"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:13-18, ESV)
As we look at the year behind us and the year before us, things in our world seem bleak.
Totalitarian governments are on the rise. There is an increasing hatred in our culture against Christians and any true standard of morality. Society seems to be doing an excellent job of indoctrinating our children and us with an unbiblical worldview. In many churches, the Gospel is not central or is not even present.
It looks bleak. There is a temptation for us to grow hopeless in the world we live.
As Christians, it is important to remember and understand the great hope we have.
Imagine being a soldier fighting in a war. How would you press on if you always believed defeat was around the corner? How would you continue if you thought the commands given to you by your commander had no real impact?
This world becomes a wearisome war for the Christian soldier who has little hope.
And so we ask ourselves, what hope does the Church have in a world such as ours? How can the Christian soldier have hope in the battle?
We will answer this question by examining the passage before us. To do so, we will briefly work through the passage up until verse 18, where hope is found for the Christian soldier.
Inadequate Confessions
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets'" (Matthew 16:13-14).
This passage begins with Jesus asking his disciples what people are saying about who the Son of Man is.
Some thought that Jesus was John the Baptist, Elijah, or another prophet.
Evidently, these responses came from people who admired Jesus. Although they regarded him highly, these responses are inadequate. It is not enough to think that Jesus was a prophet or a good teacher. A good teacher in and of himself cannot save people from their sin. At the end of the day, these confessions of Jesus are inadequate.
Peter’s Confession
With these answers, Jesus now turns his attention to his disciples.
"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'" (Matthew 16:15-16).
Jesus, speaking to the disciples, asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This simple statement is filled with great theological truth.
Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Messiah, the anointed one from God. He is the one set apart to redeem his people from the power of sin and death.
Not only that, Peter says that Jesus is the Son of the living God. He is not a Son of God by adoption like the Saints are; he is the Son of God by nature of he who is. All that makes the Father God, the Son is. Like the Father, Jesus is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Jesus is God who has come to redeem his people.
Why is it that Peter, a lowly fisherman, saw the glory of who Jesus is when so many others hadn’t? The masses didn’t see it; the religious leaders didn’t understand it. Why Peter?
The Source of the Revelation
Jesus tells us in v. 17
"And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).
Jesus tells Peter that this ability to see Christ as he is is a gift from the Father. The Father chose to reveal Christ to Peter in a way that he hadn’t with the Pharisees and the others previously mentioned.
The Father removed the scales from Peter’s eyes that he might behold the glory of Jesus, not because of anything special about Peter but because of God’s choice.
Hope for the Church
Jesus continues in verse 18.
"'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it'" (Matthew 16:18).
Again, our guiding question is what hope does the Church have in a world like ours? How can the Christian soldier have hope in the battle?
This answer is found right here.
This verse is pregnant with hope for the Christian soldier today.
There are three things I want us to note.
1. The Church is built on the foundation of the Gospel
2. The Church is being built by Christ
3. The Church will prevail
1. The Church is built on the foundation of the Gospel
After Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus tells Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…”
The Church that Christ refers to is the universal church. The church that is made up of everyone who truly has and who truly will have faith in Christ.
What is the rock that Jesus is building his church on?
Though the meaning of the “rock” that Jesus says he will build his Church on is disputed, the best understanding would be that the “rock” is in reference to Peter’s confession of Christ.
The Greek words for Peter and rock have a similar sound to them. It appears that Jesus is doing a play on words between the two. Jesus says, you are Petros, and on this petra, I will build my Church.
In the context, Peter, an apostle, has just confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This revelation was given to Peter from the Father. The rock that Christ is building his Church on is the revelation of himself proclaimed by the Apostles.
Ephesians 2 seems to confirm this.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellows citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19-21).
Here we see that the Church, both Jew and Gentile, is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ being the cornerstone.
Both the apostles and the prophets were specially set apart to declare the Word of God. Today, we have the revealed Word of God to the prophets in the Old Testament and the revealed Word of God to the apostles in the New Testament. The cornerstone of this foundation that connects these two and holds them together is Jesus Christ.
From the very beginning, in Genesis 3, we see an unveiling of Christ and his work. This continues throughout the OT. In the NT, Christ comes, and a more detailed picture is given of Christ and his work.
We see that Christ, the God-man, lived the perfect life and bore the wrath for sinners on the cross. All those who put their faith in him have their sins paid for in Christ’s death and are declared righteous on account of Christ’s obedience.
In short, the rock that Christ is building his Church on is the Gospel, the revealed truth of Christ and his work.
How does this give us hope to push forward as Christian soldiers?
Christian soldier, we have a firm foundation. In every age, the world is tossed to and fro by vain speculations, by half-truths, by fads. However, you Christian soldier, are rooted and grounded in the eternal truth of Christ and his work.
Christian soldier, you have an eternal hope rooted in a faithful, gracious savior who has accomplished your salvation.
Our Gospel foundation is not shaken by illness, political turmoil, or even our weakness and sin. Our Gospel foundation is strong because Christ is strong.
So what do we do? We do what Christian soldiers do in every age; we proclaim the full counsel of God’s Word, focusing on Christ and him crucified. We proclaim the good news of everlasting life in Christ to a dying world. We teach our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, our neighbors, each other these precious truths as we march forward grounded in the eternal truth that God has revealed to us in His Word.
We do all this with the sure hope that the Church is being built upon the great Gospel truth that Peter professed, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Not only can you take hope because you have a strong foundation…
2. Take hope because Christ is building his Church.
Right now, it may not seem to us that the Church is being built up, but it is. We know this because Christ has promised it.
Christ says, “I will build my church.”
Christ is faithful to do what he says he will do, and his infinite sovereignty always accomplishes what he determines to do.
Christ says, “I will build my church.”
He will accomplish what he has set out to do. He is committed to the ultimate success of his Church.
When you or I invest in something – whether it be time, energy, or financially – we are committed to that thing.
Out of his sovereign grace, Christ has purchased his Church, not with money, not with trinkets, but with his precious blood. The eternal son of God paid the infinite price of sin by bearing the wrath we deserve on the cross. The prince of peace bore the punishment for the chief of sinners; the King of Kings shed his blood for treacherous rebels, for us, for the Church. Not only that, but he has given every Christian his spirit to live within us and has entrusted the Church with his very Word.
Should we dare think that Christ’s Church, the one that he purchased, the one he has equipped with his Spirit and His Word, will be anything less than victorious?
Christ says, “I will build my church.”
Christ will accomplish what he has purposed; Christ is building his Church and will finally and fully build his Church.
So take heart, Christian soldier, march on. Christ is your King. He is commanding all things to build and benefit his Church. From our perspective, there appears to be defeat all around. But we have the hope that Christ has ordained all things, even tribulations, not to defeat his Church, but to build up his Church.
Christian soldier, Christ is training you up in this battlefield; he chose this battlefield for you – not for your great great grandfather and not for your great great-grandchildren but for you. He will not lose you; he will not forsake you; he will keep you and build you, with the rest of his Church.
Again, what hope does the Church have in a world like ours?
1. The Church is built on the foundation of the Gospel
2. The Church is being built by Christ
3. The Church will prevail
"'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it'" (Matthew 16:18).
Christ is building his Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
The Church built by Christ on the foundation of a true confession of Christ is unstoppable.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck the Church from Christ’s hand. Not even death itself can prevail against Christ’s Church.
Scripture is all we need to be assured of this fact, but history gives a hearty amen to this truth.
Did the Jewish religious leaders stop Christ from building his Church? No. Did the execution of Christ stop Christ from building his church? No. Did Roman persecution, did the marriage of Church and the Roman government, did the Gothic invasion of the Roman Empire, did the Medieval Roman Catholic Church, did the Bubonic plague, did the English civil war, World War I, World II, Vietnam, race riots, did the heretical teachings of Arius, Pelagius, the Gnostics, the Socinians stop Christ from building his Church? No.
Will government totalitarianism, will Covid, will a culture that hates Christ, will denominations that forsake Christ and his Word, will the Mormon church, will Prosperity Gospel preachers, will future wars, will future famines, will future diseases, will anything or anyone stop Christ from building his Church? No.
Nations rise and fall, wars are won and lost, diseases come and go, leaders live and die, but Christ and his Church go on forever.
Even if every government in the world decides to kill those who profess Christ, death will not stop Christ from building his Church. The gates of hell will not prevail. Tertullian, who lived during the time of great Roman persecution of the Church, said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
That which the world and Satan intend to use to destroy the Church, Christ has ordained to build and grow the Church.
Christ is undefeatable.
Christian soldier, take great confidence in this. The Gates of Hell cannot prevail against the Gospel going forth throughout the world, it cannot prevail against sinners being saved by Christ, it cannot prevail against Christ building up his Church.
We live in a time when it is easy to be pessimistic. From our perspective, it seems like the world is going to hell in a handbasket. By the way, this isn’t the first time Christians have felt this way. How do we have hope? We take hope that Christ is building his Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Let us not be hopeless in this war we fight. Christ is on the throne. Our king is omnipotent. Our commander is our liberator. He has saved us from sin and death and enlisted us into his service. We serve him out of love because he first loved us.
Let us not be bogged down in this war by worrying about losing what we cannot take to heaven. If we are reproached, let us be reproached in the service of Christ, glory awaits us in heaven, if we lose our comfort and possessions, let us lose our comfort and possessions in the service of Christ, our inheritance and final rest is in heaven, if we die let us die in the service of Christ, resurrection from the dead and eternal life is ours in Christ.
Where is this war fought? It is in your own home, at your job, at your local church, in your neighborhood, on the phone with a friend, in your own heart. It is in the place that God has put you.
How is this war fought? By remembering and proclaiming the Gospel. By pursuing what Christ has told us to do. Parents/grandparents disciple your children, husbands lovingly lead your wives, wives submit to your husbands, children honor your parents, Christian do not forsake the assembly of the saints, point each other to Christ and his finished work, share the Gospel with those around you, love one another, encourage one another, exhort one another, take communion, be baptized, pray, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, know God’s word, understand God’s word, proclaim God’s word. Do these things not to earn God’s favor, do these things because you have God’s favor. And though we do these things feebly, take courage because Christ has determined to use our feeble, sin-tainted efforts to build his Church. And he will build his Church.
Typically, Christ’s church is built in ordinary places, through ordinary people, by ordinary ways.
In America, we think that the thing that makes the biggest splash is the most effective. And so if there is no big splash we think it is ineffective. Christian soldier, in this war, the thing that will be most effective is the thing that Christ has told us to do, because that is what he uses to build his church. Even if what you are doing seems to have no results, remember, we do not battle as those who have no hope, we battle in the hope that the battle ultimately belongs to the Lord.
In conclusion, Christian soldier, yes things look bleak right now but let us push onward and boldly proclaim, like Peter, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and there is salvation nowhere else to be found but in him. Let us remember that Christ will build his church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is reality. It may not appear so right now, but this is what is happening.
God has chosen us for this battle, God has equipped us with his Word and Spirit for this battle, and God has destined that the Church will be ultimately victorious in this battle. Christ will build his Church.
Stephen Duarte (ME, National University; working on MATS, Reformed Baptist Seminary) is a pastor at Parkside Bible Fellowship in Fallon, NV. He is husband to Debbie and father of two. You can follow him on Twitter @stephencduarte.
Note: The views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of other contributors on this site.