I want to talk to you tonight about the Church. However, before I get into that, I want to share a little bit about where I come from. I was born and raised in the United Methodist Church. I’ve spent some time kneeling with Baptists. I’ve played guitar with the Pentecostals. I’ve preached in denominational churches, and I even have a fancy degree from a Theological cemetery (uh, seminary). And where I come from, when you start talking about the “church”, people immediately think you’re talking about one of those denominations, or perhaps all of the denominations taken together. Most of these folk believe that “one church is just as good as another.” There are many good religious people who believe that all of these different denominations, with all of their differing names, creeds, doctrines, and man-made traditions somehow altogether represent God’s Church. But friends, that is NOT the Church I want to talk to you about today.
In Matthew’s gospel, when Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ, the son of the living God” (Matthew 13:16), Jesus responds by saying, “And 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.” How many churches did Jesus say He was going to build? He said He was going to build "My church", which is singular, not plural. The Lord only promised to build one church. That is the church I want to talk to you about today. I want to talk to you about the Church that Jesus built.
I. The Basis: “Upon this rock . . .”
A. The basis of something is its foundation. What is the “rock” upon which Jesus said He would build His church? What is the foundation of the Church that Jesus built?
1. Roman Catholicism would have us believe that the “rock” that Jesus was referring to is Peter. This notion has led to the tradition that Peter established the church, and was in fact the first pope. There is absolutely no biblical authority for this idea. Jesus says, “Thou art Peter” [petros, masculine gender], “and upon this rock” [petra – feminine gender] “I will build my church.” Jesus did not promise to build His church upon Peter, but upon Peter’s confession – the grand and glorious fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
2. The church that Jesus built has no human foundation -- not Moses, not Elijah, not John Calvin or Martin Luther or John Wesley or even Alexander Campbell or Barton Stone. Peter didn’t really understand this at first, even though God had given him a revelation about the foundation of the Church. We read in Matthew 17 about the Transfiguration. Jesus had gone up on the mountain with Peter, James and John, and revealed himself in His glory to them. Moses and Elijah appeared to speak with Him -- and what did Peter say? “Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” If there ever were any men worthy of having a church named after them, it would have been Moses and Elijah. But God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Son of the Living God is a revelation, and the Transfiguration is a confirmation, that the basis of the church that Jesus built is the truth that Christ is the Son of God. Someone said, “He is the impregnable rock on which every soul must build his heavenly superstructure, there being no other alternative except the drifting, sinking sand.” (W. B. Godbey)
Hymn:
My Hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
3. What do you suppose God thinks of all the different churches today? The one church that Jesus built is His, and the name it wears must honor Him. We read in Romans 16:16, "The churches of Christ greet you." This name glorifies and honors Christ, the one who built it. Other names honor and glorify John the Baptist, Martin Luther, the day of Pentecost, the apostles, Rome, Antioch, Nazareth, the Greeks, the Russians, the methodical way of doing things, the free will, being primitive, southern, missionary, general, the seventh day, science, catholic, the advent, and the list goes on and on. Even by their names they do not claim to be Christ’s one church.
B. Paul wrote, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11)
1. The Point Reyes Light Station was built in 1870 at Point Reyes, California, approximately 30 miles northwest of the entrance of San Francisco Bay. Originally, the light was to be built at the top of the point. However, due to concerns that the light would be obscured by fog, the light was built 275 feet down the bluff at its present location. To reach the light, you must descend 304 steps on the headland from the plateau. The top of the lantern is 37 feet above the ground and the focal plane of the light is 294 feet above sea level. Point Reyes is, by official records, the windiest and foggiest on the Pacific Coast. It is also just a few miles from the San Andreas Fault, the active earthquake fault that runs through California. During the 1906 earthquake, which leveled many buildings in San Francisco, the entire Point Reyes Peninsula and the lighthouse moved north 18 feet! The only damage to the lighthouse was that the lens slipped off its tracks. Thirteen minutes after the earthquake, the lighthouse was once again in working order. Why was there such little damage to the lighthouse? The engineers had the forethought to bolt the sixteen-sided structure to solid rock.
Our strength and safety comes when we stay riveted to our firm foundation, Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, ask Christ that you may continue on in His teaching, never straying far from Him.
C. Hymn: “The Church’s One Foundation
1. The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation By water and the word;
From heaven he came and sought her To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her, And for her life he died.
2. Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth,
One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.
II. The Builder: “I will build my church. . .”
A. In Psalm 127:1 we read, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it . . .” The Lord builds the church as He intends, for His purpose. The Lord intends the Church to be:
1. The Body of Christ: Ephesians 5:23 says that “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” Notice two things here: First, the emphasis on His authority over the church, which is his body; and, Second, that Christ is the Savior, not of all men, but of His body, the church! Friend, the implication is clear: to be saved, we must be in His body, the church!
2. The house of God: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15
3. The bride of Christ: In the Book of Revelation, John is privileged to be shown “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Revelation 21:9). And listen to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) Jesus loves His Church, even as a husband is to love his wife! His death on the cross was for the church! Why did Jesus die for His bride, the Church? Friends, it was His desire to "sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word". He wants his Church to be holy
B. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it”
1. The Greek word behind the word “hell” here is “hades” – symbolic of the realm of the dead, or the power of death. Death could not hold Jesus in the tomb. And all the corruption of the years, all the mortality of mortal man, all the wages of sin, all the unknown powers of hell and death, shall not be able to overthrow the fellowship that is held in the power of Christ. Hallelujah!
C. The church and the kingdom are one and the same
1. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) What are these keys of the Kingdom? They are the keys that Peter used to unlock the way to the Church – first, on the Day of Pentecost. In Acts chapter two, Peter preached and 3000 Jews were added to the Church. How? Peter told them specifically – “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Then, at the house of Cornelius, the doors of the Church were opened wide to the Gentiles. Peter preached the Word, and the Spirit of God fell. Peter said, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?” (Acts 10:47). The Lord added to the church those that should be saved. When the Bible talks about binding and loosing, it is talking about Apostolic authority. The way to get into the church that Jesus built has been bound and earth and bound in heaven – you’ve got to repent and be baptized!
III. The Business: “Go ye, therefore” (Matthew 28:19-20)
A. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Amen. That is a command!
Jesus came into this world, but the world did not receive him (John 1:10). He died on the cross and rose from the dead, to pay the debt for our sin and open the way for eternal life. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received them, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Friend, that means that ANYBODY who hears the Word of God, and receives Jesus Christ, and is obedient to him, can be saved. And Jesus had a plan for how to spread that message of good news. It was simple – he commanded His disciples to GO! There is an old legend that recounts the time when Jesus slips back into heaven after He had died on the cross and rose from the dead. According to the legend, the angel Gabriel met him. Gabriel frowned when he saw scars of Jesus’ torturous years on earth, especially the marks of His crucifixion.
B. We are to make disciples! Friends, we’ve go to get it through our heads that “Go ye,” means “Go, me!” There are people in this world who don’t know about the gospel. They don’t know about the love and forgiveness of Jesus. And the only way they are ever going to find out is if somebody tells them. I remember singing the hymn:
Hymn:
I love to tell the story Of unseen things above
Of Jesus and his glory , Of Jesus and his love
I love to tell the story, Because I know it’s true;
It satisfies my longings As nothing else would do.
I love to tell the story, ‘Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story Of Jesus and his love.
Now here’s the part of this message where you might want to tuck your toes in. I want you to think about something. Who do you know, who is not here tonight, who may have responded to this message and accepted Christ? Do you have a friend that needs to be free from sin, who wasn’t here tonight? Do you have a relative who needs to be baptized for the remission of their sins? Do you have an acquaintance or a co-worker who needs the assurance of salvation that can only come from obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you have a neighbor who, if God were to call on them tonight, would go into a Christless eternity because they have not responded to the gospel?
If you do, I want to ask you another question: Why didn’t you invite them? If you don’t share your faith with your friends, your relatives, your acquaintance, and your neighbors, who is going to? Do you believe that they have plenty of time? Do you believe that it makes no difference if they decide for Christ today? The Bible says that when Christ comes it will be like a thief in the night. Blessed are the servants who the Lord finds ready when He comes! Jesus is counting on you to “Go, therefore!”
C. When is the last time you led someone to Christ?
Conclusion: Whatever the Lord’s church is, I want to a part of it, don’t you? ." Friends, Jesus built one church, and only one church. Today we hear the sincere but mistaken plea to "attend the church of your choice Why not attend the church of God’s choice, the church of Christ, the only Church that Jesus built. If Jesus didn’t build it, and you’re in it, everything you do is in vain.
Any church claiming to be the church that Jesus built should be able to prove from the Bible they are that church of the Bible. Can the church which you are a member prove that it is the one and only church the Lord built, which is the church of Christ? If it can’t then you will be laboring in vain if you stay in it. This may sound harsh. I say this with sincerity and sadness, but it will really be harsh if you are lost in eternity. We must wake up because this concerns the welfare of our souls and where we will spend eternity. People too long have ignored what the Lord has said in the Bible and have blindly followed men.
Invitation
In order to be in the one church the Lord established, those added to it by the Lord must be saved according to His requirements. In Acts 2:47 we read, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." The Lord only adds the saved to His church. There are no unsaved people in His church. We are not saved just because we think or feel in our hearts we are. We are saved only when we have done what God has said we must do. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father which is in heaven." We must do God’s will, not man’s will, to go to heaven.
· Hear – “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 )
· Believe – “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 9:33)
· Repent – “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)
· Confess -- “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
· Be Baptized -- “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)
God adds to His Church those who are being saved!
