I Will Build My Church
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
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Transition
As a small church approaching a new year, one of our hopes for the new year is that our church would grow. Growing spiritually is important, it’s true, but growing numerically is important too. And growing numerically is easier to see. Which brings us to a declaration Jesus made in Matthew 16.
Illumination
The context of this declaration is more important than we realize, so we’ll back up a little.
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Take That
Take That
From Jesus’ Declaration, there are two thoughts that generally grab our attention.
I Will Build My Church
I Will Build My Church
Depending on our focus, we can get a lot of mileage our of Jesus’ declaration.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
I will build my church - Jesus is doing the work, we are just along for the ride, maybe handing him tools as He asks for them.
I will build my church - Jesus is going to do do it, it is going to happen because He wills it to happen.
I will build my church - Jesus’ builds His church spiritually, numerically, financially, influentially, only always in good ways (as we define them).
I will build my church - Since we are a church, we are His church and our growth is guaranteed!
The Gates of Hell
The Gates of Hell
The second thought that grabs our attention is our assurance of victory.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
We love to note that Gates are defensive elements. Hell is on the defense and Jesus and His church are one the offense!
We also love to note that those gates will not prevail, or hold, or win. Not only is Jesus on the offensive, He had declared that He—and we, by extension—will be victorious!
If we put all of our energy into this declaration, we could have quite the pep rally. Both of these thoughts are true and the implications of those thoughts is valid to varying degrees. Pep rallies are great for a pop of emotion, but they lack the substance to sustain anything and that emotion can obscure our understanding of reality. We need substance, not empty calories.
(Not So) Quick Questions
(Not So) Quick Questions
If we take a step back, Jesus’ declaration should prompt a few questions.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
What does this church that Jesus is building look like?
What rock is Jesus building on?
What do the gates of Hell have to do with the building?
The Blueprint
The Blueprint
When we stop to think about this church that Jesus was building, we can note that it is:
both personal and corporate
both local and global
both temporal and eternal
What would a blueprint to such a thing look like? The reality is we only know in part. And that part would take us much longer than this morning to view. What Jesus is building is much more complex than a pep-rally understanding can adequately present.
The Foundation
The Foundation
When it comes to the foundation upon which Jesus is building, there are two prevailing ways people view the foundation.
Peter Himself - Peter was given the “keys of the kingdom” and unquestionably led the early church in its earliest of days. So obviously, he must be the foundation upon which the whole of Jesus’ church is build, right?
Doesn’t track with history
Doesn’t track with the Bible 1 Corinthians 3:10–11 “10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Doesn’t track with Jesus’ words
Jesus renamed Simon to Peter, Petros in Greek, meaning he was a detached stone or boulder. Not a small rock, but not a foundation rock either.
Jesus then said he would build His church on this rock, petra in Greek, meaning a mass of rock. This was a rock significantly larger that Peter.
These problems often lead us to a different understanding of what the foundation must be.
Peter’s Confession
Jesus asked “Who do you say that I am?” in verse 15
Peter answered in verse 16
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus declared that Peter’s response, or confession, was of divine revelation.
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
This understanding that the divinely revealed confession that Jesus is the Christ eliminates the problems of trying to understand Peter as the foundation.
But could there be more going on here than meets the eyes at first glance? When you think about a building, a good blueprint and a good foundation are both important, but there is something else that is pretty important: the location.
The Location
The Location
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
The location of Caesarea Philippi is more significant than we realize. Geography is not a strong subject for most people but it is more important than we tend to realize.
Caesarea Philippi (its Roman name) was a town located 120 miles north of Jerusalem, 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.
Caesarea Philippi had two distinctive features:
Its nearness to Mount Hermon, a high, multi-summited, rock crag of a mountain that can be seen from great distances. it forms the natural northern border of Palestine and is so conspicuous that it is said, “In whatever part of Palestine the Israelite turned his eye northward, Hermon was there, terminating the view. From the plain along the coast, from the Jordan valley, from the heights of Moab and Gilead, from the plateau of Bashan, the pale, blue, snow-capped cone forms the one feature in the northern horizon.”
Its nearness to a deep cavern filled with water
Caesarea Philippi had been called Baal-Hermon in the Old Testament and was in the region of Bashan. According to scholars, Bashan was a terrifying place.
it was called the place of the serpent according to ancient literature
it was believed to be the location of the gateway to the underworld
it was a center of demonic worship and influence
it was, quite literally, the gates of hell
Jesus declared that He would build His church. He went to the gates of hell and declared that He would build it on the rock that was there and that the gates of hell before which He built it would not prevail.
And just in case their was any questions of His identity, intention, or industry, the very next major thing Jesus did was take a few of his disciple up on a mountain where He was transfigured before them, revealing His glorious identity for them, and whoever else was watching, to see. The mountain upon which Jesus chose to make this revelation was Mt. Hermon, the rock at the gates of hell.
Now, aren’t you glad to know a little geography?!
Suddenly, Jesus’ declaration that He would build His church takes on a whole new significance.
Reality Check
Reality Check
As cool as all of that is, the reality is that sometimes we look around and we feel defeated, attacked by giants that we cannot overcome. We don’t feel like Jesus is building His church. Worse, it seems like the forces of hell are attacking and winning. Why is that?
It turns out that the location of Jesus declaration speaks to this reality as well.
Not only had Bashan once been home to the worship of demonic forces, it had also been home to fierce peoples who counted giants among their ranks. Just prior to the conquest of Canaan, God led Israel to Bashan where they encountered giants and fierce foes that had only a generation previous caused them to turn tail and run away.
Bashan was a test. Would the people trust God and follow Him even into the teeth of the enemy’s largest, fiercest foes? Israel was not confident or victorious when they first failed to enter the land. Israel did not feel confident or victorious when they stood outside the land of Bashan know where they were going and what they were up against.
But they did feel confident and victorious after the battle.
When we feel surrounded by the enemy, we have to remember that the battle is still in progress and that is normal.
Conclusion
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Application
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