The Theology Of The Church's Foundation

When I say Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Most of you can quote that verse. Even most non believers have heard or use this verse. One player in the NBA Steph Curry writes it on every pair of shoes he has. While that is pretty cool we begin to see a problem arising surrounding this verse. In an interview with Steph he basically talks all about how this verse is his mantra. He continues, “like anything that you do in life is going to require that undying faith in yourself and the belief that you can conquer everything. And for me through Christ I get my strength and I can do all things.” -Stephen Curry

While all of that sounds great its missing a lot of context. Paul is not talking about himself becoming incredible at different things, or being the best of the best.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul is in Roman house arrest while writing this letter to the church at Philippi. He is chained to a Roman guard 24/7 for about 2 years. The church sent aid to Paul and this letter was him being thankful for that. The context is incredibly important. We see in verse 11 and 12 Paul says I have learnt to be content. In whatever circumstance. He knows how to face plenty, hunger, abundance, and need. How can he be content in all of those? Well he answers in verse 13. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Is Paul saying he wants to become a professional athlete and he can do that because God strengthens him to? Not at all! Paul knows he can go through all the highs and lows in life because God is with him and strengthening him.

This idea of taking scripture out of context is one of the ways the enemy of our souls attacks us. We see Satan tempt Eve to eat the fruit in Genesis 3 by taking God’s words out of context. Eve says well God said dont eat or touch the fruit or you will die. God never said dont touch it. Satan sees his way in and pounces on the opportunity. And sin enters the world and Adam and Eve try to hide from God. Satan temps Jesus while in the wilderness through taking verses out of context. He does this same thing in making other religions. He takes things from the Bible or adds to the Bible and all of a sudden its works based.

Thats where we come to our current study in Matthew 16:13-20 turn with me there and we will read it.

Matthew 16:13–20 ESV

Now 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.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

The doctrine I want to tackle today is the concept of God’s church. First lets get caught up to whats going on in Matthew. We have seen the beginning of Jesus’s ministry here on earth. He has done so many signs and wonders already. Last chapter we saw Jesus feed the 4 thousand men at the sea of Galilee. He only had 7 loaves of bread and a fish. Jesus proceeds to turn that into a feast for probably around 10 thousand people with 7 baskets full with the leftovers. It appears He had left his disciples back with the crowd. Jesus ends up in Magadan where He is confronted by Pharisees and Sadducees. They want to test Him. They ask for a sign from Him. They are looking for something He does that they can hold against Him. Of course He saw through this plan and calls them out. The disciples rejoined Jesus. They had forgotten to bring food. How do you forget food after just having 7 baskets of leftovers? Leave it to the disciples to forgot something like this. But Jesus warns them about the Pharisees and Sadducees. So they move on to the district of Caesarea Philippi and this is where we pick up. Caesarea Philippi is actually a very interesting region for Jesus to ask them this question. This was a city near the base of Mount Hermon. It was known for having an abundant supply of water and being all around beautiful. It’s one of the primary sources for the Jordan River. There is waterfalls and is truly gorgeous. Herod the Great made a temple for Augustus Caesar there. It would also be the center of worship of the false god Pan. Pan was a half man half goat and the worship of him as with all false gods was horrible. So it’s strange that Jesus asks them this question here. At the heart of pagan worship and a corrupt city.

Jesus asks a very loaded question. Who do the people say that the Son of Man is? You can imagine he could point to the base of mount Hermon or one of the 2 temples as he asks this question. This is a question that we can ask ourselves even today. Who do people say that Jesus is? Every religion has a different answer to that. Some call Him a good prophet. Some call Him just a human who was a good teacher. The Jews themselves believe he was just a guy who was not the messiah they were waiting for. Others don’t believe that He even existed. Then there are the ones who believe some things about Jesus and the Bible. They take the parts of the Bible that they like and follow that. But the parts they dont like they take out. Revelation 22:18–19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” They take away and add to the Bible. But look what John says. God will take his share in the tree of life. Or eternity with Christ. So how do the disciples answer? Well some say He is John the Baptist, Others say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. One of the other prophets means even back them people believed that Jesus was some sort of a prophet. Jesus now wants to get a bit deeper into this topic.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Alright that’s what others are saying about me. But you my followers, who do you say that I am? This is a question I want us all to really deep dive into. I think its a question we should be asking ourselves daily. Who do we say that Jesus is? Do we believe Him to be our Lord and Savior who loves us and paid the ultimate price on the cross for our sins? That He is the only way to Heaven? That He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE? That there is no other way to salvation apart from Him? Or do we believe that he is just some teacher. Or prophet, a good teacher, or that he was just a man? This gives us a great path to evaluate our lives an relationships with Him. And for the disciples, they have now been walking with Jesus for 2.5 years. Jesus wants them to think about who they are following. Who really is this man who is discipling them. He wants them (and us) to really grasp and understand why He came. Right after this conversation Jesus will tell His disciples exactly why He came and they wont like it. We will look at that in a bit. Another reason is what if an unbeliever came up to us and asked this question? Who is Jesus? Would we be able to answer that question? I am sure the disciples at some point were asked why do you follow that Jesus guy? Maybe it was their family or old friends asking. Jesus wants them to be able to answer that and lead those others right to Him. So I think we need to pause and ask ourselves this very question. Who do WE think that Jesus is. So we believe He is who He said He is? We will come back to this question at the end but for now lets take a look at their response.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

You are the Christ answers Peter. Most of you are familiar with the phrase Jesus Christ. Christ is not a name. It’s actually a title. christos is the word in Greek and quite literally means anointed one. Jesus was appointed to be the Messiah. Or the savior of the world. That’s His title. Like Heron the Great was a title. Likewise Jesus Christ means Jesus “the anointed one.” So now that we know the importance of the Title Christ we can really understand the significance of what Peter says. You are Jesus, appointed to be the messiah, the Son of the living God! What a statement from Peter. He understand who Jesus truly is. He is saying that Jesus is the living son of God as well as the one who came to rescue the world. Peter was really the vocal leader of the 12 disciples. We see that time and time again. One thing I love about Peter is his boldness to speak whats on his mind. It is really important later on in the book of Acts. But it also has caused Peter to make multiple mistakes throughout the gospels. Peter is the only guy that has been interrupted by the entire Trinity. Jesus has to rebuke and interrupt him. God the father has to during the transfiguration. And in Acts he will be interrupted by the Holy Spirit coming upon new believers. But we can relate with Peter and his mistakes. But this time Peter does a good job. In fact next verse Jesus says this.

17 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.

Peter’s name was originally Simon. But when Jesus calls him he changes it to Peter. The name Peter means Rock, or Stone. Simon Bar Jonah, or Simon son of John is what Jesus calls him here. Jesus asked his disciples who do they say that the son of man is. So it makes sense to show Peter that he is the son of this man John and that it was not him helped Peter figure this out. It was not Peter who helped figure this out. As Jesus continues saying… My Father in Heaven revealed this to you! Apart from God’s mercy, grace, and calling on our life there is no way to understand who Jesus really is and what he means to us. So we see that God revealed this answer to Peter. Peter gives the perfect answer. Jesus continues on. This is where we see false denominations arise from. A lot of people take these next verses and take them out of context.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

18 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. 19 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.”

A few different religions within the umbrella of “Christianity” take these verses to mean Peter was the first pope. We are going to debunk this myth. So lets dive into the verses. So Jesus starts off by saying you are Peter. And on this rock I will build my church. That right there at a glimpse sounds super compelling right? Just like how Philippians 4:13 sounds super convincing without context. What is our context in this situation? As we have been looking at Jesus has asked a question. Peter proceeded to answer that question. Jesus says well done Simon! You are Peter, Petros stone, And on this Petra cliff or ledge, foundation, I will build my church. So we see 2 different Greek words used here. For Peter it means stone and for the rock it means a large rock or a foundation. So if Peter is not the rock than what is? Again we need the full context. The question that Peter just answered was the Revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. So the church’s foundation is the revelation that Peter made about Jesus. The church being the entire body of sons and daughters of Jesus. And as you read through the book of Acts thats exactly what the church was founded off of. It was a bunch of people who believed in what Jesus did on the cross and as a result they live in community together with Jesus Christ as the main focus. And as for the gates of Hell not prevailing against the church that is true. When the Devil attacks God brings unity and growth to the church in spite of persecution. The next part is also a bit tricky so lets dive into it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven shall be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. This one is less for Peter and more for all of the disciples.

“more immediate parallels suggest that one should pursue the imagery of keys that close and open, lock and unlock (based on Isa 22:22) and take the binding and loosing as referring to Christians’ making entrance to God’s kingdom available or unavailable to people through their witness, preaching, and ministry.”

Craig Blomberg

So what Craig is saying is that us as Christians have the opportunity to share the Gospel which will lead to others being brought to salvation. For Peter specifically he would be really the leader of the early church. Like a pastor would be today. Peter was given the special privilege of bringing the Gospel to the Gentile nations as we see with Cornelius in Acts 10 and 11. So while Peter was not the first pope as they are not Biblical, he was a massive part of God growing the church. If you needed more convincing I will draw your attention to another verse.

Hebrews 4:14–16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

And 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

We no longer need priest to intercede on our behalf because Jesus came and died for our sins and rose again. He tore the curtain of the Most Holy Place in two from top to bottom taking away God’s separation from the people. It’s all because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Peter just like all of us is a broken sinful man.

Verse 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Jesus explains what he really came to do for not only Peter’s sins. But the entire world. Peter rebukes him! Right after Peter has such a great moment he gets harshly rebuked. Jesus’s response is really what I want to focus on. And this ties into how we can avoid believing false beliefs about the Bible. Verse 23b For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man

We sin when we focus not on God but on things of man. We take the Bible out of context when we are not reading the context. We believe false teachings when we only listen to the teachings and not going to the Bible ourselves. God gives us right here the simplest way to fix so many things. Stop focusing on things of man and start focusing on things of God. This year for the first time ever I started a Bible in a year program. I am making a point to start every morning by setting my mind on things of God rather than things of man. All of us who are saved have access to the Holy Spirit who can help us pray, and genuinely understand the Bible. We need to stop putting so much faith in others to teach us about God, and to start learning for ourselves. The Bible can answer every single question we have about God. So I am going to leave you with 2 challenges. Number one is ask yourselves the question, Who do you say that Jesus is? Really seek to understand who Jesus truly is. And if you have no idea than you have the opportunity to learn! You are in a room full of amazing believers who would love to tell you more about the path to salvation. Before we are saved we have a one way ticket straight to Hell. We are born with it. The only way to get off that train is to get on the one going to Heaven. And the only way to get on that train is if Jesus Christ takes that ticket to hell and exchanges it with His own ticket to Heaven. Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

This is serious. Life is short and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Whether that willingly here on earth or its unwillingly in eternity when its already too late. The second challenge I have is for those of you who are born again. Set your mind on things of God instead of things of man. Spend time personally learning and growing to be closer to Jesus. That Bible along with prayer are your weapons to face everything in life. Lets set our minds on God and what Jesus did for us.