BUILDING 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.

“The Building of the Kingdom”

A misnomer for the church;

You can’t find it in the gospel

However long you search;

Jesus said to Peter

At Caererea-Philippi,

“Upon this rock I will build my church”

And that firm Rock was He.

We wish folk might separate

The church and kingdom truth;

We crave it for the older ones,

Especially for youth;

The church the bride of Jesus,

And the kingdom for Israel;

When Christ will establish His kingdom,

No one today can tell.

The days are swiftly passing,

And the church-age soon will end;

O let us haste to the rescue,

Pray that our Lord will send

Labourers for His vineyard,

To gather is the harvest white,

Those poor souls now in dense darkness,

May come behold the light.

We’re not “Building the Kingdom,”

That is left for future age;

We are building now the body,

And arranging the stage,

For Christ’s earthly glory

That is soon on earth to appear;

We must not confuse the teaching,

The King will soon be here.

By Benj. F. Dotson, D.D., Litt. D.

Pastor-Poet-Bible Teacher-Evangelist

1949

Why Read the Genealogies, Mt. 1:1-17

Why are we concerned about these genealogies? Because they give us the key to the whole LIFE OF CHRIST. They show us from the very start, that He was not just another man, but that He was descended from a royal family. If He were not a KING, He could not claim the rulership of our lives. If He were not a MAN, He could not know “our sorrows” and “be acquainted with our griefs.”

Going through Matthew we, Behold, Christ the King.

A KING’S NAME ~ they shall call his name Emmanuel (1:23)

A KING’S POSITION ~ for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel. (2:6)

A KING’S ANNOUNCEMENT ~ Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (3:3)

A KING’S CORONATION ~ This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (3:17)

A KING’S DUE RESPECT ~ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (4:10)

A KING’S PROCLAMATION ~ And he opened his mouth, and taught them, (5:2) ~ For he taught them as one having authority, … (7:29)

A KING’S LOYALTY ~ He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (12:30)

A KING’S ENEMIES ~ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, … (16:21)

A KING’S LOVE ~ Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (20:28)

A KING’S GLORY ~ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, … Then shall the King say … Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom … (25:31,34)

A KING’S SACRIFICE ~ And they crucified him, … And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (27:35,37)

A KING’S VICTORY ~ He is not here: for He is risen, as he said. (28:6)