My title is... “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH”... Today we’re looking in Matthew’s gospel at the topic which develops in a conversation Jesus is having with His disciples....and it has far reaching implications on this world we live in..... There are some who say that when Jesus said He would build upon the Rock, that He was referring to Peter whose name is Petra or “rock”. And that he was the first Pope and all popes after him, trace back to Peter. But if Peter was the foundation of the Church, it would have failed, centuries ago, because we can see how often Peter messed up. Many folks think the church Jesus said He would build, is Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Assemblies of God, Church of God, Adventist, and so on...
A woman went to the bank to draw out $2,000.00 and the teller asked her what denomination she would like.... She thought for a moment and said “give me some Baptist, and some Methodist, some Lutheran and Charismatic....Just mix it all up realgood”!!
When I was a kid, My Grandma took me to the Church of God, my aunt took me to the Seventh Day Adventist, My mom took me to the Nazarene church and my uncle brought me to the Assembly of God... Another aunt took me to the Presbyterian church, and Grand Pa took me to the Church of God. I went to the Baptist with another aunt, and the Methodist with an uncle. So I have waded in many streams.... Some feel perhaps that what Jesus was talking about, was the best of all of the denominations put together. S0 let’s go to the source.....
Matthew 16:13 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” [14] And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” [15] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” [16] Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [17] And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. {18} And I say also unto thee, That you are Peter, and upon this foundation (revelation of who I am) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. {19} And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” When Jesus asked the question in verse 13, “Who do you say that I am”, They wanted to compare Jesus to John, to Elijah, to Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. In Matthew 17, there is an account called “the Transfiguration”. Jesus had gone up on the mountain with Peter, James and John, and revealed His glory to them. They saw Him as He truly was. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Him -- and what did Peter say on that occasion? Matthew 17:4 “Lord, it is good for us to be here: if You want, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
If there ever were any men worthy of having a church named after them, it would have been Moses and Elijah. But God set it all straight and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”
So Peter in a glorious flash of revelation, remembering what he had experienced and the voice of God speaking, knew that he had received a glimpse of the incomparable Christ, the eternal God man, the creator of all things, the incarnate God come in the flesh, and the kingdom which He was bringing into the earth, was to establish heaven in the earth. And no matter what forces may come against it, it will ultimately be established, and all of hell would not prevent it! How many churches did Jesus say He was going to build? He said He was going to build "His church", Not they’re church, or our church, or a denomination... The Lord only promised to build one church. Let’s understand that when Jesus was speaking to his disciples about the church, He was speaking of a Kingdom over which He is the undisputable King. He was actually saying “I will build my Kingdom”.... That’s the church I want to talk to you about today. I want to talk to you about the Church that Jesus built. That is the church which all the forces of darkness, and all the plans of Satan, will not prevail against it. 1 Corinthians 3:11 Paul wrote, “For no other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The Point Reyes Light house was built in 1870 at Point Reyes, California, approximately 30 miles northwest of the entrance of San Francisco Bay. Originally, the light was to be built at the top of the point. However, due to concerns that the light would be obscured by the heavy fog,
it was built 275 feet down the bluff at its present location. To reach the light, you must descend 304 steps from the top of Point Reyes. It is, by official records, the windiest and foggiest spot on the Pacific Coast. It is also just a few miles from the San Andreas Fault, that runs through California. During the 1906 earthquake, which leveled many buildings in San Francisco, the entire Point Reyes Peninsula and the lighthouse moved north 18 feet! The only damage to the lighthouse was that the lens slipped off of its track. Thirteen minutes after the earthquake, the lighthouse was once again in working order. The reason there was so little damage to the lighthouse, was because the sixteen-sided structure was secured by steel anchors that went deep into the solid rock. If we are anchored deep into the rock, we will not be moved... We may get shaken and rattled, but we will not be dismantled or destroyed.
In Psalm 127:1 we read, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it . . .” The Lord builds the church as He intends, for His purposes. The Lord intends the Church to be: The church is the very Body of Christ...... Ephesians 5:23 says that “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” (read the statement on the slide) I have seen a headless body, and it is not a pretty sight. If the church, looks to and depends on other sources besides Christ, it is only an organization, not the Lord’s church. Every body needs a head, and without the head of the church being in place, the church is powerless and easy prey for every spirit of deception and false doctrine that comes along. If God’s presence isn’t there, it’s just a building. Woe to church leaders who try to take the place of the head..... The Lord intends the church to be The residence of God, Holy ground, the place of His glory and power, where heaven touches earth, and the Holy Spirit’s transforming power is present to heal, save, and deliver!
The church is called to be an irresistible force against the darkness, wickedness and compromise in the world.... and The gates of hell shall not prevail against it....That’s an environment for the impossible to happen. Where 5,000 get fed with a boyslunch, where a boat sinking catch of fish happens where there were no fish, where demons leave, and bodies are healed, and signs and wonders leave no mistake that God is present! And we are called to create that. To make folks feel so good that they came, they can’t stop coming. I hear folks say all the time when they sin...”I couldn’t help myself”.... Well that’s how we can make the church.... I couldn’t help myself...The Holy Spirit was too strong and overpowering... Now, That’s body ministry! Jesus said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail, that means exactly what it says.... Everything that would work to prevent folks from coming to Christ, is powerless before the church which Christ built! Every lying, lawless, ungodly, crippling spirit, cannot stand against the church which Christ built! And all the corruption of the years, all the immorality of man, all the wages of sin, all the unknown powers of hell and death, shall not be able to overthrow the fellowship that makes room for the power and authority of the head of the church!
Matthew 16:19 Jesus said “ I will give unto (the church) the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16, tells us our number one priority is to glorify God. “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ” Paul tells us that what makes us unique is that we have God’s power and authority operating in our midst..... I Corinthians 2:4 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” We have a message of hope, joy, peace and eternal life. The church Jesus built, is always open, the doors are never closed. It operates 24/7. Why, because it is you and me....It goes where we go, it goes to the football games. It goes on the job. The church at school, at home, out fishing and boating, can grow every day, not just on week-ends. A Jesus built church, made up of such as us, can reach to the lowest valley, and climb to the highest mountain. It can touch the rich, the poor, the sick, the addict, red and yellow, black and white and all who identify as whatever. The demon possessed man and the woman at the well, wanted to stay with the Lord, but Jesus said, go tell your friends the great things the Lord has done for you.. (sharethe message of peace, joy, love and eternal life. Be the Church that Jesus built, on display! You are the greatest advertisement the church could have. You and I are God’s living billboard for His church. Because Jesus is the foundation, what He is building, has His characteristics. The fruit of the Spirit are His characteristics... His DNA or Divine Nature and Attributes. Peace, joy, love, patience, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – Scripture describes what Jesus is building is composed of.... 1 PETER 2:5"…you also, like living stones, are being built as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, in order to bring spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" . The Lord is building with living stones, which is what we are... Our bodies are forming the living temples of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:21 “In him the whole building is joined together and is built up to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit”. What if we stopped reading this impersonally and took it personally?...
.Let us read it personally....not like it’s for everyone else... “In Him I am being built up and joined together with other living stones to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in Him I too am being built and joined together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit”.
The emphasis here is that we are “built together” .... There is mutual respect, honor, and appreciation which flows freely here. As we allow Holy Spirit to build us together, the world sees that the church has the answer to all the division, and infighting, and things that pull us apart. But how can we possibly be the building God is building when we have division, and cliques, and walls that we put up.... Why should the world need the church, when we are not built together, in love, mutual respect and honor.? It is love, that makes the church irresistible, and attractive.... John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” When the ordinary is touched by heaven it loses its staleness and become fresh again. Listen to this beautiful quote by Winkie Pratney:
“The things that touch us in a true revival are not strange and mysterious things made clear, but plain and simple things restored and old things made new.” May we hear the Lord saying “I am building My church” with the binding mortar of love, Peace, joy, patience, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – Who could not love that!!! That is fertile ground for the impossible to take place and miracles to happen daily when we are quickened and inspired by the Holy Spirit in this manner. The church should be a place of transformation... He said that His church should look so radical, that here’s how it’s described in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, a new creation has come. The old has passed away and is gone, the new is here”!
The lesser elements of the world, and the influence of carnal emotions don’t prevail over us any more. The butterfly and caterpillar cannot exist at the same time...they will be one or the other.... .An old man was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of his business. He owned one of those mom and popgrocery stores in a small town. As he rocked back and forth, he watched the people pass by on the street. Every now and then he’d call out to the folks walking by in order to attract business. “How you doin’ today?” he’d ask. “Just fine,” one person answered. “How about you come on in and we’ll make you a deal?” “Not interested, the man answered. I heard how you treat your customers.” “Oh, yeah?! And how’s that?” the old man said as he stood up to get a little closer to the patron. “Well, he answered. “You follow them around and if they don’t want to buy one of your products, you call them names. If they don’t want to buy your deodorant, you call them Stinky. If they don’t want to buy your food, you call them Anorexic Monkeys. If they buy too much of your food, you call them Fatties. If they don’t want to buy your shampoo, you call them Nappy Heads. If they don’t want to buy your toothpaste or mouthwash, you call them Poopy Breath. You don’t have any respect for anyone that comes in your store.” The old man thought for a minute and said, “I guess you’re right, you critical Dimwit.”. (How to win friends and influence people) Colossians 3:10 says “we have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”. When the Holy Spirit, comes in, the interior decorator has arrived and He immediately begins redoing our interior according to the creator’s plans. If the creator is going to live here, then it should be to His liking. A new foundation, No hoarding, no uncleanness, no hidden places.... He said He would make everything new again. The carpet gets shampooed, the furniture gets replaced, new paint on the walls, new wiring, new reading material, etc. Hey if you look at His instructions for the temple where His glory rested... it was to be kept in immaculate condition, and all according to his instructions, because the King of Kings was moving in!! We want Him to move in to stay, so we prepare a dwelling place for His glory! Jesus said if we make sure the house pleases Him....“The forces of Hell shall not prevail against it”!!! That’s quite a benefit! The effect of this building and bonding together is, that we experience the love of God in worship, we embody the love of God in community, and we extend the love of God in evangelism. In all of this process, we learn to know Him as Immanuel, “God who is with us and in us.”
God wants His church to take the TGI tour. That stands for “Turn it around”. No matter where any church is in their journey.... it can be turned around. ” Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint” This waiting means to contend for, to press in, to hunger and thirst after, to desire with deep desiring, to become desperate.... We need to once again press in to Acts 2:17 “ Inthe last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on My menservants and maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy”.… This group we are reading about, in Acts, are Jesus disciples, who are activating a scripture which was given 930 years before in the book of Joel. Whatever God has said, he will do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you. What He promised others, He’ll give to you. It’s never too late.... Acts 10:34 “I now know and realize, that God is not a respecter of persons.” Friend, that means God will not do for anyone else what He is unwilling to do for you. If He has promised anyone anything, then it’s yours as well, if your foundation is built upon Christ. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you. I love what Holy Spirit says to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:12 “Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the lazy, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it”. HE WILL SURELY DO IT!!
The church He builds is a transformational church! Hallelujah....
If you wish to contact us privately, or give to this ministry, our address is Eagle's Rest Ministries, P.O box 2820, Key West, Florida 33040.. Keep us in your prayers that we may be an instrument in the Master's hands, and Jesus may be exalted continually in our lives and ministry. Thank you in advance and God richly bless you.. We look forward to hearing from you.
