KEYS TO THE KINGDOM -BINDING AND LOOSING
PART 1 OF A 2 PART SERIES
MATTHEW 16: 18-19
FOCAL POINT: THE INTENT OF THIS STUDY IS TO ADDRESS THE ROCK, THE CHURCH AND THE GATES OF HADES.
EXPOSITION:
MATTHEW 16: 18
PETER (SIMON PETER) WHOSE NAME MEAN STONE, WAS A ROBUST, BOLD, COURAGEOUS, FRANK, IMPULSIVE MAN. HE IS NAMED AMONG THE APOSTLES. JESUS’ ADDRESS TO HIM OBVIOUSLY RECOGNIZED HIS LEADERSHIP ABILITIES, HOWEVER, IT SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED THAT HE HAD SUPREMACY OVER THE OTHER APOSTLES. THERE IS LITTLE PROOF TO TAKE THIS POSITION.
THE WORD ROCK(S) TAKES ON STRIKING IMAGERY IN THE BIBLE. REF. PSALMS 31: 2-3 AND MANY OTHER SCRIPTURES.
WHEN JESUS MADE THE STATEMENT “THAT UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH”, HE IS NOT STATING THE CHURCH IS BUILT UPON PETER. THERE IS NO PROOF OF HIS SUPREMACY OVER THE OTHER APOSTLES. IT WAS NOT CONFERRED UPON HIM BY CHRIST. HE NEVER HIMSELF CLAIMED THIS SUPREMACY SCRIPTURALLY. HIS ASSOCIATES NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED SUCH. CHRIST DID NOT INTEND FOR THE CHURCH TO BE BUILT UPON PETER HIMSELF. RATHER, UPON HIMSELF (CHRIST) AS CONFESSED BY PETER IN MATTHEW 16: 15--16 (READ). PETER CONFIRMED THIS IN 1 PETER 2: 4-9 (READ). READ ALSO ACTS 4: 11-12, PSALMS 118:22
1 CORINTHIANS 3: 11 “FOR NO MAN CAN LAY A FOUNDATION OTHER THAN THE ONE WHICH IS LAID, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.” JESUS IS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH.
READ EPHESIANS 2:19-22. THIS EXPLAINS THE TWELVE FOLD FOUNDATION OF HIS CHURCH.
THE TERMS USED IN THE BIBLE FOR HEAVEN AND HELL (SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, LAKE OF FIRE, PARADISE AND ABRAHAM’S BOSOM ARE SUBJECT TO MUCH DEBATE. YOU MUST TAKE THE STATEMENT,” AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT” IN CONTEXT TO THE CHURCH. CHRIST IS MAKING AN ASSERTION THAT THE CHURCH IS AN OFFENSIVE AGENT, NOT ON THE DEFENSIVE AGENT AGAINST SATAN. STATED ANOTHER WAY, THE CHURCH PREVAILS AGAINST THE FORCES OF SATAN! AUTHOR WARREN WIERSBE STATES THE ISSUE THIS WAY, “THE CHURCH DOES NOT GET HUMAN WILL DONE IN HEAVEN; IT OBEYS GOD’S WILL ON EARTH.”
APPLICATION: BELIEVER, IF YOUR SPIRITUAL HOUSE IS BUILT UPON THE ROCK, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. YOU HAVE ALL TO FEAR IS YOU ARE AN UNBELIEVER.
REF: HANDBOOK ON CHURCH DISCIPLINE BY JAY ADAMS, A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BY ROY B. ZUCK, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER BIBLE COMMENTARY BY WARREN WIERSBE, BIBLE ANSWERS TO ALMOST ALL YOUR QUESTIONS BY ELMER TOWNS, THE WONDER OF HEAVEN: A BIBLICAL VIEW OF OUR ETERNAL HOME BY RON RHODES, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BIBLE ANSWERS BY RON RHODES, BLUELETTERBIBLE.ORG, GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
