Matt. 16:13ff: "Church" in the teaching of Jesus

Below is a summary of the mesage given by Rev. Chris Hill at the CMFI Annual Meeting on 24th Nov. 2008:


Matthew 16:13ff is a primary reference to "Church" in the teaching of Jesus.  It was given at Caesarea Philippi, a location known to biblical history for gross idolatry.  Through the centuries it was associated with Baal worship, Pan worship, Jupiter worship and even Emperor worship.  A veritable layer-cake of evil and demonic presence.
Here Peter became the vehicle for heaven's mighty revelation that Jesus is the Messiah (Great High Priest and King of Kings) and also God come in the flesh (the Son of the living God).
If Father is able to give such revelation in an evil place like Caesarea Philippi, He should have no problem revealing Jesus in the places we live in and work in, however unpromising!

It is the first New Testament reference to EKKLESIA, and therefore has great importance. Jesus makes amazing claims for the true Church - the one He builds.  It's primary task would appear to be true spiritual warfare.  Jesus promises that the authorities of hell will neither hold out against it nor overcome it ('gate' is synonymous with 'authority').

Peter received the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.  This sounds 'Catholic', but it is true.  'I give YOU' is singular in form, and can only refer to Peter!  Peter was the one who unlocked the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.  First the Jews (Acts 2), then the Samaritans (Acts 8), then the Roman world (Acts 10).  This fulfils the command/promise of Jesus in Acts 1:8.  We follow in that true apostolic succession - we have the keys to continue that great work that Peter pioneered.

Jesus promised success in binding and loosing.  But we note that the literal meaning of the Greek text is 'Whatever you bind/loose on earth SHALL HAVE BEEN bound/loosed in heaven.  The initiative is heaven's.  We implement down here what the Lord God has already sanctioned in heaven ... and nothing else!  Heaven rules: not the Church!  We do what we're told ... by the Lord through His Word.

A few days after Peter's great outburst and our Lord's response, He took Peter, James and John up Mount Hermon to witness the Transfiguration.  Luke tells us that Moses and Elijah were in attendance (Luke 9:30,31).  Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets: the written Word of God.  They were speaking with Jesus about his departure (EXODOS).  This can only refer to his Ascension: being taken from a bad situation (the crucifixion) into an infinitely glorious one (Father's Throneroom).  Some translations translate the word as 'decease'.  This is wrong.  If Luke had meant our Lord's death, he would have used the right word - THANATOS!  He did not: he used EXODOS!
Moses and Elijah were spreading before Jesus the glorious revelation of His future in heaven, beyond the Passion, based entirely upon the Hebrew Scriptures.  Many believers fail to grasp the vital importance of the Hebrew Scriptures as revelation of Jesus.  But passages like Luke 24:17ff and 24:44 show very clearly that this is a serious mistake.  ALL Scripture (OT and NT) has revelation of Jesus and His glory at its heart!

Such revelation is not natural: it is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  Luke says that Jesus 'opened their minds to understand the Scriptures'. I believe this is what happened in consequence of Jesus breathing out the Spirit on them (John 20:22).  It is evidenced in Acts 9 after Paul was regenerated and filled with the Holy Spirit (v 17-19).  He began to preach in Jewish synagogues (no less) that Jesus is the Messiah.  His preaching was dynamic, powerful and baffling to the Jews because Paul did this by (literally) 'DRAWING TOGETHER THE PROOFS THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH'.  Paul was clearly pulling together all the prophetic evidence from the Hebrew Bible and (please note) it all happened 'AT ONCE' (v 20).  He had had no time to consult anyone: it was entirely the action of God!  Paul could preach Jesus from  the Hebrew Scriptures.  This is actually just as well, because there was not a single book of the NEW Testament until many years after Paul's preaching in Damascus!

We are regenerate.  We have received the Holy Spirit.  We too have the divinely inspired understanding of Christ in all the Scriptures.

In Hebrews 12, we are encouraged to run the race of faith.  Christ is our focal point.  We fix our eyes on Him.  The race is arduous and deeply challenging, trouble dogs our tracks: but the example of Jesus is clear and we follow it as disciples.  We look to Him as He looked to Father: Jesus looked to heaven and so do we.  This is our hope.
Hebrews 12:1 shows that in order to be overcomers we need to deal with the internal and external hindrances to our success: dealing with iniquity in the heart and keeping ourselves uncluttered with all manner of diversionary interests.  Clear focus: unhindered running: this is the stuff of discipleship!