Sermon Tone Analysis

“When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’

And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’”

[1]

The responsibility of Christians to seek church membership is a woefully neglected teaching; consequently, membership in the local congregation is a neglected practise among evangelical churches.

Perhaps this situation results from an exaggerated emphasis on individuality within contemporary culture.

Regrettably, the greater our emphases upon individuality, the more individuals appear to have been mass-produced.

Despite the popularity of avowing individual uniqueness, we seem often to gravitate toward a bland homogenisation that ensures a dull sameness throughout society.

However, I suspect that church membership is not practised because preachers neglect to provide a biblical foundation for the doctrine.

Does Christ expect His people to “join” a church?

Or does God add to a church?

Are people automatically members of a great, universal church because of the new birth?

Should Christians deliberately unite with a local congregation where God appoints them?

Is the church a political organisation?

Or is the church a dynamic, living organism?

These are serious questions that should occupy the attention of each Christian.

I contend that church membership is not only biblical; it is anticipated and expected of each one who names the Name of Christ the Lord.

In the local congregation, individual believers are expected to fulfil Christ’s mandate to worship, to evangelise, and to build believers through investment of spiritual gifts given to each saint.

A church adhering to the New Testament model is to be composed only of people who are twice born—infants and the unsaved are not to be admitted into congregational membership.

Perhaps it is more accurate to state that God adds to the church instead of saying that people join a church.

We dare not coerce people into uniting with the church; but rather people are invited and encouraged to declare openly their union with the people of God.

Those entering into the church are expected to accept joyfully the responsibility to fulfil ministries assigned by the Spirit who appoints each of us to the congregation.

Uniting with a congregation, a Christians demonstrates acceptance of Christ’s appointment.

Today, we are exploring church membership at greater length through consideration of Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.

It is not merely listing one’s name on a church roll that is in view, but rather the focus is accepting responsibility as Christians to participate in the ongoing work of building the Kingdom of God.

Jesus had recently been teaching His followers about the Kingdom of God.

In MATTHEW 13, He spoke of the Kingdom at least twelve times; and in the present chapter, He continues to speak of the Kingdom.

The existence of a kingdom implies that all who enter that kingdom accept the reign of the ruler of the kingdom.

If the Kingdom of God exists—and I am confident that it does exist—it should be apparent that God must be ruler of that Kingdom.

Jesus presented Himself as the King, and those entering into His Kingdom accept His rule over their lives.

This knowledge is important if we will fully understand Jesus’ meaningin our text.

We will consider this pericope as our text, though the focus is primarily on Jesus’ statement recorded in VERSE EIGHTEEN.

Therefore, I invite you to open your Bibles to this passage, so that together we can discover all that God would teach us this day.

THE COMPOSITION OF THE CHURCHES — “On this rock I will build my church.”

What do you suppose Jesus meant by those words?

Jesus’ saying is well known throughout all Christendom.

Undoubtedly, His words have occasioned considerable debate; they have served in some instances as foundation for formulating primary doctrinal emphases for denominations.

Assuredly, they have stimulated vigorous debate within the Christian community for two millennia.

Catholic apologists contend that with these words, Jesus consecrated Peter as the first Pope.

It is helpful to realise that prior to 1560, even Catholic views of the meaning of Jesus’ words were amazingly diverse.

[2] The present unity that is witnessed among Catholic theologians likely has more to do with reaction to Protestantism than to improved scholarship.

Protestant theologians, from Luther onward, have rejected the Catholic view—as much out of antipathy as out of conviction, it seems to me.

To this day, Protestants stand united in rejecting the Catholic position as a misrepresentation of Jesus’ intent.

Since Luther’s day, alternative interpretations have been vigorously advanced.

Jesus almost certainly spoke Aramaic, though this Gospel is presented in Greek.

In either language, there is a play on words.

In Aramaic, “Peter” and “rock” are the same word; in Greek, the two words are cognate terms that were used interchangeably during this period.

[3] Some of you have perhaps been taught that there is a distinction between “Peter” [Petros] and “rock” [petra], but grammar requires this variation because the ending of petra is feminine and could not therefore be used for a man’s name.

The Aramaic would have used kepha in either instance, in which case the problem disappears altogether.

[4]

Multiple views concerning the meaning of Jesus’ words have been advanced and positions have hardened as churches attempted to justify their own particular practices.

[5] Let’s consider just a few of the variant positions before continuing our study.

Early on, Augustine took the “rock” to refer to Jesus himself.

It is as if Jesus said, “You are Peter; and on myself as rock I will found my Church; and the day will come when, as the reward of your faith, you will be great in the church.”

Theological precedence for this position is afforded by the fact that God is spoken of as the Rock of Israel [e.g.

DEUTERONOMY 32:31].

Of course, we are taught to build our house upon the rock [MATTHEW 7:25], indicating that life is to be established on Christ.

Also, Jesus presented Himself as “the stone that the builders rejected” which became the “cornerstone” [MATTHEW 21:42].

Among noted apologists that adopted this view is included Dr. James Montgomery Boice, formerly pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

[6]

Some apologists are convinced that the truth that Jesus is the Son of the Living God is the rock on which Jesus’ church is founded.

Jesus did commend Peter because this truth was revealed to him and he openly expressed it.

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Faith; but that hardly seems to bring out the play on the words found in the text.

Others have explained that Peter’s faith is the rock of which Jesus spoke.

His faith would serve to bring the church into existence when impelled by the Spirit he would speak at Pentecost, becoming God’s instrument to turn many Jews to faith.

A variant of this position considers that Peter’s confession of Christ is the “rock” and that each individual who enters into the Faith must make this confession of faith.

This particular view enjoys ancient warrant.

The noted Baptist scholar, John Broadus, cites Chrysostom as saying, “On this rock; that is, on the faith of his confession… He did not say upon Peter, for it was not upon man, but upon his faith.”

He also cites Gregory of Nyssa and Isidore of Pelusium, and the Latin father, Hilary, in addition to the Greek fathers Theodoret, Theophanes, Theophylact, and John of Damascus.

[7]

Stepping back momentarily from the ancient battle between Protestants and Catholics—Baptists never were Protestants, having nothing to protest—it seems likely that Jesus did intend to designate Peter as the rock of which He spoke.

However, we need to understand in what way Peter was that rock.

To acknowledge that Peter was the rock does not make the claim of the papacy credible; for that to be true would require an entire set of propositions to be proven that are otherwise unproven and unsustainable.

This passage represents the first time that Jesus used the term “church.”

We tend to think of the church as an institution—an organisation with buildings and offices and services and meetings.

The Aramaic word Jesus would have used is qāhāl, which is the word used in the Old Testament for the congregation of Israel—the gathering of the People of the Lord.

In the Greek language, that word is ekklesía from ekkaleō, meaning, “to call out.”

Our Lord was saying to Peter that he was the beginning of the new Israel, the new people of the Lord, the new fellowship of those believing on His Name.

Peter was the first to both understand who Jesus was and to declare openly that truth.

People get into trouble when they ascribe to word pictures more than the picture can support.

The Bible frequently employs picturesque language in order to make one definite point.

One word picture frequently used for the church is a “building.”

However, that word picture represents many points of view.

Here, Peter is spoken of as the foundation for the church in the sense that he was the first person to believe.

To understand Jesus’ meaning, we should perhaps ask how Peter—the disciple whom Jesus addressed—understood these words concerning “the rock.”

If we can discover this, we will be furthered in understanding of Christ’s intent in using this term.

In 1 PETER 2:4-8 we gain insight into Peter’s understanding.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For it stands in Scripture:

‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’

So the honour is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,’

and

‘A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offence.’”

Peter knew that Jesus was the Rock, but he also humbly accepted that he was the first to recognise Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

He did not think himself superior in any way to the remainder of the apostles.