Andy Nagahara

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❖ Audio

What is the Church?
(Psalm 48, Matthew 16:15-19)

1. First… (0)

0 A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

2. How does God reveal himself today (1-3, Matt 16:13-19)

1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 2 It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon [1] is Mount Zion, the [2] city of the Great King. 3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.

(Matthew 16:13-19)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, [1] the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, [1] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [2] will not overcome it. [3]
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be [1] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be [2] loosed in heaven.”

3. A church that rejects the power of death (4-7, Matt 16:18)

4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, 5 they saw [her] and were astounded; they fled in terror. 6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. 7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, [1] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [2] will not overcome it. [3]

4. A church that embraces justice (8-11, Matt 16:19)

8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. <Selah> 9 Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. 10 Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11 Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be [1] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be [2] loosed in heaven.”

5. Let’s rediscover the church (12-14)

12 Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. 14 For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

Summary

For those of us who believe and follow Jesus as Lord, “Zion” is the church. The church is said to be the body of Christ. Jesus teaches us that the church is not a physical structure, like a temple, but a community. This community began with the first disciples and transcends time and space. Each church fulfills different purposes in different contexts, but we are all “one big family.”

For Discussion

1) What is Zion?
2) What are the challenges that churches face today?