Building a Church

Matthew 16:18-20

Gods wisdom is so amazing. My hair is a sign of wisdom they say. With my hair I would say I’ve gained a lot of wisdom. According to my bathroom scale like 30 maybe 50 pounds of it. But lets take a look at some actual wisdom, here in our text today.

For context sake, Jesus begins revealing so many things here in chapter 16, just about the work He’s doing. Revealing himself fully as the Christ, the first mention of the Church, the Requirement of the His death, and the reward for faith in Him, as well as the second coming. Huge chapter.

Before we look at our section lets get our context - Matthew 16:13–17  “ 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.”

And our text today.

Matthew 16:18–20

Mt 16:18  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. 

Mt 16:19  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 

Mt 16:20  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Now, we’ll break this apart and share as we go, seeing the great truths that are shown in this section. This can be a controversial section, so I’m not inviting arguments right now, but please do submit anything you wish in writing. Alright, lets get to heresy 101, lol.

Matthew 16:18–20 -

Building

Mt 16:18  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. 

In v17 he is called Simon Bar Jonah, then Jesus finally gives Simon the greek name, Petros. Most of them had a greek name as well. Jesus chose His. Matthew 16:17  “ 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.” Peter made the right conclusion but was given all the revelation to Him through the Holy Spirit. Every thing Jesus taught, every miracle, revealed to all who wouldnt harden their hearts.

Now according to the Roman catholic church, this section establishes Peter as the first pope. Meaning Peter has the keys, Peter decides how and who gets into heaven, etc. (somewhat oversimplification but not far off).

Thats an incredibly bad interpretation of this passage.

Now, I want you to read with me the screen, lets see the greek scholar and great commentator Matthew Wuest translates it and in breaking down the greek of v18 says:

“Moreover, as for myself, I also am saying to you, You are Rock [petros, masculine in gender, a detached but large fragment of rock], and upon this massive rock [petra, feminine in gender, feminine demonstrative pronoun cannot go back to masculine petros; petra, a rocky peak, a massive rock] I will build my Church. And the councils of the unseen world shall not overpower it.”

The rock has since the early church been understood as the revelation, the recognition for who Jesus was and is. This is about context and the context drives our interpretation. Jesus goes from showing Peter as blessed by the Holy Spirit, giving him a new (born again?) name due to acknowledging the revelation.

Remember the grotto of pan is here in Caesarea Philippi, which many of the Jews said was an entrance to hell. And certainly the pagan nations worshipped at it!

Out of context might seem like He's making peter in charge but it really doesn't even in the english. The rock is is that confession of Christ. Jesus, the Chief cornerstone. Turn to:

Ephesians 2:20 “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”

Back to Matt: Just an amazing section of Scripture that speaks to the power inherent in Jesus Himself.

The Father here, is again showing us the temple, the altar, etc that mirrors what is in heaven. you have here, a revelation that Jesus is the vehicle for it all. That Gospel of the kingdom, is Jesus and is about Jesus. The impact of the Word taking on flesh, dwelling with us.

The Spirit convicts the what of sin? The world. Christ has called and is calling. Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

No matter what, the context tells us that this Church is built on Jesus.

Gates of Hell (councils of unseen realms). Always associated with Satan and the forces of evil.

Isaiah 54:17  “ No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.” This also plays into the next section

Kingdom

Mt 16:19  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 

The translation is a little tough. Wiersbe: “I shall give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth [forbid to be done], shall have been already bound [forbidden to be done] in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth [permit to be done], shall have already been loosed in heaven [permitted to be done].”

I think that wiersbe really helps us here. There is plainly the idea that jesus has the keys to the kingdom. He says he will (future tense) give to the disciples, THE KEYS.

“Shall be loosed” is a rare construction in Greek called the “future passive periphrastic perfect indicative” (Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 1, p. 149, on Mt 18:18), which more literally may be rendered “shall have been already loosed in heaven.” The special point of using this tense is to show that the apostles would by their teaching and preaching “bind” and “loose” by the message of Christ what had already been bound and loosed in heaven, for Christ’s words were not his own, but those of the Father who sent him.

These locks to a place can only be unlocked by correct keys (no thievery). Here are two actual keys from the first century. Most locks and keys where skeleton keys, but the person holding a key, has the right to enter.

We could say these were the keys mentioned in Revelation, Hell Death David (Rev. 1:8, 3:7)

This is inherently John 20:23  “ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”” We know that (whether this is Peter or the Church) what is a sin, who determines sin, this is all of God.

We quoted earlier Isa 54.17 which said righteousness if from the Lord, 1 John 3:4  “ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” Not determined by our thoughts or feelings but the plain statements of of Gods word.

We had talked about how Jesus used his incredible authority and miracles to show he had the power (fish in the net, calming storm, etc) and the prophecies that foretold of Him testified and called to the world and of course, the invitation of Christ to repent, and enter the kingdom. The keys are faith in and Christ himself!

Note also, that Peter or we have them, is because we have heard the teaching of Christ from heaven, Jesus came from above, He said, John 5:19  “ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:30  “ I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 14:24  “ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Christ

Mt 16:20  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Since we used him for the last two verses, lets hear from Wiersbe: Then He admonished the disciples sharply that they should tell not even one person that He himself is the Christ.

After this Huge, ginormous revelation - don’t tell nobodies. lol. Nuts.

Multiple places in John, it tells us they didnt do anything that he didnt go certain places, etc, because it was not His time. Or not His hour. Jesus had an appointment.

Many teach that it was perfectly timed, that almost to the hour, as Jesus entered into Jerusalem at the beginning of Resurrection week, was the time given to us in Daniel as when Messiah would arrive.

In Closing,

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Discovering Jesus

I like this marvelous declaration by Albert Schweitzer:

And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflict, the sufferings which they shall pass through in his fellowship, and, as an ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience Who He is.

Everything, all of it, is wrapped up in Christ Himself. John 20:30–31  “ And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

The crucial, most determinative thing we can say, is that its all wrapped up in you entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Knowing all of who He is. Son of God (in actuality), Messiah (King not just of Israel, but all mankind), God the Son. Your God. No matter your culture, background, personal desires, etc. Its all Jesus. Yeshua, Yehosua, and He right now, is calling you.

1 Corinthians 1:22–25  “ For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

After prayer, remember, I have like 50 pounds of wisdom here. And it will never measure up to Christ. Could never. Trust in Jesus.