Beatitudes #8 – King’s Cross Church Exhortation

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

There is an important distinction to make between peacemakers and peacekeepers. 

Peacekeepers think all other virtues must be sacrificed on the altar of so-called “peace.” Peacekeepers are unwilling to endure the discomfort of conflict, and so they seek quick-fix compromises when conflict arises. Peacekeepers believe that sinful means justify the end of maintaining harmony. So-called peace is maintained through people-pleasing by appeasing the emotionally immature, walking on eggshells, and quietly making sure no one brings up the wrong topics to the wrong people. Peacekeeping is cheap and fragile. 

On the other hand, peacemaking is a long-game. Peacemakers recognize that true peace only exists where the truth is upheld. Peacemakers know that true peace comes on the other side of battles won with the sword of truth. True peace can only exist where sin does not. 

Paul tells us in Romans 12:8: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” If we are to live peaceably so long as possible, what would make living peaceably with all men an impossibility? Well, when the truth is at stake. This is what made Luther once cry out, “Peace if possible, but truth at all costs.” That is the motto of a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper. 

There are times when temporary peace must be sacrificed in order that true, lasting peace—peace that is built upon the truth—might be brought about. And to those who commit themselves to pursuing that kind of peace, Christ issues this promise: “They shall be called children of God.”

Now, why is this a fitting promise for peacemakers? Consider Christ’s words from Matthew 10:34–36: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

For peacemakers committed to true peace that is built on the truth, there is a real risk that those closest to you will turn their backs on you. There is a real risk of being disowned, of being disinherited. Families previously built on the sandy foundations of cheap peace will be torn down when the Lord shakes that which is not eternal. 

And so when you face real conflict and turmoil, even in your own family, as a result of your commitment to making true peace by proclaiming the truth, what hope can you cling to? If things get as bad as possible in your family, even if you are disowned and disinherited as a son or daughter, you have a promise to cling to. So take heart, he will never leave you. You shall be called a child of God.

Zach Wilke – June 9, 2024

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“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

When we think of our own battles with sin, particularly hidden sin, we often consider as a motivation for us the fact that God sees everything. As Hebrews 4:13 says, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” 

It certainly ought to motivate us when we are in the throws of temptation, when no one is looking, when it is just you, alone and in the dark, it ought to motivate you toward holiness to consider and meditate on the fact that God sees all things, that God knows all things, that he is present with you watching everything you do. 

But here, Christ says the inverse of this must also be a present motivation for us. When you’re in throws of temptation, when you’re tempted to lie in order to present yourself in a better light, when you’re tempted to gossip and slander a brother or a sister, when you’re tempted to fully give yourself over to your anxiety about the future, when you’re tempted to click that link to the shady website in order to see forbidden things, Christ tells you that what should stop you dead in your tracks in that moment, is the promised reward ahead of you. 

Yes, God sees you in that moment. You are naked and exposed before the fire of his eyes. Everything you do, everything you say is before his face. 

AND if you would turn to him, if you would purify your heart, if you would confess your sin and cling to the cross of Christ, then you will see God. 

This is what you were made for. To behold your creator in all his splendor, in all his radiant holiness, to take in the sheer magnitude of his glory—like a thimble attempting to hold the ocean. This is what you were made for, to see him face to face. 

So do not let the fleeting pleasures of sin entice you. Do not let the cares of this world distract you. Do not give yourself over to the impurity of lust, and licentiousness, and anger, and envy, and bitterness. Purify your heart and you shall see God.

Zach Wilke – May 19, 2024

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“Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”

Thomas Watson calls mercifulness “a melting disposition whereby we lay to heart the miseries of others and are ready on all occasions to be instrumental for their good.” This disposition is modeled by Christ frequently when he sees the sick and lame and blind. In such encounters, the gospels regularly say, “he had compassion on them.” But his compassion didn’t stop at merely feeling certain things about them. Christ was willing to be moved to action by the suffering of others. Like the Good Samaritan, he was willing to be interrupted and inconvenienced in order to attend to the needs of those around him. 

This fact can be difficult for us to deal with sometimes. Are we so quick to drop whatever it is we preoccupy ourselves with in order to attend to the needs of others? Or, perhaps the better question is how often do we plan ahead and get that thing done in advance so that we are ready and prepared to help in a moment of need? In other words, do you find yourself constantly frustrated by the needs of others because you didn’t plan well enough? What about with your kids or your spouse? Do you often view their needs or requests as inconveniences to your daily schedule? 

We think this way, and yet there is a terrifying implication to Christ’s words here. What happens if we are not characterized as people who are merciful? What happens if we become like the Scribes and Pharisees who perform all kinds of religious duties but neglect the weightier matters of the law; such as, justice, and faith, and mercy? If being merciful brings with it the great blessing and reward of receiving mercy ourselves, then to not be merciful is to incur the curses and judgment of God. 

It is true that we cannot earn God’s mercy; otherwise, it would not be mercy. But as Galatians 6:7 says, “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” By sowing mercy, you reap mercy. And by failing to sow mercy, you will not receive mercy. 

And so the question comes: Do you need the mercy of God today? What about in your marriage? Could you use a bit of God’s mercy because of how you spoke harshly with your wife, or how you berated your husband? What about your strained relationship with your kids or your parents? Do you need God’s mercy there? If so, don’t wait for things to magically change. Confess your own failures. Confess where and how you have been unmerciful, where you’ve been critical, or harsh, or nagging. Confess it now and pray that the Lord would fashion you into a worthy instrument to be ready at all times to seek the good of others.

Zach Wilke – April 14, 2024

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“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”

The righteousness that the Lord speaks of here can seem a bit ambiguous. The word righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) is used at times to refer to personal righteousness: Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. But this word can also be translated as “justice,” which requires more of a social focus. 

What the Lord has in mind here can be nothing short of righteousness in all its forms and in every sphere of human existence. The Lord wants sinful men to receive his imputed righteousness in justification and that they might then, in turn, live righteous and fruitful lives. And when groups of these men get together to form churches, cities, and states, the inevitable result is a righteous and just society built upon the law of God. When such societies exist, they promote the true religion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which in turn causes more sinners to believe in the Lord Jesus and receive his imputed righteousness. And on and on the cycle goes, world without end. 

But if that is the case, if the Lord blesses a hunger and thirst for righteousness in all its forms, it ought to raise the stakes for us and humble us. 

It raises the stakes for us by keeping us ever aware of two ditches. This sort of thinking keeps us from getting comfortable in a pietistic bubble of individual and emotional religion that has no concern for love of neighbor in the cultural or political space. Christ will have just cultures. Christ will have just politics. 

At the same time, this keeps us from falling down the ditch of the social Gospel that cares little for personal adherence to the law of God, and that seeks to redefine “justice” according to the latest trending fads in the media. 

And it ought to humble us. Christ uses the analogy of hunger and thirst. It’s as if he says, “Blessed are those who are empty, who have no righteousness in themselves.” Their emptiness reminds them of their great need and desire for that which only the Lord can provide. The promise is that such persons will be filled, not that they will fill themselves. We bring our emptiness, and the Lord fills us to the brim. We bring our hunger, and he satisfies us. James reminds us that we cannot anxiously grasp after righteousness. Anger does not produce the righteousness of God. Righteousness is a good gift from his hand if only we as individuals, as a church, and as a people would recognize our great need for it, desire it with utter desperation, and cling to the promise here. Should we do that, we shall be filled.

Zach Wilke – February 25, 2024

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