Made to Be Invincible
Sermon from the The Church Series
Matthew 16:13-25
Invincible: incapable of being conquered, defeated, or subdued; insurmountable.
The Invincible Church:
I. Continues to be Built on the Faith of the Community of Believers. (vs. 15,
17)
The Church Has a Special Bond with the Christ
A. The Church knows the true identity of Jesus.
People have a lot of ideas about Jesus. He was a good man, a good teacher, a
Good moral person who helped lots of people. But people’s ideas about Jesus in general do not really matter. What matters is when Jesus turns to you and asks, “Who do you say I am?” The answer from your heart will reveal the foundation of your life.
B. The Church has intimate connection with Jesus
Ephesians 5:23-32 “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is th
head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits
to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands,
love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he
might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the
word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same
way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore a
man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to
Christ and the church.”
-We find many wonderful truths in this passage about the close bond w/ Christ &
His Church.
1. Christ is the head of the church, his body, the Savior.
2. The church submits to Christ.
3. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, clean
sing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to
himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy
and blameless.
4. Christ feeds and cares for the church
5. We are members of his body.
6. We are united to Him so closely that it is compared to intimacy within a
marriage.
-It is this special bond between Christ and His Church that makes her secure, an
invincible force. No wonder Paul wrote in Romans 8:31, “If God be for us, who
can be against us?”
When someone confesses Jesus as Lord and Messiah King, as Peter did, the
Church is added onto. Another rock has been added to the structure. praying for
us, that we will be strong and trust Him completely. He will come for us, and take
us to be with Him at the greatest wedding celebration ever, when we are joined to
Him for eternity.
II. Was and is today established on Jesus, the Chief cornerstone. (Vs. 18a)
Our text in Matt. 16 quotes Jesus as saying, “I will build My church!”
Man will not build Christ’s Church! Programs will not build Christ’s Church!
Christ Himself will build His Church on the reality of who He is!
He leads us to the place He wants us be. He guides us in how He wants us to
live for Him. He determines how long we should labor in a given place.
Sometimes people leave a place long before God wants them to. Other times
people may linger too long in one place, when God is calling them elsewhere.
Let’s be sure we are hearing from the Master Builder before we ever make any
major life decisions. Even minor decisions should include acknowledging God
in all our ways, so He can direct our paths.
-Each local church is being built upon on who Christ is to them. Who is Jesus to
us? If He is anything less than our Creator, Lord, Savior, and groom, then our
foundation is too weak to build on.
Psalm 127:1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”
-1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is
laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
-The truth that Jesus is the Messiah, Lord & King, is the only foundation that will
endure. The Church is Being Built by the Master Builder (18)
-Why is the Church indestructible? Because Jesus is a Master Builder! He drew up
the perfect blueprints. He has all the right materials. He knows how to build for
eternity.
III. Made to Overtake “gates of hell.” (Vs. 18c-19)
Gates = power
Hell/Hades = death
Church will overcome spiritual attacks
-No demon in hell can prevent this! The councils of hell have no authority
over the invincible Church of Christ – unless she leaves His protection.
Romans 8:38-39— “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Such things as unfaithfulness and disobedience will create distance between the
Church & Jesus. We leave ourselves unprotected when we leave the warmth of
His presence.
When we are close, we are safe, but if we set out on our own, we may be
leaving ourselves open to temptation or attack.
Jesus is building His Church. Are we cooperating with Him as He builds us up as His dwelling place?
Jesus is the Master builder of FBC Roy. We are part of the indestructible,
invincible Church He is building. If we try to build on our own, it will fall.
However, when Christ builds His church, the very forces of evil don’t stand a
chance against it!
Conclusion:
The Lord’s Church is an invincible force because of its foundation- the deity of
Jesus. He is Lord, He is Messiah, He is our King & our God. Our Chief
cornerstone.
We, His Church, are invincible because of the special bond she has with her.
This bond was founded on faith in Him.
She is invincible because of His perfect provision for her. He gives her strength
and perseverance to withstand anything that comes against her.
The Church is invincible because she realizes and submits to His authority. She
does His work. He has given her the power of the Gospel to bring salvation to
the nations.
As we close, are you part of the invincible Body of Christ? You can be!
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