(inspirational music) Well, good morning everyone. Welcome to First Baptist Atlanta. We're so glad to see and worship today. We wanna welcome all those joining us on live stream as well. Let's stand together. We're gonna sing this song of praise to the Lord. I'll lead us on the first verse and then invite you to sing with us as we praise our chain breaker. ♪ If you've been walking the same old road ♪ ♪ For miles and miles ♪ ♪ If you've been hearing the same old voice ♪ ♪ Tell the same old lies ♪ ♪ If you're trying to fill the same old holes inside ♪ ♪ Oh, there's a better life ♪ ♪ There's a better life ♪ Sing with us ♪ If you've got pain, He's a pain taker ♪ ♪ If you feel lost, He's a way maker ♪ ♪ If you need freedom or saving ♪ ♪ He's a prison-shaking Savior ♪ ♪ If you've got chains, He's a chain breaker ♪ Sing with us now. ♪ We've all searched for the light of day ♪ ♪ In the dead of night ♪ ♪ We've all found ourselves worn out from the same old fight ♪ ♪ We've all run to things we know just ain't right ♪ ♪ There's a better life ♪ ♪ There's a better life ♪ ♪ If you've got pain, He's a pain taker ♪ ♪ If you feel lost, He's a way maker ♪ ♪ If you need freedom or saving ♪ ♪ He's a prison-shaking Savior ♪ ♪ If you've got chains, He's a chain breaker ♪ ♪ If you believe it ♪ ♪ If you receive it ♪ ♪ If you can feel it, somebody testify ♪ ♪ If you believe it ♪ ♪ If you receive it ♪ ♪ If you can feel it ♪ ♪ Somebody testify, testify ♪ ♪ If you believe it ♪ ♪ If you receive it ♪ ♪ If you can feel it, somebody testify ♪ ♪ If you've got pain, He's a pain taker ♪ ♪ If you feel lost, He's a way maker ♪ ♪ If you need freedom or saving ♪ ♪ He's a prison-shaking Savior ♪ ♪ If you've got chains, He's a chain breaker ♪ ♪ If you need freedom or saving ♪ ♪ He's a prison-shaking Savior ♪ ♪ If you've got chains, He's a chain breaker ♪ Oh, give him praise this morning. Hallelujah. I'm glad He can break the chains in our lives. Let's continue to worship as we sing about the blood of Jesus. ♪ Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood ♪ ♪ In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are your garments spotless ♪ ♪ Are they white as snow ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you walking daily by the Savior's side ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Do you rest each moment in the crucified ♪ ♪ Are washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood ♪ ♪ In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you garments spotless ♪ ♪ Are they white as snow ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin ♪ ♪ And be washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean ♪ ♪ O be washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood ♪ ♪ In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are your garments spotless ♪ ♪ Are they white as snow ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood ♪ ♪ In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are your garments spotless ♪ ♪ Are they white as snow ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ Oh, I'm thankful for the power of the blood of Jesus this morning. Amen. And what a powerful and beautiful name, the name of Jesus is. And we worship Him this morning. We give Him praise because He's worthy. We give Him thanks for all He's done for us. Holly lead us. ♪ You were the Word at the beginning ♪ ♪ One with God the Lord most high ♪ ♪ Your hidden glory in creation ♪ ♪ Now revealed in You our Christ ♪ ♪ What a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ What a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ Nothing compares to this ♪ ♪ What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ Sing this with us ♪ You didn't want heaven without us ♪ ♪ So, Jesus, you brought heaven down ♪ ♪ My sin was great, Your love was greater ♪ ♪ What could separate us now ♪ ♪ What a wonderful name it is ♪ ♪ What a wonderful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my king ♪ ♪ What a wonderful name it is ♪ ♪ Nothing compares to this ♪ ♪ What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ Scripture says God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, death couldn't hold. ♪ Death could not hold You ♪ ♪ The veil tore before You ♪ ♪ You silenced the boast of sin and grave ♪ ♪ The heavens are roaring ♪ ♪ The praise of Your glory ♪ ♪ For You are raised to life again ♪ I worship Him ♪ You have no rival ♪ ♪ You have no equal ♪ ♪ Now and forever, God You reign ♪ Thank you Lord. ♪ Yours is the kingdom ♪ ♪ Yours is the glory ♪ ♪ Yours is the name above all names ♪ Sing to the Lord today. ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ The Name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ You have no rival, You have no equal ♪ ♪ Now and forever, God You reign ♪ ♪ Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the glory ♪ ♪ Yours is the name, above all names ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ The Name of Jesus my king ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ Oh, give Him praise, hallelujah. (congregation applauding) Praise His name! ♪ There is power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ There is power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ There is power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ ♪ There is power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ There is power ♪ ♪ There is power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ There is power ♪ ♪ There is power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ There's an army rising up ♪ ♪ There's an army rising up ♪ ♪ There's an army rising up ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ There's an army rising up ♪ ♪ There's an army in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ There's an army rising up ♪ ♪ There's an army rising up ♪ ♪ To break every chain ♪ ♪ To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain ♪ ♪ To break every chain, to break every chain, ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ ♪ They have strength in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ There is power in the name Jesus ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ I hear them falling down, thanks to you God ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ They fall, they fall down in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ I hear the chains falling ♪ ♪ There is power, power ♪ ♪ Wonder working power in His name ♪ ♪ There is power, power ♪ ♪ Wonder working power in His name ♪ ♪ There is power ♪ ♪ Wonder working power ♪ ♪ In His name there is power ♪ ♪ To break every chain ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ ♪ Break every chain ♪ Thank you Jesus. (congregation applauding) (inspirational music) For years, psychologists and sociologists alike have conducted studies, which prove that those who devote themselves to a cause that improves the lot of their fellow man live more rewarding and more fulfilling lives. It's been demonstrated that when people attach themselves to a cause greater than themselves, that generates good to those around them, there are physical benefits. There are emotional and psychological benefits. And I would like to add as a Christian, I know that when people devote themselves to serving others and sharing God's love with others, there are rich and abiding spiritual benefits. And so the question then is, to what cause have you devoted your life? A cause that transcends your little bubble of selfish concerns as well as mine, a cause that is bigger than who you are and bigger than even your very lifespan. Back in December of 2018, bestselling author and a leadership expert, Dr. Margie Warrell wrote an article in forbes.com and the title was, "Pursue A Cause Greater Than Yourself: The Heart Of True Leadership." And in that article, she writes, "The fact that millions of Americans are wealthier today than ever before, yet suffer higher rates of depression and greater loneliness with young adults feeling the most alone tells us that something is amiss. It's wonderful to have wealth. It buys us choices enables us to do more good, but if our lives revolve solely around the accumulation of it, we can end up living a life of immaculate mediocrity, living superficially in the shallows and starved for a purpose that transcends anything, fame or fortune or Facebook fans can provide." She goes on to say, "As you consider the years ahead of you, your future that is yet to be written, I invite you to view your options through the lens of where you can make the most meaningful impact for others. How might you better employ your talents, your expertise, your resources, and your hard-won wisdom to be of greater service for others?" And I wanna answer that pressing question from Dr. Warrell and it is by devoting your life to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the church is a cause worth living for. And I want you to open to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 16. And we're going to read, what is for most of you, very familiar passage of Jesus interviewing his disciples, wanting to know, "Hey, what are people saying about Me? Who do people say that I am?" And Matthew records this as having taken place in Caesarea Philippi, just north of the Sea of Galilee. And it says in verse 13, "When Jesus came into that region, He asked his disciples, saying, 'Who do men say that I, the Son of Man am?' And they said back to Him, 'Well, some people say You're John the Baptist, some say you're Elijah and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' But Ye looked them in the eyes and said, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,'" which means son of Jonah, "'flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.'" And we're going to stop there with verse 18 for the purposes of today's message, He goes on to say something very powerful. But I want us to just focus on the verses that I've just finished reading. And of course, true to form, we're gonna have some points from this message. And I encourage you, if you've got something to write with, write them down, or if you wanna use your notes app on your phone, but these are important points from this passage of scripture that demonstrate why the church is worthy of your investment. Why the church of Jesus Christ is a cause truly worth living for. So here's the first thing that I wanna say about it, and that is that, as the church, we have a Master builder, a Master builder. Jesus said in these words, "I will build My church." And Jesus told Simon Peter, "No human being, no flesh and blood could have shown you My true identity, only God in heaven could have revealed this to you." And it's interesting because this very exchange, what happened, is how God builds His church. The witness of Christ is presented as He presented Himself to the disciples and only the Father and heaven can reveal to people who Jesus really is. Even with Him standing right there in front of them, flesh and blood, it took God's help to enlighten them, to reveal the identity of Christ to them. And Jesus said, "The father has shown you who I am." Now, when it comes to you and I doing God's work and we are in the church, I'm one of the leaders in the church, if we've got leaders that are here with us this morning, and many of you serve in some spiritual leadership capacity here in church. We have the responsibilities that God has given us to strengthen His church, to share our faith, to be devoted to His mission. But the Bible makes it clear that although we can do our part, there are certain things that only God Himself can do when it comes to building His church. The Apostle Paul said it this way in Corinthians, he said, "Someone can plant the seed and another person can water the seed, but only God can give the increase." Only God causes the seed to sprout and the plant to grow. God alone can create new life out of death. God alone can birth someone into His family through their faith in Jesus Christ. Our duty is to align ourselves with Jesus. And you know I heard Dr. Adrian Rogers, who's now in heaven, the late pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, he made a comment one time I will never forget. He said so often we think about new things we can do to reach people with the Gospel and to see the church grow. But he said Jesus has already promised that He is going to build our church. So what God wants us to do is to remove the obstacles from His way so He is free to do what He's already said He's going to do. So instead of coming up with new things and churches are very good at coming up with new things and keeping the path cluttered with old things, sometimes what God is looking for is for us to declutter His pathway so that His spirit is free to move and to draw people to Himself. Our responsibility is to identify those obstacles and then to watch Jesus build His church. He does it through us, but He's the One who does the building. And throughout the years that I have been in ministry, we have bragged on different ministers and pastors who've overseen great growth in their churches. And we say sometimes meaning to take away no glory from God we'll say, "You know he grew that church from 500 to 5,000. He grew that church from 50 to 250." And we need to be very careful that though we understand God uses people to do great things, it is only Jesus who builds His church. He's the One who says it right here. And He's not only building the church, but the Bible tells us He is building the church because He's already bought the church. The Bible makes it clear that the church of Jesus Christ was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul was speaking to the pastors from the Ephesians church and he called them into a meeting in Acts 20:28, and it says there, "Paul told the pastors to shepherd the church of God," and speaking of the church, he says, "it's the church which He has purchased with His own blood." Does that not make it clear that the church Jesus is building is the church Jesus has already bought by every drop of blood that He shed on Calvary's cross. So, we are His, we've been purchased and we are reaching those who are His, who have yet to trust in Him. And here's what I'm excited about, this was going on long before I came on the scene and should Jesus tarry the rapture, and He prolonged the sounding of the trumpet, it will still be going on long after I'm in the grave and my spirit is in heaven with God. This is a cause that is greater than myself, greater than my lifetime, much greater than my meager attempts to make a contribution to it. Jesus said, "I've been building it since the day of Pentecost. I'm building it now and I'm gonna keep on building My church until I gather them and rapture them from this sin-cursed world." Jesus is building His church. We got a Master builder. But here's something else that we see from this passage of scripture and that is, we've got a solid foundation. The church has a solid foundation. In verse 18, Jesus said, "You are Peter and upon this rock, I will build My church." And this verse has been the subject of much debate through the centuries of Christian history as to what it is Jesus was referring to when He said, "Upon this rock, I will build My church." Because the name Peter in Greek means rock. And so some have surmised that He says, "You are Peter," which means rock, and, "Upon this rock, I will build My church," but the thing about it is, there are two different words for rock. Peter's name is one kind of rock and the word rock that Jesus used is a different kind of rock. Now, before we get into the weeds and dissect that, here's what I want to say. Logic itself should prove that here's a man, as much as we admire him, as much as we appreciate his role as the ringleader of the 12 disciples, Simon, Peter, this is a man who would, months from this moment, deny his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not once, not twice, but three times, that does not seem like a very solid foundation on which to build the church that Jesus was going to purchase with His blood. I don't believe that Jesus meant upon Peter as the rock. I believe that Jesus was saying upon what Peter declared about Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," that is the rock upon which the church is built, because Jesus is not going to build on a shaky foundation, He's going to build on a sure and certain foundation. There is not a one of us in this room or watching online who's not been moved to the depths of our being with brokenness and compassion over the collapse of the Champlain Towers there in Sunrise, Florida. And as one moment everything is well, people are talking on the phone with loved ones and literally with no advanced notice that entire structure just comes crashing to the ground, generating sudden unexpected devastation and death and now I think they identified the last body, the last remains this past week bringing the final death toll to 98. And what we know now is that the foundation of the building was compromised. There were warnings, there were engineering assessments and they went unheated for whatever reason. I'm not here to speculate on that, but what I am telling you is, if there's one thing that tragedy demonstrates, it is how important the foundation on which we build is. And Jesus said there is no more reliable foundation on which to build the church He was buying than the foundation of himself, Jesus is our foundation. No fallen sinner is the foundation. No religious institution or establishment is the foundation. No group of cardinals or bishops or priests are high and exalted, ecclesiastical potentates are the foundation, only Jesus is the foundation on which the church is built.
(congregation applauding) Jesus doesn't need potentates and cardinals and bishop, He doesn't even need denominations. Jesus is the only foundation that the church needs in order to stand.
(congregation applauding) And so the church is a building. Oh, it's not brick and mortar, it's not a worship center and a structure like what we're meeting in the church, it's a spiritual building. And the same man who said to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," was used by God to pen two epistles in the New Testament. And the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 2:5, speaking to Christians, he said, "You also, as living stones," or blocks or bricks, "you're being built up as what kind of house?" He says, "The church is being built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." So, Jesus has said in Matthew 16:18, "I'm gonna build My church." 1 Peter 2:5 says the church is a spiritual house, not a physical house. One more stone is added to what He's building every time someone comes to faith in Jesus Christ. Another stone, another block has been set in place upon the foundation as Jesus is building His church. And you know another metaphor for the church is not just a building, but the Apostle Paul called the church, the body. He said in 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now you are," as Christians, "the body of Christ, and members of that body individually." So, whether the metaphor is that of a building or a body, what's important is the foundation on which that building is resting and the ground on which the feet of that body are standing in both cases, the foundation, the rock, the solid ground is the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's what we need to remember, Jesus alone can be the foundation. The old hymm that says, "On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." There is no other foundation. He's irreplaceable.
[Congregation] Amen! Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 3:11, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which has already been laid, which is the Lord Jesus." He is the irreplaceable foundation. And you know something I love about Jesus is that Jesus is unchanging. He's the foundation that never changes. Don't you love what Hebrews 13:8 says about Jesus, "Jesus Christ," read it with me, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Oh, I came to bring you some good news this morning. Jesus is not unstable. (congregation laughing) Jesus isn't whimsical or fickle. Jesus doesn't struggle with multiple personality disorder. If you do, we'll pray for you, but Jesus doesn't suffer with that. Jesus is not going to announce his undergoing transition this week, or he's going to undergo some type of transformation. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. (congregation applauding)
He never changes. Everything in this crazy world is changing. Literally, not by the month, not even by the day, not even by the hour but by the very minute, it's all changing. But when I put my head on the pillow tonight, I don't have to worry about waking up and finding out Jesus change. He's going to be the same tomorrow morning that He was today.
(congregation applauding) Because He's been who He is from the time when He was with God as God before time began. And He will always be who He's always been throughout the unchanging eons of eternity. He's unchanging. That's who I'm talking about today. And I'll tell you something else, His words are eternal. [Congregation] Yes! He said of His own words in Matthew 24:35, He said, "Heaven and earth will pass away," but look at this, "My words will by no means pass away." It's not just that He is unchanging, it's that, His words are eternal. And in this day and age where we gotta stop and think about everything we're gonna say, maybe three or four times, we need to think about what we're gonna say before we say it because more often than not something you said all your life is gonna be a microaggression committed against somebody who needs to thicken their skin up and get over it. But we gotta filter everything we're gonna say, we got to tip toe and test the waters before we say what we're going to say. I want you to know the words of Jesus are not open for debate. [Congregation] Amen! If they are offensive, if they are hurtful, we all have to build the bridge and get over it, but His words will not pass away. [Congregation] Amen! They're not subject to revision, and in this cancel culture, let me put everybody on notice, the words of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ will never be canceled, silenced, censored or banished. (congregation applauding) His Word will not pass away. And so we got the Lord Jesus and the Word of God, this is our foundation. That's a cause worth living for. [Congregation] Yes! We're standing on a foundation that is unchanging, incorruptible, indisputable, and eternal. Oh, I feel like preaching today. (congregation applauding) I feel like preaching today. And then I wanna give you this point today, and that is this, the church has an irreversible victory. We have an irreversible victory because He said in verse 18, "Upon this rock, I will build My church." And He says, "And the gates of hell or Hades shall not prevail against it." Now, I like the way the New Living translates it, "Upon this rock, I will build My church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." I want us to read this out loud together. Will you join me please? "Upon this rock, I will build My church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." The promise that the powers of hell will never conquer the church does not mean that those same dark forces will not occasionally get the upper hand on individual congregation. Obviously, we've got to reconcile what we've seen with our eyes and through history where churches rise and churches fall. [Congregation] Yes! Churches thrive, and churches die, and churches are closing their doors at unprecedented rates. As we're sitting here right now, some of them used to be reaching hundreds and you drive by the buildings now, and there are weeds in the flower beds and a handful of elderly people that are trying to pay the bills to keep the doors open. So, how is it that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church and yet you and I both know multiple examples and this is true from the very first period of time, the apostolic period in the incipient days of Christianity. About 21 years ago, I did the Seven Churches tour through Turkey, the Seven Churches of Asia minor who were the recipient of Jesus messages pen through John, right? And all you'll be visiting are archeological ruins. These Seven Churches that got direct messages from the lips of Jesus to John on Patmos are no more. It's just proof that local churches rise and fall. Therefore, Jesus must be talking about a different concept of church. And the fact is, He is. There are two concepts of the church in the New Testament. Now, if Jesus came to buy the church with His blood and to build the church through the Holy Spirit and through our efforts to cooperate with Him, it's fascinating when you look at Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, what we call the four Gospels, and that Jesus only mentioned church twice in the four Gospels, at least of what they recorded of His words and both instances are in the book of Matthew. The first one is here where we're reading today, "Upon this rock, I will build My church," and the second mentioned is two chapters later in Matthew 18 where He says, "If someone sins against you," how many of you know the church discipline passage, go and tell that person their fault between you and them alone and if they don't hear you, you take two or three witnesses. And then He said, "If they don't hear the two or three witnesses, take him before the church." So what we have in these two mentions of church by Jesus, we have a reference to the universal church, "I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." But the second mention, take the erring brother before the church, the local church. And I want to define each of those. If you wanna jot it down, I hope it'll step long enough for you to do that. But the universal church is an invisible church; all followers of Jesus past, present, and future in all places of the world. That's the universal church. You can't go to church at the universal church. And I will tell you, if it says universal on the sign, you better not walk in the door. (congregation laughing) You're liable to get struck by lightning. I went up to New England, the past two summers, and from the colonial days of our nation's history there are still many Unitarian Universalist churches. Universalist is not a good word in theological terms, but when we speak of the church universal, we're talking about all people who've ever been saved from the day of Pentecost through today until the trumpet sounds and the church is raptured. This is the universal church, and what we know is that that church will never assemble until Gabriel sounds the trumpet and we all meet in the clouds going to heaven for the tribulation to break out on Earth. But you talk about a worship service in the sky is when the universal church gathers for the very first time. [Congregation] Yes! All believers of all time in the Lord Jesus Christ during the church age. Now, the local church is visible. It is a group of baptized believers in Christ who gather in a geographic location for worship. And you can see the local church. You can attend a local church. You can affiliate with a local church. You can unite with or join a local church. Now, here's something important to remember that when it comes to the universal church of Jesus Christ, the only prerequisite to be admitted into the universal church of Jesus Christ is to trust in the finished work of Jesus, His death, His burial, His resurrection as the payment for your sins and to commit to His Lordship by faith. We call that being saved, being born again, placing your trust in Him, that admits you into the universal church, but guess what it takes to be united with a local body of believers, water baptism. Salvation is the door of entry into the universal church and thank God, you don't need any water to become a member of God's family. You can split the pearly gates wide open when you die, even if you never took a bath, much less, got baptized in water. (congregation laughing) Water is not necessary to be part of God's universal church, but water is necessary to unite with a local covenant body of believers because in the great commission, Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations," and we understand that once you become a disciple, He says, "You're to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." And so that is why we restrict membership to people who have confessed or can share their personal testimony that they have placed their trust in Jesus Christ and we also require water baptism, not because it's a deal breaker, whether you go to heaven or not, but because it is a covenant responsibility that you follow, not only the example of Jesus who was immersed in water, but you follow the commands of Jesus who taught His church to baptize all new disciples. So somebody said to me one day when I was teaching a new members class, "So what you're telling me is, it's easier to get into heaven than to join your church." I said, "Yeah, it is." (congregation laughing) Right? It really is, because to get to heaven all you have to do is trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, but to join a church, you gotta go under. (congregation laughing) You gotta take the plunge. And here, we don't do it halfway. We hold down until bubbles come up just to make sure
(congregation laughing) that you've been baptized. I'm just kidding. We're gonna have a lot of people who are hydrophobic, is that a word? Aqua phobic, I don't know, but we don't do it. We'll take you down real fast if you have a problem with the water. But what I'm saying to you is this, it is in most instances where the word church is used in the New Testament more times than not, he's referring to the local church. For instance, when you study the book of Acts, the fifth book of the New Testament, it's about the apostle starting local churches, specifically the Apostle Paul, it's how churches got started. And then start with Romans and there are nine consecutive New Testament books that we refer to as epistles, and they were all written to local churches; the epistle to the church at Rome, to the Corinthians and the churches of Glacier, and to the church at Ephesus, which was probably a circular letter for other congregations and the Church of Philippi and the church at Colossae, we call it the epistle to the Colossians and we go on and on. And even three of those New Testament books are written to young pastors of local churches telling them how to lead those churches. First and second, Timothy and Titus, and then the last book of the New Testament, book of Revelation were letters dictated by the lips of Jesus, recorded through the pen of St. John on the Island of Patmos. The final letter in our Bible was to seven specific local churches. So you get the idea, God's into the local church. And so back to our passage, how is it that Jesus builds His church universal? It is by establishing and strengthening local congregations, one assembly, one fellowship, one church at a time. And so today there's a church meeting in a storefront somewhere, or in a Starbucks where we have a church planter through our denomination and through other Christian ministries and mission organizations. There are churches that are starting in basements in China today. There are churches... It's not a one-size-fits-all, but Jesus is building His church. They don't all look the same, but the work is still going on. [Congregation] Yes! One church at a time. And I am not bragging today in any means, I've just given you a testimony, I've devoted my whole life to the local church. [Congregation] Yes! I was saved through the ministry of a local church. I was called to preach a Gospel through the ministry of a big local church in Jacksonville, Florida. Two days after I graduated from high school in June of 1987, I was 17 years old. My grandpa had bought me an old five-speed Corolla, Hatchback, two-door coupe. That thing would put out a cloud of smoke and I really... Two days after I graduated high school, I packed it up, moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to be a summer youth director, not at the First Baptist Church or the Second Baptist Church, but the Third Baptist Church. I've ever heard of a Third Baptist Church? I was the youth pastor to the Third Baptist Church in Whites Creek, Tennessee. I didn't have any problem going down 10 West and hitting 75 North and even coming through Atlanta. That little thing never sputtered until I tried to go over Mount Eagle, and that's when I had my fingers crossed and I was making the sign of the cross, but I finally made it over the mountain and made it there. But through my college years, I served in local churches in Dallas, where I attended Criswell College when Dr. Criswell, the legendary pastor was still there. And I served in Mesquite under a pastor named Vick Bass who ordained me. And I preached in small churches in the deep Piney Woods of East, Texas, and out in the dusty plains of West, Texas, as a student preacher. And each summer I was in college, I served different local churches. I went back a second year to Third Baptist in Nashville. I served a summer in Colonial Heights, Virginia, just south of Richmond and one summer in Miami, Florida before my senior year. Then I graduated college and moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina, go to Southeastern Seminary. And I pastored a local church, two and a half hours from the school called Waverley Baptist Church, a little town of about 500 people. There were 47 people there on the Sunday I preached my trial sermon. 40 were for me and seven were against me. (congregation laughing) They kept taking the vote over until they finally got them to all go unanimous. But I figured out who the seven were and I was committed, I'ma win every one of them over if I can, and by God's grace, I did. And then I was there for three years, commuting two and a half hours each way to seminary, twice a week and three years full time after graduation. Then I was called to Winter Park, Florida to pastor the Aloma Baptist Church, where I stayed for 15 years until Dr. Charles Stanley called me on December the fourth of 2011 at 5:37 PM (congregation laughing) and asked me to start praying about whether I would come up here. And this past April, I began my 10th year of service in this local church. The local church is all I have ever known. It consumes my thoughts. It consumes my energy. It consumes my time. It occupies the bulk of my prayer life. It consumes all that I have to offer. And so when I take it as seriously as I do, that's the same degree of seriousness with which I expect others to take it. I'm not married, I don't have kids. I'm not saying that's the norm. I understand it's unusual. I don't understand God's plan for my life, but I can tell you, I wouldn't go back and change anything. I've given every ounce of energy, time, thought and prayer to the local church of Jesus Christ. (congregation applauding) And it's because of this that I'm humbled when other believers choose to invest in God's church, I'm humbled by it. I'm grateful for it. When God's people choose to overlook the faults of their church, when they choose to forgive the leaders when they make mistakes as I often do, when they choose to give members who have hurt their feelings another chance and another and another, when all of us make hurtful mistakes and create casualties of God's children. There are people who still come back for more because they understand, despite its faults, despite its many imperfections and despite the fact that my vulnerabilities have been taken advantage of, the church is a cause worth my living for. And that's what I believe you're here to say today. And I'll tell you something that especially moves my heart, is when those who don't know Jesus are drawn by His spirit into faith in Jesus Christ and they are baptized as new believers into the membership of God's church. The Bible says the angels rejoice in heaven over one single solitary soul that comes to Christ, so should we, so should we.
(congregation applauding) I mean, when new believers are joining us, they are precious cargo and God stamps upon them, handle with care, handle with care. God is pleased when it happens. Why did Jesus specifically mentioned the gates of hell prevailing against the church? The powers of darkness, why would he call them out in verse 18 as he did? I want to tell you why, because in His infinite wisdom and for knowledge, He knew that from the time He spoke those words in Matthew 16 it says Caesarea Philippi until this morning, first Sunday of August in 2021, the gates of hell, the powers of hell, the demons of hell will be unleashed against God's church for every moment the church is in existence. And it's not just the church universal in the cross heirs, it is every local church that is in His sights. Every local congregation faces the wrath of hell. And I can just tell you this, every time any church I've ever served in starts to make some headway, starts to feel a little wind to your back, starts to feel some traction and spiritual momentum, this isn't my first rodeo, I know when God's at work in a local church, Satan is gonna pull out the stops. He always has, he always will. And that's why Peter said be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. I'm telling you because of the church is central to God's plans. That's why it's filled with the most complications and difficulties. I mean, you think about it. When you're in a church you see the best in each other and you often see the worst. (congregation laughing) They have told me that people have flipped people off in our parking lot on a Sunday morning. (congregation laughing) Now we got rid all of them somewhere. (congregation laughing) People get cussed out here, I mean. People pull out the race card here and level allegations of racism. I mean, people go below the belt. And when you're in a place where you would never expect that to happen, it hurts, it crushes. I'm telling you throughout my years, since I was a 17 year old boy, I've spent many sleepless nights, shed many tears because of pain and hurt suffered in local church ministry. And what happens is if we're not careful in God's church, in God's local church like ours, we'll often make each other the enemy rather than recognizing who the real enemy is. The real enemy is the devil, not each other.
[Congregation] Yes! His forces never take a break, they never take a holiday. And Satan will attack us from without, and let me tell you what else he'll do, he will use imposters to attack from within. The fakers, the wolves who are in sheep's clothing as Jesus called them. And you wanna know when somebody says, "How can a Christian act like that?" Sometimes it's because they're not. And yet I would be remiss not to say that there are others who are trying to live godly lives, who will lapse into a momentary bout of fleshly carnal behavior. And we can do as much harm in the body of Christ as even an unsaved person masquerading as a saved person. I've done it, and I wish I could go back and undo many of the mistakes I've made and moments of carnality. But when you're involved in spiritual leadership in God's local church, you are on the front line and those on the frontline are the first to take the hit. And it's not just pastors by the way, it's somebody who's not tithing and said, "I need to start giving my money and align my finances with God." It's those who say, "I've got gifts, why don't I use them at the church?" And they start teaching, or serving, or volunteering, or greeting, or working in the preschool ministry. Or someone says their gonna start singing in the choir and I have had people throughout my ministry come to me and say, "Hey, Anthony, I don't understand it. When I was in the back row and I wouldn't do in anything, I wasn't tithing, wasn't serving, wasn't giving, life was pretty easy and smooth, but when I got serious and got committed and got involved all hell came against me. What should I do about it?" Wave the white flag, go back into disengagement and throw in the towel and he'll call off the dogs. (congregation laughing) Am I right or not? You want the dogs to be called off, then just throw in the towel and give up and Satan will leave you alone. But when you step up and say, "I'm gonna start giving, I'm gonna start serving, I'm gonna start using my gifts in ministry," that's when you are on the front line. It's not just standing in this pulpit, it's anybody who says, "I'm planting my life in the church." [Congregation] Yes! Yes! You're going to pay a heavy price. [Congregation] Yes! That's right. And this is why Paul wrote to Timothy as a pastor and he said in 2 Timothy 2:3, "You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." So the question is, was Timothy an army enlisted soldier or a pastor? And the answer is, yes. Because when you are involved in God's work, you are engaging in combat. Oh, come on, I need somebody out here to tell me, "You know what I'm talking about." But it's worth it when you know that you're fighting for a cause that has Jesus attached to it. You are connecting with something greater than yourself, beyond your gifts, ability, contribution in lifetime and you, when you position yourself in a local church, committed hell or high water, my heart is here, my gifts are here, my service is here, my tides are here, you are aligning yourself with the very heart of God. [Congregation] Amen! And I wanna tell you what God knows. God knows, forget a pandemic, COVID-19; there may be COVID 20, 21, 22, forget the Delta variant, forget churches closing their doors like we did for 11 stinking months. This is what God knows, little and girls need a church. [Congregation] Yes! Children need a church and the parents who raised them need a church,
(congregation applauding) moms and dads need a church, single parents need a church. Single adults need a church to combat their loneliness and strengthen them against sexual temptation. Couples need a church to fortify their marriage. Communities need strong churches more than they even realize they need us to be here, and nations need churches and our world needs strong churches. And that's the kinda church we have been since 1848 and it's the kind of church by God's grace we will continue to be until the trumpet is sound.
(congregation applauding) As our society becomes angrier and angrier, no, they are not, and more and more confused, the local church can be the house of hope, the place of peace, the assembly of God's love, the body of Christ, who are His witness in these last days. I'm telling you too, when it came time for that baton to pass to me to become the pastor, I'd always been told it was a possibility. (congregation laughing) You even voted to make it official on December the 10th, 2017 and 8:45 and 10:30 services.
(congregation laughing) But I'm gonna tell you, when the time came, I said, "I don't have it. I don't have it, I can't do it." Told the board, "Can't do it. I'll hold over until ya'll..." (congregation laughing) I'm following a guy who came to this church the year I was born. It's true, the year I was born. He's known world without end, no place on any of the continents where he's not instantly recognized. (congregation laughing) I knew I would be responsible to steward that legacy. I knew I would somehow have to regather the church from what ended up being that almost year of closed doors. I knew there would be staff turnover, didn't know how bad it was gonna be, but I knew there would be. I knew we'd have to start from scratch to build a broadcast ministry. I knew I was going to be hurt by people who would manifest their dislike of me through unkind words and through leaving and withdrawing their support even financially. And so I was giving God all these reasons, and God just has a way of kinda getting up in your business. (congregation laughing) And He reminded me that my calling was not to a life of convenience or ease, but to a life of sacrifice, even depletion. And I had this notion, I've paid my dues, true. I wanna go somewhere that won't be as demanding. That won't be as laden with risk for failure as following an iconic leader like that would be. And it's like God said to me, "Boy," and I'm paraphrasing, (congregation laughing) "you haven't paid anything." And you know the old hymn reminds me of the only one who's paid the dues when it says, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe." (congregation applauding) And because of a good shakedown by our board and some loving conviction from the Holy Spirit, God made it clear there's a church ready to regather, they need a pastor to lead them. God also made it clear to me, don't be discouraged by those who leave, be encouraged by those who stay, (congregation applauding) by those who stay. And not only that it's as if God was saying, "And watch who else I bring into the fold. I will fill the seat," and look through the live stream now, thousands and thousands of people who were saying, "How can we join? How can we join? We're in a different part of the world, how can we join?" God will blow our minds if we let Him. Here we are, we are His church. We are here for a purpose, we're on mission with God. I feel fresh wind blowing through this place. I feel there's a new opportunity before us. God is giving us great outreach to this city and a continuing voice that I never saw coming to the nations of the world, because we've got a master builder. We've got a solid foundation and we've got an irreversible victory. (congregation applauding) And so, listen, today is not so much a challenge as much as it is a thank you. Thank you for staying. We're in it together and the promise is, the gates of hell shall not prevail against God's church.
(congregation applauding) Amen? Amen. (congregation applauding) Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Oh, father, how we love You today. We are humbled to be part of this universal spirit-inspired Jesus focused movement called the church. [Congregation] Yes! We're one little piece of that puzzle, but how humbled we are that when two or three of us get together there you are in the midst. We feel You among us today. Lord, thank You for these words of assurance that our victory is irreversible. Help us to overlook the faults, to forgive trespasses, to turn to You in discouragement and emptiness, to be refueled and rejuvenated because it's worth living for, in Jesus name. Amen.
[Congregation] Amen. And I want you to remain standing and if you're watching today and you've never given your heart or your life to Jesus Christ, there's a number on the screen that we would ask you to text the word "JESUS" to. Just text His name. He's the foundation, He's the Savior. It's not about whether you can get to Atlanta, Georgia, or to some local church near you, it's about being in God's family. [Congregation] Yes! You can find a local church down the road, but for now it's about you and Jesus. [Congregation] Amen! We wanna help you trust in Him. And if you're in the room today and you'd like to trust in Him, we have what we call our Decision Room. It's right behind the auditorium. All these doors lead to hallways that wrap around, go find that decision room. You say, "I gotta go." Nothing's more important than you getting it settled that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. And you may just need someone to pray with you and encourage you, that's why we have the Decision Room. Well, we've had church today and I wanna thank you for being here. And remember when you walk out, you're walking in victory. God bless you. (congregation applauding) (inspirational music)
