REFLECTIONS ON THE CHURCH: BUILT ON THE ROCK, ANCHORED BY OBEDIENCE, RESISTANT TO PERSECUTION

Trevor S Ferguson

February 29, 2020

Matthew 16:13-18 (KJV)
[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?
[14] And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
[15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
[17] 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.
[18] 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.

Matthew 7:24-27 KJV

[24] Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

[26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

[27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Acts 8:1-4 (KJV)
[1] And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
[2] And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
[3]  As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
[4] Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

INTRODUCTION

The church of Jesus Christ is the vehicle through which God has purposed to bring salvation to all humanity. Through the church, God desires to reconcile mankind to God and prepare a people who will become the bride of Christ, thus fulfilling God’s purpose in creating man.

Although the church is not specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, it was always part of the plan of God. In Ephesians 1:4, Paul writes that God had chosen us (that is the members of the church) before the foundation of the world. It is through the church that God has opened up the door of salvation to all men, thus breaking down the middle wall of partition the divided Jews and Gentiles.

If this vehicle called the church is to accomplish its grand purpose, it must have the capacity to withstand that harsh the realities of the world and the oppressive actions of the devil. Today, I want to reflect on some of these properties, which I believe will be instructive to us as believers and will help to ensure that we remain part of this wonderful body. I will focus on three main points:

1. The church is built upon the rock of revelation of God in Jesus Christ
2. Members of the church remain anchored to the rock only to the extent that we walk in obedience to Jesus Christ
3. The church of God is resistant to persecution (and as such will accomplish God’s purpose in preparing a people for his name).

EXPOSITION

Let us look at each of these in turn

Reflection #1: The church is built upon the rock of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ

Matthew 16:13-18 records two important statements. Firstly, Peter’s confession of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the Son of God, and secondly, Jesus’ declaration concerning building the church upon a rock. Verses 16 and 18 contain the key statements:

Vs. 16: “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Vs. 18 “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.”

While some have argued that the rock mentioned in this verse refers to Peter and his centrality in the establishment of the church, I believe that the more appropriate interpretation focuses on Peter’s confession of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God. In fact, no one can come to God except he or she recognizes Jesus Christ as the son of God. Jesus himself declared in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is the recognition and confession of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, that forms the first step in the process of salvation, and which became a great stumbling block for the Jews. In John 8:24, Jesus told the multitude – “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins”. Note here that the ‘he’ is in italics, so Jesus’ words were - “if ye believe not that I am” – a clear reference to his deity. This affirms that recognition of the deity of Jesus Christ is a fundamental component of salvation.

It is important also to recognize that Jesus Christ was actually “God in man”, i.e. he had a dual nature; being fully God and fully man. In 2^nd Corinthians 5:19 Paul tells us that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself”. He further states in 1^st Timothy 3:16:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Colossians 2:8-9 further admonishes us:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

Thus, the divine nature of Jesus Christ is central to our understanding of who he is and his offer of salvation.

While some have struggled to accept the divinity of Jesus Christ, others have had difficulty accepting is humanity. John warns against such teaching in 1^st John 4:2-3:

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God …”

So then, correct understanding of God and his manifestation as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is central to the Christian faith. Peter’s proclamation in Matthew 16:16 “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” acknowledges both the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ. He was the Messiah – the one promised by God who would deliver Israel; but not only was he the Messiah, he was the son of God, hence divine. This then becomes the rock upon which Christ would build his church. Let us continue to recognize and declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and that through him all humanity has the hope of salvation.

Reflection #2: Individual church members, local congregations and organizations remain anchored to the rock only to the extent that we walk in obedience to Jesus Christ

Many persons today will make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ but fail to walk in obedience to his words. Others seek to bank on the security in the vehicle called the church and fail to realize that individual responsibility and accountability are also central to salvation. I would like to remind us today, that confession without obedience is inadequate, and cannot result in a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus established this principle with his first major sermon – the sermon on the mount in Matt 5-7. As he closes the sermon in Matthew 7:24 – 25, he admonished the multitude: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”.

Those who heard and obeyed were likened to the man who built his house on the rock. This house was strong and resilient. It could withstand the wind, the rain and the flood.

On the contrary, the man who failed to obey was likened unto a foolish man. The foolish man’s house is built of the sand and was unable to withstand the elements – “the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:27).

James echoed these teachings of Jesus in his letter to the church. In James 1:22 he admonishes us – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”.

Jesus again emphasized the importance of obedience to the word in the gospel of John.

John 14:21 tells us “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him”. Furthermore, John 15:10 says: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love”. So, again we see that obedience to God’s word is essential if we are to continue in a meaningful relationship with him. As members of the church of God, let us commit to walking in obedience to God’s word, because only through obedience can we remain anchored to the rock.

Reflection #3: The Church of God is Resistant to Persecution

Jesus first declaration concerning the church includes that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The interpretation of this statement is also a point of debate. Some emphasize the churches ability to withstand the oppressive attacks of the powers of hell (i.e. the devil and his angels), while others emphasize the offensive acts of the church through evangelism in pushing against the gates of hell and pulling persons out of Satan’s grasp and into a salvation. Both positions are in fact true. Satan’s forces have not been able and will not be able to stop the evangelistic efforts of the church and neither will his evil acts of oppression stop believers from serving the true and living God. The history of the church gives testimony to this. From the day of Pentecost, we see the great power of the gospel message to snatch men and women from Satan’s grasp with three thousand souls being added to the church. Throughout Acts and the epistles, we see the rapid and massive spread of the church so that within a single generation the Christian message had spread and taken root throughout the Roman empire and beyond.

With such rapid spread the devil began to turn on the heat of oppression. In Acts 4, Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin to answer charges following the healing of the lame man. They were eventually let go but were commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John’s response is instructive:

“But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

In Acts 5, the apostles are again imprisoned, but the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and let them out. In Acts 6, Stephen is accused of blasphemy and brought before the Sanhedrin. Acts 7 records Stephen’s defense before the Sandhedrin and thereafter being stoned to death as the first martyr of the church. Acts 8: 1-4 records the more widespread persecution of the church but countered that “they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word”.   

The rest of Acts and sections of the epistles records how much the Apostles were persecuted for preaching the gospel, but how much they persisted despite strenuous opposition. This was no easy or simple task; they faced persecution and oppression wherever they went but kept on teaching and preaching. Paul writes in 2^nd Corinthians 4:8-11:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Finally, Hebrews 11:32 – 40 contains a passage which focuses mainly on the Old Testament saints and martyrs, but is still very instructive to us, and reminds us that the devil and his persecutory strategies, cannot stop the people of God:

³² And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: ³³ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: ³⁶ And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
³⁷  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; ³⁸ (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
³⁹ And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: ⁴⁰ God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

So down here we may suffer, down here we will face persecution, down here we will face oppression! We may be sick naked and distressed! But one of these days, if we hold to God’s unchanging hands, we will join with the saints of all ages in a great gathering in the air. I don’t know about you, but I am planning to be there! We shall gather around the throne of God, singing the song of the ages! It will be joy unspeakable and full of glory! No man can stop the church of God! The devil cannot stop the church of God! The church is built on a firm foundation, with the apostles and prophets and Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone!

CONCLUSION

As your theme says, “The Church is still unstoppable, unbreakable and unconsumable!”.

It is built upon the rock of the revelation of God in Christ, anchored to the rock by obedience to the word of God and is resistant to persecution, oppression and opposition. Let us pledge to do our part in preserving this powerful life changing organism. God bless you, in Jesus name!