Message Notes

BILINGUAL WORSHIP 23 AUGUST 2020
Theme: The Kingdom of Heaven
Texts: Matthew 16:13-19
Title: “I will build My Church”

INTRODUCTION

1. The Kingdom of God

a) This is a wonderful teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ

b) It is wonderful for many reasons:

i) It is real

ii) It is relevant

iii) It is personal

iv) It is eternal

2. The Blessings of God

a) This is also a wonderful teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ

b) It is wonderful for many other reasons:

i) It brings much hope to the heart

ii) It brings comfort

iii) It brings assurance

iv) It brings much joy

A TRULY GLORIOUS BLESSING

1. The Lord Jesus had already done so much

a) He has given salvation

b) He has given important teachings

2. There was another special blessing that He would give

a) He told His Disciples that He would build the Church

b) This was something entirely new to the Disciples

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

1. The Founder of the Church

a) The Lord Jesus is the real Founder

b) The idea of a Church was His

2. The Foundation of the Church

a) The foundation is important

b) The Lord Jesus described the foundation as “Rock”

i) The Lord Jesus and His teachings are indeed as strong as a Rock

ii) It is based on solid truth

iii) And Truth is eternal!

3. The Promise of the Lord Jesus Christ

a) I will build My Church (Matthew 16:18)

i) The Lord Jesus would be personally involved

ii) He would be there to build the Church

b) The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

i) The Lord Jesus knew that there would be opposition

ii) Not everyone would like to see the church grow strongly

iii) But the Lord would protect and defend the church always

THE FIRST CHURCH

1. The first Church was founded in Jerusalem (Acts 1-2)

2. The founding members

a) There were only 120 people (Acts 1:15)

b) That was a small church

c) They did not have a building

d) The Disciples of the Lord Jesus were the leaders of the Church

THE PROMISE OF THE LORD GIVEN

1. He promised that He would give them power (Acts 1:8)

a) This power was necessary

b) This power would help the Church to be strong

2. The power came from the Holy Spirit

a) He would come upon the Church members

b) He would help them

c) He would enable them to build the Church

THE PROMISE OF THE LORD FULFILLED

1. The Spirit of God came upon the Church Leaders

a) He came upon the church leaders who were called Apostles

b) They were empowered

i) To be brave

ii) To be able to speak well

iii) To be able to help people enter into the Kingdom of Heaven

2. The Spirit of God came upon all members of the Church

a) Not all were leaders

b) They were ordinary church members

c) They were supporters of the Apostles

3. The Church Members did not fail to do their part

a) They read the Scriptures

b) They prayed much

c) They shared their faith in the Lord Jesus faithfully

The Blessings of the Lord were added to the Church

THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH

1. The Jerusalem Church

a) It grew significantly

b) 3000 were added to the church (Acts 2:41)

c) More than membership, the congregation grew in faith too

d) They learned how to care for one another

2. Opposition to the Church

a) This was something that the Lord Jesus had warned about

b) There were people who were determined to do the following:

i) Restrict the growth of the Church
They failed!

ii) Destroy the Church
They also failed

THE CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TODAY

1. The Church is found all over the world today

2. In every continent there are churches

3. Believers number by the millions

CONCLUSION

1. One of God’s important blessings is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ

2. Our Challenge

a) To rejoice that we are part of the Church

b) To remember to pray for the Church

c) To support the Church in every possible way