[0:00] Friends, it would be helpful to turn together to Matthew chapter 16, Matthew 16 and verse 13. Matthew 16 and to verse 13.
[0:14] Reading the question especially that Jesus put to his disciples when they were in a very pagan place, Caesarea Philippi, one of the parts of the Holy Land that had become most infected by idolatry, most influenced by the Greek and Roman world and by their idols and such like.
[0:40] Caesarea Philippi. Who is the real God in this world? Who should we trust? Who should we follow?
[0:51] Whom should we turn to for help? When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, who do people see that the Son of Man is?
[1:06] And they said, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah, one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am?
[1:20] And in verse 16, Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ. You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
[1:33] There have always been many, many ideas and many, many opinions about Jesus. But that question that Jesus asked there is all important.
[1:45] And I hope we are able to form an answer ourselves today. Who do you think Jesus is? It's good that we are together in Christian worship.
[1:57] It's good that we are found with believing people today. But that doesn't mean that all of us can really honestly and truthfully answer the question.
[2:10] Who do you say Jesus is? The Bible reveals, especially in the Gospels, a picture of Jesus Christ that should lead us to be committed to him and to be worshippers.
[2:29] Who don't just have a vague idea of God, but who know God as Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus. That he's the God revealed in Scripture in the three persons who are one God.
[2:44] Father, Son and Spirit. Each worthy of adoration, service and love. Are we following Jesus because he is God and man?
[3:01] Are we obedient to Jesus and his call to follow him? Who do the people say he is? Well, plenty of people around us will have weird answers to that.
[3:14] Who do you say he is? There are in particular three mighty events in the Gospel of Matthew where the truth about Jesus is revealed by God, the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
[3:33] At his baptism in Matthew chapter 3, the Father speaks. And the Spirit comes down on Jesus in the form of a dove. And Jesus himself is participating with the Father and with the Spirit in revealing himself as the one who comes with humility.
[3:56] The one who comes to come alongside the mess of this world. Jesus was baptized in the water of the Jordan River where the people were going because they were in need.
[4:09] They were sinful, they were burdened and they were going to John the Baptist confessing their sins. And saying, God without your mercy, God without a new beginning and a cleansing, we are in trouble.
[4:24] And Jesus goes and he stands with these people. Not because he is in trouble. Not because he is a sinner needing to turn from his sins.
[4:34] But he stands with them. Because he is saying, these are my people. And saving them is my mission. And so if they are in the water of baptism, identifying with the purpose of God to save his people out of this world.
[4:53] I will go with them. And to please the Father and indeed to please the Spirit who came down upon that occasion. Jesus was anointed with water in the Jordan.
[5:07] Because he was anointed by the call of the Father and the endowing of the Spirit to be the Messiah, the Christ. That's a great event.
[5:18] And this event leading up to the transfiguration in the next chapter is another great event. Where at Caesarea Philippi, this confession of faith is made by Simon Peter.
[5:31] You are the Christ. You are the Messiah. And Jesus says, yes Simon Peter, you didn't work this out on your own. The Father revealed this to you. Because the Father was working in your heart, Peter, by his Spirit.
[5:46] And all the scripture you know. And all that you have seen in Jesus. Your eyes have been opened. And now your mouth is being opened to make this good confession.
[5:56] You are the Christ. And later in this gospel are the words of the Great Commission. At the end of this gospel, the Trinitarian Commission.
[6:12] Father, Son, and Spirit agreed. That the mission of the church is to tell the whole world. You must be a follower.
[6:23] You must be a disciple. A learner following Jesus. You must have your mind and heart and life shaped by him.
[6:34] So be baptized into him. Identify with him. Be saved through him. In the name of Father, Son, and Spirit.
[6:46] Be committed to the Messiah, the King, the Lord Jesus. These are great high points in this gospel. The mission of the church today is to bring together heaven and earth.
[7:02] God's heavenly kingdom. And what God is doing here on the earth. One of the symbolic uses of language in Matthew's gospel that stands out.
[7:16] Saying, comparing it with Mark or with Luke. Is that often Matthew will use the language of heaven and of earth. And see how Jesus is the bridge between heaven and the heavenly kingdom of God.
[7:32] And earth and what God is doing. And you have that here. The keys of the kingdom of heaven are talked about in Matthew 16.
[7:43] The way to get into the kingdom of heaven. And it happens here on the earth. Through the mission of Jesus. And the ministry of his church. To make Jesus known.
[7:57] One of the translations of the New Testament. Is by a man called Moffat. Who when he came to Philippians. He came to that great statement. About our citizenship.
[8:09] Being in heaven. And when he translated that bit of Philippians 3. He said in his translation. That the church is a colony of heaven on earth.
[8:22] So, if anything that's true. This church represents heaven. And the rule of God in heavenly places. We should be sensing the truth about eternity.
[8:36] When we come among God's people. We should be sensing the truth about God. And how to serve him and glorify him. When we meet God's people. And when we enter into their life.
[8:47] And their care for one another. And their worshipping life too. A colony of heaven. With the keys to heaven.
[9:00] That's what a church is. What a privilege. To belong to a biblical church. How awful. How awful. To be outside.
[9:13] A biblical church. I just have two ideas. Two thoughts for you today. Out of Matthew 16. And the first is. That the bedrock.
[9:23] The foundation. The bedrock. Of the church. It's the first thing we're going to look at. The verses 13 to 17. They show you. The foundation.
[9:34] The bedrock. Of the church. There's a rock here. What is that rock? What is the rock? That the church is built on. That's the first thing. The bedrock.
[9:45] Of the church. Who do people say. Jesus the son of man is. That's the title. He loved to use. For himself. And some people said. Oh well. The son of man.
[9:56] Jesus Christ. Maybe you're Elijah. Come back from the dead. Or you're John the Baptist. Or maybe you're one of the other great prophets. Come back from the dead. Maybe Jeremiah. Or someone like that.
[10:08] Completely wrong. But lots of opinions. About Jesus. Some of the opinions. People had about Jesus. Were. Unrealistic. Unflattering.
[10:19] Some of them maybe were. Well meant. But Peter. Gets the right answer. Who do you say. I am. You're the promised savior.
[10:31] You are the Messiah. The son of the living God. He was absolutely right. That is the rock. On which the church is built.
[10:43] Being correct about Jesus. Being right about Jesus. Knowing Jesus. And knowing the real Jesus. That's the rock on which.
[10:54] The church must be founded. We will get off on a wrong footing. And we will not help people. If we don't know and serve Jesus. So the rock.
[11:04] The foundation. On which the church. Is established. Is knowing Christ. And making a good confession. As Peter did.
[11:17] Of who he is. And of why he matters. Blessed are you. Simon. Son of Jonas. Flesh and blood. Flesh and blood. Has not revealed this.
[11:27] You didn't work it out. God revealed it to you. God opened your eyes. To this. Now. You know. I'm sure. That there's been a bit of.
[11:39] Argument. And controversy. Through the centuries. About these words. There are. Many places in the gospels. Where we might wish. That Jesus had been. A wee bit clearer. For example.
[11:50] The words that you hear. At every. Lord's supper. This is my body. Take it and eat. This is my blood. And we might.
[12:00] Wish. Oh. I wish he'd been a little bit clearer. About what he meant. But. There are. Sometimes. There's a place. For mystery. And for meditating on things. And working out.
[12:11] Not. Not everything is plain. And not everything is expressed. In simple language. Sometimes. There is a. A glorious depth.
[12:22] To the way. God has spoken to us. That. Calls out. And develops. Our faith. As we think. What did the Lord mean. When he said.
[12:32] This is my body. And we work it out. And we understand it. In the light of the whole scripture. And it's the same with this. Simon Peter. Flesh and blood.
[12:42] Did not reveal this to you. You didn't get it from your family. You didn't get it from the traditions. Of the Jewish people. You didn't figure it out. For yourself. The father revealed this to you.
[12:53] That Jesus Christ. Is the king. The Messiah. Promised. Ages ago. The father showed you this. And your confession of faith.
[13:04] In Jesus. As savior. And king. And lord. That's the rock. On which you are to build the church. Peter. Along with the other apostles.
[13:15] Your commitment to me. Your faithful. Confession of me. Is the rock. The foundation. The bedrock.
[13:27] On which. You are to build the church. I will build my church. On this rock. And the gates of Hades. The gates of hell. Will not overcome it.
[13:37] 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. The problem with these words.
[13:49] The reason they're controversial. Is that. They are taken. In a wrong. And in an extreme way. By some groups. To think that it's only Peter.
[14:00] Who is a foundation stone. And that. There is a. You know. A succession. Of apostolic authority. From Peter. He's a kind of pope.
[14:11] To. An unbroken line. Of bishops. And this is the kind of claim. That both the. Western Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church.
[14:21] And the Eastern Orthodox Church. Would make. For their. Patriarchs. And their popes. That they are. Descended from. Peter. And they get their authority.
[14:33] From him. And that Jesus is ruling. Through a human being. And that Jesus is establishing. His authority. And that the rock. On which we are built.
[14:44] Is Peter. And that doesn't seem quite right. Does it. But you can understand. How. Some people. Especially if they're taught this. And brought up to believe this.
[14:55] They might come to. Matthew 16. And think. Oh yes. This is about. The church. Or this is about. The authority. Of whoever the human.
[15:06] Leader. Of the church. Might be. The reason this doesn't quite work. Is that. Just a few verses later. You see that Peter.
[15:16] On his own. Cannot be the rock. Because Jesus. Turns around to Peter. When Peter. When Peter resists. The path. That leads to the cross. Jesus turns to Peter.
[15:27] And he says to him. In verse 19. You're Satan. You're working for Satan. Now Peter. When you're. Standing in the way. Of the Messiah. Going to the cross.
[15:38] Get behind me Satan. Peter's a good man. He's an important man. And he is foundational. In establishing. And in spreading.
[15:49] Gospel truth. But he's just a man. And men. Make mistakes. And men. Sometimes. Make terrible mistakes.
[16:00] Peter. Made terrible. Terrible mistakes. He let the Lord down. He betrayed the Lord. And yet. Jesus is saying to him. You are Peter.
[16:11] But you're confessing. Me as Christ. And I say to you. On this rock. I will build my church. God will build his church. Even using.
[16:23] Failures like Peter. And failures. Like you and me. Isn't that something? There is nobody else.
[16:36] That God has to work with. But flawed. Men and women. Flawed. And often. Confused. Often. Halting.
[16:46] And stumbling. Men and women. And yet. God does. Use. Men and women. Some of them. Very greatly.
[16:57] And very wonderfully. This business. That we have. In this passage here. About the. Confession of Peter. It doesn't just apply.
[17:08] To the first. Generation. Of apostles. Peter. And maybe the other. High witnesses. Of the glory of Christ. Of his death. And resurrection. It seems to me.
[17:20] That it applies. To every generation. Of the church. And to everyone. Who follows Jesus. As Lord. You've got this business. Of the power.
[17:30] Of the keys. We'll. Come back to that. In more detail. Later. But the idea. That people. Get into the kingdom. Of heaven. Through.
[17:40] This. Testimony. About Jesus. That's what Peter. Is saying. You are. The Messiah. You are. The Christ. Yes.
[17:51] Peter. You've got it. And this. Is the basis. On which. My people. Will be safe. And my cause. Will go on.
[18:02] Have you ever run. A Christianity Explored course. Have you ever been involved. In Christian youth work. Have you ever taught.
[18:13] A Sunday school class. Have you ever. Helped with a ladies. Bible study. Have you ever. Gone into a school. And shared something.
[18:24] In a lunchtime break. In a scripture union group. Have you been to a summer camp. Have you been to a prayer camp. Respiratory camp. What's going on there.
[18:37] Is that the same. Rock. That the church. Was built on. Two thousand years ago. Is being built upon. In the lives of.
[18:49] People. And young people. Today. And so you might be. A Sunday school teacher. A youth group. Leader. You might be involved. In taking a prayer meeting.
[19:00] You might be involved. In preaching. You might be. Witnessing to someone. In the family. Or in the workplace. You might give. A Christian book. Or a Bible. To someone.
[19:12] And you are involved. In. Building on the rock. That is. Peter's. Confession. Confession. You are the Christ. And without that confession.
[19:24] There is no church. There is no stability. And that confession. Is faithfully saying. To every age. This is the Christ.
[19:35] This is. The Messiah. What are we. Offering people. Not some. Sectarian doctrine. That was invented.
[19:46] Centuries after Christ. Not something. That is peculiar. To Scotland. Or peculiar. To Presbyterians. Or peculiar.
[19:57] To Highland. Or Island. People. What we offer. Is Christ. Christ. On this rock.
[20:09] I will build. My church. I don't know. If any of you. Have been. Through Dingwall. Or have been. To the free church. In Dingwall. It is. It is.
[20:20] A 19. 1870. The current church. Was built. It is a. 19th century. Church building. John Kennedy. Was the minister. When it was built.
[20:31] And it is a very. Imposing. Building. It is huge. It is. It is made out of stone. The walls. Are. About a yard and a half. Thick.
[20:43] And there is a stone spire. It is. When it was opened. It would have sat. About 1200 people. Huge gallery. Big window. Stained glass.
[20:54] Iron pillars. Going down. From the roof. All the way. Into the ground. Different. But what most people. Don't know. Is that Dingwall. Is basically.
[21:05] A bog. Where two rivers meet. And there is. No rock. In Dingwall. There is just clay. Sand and clay. And if you dig down.
[21:16] You hit water. Very quickly. And when they built. That great church. In the 1870s. The clever people. Who built it. They had to make it. Float. It is literally.
[21:29] Floating. On the clay. With piles. Driven down. Oak trees. I don't know how many. Probably 60 oaks. Or 90 oaks.
[21:40] Driven down. Into the clay. Catching the clay. It is friction. It is little rafts. Little islands. Floating on the clay. That are supporting.
[21:51] All that weight. The rock. You would have to go down. Hundreds and hundreds. Of feet. Maybe hundreds of yards. Before you would hit rock. And it always makes me.
[22:02] A wee bit worried. That one of those days. It is going to float away. Or sink. But the church.
[22:13] The living church. The real church. Not the church of buildings. Not the church of structures. Not the church of the way. We human beings. Do things. The church.
[22:23] That will last. To the end of the age. The church. That is inhabited. By the Holy Spirit. Is built on a rock. And that rock. Is Christ.
[22:34] And that rock. Is Christ. Followed. Obediently. And confessed. You. Are. The Messiah. You.
[22:45] Are. The Christ. Later. Peter will write. In one of his letters. To the church. And say. You are living stones. Being built into. A living temple. You are a kingdom of priests.
[22:58] You are a holy nation. You are a temple. Every one of you. Is a stone. Made alive in him. Where Jesus. Heard this. Declaration.
[23:08] From Peter. They had plenty. Temples. Dedicated to the God. Pan. And dedicated to. All the. False gods. Of.
[23:19] The ancient. Mediterranean. Cultures. Made out of stone. But your rock. Is a living rock. The corner stone.
[23:30] The foundation stone. Is Jesus Christ. And stone. On stone. On stone. Life. On life. On life. You. The church. Are built.
[23:42] On him. He is what we are about. What this. District of the island. Needs. What your village. What your town. Needs. Is Jesus Christ.
[23:54] And that's the great. Calling. And the great mission. Of this congregation. And every congregation. That the foundation. The bedrock. For the church. Is Christ.
[24:05] And him. Confessed. You are the Christ. You are our hope. It's not the church. It's not Peter. It's not a papacy.
[24:17] It's not a denomination. It's not a Presbyterian church. Or anything else. You are the Christ. The second thing. Is to think about the mission.
[24:29] Given to that church. Founded on the rock. That is Christ. And you get that from verse 18. To 23. So you've got the rock. The bedrock. Of the church.
[24:40] It's Christ himself. But you've also got the mission. The task. That is given. To the church. From verse 18. I tell you. You are Peter. And on this rock. I will build my church.
[24:51] And the gates of hell. Shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys. Of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth. Shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth. Shall be loosed in heaven.
[25:03] And then. He began to talk. About himself. Going to the cross. And the necessity. Of his death. And of his resurrection.
[25:14] So what's the mission. Of the church. What's the task. Commissioned. To the church. If Jesus is the rock. On which the church. Exists. And is built.
[25:25] What does he want us. To do. What work. Has he got for us. It seems to me. Reading these verses. That your task. Your job.
[25:36] The job of this church. And every living church. Is to defeat. Hell. To empty it. To defeat.
[25:48] Death. To overcome. The work of Satan. And the devil. Your job. Is to see that hell.
[25:59] Does not win. The gates of hell. Shall not prevail. Against the church. That is built. On the rock. That is Christ.
[26:12] Go and build. My church. So that people. Are rescued. From darkness. And sadness. And unbelief. And despair. And are established. In a never ending.
[26:23] Kingdom. Of light. And love. And peace. That's going to take a fight. That's going to take a struggle.
[26:33] There will be a personal fight. A warfare. For. Obedience. And dying to self. And dying to sin.
[26:44] And sometimes. We take steps backwards. But by the grace of God. He brings us back. Simon. And. And. And. And.
[26:54] Simon. Flesh and blood. Did not reveal this to you. But my father. I. Jesus says.
[27:04] I. Will build my church. And it will be. Undefeatable. It will be. Undestroyed. It cannot fail. And the worst.
[27:16] That hell. Attempts. And the worst. That hell. Says. Cannot. Set you back. Cannot. Destroy you.
[27:29] I think we. Tend. To be. Reactive. People. We see something. And we try and sort it out. We see a problem.
[27:40] And we try to deal with it. We see a need. And we try to deal with it. But we tend to be fairly passive. But the picture. That Jesus gives here. Is of an active church.
[27:50] That doesn't wait. But that is looking. Every day. For ways. To set back. The darkness. And the kingdom. Of the enemy. That is looking.
[28:02] For ways. To extend. The kingdom. Of the sun. That is busy. And active. In spreading. The rule. And the reign. Of Christ. As the stewards.
[28:13] Of God's grace. And a steward. In a great house. Holds the keys. Every precious thing. In the household. Is locked up.
[28:25] And secure. But those who have the right. To access these treasures. They have a key. That will open. Even the most treasured. Possession.
[28:36] Of the person. Who has a great house. Peter. I give you. And I give the church. The keys. To the kingdom.
[28:47] Of heaven. The keys. So that here on earth. What is opened. Is opened. In eternity.
[28:59] What is closed. Is closed. For eternity. It is a remarkable thing. That Jesus said. This business of the keys.
[29:09] In Revelation 1. Verse 18. We find that it is Jesus. And Jesus alone. Who has the power. To admit people. To eternal life. And to eternal glory.
[29:20] In heaven. Jesus says. In Revelation 1. I am the living one. I died. And behold. I am alive. Forevermore. And I hold the keys.
[29:31] Of death. And the grave. Or of death. And hell. The apostle John. Hears Jesus saying that. In his vision.
[29:42] Jesus has the key. He is the key. But here is the same Jesus. Saying to Peter. And the apostles. If you take your stand on me.
[29:54] And if you tell people about me. And if you spread the message about me. You are holding me in your hand. You are holding the key in your hand. You have the key.
[30:05] To eternal life and peace with God. You have the keys. Of heaven in your hands. When you are a gospel church. A faithful church. A praying church.
[30:16] An evangelizing church. A witnessing church. You have the keys. To eternal life. In your hands. Are you praying for your Sunday school.
[30:28] As it meets just now. They have the keys. To eternal life. And your children and grandchildren. Are being offered Christ. What a wonder.
[30:41] Are you aware. When you came into this building today. That you have the opportunity. When you hear the gospel. And you hear about Jesus. Jesus. To take from God.
[30:52] His son. And lean on him. And have through him. Hope and peace. And everlasting life.
[31:04] Are you burdened. Come unto me. And I will give you rest. Are you guilty. Confess your sins. And God will be righteous. To forgive your sins.
[31:17] The keys. Every time somebody stands up. In this pulpit. And preaches the gospel to you. They have the key. To eternal life. And it fits your heart.
[31:30] It fits your soul. It fits your need. Perfectly. Because God designed it to fit. Don't let your unbelief. And the lies of Satan.
[31:41] Convince you. That it's not for you. And that there's no hope for you. That's a lie. Peter. Had the mission of the keys.
[31:53] But so does the whole church. And so do you. If you are witnessing for him. Today. Later on.
[32:04] In this gospel. There's a very significant passage. In Matthew 18. Where Jesus. Speaks about. Being present with the church. When they have to deal with sin.
[32:15] And difficulty. And it's the church discipline passage. In Matthew 18. And part of being a faithful church. Is that we are accountable. And that we are held to account.
[32:26] For our sins. And our failures. And that they are dealt with. To the glory of God. And that. Sinners are restored. And brought through a process. Of grief.
[32:37] And repentance. And forgiveness. And cleansing. And restoration. So where two or three are gathered in my name. I'm there. To bless you. And if two or three.
[32:49] If you are dealing with sin in the church. I'm there. To bless you. If two or three. Wise Christians. Two or three elders. If some in a presbytery.
[33:00] Are dealing with some problem. I'm there. To bless you. Jesus is promising. That the keys. Will be wielded.
[33:11] Not just through the preaching of the gospel. But through the Jew. And biblical administration. Of loving. Discipline. Of biblical.
[33:22] And proportionate. Proportionate discipline. Aimed at restoring. Godly life. And full communion. That's the purpose. Of discipline.
[33:34] To wash away guilt. And to restore. Fellowship. That's the ultimate. For the glory of God. And for the welfare of the church. To deal with problems.
[33:45] When they arise. So that they are dealt with. Through the blood of Christ. Christ. And Jesus. Gives this power of the keys. It's obvious. It's given to Peter. In chapter 16.
[33:56] But it's obvious. It's given to the. Whole. Apostolic church. In chapter 18. But not just to them. Lo. Wherever.
[34:07] Two or three. If you are gathered. In my name. I'm with you. And that's echoed. In the great commission. The language. Is carefully chosen. The power of the keys. Was for Peter.
[34:17] And for the other apostles. And for all. Who belong. To the church of Christ. To the end of time. Who are wielding.
[34:28] Those keys. Appropriately. And at his will. And with his authority. The power of the keys. Goes along with the gospel. And the power of the keys.
[34:40] Goes along with true. And loving. And wise. And gentle. Church discipline. And the result is. As we respond to Christ.
[34:52] And his gospel. What is loosed. On earth. Released. Is loosed. In heaven. No guilt. No shame. Freedom. And what is bound.
[35:03] On earth. Is bound. In heaven. If we reject. Christ. On the cross. And if we turn away. From the grace of God. That is held out. To us at Calvary.
[35:14] We are choosing. Judgment. We are choosing. Damnation. Condemnation. It is solemn.
[35:24] And it is serious. To turn away from Christ. It is solemn. And it is serious. To harden our hearts. Against the gospel. And against the. The pull of Christ.
[35:36] The beauty of Christ. And Christ being. Lifted up. Before our eyes. Through the message. It is so dangerous. To think. Ah. Next year.
[35:47] Or when I am old. I will do something. With the gospel. I took a funeral. Along with a colleague. In the last few days.
[35:58] For a boy of 16. Who grew up. In a Christian home. And who had mental illness. And very sadly.
[36:08] Passed away. Tragic. Broken. Confusing. I have never seen.
[36:19] So many. Teenagers. Come into church. I have never seen. So many. Respectful. Nicely dressed. Well behaved. Young men. And women.
[36:30] Coming into church. And hearing. The word read. And the gospel. And I fear. Most of them. Never have heard the gospel. And may never hear it again.
[36:41] And you just. Ask. Oh God. What will unstop. People's ears. And what will. Open people's hearts. What will bring about.
[36:52] Gospel change. What needs to happen. Only the spirit. Can do this. Flesh and blood. Did not reveal this to you. Simon son of John.
[37:04] But my father. Do we. Pray. And do we. Wrestle with God. So that hell.
[37:15] Will be emptied of power. And so that those. Who are held in the grip. Of superstition. Or darkness. Or despair. Are brought to hope. Through Christ. In the middle ages.
[37:27] The concept arose. Of the harrowing of hell. People read. In the creed. That Christ. Descended into hell. And works of art.
[37:38] Were produced. And what have you. And people had this notion. That Christ went in. To empty hell. When he was suffering. And dying on the cross. Now I think the.
[37:49] Imagery is pretty gross. And the theology. Is. Not entirely right. That. The creed. Is an ancient document. Probably from.
[38:01] The. Second century AD. And it has that line in it. He descended into hell. And that seems to me. To be talking about. The reality that. The judgment of God.
[38:13] Death. And punishment for sin. Came on Christ. On the cross. It's really. That hell came to him. Or the penalty. That is hell.
[38:24] Came to him. On the cross. I don't believe. That Jesus. Physically. Or spiritually. Descended into hell. Or a lost eternity. I don't believe that.
[38:34] For a moment. Today. He said to the thief. You shall be with me. In paradise. When Jesus died. He. Yielded his spirit.
[38:45] To the father. Into your hands. I commend my spirit. His body. Was in the grave. And his spirit. Was in glory. But hell.
[38:58] Came to Jesus. On the cross. Poured out. Its fury. On him. And the wrath. Of God. Against sin. Came to Jesus. On the cross. That's how.
[39:09] Hell is emptied. At the cross. Where the price. And the penalty. Is borne. By the sinless. Perfect. Savior. That's where the kingdom. Of darkness.
[39:20] Is shaken. Through. The core. And where the victory. Of God. Is seen. Can you say. With me. Today. That Christ.
[39:30] Went there. For you. And for your need. And for your sin. That hell. Was poured out. On him. To save you.
[39:41] From it. Can you say. That he died. On the cross. For rebels. And you are a rebel. Can you say. That he died. On the cross. As a sacrifice.
[39:52] Because you need. A sacrifice. Can you say. That he was made. Weak. On the cross. Because you are weak. But he makes. Weak. Women. And weak.
[40:03] Men. Like a rock. In him. Peter. Whose name. Means. Rock. Petros. Peter.
[40:15] Peter. Thank you. For your confession. That I am the Christ. I am your rock. And on this rock. Of depending on Jesus.
[40:25] I will build my church. And you are Peter. Jesus was encouraging Peter. To be strong. As he confessed Jesus. And he became strong.
[40:39] Not right away. And not perfectly. But he became strong. And that is the story. Of every saint. Of every believer.
[40:50] Weak ones. Made strong. Through the one. Who is. Christ Jesus. Is. The key. To heaven. And eternal life.
[41:02] And he places himself. Into the hands. Of the faithful church. Confessing his name. And he says. I am giving you. The power of the keys.
[41:13] Now go and tell people. About me. What is your mission? To build your church. On the foundation. On the bedrock. That is Christ.
[41:23] Who will not let you down. And to have that mission. Of bringing the keys. Of the kingdom of God. And of eternal life. To men and women.
[41:34] So that they might enter. Into the life. Of God. Will you pray. That the power of hell. To deceive.
[41:45] The teenagers. The sixteen year olds. Will be shattered. By the glorious light of Christ. And will you work. To share Christ.
[41:58] With young and middle aged. And old. In this place. And for his glory. Have you. Received the key.
[42:10] To eternal life.