Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers.  That phrase has the most meaning after a time of war.  I want to take you to the palace of Versailles in France on June 28, 1919.  Exactly five years after the assassination of Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand sparked the Great War – what we know as WWI, the war was ending with the Treaty of Versaille.  In every history class that I ever took it was known as the peace to end all peace.  Smart people might argue that point, but the real rub of the treaty was Article 231 – this was the War Guilt clause.  There were a lot of nations on both sides of the war, but Article 231 said that the only nation that was at fault was Germany and so that once proud nation would be forced to pay for everything.

On this Sunday when we talk about peace – I don’t care if you remember the guilt clause – Article 231 – what I want you to remember is Romans 1:5 – Through him we received grace.  All of our guilt was poured on the sinless Son.  Who is this? …regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (verse 3)

We can’t come to God so God came to us.  Jesus took on flesh and was born just like each of us.  We have parents and ancestors – I can trace my Guldberg line all the back to Norway.  Jesus had ancestors too.  He was a descendant of King David, the son of the Virgin Mary.   Jesus is also the Son of God – not that he’s less than God or God Jr.  The Bible says that in Jesus all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form.  Since Jesus was both God and man he could make peace between God and man.

Man needed to be perfect to be with God and live forever, so Jesus lived a perfect life for us.  God in his holiness can’t ignore sin.  God isn’t blind and deaf living up in a heavenly nursing home; he is the righteous judge who must punish sin.  He did.  He punished all of my sins and all of yours when he punished Jesus on the cross.  Jesus the God man is the ultimate Peacemaker.  And to prove it he raised himself from the dead.  That is why he is Christ our Lord.  Blessed are the Peacemakers.  Blessed is Jesus, the Peacemaker.

Want to hear more?  Watch this weeks message, the final from our Advent series – Come, Lord Jesus.