True (Matthew 16:13-19)
Some time ago while my wife and I were traveling, we attended a church in the city we were visiting. It was an evangelical church with a worship service familiar to many of us. But when the service ended, just as we were getting ready to leave, all the attendees were asked to stay back. Then, the ushers began handing out questionnaires to everyone as part of a survey the church was doing to ask people what they wanted. For example, what sort of ministries and programmes, what kind of songs and sermons, what meeting times, what kind of church-going experience, etc. There may not be anything wrong with a survey, but I couldn’t help wondering: Is church just about giving people what they want?
What sort of church do we want? A church with good childcare, an exciting youth ministry, intimate small groups, a variety of programmes and ministries that cater to different people. A church with music we know and like. But what if our wants and preferences pull us in different directions? Churches can so easily splinter into a number of special interest groups, eg. youth vs. seniors, traditional vs. contemporary, my group vs. your group.
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
At the end of the day, do I just want a church that suits me, that meets my needs? How might we be selfish and self-centred in our thinking about the church? In “Life Together”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book about Christian community, he sounds this warning: “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community.” If we make the church all about what you or I want, then we might end up tearing the church apart.
Jesus is the Christ who builds His church on the true gospel.
So, our focus should not be on the church we want but on the church Jesus wants. We’ll close the year and begin 2024 with a three-sermon series entitled Ekklesia: The Church Jesus Wants. Interestingly, Jesus mentions the church (Greek = ekklesia) only three times in the Gospels—all in Matthew’s Gospel (once in Matthew 16 and twice in Matthew 18). This doesn’t mean the church is unimportant. It’s probably because Jesus understands His disciples cannot take in too much at this point. So, we should pay even close attention to what Jesus does say about the church.
Jesus is the Christ who builds His church on the true gospel. We’ll think about this more in four points:
The church’s builder
The church’s foundation
The church’s authority
The church’s victory.
The church’s builder
Jesus says, “I will build my church” (Matt 16:18b). He is the church’s builder. But who is Jesus? His identity is the focus of our passage, which marks a major turning point in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is wrapping up His ministry in Galilee, the northern part of Israel. Soon, He will head southwards towards Jerusalem, where He will be crucified. Jesus is facing growing opposition from the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were the religious teachers and leaders of the day. They refused to believe Jesus. He warns His disciples to “beware… the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt 16:12).
So, the spotlight is on Jesus’ identity. When Jesus enters the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt 16:13) Caesarea Philippi was a largely non-Jewish, Gentile city named in honour of Caesar, the Roman emperor. This shows Jesus’ identity matters not only for the Jews but also for us, Gentiles. Jesus is the true King of the nations, not Caesar. Daniel 7 mentions how “one like a son of man” receives from God an everlasting kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. Is Jesus our King?
What are people saying about Jesus? The general consensus seems to be that he is “one of the prophets” (Matt 16:14). Some think Elijah, because of the Old Testament prophecy in Malachi that Elijah would come before the day of the LORD. Others think Jeremiah, who also preached about judgement and was rejected. Some, like Herod, think Jesus is John the Baptist come back to life.
Do we have the full picture about Jesus? Read the Bible to get to know who Jesus is.
There are still many different ideas about Jesus today. Some think He is merely a good moral teacher. Some think He is just a human prophet. Friends, do we have the full picture about Jesus? Read the Bible to get to know who Jesus is. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a good place to start. Resolve to read through all the Gospels at least once in 2024.
Don’t let the noise of conflicting ideas about Jesus distract us from the one question that matters most: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15) “You” here is plural—Jesus is directing the question to His disciples. The “you” is also emphasised: “You all, who do you say that I am?” Regardless of what others think, what do you think about Jesus?
Speaking on behalf of the disciples, Peter replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt 16:16) Let’s unpack this. Jesus is the Christ, which means He is the Messiah whom God promised in the Old Testament to send to save His people. The Christ comes from the line of Abraham and David. As we’ve heard over Christmas, Jesus is this promised King. Matthew’s Gospel begins with a genealogy showing how Jesus is son of Abraham and son of David. Indeed, the whole of Matthew revolves around Jesus’ identity.
More than that, Jesus is the Son of God — He has a special relationship with the Heavenly Father. Jesus has been chosen and set apart to do God’s will. Jesus is the one and only Son — He is equal with the Father, fully God yet also fully man. Jesus is the Son of the living God. Although He will suffer and die, Jesus will be raised from the grave by the living God.
Jesus is the Son of God. … This Jesus is the King we need, for He has come to save us from our sins.
This Jesus is the King we need, for He has come to save us from our sins. We have all sinned against God. Instead of worshiping our Creator, we have turned away from God to live for ourselves. The Bible calls this sin, which deserves God’s judgement. But God, in His grace and mercy, has sent His Son to save guilty, undeserving sinners like us. Jesus died to bear God’s judgement in the place of sinners, so that we can be forgiven and brought back to God if we repent and believe in Jesus. He was resurrected in victory over sin and death, that we might receive eternal life in Christ.
Do we personally know this Jesus? How are we trusting in Him alone to save us? True blessing can only be found in Christ alone: Jesus answered Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!” (Matt 16:17a) This is the culmination of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. The poor in spirit receive rich spiritual blessings in Christ. Jesus comforts those who mourn. He exalts the meek. He satisfies those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Peter did not figure out the truth about Jesus on his own. Jesus says to him, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (Matt 16:17b)”. Salvation is by God’s grace alone, so that no one may boast. We cannot come to Jesus unless the Father draws us. Apart from God, we will still be spiritually dead and blind. It is God who takes the initiative, giving us the gift of faith. He makes us alive in Christ. Believing the gospel ought to kill our pride.
Jesus is the church’s builder. He alone is the source of life. God saves and gathers us through His Son. The church exists only by the grace of God.
This is the reason why Jesus is the church’s builder. He alone is the source of life. God saves and gathers us through His Son. The church exists only by the grace of God. This should humble us and move our hearts to praise and thanksgiving. Therefore, we must decrease; Jesus must increase. This is not my church or your church. It’s Jesus’ church.
So, be encouraged that Jesus will build His church. We don’t have to rely on man-made methods or clever strategies. Rather, let’s strive to be faithful with the ordinary means of grace that God has entrusted to us. Proclaim God’s word. Pray. Be patient. We plant and water, but only God gives the growth. Trust Jesus to build His church.
The church’s foundation
Jesus affirms Peter’s profession of faith: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matt 16:18a). There is a play on words. In Greek, “Peter” means rock. Jesus is saying He will build His church on Peter, the rock. What does it mean that Peter is the church’s foundation?
Roman Catholics take this to mean that Peter is given special authority. And so, because Peter is believed to have led the church in Rome at some point, the subsequent bishops of Rome who follow Peter are said to have special authority to rule as popes over the church. But we should reject this interpretation because there is nothing in the text that supports the papacy or papal succession.
Rather, Peter is the church’s foundation in this sense: Peter has made a right confession of the truth about Jesus. As one of the apostles, who were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, Peter is to proclaim this true gospel he has just professed. Jesus will build His church on Peter and the other apostles as they rightly confess who Jesus is. Therefore, Paul says the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph 2:20).
The church is founded on true disciples of Christ confessing the true gospel. The continuity of our witness as a church depends on us remaining faithful to the true gospel.
The apostles and the gospel they confess is the church’s foundation. This apostolic gospel is the bedrock on which the church is built. There is nothing inherent in Peter that entitles him to some special position. In fact, after this, Peter is rebuked for having a wrong understanding of Jesus’ death. Jesus’ promise to build His church is not a blank cheque that gives us licence to do whatever we want. The church is founded on true disciples of Christ confessing the true gospel. The continuity of our witness as a church depends on us remaining faithful to the true gospel. If we forsake the gospel, then Jesus has every right to remove our witness.
The church is a people created by the gospel. Jesus saves sinners and gathers them to be His disciples who confess the true gospel. This is why we have a membership class, called Church Matters, and conduct membership interviews (elder chats) for those joining the church. The elders want to hear what you believe about Jesus, how God has led you to believe the gospel, and how you are living as a follower of Jesus. When we receive a person into membership, we are affirming their profession of faith, that they believe and live according to the true gospel. To be a church member means to have a credible profession of faith. It matters what we believe and how we live.
The church is central to God’s plan. Therefore, the church should be central to our lives as God’s people.
The church is central to God’s plan. Therefore, the church should be central to our lives as God’s people. The church is a gospel community comprising followers of Jesus who believe and confess the apostolic gospel. We live this out by being baptised into the body of Christ, by regularly hearing and obeying God’s word, and by sharing in the Lord’s Supper in regular fellowship with other Christians. Make church a priority in 2024.
Members of GBC, we are to grow and guard the gospel together. What does this look like in practice? We grow the gospel by making disciples together. We pray for and support personal evangelism and missions. We disciple one another one another to grow in Christ. We guard the gospel by deepening our understanding of God’s truth. Knowing the gospel well enables us to discern true from false, right from wrong. We guard the gospel by practising church discipline, calling one another to repent when we disobey God and our lives are inconsistent with the gospel. We guard the gospel by appointing godly leaders whose lives and teaching are faithful to God’s truth.
The church’s authority
Jesus builds His church on the foundation of the true, apostolic gospel. Next, Jesus entrusts His authority to Peter, who represents the disciples: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matt 16:19)”
Keys are used to lock or unlock doors, to either prevent or allow entry. For example, in Revelation 3, Jesus is described as the one who “has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. (Rev 3:7b)” Another example: Jesus rebukes those who were supposedly experts in religious law: “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering. (Lk 11:52)”
Hence, the keys of the kingdom refer to the authority Jesus gives Peter to either allow or disallow entry into God’s kingdom. Peter is a true confessor who has made a right confession of the true gospel. He is to exercise this authority by faithfully proclaiming the gospel. Those who repent and believe the gospel can enter God’s kingdom. Those who reject it cannot. This is put into practice in Acts 2, where Peter preaches the gospel during Pentecost. He says, with Jesus’ authority, to those convicted of sin, “Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38) ” Then, those who believed the gospel were baptised and added to the church (Acts 2:41).
“Binding and loosing” was a figure of speech used by Rabbis to describe what Scripture permits or forbids. To bind could mean to restrict; to loose could mean to un-restrict. Here, Jesus applies this language to the use of the keys of the kingdom. The keys are used through the right preaching of the gospel, as well as baptising and admitting into church membership those who believe the gospel.
This does not mean Peter and the apostles have absolute authority to grant salvation, or that their binding and loosing somehow forces heaven’s hand. Some of our Bibles have a margin note that provides a more literal translation: “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” The apostles’ ministry on earth reflects what is already true in heaven. So, Peter is to bind and loose according to God’s will, which He has revealed in His word. Suppose you entrust me with powers of attorney in a legal matter. I have authority, but only to act on your behalf. If I’m a good steward of this authority, I should do your will. My actions should reflect your will. They do not change your will.
In other words, Peter and the apostles have no authority to change anyone’s eternal destiny. Rather, when they faithfully proclaim the gospel and people respond with repentance and faith, Peter and the apostles are simply recognising and affirming those whom Jesus has already saved. Peter, as a faithful confessor of the true gospel, is given authority to declare who are other faithful confessors of the true gospel.
But now that the apostles are no longer with us, who exercises the authority of the keys? It doesn’t say in our text, but if you turn to Matthew 18, the same language of binding and loosing is applied to the church concerning church discipline: “Tell it to the church… whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 18:17-18)
Jesus has entrusted the church with the authority to affirm what is a true gospel confession and who is a gospel confessor.
Jesus has entrusted the church with the authority to affirm what is a true gospel confession and who is a gospel confessor. In practice, this means authority to admit or remove from church membership. The church admits into membership those who believe the gospel and are baptised upon their profession of faith in Christ. The church disciplines those who persist in unrepentant sin, whose lives are inconsistent with their profession of faith.
Who in the local church is entrusted with such authority? Jesus says in Matthew 18, “Tell it to the church”—not just the leaders or a particular sub-group of the church, but the members of the church, the gathered assembly of believers. Jesus entrusts us, as fellow members of this local church, with the power of the keys—the authority to affirm what is the true gospel and who is a believer of the true gospel.
What does this look like in practice? For example, we affirm the true gospel by holding fast to biblical truth and rejecting false teaching. We affirm that someone is a gospel believer when we baptise them and admit them into church membership. Using the keys of the kingdom is a key part of how we obey the Great Commission and make disciples together. Where do the elders fit in? We, as elders, are responsible for faithfully preaching, teaching, and leading the members of GBC to be good stewards of the keys according to God’s word.
We all have a job to do in exercising the keys of the kingdom. We are all responsible for the health of this local church, to ensure that GBC continues to faithfully display the gospel.
Fellow members of GBC, we all have a job to do in exercising the keys of the kingdom. We are all responsible for the health of this local church, to ensure that GBC continues to faithfully display the gospel. How do we get to work?
Gather regularly for corporate worship and attend members’ meetings, where we exercise the power of the keys in receiving new members and seeing out members.
Grow in God’s word, to better know and guard the gospel.
Be an ambassador for Christ. Tell others about Jesus wherever he has placed you. Live a life that is worthy of the gospel.
Get to know one another. GBC members, we’ll be emailing you the testimonies of those whom we hope to receive into membership at our upcoming members’ meeting. Read about how they’ve come to believe in Jesus. Try to get to know as many of them as you can. Realistically, in a church our size, we may not be able get to know everyone. Nevertheless, commit to knowing others and being known by others. Be hospitable. If all of us are intentional about building relationships with one another, we can actually get to know—directly and indirectly—much of the church through our inter-connected web of relationships.
Pray for other members by praying through the membership directory. Get a copy from the church office.
Help another church member to grow in the gospel by meeting together regularly to read the Bible and pray with each other.
So, if you are a Christian, become a member of a local church to join with God’s plan to make disciples of the nations. The church is central to God’s plan.
The church’s victory
Let’s resolve, beginning in 2024, to give ourselves to serve Christ and His people through the local church. Why? Because the church belongs to Jesus, who will build His church on the foundation of the true, apostolic gospel. Because Jesus has entrusted His church with the authority to make disciples. And, because Jesus has promised the church’s victory. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against (the church) (Matt 16:18c)”. What a privilege to work with Jesus to build that which will last forever!
Because Jesus has defeated sin and death, the church will ultimately win.
The gates of hell, or Hades, refers to death. Because Jesus is the Son of the living God, those who believe in the Son will have eternal life. Since Jesus has been resurrected in glory, the church shall also be raised with Him. This is our hope. Because Jesus has defeated sin and death, the church will ultimately win.
But for now, we are painfully aware of the church’s sins, struggles, weaknesses, flaws and failures. On this side of eternity, there is no perfect church. But Jesus has committed to love His bride, with all her imperfections, that He might make her beautiful and glorious. Therefore, let’s walk by faith and hope in Jesus’ plans for His church. May God grow us to become more and more the church Jesus wants.
When Jesus returns, He will make all things new and complete the work He began in us. Individual churches may fail, but the universal church comprising all of God’s people across time and space will never perish. Christ shall hold us fast.
When Jesus returns, He will make all things new and complete the work He began in us. Individual churches may fail, but the universal church comprising all of God’s people across time and space will never perish. Christ shall hold us fast. Jesus “loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Eph. 5:25b-27)”
Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.