THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
Scripture:	Matthew 16:13-19
Text:		“I will build my church” (16:16)
Purpose:	To show the basis and purpose of the church and its application to today.
Proposition:	Jesus established the church, His called out ones, for the intent of completing the tasks 			for which He came.
Introduction:	1.	There is a hodge-podge of churches today, e.g. Lutheran, Episcopalian, 					Methodist, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Nazarenes, and Independents.
			a.	All of them are a bit different.
			b.	None have ever made the claim that they are the New Testament 					church.
			c.	Nazarenes are not.
		2.	We can never be just like the New Testament Church, for we live in a new age 				and a different culture.
#”Some will contend that it is unfair to compare the concentrated figure of a small, newly formed sect with  a world-wide organization confronted by problems on a scale unknown to the young church and harassed by tensions and pressures non-existent in the first century.  There is an element of truth here.”—Jim Bond
		3.	There must be, on the other hand, some principles we should know 					and by which we should live.
#”It seems to me that Christianity is strongest at the point of its origin.  The more we can recapture the original, the stronger we will be.  We should seek to reproduce the sheer spiritual zest and drive of the New Testament Church; their Spirit-filled and Christ-led type of living, their faith and courage, their evangelistic fervor, and their vision to capture every man, woman, and child in the world for their Christ.
The historian Glover’s remark that the early Christians “outlived, out-thought, and out-died” the pagans in the world about them must become modern history.  Our first call is to demonstrate to our world that Jesus Christ makes a difference in living.”—Jim Bond
I.	Jesus founded the church.  “I will build my church.”
	A.	The Old Testament Church parented the New Testament Church.
		1.	The Old Testament Church was a group of chosen people.
			a.	The Old Testament Church was a community of the Holy Spirit.
			b.	It existed to prepare the way for the Savior.
			c.	Its purpose was to point to one true God.
		2.	The Old Testament Church was a covenant people of God.
			a.	They were bound to God through a covenant.
			b.	A covenant was an agreement in which God gave His people favors 					which they had no right to claim.
			c.	Jeremiah (31:31-34) sees a new covenant will be written upon the 					hearts of the people, because they had discarded the old covenant.
			d.	The covenant idea carries over into the New Testament.
		3.	The New Testament Church did not break from the Old Testament Church.
			a.	The Old Testament Church gave a proper setting for Christ to enter into 					the religious scene.
			b.	The New Testament Church accepted Israel’s scriptures.
			c.	The Jews were the first members of the New Testament Church.
	B.	Jesus sowed the seed of conception.
		1.	The disciples were the nucleus of the Church.
			a.	Jesus gathered His flock of men around Him.
			b.	The men of Israel were His chosen followers and they were from among 					the Old Testament covenant people.
		2.	This was an intermediate group, for the disciples were the link between the 				church and the wilderness and the Church at the Day of Pentecost.
			a.	The Day of Pentecost was the birthday of the Church with 120 charter 					members.
			b.	The New Testament Church was alive and active.
		3.	Jesus speaks only twice of the church and always in the future tense—“I will.”
	
	C.	Christ is the founder of the church.
		1.	“I will build my church.”
		2.	The origin of the church is in God.
		3.	Christ came to express the purpose of bringing to Himself a people.
		4.	Christ’s work made the church possible.
		5.	Only Jesus had the right to say, “I will build my church.”
		6.	Jesus was and is the foundation.
		7.	The Apostles unanimously testified that the church was not their creation—it 				resulted from the work of Christ their Lord.
		8.	God founded the church on the person and the work of Jesus Christ.
II.	What is the Church?
	A.	Ecclesia means the called-out ones.
		1.	The Church is made up of all who believed in Jesus Christ.
		2.	The Church is defined as a group of people who confess Jesus as the Son of God.
		3.	The Church stood for those who trusted in Christ alone as their Savior.
		4.	The Church was made up of those who united under Christ’s leadership in order 				to carry out His purposes in the world.
		5.	Confession before men was necessary in order to be accepted in the sight of 				God (Matt. 10:32-33).
	B.	Ecclesia means an assembly or a congregation.
		1.	God works within groups of people.
		2.	Jesus’ movement started among a fellowship of believers.
		3.	The people of God possess a group consciousness.
	C.	The Church is God’s.
		1.	God calls people to become the Church.
		2.	God unites people together in the Church.
		3.	God is the instigator, i.e. He initiates covenant with us.
III.	The building of the Church.  “I will build my church upon this rock.”
	A.	How are we to understand the words “upon this rock?”
		1.	The rock means Jesus Himself.
		2.	The rock is the simple truth that Jesus is the Son of the living God.
		3.	The rock is Peter’s faith.
		4.	Peter is the rock.
			a.	Peter is the first, initial foundation stone of the whole church.
			b.	Peter was the first man on earth to discover who Jesus was.
			c.	He was the first man to make the leap of faith—who saw Jesus Christ, 					the incarnation of God.
			d.	Everyone who makes the same discovery that Peter made is another 					stone added into the building of the Church of Christ.
			e.	Jesus builds His Church upon people—people who know He is God.
	B.	The Church will triumph.
	#We have here a picture of a fortress upon a hill.  Jesus is thinking of His Church as a fortress 	and the forces of evil are trying to destroy the stronghold of God.
		1.	Jesus is convinced evil will not prevail against the Church.
			a.	The gate was a place of justice and council.
			b.	The gate was also a place of government.
		2.	Christ descended into hades and broke the hold of sin upon humans.
		3.	The gates of Hades will not prevail—this speaks to the indestructibility of Christ 				and His Church.
#All of my life I have been on the losing side, but the church will never die.  When we chose Christ’s way we chose to win.
	C.	To godly people Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom.
		1.	With the keys come divine rights and divine authority.
		2.	With the keys come a special power.
#The idea of the keys to the kingdom dates back to Isaiah.  Isaiah describes Eliakim as having a key to the house of David.  The duty of Eliakim was to be the faithful steward of the house.  The steward always carried the keys of the house, so that in the morning he could open the doors and in the evening shut them.  All visitors gained the entrance to the palace through the steward.

#Jesus said, “Peter, you’re the steward of the kingdom of God.”  Through Peter the door to the kingdom was opened to 3,000 souls on the Day of Pentecost.  Through Peter the door was opened to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius.

Conclusion:
	1.	Every Christian has the keys to the kingdom.
	2.	It is up to us to open the door of the kingdom to someone.