Introduction
A. Many misinterpret Matthew 16:18 saying that the rock refers to Simon, renamed Peter by Christ Himself.
1. To avoid and speculation, let us dissect Matthew 16:18 to find out to whom or what the rock refers to?
2.Let us learn from God's words for Jesus said, " You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free," John 8:32
B. We shall tackle the issue/ question through the following points:
1.Dissect Matthew 16:18 using Koine Greek language as the basis of explanation
2.The significance/importance of Jesus as the rock of Matthew 16:18
3. Man- made churches, not built on Jesus as the rock foundation,are shaky and bound to fall/ collapse
Discussion
A. Dissecting Matthew 16:18 using the Koine Greek terminologies
1. Answering Peter's confession about Him in Matthew 16:16, Jesus said, " You are Peter ( Greek " Petros" masculine gender) and upon this rock ( Greek " Petra" feminine gender) I will build my church...."
2. A worldwide church uses this verse to prove that Peter (a) is the foundation of that church as Peter's name means
" stone" (b) is the titular head of that church and (c) has successors from the 1st century to the end of the world
3.To know the truth so as " to enlighten billions of spiritual lost people," let us go back to Matthew 16:18
4. As Petra is feminine and Petros is masculine, therefore the rock does not refer to Peter but to his confession that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."
5.To prove that the Rock ( Petra) refers to the confession of Peter about Jesus, the apostle Paul identified the rock in I Corinthians 10:4 " all drank from the spiritual drink- for they ( Israelites) drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ."
B. Significance of Jesus as the Rock referred to in Matthew 16:18
1.Builders know that a certain structure cannot stand firm unless its foundation is strong.
2. Spiritually, rocks as foundations are symbols of strength, steadiness and durability.
3. Jesus, not Peter, showed strength, steadiness and durability in character.
4. In Ephesians 2:19-20, the apostle Paul wrote that Christians " are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone...."
5. But the Jews rejected Jesus as was prophesied in Psalm 118:22 and fulfilled in Acts 4:11 " He is the stone which the builders rejected but has become the head of corner."
6. Quoted from Isaiah 8:14, the apostle wrote in I Peter 2:8 that Christ was a " stone of stumbling and a "rock of offence" to the Jews.
7. As the church was built by Jesus Himself on the Rock, a solid foundation, even " the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." see also Revelation 2:10
8. Also, the rock as the cornerstone is a protective stone joining two exterior walls and marking the geographical location by orienting the building in a specific direction.
9. Spiritually, to build on the rock means to ground ourselves on Christ so as to make wise decisions with the help of the Holy Spirit
C. Man- made churches, not built on Jesus as the Rock, are shaky and bound to fall/ collapse.
1. Man- made churches are part of the devil's strategy to confuse and mislead people
2. In Matthew 24:11, Jesus said, " many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many."
3. One such false church denies the deity of Christ and teaches that He was a perfect man and was made our Savior
- apostle John wrote that the anti- Christ denies that Jesus " came in the flesh" ( was incarnated) I John 4:1-4
- apostle Paul clearly affirmed that Jesus had pr- existence in heaven and became a man to die on the cross, Philippians 2:5-8
4. Another global church exalts Peter as the " rock" making him the founder and head of that church with successors
- it gave Peter the title " universal bishop"
5. The New Testament teaches otherwise as Christ is the rock, the foundation, the builder and the head of His church, Matthew 28:18, Colossians 1:18, 24
Conclusion
A. What to do with churches that claim they were established by Christ?
1. Teach their members that they are not in Christ's church and to get out of that church where they were born into
2. Paul, a Jew and a Pharisee, left Judaism when he was converted by Christ Himself, see Acts 8:1,3 which said that he persecuted the church of Christ
3. Study the New Testament church in its simplicity and truthfulness and compare/contrast it with the church you are a member of
4. The real problem with people is not knowing the truth but in obeying the truth, John 14:15
B. Summarize the main points/ Invite people to become Christians
1. Dissect Matthew 16:18; Significance of Jesus as the Rock and Man-made churches
2. Christ invites everyone to come and believe Him to be saved, 2 Corinthians 6:2 and Matthew 11:28-30