Grass, Cements; Rocks and Gates

^{Summary of my sermon from 9/11/11}

^{Matthew 16:15-18}

¹⁵He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. 




When God created the world, one of those creations was plants and vegetation. Arguably, grass may be the most common forms of plant on the earth.  Almost everywhere you go, you will find grass.  It fills our yards, it fills our forests.  You can even find grass in some of the most remote and desolate places.  Grass grows in the desert, and our prairies and steppes are covered with grass.

Anyone who tries to "manicure" their lawn will find that grass is a constant battle.  That which man tries to do is always at the mercy of God.  The sidewalks and roads we create are always under the threat of grass growing.  I've even seen grass grow in places one would thing is completely impossible.  


When we see grass growing in the cracks of our sidewalks, we often try to pull it.  But, much to our dismay, within a few days, it's back with a vengeance.  So, we go out with our various "weed-be-gone" products and spray the grass, but still, that is only a temporary solution.  


What goes on below the ground may be a mystery to us, but it is only one small way God proves that His power is ALWAYS at work.  We place the sidewalks, but God created the grass.  The grass will always work.


I've even seen grass growing in cracks on roads.  I'm no construction expert, but I've driven past road construction sites.  Building a road is no small task, and the pavement is inches thick.  That does not even mention the stones and flattening of the earth below the pavement.  Even the mightiest constructions of humans are always at the mercy of God.


In the above scripture, Jesus said his church will be built on a rock.  Is Peter that rock? Or is the truth which Peter spoke the Rock?  That is up for theological debate, and not something I'll take up here.  But, think of the image of a rock.

To the audience to which Jesus spoke, no image described strength greater than a rock.  


Jesus did not say the church would be built on sand, or mud, or even a foundation of bricks.  It would be built on a rock.  Another of God's creation which boasts of strength.


Jesus goes on to say that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. What is a gate?  Have you ever been attacked by a gate?  Unless your attacker was some deranged psychopath, gates are not offensive weapons.  Gates are defensive measures.  So what?  What does this imply?  It implies that Hell doesn't do much attacking, but rather it tries to defend itself with a gate...one which cannot stand when attacked by the Church.


While Hell and Evil do attack, their attack is little more than the lashing out someone does when backed into a corner.  This lashing out can be serious for a time, but God eventually wins every time.  Just like the grass of God's creation breaks through the sidewalks of human design, the Rock of the Church will always break through the Gates of Hell.