I thought about doing a little bit of whiteboard work tonight,
but I think I'll just stand down here and finish out this section
in Matthew, the 16th chapter because we began that this
morning and kind of just a verse by verse fashion.
And I want to do that again this evening.
So I'm going to invite you along with me to Matthew the 16th
chapter. And I'm going to review just
momentarily what we discussed this morning, but then also
hopefully discuss the rest of this little section.
That goes down to about verse 19.
Now, as you recall, Jesus has taken his Apostles to the most
northern limits of the land of Palestine.
Right at the base of Mount Hermon to a very paganistic
area. That had long been taken to a
place called caesarea Philippi, says area.
Philippi was the ancient city of Dan that we find in the Old
Testament and area that had always struggled with Baal
worship and false worship. And in Jesus day this Same thing
was going on. There was much false worship
into this environment. Jesus takes his Apostles and he
elicits from them, his identity. He wants them to make for sure
that they are willing to State who he is.
And so he does that in a very interesting way.
He asks them what the word on the street is who are people
saying that I am? And as I mentioned this morning,
after about three years, there were a lot of opinions.
Somebody was an old estimate profit.
Some thought he was the one that would bring in or Harbinger to
the Messiah, but then Jesus turns to his own and he says,
but who do you say that? I, the son of man a.m. in other
words, who do you say that I am? What is your conviction about
me? And, as I mentioned this morning
that indeed really is the essence of our study because in
reality, it matters, but it doesn't matter what the rest of
the Things. The rest of the world will do
what the rest of the world wants to do.
And while we try to convert the rest of the world, we are indeed
in need of converting ourselves before we try to convert the
world. And so Jesus asked who do you
say that I am? And it is, of course, at that
moment that we almost see Peter leaping off of, maybe The Rock.
He was setting on and saying you are the Christ, the son of the
Living. God now I want to analyze that
we've already Analyze what it means to be the Christ, you
know, Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Christos, the
Messiah, the same Greek concept of Christos is the same as the
Hebrew Messiah, but the Messiah means the anointed one.
It means the one who had in the Old Testament, the role of
prophet priest, or King. And Jesus, of course, today is
our Prophet. Our priests are King.
He is our messenger. He is our mediator.
He is our Monarch, he is the On that supersedes all other.
And that's really again. What Peter is acknowledging when
he says you are the Christ, the Old Testament had pointed toward
Jesus toward the Christ. The anointed one appointed to
the, to the kingdom that he would bring in.
In fact, Daniel chapter 2, 44, prophesize, that there would
come a kingdom that would never be destroyed and John the
Baptist. And Jesus had said, the kingdom
is very near its at hand and so the Jews had long looked for a
messiah I know, they misunderstood they thought in
many ways that Jesus, or shall we say the Messiah would be a
political figure Jesus was none of that Jesus came.
Of course, preaching, a gospel of the heart, and a gospel of a
relationship with God. Not a conquering gospel, that
would go and do all the world and make a territory of physical
Nations, but Jesus is the Messiah.
He is the one that they had longed for, and if he is not the
Messiah, Then, of course, we know of no other but Jesus, of
course, makes this statement. He says blessed, are you now?
Peter has said, you are the Christ, the son of God and now,
Peter is going to receive his own blessing.
Now, before I look at that blessing though, when Peters are
when Jesus says, Peter says, whether you are the Christ, the
son of the Living, God, let me just for a moment.
Focus upon that concept of the son of the Living God, you know,
when we think a son we think Gov Offspring and of course Jesus Is
Not The Offspring of God. The father he was not a created
being in fact Colossians 1 tells us that all things were created
by Christ of course in his pre-incarnate state.
So what then is Jesus getting at when he says or Peter is getting
out when he says, you know, the Son of God.
Well, what is a son? Well, ass on his one who Bears
the likeness of his father, a son is Indeed one who Bears, the
similarities and character and nature of the father, you know,
in Africa and in other nations that I go to, we use Matthew 16
so many times because it is the go-to passage to demonstrate,
not only the authority of Jesus, but also to demonstrate the
promise of the church that Jesus was going to build.
And so it's a great passage to go to to demonstrate that Jesus
did not come to develop denominations, he came to start
or to begin. His church, he is the Builder of
his church, but one of the things we say over in Africa, is
we say, you know, we are white men work what they call Mizzou
goo. And that's a little bit of a
derogatory phrase, but it's used in jest.
And we'll say, you know, we are massugu.
And I'll say, I have a son in America and you already know
something about my son and they'll say, I've never met your
son and I'll say no, but, you know, something about it, first
of all, you know that he's human.
Well me. Sometimes when he acts well but,
you know, he's human second of all, you know, that likely he is
a white boy. He is a massugu and also, you
understand that he has many of the same characteristics even
though you've never seen him. You can look at your child and
know that your children have your characteristics.
And so it's natural that he's going to have some of my
characteristics. Well I think this begins to hint
then at what Peter is, speaking of when he says you are the
Christ, the son of the Living God you know, This was dating.
That Jesus is not God. The father and God the father is
not God, the sun nor the Holy Spirit, but they all have
characteristics of similarity. They have the same stuff if you
will. So when Peter says, you are the
Christ, the son of the Living God, he is basically confessing
the deity. He's confessing the Heavenly
nature of Jesus. Now, that's very significant
because that was really the big question, who is Jesus, Who is
the Individual and of course, even today, in philosophical
question circles, the question is who is Jesus, who was he?
And this morning we talked about, you know, the various
opinions that you'll find on the street about philosopher and
enlightened one and teacher and all these are the things will
Peter Nails it when he says you have the same characteristics as
God you know, in John 14. Jesus says if you've seen me,
you've seen the father. You remember the apostles on
that occasion came to Jesus and they say Jesus show us the
father show us what God is like you know no man has ever seen
God. So show us God and Jesus says,
if you've seen me, you've seen God.
And of course that was again the thing that got Jesus into so
much trouble because he claimed to be equal with God.
Now I can talk a long time about this idea of sonship to because
today Sometimes some sonship carries, shall we say a
diminutive sort of position in the Jewish era, in the Jewish
times one son had the same Diaz's father.
In fact, you remember that Parable that Jesus gives about
the vineyard and the workers in the vineyard and it's time to
collect the goods from the vineyard.
And so he begins to send his servants, the owner does and
then pretty soon. All those servants are killed
and run off. And then he says, I've got one
more person that I'll send, I'm going to send my son and surely
they will reverence him. You see that son carried the
authority of the father. And so when Peter says you are
the Christ, the The son of the Living.
God not a dead. God not an idol.
Like there was all around them but living God, Peter is saying
you have the very characteristics and you have the
essence of deity. And so Jesus, then I think is
pleased with that because first of all Peter's, right?
But second of all, that's the very thing that Jesus was trying
to demonstrate and show the people his Apostles.
First of all, through his miracles, the Miracles were
designed to The word. They were not for his own
aggrandizement. They were not.
So he would be some great person that would get mega followings.
They were designed to prove and confirm the word.
And so, Peter understood, he had, obviously, got the picture
to some degree though, human, and the week, in many ways,
like, we are Peter understood the nature of God.
He had seen Jesus. And you know what?
Well, this is an aside, and I want to get on through the
technical part of the study. But, you know, we can See God
tonight, through Jesus and we can see God tonight through,
Jesus Will, how do we do that through?
Jesus works, when we look at how Jesus interact with people when
we look at how Jesus spoke. When we see what Jesus stood
for, when we see what Jesus said, We Come Away with a
picture, a clear picture of God himself, and I think that's so
wonderful because the creator of the universe while he gives us
so many, secondary ways to see him while he gives us General.
Mission. He gives us the clearest picture
specific Revelation in his word. So how does Jesus respond then
to this a confession that Peters made?
You are the Christ, the son of the Living.
God, your daddy will, you know, it's very important, how he
responds because Jesus says, blessed are you Simon bar-jonah.
Now, if you're using a more updated translation, if I need
something like, Simon son of John, that notice the contrast
their Of all Jesus says blessed, are you son of John?
Now, the word blessed there. By the way is the same word
that's found in. Matthew 5 verses 1 through 13
where the Beatitudes are given, you know, blessed are the poor
in spirit blessed are the meek blessed, are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness. It's the same Greek word.
And so, when Jesus is pronouncing a blessing upon
Peter, he's really giving Peter a compliment, really a pat on
the back, but notice what he does, he's not putting day Peter
down now. But he says, Peter, you're
blessed by You are the son of John.
Now contrast that what Jesus was Peter had confessed Jesus as
deity. Jesus now.
Professes flying Peter as Humanity.
Now that's so important because you see, we are not gone, the
authority that we give and give and yield to rather comes from
God. We are not our own authority and
even though there are religions in the world, in fact, one major
religion that It is based out of Rome that looks to Peter as the
authority of the church. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Because Jesus, here,
acknowledges Peter acknowledges, the statement gives him Kudos if
you will, but he says, Peter, you are a human, you are
fallible. You are the son of John.
But now Jesus does make a play in the Greek upon his name.
You know, Jesus was, I think an individual who obviously knew
the language of his And sometimes could make plays on
words. In fact, sometimes, even when
you read the scriptures, there's a little bit of humor, you know,
sort of woven into the text. But I think this is one of those
times where really we have what we might call a play on words
are upon. I'm not a funny pain in the
sense of that we might make puns today but let's analyze this
because this is very important, you know, back home I have a lot
of friends who are Catholic and a lot of Grants do, look the
Peter as the first pope and the first Papa of the church, the
head. Of the church the foundation of
the church. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I
was with Ronnie weighed over in Rome and we toured the bag gun
and we even saw the pope, he came by his little poeple, Bill
and he went up and down the island.
We were from here to Terry from him, it almost reach out and
almost feel the blessing and I'm not making fun of that, my
right? My friends in in, you know, in
Kansas City, who many of whom are Catholic?
You know, I respect them, they were great people, but they look
to the pope as as, you know, the final of order and the kind is
that Peter, was that Authority, because the claim is that Jesus
placed upon Peter, the church, and built upon Peter on this
rock Peter, the Great institution of the church.
Well, he's that the truth. Well, again, there is from the
beginning. The contrast Jesus is deity of
Jesus, is the son of God, but Peter is Humanity now with Jesus
build his church. Would Jesus build his kingdom on
Humanity? I don't think so because the
entire history of humanity is really a pretty disappointing
history from time immemorial all the way back to the Garden of
Eden. God would set something straight
and man wouldn't mess it up right on back to the Garden of
Eden. So I think already we're seeing
a bit of a problem. If we say that, you know, Peter
is going to be as human the head of a spiritual body.
The one that Jesus would die for it.
Secondarily, of course, Peter did not die for the church.
Did he Christ died for the church?
So what then is, does this next section me when Pete?
And when Jesus says, blessed, are you Simon son of John flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you.
But my father who is in heaven and then he said, and I say unto
you that you are Peter and Upon This Rock, I will build my
church. May, you know, Jesus, here
speaks of Peter and he speaks of raw.
Now obviously. Is going to build his church on
some, you know, Carrie. I were talking earlier in the
week yesterday or today. I can't remember about
foundations foundations are so incredibly important digging
down and having a foundation. And obviously the best
foundation, this seems to me would be on bedrock.
In fact, you have you 7 Jesus taught about the man who built
on the sand versus the man who built on the Rock and of course
the illustration there is. Are you going to build Upon
Jesus words? And Are you going to do them or
not? But the point is is that any
structure that's going to stand the test of time?
Has to be built on something solid?
Well, Jesus here says you know Peter you have confessed me as
the Son of God. He says I am going to build my
church upon that rock. Now, you know, when we look at
the name of pu, the thing that confuses folks, sometimes is
that Peters name does me rock pet, Ross, it's Now, and it
means I Stone know. When Jesus says Peter, you are a
rock, a stone, A Little Rock. If you will, he's not putting
Peter down Peter and D would have his ups and downs but Peter
was going to be a great spokesperson.
Would he not for the church? In fact, in Acts chapter 2,
Peter is going to be the one who delivers the main sermon on the
day of Pentecost. In Acts chapter 10, he's going
to be the one who takes the gospel to the Gentiles and House
of Cards. He has for the first time.
So when Jesus says, blessed are you Simon Peter or he says you
are Peter or you're a little rock, he's not putting him down,
but he's laying in a contrast. He says, Peter, you are a little
raw, but then he changes the word.
And he says, and Upon This Rock. And now he changes it from
Tetris, which is a, again, a masculine noun, which means a
little Stone to the word petrol. Petrol is a feminine noun.
And it is something that means a huge, massive outcropping, a
Bedrock if you will. So indeed there's two different
words. There's two different concepts
being woven together there in a pond.
Yes, there's a play upon Petros and Petra but Jesus is not
saying, I'm going to build my church upon you Peter.
He say I'm going to build it on something much more substantial
than a human being much more strong than a son of John.
I'm I'm going to build it on the fact that I am the Son of God.
You see, the idea of petrol there.
The rock, the Bedrock, surely must at least, in some way, go
back to that confession, that Peter made.
So Jesus is going to build his church.
What? Upon Peter upon a man.
No. Upon the fact upon that Bedrock,
true, that massive outcropping that would never be destroyed
that he was the son of God. Now, that's significant because
if Jesus Built his church on anything else and if Jesus is
not the Son of God. Then the church is no different
than any other organization, if the church is not built upon
Jesus, if it does not go back to his word as the authority.
If it does not look to him for the practices and the things in
the church, then it is no different than a man-made
institution. And of course, we know that the
church prophesied from old old was to be something that God
brought to this world. It was to be a divine Fine
institution, it was planned in the mind of God.
Jesus came and died for the church.
He gave his body and blood for the church.
Surely it is built on something founded upon something more
substantial. And more sure than simply a
human like Peter or any human, no matter how perfect he might
seem to be rather than upon the truth of God's son Jesus Christ.
So, when Jesus says, I will Build my church, he's looking in
the future, you know, at this point in time, Jesus had not
built his church. Jesus had not directed his his
church, or his called out people.
The word church comes from a Greek word.
That means the call-out and initially the word church or
ecstasy. As we sometimes, call it in
English was in reference to a political body or citizens, who
would be called out of their homes for a political purpose.
But, of course, when we think of it, spiritually it is.
Indeed, that we are called into our from our homes into assembly
and we can use the word Church in that way.
But it's the idea, I think spiritually, speaking of those
who have been called out of sin, you know, we are called by the
gospel. We are called by the message
that touches our heart about Jesus Christ dying for our sins
and were called out of the world of sin and were brought into the
Glorious sunlight of God's son Jesus Christ through the gospel.
If you obedience to the gospel, when we are baptized for the
remission of our sins. We become part of that church.
That is so evident in the New Testament on the day of
Pentecost. When Peter again, preached and
they cried out men and Brethren. What shall we do?
He said, repent and be baptized every one of you.
In the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and then
in Acts 2:47, it says that the Lord added to the church daily,
those that were being saved. How will it being saved through
baptism? There will be saved by a change
of life by repentance and by baptism.
Mmm. And then what they do after
that, we'll Acts 2:42 says they continued steadfastly in the
apostles Doctrine. Have you been inspired by the
Holy Spirit, the apostles, then begin to lay down those
doctrinal truths, that came from Heaven itself.
And so, you see, when we're talking about the church, when
we're talking about the foundational premise of what
God's institution was built upon.
Surely undoubtedly. He is not saying that he's going
to build this on a man. Every human institution has its
oils. It has its Achilles heel.
Every Human Institution will come and go, no Human
Institution, whether it be a country or whether it be a
business will ultimately stand forever, but the kingdom of God
will stand forever. It is an eternal Kingdom.
It is a kingdom that was again prophesied and made in God's
mind and then brought to the World by His prophets.
It's and ultimately by his son Jesus Christ.
And so then Jesus says blessed are you?
You are a rock, your your small rock, but I'm going to build my
church on this massive outcropping of rock.
This confession that I am the Son of God.
And then he says, I'll build my church and even the gates of
Hades will not Prevail against it.
Now if you're using the Old King James version which is fine, it
has some little quirks about it, he uses the word hell, it says
the game. Of Hell will not Prevail against
it. And of course, when we think of
hell, we think of damnation, we think a fire-and-brimstone we
think of, you know, those passages of Eternal punishment.
But the word here in the Greek is not hell as we think of it is
80s and the hadean realm or the word Hades refers to weird the
dead, go after they die, the hadean realm.
And of course, if you look at Luke 16 and this is quite
another study, but you'll find of course that Hadean realm in
that picture of the rich man and Lazarus divided into paradise
and then torment will Jesus says, you know, I'm going to
build my church and even the gates of the hadean realm will
not Prevail against it. I watched Jesus talking about,
you see what Jesus is doing here is he's really predicting his
resurrection. He's predicting his death, his
burial and his resurrection because you see just in a few
short months, Jesus is going to make that long Trek from up
there and Galilee down the road up the road to Calvary and there
he's going to give his life. He's going to shed his blood for
me and you and then he's going to go down and that hadean realm
as he is buried in the Tomb for three days and three nights.
But on the third day, Jesus is going to come forth, he's going
to come out of that. Part of the Dead, the paradise,
he had promised the thief Thief that he would be with him in and
he's going to come forth and he is going to be victorious over
the very thing that Satan I think has the dearest hold of
and that is death. You know, when we think of death
we can't think of death of how Satan thinking of Satan you go
all the way back to the Garden of Eden and of course who was it
that initially brought death, Satan cry.
Our God gave life to Adam and Eve.
He gave them not only in life but he gave them the ability to
have eternal life. He put the tree of life in the
garden and they could have had they not said it would seem
lived there forever, but Satan came and Satan brought death,
you know, God had warned them. He said listen, don't even eat
of the forbidden fruit because in that day dying, you shall
die, or you will die. You see, death is the product.
It is the friend of Satan. You see?
I believe that Satan, no doubt through his hardest, Arsenal at
Jesus. Has he crucified him on a cross
and he thought no doubt that he had Jesus subdued.
But God had other plans on the third day, Jesus arose.
And so when Jesus says here, even the gates of the hadean
realm will not Prevail against it.
I think he's talking about his resurrection, you know, this
idea of the gate is sort of interesting, and I don't want to
make too much of it because I think sometimes we can draw from
other passages in the scripture in the Old Testament parallels.
And We can stretch the analogy, but when you think of a gate,
what do you think of when you go back to the Old Testament?
The gate was everything in the city.
Now sure. They had walls it had great
parapets upon the edge of their walls where they could send
their archers out to fight, but the gate was really the main
thing you had to protect the gate and when the gate again was
broken down that's when the enemy encroached.
But there's another picture too and that is In a city sent out
an army, it sent it out from the gate.
In other words, the gate demonstrated, not only
protection, but it demonstrated a freedom as well.
Jesus says, listen, the gates of Hades that which would lock me
in Forever in death will not Prevail against my plan.
You see Satan and his armies. If you will, we can picture this
way, could not enter into that great.
Death and keep Jesus there. Now I realize we're taking some
license with our description tonight because we don't really
know all what it's about and what it looks like.
But nonetheless, Jesus could not be held in Haiti's, in fact, on
the day of Pentecost, when Peter stood up in Acts, chapter 2 and
begin to preach, he goes to the very idea that Jesus was not
left in Hades. Neither did his flesh.
See corruption, you see? Jesus came forth, powerful.
Out of that hadean realm that Jesus had raised others from the
dead such as Lazarus but they were going to die again.
But Jesus came forth. As the first fruits, Paul tells
us in First Corinthians 15 of those that slept Jesus rose to
never die again. And so he sits now, eternally
Forever at the right hand of the Throne of God, his work is
finished. In fact, he is sitting down.
He will never die and isn't a wonderful blessing tonight to
know that our savior, the one Promised to build his church
will never die. His organization will never die.
You know, once in a while when I talk about church history,
people say well you do you think the church you know, maybe died
out somewhere in the Middle Ages or in the Dark Ages?
No. Now I don't know exactly where
the church went. Maybe it went underground, some
people believe that it was always an existence through the
seed principle that very well may be.
But the point is, is that the kingdom that Christ established
was an eternal Kingdom, Death would never Prevail against it.
Time would never Prevail against it.
History would never Prevail against it as long as there are
people today who are willing to give their hearts and Minds
Jesus. Because that's the, that's the
territory really, you know, a kingdom.
And I'm getting now into another subject, but the kingdom really
isn't reality. Composed of four things.
It has to have a king. It has subjects.
It has to have a territory and it has to have a wall.
You know, the territory of Christ's kingdom is our heart.
And as long as there are People who are willing and humble
submission to give their lives to Jesus Christ.
Like Peter was the affordable. And though, in in time made many
mistakes, the kingdom is secure. And I believe that God will
never allow a time while this earth goes on for the kingdom to
die. Well, let's go on very quickly
because Jesus says, I will then give you the Keys of the
Kingdom. Now, we've already talked about
gays, and I guess this leads into the next thought, but what
do keys do? Now, Jesus is going.
To give Peter the Keys of the Kingdom.
You know, when you're in Rome, by the way, you wander around
and you look at the opulent wealth of the organization that
builds the Vatican and of course st.
Peter's Basilica, and all the other great churches.
They're beautiful by man standards but almost every time
in fact I suppose every time you see a statue of Peter he has
keys in his hand. Now of course, was Jesus saying.
Peter I'm going to give you some physical Keys now.
Of course date. Trey the keys and Peter's heads,
because they believe that Peter is the Divine Authority from
from God. They believe, he is the vicar on
Earth or the one that is God. Spokesperson know Jesus, is
that. But what are these keys that
Jesus speaks of, I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom.
We know really, when you think about it keys, do two things,
you know, when I go home, I unlock the door keys, allow
interest, but then, of course, of course, if I'm inside, I can
lock the door to the same key. So Keys either allow or prohibit
interests, but I think in this case, the context, and as we
know of Peter, I think he is role in the church, is going to
be one of unlocking. In other words, Jesus is going
to give Peter a primal roll. A basic role that yes, a primary
role in the unlocking of the Kingdom.
That's not that Jesus is giving Peter a greater position
necessarily the church. In fact, the other Apostles had
the same keys. In fact, we have the key today.
The scripture that unlocks, The Plan of Salvation, but it was
Peter who physically and very verbally would stand up
literally on the day of Pentecost and preach and what
happened as Peter took that chi chi of the Gospel, the key to
the mysteries of Heaven, the Paul would later.
Speak up in Ephesians 4, as he took the key, and he unlocked
the door to the church. People porting 3,000 were
baptized on that day. And from that point on this
church began to spread that you know, just geometrically or
exponentially I suppose and it was a wonderful time in the
opening of The Doors of the Kingdom.
Well, you know, Peter had that job not only next to, but as I
mentioned, a moment ago in Acts 10 and acts 10, he receives the
call to go down to the Gentiles. The Gentiles, of course, at this
point, we're not part of that church.
That Jesus was establishing, they were outcasts.
They weren't even part of God's people in the Old Testament.
They were the ones who were the ones out there in the, in the,
in the darkness of sin. But now, through the gospel,
Peter goes and he preaches. And the household of Cornelius
is converted and from there on, as you read the book of Acts,
you'll find others like Paul making the missionary Journeys
that open up the gospel to even us today.
And, you know, I'm glad to have because I dare say that most of
us in this audience are Gentiles.
We don't trace our lineage back to Abraham.
We don't trace our lineage back to the physical lineage of
Abraham. Isaac.
Jacob and the nation of Israel. We are Gentiles and We threw the
Keys of the Kingdom. The gospel have been allowed to
enter in and be part of that relationship with the Son of God
with deity and be part of that institution.
That Jesus says, I will build on the truth that I am the Son of
God and that is a wonderful thought tonight.
Well, he says, I will give you the keys of the kingdom and he
says, whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven and
whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven.
Another way that this could be translated is whatever you bind
on Earth will have already been bound in heaven and whatever you
loose on Earth or allow on Earth or disallow on Earth will have
already been in heaven. The point here is though is that
Jesus is not telling Peter, you can make up your own rules.
He's not giving Peter the right to speak by inspiration ex
cathedra just because but rather he is saying Peter Listen, you
are going to teach what heaven reveals what has already been
decided in heaven. How do we know that?
Well, of course, all you have to do is go and look at Jesus
Promised. You remember, right before?
Jesus went back to heaven in John, 14 15 and 16.
Jesus told the apostles that he would send the Holy Spirit and
the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth.
Bring all things to their remembrance and of course allow
them to use the keys of the Gospel in a way that would bring
others. Sirs to Salvation and what they
taught began. Then to be that which the church
follow and continued to follow. And today, the true church
continues to follow that today, that's the reason.
Again, the passage I noted, a moment ago, you'll hear me,
coming. Back to this passage numerous
times Acts 2:42, they continued steadfastly in the apostles
Doctrine and of course it is. The apostles doctrine, that was
inspired literally. By the one who built his church
upon the fact that he is the Son of God.
And so while there are so many other things and so many other
nuances and so many other little rabbit Trails, we might look to
look at in this great passage in Matthew 16.
Basically, what we have is we have Jesus graduating, his
Apostles. Now, it's going to get tough
after this. He's going to send them out.
Literally to some, some of them to die for the cause, but he
brings them to caesarea Philippi.
Why they confess that he is the Christ, the son of the Living
God, they then are commissioned as later on to go into all the
world with that knowledge that it is the authority of Jesus.
The kingship Authority that his church will be founded upon
well, those are the thoughts this evening and again, we're so
privileged to be part of the Lord's Kingdom.
The church tonight. Well, how do we get into the
church? How do we become a part of that?
Called out body that the New Testament speaks of and that
Jesus promised to build. Well, how do we do that?
We obey the gospel. We do what they did on the day
of Pentecost, you know, on the day of Pentecost, they heard the
gospel, didn't they? Peter preached.
In fact, he told them that they with Wicked hands have crucified
the Lord Of Glory. They heard the gospel, they
believed the gospel, they believe the message about how
Jesus had not been left in the hadean realm.
How he Add rows over all obstacles.
They repented of their sins. We know that because they cried
out. And of course they were willing
to be baptized for the remission of their sins.
You see it's in the waters of baptism that we have our sins
washed away, you know, Peter says it's not the putting the
way of the dirt of our bodies or the filth of the flesh, but it's
the answer of a good conscience. Before God as we in faith, step
out, actively and obey. God in Salvation, in baptism.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would like any additional information or you would like to
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