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“Shall not Prevail”

Matthew 16:18

“Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Perhaps no word in the Bible has been more misunderstood, more abused, and more confusing to men than the word “church.” Man’s misunderstanding of this word has led to bigotry, sectarianism, strife, isolationism, and even persecution.

The Church

What is this Church, which the Son of God calls, “my church”? The word “church” is used in three ways in the New Testament. Sometimes it is used to describe local, visible assemblies of professed believers in a given place. In every local church there are both believers and unbelievers, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, true possessors of faith and false professors of faith. Every local church has in its membership both the true and the false; but still every local assembly of men and women, who profess faith in Christ and the gospel of God’s free grace in him, is set forth as a local church and is called, “the church of God” (Romans 16:1-5).

Sometimes the word “church” is used to describe all true churches at any given time in the world. Obviously I do not suggest that the church of God is made up of all churches and denominations, but it does include all New Testament churches at any given time in the world. We are one in Christ, one in purpose, one in heart, and one in desire. All true gospel churches in this world in Jesus Christ are one (1 Corinthians 10:32; 12:28).

The word “church,” as it is used here, does not refer to any local church, or any denomination, but to “the church which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23), the family of God, the redeemed and called ones of Christ, “of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:15). Here, as in many other places in the New Testament, the word “church” is used to describe all true believers of all ages, from the beginning of the world to its end, all the saints of the Old Testament and New Testament ages, all of God’s elect upon the earth and in heaven. This is what we call the universal church. It is the mystical body and spiritual bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that spiritual body of which Jesus Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23-25).

Christ’s Promise

What does the Lord Jesus here promise his church? He promised to build it. “I will build my church.” It is his church. He chose it. He redeemed it. And he builds it, calling his elect to life and faith by his Spirit. And he promised to protect it. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Local churches do wither and die. How often we have seen the Lord remove the candlestick from different places! But not one member of Christ’s mystical body shall perish (John 10:28).

Falling Gates

But there is something more in the Savior’s promise. “Gates” are not weapons of offense. They are weapons of defense. We hear much about hell assaulting the church; and it certainly does. We should never expect anything else. Revelation 12 describes the relentless assault. But here our Lord is talking about the gates of hell falling before his church.

The implication should be obvious to anyone. Our blessed Savior, the Captain of our Salvation, our mighty Man of War, here assures us that as we, by the preaching of the gospel, take the fight to hell, charging the very gates of hell by the gospel, the gates of hell shall fall before us! O Spirit of God, give us grace to take up the charge, relentlessly preaching the gospel by every means at our disposal. As we do…

· Christ will build his church by saving his elect.

· He will protect his church, so that no evil befalls it and no foe can harm it.

· And our Lord Jesus Christ will cause his church to triumph at last over Satan and hell: the gates of hell shall not prevail against us, but shall certainly fall before us!

Don Fortner

Pastor Fortner’s