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The Church in You

Posted on 04 Mar 2018, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: The Church In You

Text: Mathew 16:13-20

[Mat 16:13] 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?

[Mat 16:14] And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

[Mat 16:15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

[Mat 16:16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

[Mat 16:17] 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.

[Mat 16:18] 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.

[Mat 16:19] And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

[Mat 16:20] Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Introduction

Confess the following:
- I am the church
- Jesus Christ is building His church in me
- The gates of hell shall not prevail against me
- I have the keys to the kingdom of heaven
- Whatsoever I bind on earth shall be bound in heaven
- Whatsoever I loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven
- In the name of Jesus Christ

Main Topic

One would think, why did Jesus asked that question – “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
- It is not that he doesn’t know who He is. After all, He referred to Himself as the “Son of man”.
- It is not that He is on a fact finding mission.
- He asked for the purpose of confirming that the disciples know who He is.
The disciples answered and said “Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias; others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
- One cannot answer that question by saying what others say about Jesus
- You must be able to say who He is to you, not who He is to others.
Then He asked whom say ye that I am? Who do you “my disciples” say that I am?
- Simon Peter answered “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
- Prov. 23:7 – As he [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.
- Math 12:34 – Out of the abundance of heart, the mouth speaketh.
- Rom 10:8-10 –
  - [Rom 10:8] But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
  - [Rom 10:9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
  - [Rom 10:10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
- Peter confessed Him with his mouth.
When He asked the first question, they all answered. When He asked them to be specific, only Simon Peter answered.
If one truly knows the Christ and confesses Him:
- Jesus says you are blessed ( V17)
- It is revealed to you by God and not by any man.
- So when you preach the gospel, don’t worry if the person gets saved at that moment. It is God that will reveal Jesus to that person, not you. Your own is to preach.
Then Jesus said “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
- When you confess Jesus as the Christ, He knows who you are (Thou art Peter).
- He will make your knowledge and understanding of Him a foundation for His church.
  - Sometime ago I preached about “Upon a rock”. When you are building a house, you don’t want a sand or mud foundation that can easily be shaken. You want a solid rock foundation.
  - When your knowledge becomes the foundation for the church of Jesus Christ, no amount of wind, earthquake, tsunami, and tornado shall move you.
- The gates of hell shall not prevail against you. I’m coming back to what is meant by the gates of hell.
- The Jesus added: ( V19)
  - He will give unto you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
  - Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
  - Whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Upon this rock I will build my church.
- What is a church? One may think it is a building where one goes and worship God. Ask yourselves this question “When Jesus comes back to rapture His church, would He rapture the building or the soul?” John 14:2 – “many mansions”
- God showed me in a dream that the church begins with 1 person – in the heart. If 1 person can truly confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, you have a church.
- A church is not a building; it is the soul of every believer that confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
- Why go to the building to worship? Prov. 27:17 – “Iron sharpeneth iron”. Heb. 10:25 – “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together”.
The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
- Gate is an entrance. Gates of hell is the entrance to hell – eternal fire.
- It is not a physical gate that one can open and close.
- Gates of hell is anything that can lead a man to hell.
- Gates of hell is anything that can prevent a man from entering the kingdom of heaven.
  - The gates of hell is prevailing in the entertainment industry
  - The gates of hell is prevailing in the education system
  - The gates of hell is prevailing in the government
  - The gates of hell is prevailing in the banking industry
- I pray that the gates of hell shall not prevail against you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Keys to the kingdom of heaven ( V19)
- Whoever has the key has the authority.
- If we had no key to this building, we will not be worshiping here today.
- With the key to the kingdom of heaven in your hand, you have the authority on earth and the authority in heaven.
  - [Mat 18:18] Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
  - Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
  - Whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Peter confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.
- Upon that confession and knowledge, “rock”, Jesus built His church.
- The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
- He gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
- Examples:
  - Acts 2:41 – through Peters preaching 3000 souls were added to the church.
  - Acts 3:6 – He healed the lame man.
  - Acts 5 – Ananias and Saphira fell at his feet.
  - Acts 9:34 – he healed a man that had been bed ridden for 8 years.
  - All because he confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.
Will you make the same confession today?
- If you have not confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, today is the day to do so.
- Upon your knowledge shall He build His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Conclusion

Confess the following:
- I am the church
- Jesus Christ is building His church in me
- The gates of hell shall not prevail against me
- I have the keys to the kingdom of heaven
- Whatsoever I bind on earth shall be bound in heaven
- Whatsoever I loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven
- In the name of Jesus Christ

Sermon

The Church in You