Peacemakers

By John Thiel, mp3

Scripture Reading Romans 12:17: Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

To be peacemakers we need to understand the greatest peacemaker in the universe, and that is God Himself. In the story of the gospel we have the true appreciations of what a peacemaker is. To deal with a rebellious planet, to deal with the rebellion that has been raised in the universe by Lucifer and those who went with him, we have a study of what peacemaking really is.

As we study God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in their work of trying to restore peace and harmony in the universe. In the study of prophecy concerning the empires that God raised and fell again, and their relationship to Israel, we learn of God’s character. Israel and Judah whom He had brought into existence as His church departed from God’s ways. What did God orchestrate?

God used Nebuchadnezzar that wicked king, that heathen king. He used them to teach Israel the important lessons they had to learn. Through the course of using Nebuchadnezzar, God used the opportunity to redeem him, to redeem Nebuchadnezzar in the process, this heathen king. But when Belshazzar corrupted what God had built up through Nebuchadnezzar, we turn to Isaiah and we see God dealing with the corruptions that were heavy in Babylon.

Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call [thee] by thy name, [am] the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5 I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things]

We want to study God in the way He has spoken for the sake of Israel and restoring His image in His church. He had used Nebuchadnezzar and now that Nebuchadnezzar had passed away and Belshazzar had corrupted Babylon, God raised up Cyrus and talked here to him to demonstrate His character – “That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: “

It’s important to understand what He meant there, by avenue of the works of evil men I create evil. We see as we study this that God is a peacemaker. He is trying to help the people, but He is using them in their evil ways to this end. It is a very important study.

We saw then that Cyrus came and conquered the empire of Babylon by coming in through those gates. Those gates were left open, as he said there, I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.

This is what happened through the opulence and the indulgence of wicked Belshazzar. He was careless, he left the gates opened. That’s how God left the gates opened, through use of the carelessness of wicked people. There was Medo-Persia, as Medo-Persia came and conquered in their bloody wars, in their ways of dealing which God used also to exercise mercy upon Israel at the same time, to release them back to their promised land, then Medo-Persia needed its retribution and so Greece came along and conquered Medo-Persia, under God’s orchestration. Then came Rome to deal with Greece. As we look at the history of the past, and we behold God orchestrating and foretelling these events before they ever happened, we see how He leads up to the final scene of punishing the wicked.

Jeremiah 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.  16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

This is the winepress or the wine cup of God’s fury to deal with the nations who are corrupt.

Jeremiah 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.  28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. 30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread [the grapes], against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come [even] to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them [that are] wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.  32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from [one] end of the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither  gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.  33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from [one] end of the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

So after all the millennia of empire rising against empire, and the cruelty of war and bloodshed, we arrive at a universal destruction. God says this is my way of dealing with wickedness. I will punish. Did you notice there what He said in verse 29? For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? You just need to go back to the history of the fall of Israel, of Jerusalem, under the Roman Empire, how they finally destroyed the Jewish people and scattered them across the planet. It was the punishment of God upon Israel, upon Jerusalem, but it was done by the Romans. As we go through the history ever since that time, it is very fascinating to observe that during the Second World War, and following the Second World War, in which nations were fighting each other, lo and behold, Jerusalem was restored in 1948 to the Jews. And now He says, as we come to the end of the world, He says I am going to deal with them and as I am going to deal with them, I am going to deal with all of you.

How? Evil. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be across the whole plane, no body alive. Evil shall go from nation to nation. Is God evil? Not at all. But evil will be His action from nation to nation. As I mentioned already, through the avenue of the wicked men, wicked people, He will punish the world.

The true people of God; in all this history it shows you that the true people of God, His faithful remnant, are never to be used to punish any one. Only the wicked will be used to punish the wicked. God uses them. Here you have an appreciation of the peacemaking method of God, of God’s character being peacemaking, trying to save the people from their destruction, but if they won’t listen then evil will take root and do its damage, and God will orchestrate that.

Here is the counsel for us to observe that God uses the wicked to destroy and punish the wicked. Never the righteous. It was because Israel wanted a king over them in their wickedness against their king, God, that God used their wickedness to also punish the wicked nations around them too. They had war too, under their king, but this was not God’s order. He used the wickedness to affect other wicked people. This is God’s character. But His character is revealed for us to learn that He is not the one that does the physical damage. It is the wicked that do the physical damage. We are to follow His example. Our work as God’s faithful people is not to do the punishing.

Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Did you get that? If somebody is evil to you, don’t you return evil. I’m going to use other evil people to return the evil. That is what He has showed us already, so don’t you recompense any man evil for evil.

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

If it be possible. God knows how difficult that is, so He said if it be possible. If they go along and treat maliciously I’ve already shown you how to behave towards them. Don’t you become reactive to the evil of other people.

Don’t you feel justified; isn’t this where the churches of the past have missed the point of what God meant when He said that if there is any evil person among you how should you deal with them? How should you deal with them? Should you punish them? People think oh yes, we are supposed to punish them. Sorry, that’s not what it says as such. What it says there is that you are to restore such a one. To be a peacemaker, just like God sent Jesus to be a peacemaker to the rebellious, but if it’s not possible for them to respond then what should you do? Go first to restore someone, and if they don’t listen to you take another two or three to try and restore him, and if he doesn’t listen to them, then take it to the church, and then what does it say? If he doesn’t listen to the church, what are you to do? You let them go.

Now, people read this to mean that now you punish them by sending them out, you now discipline them. Well, it can be interpreted that way, but you don’t do the punishing, He says. Let them be as the heathen that they might, treat them like the heathen. Treat them like the heathen. How are we to treat the heathen? We are to win them. We are not to punish them. We are to save them if they will. Do we treat the heathen like the heathen treat each other? Not at all. We are, as far as it belongs to us, to live peaceably with all men, to be peacemakers.

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Don’t you do the punishing. God will do that. Give place unto wrath. Interesting. Give place unto wrath. What does that suggest? Give place? Some people might interpret that to say well, in other words, be opposite; don’t be wrathful. No, give place unto wrath, God’s wrath. That is how it follows, for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine. I know how to deal with the rebellious. Leave it with me. I will deal that evil will punish evil. That’s how I’m going to do it, so give place onto my wrath. Vengeance is mine. Don’t you avenge yourself. Don’t you do the punishing. I will repay, saith the Lord.

Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Can you see the opposite of what the destruction is about, the punishment? Evil will punish evil, but you only deal with evil by dealing with good toward those people. This is what is meant.

In our interrelation with one another, someone is really deserving of punishment and so what do we do? Just reflect back upon our own experience of brethren who used to be in this church and are no longer with us. They do all sorts of things out there that is not right. Do we mouth off at them, do we punish them with our words? Do we haul them over the coals for what they are doing wrong? Do we do that? No, not at all. Be a peacemaker. Am I to do it? Am I to do the punishing? Are any one of us to give the one who has done wrong a hard time? That’s not our part. What is written?  Here is the example of Jesus. He came into the very darkness of this world and He was a peacemaker, as God intends to be.

1 Peter 2:19 For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

What is thankworthy? Somebody evil is doing you damage, and you are not at fault. He is evil towards you. It is thankworthy to endure that.

1 Peter 2:20 For what glory [is it], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?

Is that glory? You deserve it.

1 Peter 2:20 …but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God.  21 For even hereunto were ye called:

This is what we are called to be.

1 Peter 2:20 because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

And now what did He do?

1 Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously:

He came as a peacemaker and to show us as His followers what it means to be a peacemaker.

As we meditate on this and enlarge it in our mind that Jesus was God, He was a revelation of God the Father. He said to the disciples I have been with you, and do you not know me? I and the Father are one. This is the true nature of God. He does not do anything different to what He expects of us. When His enemies turned against Him, His heart was filled with grief. In grief He suffered. He was grieved in His wrath. As Jesus was hanging on the cross and He was looking down upon these people, what did He say? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.  Peacemaking. As we were singing it in our hymn, that peace like a river would flow through our being.

“Christ came to break down every wall of partition. He came to show that His gift of mercy and love is as unconfined as the air, the light, or the showers of rain that refresh the earth. He made no difference between neighbors and strangers, friends and enemies.” ML 188.2}

Be very careful how you interpret this. Some people say see. That’s why we should live together with the enemies. No, we are to be in the world but not of it. We are not to harmonise with them, but to extend kindness and to extend peace towards them.

“He passed by no human being as worthless. In whatever company He found Himself, He presented a lesson appropriate to the time and the circumstances. Every neglect or insult shown by men to their fellow men only made Him more conscious of their need of His divine-human sympathy.

Peacemaking.

“He sought to inspire with hope the roughest and most unpromising, setting before them the assurance that they might become blameless and harmless, attaining such a character as would make them manifest as the children of God.” {ML 188.3}

Here He is dealing with these rough people who are evil in nature and He wants to make peace for them, to bring them to the point where they can become children of God. This is the way that you treat the heathen, just as Jesus did. You can’t leave them in your congregation, you can’t leave them in your home, you can’t associate with them warmly, but you give them an appreciation that when they are out there, there is hope for them if they will.  There is a way of shutting people out of your life that is not the natural human way. There is a way of saying to them, Look, I love you, but your way of life does not mingle with my way of life. Therefore, we cannot harmonise together, but I wished you would take hold of what is beautiful in my life with God. I wished you would accept God and give your heart to Him, but if you won’t do that I can’t force you. You can go, because we can’t harmonise together, we can’t live together. You need to go, but remember while you’re out there, if anything goes wrong in your life and you want to return to that which you know I live by there is always an opportunity, but we can’t dwell together.

This is the kind of peacemaking mentality that is expressed. He sought to inspire with hope the roughest and the most unpromising. He didn’t live with the rough. He didn’t deal with them in terms of fraternising and empowering them. He had to let them be, but He inspired them with hope. The thief on the cross is the most beautiful example there, because the thief on the cross went away from Christ. He went along and committed crimes and then when he came to the cross himself, he saw Jesus beside him and Jesus gave him hope. It is a beautiful story. This is peacemaking.

Not, you heard me before, why didn’t you listen to me then, now you’re in the muck you are. This is our habit of talking. It’s your own fault, why are you doing this? We react in an evil response, in a way that is not of God, when we follow our natural reactions and impulses. We interpret God in a way that we see. He says you think I am altogether like one of yourself. No. I am not like that, but you interpret it to be like that. So many of those that cried crucify Him when He said Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, they later on repented and were saved because of His peacemaking exercise.

The Jews were ill-treated by the wicked, but those Jews which accepted Jesus did not return that ill-treatment. Those that did, those that rejected Jesus and when the Romans gathered around them, they were fighting against the Romans. They would not submit themselves. As a consequence, against all the counsel that was given them, even from Josephus who finally realised what they were doing and why they were receiving this punishment, he gave over to the Romans and they even threw darts at him because he had done that. He gave over to them only in the sense that he wouldn’t fight them like the others did.

When you look at these kind of human dramas, you can see the spirit of God and Christ versus the spirit of the evil one. We can make our decisions to be peacemakers. What are we to be? What did I read here? That by His wonderful grace, Jesus gave the roughest people the hope that they can attain to such a character as would make them manifest as the children of God. The roughest reactive nature is to be turned into the opposite, children of God.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Peacemakers are what? Children of God. Before they become the children of God they are evil rabble-rousers, they cause conflict, they don’t cause peace. That evil spirit is the one that God uses to punish each other, but when they respond to the hope that is found in Jesus Christ they become the children of God. They are peacemakers. That is what we read in Romans chapter 12 verse 18.

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Be a peacemaker, as it depends on you. What they do is their business, but what as it depends on you be a peacemaker. If it be possible they might respond. Some did in Christ’s time and others did not, but He was a peacemaker. This calls for wisdom.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Oh, to pick up this message. To pick it up in each other’s experience in the home, and in the church. As soon as somebody crosses your path, as soon as you see somebody doing something wrong, don’t punish with your mouth. Leave God to do that. Oh, to learn that lesson. It is such a slow lesson to learn, but here we have it before us and may the Holy Spirit pour upon us the deep appreciations of this and make a change in our hearts to keep this image of Jesus before us, the peacemaker. To open our hearts to the wisdom that comes from above.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;

A root of bitterness comes up and we become defiled because the evil human nature will respond evil for evil. That’s a root of bitterness, so we are to watch closely, to look diligently lest the beautiful grace of Jesus that is penetrating our understanding through meditation of this nature that we fail of this and go back to the old natural man. Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you. He is writing to the believers. It can happen to every believer. A root of bitterness that those people who were so in harmony with us have now turned against us. And what happens when we see them doing their things out there? What happens in our heart? Is there a root of bitterness that says, what are they doing that for? Or is there, oh Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do? In the home, same principle. Let us be the children of God, peacemakers. I want to conclude here with this enlargement.

Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so?  48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

We can’t get it more clearly can we? Let’s remember that this is not an indulgent love, this is not a perfection that indulges and empowers the wicked. It doesn’t do that. We often in our mistaken views of love empower those that are wicked by bearing along with them and giving them what they want. That’s not what is part of this scene. God turned the evil against the evil. He let them suffer the consequences of their wrong. In heaven we studied this morning in the Sabbath school lesson, heaven will not interfere with the things that we do that cause our suffering. We don’t go and do something to empower people to go on in their wrong. We don’t do that, it’s not what God has shown us, but we are kind to them. Try to get the balance on that. To be kind to them is not to indulge them. To be kind to them is to say it’s your choice, that’s what you want, I can’t participate in it, sorry.

That’s how you deal with the wrongs in the church. Sorry, our church is built on these principles. Now you are not standing on those principles, what are you going to do about it? Come on, this is God’s way, come, come. But if they refuse, then I am sorry. Then you are free to go. You are free to go and be what you want to be. No strings attached. No reaching out for them in terms of Come on, we’ll bear with you, you just stay with us. No, none of that. You are free to go. This is God’s way. He gives people freedom in love, but in His love the evil that he permits them to continue to do will finally catch up with them. This is all portrayed in the history.

“It is through the social relations that Christianity comes in contact with the world. Every man and woman who has tasted of the love of Christ and has received into the heart the divine illumination is required of God to shed light on the pathway of those who are unacquainted with the better way.” {ML 189.4}

What are we to do? To shed light upon them. They are unacquainted with the better way. In fact, as you shed light upon them the wicked will turn against you for it, just like they crucified Christ. He shed light on them. They didn’t want that, but He was a peacemaker. We are to shed light on the pathway of those who are unacquainted with the better way.

“We must confess Christ openly and bravely, exhibiting in our characters His meekness, humility, and love, till men shall be charmed with the beauty of holiness.”{ML 189.5}

Men will be charmed. Will they necessarily be saved? Look at God dealing after the 1,000 years. What does He do? He brings the new Jerusalem down on the planet and He raises all the wicked, all His enemies. He raises them all. He shows them His beautiful city. There they go misinterpreting again. God’s great, He’s given us the city now, we can go and take it. That’s their interpretation. So they come, they get their armies together and come to take it. Lucifer is at the head of the whole lot and just as they’re ready to use their arsenal, there is the great white throne judgment.

Up they all look. Then God reveals to them everything. He throws light upon them and what do they all say? They are all charmed with His righteousness. They all say the Lord, He is righteous, He is good and we can’t deny that. He is absolutely right. Every human being, every fallen angel falls down and worships God, charmed by His righteousness. But they’re not going to be saved.

So, we are to open our hearts to this picture and let it shine upon everyone around us so that what belongs to me is that I will work to be at peace with all men, and that’s my only calling. That’s the only purpose for a child of God, to be a peacemaker. Nothing of any root of bitterness to come forth from us. May we prepare our hearts and lives to be those people so that when Jesus comes we will be among that number that has no fault, that are peacemakers, children of God.

Amen.