2018-06-24 
Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Key Verse: Matthew 16:18 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.

For the next two weeks, we’re going to have what might be considered a family meeting. This will be an opportunity for us to come together and celebrate what God has done and dream about what He wants to do in the days ahead. We’re going to break this sermon down into two parts, part 1 today and part 2 will be next Sunday. Here’s the question that we’ll attempt to answer; What does God want us to do as His Church? Well, let’s get into the Word of God and find out

Matthew 16:18-19 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. 19 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.”

Eph. 4:7-16 (NLT) However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. 11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

The Church – There and Here

1. It is Christ that builds the church

– Matt 16:18b “… I will build My church,”

– It’s not up to us

– We can’t destroy it, we can’t stop it!

– Nor can the world

– The world, and some within the church, desire to keep the church from being what Christ intended…but 1 John 4:4 gives us the encouragement that He  equips us with the ability to see their attempts.

2. Christ has chosen us to be His tools

– Eph. 4:7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

– While Christ builds the church, He has chosen us to help

– If we fail in our duty, He’ll raise up someone else

3. He has equipped us for the job

– Eph. 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

4. He uses the church to grow us

– Eph. 4:13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth

– This is where 1 John 4:4 comes into play, our growth within the church helps us to discern the problem outside the church

5. And then He uses us to grow the church

– Eph. 4:15-16 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

– Go into all the world…

– “so that the whole body is healthy and growing…”

– that phrase is not about TRBC Lynchburg, it is about the global church

Eph. 4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.