Matthew 16:13-18
Don’t Throw Away the Church
There are many things that are disposable today, i.e. razors,
diapers, plates, cups, gloves, liter boxes, mouse traps, wipes, and
on the list goes. We have become such a "cast-away" civilization
that some throw away things that are disposable without realizing it,
i.e. mates, children. People are also throwing away spiritual
components.
1. Some have thrown away the Bible thus casting away truth.
2. Some have thrown away salvation thus casting away a
relationship with God.
3. And some have thrown away the church thus casting away God’s
help to their own soul.
Let me clarify, by church I mean God’s church. Some organizations
that call themselves a church need to be thrown away. Those
organization that do not preach and teach the Bible need to be thrown
away. Those that pervert and deny the Bible need to be thrown away.
But God’s church is a gift to world, and saved or not it is too
valuable to cast away.
Let’s consider the church tonight.
I. The church is the people of God.
A. Not everyone can be a part of the church because not everyone
is the people of God.
1. The people of God are comprised of the saved, the born
again, those who have been redeemed.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead
in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to
the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation
in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
2. If you are not saved, you can visit with the church but
you can never be part of the church.
3. Why? Because the church is God’s family.
a. Like any other family, we are related by blood, the
blood of Jesus Christ.
b. But we have also been adopted by God into His family.
c. We have received the inheritance of our Father, the
Holy Ghost.
d. This world is no longer our home. We are just waiting
for Dad to come and get us.
B. Even so, both the saved and the lost can feel the presence of
God’s people.
1. The saved certainly need God’s people.
a. Christian people need Christian people.
(1) When God created Adam, the perfect man, and
placed him into the Garden, the perfect
environment, He immediately acknowledged that man
was not capable of handling things alone and
created Adam and helper, Eve.
(2) If the perfect man living in a perfect world
needed other people, how much more do imperfect
Christians living in a sinful world need other
Christians?
b. Even with the Holy Spirit living inside of Christians,
Christians are extremely weak and susceptible to sin.
(1) Most don’t intend to be.
(2) Christians are like the M&M.
(3) We have the good stuff on the inside but we can
be hard on the outside.
c. Being around other godly Christians helps us stay on
the mark.
(1) Christians can encourage Christians.
(2) Christians can counsel Christians.
(3) Christians can show Christians.
(4) Christians can teach Christians.
(5) Christians can help Christians.
(6) Christians can rebuke Christians.
d. Christians, don’t throw away what God has given to
help you!
2. But the unsaved world also needs God’s people. The world
does not want them but they need them.
a. It is the voice of God’s people that holds sin in
check.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them.
(1) Sin is insatiable. It always demands more sin to
satisfy itself.
(2) The church becomes the conscious of the world to
hold the world back from overdosing on sin.
(3) The world is very happy with itself today. It
thinks it has put the church into its place
(neutered).
(a) However, the world is already in the process
of imploding on itself.
(b) You legalize one drug for recreational use,
and they will want another. You legalize
one defiant sexual behavior, and they will
want another. You allow one rebellious
act, and they will commit another.
(c) Rebellion breads more rebellion, hate breads
more hate, lust breads more lusts, violence
breads more violence, and on it goes.
(d) No one has to take my word for it. If you
were watching, you would already be seeing
it, but it will get so bad that soon you
cannot miss it.
(e) The church, standing against sin is what
has been holding sin back.
b. It is the presence of God’s people that has been
gaining the world God’s mercy and holding back God’s
wrath.
2Thess 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that
he might be revealed in his time.
(1) There are two things that hold back God’s wrath
and give God’s mercy, the Holy Spirit and the
people of God; however, these two are tied
together.
(2) The Holy Spirit lives inside of the God’s people.
(3) You diminish the presence of God’s people and you
diminish your own blessings.
c. The witness of God’s people is the only witness that
can lead a person to salvation.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me.
(1) Sorry, but Jesus was clear on this point.
(2) There is only one Way to heaven. It is not
through religion, a church, a ritual, or a
series of them.
(3) It is through Jesus’ death and our repentance of
the sin that crucified Him and life-changing
faith in Him.
(4) God’s church is the only one that is going to
keep telling you that.
d. World, don’t throw away the church, the people of God.
II. The church is the power of God.
A. In our text, Peter was given the truth by the Holy Ghost as to
WHO Jesus really was.
1. \\#15\\ Jesus asks, "Whom do men say that I am?"
2. \\#14-15\\ Several of the people’s guesses are given.
3. \\#16\\ Peter nailed it! "Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God."
4. \\#17\\ Jesus told Peter that God had revealed that truth
to him.
5. \\#18\\ Jesus said upon that rock, the truth that Peter
had understood and the truth that God had given to Peter,
God was going to build His church.
a. Some want to say that the church is built on Peter.
b. They were not talking about Peter. They were talking
about who Jesus was and that God had revealed that to
Peter.
c. It is the truth and the person of Jesus that the
church is built upon.
B. But notice the power of the church.
Luke 10:18 …the gates of hell shall prevail against it."
1. Notice who is the defender and who is the attacking force
in that verses.
a. Whose got the gates? hell
b. Who is coming against the gates? the church
c. Who is doing the attacking? the church!
2. Not only is the church the attacking force, but hell is
the defeated defender for the verse says their gates can
not stand!
3. This verse describes the church as the unstoppable power
of God in the world!
a. Sadly, somewhere along the way, the church quit
attacking hell and starting defending from it.
b. I am convinced that one of those spiritual armies is
always going to be attacking the other.
(1) If the church quits attacking hell, hell will
immediately start attacking the church.
(2) What is that old saying, "The best defense is a
good offense"?
(3) The Green Pond Baptist Church needs to get back
into the attacking mode!
C. But consider, the power of the church is not in the people.
1. It is in the person of the Holy Ghost.
a. I mentioned earlier that it is hard to separate the
people from the Person of God because the Holy Ghost
lives inside the people.
b. But make no mistake. The church’s power is not in its
people. It is in the person of the Holy Ghost.
2. The church’s part is twofold:
a. First to be holy.
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is
holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I
am holy.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
Ps 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful.
(1) As you compromise your holiness, you compromise
the Holy Spirit’s power.
(2) I would rather mistakenly do without some things
and have more power than less power and more
things.
b. Second, we must be unified.
Eph 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace.
Ro 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the
things which make for peace, and things wherewith
one may edify another.
D. Do not throw away the church for if you do, you cast away the
power that God has sent to help you!
III. The church serves for the purpose of God.
A. I will make this short and simple.
1. The church exists for one purpose and one purpose only.
2. That is to glorify God.
Romans 15:5 Now the God of patience and
consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward
another according to Christ Jesus:
6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
B. Our primary purpose is not to feed, to cloth, to aid, to help,
to love others, to teach, to preach, to witness, or even to
win the lost.
1. Those all are the things we do to accomplish our purpose.
2. Our purpose is head and shoulders above them all.
3. It is to glorify God.
C. May God help us in accomplishing that goal and may we not
throw away the only people and power of God capable of
fulfilling it!
Friend, God’s church is needed like never before. May we be wise
enough to see the church is not disposable.
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