Will you please turn to the Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew 16:18-19?
And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, a stone; and upon this rock, this massive rock, I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatsoever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou mayest loose on the earth shall be loosed in the heavens.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, as we continue in Thy presence, we look to Thee to speak to us through Thy Word and Thy Spirit.
How we praise and thank Thee that Thou art the One Who is still speaking. O Lord, open our inner ears; open our hearts, that we may understand what Thou art saying to us and that we may respond to Thee.
Lord, as we come to the closing of this age, do prepare us for Thyself. We commit this time into Thy loving hand and look to Thee for Thy Word, Thy living Word. We ask in the precious name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Recently, we have been meditating together on some of the words of our Lord Jesus, especially on this matter of the kingdom of the heavens.
Now, this morning, we would like to continue our meditation. Again, I expect you, brothers and sisters, to join with me in our meditation. In other words, it is not that I am speaking and you are listening. I want you all to be very active in your spirit and join with me in meditating together on the Word of our Lord Jesus.
This morning, we would like to meditate on the relationship between the church and the kingdom.
You know, in these two verses that we have just read, our Lord Jesus seems to put these two subjects together. He said to Peter, “You are Peter, a stone. Upon this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Then immediately our Lord continued by saying, “I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
So, brothers and sisters, we have before us two things: My church and the kingdom of the heavens.
Now, of course, when our Lord Jesus talked about the church, He did not mean what people ordinarily think about the church. Sometimes people think of the church as a place, as a building built with material things. At other times, people think of the church as an organization, an institution, a religious club, if we may say it.
But when our Lord Jesus mentioned this word church, He meant exactly what it is: the called-out ones gathered together. Where two or three are gathered together unto His name, our Lord says, “There am I in their midst.” That is what the church really is.
The church is His body, the body of Christ, and He is the Head of that body.
Likewise, when our Lord Jesus talked about the kingdom of the heavens, within the context we may understand that He did not refer to the outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens to the world, such as we find in Matthew 13 in the parables. He meant exactly what the kingdom of the heavens really is.
That is the kingship of Christ: how our Lord Jesus, Who is not only our Savior, is also our King. He shares His own character in a people who obey Him, who belong to Him, and who become His kingdom.
So, brothers and sisters, because these subjects are so broad, we have to limit them this morning to the church in spiritual reality and the kingdom of the heavens in spiritual reality.
When you look at them in that aspect, you will find that the church and the kingdom of the heavens are two sides of one coin.
When you talk about the church, the emphasis is on life, because Christ is living and His church is a living church. When you talk about the kingdom, the emphasis is on character, because the character of the King characterizes His kingdom. All those who are sons of the kingdom have the same character as the King.
When you talk about the church, the important thing is building. Our Lord said, “I will build My church.” In other words, the church needs to be built. It is not only to be born; it is to be built.
When you talk about the kingdom of the heavens, the emphasis is on testimony: that the kingdom of the heavens is a witness to this world in this age. One day, it will bring the kingdom upon this earth.
So, brothers and sisters, after we have defined the scope that we would like to meditate on, then we have to go on and meditate on the relationship between the church and the kingdom.
Here you find our Lord Jesus said, “I will build My church.” But how is He going to build His church? It is followed immediately by what our Lord says: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.”
So, brothers and sisters, immediately you begin to join these two words together. The building of the church is by using the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.
We may interpret the keys as the ways of building the kingdom and the ways of building the church.
Usually, when we talk about the keys of the kingdom of the heavens that our Lord gave to Peter, we say that it refers to the fact that through Peter, he was the first one who used the keys. When he used the keys, he was proclaiming the gospel.
Once, on the day of Pentecost, he proclaimed the gospel to the Jews. The second time, he used the key to open the door to the Gentiles, so that the Gentiles might be brought in. So, brothers and sisters, we say that the keys of the kingdom of the heavens are the preaching of the gospel.
Now, when you think of the gospel, probably in your mind it means the gospel of grace. We were sinners, with no hope, condemned eternally. But Christ Jesus came. He shed His blood, He gave His body, and He became the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.
By believing in Him, our sins are forgiven. We are given a new life. We are guaranteed heaven. Now, that is the gospel that we usually think about.
But, brothers and sisters, when you look into what Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, as well as what he preached in the house of Cornelius, you find it is a little different. In other words, it is more; it is fuller. It is a full gospel.
The gospel is preached not only on the side of grace, but also on the side of the kingdom. Why? You remember in Acts 2, when Peter concluded his message, he said that God had made Jesus, Whom they had crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Now, that is a kingdom message. He has become the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is far above all. Because this is what He is, therefore we need not only to believe, but to obey.
You know, the gospel is to be obeyed, not just to be believed. In Romans 1:5, there is the obedience of faith. He is King; therefore, we need not only to believe in Him, but to obey Him. Now, that is the message on the day of Pentecost.
When you read Acts 10, Peter began to give his message to the Gentiles. He did not finish it; the Holy Spirit came in and interrupted. But from what he had said, he said that this Jesus, God had made Him Judge over all people.
Now, that is more than the gospel of grace. That is the gospel of the kingdom. He is the Judge of all nations.
So you find that Peter used the key of the kingdom of the heavens when he preached the gospel to the people. There you find it brings in the church.
But not only that: the keys of the kingdom of the heavens not only open the door to the church. Because we believe in the Lord, obey Him, and receive new life, we are born into the family of God. But the same keys of the kingdom of the heavens are used for the building of the church.
Now let me explain it. Go back to Matthew 28:18-20.
And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth.
Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.
Now, this is what we call the Great Commission. The Great Commission is based upon what the Lord said in verse 18: “All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and upon earth.”
Whenever you think of power or authority, you tie it with the kingdom. Our Lord Jesus, when He ascended up on high, God made Him King over all things. All power, all authority, both in heaven and upon earth, has been given to Him.
That is the basis of the Great Commission. Otherwise, we have no authority; we have no power to fulfill that commission. So first of all, we need to remember that the Great Commission is based upon the kingship of our Lord Jesus. It has to do with the kingdom.
Then He said, “Go.” Throughout church history, God’s people began to hear this word: “Go. Go to all the world. Go to every nation. Preach the gospel and bring people to salvation. Evangelize the nations.”
Unfortunately, this is only a part of the commission, not the full commission. If you read carefully, you will find that the Lord says, “Go.” Go to do what? To evangelize the world? No. Go and make disciples of all nations.
So, in other words, you find that the Great Commission is a full commission. It is a full gospel that we have to go and preach. It is the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens, because whenever you think of discipleship, it has something to do with the kingdom of the heavens.
“Go, make disciples of all nations.” It is not enough just to get people saved, as if heaven needs to be filled. Why are we saved? For what purpose? Just for our own good? No.
We are saved that God’s purpose may be fulfilled in our lives. In order to do that, we have to be discipled to Christ Jesus—not just believing in Him, but putting ourselves under His authority and allowing Him to transform us, change us, and conform us to His own image. That is discipleship.
Discipleship always has to do with the kingdom, and it is through discipleship that the church is built. So you find what the Lord said: “Go. Make disciples of all nations.” Not only bring people to Me, but bring people to Me in such a manner that they really become My disciples, that I am able to disciple them, train them, complete them, and perfect them.
When you talk about this matter of discipleship, the first thing mentioned in this commission is, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Now, is that not strange? The Lord said, “Make disciples of all nations.” How are you going to make disciples? Teach them. That is the way to make disciples. But no: there is baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Now why is this so? Why is baptism so important? You often hear people say, “Is it not in the Word of God, ‘Believe, and you are saved’?” So why should we be baptized?
Brothers and sisters, there is a reason for that, because it is the door to discipleship. He cannot disciple us until we are baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Now what does it mean? What is baptism? In baptism, we go into the water. We are immersed under the water, and we come up out of the water.
What do all these symbolize? They symbolize death, burial, and resurrection.
In baptism, we proclaim that this old man, this “I,” this self, this natural man—there is no good in him. He needs to go to death.
But you do not need to do it yourself, because Christ has already died, not only for you. When He died, the Bible tells us that we died in Him. He is the last Adam, the second Man. He is the last Adam; in Him, all the Adamic race comes to an end.
Because when the last Adam died, the Adamic race was terminated. Brothers and sisters, the death of our Lord Jesus is all-inclusive.
It is more than just our Lord, as one person, dying on the cross. When He died on the cross, He not only bore all the sins of the world, but He also brought all the sinners with Him to that cross. So, in the sight of God, when Christ died, we all died. We died in Him.
That is an eternal truth. That is something God has done in His beloved Son—already finished, already done.
In baptism, you confess that this old man of yours is already dead. There is no good in him. Anything and everything in this old man is not fit to be built into the body of Christ. It is a foreign article. It cannot be assimilated; it will be rejected, no matter what you do. It should be completely set aside.
Now, brothers and sisters, do you realize that unless you take the position by faith that your old man—you as you know yourself, as everybody knows you—this “I,” two thousand years ago, God has already got rid of him in the cross of our Lord Jesus?
You confess it, you believe it, you take that position, and you act it out by going under the water. Very good—out of sight. You do not want to see him anymore. He is gone forever.
But thank God, there is a coming out of the water, because Christ was buried for three days and three nights, and then He was raised from the dead. When He was raised, you, by faith, are raised with Him in newness of life, not in oldness of letter.
Brothers and sisters, in other words, by taking baptism, that is saying goodbye to yourself: farewell, eternal separation. You come out of the water a new man in Christ Jesus.
It is this new life, this new man in Christ Jesus, that can be trained, transformed, and conformed to the image of Christ, to be built into the body of Christ.
That is what baptism means. That is the reason why the Lord says, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Now you are no longer under your own name. You are in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You have changed your name.
You know, just like a woman: when she is married to a man, her name is changed. So in baptism, we change our name. From being of Adam, now we are of Christ. Only standing on that ground are we able to be discipled.
Now, brothers and sisters, let me use an illustration. You know, in the old days, before there were schools as we know them today, how were you going to learn a professional trade? You learned by beginning as an apprentice.
Now, to be an apprentice is not an easy thing. Why? First of all, you had to leave your own home. You could not stay at home and go to school. You had to be completely severed from your home.
You were not allowed to come back home without the permission of your master. You were not free anymore. You had to join yourself to your master’s house. You became a member of your master’s household. You stayed with him.
Perhaps there was a trade that had to be learned for three years before you finished. But maybe during the first year you stayed in your master’s home, he would never even teach you anything about the trade. He would not even allow you to touch the tool.
Now what did you do then? You did all these menial things. Maybe you swept the floor. Maybe you served the master at the table. Maybe you helped to carry the children. You did all these things that had nothing to do with your trade. But that was very important.
Why? Because to learn the trade in the old days was more than learning a skill; it was to learn how to be a man.
You watched your master: the way he talked, the way he did business, his relationships, his actions and reactions, his attitude—all these things. Gradually, he allowed you to touch the tool a little bit. He taught you a little bit, and you practiced it and learned it.
After you finished your apprenticeship, when you came out, you were a replica of your master. Not only had you learned his skill; you had learned him. You talked like him, acted like him, and walked like him. Your voice also had his tone.
Brothers and sisters, that is discipleship. In the Bible, when you talk about discipleship, that is the idea.
So, unless you are completely separated from the past, you are not able to enter into the new. That is the reason why baptism is the opening to discipleship.
Brothers and sisters, we need to review our baptism. Why is it that it seems so hard for the Lord to change us? Why is it that our old habits, our old ways, cling to us so strenuously and are hard to shake off?
Why? Because we have not taken the ground of discipleship. If you have taken this ground of discipleship—that is to say, you completely deny yourself and yield yourself to your Master, your King, your Christ—allow Him to do anything and everything He wants, because He has every right to do it, then how quickly you will be changed and transformed.
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Teach them the whole counsel of God. Just like Paul said, “I have not withheld anything from you. I have taught you the whole counsel of God.”
But what is the sense of teaching if it is not for the saints to observe? So here it is: teaching them to observe—not only teaching them to have a big mind, knowledge, mental knowledge, knowledge merely—but teaching them to observe, to do.
God’s teaching is to do, not just to think about. When you observe all the things that Christ has taught, you will see a change taking place in your life.
The Lord said, “I am with you unto the end of the age.” You will experience the abiding presence of the Lord with you. Now, that is the Great Commission.
Now, you know, when you meditate, you meditate on one word from the Word of God, and the Spirit of God will lead you to another word. Now, that is the way to meditate.
So naturally, we will be led to Colossians 2:19. But you know, in Colossians 2:19 it is negative, because it begins with “not.” It should not be so. Therefore, we will read it in a positive way.
Holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, ministered to and united together by the joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God.
Holding fast the Head, from Whom all the body, ministered to and united together by the joints and bands, increases with the increase of God. That is the building of the church, the building of the body.
What is to be increased? It is not you and I who are increased. It is increased with the increase of God. In other words, in the body of Christ, you begin to see God increased, Christ increased, in His people—not some people getting increased, but God increased and Christ increased.
Now, how can it be done? The secret is holding fast the Head.
Now we know the Head here is singular. The Head is Christ. How can Christ be the Head, the only Head, if all of us still have our own heads? That is impossible.
So first of all, we have to be beheaded—not literally, but spiritually. We have to lay down our head. That is to say, lay down our own mastership. We all master our own lives. We have our ways, our thoughts, our will, our opinions, and our habits. All of this has to be laid down.
We refuse to be head. We refuse to take the initiative. We submit ourselves under the headship of Christ. Let Him be Head.
So you see, this is the same as discipleship. It is the key of the kingdom of the heavens. It is the way to open the door for the building of the body of Christ.
When we all honor the authority of the Head, then what happens? All the body is ministered to and united together by the joints and bands.
Some brothers and sisters are like joints—joints of supply. In other words, we are able to minister what the Lord has given us to the church, to the body of Christ.
Some people are like bands that unite. You know, there are people who may not be able, in a sense, to minister much, but they are able to bring people together in love. They are bands.
Then you find that all the joints and the bands minister to and join together. The result is that the body increases with the increase of God. That is the secret of the building of the church: using the key of the kingdom.
So, brothers and sisters, you see the relationship between the kingdom and the church. The kingdom builds the church. Without accepting the kingdom, the kingship of Christ, the church cannot be built.
So then we have to go to the other side. What is the church to do with the kingdom? The kingdom builds the church, but the church brings in the kingdom.
You remember what our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:10, in the Lord’s Prayer. He teaches us, the church, to pray for what? “Thy kingdom come.” It is the responsibility of the church to pray in the kingdom of the heavens upon this earth.
You know, brothers and sisters, that is how important prayer is. I believe we have been praying, but have we ever prayed, “Thy kingdom come”?
Oh, how we pray, “Lord, let my will be done and my kingdom come.” But the Lord says, “Pray, ‘Let Thy kingdom come.’”
The church is to pray in the kingdom of the heavens, but it is more than just praying. In Matthew 24:14:
And these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth for a witness unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
It is the responsibility of the church not only to pray that the kingdom comes. Brothers and sisters, when you look at the kingdoms of this world, they are so confused, so violent, so terrifying, so lawless.
Do you not feel urged to pray, “Lord, Thy kingdom come”? Because Thy kingdom is different. When Thy kingdom shall come, all the swords will be turned into plowshares. Even the animals will not eat each other. There will be peace, righteousness, and glory.
Oh, how we need to pray, “Thy kingdom come.” God will not do anything until His church begins to pray.
But not only pray: preach. The message of the kingdom of the heavens must be preached to all the nations as a witness. Then the end will come.
Brothers and sisters, you know, in church history you find some people feel that the responsibility of the church, so far as the world is concerned, is to change the world. The church is to change the world and make it better, make it Christian. That is what postmillennialism really means.
But is this the way to bring in the kingdom? We will preach the message of the kingdom of the heavens as a witness.
In other words, we are not to change the world. God is not going to do that. God is going to judge the world.
But we are to overcome the world—not by political means, military means, or whatever. We are to overcome the world with all its evil.
Brothers and sisters, the church, in the eyes of God, is an overcoming church. The church is supposed to overcome: overcome temptations, overcome evil, overcome all these unrighteous and unlawful things, and be a witness of the kingdom of the heavens in this corrupt world.
That is our testimony. Our testimony is to show the world that, in spite of what the world is today, there is a better world: the kingdom of the heavens. We are living in it. We are under the rule of heaven, overcoming evil. That is a testimony to the world.
Brothers and sisters, that is why you find in the Word of God that when the bride of the Lamb has made herself ready—that is to say, when the church is built, when it begins to take up the full measure of the stature of Christ, as you find in Ephesians 5—then the Bridegroom will come.
The building of the church is to bring in the kingdom. But unfortunately, when you look at the church today, it is more like a child.
So what is God going to do? Will the church never be mature, never grow up, and therefore the kingdom will never come upon this earth? No. God’s way is higher than man’s way.
You find in the Word of God the principle of overcomers: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He who overcomes.”
Brothers and sisters, among God’s people, He is calling for overcomers. Now, who are those overcomers? Those overcomers are none other than normal Christians.
We are all so subnormal today that God is calling us back to normality. What is a normal Christian? A normal Christian is a disciple of Christ.
A normal Christian is one who puts himself under the headship of Christ. A normal Christian is one who allows the Lord to work His character into his or her life, in spite of what is around him. Other people may do certain things; you cannot.
These overcomers are the mature sons of God.
What is the world waiting for? If you read Romans 8:18 onward, you will find that the whole earth, the whole creation, is groaning.
Can you hear the groaning of the trees, the groaning of the earth, the groaning of the mountains and volcanoes, the groaning of the waters? The whole creation is groaning. Why? Because it is under corruption.
Who put it there? Man. It is because of the fall of man. God committed the whole earth to man, and man fell. With fallen man, the whole creation fell into corruption.
What are they waiting for? They are waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. In other words, not just children, not just babies, but grown-up sons bearing the character of Christ, able to bear responsibility in the house of God.
The world is waiting for such people. When these people are fully manifested, then the whole creation will be delivered from corruption.
You find the same thing in Revelation 12. The man-child is a collective singular of the overcomers at the last age.
When they are mature, when they are born, they will be caught up to the throne of God. There will be war in the air. Michael and his angels will fight against Satan and his angels, and there will be no more place in the air for Satan. He will be thrown upon this earth.
The air is clear for our Lord to descend from the throne to the air. Brothers and sisters, who brings in the kingdom?
Of course, it is the Lord, but it is the Lord with His church.
Then you will find judgment will come upon this earth, and our Lord will come down and establish His kingdom on this earth. All the kingdoms of this world will eventually become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
Glory! Glory to God! Shall we pray?
Dear Lord, we do sense that we are standing on the verge of a great change. We pray that Thou wilt prepare us for that day.
Oh, that we may be those whom Thou canst use to bring in Thy kingdom. By Thy grace, enable us to overcome even here, all that is evil.
May our testimony be strong enough to bring down the kingdom of this world and bring in Thy kingdom. We are looking forward to it.
In Thy precious name.