THE BATTLE FOR SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

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Matthew 16:18-28

Lesson#41

THE BATTLE FOR SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

• Memory verse: Eph 3:7
• Read Mat 16:18-20 Parable of the Rock and the Keys
  • “Upon this rock I will build my church”
    • What rock?
      • The Roman Catholic Church uses this verse to establish the papacy on Peter as the rock.
        • He was named years later as the first pope.
        • They presume that the keys were given to Peter to admit or deny salvation to anyone; to pardon sin or not to pardon sin. That same power and authority is passed down to all popes after Peter.
      • The Bible says that Jesus is the Rock. (1Cor 10:4 1Pet 2:6-8)
    • What did Jesus mean, and how can we know for sure?
    • Jesus meant that his church would be founded on the statement Peter had made about Jesus.
      • Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.”
        • It is on this foundation that the church is built.
        • How can we know for sure?
        • The original words and their meanings tell us what Jesus meant.

Jesus used a play on words. In Greek.

The name Peter is petros while the word rock is petra. In Aramaic, the name Peter is kephas which is the same word in Aramaic for rock.

• • • • Jesus said to Peter, “You are Petros and on his petra I will build my church.
    • Therefore, the church is built on Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the eternal Rock who is God in the flesh. (1Cor 3:11)
      • Peter was the first person on earth to grasp this truth because it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Peter was the first stone in the church building. Many more stones would be added to the kingdom as the Holy Spirit revealed this truth by faith to thousands of people after Peter. These stones are the people who would make up the church.
      • Remember that the meaning of the word church in the New Testament is not a building or an institution but the people of God that make up the kingdom on this earth at this present time.
    • “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
      • What does this mean?
      • Background:
        • The gate of the city was a very important place.
        • All important functions of a city occurred here.

It was the government seat where government offices were.

It was where laws were made.

It was the location of the court, tax collecting, finance, and the marketplace.

• • • • • Therefore, the governmental power and authority of hell will not win the battle over the church.
      • Background:
        • Before Jesus died on the cross, everyone who died went to a place called Hades.
        • This was the place of the dead whether they were believers or non-believers. They all went to the same place waiting for the resurrection.

Hades was divided into two parts. One part was called Abraham’s Bosom where believers went.

The other part was called Torment where non-believers went. (Luk 16:19-31)

After Jesus died on the cross Abraham’s Bosom was moved along with all the Old Testament dead believers. They were moved to heaven to a place Jesus called Paradise. Remember He said to the thief on the cross, “today you will be with me in Paradise”. (Luk 23:43)

Therefore, because Hades could not hold Jesus Christ after He was crucified in that He rose from the dead,

Hades will not hold the New Testament believers.

Neither will physical death prevent Jesus from building his church.

Neither the power and authority of Satan nor the power of death will hold or destroy Christ and his church.

• • • What powers and responsibilities are given to Peter because of his confession in Matthew 16:16 and why?
      • Peter was given the keys of the kingdom.
      • What does that mean?
        • At that time a trusted steward kept the keys of his master’s wealth and possessions.
        • Even today, the phrase means to give a person some special power, position, or honor.

We give an important person the “keys to the city” in a ceremony to indicate privilege and honor.

Therefore, Peter is given the privilege of opening the door to the New Testament idea of God’s kingdom living in and through the church. He becomes the leader of the disciples after the crucifixion.

• • • • Peter was given the power of binding and loosing.
      • What is this power?
        • To loose and to bind were very familiar Jewish phrases.

It meant = to declare something forbidden or to declare something allowed.

Peter had the responsibility of making decisions regarding what would be forbidden and what would be allowed for the infant church.

In legal terms it means to declare the terms of a contract.

Binding: binding the worldly situation to God’s heavenly will

Loosing: loosing God’s covenant provision and God’s sovereignty in the situation

• • • • • What God wills, the believer has the authority to call forth upon earth thus binding Satan to God’s covenant contract. It is like Jesus’ model prayer in Mat 6:10. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
        • Peter would be the steward of the household of God holding the keys of responsibility and decision making for the new church. He would have spiritual power.
    • What do these powers and responsibilities mean to you and your life?
      • Because of decisions made in the early church, all believers in Jesus Christ will be with the Lord in heaven (Paradise) at the moment of death.
      • All believers will be raised from the dead in the same manner as Jesus Christ was raised.
      • All believers have the responsibility to spread the news of salvation to others.
      • All believers have power over the enemy because of the victory of Jesus Christ.
    • The central truth of the parable:
      • Jesus Christ will establish his church on the fact that He is the Son of God, and He will give to believers in the church power and authority over the enemy.
      • Peter is given the position of leadership for the early church.
• Read Mat 16:21-23
  • After Peter’s great declaration of faith, we see the very human side of Peter.
  • For the first time in Matthew, Jesus informs them of his coming death and Peter tries to persuade Jesus not to let the crucifixion occur.
    • Because of Peter’s revelation of who Jesus is, Satan tries to use Peter to tempt Jesus away from the cross.
    • At first Peter is under the power of the Holy Spirit and next he is under the influence of Satan.
    • At the time we are making the most spiritual progress and gaining the greatest spiritual victories is the time Satan works hard to gain influence.
    • The disciples had learned that Jesus was the Messiah, but they did not understand completely what that meant.
      • Peter did not understand that the Messiah would have to suffer on the cross for the sin of all.
      • Remember that the Jews were primarily looking for the Messiah to come as a King and break the power of Rome.
    • “Get behind me, Satan!”
    • There are two interpretations:
      • =1= The statement is directed at Peter as though to say, “Peter, your place is behind me as a disciple, not leading in front of me.”
      • =2= The statement is directed at Satan who is using Peter to tempt Jesus away from the cross.
• Read Mat 16:24-26 The great challenge: Losing and finding life
  • There are three things a person must be prepared to do to live the Christian life:
    • =1= He must deny himself. What does that mean?
      • Self denial is not giving up some desired object or activity for a week or a month.
      • Self denial is not giving up some luxury to donate money to a good cause.
      • Self denial is saying no to selfish plans and desires and saying yes to God’s plans every day of your life.
      • Self denial is putting God on the throne of your life.
      • Self denial is making God’s will the ruling principle and the ruling passion of your life.
    • =2= He must take up his cross daily.
      • Luke adds the word “daily” to this command. (Luk 9:23)
      • What does that mean and how do we do it?
        • The cross is not some unpleasant person or unpleasant task. For example: your mother-in-law or some illness.
        • Taking up the cross is to take up the burden of sacrificing yourself for other people.
        • Taking up the cross is developing a sacrificial attitude in becoming like Jesus who sacrificed His life for us.
        • The sacrificial attitude must be developed on a daily basis in every area of life.
        • The sacrificial attitude is being more concerned with others and their needs than with you and your needs.
    • =3= He must follow Jesus.
      • How do we do that?
      • To follow Jesus means we must give to Jesus perfect obedience.
      • Notice that we can’t follow Jesus successfully until we have denied ourselves and taken up the cross daily.
  • The consequences of the great challenge
    • Making the decisions to deny yourself, to take up the cross of a sacrificial attitude, and to follow Jesus will mean the ultimate in the quality of life for all eternity.
    • However, you will be losing a temporal life of self will on this earth.
      • Making the decisions not to deny yourself, not to take up the cross of a sacrificial attitude, and not to follow Jesus will mean a temporal life of self will.
      • However, you will lose an eternity without the quality of life and blessing with God.
• Read Mat 16:27-28 The warning and the promise
  • Jesus warns about His second coming and the final judgment.
    • The person who is faithful may die physically and die to selfish desire, but he dies to live eternally with God.
    • The person who risks everything for Christ finds eternal life and a life of blessing on this earth.
    • Jesus gives a curious promise often not understood.
      • Some of the disciples will not taste physical death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
      • Jesus did not mean that He would return at the second coming during the lifetime of some of His disciples. If that is what He meant, He would be a false prophet.
  • It is easier to understand what Jesus meant if we read it in Mark 9:1.
    • Two interpretations:
      • =1= The disciples would see the kingdom of God in the church come in power on the day of Pentecost.
      • =2= Some of the disciples would gain a special view of Jesus and His kingdom on the Mt. of Transfiguration in Mat 17:1-8.

Homework

Matthew 17:1-13

• Application of Mat 16:18-28
  • Remember the commands of discipleship: deny self, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
    • In what areas of your life do you need to work to fulfill these commands to be a disciple?
    • How will you work to do that?
• Preparation for Mat 17:1-13
  • Read Mat 17:1-13
    • Why do you think these two Old Testament figures appeared and not some others like Noah or David?
    • What do they represent?
    • What great truths do we learn from this marvelous experience on the Mt. of Transfiguration?
      • What do we learn about Jesus from this experience?
• Memory verse: Mat 5:17