Text: Matthew 16:18
In this passage, Jesus asked His disciples what others said about Him and what they said (Matthew 16:13-15). Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). This was the basis for Jesus’ promise to build His church (Matthew 16:18). He then said that not even “the gates of Hades” would “overpower it” or “prevail against it” (KJV). Hades is the realm of departed spirits (cf. Luke 16:19-31). Jesus’ point was this – death was not going to stop His plan for His church. In this lesson, we are going to notice four ways in which this is true.
Death Would Not Stop the Establishment of His Church
- Jesus promised that He would build His church (Matthew 16:18) – not even death would prevent this; He even had this in mind when He made this promise (Matthew 16:21); at the time, Peter did not understand how this was possible (Matthew 16:22-23)
- Jesus was crucified, but He was also raised from the dead (Matthew 28:5-6; Acts 1:3) – death could not hold Him in its power (Acts 2:24); after His resurrection and ascension, His church was established (Acts 2:1-4, 37-38, 41, 47)
Death Would Not Stop the Growth of His Church
- Not long after the church was established, it faced opposition – Peter and John were arrested (Acts 4:1-3); when they kept preaching, the apostles were arrested, threatened, and beaten (Acts 5:17-18, 40); not long after this, Stephen was killed (Acts 7:57-60)
- Despite all of this, the church continued to grow (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 8:4-5, 12; 9:31; et al.); the early disciples knew Jesus was raised from the dead (Acts 2:32; 3:15; 5:30-32; 1 Corinthians 15:4-8); His resurrection gives hope for our resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20), so they did not fear death (cf. Matthew 10:28)
Death Would Not Stop the Continuity of His Church
- The apostles were tasked with carrying out the Great Commission (Mark 16:14-16) – they performed miracles to confirm their message (Matthew 16:19-20); they imparted miraculous gifts to others (Acts 8:14-17) in order to help establish the church (Romans 1:11)
- However, there are no living apostles today – we cannot establish an unbroken line back to the apostles, but we do not need to; we have the word they revealed (John 16:13; 2 Peter 1:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13); the seed of the kingdom is the word of God (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23), which endures forever (1 Peter 1:25); because of this, even if every living Christian dies, the church has not been destroyed
Death Would Not Stop the Glorification of His Church
- The church is described as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-25) – the church is made up of those who are saved (Ephesians 5:23; cf. Acts 2:47); they have been sanctified and cleansed (Ephesians 5:26), set apart and forgiven of sins
- A time is coming when He will “present…the church in all her glory” (Ephesians 5:27) – one day, the Lord will return and receive us to the home He has prepared (John 14:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); despite trials, suffering, and even death, we will be glorified with Him in that day (1 Peter 1:6-9)
Conclusion
- Jesus promised His disciples that He would build His church – even though He died, He fulfilled His promise
- Even though disciples of every generation face death, the church would not be defeated – it would continue to grow, continue to stand, and will be glorified with Him in the end
- Knowing this, we need to make sure we are part of His church and are faithfully serving Him in it
