THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
#077 THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
Scripture Matthew 16:13-19 NIV Orig. 8-30-64
Rewr. 3-1-88
Passage: 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.”
Purpose: To call my people to a renewed awareness of commitment. An attention to some topics of concern is required.
Keywords: Christ, Lord Duty Commitment
Introduction
We regularly talk about commitment. We give only rudimentary attention to the place it should have in our lives.
My dictionary translates it variously: “consigning for safe-keeping,” “an act of engagement or pledging,” “liability incurred,” “the act of doing,” “perpetration.” Its Biblical use is almost always as a verb. Paul admonishes Timothy to “keep that which is committed to Thy trust” (I Timothy 6:20). And, of himself, in the following treatise he writes his young friend “I . . . am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him” (II Timothy 1:12).
It is from a Greek verb, paratithēmi, meaning “guarding what is held in trust.” It is from this word that our word “tithe” comes, suggesting “to put,” or “to deposit.” But this is not a “tithing” message, so let’s get back to other forms of commitment.
You may have heard the story about the cow and the chicken that were serving as co-hostesses for a barnyard bash. They decided to prepare the largest breakfast in history. There would be eggs, and milk, grits, biscuits, ham and bacon, the works. Everybody should be excited about doing their part. Everybody, that is, but the hog. He interrupted the proceedings, reminding the committee, “What you are offering to give is a token offering, but what you require of me is total commitment.” Someone else ventures, “When a dog chases a rabbit, for the dog it’s fun and games, but for the rabbit, it’s a life and death situation.”
We must remember that commitment requires a subject as well as an object. We are not going to come to terms with this kind of dedication until we possess full knowledge about the ONE to whom we are committing ourselves.
I. The First Key to the Kingdom Is the Key of Devotion. V13 “Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” First off, let me remind you that a key is not idle curiosity. My seminary days were spent working for the US Post Office. Working nights, I was often called upon to fill in for absent, regular employees. One of those functions involved Registered Mail. I would find out, after the fact, that I had handled tens of thousands of dollars, for which I, alone, was responsible, once I signed as having received it.
The more we know Christ, the more our devotion to him must grow. There have been people we liked until we got to know them. But the special people in our lives are people we grow more and more appreciative of as we know them better.
Christ, Himself, attests to this need in our lives. Matthew 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother (son or daughter) more than me is not worthy of me.” How many things do you love? Which of them do you love more than you love Christ? Simon Peter had a face-to-face confrontation with devotion during the trial of Jesus. Later, Jesus said, “Simon, lovest thou me?”
Paul’s epistles form the basis of our theology. It is based on love for Christ. I Corinthians 2:2 “I am determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” He seeks to lead people to Jesus not to draw them unto himself. Ephesians 3:19 “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” to therein be open to the people around us.
It is to minimize self. It is to accept others and sometimes their odd ways. A little boy’s grandmother had come for a visit. It was August, and she was sharing his bedroom. She wanted the window down, he up. About the fourth night he prayed, “Lord, bless mother and daddy, and make it hot for grandmother.”
II. The Second Key Is That of Demonstration. V16 Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” V18 Jesus’ response: “on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Our only connotation for demonstration is often only negative. We read of sit-ins, and lay-ins, and marches that seem not pointless, but counterproductive. We dispel any responsibility to react in this unacceptable manner. But brethren, to be Christians, is to be on cross-course with our culture.
Uppermost in our daily lives, should be our determination to demonstrate love for Christ. As a clear example to lost people, understanding that the drift of society is away from God, not to Him. The convention average of church members to baptisms is 1 to 30. Last couple of years, we have been 1 to 17. But frontier mission churches, and overseas work, often reveal a much higher proportion (1 to 10), because the people come to grips with this need.
We cannot assume the emphases are going to reach these unreached people. We must promote these programs. In a revival with a nationally prominent evangelist, a worker said, “I enjoyed the singer more.” Was he more entertaining? I Corinthians 1:18: “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.”
That demonstration of love must be kept current. It is the local church that is the gathering (focal point) of believers. We must keep abreast of contemporary influences. It is said that the Great Awakening of the 1730’s was born on preaching such as that of Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. People clutched the back of the pew to keep from falling into hell.
Sin has not changed. Its form may have. Hell has not changed. We hear less. The church has not changed. We still must point the way. Jesus has not changed. He died to save. God has not changed. We may not perceive of Him as angry, but He is just, and that should cause fear.
III. The Final Key to the Kingdom Is an Assessment of Duty. V19 “I will give unto you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
So the keys are three: That of devotion, knowing Christ; that of demonstration, revealing His presence; and that of duty, being knowledgeable about the way we live and serve Him. This third key is so important. We have a duty to perform. An article in the Baptist Message (March 1, 1988) tells of a volunteer couple from Texas who spent nine years in Minnesota. (context lost) You see, God does have a plan for each of us. What He has for us may go undone if we withhold our commitment.
Conclusion
Phillip P. Bliss was a music evangelist in meetings often with D.L. Moody. Mr. Moody had told of a ship captain trying to bring his ship through a storm. The lighthouse guided him safely into the harbor, but the channel lights were not burning, and inevitably they were swept into the rocks and many drowned. The singer, moved by the illustration, wrote a song still in use over 100 years.
“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy From his Lighthouse evermore.
But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Dark the night of sin has settled, Loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing For the lights along the shore.
Trim your feeble lamp, my brother: Some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor, In the darkness may be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman You may rescue, you may save.”