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The Church Which the Gates of Hades Cannot Overcome
(Ps18:2-3; Mt16:13-18)

God is faithful (Dt7:9).
He saves those who trust Him from their enemies (Ps18:2-3) and
He leads to a secure place those who make Him their fortress and dwell in Him (2Sa22:33).
 
A fortress is surrounded by natural and artificial defensive walls and
It is a place where groups gather together and fight.
 
Faith is making God my fortress in the day of my disaster (Ps18:18) and
The life of this faith is remaining in the fortress the Church and overcoming
Until finally being brought to a secure place for
Mankind does not even know that they are in Hades, which will become hell and
No one can escape Hades (Ps9:17).
 
Hades is the universe where Satan is contained until the great day of judgment (2Pe2:4; Jude1:6),
Since he challenged the throne in the spiritual heaven and fell (Is14:12-15), and
Where he is the ruler and the prince of the world (Jn12:31)
Since deceiving Adam to sin (Ge3:4-6; He2:14).
It is the world where the Church of Christ is (Mt16:18).
 
When Israel was pursued by the Egyptians after the exodus,
The angel of Jehovah, the pillars of fire and of clouds became a defensive wall and
Kept the Egyptians from coming near (Ex14:19-20).
The sanctuary reminded that, “the name of Jehovah = the fortress of Israel.”
 
Misunderstanding this, however, Israel brought the ark out into a battlefield and was defeated,
While misunderstanding this, the Philistines seized the ark and fell into distress (1Sa5:1-12).
But David, in the name of Jehovah, rushed against Goliath and destroyed him (1Sa17:45).
Thus, God protected him when he was pursued by Saul (1Sa23:28).
 
Yeshua said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days,” because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body (Jn2:19-21),
Not in the name of Jehovah but in the Father’s name of Yeshua (Jn5:43),
He would defeat not gentiles but the ruler of Hades,
Not by an earthly fortress but by making Christ’s church as the fortress,
The gathering of those who have the faith of, “Yeshua is the God who came as man” (Mt16:16-18).
 
As He died, He said, “It is finished” (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1)     Trusted the Father and scaled the wall of death (Ps18:18-19, 29; Jn10:18);
2)     Through His death destroyed the ruler of death, the devil (He2:14-15; 1Jn3:8); and
3)     With His blood purchased all mankind to dwell in Him (Jn6:56; Eph1:7).
 
He resurrected and with the marks of scaling the wall of death (Rev5:9)
Sat on the heavenly throne, the eternal fortress.
 
The Holy Spirit gathers the souls purchased with His blood (Ac20:28)
In the name of Yeshua and
Built the Church on earth (Mt18:20; Ac2:1-4).
The Christian is he who alone is weak but gathered strong (Ac4:26-31) for
It is like, “the Church vs. the ruler of Hades = David vs. Goliath.”
The Church whose head is the name of Yeshua is an impregnable castle,
The fortress that the gates of Hades cannot overcome.
 
The devil tries his best to bring down even the chosen ones and
His weapon is deception:
1)     He makes them doubt the Word — “you will not surely die” (Ge2:17, 3:4);
2)     He makes them deny the Head — “you will be like God” (Ge3:5; Col2:19);
3)     He makes them get fascinated by the worldly culture — “pleasing to the eye, good for food and desirable for gaining wisdom” (Ge3:6; 1Jn2:16).
 
The true Christian is he who always examines,
Am I, soul, currently in the fortress? Or outside the fortress?
He guards the Church tightly and
Keeps, defends and teaches the Truth to the end.
 
O Lord,
Our Church of Jesus celebrates its 39th anniversary!
Like the Zealots at Masada who all died while fighting against the Roman army,
Even if we perish, let us make the Church our fortress and
Keep, defend and teach the Truth and
Finally bring us all to the Father’s house!  Amen.

Sermon Trivia

1.According to the sermon, who or what is the fortress for the Christian?
A. Christ’s church
B. The Name of Yeshua
C. The blood of Yeshua
D. The ruler of the world

2. Men (all mankind) must escape from _____ , where Satan is contained until the day of judgment (2Pe2:4; Jude1:6).
A. The Garden of Eden
B. The spiritual heaven
C. Hades, the universe
D. Hades, the earth

3. For the name of Jehovah was the fortress of Israel, God saved Israel in all of following ways, except:
A. By defending them from the Egyptians after the Exodus with pillars of fire and clouds (Ex14:19-20).
B. By protecting the Philistines when they captured the ark (1Sa5:1-12).
C. By allowing a boy, David to destroy the giant Goliath (1Sa17:45).
D. By protecting David from Saul’s relentless pursuit (1Sa23:28).

4. What faith makes up the foundation of the church, the body of Yeshua (Mt16:16-18)?
A.That Yeshua is the God who came as a man.
B. That Yeshu died on the cross.
C. That God is love.
D. That Yeshua resurrected.

5. What did Yeshua accomplish through his death and resurrection (He2:14-15; 1Jn3:8)?
A. He defeated the gentile rulers of the world
B. He defeated the ruler of Hades
C. He forgave all men in Adam of their sin
D. He judged all men in Adam

6. Leading men to doubt the Word (Ge2:17, 3:4), deny God as the head (Ge3:5; Col2:19), and chase after worldly pleasures (Ge3:6; 1Jn2:16), the weapon of the devil is:
A. The lust of the eyes
B. Unclean spirits
C. Deception
D. Food pleasing to the eye

7. The blood of Yeshua (Jn6:56; Eph1:7; Ac20:28):
A. Purchased the souls of men to dwell with Him
B. Purchased the church
C. Paid the price of sin before creation
D. A and B

Answers:
1.A 2.C 3.B 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.D