November 5, 2017
Morning Worship
Text: Matthew 16: 13-19
Subject: The Foundation Series Part 4
Title: I Will Build My Church – The Work of the Holy Spirit
We’ve been talking for a few weeks now about how important it is to know what you believe and how to articulate those beliefs with conviction and authority. It is also so very important for us to go beyond knowledge and begin to experience God’s word in a very personal way. You see, it is your experience with God that will make the difference in your life.
This morning we want to carry on with what we believe and we will do so by seeing what God has called us to be and how He has given us everything that we need to do so.
We are called to be His church, His Body, His Bride… How much more intimate can you get? Doesn’t that really explain how the Lord wants us to have a real experience with Him throughout this life?
So today let’s begin with communion, because through communion we confess our faith in the finished work of the cross.
1 Corinthians 11:28 (NKJV)
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
First let’s consider the bread… John 6:32-33 (NKJV)
32 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (NKJV)
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
This is not just about going through some church ritual by which we remember what Jesus has done for us. It is a time to truly experience the love of God as seen through His giving of His only begotten Son as the payment for your sin. Let’s just begin to thanks Him for that sacrifice…
Secondly, let’s consider the cup. Hebrews 9:12 (NKJV)
12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Matthew 26:27-28 (NKJV)
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
1 Corinthians 11:26 (NKJV)
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
Somebody say Hallelujah!
We have just celebrated one of the God ordained ordinances of the church… it’s part of what the church does. But in reality this is just a very small pat of church life…
Matthew 16:13-19 (NIV2011)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
I will focus on verse 18 but we have to build up to it…
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
Here is an area that creates a problem for many in the church. They focus on what their denomination says about Jesus or what the world says…
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
And if we listen to people we can come up with all kinds of answers. … “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets…
If we listen to what people say we can get a very inaccurate and inconclusive picture of Jesus.
It’s not surprising in our secular age that, while 83 percent of Americans describe themselves as “Christian,” many of them don’t accept their faith’s central tenet: Jesus’ divinity. Only 46 percent of Americans saying Jesus was sinless.
Oh can you see the problem? We cannot listen to what people say about Jesus. And the truth is many “so-called” Christian denominations miss the boat about Jesus. So our only hope to understand who Jesus is would be first; to see what the bible says about Him, and second; to have a testimony of what Jesus has done in your life – your experience with Him.
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Did Peter get it right? How do we know? Because of the Word of God and the word of our testimony – our experience with HIM. I don’t know about you all but when I experienced the risen Lord my life was changed and I knew it was real.
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
Here we begin to receive an insight to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the church. Revelation of who Jesus really is.
Did Peter make up some new doctrine? Was this just some pie in the sky I hope so kind of thing? NO! it was a revelation given by the Spirit but it lined up exactly with what the scriptures said about the Messiah.
Now this is what I wanted to get to today.
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
1. Peter Petros (pet'-ros) - a (piece of) rock is small/moveable rock. He is not the rock that the church is built upon. That rock petra (pet'-ra) a (mass of) rock is referring to the revelation given to Peter and his confession of it. Your confession of who Jesus is makes a difference. If you confess the same things that the world or what liberal churches confess about Jesus what kind of church are you going to get? We are looking at the church that Paul warned Timothy about in 2 Timothy 3:5 (NKJV) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! Oh, but if your confession of Jesus is of the One who was and is the eternal Son of God, born of a virgin, living a sinless life, preaching, healing, casting out demons, hung on a cross, laid in a tomb, raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, baptizing in the Holy Spirit, still healing, still providing, still blessing, still holy, still loving, still powerful, coming for His church, preparing to rule the earth… oh if that’s your confession then just think of what kind of church Jesus will build.
2. on this rock I will build my church… is the church being built? If that is so then what are the results that we should see? Shouldn’t there be growth? Let me say this… growth means an increase. Have you ever seen anyone build an addition on to their house and they say, “Well we started out with 1500 square feet and after the addition we are down to 1300 sq. ft.? NO, because when you build you add on. Well now Jesus was just talking about a spiritual building. Was He? Do we somehow that the church is increased by how much you know? Is just feeling good about yourself somehow increasing the church? When we talk about building the church then what must happen? Our revelation of who Jesus is and our confession of it (that’s talking about our testimony of our experience with Jesus) those things will bring others to Christ. That is building the church. Building always means increase… and oh by the way, it is spiritual. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. Peter’s revelation/confession and Jesus’ building project go hand-in-hand. What kind of revelation have we received about Jesus? It’s nothing new, but it is revealed to us for our benefit and it always lines up with the scriptures. Jesus revealed to us as Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Provider…
3. gates of Hades will not overcome it. You all know that there is a constant battle going on between the saints of God, of which you are part, and the forces of evil? And there are times when it seems like the enemy is working overtime to beat us down and render us ineffective. When Jesus spoke here of the gates of Hades, or hell, He was talking about the very origin of evil. There is nothing that the enemy has in His arsenal that can stand against what Jesus has already done. And once we get that in our spirits, in our hearts, and begin to make that confession of our revelation of Jesus and who we are in Him – remember that will come from how we choose to experience Him – When we make the necessary adjustments in our faith, Oh what kind of church will Jesus build? It’s the kind of church He intended when He said, Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
And that is where the working of the Holy Spirit comes into play. The baptism in the Holy
Spirit that Jesus indicated was necessary for us to experience in order to be that power church has so many benefits for us.
That power, the enhanced revelation that the Holy Spirit will continue to give through the scriptures, and increased hunger for the word, the development of intimacy with the Lord through the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit… all those things will build the church of Jesus Christ.
Paul encouraged the church in Ephesus, Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
The tense of the verb “be filled” indicates a continually recurring action. Being baptized in the Spirit is necessary, but being refilled over and over is a must. It was the pattern of the early church. And oh what a difference it made.
Will you commit to being used by the Lord to build His church?
It only comes with His power through the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
God will give the increase…
