With the Lord's help I'd like
to direct you to that second passage of scripture that we
read together, Matthew chapter 16, and to think on the latter
half of verse 18 of this chapter this morning. And upon this rock
I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. And I say unto thee, that Peter
and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it the psalmist speaks in another
place about continuing through the night watchers and it was
in the night watchers the other evening well early on into the
morning I generally wake up around about four o'clock in the morning
And it was as I was thinking and meditating that this verse
came to my mind and so I just presumed that this was the word
that the Lord would have me speak upon this morning, upon this
rock. Will I build my church? and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it it appears in this
passage where the Lord Jesus asks the disciples whom do men
say that I am? if we look at the context of
this passage we see in chapter 15 a continual progression in
the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ he seems to
be up in the north of the kingdom of Israel in the north of Galilee
and whilst he is there the pharisees who come to him and start questioning
him and so he speaks to them and he then
calls the multitude to them and explains further that it is not
that which that they take in through the
mouth that defiles them but it is that which proceeds out of
the mouth not that which goes into the mouth defileth a man
but that which comes out of the mouth this defileth a man and
then as they continue their progress through the north part of Galilee
there is this woman that comes to a woman of Canaan, he is now
in the region of Tyre and Sidon and this woman comes to him desiring
that she should have mercy upon her and that her daughter be
healed because she is possessed of a devil and this woman displays
her faith and her daughter was healed and a woman graces thy
faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt and her daughter was
made whole from that very hour and others came and the Lord
Jesus healed them and then we come to the feeding of the 4,000
with the seven loaves and a few fishers and the Lord provides
us for it and then in chapter 16 there is further conversation
with the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the fruit of that is that
they the Lord Jesus warns his disciples to take heed and beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees and they were brought later to
understand that the Lord Jesus Christ was referring to the doctrine
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees warning them against the Pharisees
because they are the ones that add to the word of God and warning
them against the doctrine of the Sadducees because they are
the ones that take away from the scriptures of truth in that
they denied the resurrection and we still have the Pharisees
and we still have the Sadducees with us today although they may
not have the same name but they have the same views there are
those who will take away from the word of God they will tell
us that the scriptures are not to be taken literally that the
opening chapters of Genesis for example are just fables and not
to be taken the account of the creation is not to be taken literally
because man of course has evolved from a lower creature and we
are the crowning glory of evolution so they say but of course these
Pharisees they deny the word of God and they deny of course
the Sadducees deny the resurrection there are those who deny that
the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead in a physical manner
that the body that went into the tomb the body that died upon
the cross when the Lord Jesus gave up the ghost and bowed his
head and died when he gave his life a ransom for many that same
body that went into the tomb came out it was a physical not
a spiritual resurrection so we have to be aware even today of
the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees but then
we come from verse 13 to look at this conversation that the
Lord Jesus had with his disciples. He asked them that question.
Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Who do people think
I am? and he is quizzing them so that
he might show them who he really is because when he asks the question
they answer the question some say thou art John the Baptist
some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the prophets they were
not quite right they were not right on the Lord Jesus there
were those Elsewhere in Matthew's Gospel,
if memory serves me right, that when the Lord Jesus entered in
Jerusalem, they asked, who is this man? And they said, oh,
this is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee. They're
not right, and there are many today that are not right on the
person of Christ it is important that we are correct in our view
of the Lord Jesus Christ I always think of that hymn by John Newton
it's 1149 in Gadsby's Selection where John Newton asks the question
what think you of Christ is the test to try both your state and
your scheme you cannot be right in the rest unless you think
rightly of him as Jesus appears in your view as he is beloved
or not so God is disposed to you and mercy or wrath Do we
have a correct view of the Lord Jesus Christ? And here in this
passage of scripture, we have the correct view of the Lord
Jesus Christ. There are various names and titles
given to the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, in verse 13, we
have the Son of Man. Whom do men say that I, the Son
of Man am? he is the son of man and then
Simon Peter and we have to presume that he was answering not just
for himself but for the company of disciples that were there
speaking on their behalf as their spokesman he answered and said
thou art the Christ the son of the living God and then he then
in in verse 18 he is called The Rock there are Peter and upon this
rock will I build my church and we'll come on to that shortly
and then in verse 20 we have that he is Jesus Jesus the Christ,
Jesus the anointed one so when Peter speaks this sentence thou
art the Christ, the son of the living God the Lord Jesus says
three things to him he said that he is blessed blessed art thou
Simon Bar-Jonah, happy what a mercy it is if we are blessed of God
the book of Psalms you remember opens up with a blessing Psalm
1 speaks about that true happiness that is what the word means blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful." Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ himself uses those
words as he begins his sermon, commonly called the Sermon on
the Mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of God. Blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted, and so on. He goes through the
uh... the attitudes of uh... uh... and the greek word that
underlines uh... that's uh... uh... that word
that's translated blessed uh... means happiness, being happy
uh... being happy in god, are we happy
in the lord uh... jesus christ uh... the uh... there's only true happiness to
be found uh... in the lord jesus christ and
uh... and isiah likewise speaks of
uh... of the true happiness of the
people that are his he says when thou passest through the waters
I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow
thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the Lord
thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." The true happiness
comes from being in and with the Lord Jesus Christ. Do we
have the Lord Jesus Christ with us and in us remember how the
Apostle Paul writes to the Colossians he speaks about the Lord Jesus
Christ and he says that the Lord Jesus Christ is the hope of glory
that in him, it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness
dwell and he goes on to say the hope of the child of God and
the happiness of the child of God is Christ in you, the hope
of glory Christ in dwelling there is that promise, that happiness
and that promise that is in the Lord Jesus Christ he says I am
with you Lord I am with you always even unto the end of the world
so he says to Simon Peter blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonah he then
says that these things have not been conjured up in his own mind
we have not followed cunningly devised fables but we have had
these things revealed to us and Paul says it pleased God to reveal
his son in me what a mercy it is if we have had that personal
revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ that he's come to us and
he's spoken to us and he's given us that peace in our hearts and
then there is that promise and it's that promise that I would
like to concentrate on with the Lord's help this morning and
upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it so there are four things for
us to consider this morning first of all there is a glorious builder
the Lord Jesus says I will build my church and then in the second
place there is a glorious action I will build it is the building
of Christ that he actually builds and in the third place there
is that glorious building I will build my church the church is
a glorious building and then in the fourth place there is
a glorious future and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom and so
it goes on so firstly there is a glorious building There is
a glorious builder. I will build my church, says
the Lord Jesus. He is saying that he alone is
the builder. I will do the building. now when
we look at a building say for example this building there were
many people who were engaged in the building of this church
the first person to be involved in the building of this church
was the man who cleared the site of all the rubble and all previous
buildings and the rubbish then there was the architect and the
surveyor that designed the building then there was the bricklayers
then there were the electricians that put in the wiring and the
carpenters that put in the floor and all the seats there are multiple
people engaged in the building of this chapel this place of
worship in any building there are multiple people involved
but in this building this special building, the church, the church
of Jesus Christ, it is one person, one being, and that is the Triune
God who builds this church, who builds the church, the church
of the Living God. I will build my church. And how
did he do that? Why did he do it? How did he
do it? By becoming incarnate, by coming
down onto this earth. Remember how Paul writes to the
Philippians in chapter 2 how the Lord Jesus Christ made himself
of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and
was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as
a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even
the death of the cross he built his church he built it in eternity
when everyone given to Christ was given in covenant bond, he
loved them in eternity, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee, given to Christ
in covenant bond, and he came down to this earth to die for
each and every individual one, and to give his life a ransom
for many, he then calls them by his grace and he brings them to himself as I mentioned
a few moments ago this person, the Lord Jesus Christ is identified
here under a number of titles first of all he is the son of
man he builds the church because he is the son of man the one
who took upon himself frail human flesh centred in all points alike
as we are yet without sin what a mercy it is that our Lord Jesus
Christ is the Son of Man he identifies himself with us he took upon
frail human flesh but then he is described as the Christ the
Son of the Living God he is the Christ not just a Christ but
he is the one the only one he is not one of many the Lord Jesus
as you go on in the Gospels in John 14 the Lord Jesus Christ
says that he alone is the way I am the way the truth and the
life no man cometh unto the Father but by me he is the only saviour
of sinners he is the only saviour that is set forth to bring sinners
to heaven itself what a mercy it is that he builds his church
by being the son of man by being the Christ but this word Christ
means the anointed one he is the anointed one if we turn to
Luke chapter 4 if memory serves me right Yes, he came to the synagogue
in Nazareth and he says that he is anointed. There he stands
in the pulpit in the synagogue of Nazareth and he takes the
book of the prophecy of Isaiah and he reads the words, the spirit
of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me. The Lord
anointed him. or he was anointed by the Spirit
of God when he was baptised in Jordan he was anointed by the
Spirit of God the Spirit of God came upon him as a dove and his
father spoke this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased
but the Lord Jesus Christ goes on to say he is anointed for
a particular purpose first of all to preach the gospel to the
poor do we know something of poverty? not economic poverty
but about spiritual poverty have we been brought to the place
where we have been brought to acknowledge that there is nothing
in us that we can do no good in the sight of God that we are
sinners and that we are wretched and poor and miserable and blind
says the Lord Jesus, I am anointed to preach to such and to declare
the unsearchable riches of the gospel he is anointed to preach
the gospel to the poor he is being sent to heal the broken
hearted have we ever been brought to that place where we are broken
hearted? can see that there is nothing
in ourselves that can save us and that we have a great inability
to save ourselves nothing in my hand I bring simply to thy
cross I cling naked come to thee for dress help us look to thee
for grace foul eye to the fountain fly wash me saviour or I die
then he goes on to say that he is anointed to preach deliverance
to the captives do we not know something of being captive to
the law? have we ever been brought to that place where we are captive
to the law and we find that the law binds us and that we cannot
break free from the chains of Satan that bind us to the law
well says the Lord Jesus in Zechariah chapter 9 that the prisons of
hope are to go forth from the from the prison the bars of the
prison are loose and we're set free because of that which has
been accomplished by the Lord and then he is anointed to bring
recovery of sight to the blind we see once I was blind but now
I see, says one who was healed by literally healed by the Lord
Jesus Christ but have we been brought to see to see our own
state, our natural state our state away from God well if we're
brought to that place we're in a happy place because when we're
brought to see our blindness and I know that's a contradiction
in terms but when we're brought to see that we're spiritually
blind then we're brought also to see the beauty and the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is anointed,
he is the anointed one, and then he is the Son of the Living God. We believe in the Holy Trinity,
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. But does
that imply that the Lord Jesus Christ was born. No, we speak
about the begotten nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. That he
is begotten from all eternity. This is what the Book of Proverbs
says about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of his way. before his works of old I was
set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the earth
was he has neither beginning of days as Paul writes to the
Hebrews saying that the Lord Jesus is a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek that he has neither beginning of days
nor ending of days and so this is what Sir Peter is saying under
the leading and directing of the Spirit of God thou art the
Christ the only Christ the only anointed one, that the Son of
the Living God, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, begotten,
not created, and He is the Eternal Son. He didn't become the Son
of God when He became incarnate. He has always been the Eternal
Son of the Eternal God. And then the the other titles
that are given to the Lord Jesus Christ as the glorious builder
of the church he says that he is the rock, he is the foundation
of the foundation can no man lay say that which has been laid
and this is the stone again back to the book of Psalms Psalm 118
speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ being the the foundation stone the stone
which the builders refused has become the head of the corner
this is the Lord's doing and this is marvellous in our eyes
here is the rejected stone the great foundation stone Paul goes
on in the epistle to the Ephesians about the church being built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ the
chief cornerstone we build upon him we build upon him there is
nowhere else to build the wise man says the Lord Jesus in Matthew
7 he built his house upon a rock he didn't build his house upon
the sand it was the foolish man that built his house upon the
sand and the rain came and the floods came and the foolish man
that built his house upon the sand he says it beat upon that
house and it fell and great was the fall of it how are we building?
how do we build for eternity? are we building upon the rock?
that true rock, that rock that cannot be moved away the psalmist
speaks in Psalm 40 of his experience he says, I waited patiently for
the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry he brought
me up out of a horrible pit out of the mire of clay and set my
feet upon a rock and established my goings upon that rock that
rock is the Lord Jesus Christ and other foundation can no man
lay than that which is laid even the Lord Jesus Christ and so
it is this rock that we build upon and that the Lord Jesus
Christ builds upon himself he builds the church upon himself
and then the final name given to the builder is that he is
Jesus the Christ. He is Jesus the Christ. Remember
how the angel appeared to Joseph and said, Fear not to take unto
thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. He is the Saviour. He is the
One. The Lord Jesus never came to
make salvation possible. The Lord Jesus never came to
put man in a salvable state. The Lord Jesus Christ to be the
Saviour. He does everything. Remember
how He revealed Himself to John? I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End. Oh, if we can grasp that! if
we are brought by the Spirit to grasp that what a mercy it
will be that we will be brought to grasp hold upon the Lord Jesus
Christ Paul exhorts Timothy lay hold on eternal life lay hold
upon Christ lay hold upon Him so this is the builder he is the architect he is the
one who clears away the rubbish from the site He is the one who,
as it were, He is the one that clears the way that has dealt
with our sin. No other atonement can be made except that which
is made by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who laid the bricks,
as it were. He is the one who provides all
the furnishings. He is the one that provides the
power. he is the one who saves and he saves to the uttermost
all who come unto God by him what a mercy it is that we have
a complete salvation it is not a salvation that can be obtained
today and lost tomorrow all that the Father giveth me shall come
unto me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out
so this is the builder we must be very certain about the Lord
Jesus Christ about his being the builder of his church and
the only saviour of sinners Newton goes on in that same hymn that
I quoted a few minutes ago some take him a creature to be Some
take the Lord Jesus to be a creature. Some take him a creature to be
a man or an angel at most. Sure, these have not feelings
like me, nor know themselves wretched and lost. So guilty,
so helpless am I. I does not confide in his blood,
nor on his protection rely, unless I was sure he is God. he is the son of the living God
he is the glorious builder but there is that action he builds
he builds his church he is the one who builds that building
and how does he do it? well he builds it by his death
by paying the ransom for a multitude that no man can number. Paying
the ransom for his church. Ephesians 5 and verse 24, therefore
as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church. and gave himself for it he gives
himself for the church in his death he builds the church by
his resurrection you compare Christianity with the other religions
of this world and they have their prophets and their founders and
their saviours dying but our Lord Jesus Christ died but he
rose again I am he that liveth, he says to John I am he that
liveth who once was dead and behold I am alive for evermore
he builds his church he builds his church one by one calling
each one out of nature's night into the glorious light and liberty
of the gospel what a mercy it is that he calls the sinners
individually, one by one, and they are made willing in the
day of his power, and they are brought one by one to the feet
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone gathered in. When everyone
is gathered in, then the Lord Jesus Christ will return to take
his triumphant church to himself. but there is this question that
we must look at in verse 18 the first part of this verse and
I sent it out Peter and upon this rock I will build my church
there are those who would tell us that Peter is the rock upon
which the church is built some months ago I had a book sent
to me from America I'm a member of a book club in America a Christian
book club and I receive a copy of every book that is published
now this is a reformed Evangelical publishing house and they sent
me one of their latest offerings a commentary on one Peter and
in his introduction the author the minister of a reformed Presbyterian
High Calvinist church said that he wrote that Peter was the rock
upon which the church is built I beg to differ That is Roman
teaching. That is the teaching of the Roman
Church. But take for a moment the supposition that the
Church is built upon Peter. What kind of man is Peter? Would
we be happy with the Church of Christ being built upon one who
denied ever knowing the Lord Jesus Christ? Would we be happy
with the founder of the church as being one who was unable to
save himself. Walked on the water and started
sinking and said, Lord, save me. If we have a church built
upon a person like that, the church is doomed to failure.
but we have a church built upon Christ. On Christ the solid rock
I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, his covenant,
his blood support me in the overwhelming flood. When all around my soul
gives way, he then is all my hope. and stay. Time is hastening
on so we have, in the final place, we have that
glorious future. The gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. We are told that Jesus and his
disciples came to Caesarea Philippi. It was a town right up in the
northeastern part of Galilee, not far from Mount Hermon, where
the Lord Jesus was probably transfigured, possibly a place that the Lord
Jesus Christ took his disciples from time to time. Caesarea Philippi,
having a name like Caesarea Philippi, was obviously a town inhabited,
a colony or something like that, inhabited with Roman soldiers
and it would have been a place of debauchery, it would have
been a place of idolatry, of pagan religion. And so the Lord
Jesus Christ is perhaps describing this area has been the gates
of hell and he is saying to his disciples look around you see
the debauchery see the idolatry see all the pagan religions that
are thereabouts but it is here in this place that I will build
my church I will have my people here and they will stand firm
and they will never prevail against it and we look round about the
world and we see a world that is given over to debauchery we
see a world that is given over to idolatry and false religion
and in this world the Lord Jesus Christ builds his church and
the church has a glorious future why do we know that? because
Christ has promised it The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that
his church will prevail. It perseveres, the church continues. The Lord Jesus Christ will have
his witnesses. He will have his people here
and there, scattered here and there. They are a little flock.
because they gather week by week when the world goes on its pleasure
mad way on that broad road that leads to destruction but the
church those who have been called by
grace they make their way step by step on that narrow path that
leads to heaven they persevere no man having put his hand to
the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God but
those who are called by his grace they persevere, they carry on
looking for that glorious hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ their experience is that of the of the Thessalonians where
Paul says of them he turned to God from idols to serve the living
and true God and to wait for his son from heaven they turned
away from idols they turned away from vanity they turned to the
Lord Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit within their
hearts and so they persevere but not only do they persevere
for it is he that endureth to the end that shall be saved but
not only do they persevere but they are preserved. They're preserved
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember how Jude addresses his
epistle, Jude the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James
to those that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved
in Jesus Christ and called. Notice those three descriptions
that are given of those to whom Jude writes. They are sanctified
by God the Father. That's the first step. That's
the first thing. God the Father has set them apart.
He's set them apart in his love. He's set them apart in his decree. He's set them apart in his choice
of them. and then they are preserved in
Christ Jesus because the preservation is there in the blood of Christ
he preserves them, he calls them and then they are called, they
are called by his grace they are called to the Lord Jesus
Christ and they submit to him they persevere and they are preserved
and then they are presented now unto him says Jude that is
able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only
wise God our saviour with glory and majesty dominion and power
both now and ever amen he presents I've never had the privilege
of going to Buckingham Palace or going in Buckingham Palace
I've never had the privilege of being able to meet the Queen
I doubt that that will ever happen but if that were to happen I
would have to have a sponsor I would have to have someone
to introduce me and present me to the Queen but the Lord willing there will
be a day when I will be presented to someone greater than the Queen I will be presented in glory.
And every child of God will be presented in glory by the Lord
Jesus Christ. Isaiah, I think it is, speaks
of the Lord Jesus with his church and saying, I and the children
which thou hast given me. Everyone, what a glorious salvation
this is. that we are saved not just for
time but we are saved for eternity and we will be presented before
the throne of God on high what a mercy it is now unto Him that
is unto the Lord Jesus Christ now unto Him that is able to
keep you from falling and again it is the Lord Jesus Christ that
keeps us from falling He it is that hedges our way about we
use that phrase I believe it is a scriptural phrase and the
import of that phrase is that the pathway that we are walking
has a hedge of like briars with sharp thorns on either side so
that the animals cannot get through the hedge and we cannot get through
to the animals. We are hedge about. and we are
kept in safety now unto him that he is able to keep you from falling
he prevents us from falling or we might fall into sin but the
Lord will bring us back he will restore us from our backslidings
but he presents us from that eternal form and he presents
us faultless not in ourselves of course but because we're in
Christ Jesus. He it is that is our faultless
one. And we're clothed in the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can we not say with the hymn
writer, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness, my beauty are,
my glorious dress, midst flaming worlds in these arrayed, with
joy shall I lift up my head. So there is a building. the Lord
Jesus Christ. There is the action he will build, and
then there is the building. It is a complete building. There's
a Roman church somewhere, I think it's in Portugal. It's never
been finished. They've been building it and
building it and building it. It's never been finished. Well,
the Church of Christ. It is finished. It is complete.
and everyone that are members of that church, called by God's
grace, will be built into that church. And then there is that
final promise, a glorious future, the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. Oh what a mercy God grant that
we might be included in that building. Remember how the psalmist
speaks, and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted,
and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself, the church
is planted by the Lord Jesus Christ and is made strong in
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord add his blessing to
these few folks. Amen. King's Rockingham, 398. Great rock, all weary sinners may,
when storms of sin distress the soul, you let me rest my weary
head when lightnings blaze and thunders roll. 924. And it's all the When lightning flashed on the
house floor. Within a glass of mysticite, Though his saints in safety dwell,
And what from Jesus shall divide, Not all the rage of earth, Hear the pardon of the sin My
soul beneath thy shade would lie And save the one that took
me in O say does that star spangled banner yet wave O'er
the land of the free and the home of the brave How welcome
are thy shade and streams, How blessed, how sacred, and how
sweet. And the blessing of the Triune
God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, rest, remain and abide with each,
this day and for evermore. Amen.