February 7, 2015 KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
During my high school years, I worked during the summer months at a department store. The store had one manager and two assistant managers. One particular afternoon, the manager-the big boss-the guru himself, came to me and gave me a huge set of store keys on a big ring and said; “Here are the keys, you are responsible for closing up tonight.” (The two assistant managers were not at the store that day). You talk about feeling important-that was me! For a high school boy from the country, that was a big day. I clipped that big ring of keys on my belt and walked around the store like I owned it! Having keys implies ownership or delegated responsibility or authority. Keys can unlock doors and can lock doors. I don’t propose to fully understand the verse above, but I do know that there is important truth for the believer in this verse. Jesus was talking to Peter in this section of scripture and Jesus said to Peter; “..upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” It is evident that Jesus was announcing that by being a part of His church, you get the keys of the Kingdom of God. In verse nineteen above, and in other verses, we see that God is inviting believers to partner with Him in the work He is doing on earth. God gives His followers-you and me- authority and responsibility to carry out Kingdom work. Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God and He taught Kingdom principles during His earthly ministry. After Jesus ascended back to His Father, God inspired the writing of the New Testament where we see Kingdom of God demonstrated by those that belonged to Him. We know for certain that Jesus intended for His Kingdom to be realized on earth because when He was teaching His disciples how to pray; in the first part of the prayer He said: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13). There are only two kingdoms; the kingdom of darkness (Satan’s kingdom), and the kingdom of light (God’s kingdom). The scriptures teach that believers have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light-the Kingdom of God. We must be alert to the fact that it is possible for one to be in the kingdom of God-to be saved-yet not about kingdom work-not using the keys he or she has been given. As mentioned above, it is vital to understand that we are called to partner with God in His work on earth-what a privilege! This partnership comes under the umbrella of His church because He made it clear to Peter and the others that He would “build His church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.” There are countless ways that one can use the keys of the Kingdom and the Holy Spirit will show each of us individually how and when to use the keys we have. With the keys of the Kingdom, we can: bless, show love, pray, forgive, explain the scriptures, live in joy and peace, encourage, correct, show kindness, visit those in prison, help those in need, give, train, worship-and the list goes on. God has seen fit to include us in His work and He has given us the keys of His Kingdom-wow! May we not lose our keys or just lay them aside somewhere and not use them. We have been given authority to do business in His name! Nothing we could ever do in life would compare to the blessings that are ours when we use the keys.
Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and is still ministering to the saints.” 1 John 4:17 “By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this word.” John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
During my high school years, I worked during the summer months at a department store. The store had one manager and two assistant managers. One particular afternoon, the manager-the big boss-the guru himself, came to me and gave me a huge set of store keys on a big ring and said; “Here are the keys, you are responsible for closing up tonight.” (The two assistant managers were not at the store that day). You talk about feeling important-that was me! For a high school boy from the country, that was a big day. I clipped that big ring of keys on my belt and walked around the store like I owned it! Having keys implies ownership or delegated responsibility or authority. Keys can unlock doors and can lock doors. I don’t propose to fully understand the verse above, but I do know that there is important truth for the believer in this verse. Jesus was talking to Peter in this section of scripture and Jesus said to Peter; “..upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” It is evident that Jesus was announcing that by being a part of His church, you get the keys of the Kingdom of God. In verse nineteen above, and in other verses, we see that God is inviting believers to partner with Him in the work He is doing on earth. God gives His followers-you and me- authority and responsibility to carry out Kingdom work. Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God and He taught Kingdom principles during His earthly ministry. After Jesus ascended back to His Father, God inspired the writing of the New Testament where we see Kingdom of God demonstrated by those that belonged to Him. We know for certain that Jesus intended for His Kingdom to be realized on earth because when He was teaching His disciples how to pray; in the first part of the prayer He said: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13). There are only two kingdoms; the kingdom of darkness (Satan’s kingdom), and the kingdom of light (God’s kingdom). The scriptures teach that believers have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light-the Kingdom of God. We must be alert to the fact that it is possible for one to be in the kingdom of God-to be saved-yet not about kingdom work-not using the keys he or she has been given. As mentioned above, it is vital to understand that we are called to partner with God in His work on earth-what a privilege! This partnership comes under the umbrella of His church because He made it clear to Peter and the others that He would “build His church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.” There are countless ways that one can use the keys of the Kingdom and the Holy Spirit will show each of us individually how and when to use the keys we have. With the keys of the Kingdom, we can: bless, show love, pray, forgive, explain the scriptures, live in joy and peace, encourage, correct, show kindness, visit those in prison, help those in need, give, train, worship-and the list goes on. God has seen fit to include us in His work and He has given us the keys of His Kingdom-wow! May we not lose our keys or just lay them aside somewhere and not use them. We have been given authority to do business in His name! Nothing we could ever do in life would compare to the blessings that are ours when we use the keys.
Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and is still ministering to the saints.” 1 John 4:17 “By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this word.” John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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