Today is the annual meeting of Liberty Baptist Church, so I wanted to direct our attention to the importance of the local church.

Mt 16:18 is one of the most well-known and significant statements Jesus made about the church. In fact, this is the first time in the Gospels that we find the word “church.” Chronologically speaking, Jesus said this before his death and resurrection, so the church was not yet functioning. The OT system still pertained, and the church would not begin until the Day of Pentecost. So when Jesus said, “I will build my church,” he was speaking about future events. But not long after Jesus said this, the church began.

We live in the church age; God’s program for this era is the church. Since that is true, we should understand God’s intent and purpose for the church, and this text—Mt 16:18—tells us some things about that institution.