Matthew 16:13-19
We are looking this morning at the Church.
Not the institution of the Church. Not this beautiful building of All Saints, Burnham Sutton.
We are talking about the Church, the ‘ecclesia’ (that is the word used here), the people who God has ‘called out’ to be his people, who Jesus gathered to himself, who live by faith in his promises, who are facing God rather than walking away from God, and who are seeking to grow in love and communion with God, together with each other and sharing in God’s mission to the world.
We are talking about the Church, the ‘ecclesia’ (that is the word used here), the people who God has ‘called out’ to be his people, who Jesus gathered to himself, who live by faith in his promises, who are facing God rather than walking away from God, and who are seeking to grow in love and communion with God, together with each other and sharing in God’s mission to the world.
A link to the audio of this sermon (and apologies for the poor quality of recording)
And I note from our reading
1. That this is Jesus’ Church.
Jesus says, “I will build my Church”.
We sing the hymn, ‘The Churches one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord’.
Jesus is the rock that is the foundation, the cornerstone of the Church. He is the stone on which we stumble and fall to our knees, or which falls on us. And he is the rock on which we can build our lives
Many of you will have heard Jesus’ story of two people who build their homes. One built on sand – and when the storms came and the tide rose, those houses were washed away. And the other built their house on a rock. And when the storm came and the tide rose, it stood firm. And Jesus says that he is the rock, and his words are the rock, and if we do what he says, we build on rock and we become rock.
The true Church is not our Church, but Jesus’ Church.
2. This is the Church that is built on people who confess that Jesus is the Messiah
When Jesus asks his disciples who they thought he was, Peter answers, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’.
Others said that Jesus is one of the prophets – a great prophet – like Jeremiah, Elijah or John the Baptist. But those prophets spoke of the coming Messiah, the coming one who would be God’s ruler in God’s world, who would establish God’s kingdom of peace and rightness and justice and mercy, of abundance and laughter and life and joy.
But Simon realises that Jesus is not just a prophet, but the one who the prophets pointed to. He is the Messiah, God’s King come to rule in God’s world.
And he realised that Jesus was in a unique relationship with God, that he was the Son of God (cf 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalm 2:7).
And Jesus says to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:17-18)
Peter means rock. Jesus is giving Peter a new name, the name ‘Rocky’.
I suggest Jesus is saying that, yes he would build his Church on the person of Peter – and Peter does become the leader, the spokesperson, the first among equals of the first church – but not because he was Peter, but because it was revealed to him and he confessed that Jesus is the Messiah.
And God goes on building his Church on Peters, on men and women who are called to leadership in his Church, who have been given a glimpse that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God.
This time last year I was invited to join an interview panel for a Christian chaplain in one of the London hospital trusts.
I asked the question about faith: ‘What is the gospel for you?’
And I was looking for a particular answer from someone who was going to be a Christian leader. Not, ‘It is about being nice to everyone’. Not, ‘It is about being a good, moral person’. Not, ‘It is about being there for people in need and treating everyone the same’. Not that any of those are bad answers. But what I wanted to hear was the person to say, ‘It is about Jesus Christ – Christ is another word for Messiah – the Son of God’.
Because if our leaders, if our pastors, have not got that, we are building a house on sand. It may look wonderful, we may have a great reputation, we may do wonderful works of mercy and justice, but when the crises come – of failure or sickness or death – it will crash.
3. The Church which Jesus builds will smash open the gates of Hades.
‘The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it’, says Jesus
‘The gates of Hades’ is another name for death.
Death cannot stand against a people who are built on the rock of the confession that Jesus is the Messiah.
The Orthodox icon of the resurrection has the risen Jesus standing over the broken gates of hell.
This is the reason why we need never despair.
I remember reading many years ago – and frustratingly I can’t find the quote today – of a Marxist analyst arguing, with some envy, that Christianity as an idea can never be defeated because it has at the heart of its conviction a belief in a crucified and risen Lord Jesus. So even if the Church finds itself rejected by the world, shamed and persecuted to the point of extinction, crucified, dead and buried – there will still be hope.
And I note from our reading
1. That this is Jesus’ Church.
Jesus says, “I will build my Church”.
We sing the hymn, ‘The Churches one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord’.
Jesus is the rock that is the foundation, the cornerstone of the Church. He is the stone on which we stumble and fall to our knees, or which falls on us. And he is the rock on which we can build our lives
Many of you will have heard Jesus’ story of two people who build their homes. One built on sand – and when the storms came and the tide rose, those houses were washed away. And the other built their house on a rock. And when the storm came and the tide rose, it stood firm. And Jesus says that he is the rock, and his words are the rock, and if we do what he says, we build on rock and we become rock.
The true Church is not our Church, but Jesus’ Church.
2. This is the Church that is built on people who confess that Jesus is the Messiah
When Jesus asks his disciples who they thought he was, Peter answers, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’.
Others said that Jesus is one of the prophets – a great prophet – like Jeremiah, Elijah or John the Baptist. But those prophets spoke of the coming Messiah, the coming one who would be God’s ruler in God’s world, who would establish God’s kingdom of peace and rightness and justice and mercy, of abundance and laughter and life and joy.
But Simon realises that Jesus is not just a prophet, but the one who the prophets pointed to. He is the Messiah, God’s King come to rule in God’s world.
And he realised that Jesus was in a unique relationship with God, that he was the Son of God (cf 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalm 2:7).
And Jesus says to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:17-18)
Peter means rock. Jesus is giving Peter a new name, the name ‘Rocky’.
I suggest Jesus is saying that, yes he would build his Church on the person of Peter – and Peter does become the leader, the spokesperson, the first among equals of the first church – but not because he was Peter, but because it was revealed to him and he confessed that Jesus is the Messiah.
And God goes on building his Church on Peters, on men and women who are called to leadership in his Church, who have been given a glimpse that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God.
This time last year I was invited to join an interview panel for a Christian chaplain in one of the London hospital trusts.
I asked the question about faith: ‘What is the gospel for you?’
And I was looking for a particular answer from someone who was going to be a Christian leader. Not, ‘It is about being nice to everyone’. Not, ‘It is about being a good, moral person’. Not, ‘It is about being there for people in need and treating everyone the same’. Not that any of those are bad answers. But what I wanted to hear was the person to say, ‘It is about Jesus Christ – Christ is another word for Messiah – the Son of God’.
Because if our leaders, if our pastors, have not got that, we are building a house on sand. It may look wonderful, we may have a great reputation, we may do wonderful works of mercy and justice, but when the crises come – of failure or sickness or death – it will crash.
3. The Church which Jesus builds will smash open the gates of Hades.
‘The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it’, says Jesus
‘The gates of Hades’ is another name for death.
Death cannot stand against a people who are built on the rock of the confession that Jesus is the Messiah.
The Orthodox icon of the resurrection has the risen Jesus standing over the broken gates of hell.
I remember reading many years ago – and frustratingly I can’t find the quote today – of a Marxist analyst arguing, with some envy, that Christianity as an idea can never be defeated because it has at the heart of its conviction a belief in a crucified and risen Lord Jesus. So even if the Church finds itself rejected by the world, shamed and persecuted to the point of extinction, crucified, dead and buried – there will still be hope.
It may seem that the Church in the West is facing an existential crisis, its own Good Friday, but we have a conviction in the resurrection. Easter Sunday is coming.
4. The Church, when it confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, speaks with huge authority.
Jesus says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
These are difficult verses to understand.
Some say that this is saying that Peter – and later the other apostles and their descendants – are given authority to forgive sins or not to forgive sins – and so open or close the door of heaven to people.
Others say that this is saying that Peter – and his descendants, whoever we think they are – are given the authority to say what is permitted or not permitted behaviour and belief in the Church
Sadly, if that is the case, that power has been abused.
I suggest that we should look at this from another angle:
First, I notice that it is Jesus who holds the keys:
4. The Church, when it confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, speaks with huge authority.
Jesus says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
These are difficult verses to understand.
Some say that this is saying that Peter – and later the other apostles and their descendants – are given authority to forgive sins or not to forgive sins – and so open or close the door of heaven to people.
Others say that this is saying that Peter – and his descendants, whoever we think they are – are given the authority to say what is permitted or not permitted behaviour and belief in the Church
Sadly, if that is the case, that power has been abused.
I suggest that we should look at this from another angle:
First, I notice that it is Jesus who holds the keys:
The risen Jesus, in the vision that John has in Revelation 1:17, says, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.” So he is the one who ultimately opens and closes the door of heaven. He is the one who ultimately binds and loosens.
And second, I suggest that when the people of God are so in harmony with their Lord, confessing him as the Messiah, the Son of God, and living with him as their Messiah, loving, trusting and obeying him, then their deepest desires will be granted because their deepest desires will be the deepest desires of Jesus.
And second, I suggest that when the people of God are so in harmony with their Lord, confessing him as the Messiah, the Son of God, and living with him as their Messiah, loving, trusting and obeying him, then their deepest desires will be granted because their deepest desires will be the deepest desires of Jesus.
And they will be willing to be crucified out of love for people: that the very people who crucify them, will discover the forgiveness of God, the hope of the resurrection, and the open door to heaven. They will speak the words of God with the authority of God and people will hear of the forgiveness of sins, of new life, of the hope of heaven and of the coming Kingdom of God.
Today we read of Simon Peter and his confession.
The next thing we learn about Peter, the rock, is that he tries to persuade Jesus from going to meet his death on the cross, and then he denies Jesus.
Today we read of Simon Peter and his confession.
The next thing we learn about Peter, the rock, is that he tries to persuade Jesus from going to meet his death on the cross, and then he denies Jesus.
Not very rock like.
One slightly worries if Jesus is building his Church on people like that.
But Peter repents and turns back to Jesus and receives his love, forgiveness and commissioning to ‘feed my sheep’. And even though he continues to get it wrong, he follows Jesus for the rest of his life.
And he begins to learn what it is to speak with the authority of Jesus. He speaks on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit came, and 3000 people were converted.
And tradition has it – and it is a strong tradition – that he was crucified upside down for his Lord Jesus.
And it is on such people, who are so close to Jesus, who confess him as their Messiah and live and die with him as their Messiah, as their King, that Jesus will build his Church.
One slightly worries if Jesus is building his Church on people like that.
But Peter repents and turns back to Jesus and receives his love, forgiveness and commissioning to ‘feed my sheep’. And even though he continues to get it wrong, he follows Jesus for the rest of his life.
And he begins to learn what it is to speak with the authority of Jesus. He speaks on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit came, and 3000 people were converted.
And tradition has it – and it is a strong tradition – that he was crucified upside down for his Lord Jesus.
And it is on such people, who are so close to Jesus, who confess him as their Messiah and live and die with him as their Messiah, as their King, that Jesus will build his Church.
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