CHURCH SERIES- The Church That Jesus Built
The Church That Jesus Built
Matt 16:18
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.
First of all, Jesus teaches us about the INFALLABILITY OF THE CHURCH, Webster’s dictionary defines the word “infallibility” as that which is without error, that which is true, a doctrine that has stood the test of time and is regarded as trustworthy, steadfast and reliable, and I know that Jesus talks about the infallibility of the church, because He says in verse 18, “UPON THIS ROCK I will build my church…” What was Jesus talking about when he said “UPON THIS ROCK, I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH?” What rock was Jesus talking about?
Well, there are those who believe that Jesus was saying that He would build his church upon the rock of the apostle Peter. There are people in our world today who believe that this verse teaches that Peter is the head of the church, and that the modern-day church should honor the apostle peter as the foundation of the church.
But my brothers and sisters, that’s not what Jesus is teaching here. In order to understand what Jesus is saying here, you have to understand that in the original language of this text, Jesus is using a play on words to describe the infallibility of the church. You see, when you look at verse 18 in the original greek, you’ll discover that the name “PETER” and the word ‘ROCK” are two very similar greek words. The greek word for Peter is “PETROS” WHICH literally means “A SMALL STONE” and the greek word for “ROCK” in this text is “PETRA” which means a huge rock. Peter’s name (petros) means a small stone, but the rock that Jesus was talking about (petra) Means a huge, mountainous rock. So what rock was Jesus talking about?
Jesus was talking about the rock-solid, foundational truth that Peter had declared up in verse 16 when Peter declared under the power of the Holy Spirit, “THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.” This is the infallible, foundational, rock-solid truth of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the truth the Jesus emobodied, this is the truth that the apostles preached, this is the truth that early church believed, this is the truth the early church fathers taught, and died for. We believe that He is the Christ, He is the Messiah, He is Immanuel, he is the bread of life, He is the son of the Living God.
And my brothers and sisters, this eternal, infallible truth needs to be iterated and reiterated throughout our world today, for we are living in a time in which people want a smorgasborg religion, people want buffet-line theology in which they go through the line of philosophies, beliefs, and religions and take a little from this religion and a little from that religion, they take what they like from this faith and discard what they don’t like from that faith, they take a little Christianity, mix it up with a little Islam, throw in a little new age philosophy, and they dibble and dabble from all the religions until they come up with a man-made faith that ends up believing in everything and trusting in nothing.
But I beseech You this morning, my brothers and my sisters, don’t let the world change your view of who Jesus is! Don’t believe the media madness! Don’t give in to the Hollywood hype! The world teaches us that there are many ways to God. But I’ve come by to let you know today, that no matter how unpopular it may be, no matter how politically incorrect it may be, I’m going to preach what the Bible says! And the Word of God is clear that Buddha is not the way, Confucius is not the way, Muhammad is not the way, yoga and meditation are not the way, good works are not the way, religious ritual is not the way, new age religion is not the way, secular humanism is not the way…JESUS IS THE WAY, the truth, and the life!…JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. Jesus is not the effeminate, pale, weak, hippie-looking weirdo we see portrayed in the mainstream media. But Jesus is the Christ, the Son of The Living God. Jesus is not just a good man, but he is the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus was not just a profound prophet, but he is the Christ, the Son of the Living god. He’s not just a moral teacher, he’s not just a miracle worker, he’s not just some ancient character from days gone by, he’s not the man upstairs, he’s not your co-pilot, but he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
This is the eternal message of the church!, this is the infallible message of the church! We must never be fooled into believing some non-biblical, watered-down version of who Jesus is! The church must never allow gimmicks, schemes, or political agendas to cause us to deny who Jesus is. I’m all in favor of building bridges between people and groups, but the church of the Lord Jesus Christ must never compromise its message and mission if it is to remain true to its calling and commission. The clarion call of the church today is to proclaim with boldness that Jesus is the answer for the world today, above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way! JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD – this is the infallible message of the church that Jesus built.
But not only do we see the infallibility of the church in this text, but Jesus also teaches us the IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH In this text, for He says again in verse 18: “upon the rock I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH…”
The church has a particular and peculiar identity. It is not meant to be a social club for the intellectually elite, It is not meant to be a haven for the haves to hide from the have-nots. it is not meant to be a showcase for the cynical, the snobbish or the stuck-up. The church is particular and peculiar in that it is not so much an organization as It is an organism. It is not so much a place as it is a people. Church is not something we go to on Sunday morning, its who we are each and everyday. You see, the word “church” in our text comes from the Greek word “EKKLESIA” which literally means “THE CALLED OUT ONES.” To be a part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be called out from the world and given a new identity in Jesus Christ. To be identified as a part of the church of Jesus Christ means that you have been called out of the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of His marvelous light.
Jesus said “UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH” The church belongs to Jesus. Jesus is the architect, Jesus is the builder, Jesus is the leader, Jesus is the man, Jesus is the CEO, Jesus is the owner and lord of his church. Jesus purchased the church on the cross by shedding his own blood. this is not my church, this is not your church, we are all members of his church and we are to operate in the church the way he wants us to operate. And The good news is, my brothers and my sisters, that when you come to jesus and become a part of his church, you get a new identity. When you come to Jesus and become a part of his church, you become a new creature You move from being a sinner to a saint, from an enemy of God to an ambassoder of God, you move from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his marvelous light, you move from being down and out to up and in. you exchange a one-way ticket to hell for a first-class ticket to heaven. you belong to Him, you are his child, you are his possession, you have been bought with a price! You move from wandering around in the wilderness of sin to basking in the oasis of God’s grace and God’s mercy. The lord warns us in Acts 20:28: "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.