Confessing Christ before others
Matthew 16:18
And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I. WHAT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS.
II. AS TO THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.
1. Negatively. Not Peter.
(1) He was but a man.
(2) Peter was a frail mortal man.
(3) Peter was a sinful man.
(4) Peter determines the point himself, and expounds the prophecy in Isaiah of Christ (1 Peter 2:4).
(5) Peter, as mere Peter, could never victoriously grapple with the assaults of Satan.Some assert that Peter was the foundation in a secondary sense.
(1) This secondary foundation is an absurd distinction, and contrary to the very nature of a foundation.
(2) It would have to be extended to all the apostles.
2. Positively — that Christ is the only true foundation of the Church.
(1) God the Father selected no other.
(2) Christ asserts no other.
(3) The Holy Spirit fits no other.
(4) Only Christ can withstand the gates of hell.
III. THE DURATION OF THE CHURCH, IN SOME STATE OF VISIBILITY THROUGHOUT ALL AGES.
1. The Church's opposites" the gates of hell."
2. Their great undertakings.
IV. COMFORT FOR ALL TRUE MEMBERS. OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
1. Let holy souls be comforted in this — that no weapon formed against Mount Zion shall finally prosper.
2. The Church, after all assaults and conflicts, shall be completely victorious, she shall joyfully survive her enemies, and behold their funerals
(S. Lee, M. A.)
The Church today is under great difficulty. We would say many have given up on it . They do not believe in it. It is a Sunday obligation only if that. It is a place to be, but not a place to be in Christ , His body. As we look at this we note that Jesus had the occasion to be alone with His disciples, and He asks them, " Who do men say that I am?"
One of the prophets they seemed to be saying, " Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Elijah....."v. 14 He was a good man. He is a man even sent from God, and we appreciate His moral lessons, especially in the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus does not think this is enough, for He says in a minute, " Who do you say that I am?" This is the answer about being a man that the world is giving today. Many may say something different but if that is the case they sure ignore His Laws , His Word and His Holy Day which is today. That is what it looks like.
If He is but a Man of some kind, a great man, even, then I can dip into the Church now and then , and then just go back to my own life style. I want to check in, for ? Then just go back to my own goals, not His. It sounds like we are living in this kind of culture. Even the churches today are infected by this virus of humanistic only Jesus. It is a Jesus they make up. It is not the Jesus of the Bible that we have here. It is a fake Jesus, just like fake news I guess. A Church without a foundation is probably not even a Church actually, is it?
B. Jesus asks us to look at what we believe about who He is. This is the basis of our Church life. It is not our baptism, although very important, or our history, or our feelings about ourselves or others...although feelings are important. It is our own individual confession about Him.
Who do you say that I am? I imagine all of us have to ask that question of ourselves at some point in our lives. This question came home to me when I was in college in NY in 1971. The Bible , was it God speaking or was it just a book of human words?
We can thank God for those in our lives who believed in Jesus as the eternal Son of God, " the Christ, the Son of the living God", who showed, manifested His power in our lives. The written Word was there but we needed someone to show us, to explain it to us, and mostly of all to live that love, that love which never gives up.
" Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." v. 16 That is where the Church is born. It is not born in ceremony and prayer book ism, or in scaring people . It is born in our hearts when we too confess who He is . He is human, but divine. He has come to save us from our sin. No human can do that. If we only have a human Jesus, we have no Saviour.
C. But we have a divine confession by the Holy Spirit. Peter confesses ,"Matthew/16-17,and Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys ...
Of course a confession and a Church cannot be built upon a sinful Peter. If you say that only you and I miss the whole point of the passage . Peter is a man. He made mistakes and if you read the NT you will see any human is not the foundation of the Church. It is Christ . He is the rock ( refered to as that in Scripture...." and that rock was Christ" ) I Corinthians 10:4
Any way it says that MY Father has revealed it unto you.
Upon this Rock, I will build MY Church. Not upon Peter himself but Peter was the instrument through God in which the Gospel , the good news was preached unto sinful men and women that they may believe Jesus Christ was risen from dead, and in Him there is forgiveness of our sins.
I like what was at the beginning , "COMFORT FOR ALL TRUE MEMBERS. OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
1. Let holy souls be comforted in this — that no weapon formed against Mount Zion shall finally prosper.
2. The Church, after all assaults and conflicts, shall be completely victorious, she shall joyfully survive her enemies, and behold their funerals"
Conclusion: We have confidence in God for He builds His Church through true professions of faith, not human foundations. He is the foundation, that is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, not any man. The Church is here to proclaim that this message alone will save, the message of faith in Christ as Divine , the Son of the living God.
HOW great a salvation we have. Freely we received, and now let us freely give of His love and grace to all we meet , for we received it that way.
Amen.
And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I. WHAT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS.
II. AS TO THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.
1. Negatively. Not Peter.
(1) He was but a man.
(2) Peter was a frail mortal man.
(3) Peter was a sinful man.
(4) Peter determines the point himself, and expounds the prophecy in Isaiah of Christ (1 Peter 2:4).
(5) Peter, as mere Peter, could never victoriously grapple with the assaults of Satan.Some assert that Peter was the foundation in a secondary sense.
(1) This secondary foundation is an absurd distinction, and contrary to the very nature of a foundation.
(2) It would have to be extended to all the apostles.
2. Positively — that Christ is the only true foundation of the Church.
(1) God the Father selected no other.
(2) Christ asserts no other.
(3) The Holy Spirit fits no other.
(4) Only Christ can withstand the gates of hell.
III. THE DURATION OF THE CHURCH, IN SOME STATE OF VISIBILITY THROUGHOUT ALL AGES.
1. The Church's opposites" the gates of hell."
2. Their great undertakings.
IV. COMFORT FOR ALL TRUE MEMBERS. OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
1. Let holy souls be comforted in this — that no weapon formed against Mount Zion shall finally prosper.
2. The Church, after all assaults and conflicts, shall be completely victorious, she shall joyfully survive her enemies, and behold their funerals
(S. Lee, M. A.)
The Church today is under great difficulty. We would say many have given up on it . They do not believe in it. It is a Sunday obligation only if that. It is a place to be, but not a place to be in Christ , His body. As we look at this we note that Jesus had the occasion to be alone with His disciples, and He asks them, " Who do men say that I am?"
One of the prophets they seemed to be saying, " Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Elijah....."v. 14 He was a good man. He is a man even sent from God, and we appreciate His moral lessons, especially in the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus does not think this is enough, for He says in a minute, " Who do you say that I am?" This is the answer about being a man that the world is giving today. Many may say something different but if that is the case they sure ignore His Laws , His Word and His Holy Day which is today. That is what it looks like.
If He is but a Man of some kind, a great man, even, then I can dip into the Church now and then , and then just go back to my own life style. I want to check in, for ? Then just go back to my own goals, not His. It sounds like we are living in this kind of culture. Even the churches today are infected by this virus of humanistic only Jesus. It is a Jesus they make up. It is not the Jesus of the Bible that we have here. It is a fake Jesus, just like fake news I guess. A Church without a foundation is probably not even a Church actually, is it?
B. Jesus asks us to look at what we believe about who He is. This is the basis of our Church life. It is not our baptism, although very important, or our history, or our feelings about ourselves or others...although feelings are important. It is our own individual confession about Him.
Who do you say that I am? I imagine all of us have to ask that question of ourselves at some point in our lives. This question came home to me when I was in college in NY in 1971. The Bible , was it God speaking or was it just a book of human words?
We can thank God for those in our lives who believed in Jesus as the eternal Son of God, " the Christ, the Son of the living God", who showed, manifested His power in our lives. The written Word was there but we needed someone to show us, to explain it to us, and mostly of all to live that love, that love which never gives up.
" Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." v. 16 That is where the Church is born. It is not born in ceremony and prayer book ism, or in scaring people . It is born in our hearts when we too confess who He is . He is human, but divine. He has come to save us from our sin. No human can do that. If we only have a human Jesus, we have no Saviour.
C. But we have a divine confession by the Holy Spirit. Peter confesses ,"Matthew/16-17,and Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys ...
Of course a confession and a Church cannot be built upon a sinful Peter. If you say that only you and I miss the whole point of the passage . Peter is a man. He made mistakes and if you read the NT you will see any human is not the foundation of the Church. It is Christ . He is the rock ( refered to as that in Scripture...." and that rock was Christ" ) I Corinthians 10:4
Any way it says that MY Father has revealed it unto you.
Upon this Rock, I will build MY Church. Not upon Peter himself but Peter was the instrument through God in which the Gospel , the good news was preached unto sinful men and women that they may believe Jesus Christ was risen from dead, and in Him there is forgiveness of our sins.
I like what was at the beginning , "COMFORT FOR ALL TRUE MEMBERS. OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
1. Let holy souls be comforted in this — that no weapon formed against Mount Zion shall finally prosper.
2. The Church, after all assaults and conflicts, shall be completely victorious, she shall joyfully survive her enemies, and behold their funerals"
Conclusion: We have confidence in God for He builds His Church through true professions of faith, not human foundations. He is the foundation, that is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, not any man. The Church is here to proclaim that this message alone will save, the message of faith in Christ as Divine , the Son of the living God.
HOW great a salvation we have. Freely we received, and now let us freely give of His love and grace to all we meet , for we received it that way.
Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment