And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)
We find in these words of Jesus, an amazing revelation concerning the revealing of who God is that dates back to the Old Testament. In this verse, Jesus was not only responding to Peter’s confession but referencing the revelation God has given of Himself. “For I proclaim the name of the Lord [Yahweh]: ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:3–4). When Jesus told Peter, “and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” He was revealing Himself (Matthew 16:18). He was emphatically declaring He was and is the eternal Son of God, co-equal with the Father and Holy Spirit and upon this immovable and unshakeable Rock, Himself, He will build His Church, and nothing will be able to prevail against it, not satan or even hell itself! Christ centeredness, regardless of adverse circumstances brings to the believer a settled confidence in God through Jesus Christ. As the scripture says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” because you are built on Jesus Christ the Rock (Isaiah 54:17)! He, Himself, is that sure and steady foundation that can never be moved or successfully challenged. You are not built on sand, meaning things outside of and other than Christ, but you are built on the sovereign Lord! Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.”
Since no one can defeat our Rock, the eternal God, we conclude we also are eternally unconquerable, unable to be defeated, and are made for success, made to succeed, made to conquer and to overcome! These words of King David are in agreement with this position. “Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said: ‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust” (2 Samuel 22:1–3). These immortal words have been delivered to every believer in God through Jesus Christ. He is our Rock! For He who cannot lie has said, “on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it!”