IN GOD’S PLAN
- Today we being a brand new series – Church As God Intended.
- In this series we are going to look to God’s Word to discover what His intentions were for His church, rather than what man’s intentions might be.
- In other words, we want to dig deep into the Bible and define who we are and what we do as a church from God’s direct revelation, rather than from church tradition, opinions, or well-intentioned, but misinformed people.
- Today we want to begin by examining God’s plan for building a church that would be invincible, because as it’s foundation it has Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
- There is a prophecy in the book of Daniel that I would like to start with that takes the form of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
- In Daniel 2, we have the record of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the gigantic image, depicting the four world empires that would dominate Israel down through the centuries (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome).
- Daniel was called on to interpret the King’s dream.
- When he came to the fourth, final kingdom, Daniel spoke these startling words:
- But as you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain by supernatural means. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue collapsed into a heap of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The pieces were crushed as small as chaff on a threshing floor, and the wind blew them all away without a trace. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. – Daniel 2:34-35
- This Rock that crushed all world empires is none other than Jesus Christ!
- And it is upon this Rock, Jesus Christ, that God’s plan for an invincible church finds its foundation.
- Today we build our church upon the foundation of Jesus Christ – because He is the only foundation that can withstand whatever the world throws at us.
- If we rely on philosophy, political systems, or tradition, we will surely fail – but if we rely on Jesus Christ, the “rock that knocked the statue down” and “became a great mountain” then we will succeed.
- When we come to the New Testament we find an interesting encounter with Jesus and His disciples that I think will make all of this much clearer.
- When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" "Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven." – Matthew 16:13-19
[- A London newspaper offered a prize for the best essay on the subject: "What is wrong with the church?"
- A minister from Wales won the prize.
- He gave this answer: "What is wrong with the church is our failure to realize and wonder at the beauty, the mystery, the glory, and the greatness of the church."]
- The church is God’s one redemptive institution placed on this earth.
- It was to the church that Jesus gave the Great Commission.
- It is through the church that Jesus brings the message of salvation to the world.
- It is for the church that Jesus one day will return.
- And it is Christ’s church that we are committed to.
- Never forget that the church with all its faults will stand until Jesus comes again.
- Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.
- The church is invincible.
- What makes Christ’s church invincible?
- How has the church been able to stand for almost 2,000 years?
- Why has Satan with all his schemes failed to defeat the church?
- Why have humans been unable to destroy the church?
- What makes the church invincible?
1. GOD’S PLAN FOR HIS CHURCH INVOLVES A TRANSFORMED MEMBERSHIP
- Every member of the church is to be a transformed individual.
- He or she is to be a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
- Jesus explained this to His disciples as He was with them at Caesarea Philippi.
- Our Lord knew that His days in the flesh were numbered, and He knew that some would not understand Him.
- Was there anyone who recognized Him and who would carry on His work after He ascended into heaven?
- That was the crucial problem – it involved the very survival of the Christian faith.
- In a dramatic scene Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
- Notice where Jesus chose to ask this question.
- The area was scattered with temples of the ancient Syrian Baal worship.
- By Caesarea Philippi there arose a great hill.
- In it was a deep cavern said to be the birthplace of Pan, the Greek god of nature.
- In Caesarea Philippi there was a tremendous temple of white marble built to the Roman godhead of Caesar.
- Jesus stood at the center of Syrian, Greek, and Roman worship.
- There, of all places Jesus asked two questions: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" and "Who do you say I am?"
- Peter clearly stated the deepest conviction of his soul, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."
- What a statement!
- Messiah means "the anointed one" and refers to the work Jesus came to do as messianic deliverer.
- "Son of the living God" has reference to the deity of Jesus – He is God incarnate.
- Simon Peter said two glorious things about Jesus:
1) As to His work, he said Jesus is the anointed Messiah;
2) As to His person, Peter said that Jesus is God come in the flesh.
- Even so today, that church is invincible where members have confessed their belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah who is God.
- This is the essential work of the church.
- We preach the gospel because; It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes. – Romans 1:16
- The single most important prerequisite for being a member of the New Testament church is the new birth.
- The invincible church has a regenerated church membership through faith in Jesus Christ.
- And when we say we are committed to Christ and His church our commitment is made to the One we know to be God in the flesh – the One who can save our souls.
[- Rembrandt could take a piece of canvas, dab his paints on it, and create a beautiful painting – we call that art.
- Shakespeare could write a sonnet or play on a sheet of paper – we call that genius.
- John D. Rockefeller could sign his name at the bottom of a check, and it was worth millions of dollars – we call that capital.
- A skilled workman can take a piece of metal, shape it, twist it, mold it, and it becomes a thing of usefulness and beauty – we call that craftsmanship.]
- But only God in heaven can take a sinner and make him a saint.
- We call that salvation.
- The church is invincible because it is made up of people who have been transformed by the power of Almighty God.
2. GOD’S PLAN FOR HIS CHURCH INVOLVES A DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP TO CHRIST.
- After Peter made his great confession regarding his faith in Jesus, our Lord said: “Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
- This is a beautiful promise that Jesus gave to His church.
- The thrust of the statement is that the church is invincible because of its dynamic relationship to Jesus Christ.
- There are three ways we see this truth in this passage.
The church is built on Christ.
- Jesus said, "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."
- Here we have a play on words – Jesus said, "You are Peter [petros, a small stone], and upon this rock [petra, a gigantic boulder, or foundation stone] I will build My church."
- The rock on which the church is built is the person of Christ Himself.
- The church is built on its Founder, the divine Son of God, not on Peter.
- Peter himself told us (1 Pet. 2:4-6) that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of the church.
- The Bible says that no other foundation for the church can be laid except Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).
- The hymn writer was correct when he wrote, "The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord."
- You and I are placed in the church as living stones so that we can do spiritual services that are acceptable unto God (1 Pet. 2:5).
Second, the church is built by Christ.
- Our Lord said, "upon this rock I will build my church."
- Not only is the church built on Christ, but the church is built by Christ.
- 2,000 years ago, Jesus walked the shores of Galilee, the towns and the cities of Israel, calling forth fisherman like Peter, James, John and Andrew.
- He saved a tax collector named Matthew.
- He found a zealot named Simon.
- He discovered a woman at the well and gave her the water of life.
- Jesus was building His church.
- Dramatically, one day He turned to His disciples and said: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last…” – John 15:16a
- It is in the providence of God that you are living in this century and that you are a member of this church.
- This is not by luck, chance, or accident.
- The same Christ who chose Peter, Andrew, James, and John chose you, saved you, and placed you in His church that you might serve Him.
Third, the church is successful only through Jesus’ power.
- After Jesus told His disciples He would build a church, He made this great promise: “All the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
- Now there are two ways of looking at that statement, and only one of them is right.
- First, the wrong way: Some understand this as meaning that the church should be shut up like a fortress with the forces of hell attacking the church.
- But just the opposite is true: It is the church attacking the gates of hell that Jesus is talking about.
- As the church carries out its evangelistic ministry by sharing the gospel, we batter down the gates of hell and death.
- As the church preaches the gospel, we snatch the lost from a burning hell that they would receive if they rejected Christ as Savior.
- The Lord here is commanding us to be an attacking army sent from heaven.
- The theme song of the church is not, "Hold the Fort", but rather "Onward Christian Soldiers."
- Where do we find ourselves today at (NAME OF CHURCH) – are we in retreat against the enemy, or are we invading his territory?
- The invincible church is always on the attack.
- In striking metaphors the New Testament describes the main task of the church.
- Jesus compared the Christian to light, salt, water, bread, and fire.
- Now what can light, salt, water, bread, and fire all have in common?
- Penetration is the one common denominator.
- Light penetrates darkness and it disappears.
- Salt penetrates meat, and it is preserved.
- Water penetrates the ground and a harvest springs forth.
- Bread penetrates the body and gives strength.
- And fire is dependent on penetration for its very survival.
- The church of Jesus Christ is God’s penetrating force in our society.
- As Christians move in society, they are to preach the gospel.
- We are to bring the world to the foot of the cross that men and women might know Christ as Lord and Savior.
- But there’s something we have to always remember – It takes faith to make a church great.
- Faith is the confidence, the assurance, the belief in God and His power.
- We can become what God wants us to be.
- We can do what God would have us to do.
- When we set out to do what God would have us to do, there will be people at every crossroad on the highway of success who will say, "It cannot be done."
- They do not have the faith; they do not have the vision.
- We must not allow them to rob us of our faith and our vision to attack the gates of hell.
- Jesus said: "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." – Matthew 17:20b
- Now I know that our faith is demonstrated by deeds but Jesus didn’t tell us here to prove our faith by moving the mountain ourselves.
- Jesus didn’t tell us to pick up a shovel – He said "believe it and it will happen."
- True faith in God has nothing to do with our abilities, our talents, or our financial condition – true faith in God is believing that God has the ability to come through for us.
- Great things are possible if we dream great dreams for God.
CONCLUSION:
- Why are we committed to Christ and His Church?
- Because Christ’s Church is the only invincible institution in this world.
- Because it is through Christ and His church that we experience salvation.
- Because it is through Christ and His church that we are empowered by God.
- Why are we committed to Christ and His Church?
- Because we are the people of God.
