Matthew 16:18-20
Four Evidences of the Centrality of the Church In God’s Program
1. The Promise of Christ to Found It – Vs. 18a
. Peter’s great confession elicits Jesus’ great promise
. Peter was not the first ‘Pope’ – Matthew 18:1, 20:20
. A. The Rock: Matthew 16:18 – ‘to you’ is singular
. B. A play on words:
. Peter – Petras – masculine ‘pebble’
. Rock – Petra – feminine ‘mountain’
. Peter was renamed in John 1:41-42 Cephas means Peter
. C. Prominent role Peter had among the Disciples
. . Called first as a disciple – Matthew 4:18-22
. . Always first in list of disciples
. . Matthew 10:2 calls him the first
. . Primary leader in first church – Acts 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10
2. The Promise of Christ to Build It – Vs. 18b
. A. I – Christ’s Church: Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:18
. B. Will – Christ’s purpose – no church in the Old Testament, it is a mystery Ephesians 3:6
. . It’s a certainty. God does not ‘try’
. C. Build – Christ’s work
. D. My – Christ purchased it: Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
. E, Church – Ecclesia: called out ones
. The church is not a building, it’s the believers who meet there