I Will Build My Church
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Introduction:
This morning we’re continuing our study in the Gospel of Matthew, and we’re a little over halfway through this amazing book. Today, we’ve made it to Matthew chapter 16, and we’re going to look at a pretty well-known story.
In our culture, church is seen less and less as a force of good in the world and more and more as an outdated institution dedicated to the preservation of outdated morality. At best, it’s seen as something that is irrelevant to daily life, but oftentimes, it’s even seen in a very negative light as something that is bad for society and even as something that Jesus himself would not have imagined.
Some scholars have argued that Jesus himself had no plans for a church. The church was something Paul made up. Jesus preached the kingdom but Paul started a church. This line of thinking traces back to a German liberal theologian, Adolph von Harnack, at the dawn of the 20th century.
“The Kingdom of God, as Jesus conceived it, was no society and no Church, but a condition of things in which God’s will is done.”
—Adolph von Harnack, "What is Christianity?" (1900)
“The Church, as it actually arose, is something different from the Kingdom of God as Jesus proclaimed it. It is a society growing up in the world, adapting itself to the world, and becoming involved in the world.”
—Adolph von Harnack, (paraphrased from History of Dogma and lectures)
Von Harnack’s point is essentially that Jesus’ message had nothing to do with establishing churches. He claimed, basically, that all Jesus cared about was individuals living in ways that were consistent with Jesus’ sermon on the mount.
What’s interesting is how pervasive this idea has become in our culture. I meet people all the time who echo von Harnack’s thoughts who have never heard his name. They say things like, “I believe Jesus was a great teacher—I love Jesus. But I don’t believe in organized religion. I think organized religion is corrupted.”
Others aren’t necessarily hostile to the church, but they just don’t think it’s important in their lives.
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say 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 replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
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.
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.”
20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
At first glance, it might seem that this passage is about Peter and him finally “getting it.” Well, obviously, that’s a part of what’s happening here. But, if we look closer, we’ll see this passage is all about the church.
Main Point/FCF:
The Church is an institution founded by Jesus as his chosen means of advancing the Kingdom of God on Earth and has a divine assurance of victory.
The Church is an institution founded by Jesus.
The Church is an institution founded by Jesus.
The Church was founded by Jesus.
The Church was founded by Jesus.
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.
The Church was founded by Jesus and for Jesus. It belongs to him.
It was not Paul’s idea, it was not Constantine’s idea, or the Catholic Church, or the Protestant Reformers’, it is Jesus’.
Paul picked up on this and says this in his letter to the Ephesians:
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Jesus died for his Church.
Those who say that they like Jesus but don’t like his church have divided something that Jesus sees as one.
If you come to me complaining about my wife or badmouthing her, you and I are going to have a problem. That’s my wife, my bride. She may not be perfect, but I love her and I’d give my life for her. If you come to me and say, “Jason, I just love you, but I can’t stand your wife,” I’m going to tell you to take a hike. We’re a package deal. You can’t have just one of us, because when we married, we became one.
Jesus’ bride is the Church. He loves her, he died for her, he is constantly pursuing her good and her holiness.
No, she isn’t perfect. But it’s a package deal. You cannot have one without the other. Christ and his Church are one through an eternal bond that can never be broken.
To reject the Church is to reject Christ.
The Church has lots of flaws because it is comprised of people, who have lots of flaws. To those who would say, “I just can’t go to church because of all those hypocrites,” I’d say, “Well, we have room for one more hypocrite, so come on.”
None of us are perfect. We’re all works in progress, and we all stumble in many ways. But, it is through the Church that we are being perfected and made more like Christ.
One day, the Church will be presented to Jesus as a radiant, beautiful bride:
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—
13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
This is a picture of the Church, pictured metaphorically as a beautiful city descending from heaven, made of the finest jewels and crystals. Yes, right now the church is a mess. But, it is being built up slowly but surely into this image. And one day, the people of God—Jews and Gentiles—from every tribe, nation and language will be presented to Christ as a bride on her wedding day—beautiful, and without spot or blemish. Because the Church belongs to Christ.
The Church is an institution.
The Church is an institution.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church...
Many people have an issue with organized religion. But, the Church was always supposed to be organized, and we know that for at least two reasons in this passage.
Jesus’ choice of the word ekklesia indicates something organized and purposeful.
Jesus’ choice of the word ekklesia indicates something organized and purposeful.
The word for “Church” in Scripture is ἐκκλησία. This word was used generically in the Greco-Roman world to refer to the regular assembly of a legislative body
Josephus uses the word in his writings as well to describe a gathered body of people assembled together for a common, official purpose:
The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Chapter 4: How Antiochus Made a League with Ptolemy; and How Onias Provoked Ptolemy Euergetes to Anger; and How Joseph Brought All Things Right Again, and Entered into Friendship with Him; and What Other Things Were Done by Joseph and His Son Hy
Joseph then asked him if he would not give him leave
Note that the word “multitude” is contrasted with the ekklesia. A large number of people doesn’t become an ekklesia until they are assembled together for an official purpose, in this case, to elect a man name Joseph as their ambassador to the king.
Jesus could have used a word like “multitude” or something else to describe his church, but he chose the word ekklesia to reflect the common usage of the day—an group of people assembled for a common, official purpose.
The second reason we know that the church was intended to be organized is because...
Jesus’ choice of metaphors to describe his church indicate something organized and purposeful.
Jesus’ choice of metaphors to describe his church indicate something organized and purposeful.
Jesus uses the metaphor of a building to describe his church (ekklesia).
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church...
Paul picks up on this and uses the metaphor of a building to describe the church.
Of course, the description of a building is just a metaphor, it doesn’t mean that in order to be a legitimate church you have to have a physical building, nor does it mean that the physical building is literally the church.
But, what Jesus and Paul are both saying is that the church is a collection of people organized together for a purpose, just as a building is organized and built up to serve a purpose.
And this doesn’t just apply to local churches, but also to what we call the “Church Universal.” Jesus says “I will build my church (singular),” not “churches.” While there are many local churches, every true church is part of The Church. We function at a global level as a body of believers united around a common purpose.
Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Church at Corinth, where he addresses his letter both to that local church and to “all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours...
9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You (y’all—the church at Corinth/the Church at large) are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ...
16 Do you not know that you (y’all) are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you (y’all)?
17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you (y’all) are that temple.
Paul is writing both to the church at Corinth and to “all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He describes both the local church and the Church universal as the temple of God, whose foundation is Christ, who work collectively together, who are intentionally built up and organized for a common purpose.
Earlier, I said that the Church is an institution.
in·sti·tu·tion /ˌinstəˈto͞oSHən / noun: a society or organization founded for a religious, educational, social, or similar purpose.
Oxford Dictionary
The Church is a group of people organized together for a similar purpose.
Many people take issue with the idea of “organized religion.” But what is the alternative? Disorganized religion?
Some people think that Christianity would be better off if it wasn’t organized and structured. But that’s not how Jesus pictured the church. A disorganized church is not like a building, it’s like piles of building materials. What makes it a building is when you put it together and organize it. Without that organization, the building can’t function or achieve its purpose.
And this is precisely why Satan has furthered this lie. Satan knows that an organized church is an effective church, and he doesn’t want to see the Kingdom of God advance.
Show me an army unit that is more effective in achieving its purpose when it’s disorganized. Satan knows that if he can disrupt the organization, and fracture the unit into individuals, he can stop the church’s progress.
We organize together as churches because Christ has given us a purpose which can only be achieved when we work together, and he has given us a mandate to organize together.
Possibly remove this section V
Using a slightly different metaphor, Paul describes the church as a body consisting of many body parts:
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
The Church is organized because that’s the way God intended it. God has given each of us a different gifting, and we need each other.
All false modesty aside, who in here feels like they understand the Bible reasonably well, and finds joy in helping others understand and apply Scripture to their life?
Who in here finds themselves moved by empathy and compassion for those who are needy, and enjoys helping in acts of compassion and mercy?
Who enjoys ministering to others through cooking and practical service?
Who gets joy out of blessing others or their church financially?
Who enjoys and is gifted in teaching young children?
What about older children and students?
Who loves lending an ear and godly counsel to those who are struggling?
Who finds joy in just plugging holes wherever needed and doing behind the scenes work?
As you look around the room, I hope you notice the diversity of people. Some people are gifted in one or more ways, but none of us are gifted in all these areas. We all have weak areas, and that’s precisely why we need each other.
We were not made to be lone wolf Christians. God has intentionally designed us to need each other. We organize as a church in recognition of that fact, so that each of us have opportunity to serve others and to be served by them.
Those who insist on “going it alone” deprive themselves of the spiritual gifts of other believers, and they deprive other believers of their spiritual gifts.
Possibly remove this section ^
So, let us dispense once and for all with this notion that organized religion is something foreign to the teachings of Jesus Christ or that it is a bad thing. It is neither. Jesus himself founded the church and laid its foundation and it is a profoundly good thing.
Now we’re going to turn to the second part of this passage:
The Church is an institution founded by Jesus as his chosen means of advancing the Kingdom of God on Earth and has a divine assurance of victory.
The Church is God’s chosen means of advancing his Kingdom on Earth.
The Church is God’s chosen means of advancing his Kingdom on Earth.
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.
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.”
Notice all the future tense: “I will build my church...I will give you the keys...” The reason that this is all future tense is that when Jesus made this statement the church did not yet exist.
What is happening in this passage is that Jesus is marking out Peter as his chosen means of establishing his church.
God chose to establish his Church through Peter.
God chose to establish his Church through Peter.
We can see that Peter has a unique role in the foundation of the church for two reasons:
First, Jesus uses wordplay to show that Peter is going to be used to establish his Church.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The second reason we see that Peter has a unique role in the foundation of the church is that Jesus is using singular “you.” He is speaking directly to Peter in the presence of all the other disciples.
19 I will give you (singular) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you (singular) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you (singular) loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
When God told Peter that he would build his church on him, what does that mean? Now, there’s a lot of controversy over this passage, but I think much of that is unnecessary. The point of this passage is not to establish or to refute the whole system of Papal authority in the Catholic church. The point of this passage is to foreshadow what was coming after Christ died, rose again, and ascended to the Father. Peter was granted a unique role in the formation of the Church—he got to get it started.
We see this played out in the first half of the book of Acts, as Peter preaches at Pentecost and performs miracles.
But that doesn’t mean he would be the only one with that authority, as we will see shortly.
This special status is no different than what God did when he chose Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Paul, or any number of different people throughout Scripture.
God chose Peter to accomplish a purpose, a specific task for a specific period of time.
The purpose of Peter’s special role was to establish the church through the proclamation of the Gospel.
The purpose of Peter’s special role was to establish the church through the proclamation of the Gospel.
Jesus is using a metaphor. The Keys to the Kingdom represent access. How does one get access to the Kingdom of Heaven? Through hearing and believing the Good News of the Kingdom—the Gospel.
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.”
Jesus is charging Peter with the duty of advancing the Kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel. What is bound and loosed are souls as they hear and respond to the gospel, and to church discipline as we will see in Matthew ch 18 in a couple of weeks.
Whereas the Scribes and Pharisees “shut up the Kingdom,” Peter is given the keys to open it.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
How did the Scribe and Pharisees “shut up the kingdom”? They taught false doctrine and led people astray.
Peter, on the other hand, preaches the truth—the truth that he has just exclaimed:
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
So, the keys to the Kingdom is what gives you access to the Kingdom. How does one get access to the Kingdom of God? Through hearing and accepting the Gospel when it is proclaimed. Which is exactly what we see Peter doing in Acts.
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
We see Peter proclaiming the gospel, using the keys to the kingdom, and people are entering the kingdom of God.
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
What is special about Peter is that he got to be the first, not that he was the only. He was the first among equals.
This passage doesn’t mean that God obligated himself to do whatever Peter wanted. It means that God granted to Peter the authority and power to carry out God’s will. It is like the designation of an ambassador by a king, with the authority to speak on his behalf.
Notice at the end of this passage in Acts 2 that it doesn’t say they devoted themselves to “Peter’s teaching” but to the “Apostles’ teaching.” Because once Peter got the Church established, the other apostles would begin to do the same things that Peter did.
Other passages in Scripture indicate this authority rested with all the apostles and with the Church at large.
Other passages in Scripture indicate this authority rested with all the apostles and with the Church at large.
Everything that is said of Peter is later said of other Apostles, and as we move through the book of Acts, we gradually see Peter’s prominence fade and Paul’s rise
Ephesians describes the apostles in general, and even the prophets, as the foundation of the Church. Why? because all of them proclaimed the same message, the same gospel.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
We might ask, “how are the Apostles the foundation?” The answer is simple: They are the ones through whom God revealed the truth that built his Church. They were the tools that God chose to use to advance his Kingdom. So, we can agree with our Catholic friends that Peter was a crucial aspect of the founding of the Church, but this passage says nothing about the bishop of Rome, or the Pope, or Peter having a higher position than other apostles, or some kind of succession of papal authority.
What this passage does say is that Jesus gave Peter a duty and a privilege to advance the Kingdom of Heaven through getting the Church started. Now, that privilege and duty rests with all churches and with the Church universally. We are all charged with proclaiming the gospel and advancing the Kingdom of God.
And, what’s more...
The Church has a divine assurance of victory.
The Church has a divine assurance of victory.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
What is really interesting about this passage is
Faithlife Study Bible Bashan and the Gates of Hell
when Jesus tells Peter that it is “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (
Caesarea Philippi was well known as a center of idolatry and for its elaborate temple to the god Pan. Behind one of the temples was a large cave, which is still present today, where people would do sacrifices. They believed that the spirits of the underworld came and went through this cave.
This cave was known as the Gates of Hell.
When Jesus says “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it,” he means that the church will overcome the Satan and his horde or demons. Our victory is assured.
When Christ died and rose again, Colossians says:
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Conclusion
The Church is an institution founded by Jesus as his chosen means of advancing the Kingdom of God on Earth and has a divine assurance of victory.
In our times, it often seems like the Church is losing the war. Attendance and church membership have been on a steady decline in America for decades now, Christian influence is missing in society, confusion and anti-Christian sentiment are on the rise.
There are more people today that identify as “no religion” than ever before.
But, the Church is Christ’s, and he has promised victory. The Gates of Hell will not be able to overcome the Church of God.
We do not fight for victory, we fight from victory. We will win. The Kingdom of God will arrive completely and fully one day, and the church gets to be God’s chosen instrument to advance it. We will overcome because Christ overcame and we are one with him.
So, do not live in defeat. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel or of the Church. Jesus gave his life for his Church. He loves her and he is always pursuing her good.
God has given us the keys to the Kingdom. So go, tell the world who Jesus is and what he has done for you.
If you’re looking for a church home, we want to invite you to consider joining us. If you’re interested in becoming a member and being a part of the bride of Christ, talk to me.
Give your mom the best Mother’s Day gift you could ever give her—come to church!
