Power of the Peacemaker / Pursuing Peace / Pastor Jenn Guirand

Conflict is inevitable in every relationship, but peacemaking is a choice. God has a way for His people to handle conflict that is often very different from the flesh, the world, or the instinct to cut people off and settle into bitterness. God is a God of unity, restoration, and redemption, so His call is usually to do the hard thing and preserve relationship wherever possible.

Jesus calls peacemakers blessed, not merely peace lovers, peacekeepers, or people who avoid every hard conversation. Peace fakers may avoid friction, but they do not gain true peace, true repentance, or true reconciliation. Resentment grows when conflict gets shoved into a corner and everybody keeps saying, “I’m fine.” Peacemakers step into division and bring the peace Jesus has given them. They carry peace into places where it does not yet exist.

The four G’s give a practical path. God calls His people first to glorify Him by asking, “How can I honor God in this conflict?” The fruit of the Spirit must show up when emotions are hot: love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Keeping peace may feel like losing in the moment, but keeping peace is actually winning.

Jesus then calls each person to get the log out of their own eye. Conflict makes people experts in somebody else’s wrong, but humility asks, “What part of this belongs to me?” Even if only ten percent belongs to one person, that ten percent must be owned first. The Holy Spirit can search the heart honestly and show where defensiveness, harshness, pride, or fuel was added to the fire.

Restoration is the next goal because restoration is at the heart of the gospel. God did not throw broken humanity away. Christ came to restore relationship with the Father, and God can restore broken people and fractured relationships. Some offenses can be overlooked, but serious sin, harm, and damage require a humble conversation with the actual person involved. Truth without love becomes harsh, while love without truth becomes avoidance. Biblical peacemaking brings both together.

Jesus finally commands His people to go and be reconciled. Reconciliation matters so much that Jesus tells a worshiper to leave the gift at the altar and make things right. Not every relationship will be restored, but as much as it depends on God’s people, they must go, forgive, seek peace, and overcome evil with good.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Peacemaking is more than avoiding conflict [08:00] Peace faking can keep a room quiet while resentment keeps growing underneath. Jesus calls His people to bring real peace into real pain, not to pretend that nothing happened. True peace requires courage to face what is broken and faith that God can heal it. [08:00]
• 2. Keeping peace is actually winning [17:03] The flesh wants the quick clap back, the perfect response, and the satisfaction of proving a point. The Spirit produces self-control, gentleness, and undeserved kindness when those responses feel costly. Peace is not weakness because it reflects a life ruled by God rather than by reaction. [17:03]
• 3. Own the part that belongs to you [18:46] Conflict becomes clearer when each person stops trying to fix the other person first. Even a small part must be owned with humility, without excuses or deflection. The Holy Spirit searches the heart more truthfully than wounded emotions ever can. [18:46]
• 4. Restoration reflects the heart of the gospel [21:17] Christ came because broken relationship with God needed restoration, not abandonment. God can take what has been fractured and make it whole, sometimes even stronger than it was before. Pain is not justified by restoration, but pain does not have to have the final word. [21:17]
• 5. Go and be reconciled [27:32] Jesus places a serious value on peace within the body of Christ. The first step cannot always wait for the other person to make it. Forgiveness and reconciliation may not guarantee a restored relationship, but they free the heart to obey God and live without bitterness.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:44] - Why Conflict Needs God’s Way
• [03:20] - Conflict Is Inevitable
• [04:38] - How Conflict Grows
• [07:11] - What Is a Peacemaker?
• [08:00] - Peace Fakers and True Peace
• [10:33] - The Four G’s of Peacemaking
• [11:51] - Glorify God in Conflict
• [17:31] - Get the Log Out
• [20:33] - Gently Restore Broken Relationships
• [23:50] - When to Overlook an Offense
• [24:54] - Go to the Person First
• [27:11] - Go and Be Reconciled
• [29:26] - Forgiveness and Overcoming Evil with Good

Bible Reading

Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” [07:15]

Matthew 7:3-5
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” [17:37]

Matthew 5:23-24
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” [27:29]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 5:9, what kind of person does Jesus call blessed, and how is that different from someone who simply avoids conflict? [07:15]
2. What patterns cause conflict to grow from a desire into judgment and punishment? [04:38]
3. According to Matthew 7:3–5, what must a person do before trying to address another person’s fault? [17:37]
4. In Matthew 5:23–24, what action does Jesus tell a worshiper to take when they remember a broken relationship? [27:29]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is avoiding a difficult conversation not always the same as making peace? What can grow beneath the surface when people keep saying, “I’m fine”? [08:02]
2. Matthew 7:3–5 does not forbid helping another person see their sin. Why does Jesus require a person to examine their own heart first, and how might that change the tone of a hard conversation? [17:52]
3. What does it mean to bring truth and love together in a conflict? What tends to happen when someone brings truth without love, or love without truth? [26:21]
4. Why might Jesus place reconciliation with another believer ahead of continuing an act of worship in Matthew 5:23–24? What does this show about the value God places on unity in His people? [28:05]

Application questions

1. Is there a conflict in which the temptation is to avoid, withdraw, give a quick response, or pretend everything is fine? What would it look like to pursue real peace rather than fake peace in that situation? [08:16]
2. When emotions are high, which response is hardest to show—patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, or undeserved love? What could help create space to respond in a way that glorifies God rather than reacting in the moment? [14:25]
3. Think about a current or recent conflict. What part might belong to you, even if it seems small? Is there harshness, defensiveness, pride, avoidance, or fuel added to the fire that needs to be honestly owned? [18:46]
4. Is there an offense that can be genuinely overlooked and released, rather than repeatedly replayed or discussed with others? How can the group tell the difference between overlooking a minor irritation and ignoring serious harm that needs to be addressed? [24:16]
5. Is there someone you need to speak with directly instead of speaking about them to friends, family, coworkers, or online? What might a humble first conversation sound like? [25:13]
6. Is there a relationship where you can take a faithful first step toward peace—through an apology, forgiveness, a request to talk, or a changed pattern of behavior—even if the other person may not respond as hoped? [29:55]