The Gates of Hell shall not Prevail

Matthew 16: 13-20

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16)

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen.  The sermon text for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel reading Matthew 16.  In our Gospel reading Jesus said something that we all need to hear and understand.  He said something quite remarkable.  He said something quite amazing.  Our Lord said these words about His church.  “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.  It is an important promise for us to hear because the church at first glance can seem small and weak and yet our Lord tells us that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Our Lord asked His disciples this question.  “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”   The disciples replied with all the different ideas people had about Jesus. Some thought that He was John the Baptist, others thought He was Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.  The people had a misunderstanding about who Jesus is.  It is the same today.  We hear all sorts of ideas and theories about Jesus that are untrue or incomplete.        

Jesus then asked His disciples a second question “But who do you say that I am”?  Peter gave the correct answer.  “Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. This revelation about Jesus came from God the Father. The true identity of Jesus Christ was revealed to Peter. Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus is the Christ that is the promised savior of the word.  After Simon’s confession of faith, Jesus gave him the name Peter, meaning rock, and told him that He would build His church on that rock.  The rock that Jesus was talking about was Peter and the apostles. It would be the apostles who would go out into the world and proclaim the truth about Jesus.  The Lord was also talking about Peter’s confession about Him. Indeed the church of God is built upon that confession.  Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

The truth that Peter stated about Jesus has also been revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We also believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  It has been revealed to us that God sent His Son into the world to redeem all of us from sin and death.  It has been revealed to us that God is gracious to us through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord.  The person and work of Jesus is at the center of the church. God has called us to faith in Jesus Christ and placed us in His church.  In our epistle reading Paul calls the church the body of Christ.  He tells us that we have all been gathered together to be a part of the body of Christ (the church).  Now that we are part of the church, we are moved by the Spirit to use our God given gifts to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We have been called together to believe and to confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.   

We are a part of God’s church but when we look at the church it often seems weak.  When we look at the church it often seems overwhelmed by the outside world.  That is why it is important for us to hear the Lord’s promise that He made in our reading. Jesus tells us that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.   After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the apostles went out and proclaimed the truth about the Lord to the word.  At first glance the early church would have looked small and weak and overwhelmed by the world.  The church was persecuted by the Romans.  According to church history the apostles were killed because they preached the good news about Jesus.  The only apostle who was not put to death was John was who placed in exile.  The early church did not look powerful in the least. The people in the church were persecuted and the leaders in the church were often killed or exiled.  Yet Jesus promise rang true.  The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. The Roman persecutions did not destroy the church.  The Gospel continued to be proclaimed and many came to faith.  Before the apostles died, God inspired them to write the New Testament so future generations could hear about Jesus Christ.  All those who died in the faith went to heaven to be with the Lord forever.  The early church looked weak, small and overwhelmed and yet in reality it continued to grow.  Jesus’ promise was true.  The gates of hell would not prevail against it.

When we look at our church today it can also seem small and weak.  When we look at our church today it can look overwhelmed by the world. The world that we live in has become increasingly hostile to Christianity.  When we look at what is happening in our culture it appears that the world has the upper hand over the church.  All around us people are being told to disregard the word of God.  All around us people are told that it is okay to live in sin because there is no such thing as sin.  All around people are told that they do not need Jesus Christ. All around people are suffering because they are not living in the peace and joy that Jesus gives.  It seems that the darkness and evil of the world is getting stronger while the Christian Church is getting weaker.

When we look at our church today it can look small and weak.  Satan attacks the church on the outside, but he also attacks the church on the inside. Satan wants us to be angry and bitter. Satan wants us to lose hope in the Lord. We all still have our sinful nature attached to us so there will also be conflicts within the church.  The church of God is being attacked from the outside and on the inside by the world, Satan, and our sinful nature.  So when we look at the church it can look weak and small. That is why we do need to hear the words of Jesus Christ our Lord.  “And on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.   

The church sometimes looks small, weak, and overmatched but that is not the reality.  The Lord is still working through the church.  The word of God is still being proclaimed. People are still being baptized.  People are still coming to faith in the Lord.  Those within the church are being strengthened by God. 

We sometimes feel overwhelmed by the spiritual attacks that come from the outside and the inside of the church.  But we are reminded that Christ Jesus is greater than the world, Satan, and our own sinful nature.  It is the Lord Jesus who overcame sin and death at the cross.  It is the Lord Jesus who gives us eternal life through His glorious resurrection.  You are a forgiven, redeemed child of God.  You have been placed in God’s Church.  You are part of the body of Christ.  It is the Lord that now comes to you to strengthen your faith.  It is the Holy Spirit that moves you and guides you to use your God given talents to build up your brothers and sisters in Christ as you wait for the final resurrection on the last day.  On that day the Lord will gather us all to be in His full presence forever.  We await the eternal joy of being in the church triumphant.   The center of the church is Jesus.  He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  I will leave you with His words and His promise.  “And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.  Amen.