Matthew 16:18…..Working

Matthew 16:18…..Working

16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, (4074-Grk.-Petros-Small stone, tiny pebble.) I (Christ) will build my (Christ) church (1577-Grk-Ekklesia-Assembly, Gather-together. To call out from the world to God. Does not mean that Jesus is going to build His Church on Peter. But on Peter’s confession that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.-{V.16} cf. Matt. 21:42, Eph. 2:19-21 ) and the gates of Hades (86-Grk.-Abode of the dead. All the power and forces of hell) will not overcome it. (Displays the defensive nature of the Church against Satan’s attack in trying to destroy it. Or the offensive nature of the Church in tearing down strongholds and rescuing people from the power of sin, Satan, and darkness.)

Extended Sermons Notes

“Teaches how the church is not a building, business, or organization, but a community of fellow believers.” ⇒ The church is not a building. (Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.) The church is not a business. (Christ didn’t die on the cross so He could redeem employees for Himself. Or generate profits for shareholders.) The church is not a political platform. (The church’s job is to share the Gospel, not to change the government.) The church is not a organization. (The Lord isn’t looking for a CEO to run His business, but to shepherd His flock.) If the church was a organization It would have a human head with some haughty title like Grand Poohbah. If the church was an organization it would be made up of man-made rules, regulations, by-laws, and creeds. If it was an organization, you could change charters, or leave at any time it was convenient. If it was an organization members would struggle with one another for leadership and preeminence. The dangers of treating a church like an organization is that members are expendable. The crowd of church goers would be seen more as a financial contributors than.

“Teaches how it is Jesus who gives us hope, purpose, and new identity.” ⇒ Jesus helps us to live beyond how we see ourselves. We’re no longer who we were in the past, were no longer that lazy, no good failure who can’t do anything right. The world will tell you who you are based on how they want you to fit. This is the world nurturing you into their mold. Your sinful nature will define you by your sin and your identity will be based on a particular sin. This is where you hear people say, “I was born this way.” God wants you to discover your identity in Him, not in the world and not in your sin. This is where you become a new creation. You are given a new heart and a new nature. Old things are passed away and all things become new. You are born again. Now your identity is in Christ and all that He is. This is where eternal life and abundant life is truly experienced. This is where you truly discover who you are and who you were meant to be.

“Teaches how no threat, attack, or opposition will prevail against the church.” ⇒ No matter what kind political opposition or spiritual attacks the church faces, it will ultimately stand strong and go forward. This does not mean that the church cannot be weakened by division or when truth is compromised. There’s going to be issues to deal with. There’s going to battles, challenges, and struggles. But through all of it Christ will see that His Church stands and moves forward.

“Even today, don’t to get discouraged when Church’s shutdown and close. Don’t get discourage when people stop coming to church or fall away from Church. Don’t get discouraged when Church scandals breakout and priests are defrocked. Don’t get discouraged when you read in the news of Christians being persecuted and beheaded. Because Jesus is still building His Church and it will be victorious and never fail.” ⇒  In recent times Church attendance as been low and dwindling slowly over the years. In fact when the Covid virus hit in 2020 it almost wiped it out church attendance. Many people didn’t think the church would survive. Recent research had found that around half U.S. Adults who had attended church before COVID-19 are unlikely to return even if public health officials deem it safe. Even the Catholic church experienced a decline in attendance after the clergy sex abuse scandals hit in the 80’s. In some areas, weekly church attendance dropped to 17% of Catholics, down from an estimated 34%. A study found that the sexual abuse scandal had a statistically significant effect on church exit’s among Catholics. Other factors that may have contributed to the decline in Catholic Church attendance include the decline in the number of priests, which has been ongoing since 1970. Charitable giving also declined, especially donations to Catholic charities. Among those who left Catholicism for an evangelical church, 78% said “their spiritual needs” were “not being met.” Many people grew disenchanted with the Catholic Church because of the clergy sex abuse crisis. Church attendance over all has been declining for a variety of reasons, including. A growing movement towards secularism has led people to opt out of traditional religious practice. The rise of social media and digital communication has led people to go online for church. Why dress up and get the kids ready when I can just sit on the couch with my popcorn and watch church.  High-profile scandals and the politicization of religious institutions have driven people away from church. It’s all about money and getting rich. People are busier and have less time to attend church.  Don’t give up on the church or let the failure of the Church get you down. Know it is still part of the body of Christ, no matter how bad your experiences are.

More Notes & Applications 

Teaches no matter how bleak things look or how dark it becomes, God’s program is moving ahead. No matter how it appears on the surface or what looks as being broken, beaten, and defeated is not the reality at all. Jesus will always have the last word, not our situation or circumstances.

Teaches how the Church doesn’t belong to a denomination, pastor, board of directors, or a group of elders, but to Jesus Christ. The church is Jesus’. The church is not the Catholic Church. It’s not the Protestant Church. It’s not the Southern Baptist’s Church. It’s not the United Methodist Church. It’s not the Lutheran Church. It’s not the Reformed Church. It’s not the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church. It’s not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It’s not any of the 45,000 denomination worldwide. The Church is Jesus’ idea and Jesus’ creation. The church is Jesus’ very own, it belongs to Him. The Church was purchased by Jesus’ own blood. Therefore it must be His prize possessions, He bought it with His own life!

Encourages how the Lord is going to do His work and it isn’t up to us, we just need to get into a place where He can do it where we are.

Teaches how God can take weak vessels and use them as strong witnesses.

Teaches no matter how much out faith is tested and tried, it will always stand.

Teaches no wrong or sin can get the upper hand for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Teaches where we meet and gather as a church is not as important as why we meet. It’s who we’re serving and worshipping that is.

This is the first documented time that Jesus uses church in His public ministry. The term Jesus uses for Peter as the “rock I will build my church”. Has caused much controversy and division among Protestants and Catholics, even among believers of the same denominations, who belong to the same church. The Roman Catholic church believes it is Peter himself based on the Greek masculine form of “Petros” meaning “Small stone”. But most other denominations believe it is Christ Himself based on the Greek feminine form of “Petra” meaning bedrock. Think about it, what makes more sense? That Jesus is founding His Church on Peter, and entrusting it’s existent to a person with human failures and shortcomings. Or is Jesus building His Church on Himself and all He has done? On His death and His resurrection. Therefore the most likely interpretation and explanation is that Jesus is referring only to Peter’s confession, which better sense.  When there’s debate over how to understand a verse of scriptures, it’s helpful look at other verses where the same word is used in the bible as well as context. Now there is good evidence throughout the bible where Christ is seen as the Rock. As an example Ephesians 2:20 “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”  Or 1-Corinthians 10:3-4 “ They all ate the same spiritual food  and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” But when using the interpretation principal of Context, there’s even better evidence in the preceding Verses 16 that the rock on which Jesus will built is Peter’s faith confession; “You are the Christ, Son of the living God.”-(17:16)  

The term “Church” comes from the Greek word “Ekklesia” which has multiple meanings, including a political assembly. In ancient Greece, the Ekklesia was a gathering of citizens to conduct public business and consider matters proposed by the council. The word comes from the prefix ek or ex, which means “out of” or “from”, and the root word kaleo, which means “to call”. In the New Testament, ekklesia is the term for the Christian church. The word is often understood to refer to a group of people called by God, and is intended to seek the common good so that people may be saved through Jesus Christ.

The term “The gates of Hades shall not overpower it”. Again, there is dispute over what these gates are. I believe that the most simple and straightforward explanation is that the gates of Hades refer to death and dying. In the New Testament, Hades most often refers to the grave. The gates of Hades are what leads to the grave, which is death and dying. In the Old Testament, “the gates of Hades” is often used to refer to death (Job 17:16; 38:17; Ps. 9:13; 107:18, Isa. 38:10). In Revelation 1:18 this is clearly seen when Jesus said, “I have the keys of death and Hades.” I believe that Jesus is simply saying that the church will never die. It will continue on. It will always be there. Why? Because Jesus is building the church. This speaks to the power of the church. It will be triumphant.

MARKS A CHURCH THAT CHRIST BUILDS