Turn with me please in your Bibles
to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. We're going to read from verse
13. Matthew chapter 16 and verse 13. When Jesus came into the coasts
of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do
men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some say that
thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremiah, or
one of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. 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. 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. Then charged
he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus
the Christ. Amen. May God bless to us this
reading from his word. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he
came into the world, was welcomed by two old folk. old people at
his birth. We hear of the angels and of
the shepherds and of the wise men that came visiting our Lord
in those early days of his life. But these two often lesser considered
characters perhaps gave our Saviour the best reception of all when
He came into the world. These two old people perhaps
gave the Lord more of an understanding heart and an appreciation of
what was happening than all the others that were there at the
time of the incarnation. In itself, I just want to mention
this. Let us never fail to honor or
respect the elder folk amongst us. Let us always give them that
place that is due to them, because they have often seen things and
experienced things that we might never have to see and experience. There is a place for respect
to those who are older amongst us. Sadly in these days it appears
that once you get old you are expendable and people are moving
increasingly in the direction of not giving the proper place
or honour to those who are older. Indeed, it may be in the years
to come that we see legislation being passed that will severely
compromise the elders amongst us. Let us take it as something
that is of value to the Lord. are these old people amongst
us. They have a wisdom often in spiritual
things simply because of the duration of their experience
and the things that they have learned that many of us who are
younger have not yet entered upon. Two old folk that welcomed
the Lord Jesus Christ at his birth. Simeon, was one of these
two and Anna was the other. We read about them in the book
of Luke. Luke gives us much information
that isn't available in the other Gospels concerning the early
days of our Lord. Of Simeon it is said by Luke
that he was waiting Simeon was waiting for the consolation of
Israel. And Simeon uttered those wonderful
words when the Lord Jesus Christ was taken by his mother into
the temple, probably only about six weeks after his birth. He
was taken to Jerusalem, into the temple, there that the young
couple might fulfill the obligations that were due for the birth of
the Lord, thanking the Lord for the birth of their child. And
Simeon, was there in the temple and he held the young child,
maybe only six weeks old. And he said, mine eyes have seen
thy salvation. He praised God because at the
end of his life, in his old age, he was able to testify that this
little child that had been placed in his arms was that consolation
for which he had waited all his long life. Anna, was also in
the temple. We know a little bit about Anna,
a little bit about her background, her age and her experiences in
life. It seems that she had married
a man and very quickly after the marriage her husband was
taken from her and she had been a widow for many, many years.
But she had a burden in her soul after the things of God. And we are told that Anna ministered
to them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. So here's a little
coterie of people, a little group of people in Jerusalem. Shown to us in the person of
Simeon and Anna. who were waiting expectantly
to see the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, revealed amongst men. They didn't
know when it was going to happen. Year after year after year they
waited, hoping, trusting that the Lord would reveal His Christ
to the world. These phrases that we are given
with respect to Simeon and Anna, the consolation of Israel as
a name, a title of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the redemption in
Jerusalem are beautiful messianic phrases, titles. It reminds us
about the Old Testament saints' understanding about the purposes
of God. Here were men and women who were
raised and saturated with the Old Testament prophecies, who
knew nothing about the New Testament doctrine that the Lord Jesus
Christ himself would bring to its fullness in the revelation
which he brought and commit to his disciples, his apostles,
that they might then in turn go out and preach to the church. Here was a people, man and a
woman, that were waiting for the Lord to be revealed. And I think it's a wonderful
end-of-life testimony that we see being spoken of in both of
these people's lives. They did not have many days,
far less years, left in their life. They were at the end of
their life. Some here are just at the beginning
of their life. Others we would think perhaps
have many years left. Others we know, because of the
way in which our bodies are, have not too long left on this
scene of time. And here is a beautiful, beautiful
end-of-life testimony. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Friends, These people saw the
Lord Jesus Christ and they understood that in the Lord, in the Saviour
was that salvation which they desired and sought. And ultimately
it was all that mattered. They had experienced much, they
had undergone much, they had lived long in this world. But
what was important to them above all else was that they might
see that consolation of Israel. They might see that Redeemer
in Jerusalem and the Lord granted them their wish. What a beautiful
picture that is. Let me tell you something. The
people that came up to Jerusalem and went to the temple, the vast
majority, I suggest to you, would have looked at these two old
folk. and they would have thought they were peculiar. They would
have looked at them and they would have thought that they
were a bit quirky, a little bit odd, wandering around the temple
precincts, seemingly spending all day there, chatting to one
another in whispered tones, going about a business which seemed
to be meaningless, doing things that, to all intents and purposes,
seemed worthless. And yet, as heaven looked down
upon Jerusalem, that so-called holy city, it was these individuals
for whom the whole of heaven was placing its attention on. It was these individuals who
merited the blessings from God Himself. A couple of old folk
We might look superficially upon people, and we might wrongly
conclude that he's just a troubled man, or she's just a confused
woman, or maybe there's something a little bit odd and quirky about
that individual, but the reason was that their minds were focused
on something else entirely, something more important. They were waiting
for the revelation of the Messiah. Spiritual things will never be
understood by the men and women of this world. Spiritual things
are received from on high and those who are spiritually enlivened,
spiritually born again, will always be an enigma. to those
who are of the world, worldly, to those who are preoccupied
with the flesh. We will be a strange and peculiar
people. I'm struck with what Simeon said
to Mary, the mother of Jesus, when she presented the child
in the temple. Listen to what was said in Luke
chapter 2 verse 34 with respect to this little baby that had
been placed in Simeon's arms. Simeon says, Behold, this child
is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for
a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce
through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts
may be revealed. Now I'm going to pass over quickly
the idea of the sword that pierced Mary's soul because I don't want
to dwell too much upon that this morning. There are other things
that I want to say. But here was a woman who knew
much sorrow in her life for the sake of her children or her child. Here was a woman that experienced
much because of sin in this world and the way that that sin unfolded
in the life of her son. Mary was a woman who knew bitterness
and hardship amid all the blessings that she had as the blessed mother
of the Saviour. Much sorrow might be undergone
and experienced by a mother in this world for the sake of their
children. And Mary is a testimony to that
also. Even those who were around the
Lord Jesus Christ knew what it was to have a sword in their
own soul. But let's pass over that because
I want to think about what Simeon said with respect to the Lord
at this time. He said, this child is set for
the fall and rising again of many in Israel. This child, he's
got a baby in his arms, just a couple of months old at best. He's got a baby in his arms and
he looks at that child. What can you tell from looking
at a baby? He said, this child is set for the fall and rising
of many in Israel. He was speaking prophetically.
This was a revelation that he had from God concerning the child
that he held in his arms. And here's the point that he
was making. The Lord Jesus Christ cannot, never could, never will
be, it is an impossibility that the men and women of this world
will be able to ignore the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an impossibility
because He is a rock of offense. He stands as God's representative
here upon earth, as at the same time an accuser and a saviour. Men know that they have a God
to answer to. They know that there is an appointed
time of judgement. and they know that there is a
wrath to flee and yet they will not come to Christ. He will not be ignored and he
stands as one who will be set for the fall and the rising again
of many. People imagine that they can
live without reference to the Lord Jesus Christ but in truth
They fall and they rise according to His mercy and according to
His judgment. He is the line by which all men
and women in this world are measured. He is the watershed. He is the
one who will decide the eternal place of men and women in this
world. The question is not How did I
live? The question is not, what did
I do? The question is, what did you
do with Christ? What think ye of Christ? He would be a sign that would
be spoken against. He was set for the rise and fall
of many. He was a sign that would be spoken
against. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's
way of salvation. He is the only way of salvation. In John 14, verse 6, we read
that verse. It's a well-known verse. I am
the way, saith the Lord Jesus, the truth and the life. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me. It's an exclusive way. It's
a narrow path. He is that watershed. He is that
way of access and approach. There is no other. Yet from the
very start, the enemies of the Lord Jesus labored against Him,
fought against Him, railed against Him, spoke against Him. We can
start at the very beginning of the Lord's life and we can think
of Herod. Herod the king mobilizing his
guards, his soldiers, his troops to go and to slay the children
there in Israel in order that he might prevent the life of
Christ throughout his life. We're told that the Lord Jesus
Christ was safeguarded in those years from his infancy until
his thirties. He was safeguarded against illnesses,
against diseases, against the opposition of men and the troubles
of this world and the attacks of Satan and the demonic hordes.
He was protected because he had a work to do. He had a labor
to fulfill. And the Lord Jesus Christ, when
he was revealed in his ministry at the age of 30, he was immediately
opposed by those of the religious order of his time. It is the way of this world that
they will always be opposing the Lord Jesus Christ, always
contradicting the truth. The Lord Himself said to Nicodemus,
ye receive not our witness. You won't receive the things
that we've come to say, the things that we've come to reveal. And it's not a new thing if men
will not hear the Gospel. The Bible tells us the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God because
they are spiritually discerned. So the Gospel was designed for
the purpose that, as Simeon says, the thoughts of many hearts may
be revealed. That again, He was set for the
rise and fall of many. He was a sign that would be spoken
against and that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Jeremiah tells us that the heart
of man is deceitful and desperately wicked. It's even more wicked
than we know. Who can know it, he says? It's
more wicked than we even appreciate. And the deceitful hearts of men
are revealed in very many ways. Sin, violence, theft, lust, fraud,
lies, idolatry, but none more grievous than rejecting
the Lord Jesus Christ as God's only way of salvation. An idolater can go to heaven.
A lustful man can go to heaven. A liar and a thief can go to
heaven. But those who reject the Lord
Jesus Christ are condemning themselves to hell for all eternity. The deceitful heart of man The
Jews at the time of the Lord Jesus Christ cried out, away
with him, away with him, crucify him. He was an abomination to
them, their whole lives detested that which he represented. Again we are told of him it was
said, we will not have this man to reign over us. You take that
line, You're only joining together with a whole history of people
that have taken exactly the same position. but it is those who
hear the voice of God, that still small voice, it is those who
are given that gift of faith by which they seek after these
spiritual things and learn of the Lord Jesus Christ. They and
they alone find that way of salvation, that door that is Christ opened
to them as a way of access into the presence of God. Simeon predicted
that the Lord Jesus Christ would be a watershed in history, and
most will reject the things that are said of him. There was a
question asked by Pilate at the judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ
towards the end of his life, and it is a question which must
be answered personally by each of us who hear the Gospel. What
shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ? What's your answer
to that question? What shall I do with Jesus who
is called Christ? In Matthew chapter 16, the passage
that we read together, the Lord Jesus Christ himself asks the
question of the disciples. In verse 13 he says, Whom do
men say that I the Son of Man am? Now the Lord Jesus Christ
was certainly the Son of Man. It's a title that he takes and
he employs often. It speaks of his humanity and
it speaks of the fact that he had come into the world as a
human, in human flesh. He took our part. He became a
representative man for men. And it is an Old Testament name
that he employed for that purpose. It's used prophetically of him
in Psalm 80 where he is described as the man of God's right hand. Now certainly the Lord Jesus
Christ is the man of God's right hand today because he is seated
at the right hand of the Father in heaven. But that's not the
meaning that it has here in Psalm 80. The meaning in Psalm 80 is
not that the Lord is seated having accomplished his purpose. But
we would use the phrase wouldn't we? We would say that he was
his right hand man. Now what does that mean? What
does it mean if somebody is the right hand man of somebody else? Well it means that they're the
person that gets things done. They're the person that can be
relied upon. They're the person that goes
out and does the will of the person. whose servant or whose
representative they are. And that's the sense in which
the psalmist prophetically calls the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of Man, the right hand man of God. It was Christ who came into
this world as a man in order to fulfill the will of the Father,
to do that which was set before Him in the salvation of the church,
the salvation of the elect, the gathering in of the Lord's sheep. What is the prevailing opinion
of the Lord in the world? Well, some people think about
the Lord as He's revealed in Scripture, and just in the same
way as the men and women of the age in which Christ lived, according
to the disciples and the things that they had heard said of Him,
Just in the same way some people said, you know what we think
about when we think about the Lord? We think about His miracles. We think about His works. We
think about the things that He did. It's true that nobody could doubt
that the Lord Jesus Christ was special. The fact that we're
speaking about him here today, 2000 years later, proves that
he was something else. He was something special. But
why was he special? Some say that he's John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was a man who exercised a significant and important
ministry and he had been taken and he had been slain for the
ministry that he fulfilled. Some said that this was John
the Baptist risen again from the dead. Others said, no, it's
one of the Old Testament prophets. Perhaps it's Elijah. Because isn't it the case that
Malachi speaks of Elijah coming before the Messiah comes? If we had been able to listen
in to that crowd of people that the disciples heard speaking,
we would have heard speculation as to who the Lord Jesus Christ
was. Imagination. Supposition. Because everybody had an opinion
about who the Lord was. Not much changed there then,
is there? That's familiar to us. Everyone's got an opinion.
You know, you get 10 people in a room, 10 different opinions
as to who the Lord Jesus Christ is. But you see, there's no need
for imagination or supposition because the Lord has told us
exactly who He is. Now I don't imagine for a moment
that the Lord's purpose in asking this question was to learn what
it was people were saying about Him. I don't think that He was
trying to glean information from His disciples. He knew men. He knew the hearts of men. And
He knew their spiritual ignorance. He knew that they would struggle
to understand who He was, what He was doing. He knew that true
knowledge of the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ can only
come from heaven. It is a God-given gift. Here we're back to the things
that we've been speaking about before. The fact that things
of the flesh are limited to things of the flesh. And things of the
Spirit teach us spiritual things. Faith is spiritual. and it is
inspired from outside of us and it is heavenly bestowed. Now, the Lord asked the disciples
this question, who do men say that I am? Because he was drawing
forth from them a public testimony of what they understood his work
and person to be. In Matthew 16.15 he says, Whom
say ye that I am? Now it's obviously important
that the Lord does this. He's doing it for a reason. He
initiated this conversation. He initiated it not for information
but to get this public testimony from the disciples. He obviously
thought it was important that the disciples be brought to this
point where they themselves declared who it was that they understood
Christ to be. It seems as if he felt it was
needful for the disciples to confirm their understanding of
him. Then and now, I'm sure that that's
the case. I believe it to be important
that the people of God take opportunity. to remind themselves as to the
identity of the Lord Jesus, who He is, and for us to confirm
it to one another. The Lord's people acknowledge
that Jesus Christ is their Saviour. Why is that? Why is it important
that we do that? Why is it important that we testify
to His true identity? Why is it important that we speak
and share with one another, we fellowship together as it were,
we share publicly with one another the identity of the Lord Jesus
Christ? It is because there are benefits
and blessings to be had in that public declaration. Blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. You're blessed to know that.
It's a blessing that is to be had in sharing these things together,
in coming together and fellowshipping in these things together. Now
a man can tell me that he can worship out in his canoe in the
middle of the lake. because he can see the beauty
of God around about him and it speaks to him of creation and
the wonders of God's handiwork. Well, there's a sense in which
that's true. But he can't worship in this
way. He can't worship with a public
declaration. He can't worship with a united
testimony of the things that we have seen and heard concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why it's important
that we come together and we worship together and we bear
witness together of who the Lord Jesus Christ is. We need to be
reminded of our union together with Him. It needs to be brought
to our mind. Week by week it needs to be brought
to mind. You can't just do this once or
twice a year and imagine that that's a living relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ or that's a living union with the
body of Christ. We are a church, we are a congregation,
we are a flock. These words that are used to
describe the people of God are collective words. And that collection,
that building that is being built, that temple that is being fitly
put together is a union of individuals brought together in order to
testify as to what the Lord has done in their lives. That's where
the blessing was to be found. The blessing came from above
and it is witnessed to and attested as the people of God gather together
and share in these things. Let me put this simply in one
sentence. Go to church. Be there where
the Lord Jesus Christ is lifted up. That's what's important. And be ready to share a word
of comfort and help with one another because that's important. It's important for you and it's
important for those that you gather with. We need to be comforted
in the power and the glory and the accomplishments and the dominion
and power of the Savior Jesus Christ. We need to be reminded
of these things and to realize that we've moved into the presence
of Almighty God when we come together. That's what being able
to testify as to who the person of Christ is. and to be conscious
of the privileges that we possess as His blood-bought people. The
privileges of being a son and a daughter of God, the privilege
of being united together with the Lord Jesus Christ, heirs
and joint heirs with Him, brethren together Brothers and sisters
sharing together as one family with one Father. These are the
privileges of the family gathered together. This is what Peter
says in response to the question. Simon Peter answered and said,
verse 16, Matthew 16, 16. Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. What a statement
for one man to make of another man. What a statement of one
person to make of another person. Who do you say that I am? Thou
art the Christ. that is thou art the Messiah.
You're the one that has been prophesied. You're the one that's
been looked for. You're the one that's been hoped
for. The name Christ signifies anointed of Jehovah. The one that has been given,
the right hand man. The one that has been given the
task. The one that has been given the delegated authority. anointed, appointed, given this
role in the covenant of grace, the covenant of peace to go and
fulfill those things that are necessary and required for the
salvation and deliverance of the church. It is the same word as Messiah. Christ is the same word as Messiah. And it specifically and particularly
means the union of both the divine and the human in one person. So when we say Jesus Christ,
we are saying something extremely significant. When we say the
Lord Jesus Christ, we are saying something important. Christ is
the Messiah, the One who is the union of God and man for the
salvation of His people. He is Jesus. Call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from His sins. So, Jesus Christ
means the Saviour who came as a man from heaven. When we say
Lord, we are acknowledging our subjection to that way which
he has revealed. So let us not say the Lord Jesus
Christ flippantly. The meaning in that name is so
profound and significant that it ought to cause us even to
tremble when we speak it. Such is the magnitude and import
of that name. That's why we get offended when
people say, for Christ's sake, or Jesus Christ. It hurts us. It hurts us in our
hearts and in our souls to hear our Lord's name taken in vain
by ignorant men and women. Such is the importance of that
holy title. Whom do you say that I am? Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the Living God. There are many, many names given
to the Lord Jesus Christ in Scripture. He is called the Way. He is called
the Truth. He is called the Water of Life.
He is called the Branch. He is called the Vine. He's called
the Good Shepherd. He's called the Rock. He's called
the Door. He's called the Bridegroom. He
is the Bright and Morning Star. He is the Lord, our Righteousness. And He is what Simeon said He
was. The Consolation of Israel. The Consolation of that Spiritual
People of God. Thy Salvation. Now all these
names are from time to time a particular blessing to the church, a particular
blessing to the Lord's people. We might take an example for
example and say that the name The Rock given to Christ speaks
to us of the solidity, the foundation that we can base our lives upon. or if we think of him as the
vine, we think of him as that plant of renown in which the
church is grafted in, so that the fruitfulness of the church
and the people of the church is drawn from the health the
vitality of the vine. These are pictures which can
be, each one opened up to exemplify something of the wonder of the
Lord Jesus Christ. But none, none, I suggest to
you, are as wonderful or as significant as that beautiful and yet simple
name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou art the Christ, the God-man,
anointed to save His people. And it's a wonderful thing to
be able to read Scripture with an eye of faith and see the significance
of those truths that are revealed to us there. To discover God's
purpose of grace in the pages of this book for the good of
our souls. When we do that, we read scripture
and we understand what God has done. And we understand the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it thrills our souls. And
it encourages and comforts us. Sovereign grace is not a hidden
doctrine. It's on every page of this book.
And those who cannot see it or those who deny it betray the
fact that they have no spiritual insight or discernment. The Saviour
declares to Peter and to his disciples, Blessed art thou Simon
bar Jonah. Why? Because flesh and blood
hasn't revealed this to you. You didn't get this down at the
temple. You didn't get this at the synagogue. It wasn't one
of the Jewish leaders that taught you this. This has been revealed
to you from heaven. My Father in heaven gave you
this understanding. Now, if eternal life is knowing
the Lord Jesus Christ. Flesh and blood could not reveal
the glorious truth of the Lord's identity, only the Father which
is in heaven. And if eternal life is knowing
Christ, that's what John says, John 17. This is eternal life
that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. And if none but God can reveal
that to an individual, then it is only those to whom it has
been revealed that will know Him and will have eternal life. That's the sovereign glory of
God revealed right there in this declaration of the true identity
of the Saviour. There is a blessing which comes,
blessed art thou Simon Barjona, there is a blessing that comes
in those who are called into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus
Christ. If you are one of the Lord's
people this morning, You are blessed. You're blessed. You're a happy man. You're a
happy woman. Yes, I know that it's Monday
morning tomorrow and you've got to get up and you've got to go
once again. And maybe, maybe you don't feel
happy all the time, but you're a blessed individual. You have
such riches. that this world could never grasp
the true depth and glory of your state. A blessed man, why are
you blessed? You're blessed because you know
Christ, whom to know is life eternal. You're blessed because
God the Father has held you in His hand in that eternal elective
love that He has towards you. You were loved before time. You
as an individual, if you know the Lord Jesus, you were loved
by God Himself in eternal ages. Mean little old you. Isn't that an amazing thought,
a blessed thing to contemplate? Blessed of God, blessed of God
the Holy Spirit who comes and ministers to our hearts and our
souls. Blessed with a visitation of
the divine power, a regenerating power, an enlivening power, such
as those that were dead in trespasses and sins are brought to newness
of life. blessed to have been redeemed
by the Lord Jesus Christ as he hung upon the cross and shed
his blood for his people. They tell us that the Lord Jesus
Christ died for everyone, well then where is the value of that
blood that was shed if everyone is to be saved? But here we discover
the true value. It is in the application of that
blood, specifically, distinctively, individually to those who are
predestinated by God, elected by God, regenerated by the Holy
Spirit, and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The great
triune God in union, delivering and saving His people. What greater
blessing could there be? The flesh profiteth nothing. It is the spirit that quickeneth,
says John. The flesh profiteth nothing.
The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are
life. Verse 18 says, I say unto you
also that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my
church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The Roman Catholic Church make a big mistake at this point.
They imagine that the reference here is to Peter, that he is
the rock, that he is the foundation of their religious system. That's
not what the Lord Jesus is saying at all. It is not Peter but Christ
who is the rock upon which his true spiritual body, the church,
is founded. Isaiah 28 verse 16 says, Thus
saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion, that is the church,
for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation. These are all other biblical
names of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that is that rock
and foundation. And the gates of hell will not
prevail against that rock and the building that is built upon
it. I have a friend in Northern Ireland
who pointed out to me recently something which I'd never seen
before and I think it's interesting and I'll leave it with you. The gates of hell is plural. It's the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it. The gates of hell. There are
many ways and many places in which the reprobate will fall
into hell. Many ways. You go down that road
today and get whacked at the T-junction at the bottom of the
hill. That's a gate of hell. That's a gate in which men and
women fall into hell. You can get a cancer in your
stomach. You can get a pain in your heart. You can get any number
of ways in which this body ultimately gives up. They're all gates of
hell. There are gates of hell gaping
all around us this morning. Who knows what a day will bring?
Gates of hell. But there is one gate, the Lord
Jesus Christ who is the way of salvation. He preserves and He
upholds His people. And the gates of hell cannot
prevail against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. They cannot
prevail. The Lord Jesus Christ has appointed
the day of His people's death. And they know that they have
confidence in Him because of who He is, the way, the truth,
and their life, their spiritual life. They have passed from death
to life. They died in the Lord Jesus Christ
when He died. They are raised in newness of
life in the resurrection of their Saviour. What is the reference to the
keys of the kingdom? Things bound and things loosed.
Some people say that it's the prayers of the saints. Some people
talk about the doctrine of the gospel. I think It's nice to
understand these things that are bound and these things that
are loosed in the context of our New Testament. Doctrine and
preaching and priority over the shadows that are past. This again
speaks of these covenantal blessings that we have as the people of
God. The old things, they were shadows. And now we have moved into a
reality which is the relationship that we have with the Lord Jesus
Christ. The fact that it is New Testament
doctrine that takes superiority and priority over the revelation
of the things of God. There are still those that want
to harken back to the old ways, to living in certain ways, dressing
in certain forms, eating certain foods, doing certain things.
That's not our priority anymore. But those things that have been
bound and loosed are those things which the Apostles teach us of
the way of life and the ways of Christ's walk for us. There
is a new dawn breaking. The old dispensation had passed
and the Apostles' doctrine was now the foundation upon which
the Church was built as Christ is the cornerstone. Acts 2.42
says, They, that is the church, continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and
in prayers. Matthew 16.20 says this in conclusion,
Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man
that he was Jesus the Christ. A strange Why would Jesus draw
this testimony from his people and then say, now don't tell
anybody? For the time being, the disciples
had to hold that revelation in secret. The time for the open
declaration would come. they would soon have the opportunity
to be taught more of the Lord and to see that which Christ
was revealing in its entirety. Christ would be dead and raised
again and ascended into heaven and then they would be sent forth
with the message and the ministry and the preaching of the true
identity of the Lord Jesus Christ to the salvation of the multitudes
who would come from every nation and every tribe, every people,
every language. And such are we today. We are those who have been blessed
by the preaching of these apostles as they went forth taking this
word of the revelation of the identity of Christ with them.
And even here the sovereign power and purpose of God is seen. His
timing is right. A gradual revelation to his disciples
Soon the Lord would begin explaining to them here in Matthew's Gospel
about His death upon the cross and what it would signify and
mean. We are privileged to hear this
message freely preached today in its entirety. We are a blessed
people that in the providence of God, He has sent ministers
amongst us. First those disciples, then those
faithful men that were charged with the preaching of the Gospel.
We are blessed, we are privileged to have that message conveyed
to us in these days. with the freedom and the ease
with which we hear it, let us never take these blessings for
granted. He is still hidden in some nations
of the world, in many churches, and in innumerable hearts, He
is still hidden. How blessed we are, those of
us to whom these things have been graciously revealed. God
grant us that grace to believe the things that we have seen
and heard and trust in him alone. Amen.