THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH
Matthew 16:18
INTRODUCTION: One Sunday morning a stranger wandered into a small country church in the middle of the sermon. The man was unkempt and dirty, and clearly smelled of alcohol. The usher tried his best to seat him off in a far corner but instead the man walked to the very first pew and sat directly in front of the preacher. Then to the congregation’s horror the man began to shout, "Amen. That’s right! Preach it brother." The minister cut his eyes at the man, but that didn’t work. The stranger just continued, "Praise Jesus, Hallelujah!" Finally the usher went to the man and whispered in his ear, "Sir, we don’t act like this in church." "But I’ve just got religion," said the stranger. "Yes sir," said the usher, "but you didn’t get it from here."...
As funny as that story is, unfortunately it is all too common in churches all over this country. In far too many places there is a drought of spiritualuality and a desperate need for God’s people to rediscover the foundation of the Church. We all know that practices and characteristics differ from church to church. Even the most conservative Christian Churches have their differences in methodology and even ideology. But the most disturbing difference is found when the Church deviates from it’s identity. READ TEXT There are two powerful lessons in these few short words of Jesus, two that we who profess to be His people so desperately need to relearn and powerfully embrace.
I. IT IS THE LORD’S CHURCH
A. A minister friend of mine named Jerry Taylor tells a story about taking his grandfather riding one day in his hometown of Brownsville, TN. He said that as they were taking their leisurely cruise, they came upon a church building with a sign out front that read "Church of Christ." He said, "You know how your heart swells when you see that name? There’s just something about seeing that name on a sign, some sort of connection." So he said to his grandpaw, "Look there’s a Church of Christ." To which grandpaw replied, "Yes it is!" A little later he came across another church building with a sign out front that read Church of Christ, and so he said, "Hey grandpaw, there is another Church of Christ." Grandpaw replied, "Yes is it!" A few more miles down the road, he spotted a third church building, but the sign was a little different. It read, "Church of Jesus Christ." He decided to test grandpaw and said, "Grandpaw, there’s another Church of Christ." Grandpaw squinted his eyes and said, "No it’s not! It’s got Jesus in it."
B. Folks, there is something fundamentally wrong with that statement. The church is the Lord’s Church. It belongs to Him. He bought and paid for it with His life and His blood. It is not my church, it is not your church, it is not the apostle’s church, it is Jesus’ Church. And you know what, we need to put Jesus back in His church!
1. For too long we have used the Lord’s statement from Matthew 16:18, "I will build my church," as the basis to argue about the name of the Church and consequently the name painted on the sign out front. Folks, there are a dozen or so names in Scripture by which the New Testament Church is identified. And every one of them would do just fine.
2. We need to realize that this was not the point Jesus was making here. There is something far more powerful in this statement. Jesus wis not telling us what title our movement should have, nor that we should argue over such things. What He is doing is proclaiming for all the world to hear that the only Church that has any validity is the one in which He is in. We need to get Jesus back in His church.
3. You know, one of the greatest movements over the past 150 years was the What Would Jesus Do phase we went through 5 or 6 years ago. You remember what that was all about – asking the question, What Would Jesus Do before we did anything. The ideology was fantastic! What better description of Christian life is there than to live like Jesus? The marketing was great! Remember the WWJD bracelets, tee-shirts, necklaces, and the like. But what happened to this movement?
4. Like the Prayer of Jabez, it was little more than a fad. As a result we let the most promising spark of spiritual renewal fizzle just when we were on the verge of letting Jesus take back His people and His church. We heard all the sermons and bible class lessons we wanted to hear on the subject, and we took our interests and our dollars elsewhere.
5. When we do let Jesus back into His church, it just might be a painful experience. He will demand great things from us and will not tolerate complacency or half-hearted commitment. He will demand changed lives from the work-place to the home-place to the church-house. And everywhere in between.
1. Revelation 3:14ff
2. I John 2:6
3. John 15:1ff
II. HIS CHURCH IS DESIGNED TO BE VICTORIOUS
A. Prior to leading the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto met with the military leaders of his country to plead with them not to attack the United States. He had studied in America and had witnessed first hand the industrial might and the will of the American people. He told his superiors that they could not hope to defeat the United States. The best they could do would be to outrun us for about 18 months.
1. It seems to me that we often have the same ideas about the Church. For generations we have taken the rest of what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 to say that God’s little church will be beaten and battered, Satan will kick it around and have His way with it at times, but in the end if we hold on long enough, God will come back and rescue His bruised and abused little church.
2. Well let me ask you something, are gates an offensive or a defensive weapon. They are defensive. You never build gates to attack someone with; you build them to keep the attackers out. So when Jesus says that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church, he is saying that those gates will not stand up to the power of His people.
B. Folks, Jesus did not die to buy a powerless church! Instead He has brought together a people for God, a people who are designed to be strong, mighty and victorious. Christ’s Church can meet Satan head on in battle and win so long as Jesus and His power is in their midst.
1. How many times do we lament over the sinful society in which we live, and moan about the horrible things Satan influences men to do to one another and yet feel powerless to do anything about it? That is exactly what Satan wants us to do. So long as we are convinced that we are in the minority; week and helpless, he has us right where he wants us – defeated before we ever go into battle.
2. Folks, we need to do more than read the headlines in the paper and shake our heads at the tragedies of our world. We need to light the fires of victory, march into Satan’s domain and take back the lost souls and the suffering saints he has afflicted. Why, because Jesus says His Church can do it! We can kick down the gates of Satan’s stronghold through the presence of the blood-stained Savior!
1. Isaiah 41:10-13
2. II Timothy 4:17
3. Philippians 4:13
4. Ephesians 6:10ff – strong in whom?
