Upon This Rock

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2fnqbv

For about three and a half years the disciples of Jesus walked with Him and learned from Him. Each had been hand chosen and had left all that they had and followed after Jesus.

These disciples were able to see the miracles first hand, and even were able to perform miracles themselves. They witnessed the enemies of Jesus as they attempted to take Him time after time and how Jesus always managed to escape because it was not yet His time.

In the end, one of them, Judas, would betray Jesus. Peter would deny knowing Him and all of them except John would scatter at his death.

These disciples had to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. They left their professions, their families, all they had and followed Jesus. But their faith in Jesus had to grow and mature over these three short years.

In Matthew’s gospel we find Jesus speaking to the disciples. In this chronology, He has just recently healed a great multitude of people, fed 4,000 people, had an exchange with some Jews who were demanding a sign from Him and then issued a warning to the disciples.

At this point Jesus asks the group, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13) Their answers were John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or maybe one of the prophets.

Then Jesus asks them who they think He is. It was Peter who answered this question in verse 16 saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Christ is the English word for the Greek word, “Christos” which means “anointed one.” In Hebrew, the word is “Mashiach,” meaning “Messiah.” Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Peter’s confession of this to Jesus prompts the following response in verses 17-19.

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And 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.

Peter’s confession that Jesus is the savior of the world, the Son of the living God, becomes what Jesus says is the foundation of the church that He will build. Without this foundation, the church would not exist.

Notice that Jesus said that He would build (future tense) His church. The word for church in Greek is “ekklesia,” which means the called out. It can refer to a local body of believers or as the entirety of the ones who are called out for that purpose, in this case, the church in a universal sense.

Notice also that Jesus says that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against His church. While at first glance we might think of this as a defensive posture, that the Devil and Hell will not be successful against the church.

But consider the use of the term “gate.” Gates are used to keep things either in or out—to confine some and to restrict others from gaining entry. Jesus mentions that the gates of Hades would not prevail against His church. Gates are not offensive weapons in a battle, but rather they are defensive. Jesus is saying that His church will be victorious by reaching into the ranks of the lost of this world. Satan will not be able to prevent the church that Christ built from breaking down his gates to reach the lost of this world.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we realize that Christ not only died for our sins but also built His church upon the confession that He is the Son of God. May we each seek to be a part of that church and to serve Him faithfully until death.

Our thought for the day: “If your religion doesn’t take you to church, it is doubtful if it will take you to heaven.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.