Christ’s Unconquerable Church

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Several days ago, I was out in my workshop, sanding down some cedar planks for a project I was doing, or that I am doing, will be doing for the foreseeable future. And while I was out there, I was working some of my frustrations off on this wood, and I was also praying, because I was kind of frustrated, kind of annoyed, kind of worried. All of that rolled into one.

I read a lot, and I listen to news, and I pick up on things. And every once in a while, that can just kind of beat you down. Anybody else experience that?

And I’ve known for years that there is a growing hostility in our culture toward the things that we as a church believe, toward our faith, toward the message of Jesus Christ, even toward the name of Jesus Christ. There’s a growing hostility. I’m seeing a growing hostility in our culture, though not just toward the things we believe, but toward our very existence. I’m hearing more and more rumblings of people that would be fine if the government just came in and shut down the churches, or used tax-exempt status as a weapon to try to shut us down.

Did any number of things, and I think, well, you’ve got to be careful there, because if they can do it to us, they can turn around and do it to you, too. The gun shoots both directions. But there’s this growing hostility toward even our ability to meet and our ability to preach what we believe, our ability to practice what we believe.

And it’s just frustrating. And then we see so many people who profess to be Christians, you know, depending on the poll you look at, we’re a nation where anywhere from 78 to 84% of the country claim to be Christians, are self-described Christians, and look at the state of things. I think we have a problem with complacency in Christianity.

And you see how there’s this emptying of the churches. And you see how there’s this generational shift in the churches. Where are our young people?

And no, I didn’t just come here this morning to complain. I was complaining to God about all these things. About all these things that look so hopeless and feel so hopeless and so frustrating.

And again, the growing hostility. And I think, are we going to be able to make any headway in our community? Are we going to be able to make any headway in this culture?

And I’m not talking about bending people to our will. I’m talking about winning people to Jesus. Is it still something that we can do?

And as I’m whining to God about all these things that I’m seeing in the news, and that’s what I’ve told you before. You know, some people say, I cried out to God. Mine goes past crying out to God a lot of times into whining at God.

And as I’m standing there whining at God and saying, what are we supposed to do? What is the future for churches like Central? What do we do now?

What God said to me was advance. And I want to be very clear what I mean by that. I’m not going to stand here and tell you that I hear the audible voice of God.

Can God do that? Can God speak to people in an audible way? He’s God.

I’m not going to tell him he can’t. I don’t believe that’s the way he normally operates nowadays. I’m not going to tell you like some of these preachers on TV that I got a new word from God, a new revelation.

Yet the Holy Spirit, God’s Word tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us. The Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth. Jesus said that His Spirit would teach us and would call to remembrance the things that He said.

So when I say God said this to me, I’m not telling you I got a new revelation from God. What I’m telling you is the Holy Spirit brought to mind things that are written in God’s Word. And that’s the problem with some of the preachers you’ll hear on TV, is that they’ll tell you I got a new Word from God, and it’s completely in contradiction to what God’s already revealed in His Word.

That’s when you know it’s not from the Holy Spirit. But when I’ve heard, felt, I don’t know how you want to describe it, that word, advance, immediately, the passage we’re going to look at this morning came to mind. It wasn’t anywhere on my radar screen up until that point that day.

The Holy Spirit brought it to my attention, what God’s Word says about us advancing, about us standing firm, about us moving forward and doing the things that He’s called us to, even when the world looks crazy, even when the circumstances look difficult. He has promised us that the church cannot be defeated in stepping out and doing what He’s called us to do. So if you would this morning, turn with me to Matthew chapter 16.

Matthew chapter 16. And when you get there, if you would stand with me, if you’re able to without too much difficulty, as we read together from God’s Word, Matthew chapter 16. We’re going to start in verse 13 this morning, and we’re going to read through verse 20.

And we’re going to be in the same passage tonight. I want to talk to you a little bit more about this passage this evening. But starting in verse 13, it says, 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. Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ, and you may be seated.

And so that’s what came to mind in my workshop the other day, not some new revelation from God, not some new doctrine, simply the Holy Spirit reminding me that we’re supposed to advance and the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. And so we need to understand what’s taking place in this passage. And I love this passage.

It’s one that I’ve pondered over for many years because I love the back and forth between Jesus and the disciples. They were together on the road and he asked them, he decided to make this a teachable moment, and he said, what have you heard about me? And you notice they all jump in with all these things they’ve heard, all the rumors that are floating around Jerusalem.

What do other people say? Well, you know, some people are saying, sounds just like a Baptist church, right? Nobody ever wants to say, well, I don’t like what you do.

Well, I’m hearing people are saying that they don’t like. That’s, none of y’all, you’ve never been in that kind of business meeting? They’re real quick to jump on, well, everybody’s saying you’re Elijah or you’re Jeremiah or they think you’re John the Baptist. They think you’re one of the prophets back from the dead.

I’ve been puzzled by the fact that people think that he was John the Baptist or thought he was John the Baptist when you saw the two together on multiple occasions. Like, I don’t know how that works. But so they all jump in with these opinions.

They’re real quick to tell what everybody else thinks. And then he says, but you, who do you say that I am? And we see only Peter answers.

And so I’ve imagined it kind of as they just stand there for a minute looking at each other, like y’all sometimes do when I ask a question, because I don’t know if you think I’m trying to trick you or what. I’ve imagined the disciples stand there and look back and forth at each other like, is this a trick question? Should I answer this?

Is it a trap? And finally, Peter, who’s usually the first one to run out and say something rash, you know, open mouth, insert foot. He’s the first one to jump out with his opinion.

Peter finally is the one who speaks up and says, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And hey, he finally got one. For once he opened his mouth and did not say the wrong thing.

He said, you’re the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter, this was something astonishing. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And we easily read over that because we know the end of the story. We know Jesus is revealed in Scripture to be the Son of God. We think of Christ as being part of His name.

We forget that it means Messiah. This is the first time somebody appears to have put two and two together in his earthly ministry. We’ve just spent several weeks going through the announcements of Jesus’ birth where different people knew he was going to be the Son of God, he was going to be the Messiah.

But during his earthly ministry, these three plus years of his adulthood, when he’s out there stirring things up and preaching the kingdom, this is the first time anybody’s ever put those things together and realized this is who he is. We can’t miss the importance of this. This is revolutionary.

And the church’s mission is centered around this revolutionary confession because he was the first person in his ministry to publicly acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son and Israel’s Messiah. Up to then, everybody thought he was just a good teacher. He was a wise man.

He was a prophet. He was a really good person. But Peter said, you are God’s Son and you are Israel’s Messiah.

You are the one we’ve been waiting for. You’re not just, and understand this too, a lot of people understood that God was going to send a Messiah. He’d promised to send a Savior for Israel.

A lot of people misunderstood that and thought it was going to be a human political or military leader who was going to kick the Romans out. Peter went a step beyond, you’re a human Messiah that God has promised. Say, you are the Son of God.

And as far as it’s recorded in scripture, nobody else said anything. Nobody else there, Oh, that’s right. Nobody else offered an opinion.

And so again, this is just my artist’s rendering in my mind of how it happened. I’ve imagined the other disciples just kind of looked around and went, what did he just say? Is that the right answer?

You know how we do. And finally, Jesus answers. And he doesn’t say, oh, you got it all wrong.

He doesn’t say, oh, you’ve made a little error here. He says, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because no man has revealed this to you. This is not merely man’s opinion that you’re parroting here.

He says, this was revealed to you by my Father in heaven. Jesus said to those who were assembled, not only is this true, but it’s a truth that has been revealed directly by God. I can’t think of a greater affirmation he could have gotten.

I can’t think of a better agreement he could have gotten than to say, not only are you right, but you’re right because God told you every bit of that. And so after this confession that Peter made, Jesus followed up by commissioning Peter and the other disciples and the church to go and serve him. And this morning and tonight, we’re going to talk about the two statements he gave to them, the two commands that he gave, command may not be the right word, commissionings that he gave them in this moment.

The things that he told them that they were going to need to remember as they went forth to serve him and tell others about him. This morning I want to look at the first of the two statements which we see in verse 18. 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.

It says there’s this rock that he’s going to build his church on. And we need to understand what the rock is. Because different ideas have been put forth.

The Catholic Church will say it’s Peter, Peter is the rock, and because of that it’s automatically assumed that everybody who succeeded Peter in office later on became the popes, and they are the rock on which the church is built. Some will say it’s the confession. Some will say it’s Peter, but that didn’t give him a special authority, and certainly not to anybody that came after him.

Some would say it’s the confession. Some would say it’s Christ himself. I would love to tell you that it’s Christ himself, that was his intended meaning here.

Because there are so many places in the Scripture that talk about him being the foundation and the cornerstone on which the church is built. In other places in the New Testament, he describes the disciples as living stones that are part of the building of the church. Any one of these could be correct.

I mean, it could be Peter. It could be the confession. It could be Jesus.

You have to kind of read into the text, though, to think it’s Jesus. If it’s Peter, that doesn’t create too much of a problem, except there’s nothing in here that indicates that Peter has a special authority over the church as a whole or that his successors do. I lean toward it being the confession.

Because here in the original Greek, we have a play on words here. He says, you are Peter, you are Petros, and on this rock, Petra, I will build my church. I think he’s tying Peter to his confession.

I think he’s saying that that confession is the bedrock of who we are and what we stand for and how we advance. But here’s the, as I as I struggled with this yet again this week, let me tell you that whether it’s the confession itself that’s the rock, whether it’s Peter, whether it’s Jesus that is the rock he’s referring to here, it’s still all about what Peter said. Because if Jesus is the rock, the confession is about who Jesus is.

If Peter is the rock, it’s because of what he just confessed. And of course, the confession is about Jesus himself. We can’t really separate these things.

So what is the rock? I think it’s the confession. But the most important thing here is the truth that is revealed in this whole thing about Jesus Christ, that He is God’s Son and He is Israel’s Messiah.

That truth about who Jesus Christ is, whether He is the rock, that truth is still non-negotiable. If the confession is the rock, then that truth is still non-negotiable. If Peter is the rock because of what he said about that truth, that truth is still non-negotiable.

The most important thing here is the truth that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and Israel’s Messiah. And as long as we are armed with that truth about Jesus Christ, then His church is invincible. As long as we stand for that, we cannot be defeated.

And he paints a picture of invincibility throughout verse 18, because he says, it’s my church. The church does not belong to me. I hear all the time, well, it’s up to you.

You get to decide. Listen, I work for him, okay? I’m not the ultimate authority.

Nor do I think that’s what people mean when they say that. I think I get what they mean. But we answer to him.

If you start thinking, oh, we answer to the guy that’s on stage, that’s where you get off into cult territory, right? We answer to him. This is his church.

It’s not run by the pastor. It’s not run by the deacons. It’s not run by a committee or a shadowy cabal of people.

It’s not run by the ones who give the most money. It’s his church. Now, ultimately, he puts people in positions to make decisions, but it’s his church, and we can’t ever forget that.

And we can’t be defeated because we are his church, as long as we remain his church. Now, many times churches will say that because of what the newest theological fad or trend is, or because of what culture says, then we need to maybe be his church a little less, and be our church, or you know what I’m saying, be something else’s church a little more. And have gone off into other ideas.

We’re going to downplay the idea that Jesus is the only way. We’re going to sugarcoat the cross. We’re going to not talk about the sin aspect of things.

We’re not going to emphasize the virgin birth, the resurrection, and you don’t really have to believe that. They start going off into other things that are not what He taught us, or not what He lived out for us. And those churches more often than not decline, and thank God for it.

We deserve to follow in those footsteps if we cease being His church. He said, it’s my church. And he said in verse 18, I will build.

You know, there are more conferences and there are more seminars and there are more curriculums being sold about how to grow a church than almost anything else. And I’ve been to some of these just out of curiosity. Sometimes you can learn some things about how to be more welcoming to visitors.

You can learn some things. You can learn some things. But you can also run yourself ragged trying to build a church when that’s not what He’s called you to do.

What has He called the church to do? We’re going to have to work on this because this is our number one thing we’re supposed to do. Make disciples.

We’re supposed to make disciples. We’re supposed to invest in people, helping them come to know Jesus Christ and helping them grow closer to Jesus Christ. We focus on that and the building of the church is whose responsibility. Not a trick question.

Jesus. He said, I will build my church. Be faithful to what He’s called us to do.

and trust Him to do what He said He’ll do. I have a good friend from a previous church who came to me, she and her husband came to me for counseling one time, and she was just overwhelmed with everything going on in her life. And I’m not usually this blunt, but we were close enough friends I could tell her, the reason you are tired, the reason you’re mad at everybody, the reason you’re frustrated is because all this stuff you’re trying to do, you’re trying to do God’s job and you’re not big enough.

And I think sometimes as churches and as church leaders, we try to do His job and we don’t understand why we’re working so hard and we’re so frustrated and we’re so busy but we’re not seeing any results is because we’re trying to do what he’s supposed to do. We’re trying to do his job, which we’re not equipped to do, and leaving our job undone. He says, I’ll build it.

So when I’m looking at all these trends and I’m looking at percentages and I’m looking at young people walking away from churches and I’m looking at the emptying of churches and the hostility and thinking, how are we ever supposed to grow in this environment? That is not my job. It’s not your job.

Our job is to make disciples and let him build his church. We can only handle this little bit of what he’s given us to do. We can try to do his job for him.

And because of this, in verse 18, after he says, I will build my church, he says, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Some of your translations may say hell. The reason for that is Hades was considered the abode of the dead.

That’s what that Greek word means. And so when he says the gates of hell, the gates of Hades will not prevail against it, He’s saying that death itself cannot overcome the church. Now, do churches die from time to time?

Yes, churches die, they close their doors. But if we continue to be faithful to what He’s called us to do, and we continue to advance in what He’s called us to do, we take care of our job and we trust Him to do His. While we are advancing in that mission, while we are holding fast to that confession and making it known to people that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and man’s Messiah, man’s Savior, If we’re doing that, as long as we are faithful to that, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.

Even when churches close, they’ll never disappear from the face of the earth until He brings all of this to a close. And what I remember from this passage coming to mind in my workshop, hearing advance and thinking about this, that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, that death itself cannot have victory over the church, is the realization that the gates of hell, the gates of Hades, that’s all Satan has, and it’s a defensive weapon. And yet, we are in a, as Christians, too many times, we are in a habitual defensive position, crouching posture, hiding back just hoping to weather whatever storm Satan wants to throw at us, and forgetting that we are supposed to be the ones on the advance.

We are the ones supposed to be advancing toward his kingdom, and him having to fight us off, not the other way around. Gates can’t strike back at us. Gates can’t come for us.

Gates can’t overrun us. Gates are there to hold us out and protect Him. We’re supposed to be the ones moving forward.

And if I sound a little militant, because I’m excited about what God’s Word says, all right? And the warfare metaphor doesn’t mean that we fight with anybody around us. Because God’s Word says that we battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.

Let me tell you, the most hostile person toward Christianity we run across, they are not the enemy. They’re the territory we’re fighting the enemy for. Satan is the enemy.

His kingdom is the enemy. Those people out there who are hostile and critical, even those who hate us, they are people that Jesus loved and gave himself for. And what we’re on is a rescue mission, not a jihad.

His church will never be stamped out. Can’t be defeated as we stick to this mission, advancing in this confession. That doesn’t mean, understand what I’m saying here, that doesn’t mean that everything goes our way all the time.

When I say the church can’t be defeated, that doesn’t mean everything’s going to go our way. We’re never going to have any problems. It’s talking about the ultimate defeat. What Satan would like to see and what some people in our country apparently would like to see.

For all the churches to be shut down, Christianity, the name of Christ to be stamped out, all the Christians hiding in a bunker, never to pose a problem again. That can’t happen. That can’t happen.

There’s no force in this universe that can stop Christ’s people from proclaiming His message and fulfilling His mission. Look at some of the closed countries around the world. There are countries, as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, like North Korea, where you can be executed for owning a page of Scripture, and yet the gospel advances.

I heard a story this week about a man meeting with leaders of an underground church or leaders from underground churches in a closed country and saying, how many people are part of your network of churches? How many people are affiliated with your church? And they said about 20 million.

That’s not all in one congregation. In a closed country where there are no Christians, just in this one group of churches, there’s 20 million believers. There is no force in this universe that can stop the gospel.

When we’re faithful to proclaim His message, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind, and we worry unnecessarily about so many things. I know I do. When it comes to church, I worry about finances.

I was on a Zoom call with Charla a few weeks ago when Christy came into my office and told me what it was going to cost for something that needed to be fixed here. And the blood drained out of my face. I was even paler than usual. And that’s a joke.

And Charla, Charla just cracked up laughing. She said, I don’t know what y’all are talking about. I’m just glad to not have to be the one to see that face when I tell you what something costs.

She said, I’m glad I’m not the only woman in your life who sees that face. I worry about finances. I about where is everybody?

I worry about the antagonism of the wider culture. I worry. I’m wired that way.

I worry about so many things. All of these things matter, but they’re not cause for alarm. They’re not cause for us to head down to the bunker because our mission cannot be stopped.

And God won’t close us down until He’s done using us. So instead of worrying about the church, instead of worrying about where we’re headed as a culture, instead of worrying about all these things, we need to focus on fulfilling the mission of the church to make disciples and let him handle the outcome of building the church. And by the way, this is not specific to Central. I could preach this in any Bible-believing church in America this morning, because it’s true for all of them.

We’ve got to focus on the mission he’s given us and let him handle the outcome. We are here to carry on that confession that Peter made. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

We are here to continue worshiping Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. We are here to continue helping other people come to know Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. And we are here to help people continue to grow closer to and more like Him as Christ, the Son of the living God.

So if you find yourself worrying like I do, just remind yourself of what He said, that the gates of Hades, the gates of hell, will not prevail against it. And to those of you this morning who’ve never trusted Christ, Well, to everybody in this room, actually, I’d ask you, who do you say that Jesus is? And if your answer is, He’s the Christ, the Son of the living God, then it’s pretty clear from His Word what we’re supposed to do.

We’re supposed to advance. And if you don’t know Him as the Christ, if you don’t know Him as your Savior, if you don’t know Him as God’s Son, if you’ve never experienced the transforming power that He has in your life because He’s forgiven your sins, if you’ve never come to that place where you’ve realized you’ve sinned against God and you’re separated from Him because of your sin, because of all the ways that we’ve all disobeyed Him, we’d love to help you know Him in that way today. To understand that we’ve sinned against God and need a Savior.

To realize that none of us can be good enough for God on our own, no matter how much good stuff we try to do. And to understand that Jesus Christ came to earth on a mission of His own as God’s Son and mankind’s Savior to go to the cross where He was nailed there and shed His blood and died to bear every bit of the punishment that you and I deserve, to pay all of the penalty that we owed to a holy God. He died there for us so that we could be forgiven.

And then He rose again three days later to prove it, to demonstrate His victory over death and hell and the grave.