Theme: We Will Not Be Stopped Matthew 16:18
In the text prior to the 18th verse of Matthew 16, Jesus converses with the disciples and asked the question “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” He gets responses that ‘some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus then asks in verse 15 ‘But whom say ye that I am?’ Simon Peter answers ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Jesus then declares ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee. That thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus did not build the church on Peter but on the declaration of Peter that Christ is the Son of the living God. The rock that the church is built upon is Jesus. The rock we stand on, lean on; anchors us when the storms are raging is Jesus and we are unstoppable because of Jesus. Every day is an opportunity to say we will not be stopped because of the rock called Jesus. No matter where we are and if hell is raging it shall not prevail against God’s church.
Pastor Brian K. Brown presented the question: What can we expect because of Christ, and gave three points to answer the question. First, because of Christ our faith is unstoppable. No matter what crisis comes our faith we will not be stopped. We need to ask ourselves where is our confident expectation that God will work things out? There’s nothing that can overrule men and women who have faith. The founders of St. Mark began the church in a depression and had faith that God would provide what they needed. There’s nothing we can’t overcome if we hold on to our faith in Christ.
Secondly, because of Christ our fellowship is unstoppable. Christ is the foundation of the church. No matter where we are, we are part of Christ and nothing can stop us from having fellowship with Him and with fellow believers. There’s always been something that has to break fellowship, if we allow it, but through it all fellowship has been unstoppable.
Lastly, because of Christ our future is unstoppable. Jesus looks at the future church when He declares that’ the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (the church). The only person who can stop our future is us. We are the only one who can keep us down. Christ has opened the door, but He can’t make us walk in. The only thing that will keep us from being all God would have us to be is us.
Again, we praise God for unstoppable faith, fellowship and the future He gave to the St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church 89 years ago that is still unstoppable even in the current times we live.
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