Matthew 5:9, Peace-making is a Family Business.

This is a detailed sermon outline on "The Family Business of Peacemaking," based on Matthew 5:9.

The central message is that being a peacemaker is not about passively avoiding conflict but the active, complex, and costly work of restoring broken relationships and creating wholeness (Shalom). This calling is presented as the core identity of a Christian.

Here is a breakdown of its main points:

• The Action: Peacemaking is an active verb. It requires getting involved to mend fences and build bridges, much like a gardener who actively pulls weeds and cultivates soil.

• The Source: Our ability to create peace flows directly from the peace we received from God through Jesus Christ. We cannot give peace that we do not possess.

• The Scope: This work applies in three crucial directions: vertically (reconciling people to God), inwardly (finding peace within ourselves), and horizontally (mending relationships with others).

• The Identity: The ultimate reward is a confirmation of our identity. By actively making peace, we show an unmistakable "family resemblance" to God, our Father, and are thus called "sons of God."

The sermon concludes with a direct challenge for believers to move from simply admiring the idea of peace to taking practical, concrete steps to bring God's reconciliation into a specific area of conflict.