Matthew 16:13-20
God sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ, to the world to save mankind. The Son ministered according to the Father's Will by performing unlimited signs, miracles and wonders, which destroyed the working of the devil and saves us from the sins and curses brought by it. "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8. We, human beings live our whole lives under the fear of death due to the wage of sin, and finally we will die. "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." Hebrew 2:14-15. This is the gates of Hades, the power of sin and curses and the devil. But Jesus told His disciples in Caesarea Philippi; the gates of Hades cannot overcome His church. This is the church of which the power of hell is the most afraid. It challenges hell the most. "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ." Matthew 16:18-20. The church of Jesus and the gates of Hades are the worst enemies. The devil was defeated by Jesus, for Jesus died on the Cross and was resurrected from death. He overcame death by His resurrection. Since then, the power of Hell is absolutely powerless before the church. The reason that Jesus Christ built His churches by the Holy Spirit to preach the Good News is to destroy the power of hell and death. We human beings don't know our destruction due to sins, even though we are under the rule of sin and death. After death we would suffer eternally in hell. "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelations 20:13-15. The gates of Hades works with absolute power in hell for those who don't know and believe in the working of the blood of Jesus Christ who is the head of the church. But Jesus, the head of the church bore the wage of sin, the power of hell for us by shedding His blood on the Cross. Whoever believes in His blood, their sins are taken away. Then the power of hell loses its power to destroy us and we can get freed from it. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John8:32. That is why we should tell this truth: Jesus died for our sins on the Cross in order to redeem us from our sin problem. As soon as people believe in this fact, they will be freed from the gates of Hades for it will lose its power to master over them. The power of the church built by Jesus is amazing for the power of Hades is like the morning fog which will be gone right away before the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the church which Jesus Christ has built. Because Christ Jesus was wounded and was crushed for our sins, the power of death, the wages of sins, doesn’t have any power over us any longer. Because He was beaten and whipped for our curses and diseases, we have peace and blessings and are healed (Isaiah 53:5). "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12. This is the gospel. Dear beloved brothers and sisters, let us be freed from the power of hell for Jesus Christ has overcame it! Let us tell this amazing fact to those who don't know and are going to hell. Let us raise our voices to save them from the power of hell.
