The Gates Of Hell Will Not Prevail by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The gates of hell shall not prevail

Matthew 16:18-19

"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it... whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." The scope of the church's responsibility and influence covers the earth — whatever we bind, permit, or allow to continue, heaven ratifies. The gates of hell will prevail against a church that is not built up in competence, capacity and responsibility.

God's sovereignty does not mean his will is automatic

Titus 2:11, 1 Timothy 2:4

God wants all men to be saved, yet not all men are saved — his will is not automatic, it requires our participation. Nations once strongly Christian have been overturned by other belief systems when believers became complacent and disengaged; when men slept, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat.

Recap: nine marks of an offensive church

1. Bold

2. Breaks down strongholds

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   2 Corinthians 4:4

   "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." Unbelief is not always natural; there can be a spiritual force resisting the gospel, as in the account of Bar-jesus/Elymas the sorcerer who withstood Paul before Sergius Paulus.

   Acts 13:6-12

   Elymas withstood them, seeking to turn the deputy from the faith, until Paul pronounced blindness on him; the deputy then believed. A spiritually discerning church recognizes when resistance to the gospel is not merely natural.

3. Preaches a robust, all-round gospel

4. Practises intentional, sacrificial discipleship

   The church must deliberately train believers in handling power, wealth and fame, since a loss of integrity has damaged the church's witness in society.

5. Is unafraid to offend

   1 Peter 2:7-8

   Jesus, the stone the builders disallowed, has become the head of the corner, but also "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence" to the disobedient. An offensive church puts its foot down on issues like premarital sex rather than avoid the subject to keep the peace.

6. Creates strong, safe communities

7. Strategically places members in top, influential positions

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   Pastor Philip Olubakin

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   Believers should not shy away from influence out of false humility. Esther became queen through a beauty contest, and that positioning was what God used to preserve Israel. God's people in scripture — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Solomon — were prominent, respected, and sought out by nations.

8. Generously stewards wealth for kingdom advancement

   The Bible says the love of money, not money itself, is the root of all evil. Jesus needed money for his ministry. Believers should be deliberate and financially intelligent, working toward multiplying resources for the gospel rather than treating poverty as spiritual.

9. Is sent, not gathered

   John 20:21

   "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." The gathering is a launch pad, not a destination; ministry begins on Monday, not Sunday. Every believer is an ambassador carrying the presence and authority of Jesus into their workplace, school, or neighborhood.

Six spheres the church must contend for

1. Digital space / social media

   This is the new public square where most people spend hours daily, and where many now form their opinions and even their theology of marriage from comment sections rather than sound teaching. The church must raise up digital missionaries and Christian influencers to engage online.

2. Education

   After the family, the enemy targets the schools through changing curricula and falling standards. The church must raise up Christian educators, administrators, school board members and student missionaries, and establish Christian schools.

3. Government and politics

   Believers are needed in parliament and public office to push for godly laws rather than staying silent because an issue "isn't their constituency."

4. Family

5. Media, entertainment and the arts

   Movies, music and stories shape a culture's collective imagination and what it comes to accept. The church must raise up excellent Christian filmmakers, musicians, authors and content creators who carry a gospel narrative, even without explicitly naming Jesus in every work, done with the same excellence as the world's best — comparable to Daniel's spirit of excellence before the king, and Michelangelo painting even the unseen corners of a ceiling because "God will see it."

6. The marketplace and business — the engines of the economy

   Business controls the flow of resources and shapes economic systems. The church must raise up Christian entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors and financial advisors.

   Luke 19:13

   "Occupy till I come" — in other translations, "put this money to work" / "invest this for me while I am gone." Money should not be treated as unimportant; it funds the Great Commission and can either advance or delay a person's calling depending on whether it is available.

Illustration: healing on assignment

Sent to deliver an eviction notice to a tenant, the preacher found the woman sick with fever and her daughter shivering on the floor. After asking permission and praying for both of them, they were healed — then he delivered the notice. Every believer carries ministry into whatever assignment they are on.