Click the "Sermons" button for access to hundreds more messages and
PowerPoint Presentations!
Streaming Audio:
Use the controls, below, just like you would a VCR.
Double-click the "Play" arrow to begin. This page must
remain open to continue listening. To browse the internet while you
listen, open a new browser window by clicking on "File", then "New", then
"Window".
Please help
keep this ministry free by honoring our system:
Click here to recommend this sermon to others.
[A new window will open. Scroll to the bottom to enter your vote or
comments, then close.]
Help spread the Word by casting your
vote...it's a proven system that keeps this ministry free!
Here we find the first mention of the church
in the New Testament, coming from the Greek word ecclesia
[ecclesia], which means “a called out assembly.” The law of first mention
urges us to take very seriously this word church.
1. The church’s foundation.
v. 18 Many have mistakenly interpreted
this verse to be saying that Peter is the foundation of the church, the
first pope, etc. But we know the church cannot succeed on the fallible
foundation of a sinful man, who just a few verses later had thoughts
inspired by the devil, and Jesus said ‘get thee behind me, Satan!’ This is
the same Peter who cursed and swore and denied Christ publicly repeatedly.
Even after he was filled w/ the Spirit, later in his ministry, he made a
major doctrinal blunder in Gal. 2, and the Apostle Paul had to confront him
about it. Can the church be built on a man? You can try, and may even
appear successful in the eyes of some for a while, but it’s a shaky
foundation that WILL crumble.
a. The person of Jesus Christ.
Let’s compare scripture w/ scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ.
Acts 4:10-12 10 Be it known unto you all, and
to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth
this man stand here before you whole. 11
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders,
which is become the head of the corner. 12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
How did Peter interpret being called a stone? 1 Peter 2:4-6 4 To whom coming, as unto
a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and
precious, 5 Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in
the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:
and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
“On Christ the solid rock I stand...”
In the OT, the rock was always a symbol of
God, not man...
Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation,
and my high tower.
1 Samuel 2:2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee:
neither is there any rock like our God.
Psalms 18:31
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
Oh, the security, stability, and strength of
our Rock that will not roll!
In the original language there is a play on
words when Jesus said ‘thou art Peter = “petros” = a little rock, a chip off
the block. But then He continues and says, ‘upon this Rock’ [new word] =
Petra = a large rock, bedrock, a foundation stone.
Jesus said that to the Jews He was a
stumbling stone [Rom. 9:32]
To the Gentiles He was the crushing stone
[Dan. 2:34]
To Israel He will someday be the chosen stone
[Is. 28:16]
And to the church He’s the cornerstone!
b. The plan of Jesus Christ.
v. 18 “I will build MY church.”
Jesus was born into the family of a
carpenter. And a builder He became indeed. He’s involved in 2 building
projects: one in heaven [mansions] and one on earth [church].
1 Peter 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ.
Jesus is the Master Builder!
The church’s foundation...
2. The church’s future.
v. 18b ‘the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it.’
a. We have an enemy.
The church has an enemy dedicated
against it. In the days of Jesus rulers would gather at the gates of the
city to meet and plan and strategize. [Like Lot, who was a leader in the
gates of Sodom] Satan and his hordes meet and plan, and there’s a bulls eye
atop a church like this one...he’s got us in his sights! I’m thankful that
I Jn. 4:4 says
1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is
he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
The devil tries to hurt the church from
without and within. From without he uses persecution, and from within he
uses many tools:
Disgrace—a pastor or leader has a major moral
failure.
Dissention—a member becomes disgruntled and
the church unity is in danger.
Discouragement—we’re a fellowship, but we’re
weakened when members miss services. Satan wants to ruin our communion by
you not being in your place, and he wants to harm the faith of many by you
falling away.
Distraction—he wants to take our eye off the
real goal of keeping people out of hell and put it on social issues, etc.
But good news: the same verse that says we
have an enemy continues and says we have the victory!
b. We have the victory.
Sometimes local churches fail, but only when
they don’t build on the true foundation, and the true church will never be
defeated!
Ill.—after Jesus’ resurrection the church
moved out from behind closed doors and marched into the Roman Empire, led by
the Apostle Paul himself, and that mighty empire couldn’t stop the church.
In the days of the apostasy Martin Luther and the reformers stood up against
organized religion of that day, and even the powerful Catholic control
system couldn’t stop the true church. More recently, Russian communism set
as one of its goals to stamp out the name of Jesus Christ, but those walls
fell and behind it we found Christians by the thousands meeting underground
for years, now set free, and the church rolled on! Today’s worldwide terror
war is really a war on God’s people, the Jews, and those of us who believe
on a Jew named Jesus...in Christian America, specifically, the church. It’s
a battle from without, and yet beware America, you “quote” Christian
nation. For from within comes a battle cry of humanism, atheism, and
liberalism that denies our foundations and threatens our future as a
nation. But no matter what may happen, the church will roll on!
The church’s foundation, future...
3. The church’s function.
a. A door of opportunity.
v. 19 ‘the keys of the kingdom’
Notice it’s not the keys TO the kingdom.
There’s a lot of silly jokes about saint Peter standing at the gate of
heaven, holding the key, but it’s all just a misunderstanding of this
verse. In truth, God gave the church the keys to unlocking the gospel to
help people be born again into the kingdom of heaven. And in Acts that’s
exactly what happened...and it was Peter who opened the doors not only to
the Jews, but the Samaritans and all Gentiles. And every time you witness
to someone or invite them to church you are opening to them a door of
opportunity—and this is the function of the church.
b. A door of authority.
v. 19b This was a familiar phrase to the
Jews, for rabbis would often speak of ‘binding’ and ‘loosing.’ [Bind =
forbid, loose = permit]
This does NOT mean that people on earth will
dictate what God does in heaven, but actually the other way around. God is
ultimately in control of the church, and Christ is the head of it!
And the local church is given the authority
to carry out the work of heaven. Don’t ever let the world scare you, or
governments threaten you church...we ought to obey God rather than men, and
I don’t care if our tax exemption is lost, we ought to speak the truth no
matter the cost...we have been given the authority and the responsibility!
May God’s will be done at GBC, not man’s
will. May we reach out to all He leads us to, not just those we are drawn
to. May our message be unadulterated, written in heaven and not on earth,
and may they be as looooong as He wants rather than as short as we may wish!
For this reason when we have a business
meeting and cast our vote, we need to be in touch w/ heaven in prayer so we
may come together in unity, and when we find ourselves in disagreement may
we be quick to join together in concensus rather than to impose our own will
on the church! “Thy will be done today on earth as it is in heaven.”
Ill.—a man who raised ducks tried to teach
another to do the same / he had been taught to keep each breed in separate
pens or they’ll breed indiscriminately and turn out worthless / the man
agreed to keep them separate / he went behind his house which was by a
riverbank / built 4 pens / it came a major downpour and the river approached
the duck pens / it reached them and then raised them / it continued to rise
until they floated freely with each other. Let’s allow this story to
represent our prayer lives...
...when our prayer level is low we will be
divided into factions, but when our prayer level is up, we all swim
together!
If you’ve never been saved, consider walking
thru this door:
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
It’s a privilege to be living stones in a
church built on the foundation of Christ!
Help keep this service free by
recommending it using the voting links or...
