Title: I Give You the Keys to Heaven
Contents
♡♥♡ I will give you the keys of heaven / Matthew 16:13-20
*** Introduction
Everyone, do you know what a master key is? This is the key that many locksmiths hold, such as the general manager of a hotel or the manager of a bathroom. The universal key to open any door or closet. It can also mean the key to solving some difficult problem. Today, at this time, we are going to talk about the universal key. It is also the word that the Lord tells us through the text of the text.
The words of this text are what we call ‘the great confession of Peter’. When Jesus was in the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples: “Who do people say I am?” Then the disciples each said what they had heard. “Some call him John the Baptist.” “Some say Elijah,” “some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” While the disciples are perplexed, Peter answers. “You are the Christ. He is the Son of the living God.” Jesus commended Peter's answer. And he said that this knowledge came from God, saying, “You are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The name ‘Peter’ means ‘rock’. Jesus gave Simon the name ‘Peter’. Then he declared, “On this rock I will build my church.” These words do not mean to build a church on Peter. He was saying that the confession of faith that Peter confessed would be the true foundation of the church. In other words, it says that the church will be built on the basis of the same confession of faith that Peter confessed.
And the Lord gave Peter amazing authority. That authority is the ‘master key’. It is also the key that can open and close the door of the kingdom of God. The Lord said, “Whatever door you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and any gate you open on earth will be opened in heaven” (The Modern Korean Bible). Guys, isn't it really exciting? So let's see what this interesting thing means.
1. What does the key of heaven mean?
Isaiah 22:22 says, “And I will put the keys of the house of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, and when he closes, no one will open.” This verse prophesies the absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ who will come to this earth as the descendant of David. The ‘key’ here is given to a person appointed as a steward, and is a sign of delegating the full authority to manage the household.
What, then, does Jesus mean by “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”? It is clear only that it has to do with the kingdom of God. The expression 'key' means that 'control to lock and open' is given. The most basic meaning is to open the door of the kingdom of God to people by proclaiming the gospel of God. Let's look at Matthew 23:13. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut the gates of the kingdom of heaven in front of men, and you neither enter nor those who are trying to enter,” Jesus declared to the hypocrites. . This is because the Pharisees do not preach the gospel, but rather make people's hearts turn away because of their hypocrisy. Therefore, the ‘gospel of God’ is the key to the kingdom of heaven.
The next thing to think about is ‘God’s answer and work’. Numbers 6:26. These are the promises God made to the high priest. He said, “So they shall bless the children of Israel in my name, and I will bless them.” This means that if the high priest blesses the people of Israel, God will hear their prayers and bless them. That is, it is a promise of ‘God’s answer and work’.
Let's look at the words of the New Testament. This is James 5:16-18. “16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous has great power at work. 17 Elijah was a man like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth bore fruit. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, and then all will be made whole. The supplication of a righteous person has a great effect. Elijah was a human being like us, but let's pray earnestly that it will not rain. It did not rain on the earth, and when he prayed again, it rained from heaven, and the crops bore fruit on the earth.”) This verse is about the 'power of prayer'. Prayer that conforms to God’s will allows us to experience ‘God’s answer and work’.
Also, in Mark 9:29, Jesus tells his disciples about the power to cast out demons. “He said, ‘This kind cannot go out by anything but prayer.’” In other words, prayer that conforms to God's will brings about God's answers and works. Therefore, the key to the kingdom of heaven is 'prayer in accordance with God's will'.
Next is obedience to God. As we saw earlier in Isaiah 22:22, Jesus Christ, who was worthy of God's will, was the key to the kingdom of heaven. Look at Genesis 12:3. This is God's promise to Abraham. He said, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and in you all peoples of the earth will be blessed.” In other words, he is saying that Abraham, who absolutely obeyed God's word, will be the source of blessing. God gave Abraham the authority to open the kingdom of heaven. And the Lord gave the key to open the kingdom of heaven to ‘Peter’ who is spoken of in today’s text. These are the people worthy of the kingdom of God. Therefore, ‘those who conform to God’s will’ are the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
2. How can I get the key to heaven?
No matter how good it is, if I can't have it, it can only be 'rice cake in the picture'. So, how can you get the keys to heaven? The Lord is making it very clear through today's text. Jesus promised to give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Why do you think Peter received such a precious treasure? Why, after all, is Peter who is loud, likes to go out, makes mistakes and is hot-tempered?
There is one reason. This is Peter's confession of faith. It is because of his faith that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said that he would build a church based on Peter's faith. Therefore, the most important element that can become a church is ‘correct confession of faith in God’.
A church cannot be a church without a proper confession of faith. A church is a group of people who profess their faith in God. No matter how great a group may be, it cannot become a church without a proper confession of faith. Even if you do social work, build a hospital, build a school, and build a large and beautiful chapel, it is not a church if you do not have the right confession of faith. It is not because of the size, nor because of the organization, that we define a group as a “cult.” It is only because ‘the confession of faith in God is different’.
Do you know why the early church in the book of Acts was able to be a church full of vitality? Most of the early churches were private homes. There were no fancy church buildings, no organization, and very little work. But they had a living confession of faith in their hearts. He confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah who saves the world, the risen Lord, and the Son of the living God. Therefore, the church had strength and overflowed with the power of the risen Lord.
That's right. The foundation of the church is not money, people, or organizations. The foundation of the church is the right confession of faith toward God. That is why ‘confession of faith’ enters every worship service as the licorice of medicine. And this is the only way to get the keys to heaven. If you too have an honest and sincere confession of faith that turns to God, God will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
3. You must become a person of Jesus who uses the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
These days, people around the world are not very good at seeing the church. Of course, there was praise from the old days, but there was more opposition and persecution. But it has been recognized for the Christian life. But today, it is being pushed out of the public eye. Even if you ask them to believe in Jesus, there is no response. Even as Christians, it is difficult to distinguish between Christians and people of the world in today's world. You cannot live with pride in being a person of Jesus. The reason is that they have no power and no ability. This is because even if you have the key to heaven, which is the source of your strength and power, you cannot use it.
Now we must have the key of heaven and use that key in our daily life. James 5:16 clearly states, “The prayers of the righteous have great working power.” If you have this ability and do not use it, you will be rebuked by the Lord like the servant who received one talent. So we must be Christians, not Christians, but Christians, people of Jesus. As we walk with the Lord who has the keys of heaven in our lives, we must use the authority of the keys that have been given to us. 2 Timothy 4:2. “You preach the word. Always do your best, in time or out of season. Rebuke, rebuke, exhort with all patience and teaching.” Not only that, but use the ‘power of prayer’ to your heart’s content.
So, I pray that you will become the people of Jesus who can move the world as the key to the kingdom of heaven with the power of the Lord, even if it is a poor environment and a difficult life.