We Can Be Sure That Jesus Will Build His Church! - Part 1 Series

We Can Be Sure that Jesus Will Build His Church! - Part 1

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 16:13-23

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared August 30, 2022)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 16. Today we will begin to focus on the sure truth that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is going to build His Church. And we will start reading in vs. 13, but before we do, let me set the scene.

*Verse 13 tells us that Jesus and His disciples came to the region of Caesarea Philippi. They were coming apart for a special time of instruction and fellowship. By now, Jesus was well into the third and final year of His earthly ministry. J. Vernon McGee estimated the Lord was only six months away from the cross. Evil scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians had united in their murderous hatred of Jesus. Normally, the scribes and Pharisees were bitter rivals of the Sadducees and Herodians. These scribes and Pharisees radically enforced their man-made additions to God's Law. Sadducees rejected those laws. The divide was so bitter that in Acts 23:10, Paul was almost pulled apart during a clash between these two groups.

*The scribes and Pharisees were also bitter enemies of the Herodians, because they were supporters of the non-Jewish family appointed by Rome to rule Palestine. But most in all four groups radically rejected Jesus. They were obsessed with His destruction, and had been plotting His death for months. (1)

*William Barclay explained that "the cross was coming closer, and Jesus needed some time alone with his disciples. He had so much to say to them and teach them, although there were many things which then they could not bear and could not understand.

*In this crucial timeframe, Jesus withdrew to the region of Caesarea Philippi. It was 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. The people there were mainly non-Jewish, like the soldiers of the Roman Empire. Locals worshiped in temples dedicated to the demonic gods of the Syrians and Greeks. Caesarea Philippi also had a giant, white marble temple that was built to worship the Roman Emperor as god. Here among the false gods, Jesus tested His disciples to see if they realized that HE is the one true Son of God." (2)

*Perhaps Jesus also picked this scene, knowing full well that His Church would include people from all over the world. Revelation 5:9 tells us that up in Heaven we will sing Him a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." Praise the Lord!

*With this background in mind, let's begin by reading Matthew 16:13-23, and as we read, please think about the fact that Jesus Christ is surely going to build His Church.

MESSAGE:

*Do you ever get discouraged about God's church? If you love His church, then it's natural for you to get discouraged at times. The Apostle Paul certainly did. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul gave a summary of the many hardships he went through for the cause of Christ.

*Then in vs. 28 Paul said, "Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." The Living Bible says "Then, besides all this, I have the constant worry of how the churches are getting along." And the New American Standard says, "Apart from (such) external things, there is the daily pressure on me (of) concern for all the churches."

*If we love God's church, it is natural for us to get discouraged at times. But Jesus Christ will build His Church! And the Scripture today reminds us that we should be confident about the Lord's Church. Let's look into God's Word and see why.

1. FIRST: WE CAN BE SURE THAT JESUS WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH, BECAUSE HE IS THE CHRIST.

*Jesus IS the promised Messiah, the Christ, the only begotten Son of the living God, and the only Savior of the world. Listen to Peter's bold proclamation in vs. 13-16:

13. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?''

14. So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.''

15. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?''

16. And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.''

*It was an amazing claim. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" This claim would be preposterous, if it wasn't true. But it is true!

*That's why C. S. Lewis wrote, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus. That is: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'