I would venture a guess that there is nothing in our modern society that is as misunderstood as "church." That is true not just with un-churched people, either. Why do you suppose it is so among "church people?" Could it be a lack of teaching about it? Maybe it’s the kind of teaching about it? It is a Bible subject. Let's see what the Bible says about it today.
My friend, it's so good to have you join our Bible study In Search of the Lord's Way to become a Christian. And a hearty welcome to you. I pray we will both be blessed by our study together. Let me remind you that we are closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
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The title for our message today consists of a promise made by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “I Will Build My Church," he said. It is found in the gospel of Matthew chapter 16 at verse 18. We will be reading that entire text in a moment. But first, Ken Helterbrand is going to lead us in a hymn.
Today we are reading for our text the gospel of Matthew, the sixteenth chapter; and we are going to begin reading in verse 13 and read through verse 19. “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Phillippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they said, Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said unto 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 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. 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.” Now let us go to God in prayer. Holy Father, we are so thankful to You that Jesus built the church; and kept with your plan from eternity. Father, we are thankful too for His love for the church, and we love the church, and we want to spread that love for the church today just as He expressed his love for it. We pray your blessings on this study today that we may enhance appreciation and love for the church in the hearts of many, many people. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.
In the northeastern extremity of the land of Palestine, there was, in the days of our Lord, a little town or village known as "Dan" diagonally across the land and opposite Beersheba in the Southwest corner, and thus we have the expression we hear so commonly "from Dan to Beersheba" meaning from one end of the land to the other."
About three miles to the east of Dan, at the foot of Mt. Hermon was the ancient village of Paneas. Since Mt. Hermon was the highest mountain in or near Palestine, it became the object of worship for the Baal worshipers of Canaan before the Exodus, and was sometimes called "Baal-Hermon." And you read about that in Judges 3 and 3.
Paneas was built by the worshipers of Pan, the god of Shepherds, whose image was half-brute and half-man. Long before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Paneas was destroyed, but it was rebuilt by Philipp, son of Herod the Great and was given the name Caesarea Philippi-- combining his own name with that of the Roman emperor, Tibereas Caesar-- some say to distinguish it from the other Caesarea. The city was then inhabited by Emperor worshipers, which characterized the Roman Empire in New Testament days and for awhile after that.
It was here in this small town or village, steeped in idolatry and Emperor worship far away from the confusion and the conflicts in Jerusalem, that Jesus came with His apostles as we read in Matthew chapter 16, verses 13 through 19.
For about three years Jesus had persistently revealed Himself to His apostles as the Messiah, the Son of God. His claims had been confirmed in His daily association with them, by the miracles and signs and wonders which God did by Him in their midst, as Peter said on Pentecost and as it is recorded by the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2, verse 22. As He approached the end of His earthly pilgrimage, Jesus found this quiet place, Caesarea Philippi, in the extreme northern part of the land, and far removed from the incessant attacks of His enemies and constant interruptions of the multitudes to be alone, and to speak with His disciples concerning the atoning phase of His ministry.
Knowing the time of His suffering and their testing was at hand, He took occasion to better prepare them for it by asking them two very penetrating questions, the first of which was, "Who do men say that I, the Son of man am?" Now Jesus chose the appellation "Son of man," by which He affirmed His humanity.
They were kind with their response to that question. They could have answered truthfully that some people were saying He was a "deceiver" as some did in John 7:12; or that He was demon possessed as others did in John 7:20; or that he was "insane" as some said in John 10 and 20. Some even said He was a glutton and a winebibber. But they were more considerate than that. They said, "Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets,"-- one of God's great prophets reincarnated. Well, as kind as they were in their reply, it wasn't satisfactory, so He pressed the second question: "But who do you say that I am?" Ah, that is still the critical question about Jesus!
Without the least bit of hesitation, Simon Peter, dear old impetuous Peter, quickly responded for himself and his friends. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." "The Christ" signified "the anointed One." "The Son of the living God," referred to His absolute deity, the promised Messiah, the world's Redeemer. What more could you say? What more could Jesus have anticipated? Yes, indeed, "the Son of man," was and is "the Son of God."
This unqualified confession of faith in Christ by Peter drew a blessing from our Lord. “Simon Bar-Jonah (son of Jonah), for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
Then Jesus made the glad announcement that has been echoed around the world many times since that day: "And I also say unto you that you are Peter (from the word meaning a stone), and on this rock (from the word meaning a bedrock, a solid rock) I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Such stubborn, dogged determination: "I will build my church." "Hades" is the "unseen and all-receiving" place beyond the grave to which Jesus went, and all others will go, at death. So, He is saying even death itself would not, indeed, could not, deter Him from His purpose to build His church! That's it, my friend! That is the message! Then Jesus built the church that bears his name, not Paul as we are sometimes told, not Peter, not any other man or group of them; it was Jesus who built His church!
Now that clears up a lot of things for us. First, it says that the church you read about in your Bible is of divine origin, not human. The word "church" has fallen on hard times in our day. For that reason some of the newer denominations even refuse to be called a "church." You notice they avoid it by being called a "tabernacle" or a "temple" or something else besides “church.” It's amazing how many people think the church is a human arrangement like the pta or the Rotary Club or ymca. And since some people enjoy such organizations and some don't, well to them the church too, is a "take it, or leave it" thing. If a person doesn't like "church," so what?
Well, a good many people who profess to be Christians feel that way about it, too. And that is the spirit of individualism that has come to permeate modern religious thought. For many years some people have taught that the church wasn't important, it is your personal relationship or experience or your encounter with Jesus that counts. There are lots and lots of people who say they believe in God and in Christ, who shun association of any kind, with any kind of an "organized religion." They want Christ but not His church. Some of this is due to a misunderstanding of what the church is, and what it is all about. And there is no doubt about it; some of it is due to disenchantment with the entirely unbiblical hierarchy, doctrines and practices of some religious groups. But this passage tells us that Jesus, and no one else built the church that you read about in your New Testament.
We also learn from the Scripture that the church isn't built upon Peter, as a reader might conclude from reading the King James Version, but upon the deity of Jesus which Peter had just confessed. Whether Christianity is a valid cause and worthy of personal and world-wide acceptance, is not determined by whether Peter was the first Pope in Rome. Who cares about that anyway? The case for Christianity rests solidly on whether Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. That is what's distinctive about the church! That is the strength of Christianity! That is why many thousands of people have died for it in the first century and thereafter and many thousands more would die for it now.
I know that is the proper understanding of that passage because later the Holy Spirit said in I Corinthians 3:11, "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Some seven hundred years before Christ was born in Bethlehem's stable, the prophet Isaiah wrote that God said of Him, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whosoever believes will not act hastily" (Isaiah 28:16). In I Peter chapter 2, verses 6 through 8 the apostle Peter quoted that prophecy that I just read to you from Isaiah and he applied it to Jesus Christ. He is the foundation stone, proven to be the Son of the living God by His resurrection from the grave (Romans 1:4). That is why I said awhile ago, that a professed believer in Jesus who rejects the church, misunderstands it and what it is all about.
What conceivable purpose could Jesus have had for building His church, that He would show such dogged determination as to say, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (or prevent it)." It isn't that "the gates of hell shall ever prevail against the church. He is actually saying, "I will build my church. You can kill me if you like, crucify me if you will, but I will build my church, even death won't prevent it." There must have been some powerful motivation behind it all.
Let me tell you what it was. It was "that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ" (Ephesians 1:10). Christianity was never intended to divide or separate people; no, no, no-- a thousand times no; but to bring us all together in one body or church in Jesus Christ, by way of Jesus Christ and the cross. Please read in your New Testament in Ephesians 2, verses 13 to 23.
And so, beginning with the birthday of the church, the circumstances of which are recorded for us in the book of Acts, the second chapter, "The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (or those that were being saved)" (Acts 2:47). And He is still doing that. Today, my friend, if you will put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; if you will repent of your sinful living, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission or forgiveness of your sins, as people were taught-- and as they did in New Testament days (Acts chapter 2, verse 38), Christ will save you and add you to His glorious church.
At first, His church consisted of Jews who believed in Christ, and then Gentiles, and as strong as the prejudice was between them, they were brought together to sit down and eat the Lord's Supper together, as redeemed souls, survive by a common Redeemer and a common Savior. Yes! That was His purpose: to bring all the redeemed, all His called people together. It was never in His plan or purpose to have them divided into 330,000 denominations. Well, it is obvious that when people are offended at the thought that Jesus built only one church for us all, that they are misunderstanding it. They have a denominational concept of the church. They think He's talking about building a denomination, but that isn’t so. The word church appears in the King James Version of the New Testament 114 times, but it is never, never used with reference to a denomination, and in fact, the word denomination is not a New Testament word. It doesn't appear in the Bible at all. I am finding that one of the biggest challenges the church of Jesus Christ has in our modern world, is to overcome that "denomination complex."
Another thing: When Jesus expressed such determination to build His church, do you suppose He intended to bring all the redeemed of all generations and tongues and nations and prejudices together, merely to sit and sing and pray and eat the Lord's Supper together? No, no, no, He gave us something to do-- something meaningful to do. He wanted us to go into all the world-- to the people of every nation-- in every generation-- and tell them all the good news, message about Jesus Christ that He would turn their lives around in this world, and give them a genuine hope of life in the world to come. And that is the business of the church. People who have become disillusioned with Christ's church, people, who think the church is a failure because it doesn't address itself to political, environmental or social problems and programs, misunderstand it. Let us pray. Thank you again, Father for the church and all that it means to us. Increase our love for it. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well, Jesus built His church. They crucified Him but they didn't prevent His keeping His promise. Do you know what? Jesus loved that church! Oh! How He loved that church!--and He still does! He loved (and still loves) the church just like a husband loves his wife. In Ephesians 5:25-27 the Holy Spirit says, "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with washing of water by the word (an obvious reference to baptism) that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or winkle or any such thing, but that he should be holy and without blemish."
Tell me, if you can: How can a person profess to "love Jesus" and not love His bride, His church that He loved so much that He died for? Would you tell me that? Well, obviously some people don't understand what the church is all about. And if they think they can be children of God, saved people and have no part of His church, it is obvious they misunderstand it again. Oh, I know there is a lot of "church bashing" today. But, I feel blessed, indeed, to be a part of the Lord's church. I hope you are, too.
The person who says, "I choose this church over that church because this one meets my needs better than that one.” Well, it just doesn’t, obviously he misses the point. We are members of Christ's church to fill His need, to fulfill the sacred purpose that He has for our lives. We are in it, not to be served, but to serve Him in an eternal mission. What a great blessing the church is. Yes, I know there are people in it, just like you and me and all the others, that don't come up to all God wants us to be. But, that is the human element. No, I'm not making apologies or excuses for hypocrisy in the church. But, it is the Divine side of Christianity that's beautiful and meaningful. No person can really call himself a Christian any further than he possesses the qualities and characteristics of the Christian pictured in the New Testament. And no church can rightfully lay claim to being the church that Jesus said "I will build," any further than it possesses the qualities and characteristics of that church that you find in the New Testament.
With all the failures and shortcomings of the human side of the New Testament Church, and despite all the fact that it was the sect that was everywhere spoken against (Acts 28 and 22) Christianity turned the first-century pagan world around by proclaiming the good news message of Jesus Christ to every creature under heaven (Colossians 1:23). We think it is the need of our present world, too.
In Search of the Lord's Way is a presentation of your friends in churches of Christ all across the country because we care about you and your spiritual needs. We are not here to exploit you financially or any other way. It isn't our purpose to be amusing or entertaining, but to do you good, and only good, in every way we can. We would like you to worship with us in a church of Christ near you and if you need our help in locating it, we will delight in being that help for you.
For a free printed copy or audio tape of today's program, you may write us In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Or by e-mail our address is searchtv@aol.com. Or, you may use our toll-free telephone number and call us. That number 1-800-321-8633. We will be thrilled to hear from you this week. Join us again next week, will you? God bless you now. We do love you.
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