The Oppositions of the Church
Matthew 16:18 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.
Intro: One very
clear fact is made obvious when Jesus founded His church. The fact that there would be opposition is
announced from day one.
The church was unveiled to the world in Acts 2.
From that point, it began to draw immediate opposition and
adversity.
I. Opposition from
Below
Jesus prophesied that the gates of hell should not prevail.
This means that the very gates of hell would TRY to prevail.
Satan hates the church.
He hates everything about the church.
A. He
hates the Master
We see in Matthew 4 where the devil tried three times to
destroy the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. He
hates the Members
·
1 Peter
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Satan knows he has lost the soul of God’s people.
But that doesn’t stop him from seeking to destroy their
lives.
·
Luke 22:31 And the
Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may
sift you as wheat:
C. He
hates the Messenger
·
1
Thessalonians 2:18 Wherefore we would
have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
·
Saul’s commission to preach is described in Acts 26:18 To open
their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
D. He
hates the Message
·
Mark 4:15
And these are they by the way side, where
the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and
taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Satan knows better than anyone else that the Word of God is
QUICK AND POWERFUL and sharper than any two-edged sword.
He will do everything He can to prevent the message from
being preached, from being heard, and from finding a lodging place in the
hearts of people.
