they may be persuaded to deny the Lord, and yet not overcome? Do you not see that the more of them are punished, the greater becomes the number of the rest? This does not seem to be the work of man: this is the power of God; these are the evidences of His manifestation (7).

2. At what cost would you stay faithful to Christ? What could cause me to deny my faith?

Most of us are not worried about persecution. It's convenience. If it's not convenient I don't want to do it.  "I want to thank you for braving the heat today."

3. How many people know you're a Christian? How many people at work know you're a believer? Not that you go to church. How many of them know what you believe? Big difference. There are a lot of church goers. The number one reason that people don't witness is the fear of rejection.

Law Grace reading Revelation 2:8-11

Bible reading: Matthew 5:1-12.     

Doxology   Numbers 6:24-26    The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

 

 

In the Old Testament, and today, modern Jews greet one another the same way: with the word shalom. And that word means "peace." When you meet somebody and you say to them, "Shalom," that doesn't mean, "May you get out of war." It infers there is something good, something wonderful, something positive, that is happening. The Greek word for "peace" is the word eirene. We get our beautiful name Irene from that. If your name is Irene, that means "peace." Eirene: that's the word he is using here. It is a positive word.

"Will and Ariel Durant, in their book The Lessons of History, begin the chapter on "History and War" with these words: "War is one of the constants of history, and has not diminished with civilization and democracy. In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war."1 That is a chilling statement. And it would, no doubt, be even more so if the facts of unrecorded history could be known. War is the constant reality of life. Today anyone old enough to understand what is being said on television knows that multiple wars are being fought at this very moment. " Kent Hughes.

Peace is not appeasement. Peace is not truce making. Peace is not even merely the absence of war. What is peace? Peace is a right relationship.  It is Shalom, with God.

The word peace is the Hebrew word shalom. Often used as a greeting word or a departing word in much the same way we would utter "hello" or "goodbye," it is a broad term related to health, prosperity, harmony, and wholeness. It means perfect welfare, serenity, fulfillment, freedom from trouble, and liberation from anything which hinders contentment. When a Jew said "Shalom" they were wishing on another the full presence, peace, and prosperity of all the blessedness of God.

Numbers 6:24-26  The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Jesus , God the Son said John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid

Shalom comes from God.  Shalom, peace comes from Jesus Christ.

It is a uniquely amazing peace that only Christians can have. And it begins with a right relationship with God.

Some 700 years ago a remarkable man was born. Although he was the son of an Italian cloth merchant and destined to be a knight, he forsook the path of wealth and fame, choosing instead to wear a ragged cloak tied with a rope borrowed from a scarecrow. He spent his days preaching and giving to others. He chose to live in utter poverty.

 The conversion of Francis occurred five hundred years before Dr. Watts wrote his hymn, 'When I survey the wondrous Cross'; yet, without knowing the words, Francis sang that song in his heart over and over and over again.  With an empty and a hungry heart he kneeled before the cross. 'O Lord Jesus,' he cried, 'shed Thy light upon the darkness of my mind!' And then an extraordinary thing happened. The Saviour to whom he prayed was no longer an inanimate image; but a living Person! Canon Adderley wrote: 'Jesus heard his cry, and Francis accepted the dear Lord as his Saviour and Master. A real spiritual union took place between him and his Divine Lord. He took Him for better for worse, for richer for poorer, till death and after death, for ever.'  'Francis looked to the Crucified,' says his biographer. 'It was a look of faith; a look of love; a look that had all his soul in it; a look which did not attempt to analyze, but which was content to receive. He looked, and, looking, entered into life.' 

Francis never forgot that moment. His whole soul overflowed with the intensity of his affection for his Saviour. To the end of his days he could never think of the Cross without tears.  When he arose and left the little sanctuary, he felt, as Bunyan's pilgrim felt, that he had lost his load, and lost it for ever.  But he felt that he had assumed another. He had taken up the Cross. He had devoted himself to its service. 'God forbid,' he cried, 'that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.' When, five centuries later, Isaac Watts surveyed the wondrous Cross on which the Prince of Glory died, his contemplation led to the same resolve:

         Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,            Save in the death of Christ my God!
         All the vain things that charm me most,            I sacrifice them to His blood.

'I looked and looked and looked again!' say Francis. 'It was very surprising to me that the sight of the Cross should thus ease me of my burden!'  And he took that message everywhere, speaking of the Saviour and His great love. A prayer of his was later turned into song:

"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace Where there is hatred, let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon, Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light Where there is sadness, joy.  O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive It is in pardoning that we are pardoned It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen."

The model peacemaker

Peacemaking is a divine work. God is the author of peace. And, Jesus is the supreme Peacemaker. Jesus came to establish peace; his message explained peace; his death purchased peace; and his resurrected presence enables peace. The messianic predictions were that he would be the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). The angels announced his birth by singing, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth (B) to people He favours!" (Luke 2:14). Jesus' persistent word of absolution to sinners was, "Go in peace!" Just before he was crucified, Jesus' last will and testament was, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful" (John 14:27). When the Lord returned after the resurrection, his first word to the disciples was "Shalom." "Peace to you!" (Luke 24:36).

The life of Jesus was saturated with his mission to bring the peace of God and to initiate the healing relationships of peace with God. He paid an enormous price for us to experience peace. In fact, the very same word, peacemakers, which is used of us in this Beatitude, is applied by the apostle Paul to what God has done through Christ so that we could be at peace with God. Through Christ God was pleased ". . . to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross" (Col. 1:20). Furthermore, the apostle Paul informed us that Jesus ". . . might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace" (Eph. 2:15). Jesus saw the gravity of our problem and he refused to sweep it under the rug or stick his head in the sand. Only a drastic solution would suffice, so he "made peace" by shedding his blood on the cross. Christ is our supreme example in bringing peace in our hearts, our relationships, our church, our nation, and our world.

 

The manner of the peacemaker

 "Blessed are the peacemakers," we smile blandly and say, "Oh, that's nice." But peacemaking is not nice. Peacemaking is messy and wrenching work. It takes time and a lot of emotional energy.

It doesn't always work straight away.

 "If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone" (Rom. 12:18). We are to live at peace with everyone. That is a pretty clear command. But Paul adds that all important phrase, "If it is possible." Sometimes peace isn't possible. There are those cantankerous types who just go through life picking fights with everyone they meet.

Paul declared, "God has called you to peace" (1 Cor. 7:15). Does that mean we agree with everything others say or do? No. Sometimes we agree to disagree, agreeably. God wants his children to be bridge builders.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hate, may I bring love;

Where offense, may I bring pardon;   May I bring union in place of discord.

He should never be thoughtless or pugnacious. Rather his personality must be permeated with the shalom of God. He is gentle. James wrote, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (3:17, 18).

What can you and I do to build those bridges of peace? What steps, what methods, can we employ to actively reconcile people to God and to one another?

A. Talk to God

I find it crucial to talk to the Lord about what I've done or what people have done to me before I talk to them. It gives me perspective and tenderness. The Lord helps me see the deeper needs in the relationship and what has caused the problem. He, also, shows me my part, and often, my wrong words, behaviour, or attitude that is hindering the reconciliation. Even if the other person is 95 percent in the wrong and I am only 5 percent in the wrong, I still have to confess my error. Then, I surrender the conflict to the Lord.

My daughter often reminds me not to be reactive emotionally when dealing with cantankerous people.  Take time out to calm down and pray it out.

Often I am too wound up in the situation to deal with it logically and appropriately.

Philippians 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Lloyd-Jones  "First and foremost it means that you learn not to speak…That, I say, is one of the best ways of being a peacemaker, that you just learn not to speak.  When, for example, something is said to you, and the temptation is to reply, do not do it.  Not only that, do not repeat things when you know they are going to do harm.  You are not a true friend when you tell your friend something unkind that was said about him by somebody else.  It does not help; it is a false friendship .. Unworthy and unkind things are not worth repeating…The peacemaker is a man who does not say things.  He often feels like saying them, but for the sake of peace he does not."

B. Take the first step

Jesus said, "So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23-24). This, I believe, is the most ignored verse in the Bible. Later, Jesus said, ""If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother" (Matt. 18:15). You are to make the first move. Peacemakers take the initiative. "But," you say, "Why should I go to the person when they are the one that hurt me." Do you want the biblical answer? Because Jesus says so. Conflict is never resolved accidentally. That first step may be a letter, a phone call, or a visit. If someone has wronged you or you have wronged someone else, take action today. Your peace of mind and your Christian witness depends on your taking the first step. Happiness awaits action.

C. Tell the other person how you feel

When you take the first step and speak to the other person, before you speak, remember "A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath" (Prov. 15:1). Paul wrote, "No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear" (Eph. 4:29). Empathize with their feelings. Consider their situation. Attack the problem not the person. Clarify don't confront. Cooperate as much as possible. Emphasize reconciliation not resolution. Reconciliation is more crucial than being right.

D. Stop talking about the people who have hurt you to other people

Nothing disqualifies us in being peacemakers more than talking about people rather than talking to them. The old Spanish proverb is correct: "Whoever gossips to you will gossip of you." A peacemaker never says anything about another person that she or he has not first said to that person directly. After that, why tell anyone else?

 

The Means of Shalom of peacemaking

When you put the above steps into practice, you earn a recognition that far exceeds anything that you can imagine. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9). The word called means to be officially designated as holding a particular rank or office.

Jesus says that those who are peacemakers will be known and recognized as what they really are - the sons of God. You may assume at first glance that "sons of God" means the same as "children of God." But the terms are not quite identical. A "child of God" is one who is a part of the family. It is a statement of position. A "son of God" is one who is like the family. It is a statement of character. A son of God is one who not only carries on the family name but bears the family resemblance and reputation. Jesus is saying that as his followers become known as peacemakers, they will be recognized as the sons of God who share his name and share his mission.

Do the people in your life recognize the family resemblance based on your efforts of peacemaking?

You may be a child of God because you accepted Christ, but you are a Son of God because you pursue peace.

Kent Hughes: "If we are not peacemakers, but instead are troublemakers, there is every likelihood that we are not true children of God."

If our character is such that we spread rumours and gossip about others; if we are constantly fomenting discontent; if we find joy in the report of trouble and scandal; if it is about our own positions and power and control, then we may not actually be born again.

The issue may really be we do not know the peace of God in our own souls.

True children of God are not troublemakers!"

The 'must' of peacemaking

No one can become a peacemaker until he has found peace himself. We cannot give what is not real to us. Peacemaking begins with an experience of peace in our own hearts.

The salutation of the Apostle Paul's letters almost always begin "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:2). Reading his letters, you never find the order reversed to "peace and grace." Grace always comes before peace. We have to experience the grace of God before we can experience the peace of God. We have to come into relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ before we can be purveyors of peace to others. We have to know peace ourselves before we can make peace in our relationships. In other words, we can't make peace if we don't have peace

Jesus said, "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, but My peace."

Col. 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts."

And so, two thousand years ago, the Peacemaker entered the world.  The heavenly host heralded His arrival, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:14)."   Hear His invitation in Matthew 11:28–29, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

1.  We must know the Peacemaker.  Only those who know Him personally can be what He is.  Galatians 5:22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness."  Only the Holy Spirit can produce peace, so to be an agent of peace we must possess the Holy Spirit, which means we must possess Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 says, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."

2.  We must work hard at being like the Peacemaker in every situation.  Oh, what a price He paid to secure our peace.  And so we're told… "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph 4:3)."  And "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace (Col 3:15)."  And "Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other (1 Thes 5:13)."

Leviticus 19:17 warns, "Do not hate your brother in your heart."

What does "pure in heart" mean? It means unmixed motives. You are a person of integrity.

You don't say one thing and act another way. Your motives are true.

The word that is translated pure has two basic meanings: "clean" and "unmixed." Our English word cathartic comes from this Greek word. A cathartic is an agent a doctor uses to cleanse the physical system. A psychiatrist also uses catharsis on the emotional level to "cleanse" the patient of hostilities and other destructive attitudes. There is also a spiritual catharsis, a cleansing of the inner person. "He purifies their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9) is one example. "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7) is another.

But the word as it is used in this Beatitude takes the second meaning, for being "pure in heart" involves being unmixed as well as being clean. God is concerned with why we do things as much as He's concerned with what we do. He's concerned with our motives. Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to parade your good deeds before others to attract their notice or you will lose all your reward from your Father in heaven." Jesus spent a whole chapter talking about this subject – Matthew 6!

The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.

 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:9–10)

The Disease of the Heart

My wound is incurable, it refuses to be healed." (Jeremiah 15:18)  "And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him.21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mark 7:20–23)

The Deceitfulness of the Heart

What is the most deceitful thing in the world today? The most deceitful thing in all of the world is the human heart. "It is deceitful" "above all things." (Jeremiah 17:9)

"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." (Proverbs 28:26) "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." (Jeremiah 17:9) Sometimes somebody will ask you a question, and you'll say, "Well, if I know my heart…" Well, the problem is you don't know your heart.

C. The Diagnosis of the Heart

"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins." (Jeremiah 17:10)

God searches your Heart   1 Samuel 16:7 says the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Chronicles 28:9 says, "The Lord searches every heart." Psalm 44:21 says the Lord "knows the secrets of the heart."

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)

D. The Doctor of the Heart

MacLaren writes "How hearts can be made pure. Now, the key which has unlocked for us, in previous sermons, the treasures of meaning in these Beatitudes, is especially necessary here. For, as I have said, if you take this to be a mere isolated saying, it becomes a mockery and a pain. But if you connect it, as our Lord would have us connect it, with all the preceding links of this wreathed chain describing the characteristics of a devout soul, then it assumes an altogether different appearance. 'The pure in heart' are they who have exercised and received the previous qualifications and bestowments from God."

"Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed, save me, and I shall be saved." (Jeremiah 17:14)

"And I will give them a heart to know me." (Jeremiah 24:7)

There's a heart transplant. That's how God does it. God just gives you a new heart.

When He saves you, He gives you a new heart. And friend, you cannot be pure in heart without a new heart.

First of all, you see yourself as a bankrupt sinner: "Blessed are the poor in spirit." (Matthew 5:3)

Secondly, you are broken over that: "Blessed are they that mourn." (Matthew 5:4)

Thirdly, you yield yourself to Him: "Blessed are the meek." (Matthew 5:5) You say, "Here, God, I want your will." God puts a hunger in you. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness." (Matthew 5:6) That's Jesus. You have a hunger and a thirst for the Lord Jesus Christ. And then, by mercy, He gives you mercy: "Blessed are the merciful." (Matthew 5:7) That's what you need today: that you might have mercy. Then, my dear friend, there's a pure heart. It's a work of God.

"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4)

1. Remember that God sees everything.

The key phrase in Matthew 6 is "your Father sees what is done in secret."

Nothing is a secret from God. Nothing is ever a surprise to Him. Does it bother you in knowing that you have no secrets from God? It bothers me sometimes. There's a lot of secrets I would like to have from God. But God says He knows everything about us. A lot of people think they're fooling God. Have you ever had the devil tell you, "Go ahead, nobody will ever find out."

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." 1 Samuel 16:7 says the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Chronicles 28:9 says, "The Lord searches every heart." Psalm 44:21 says the Lord "knows the secrets of the heart."

If God already knows everything I might as well have a pure heart than try to fake it.

2. Review your motives.

I do an honest evaluation of why do I do what I do.

Proverbs 24:21 "God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch over you; He knows. He rewards you according to what you do."

God says that our reward is based on not just what we do, but why we do it. In Matthew 6, Jesus gives three examples: He uses giving, prayer and fasting - 3 good things you can do, but you can also do them in the wrong way.

1) Giving. Matthew 6:2 "So when you give to the needy do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on the streets to be honored by men. I tell you the truth. they have received their reward in full." "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, then your Father who sees what is done in secret rewards you." Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't even talk to yourself when you give!

2) Praying. Matthew 6:5 "When you pray don't be like the hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you they've received their full reward."

Have you ever heard anybody pray to the galleries, pray to other people? They pray a real flowery prayer, and when they're finished you want to say, "Wow!" and you feel like clapping. God says, they have their reward.

Have you ever heard anybody pray reminding God of something He already knows to tell the other people who are listening?

3) Fasting. v. 16 When you fast you don't go around looking as the hypocrite with a sad face so someone will ask if you are fasting. "Wash your face, put oil on your head, [so it won't be obvious to men that you're fasting]" What is the point of all these things? Jesus is saying, the point of pure in heart is you keep it a secret when you do good. If you can't, maybe your motives are mixed. Maybe you want the praise of men more than you want the praise of God. The test of pure in heart is can I keep it a secret? Or do I have to blab every time?

If you spent a night in prayer, could you keep that a secret? Don't be a hypocrite he says three times.

Opposite of pure in heart is being a hypocrite.

Jesus said John 12:43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

1Thessalonians 2:4 "We do not aim to please others, but to please God who knows us through and through."

D M Lloyd Jones , "You can start trying to clean your heart, but at the end of your long life it will be as it was at the beginning, perhaps blacker. No! it is God alone who can do it, and, thank God, He has promised to do it. The only way in which we can have a clean heart is for the Holy Spirit to enter into us and to cleanse it for us."

3. Realign Your Priorities

Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me."

Matt 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

How do I know what my priorities are? Three tests:

1) I must look at my Activities. Where do I invest my time and my money? The Bible says, "Don't pile up treasures on earth ... but keep your treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, your heart will be there too!" Circle "your heart". Wherever you put your investment that's where you put your heart. I can ask "What is the first in your life?" And you will answer "The Lord has first place!"

Regardless of what we say is first place, where we spend our time and money determines what is first place. The first part of the day, the first part of my money, the first of every week goes to God.

God is first.

2) I must look at my anxieties. What do I worry about the most? You can tell a lot about a person by what they worry about. Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life..."

If you'll go through all of Matthew 6, the five most common worries are in this passage.

v. 24 -- finances; v. 25 -- food; v. 27 -- fitness; v. 28 -- fashion; v. 34 -- future.

If you're worrying about any of these things, it means God is not number one in your life. You have a misplaced priority. You need to check out your activities and check out your anxieties.

Worry indicates there is a wrong priority.

Worry says, "God, I think I'm in charge here." Do you worry about your finances instead of trusting God? Do you worry about fashion? The Bible says, don't worry about clothes. God says "Check out these things to see if your motives are right."

3) I must look at my ambitions. What are my goals? My goals reveal the direction of my heart.

Whatever is the number one goal in my life, ambition of my life, what's important to me, that is what is my god.  Matthew 6:31-33 (Phillips) "... Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  The little word "seek" means "always looking for" - that's ambition. Don't be "always looking for" "seeking" what everybody else is looking for. The problem with a lot of Christians, many believers have the exact same ambitions as unbelievers. No difference. They've bought into the culture, into the system. So as a result, they have the same tension. Same stress. Same headaches. Same problems. God says, set your heart first on doing what God wants you to do and all these other things will be brought in as a matter of choice. Who do you want to please most? That's the condition of your heart. If you want the praise of other people, that's what you'll get. But that's all you're going to get.

James 4: What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Are you conscious of God's presence?

A pure in heart person is conscious of the presence of God all the time. That is the mark of maturity. The more mature you are the more you're conscious that God is with you all the time and the less conscious you are of other people around you when you're doing good.

An immature person, when he prays, is more worried about the people around him than he is about God.

Happiness boils down to simply, Who you want to please in life?

God says, You want to please other people? Fine. Try it. You can't please everybody. As soon as you get one crowd pleased, another crowd gets angry with you. You can't please everybody. But you can please God. You say, "God, I want to do what you want me to do." Doesn't that simplify life?

Are you content with God's praise?

He says, I want the reward of God, not the reward of man. The people who are the biggest givers are not the most show offey. It's the people who hardly ever give. The word "reward" in those two verses are different words. The word "reward" for when you're showing off means a temporary reward. The word "reward" for when God rewards you means a permanent investment. You won't get the reward immediately but it's coming.

Are you controlled by God's priorities. He or she has his heart set on what God says is important.

What is the result? If I start trying to be an honest, transparent person of integrity with unmixed motives, what is the result?

The Puritan Thomas Watson,1620 -1686,  "This sight of God will be a satisfying sight. Cast three worlds into the heart, and they will not fill it; but the sight of God satisfies! "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Psa 17:15). Solomon says, "The eye is not satisfied with seeing" (Ecc 1:8). But there the eye will be satisfied with seeing. God, and nothing but God, can satisfy. The saints shall have their heads so full of knowledge and their hearts so full of joy that they shall have no lack.

 Jonathan Edwards,  "If men should hear of some vast estate, or some rich hidden treasure, and at the same time should hear of some very feasible way in which they might make it all their own; how ready would they be to hear, with what eagerness would they listen to those who should bring such news and give them such directions, provided they had reason to believe that what was told them was true! We are here told of a much truer and greater blessedness than any treasure of silver, and gold, and pearls can yield; and we are also told of the way whereby we may assuredly become the possessors of it, by him who certainly knows.

So how do I get a clean heart? How can I clean up my heart so I can be happy?

The answer is you can't. You cannot clean up your heart on your own. Otherwise Jesus wouldn't have needed to come to earth. I would like to recommend to you a heart specialist. His name is Dr. Jesus. He makes house calls. He doesn't cost a thing. He has never lost a patient. He is a pro in heart transplants. He wants to give you a new life.

DMLJ "The fact that I know that I cannot ultimately cleanse my heart in an absolute sense, does not mean that I should walk in the gutters of life waiting for God to cleanse me. I must do everything I can and still know it is not enough, and that He must do it finally."

Do what David did in Psalm 51. He had had the most shattering experience of his life. He had committed adultery with another man's wife and then had him killed. He was a murderer and an adulterer. He felt bad. "Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires."

ADMIT your need for a pure heart

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Thomas Watson said "Purity of heart is heaven begun in a man."

Psalm 51:7Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again.

Psalm 51: 9,10 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

BARE yourself and be open to God's working

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

COMMIT yourself to Christ fully

Psalm 51:1,2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

Jeremiah 32:39 "I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them."

Ezekiel 11:19 "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." (also 36:26) Ezekiel 18:31 "Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit."

And of course, the gospel of Jesus is all about the heart.

Romans 10:9-10 "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

1John 1:7 the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

To get a clean heart you just ask God.  God wants to give you a brand new heart. He wants you to put your trust in Him. It's simple, you ask Him for a clean heart and He'll give you a new heart, a new outlook, a new life, a new start. Spiritual heart checkup. What's the condition of your heart? Some of you have a broken heart. And it's hurting. Some of you have a hard heart. You've had so much bitterness and resentment in your life for so long, you've let it pile up and you have a stony, hard heart and nothing can break through. Your husband can't get close to you or your wife can't get close to you. Nobody can get close to you. You've allowed your heart to be hardened. Some of you have a divided heart. You're trying to serve God one way on Sunday and the devil on Monday. You're trying to please many different people. You act one way with one group of people, other ways with other groups of people. It's divided and no wonder you're not happy. Let God give you a new heart.

Isn't it time you stopped pretending? Isn't it time you stopped pretending that you're really happy and you're not? Isn't it time you stopped pretending that you're following Christ when you're only doing it half heartedly if at all? Would you come to God and say, "OK, God, I need a new heart." Happiness is from the inside out. Happiness is a heart condition.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23) If you are going to be pure, my dear friend, you must be pure in heart before you can be pure any other way. And, that brings us to a real problem.