There is nothing like the moment you are first given the keys to something.
• My First Car (66 Plymouth Valiant)
• Home
• Church
Having keys to something means ownership, power, the ability to unlock something or have access to something that not everyone else had. Like being a part of something exclusive!
Matthew 16:19(NIV)
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.”
Wow! Talk about being given the keys to something important!
• The keys to open up or lock up the things of heaven right here on earth!
• Now obviously Jesus wasn't handing Peter a real set of keys but he was giving him access to and responsibility for something that was the substance of dreams!
• These keys in a sense are something that is given to every believer at some level.
• When you say yes Jesus come into my life you are in a spiritual sense give access or keys to the kingdom.
Very Expensive Keys:
These keys are of the highest value and part of a sacred trust!
I was giving a set of keys to a car at 16 but I made a mistake and let a friend borrow them without the authority to do so
• because I didn’t fully understand the liability or the value of my actions
• I quickly learned that those keys could be taken away!
• You better believe that when I got my keys back, I made sure I never gave them to the wrong person again!
In the same way…
• God created this Earth
• Gave man the keys (They didn't fully understand the value or the consequences)
• Sin forfeited them to Satan
• Jesus bought them back with his life
John 3:16(NIV)
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• Then gives them back
The keys I am talking about today are the most costly keys ever handed over and they come with a great responsibility!
Keys of Authority and Responsibility:
Each and every one of us that have believed on the name of Jesus Christ for our salvation are possessors of the authority of (Keys) heaven.
• Keys represent authority. I have on my key ring a key that will open every door in this building,
• A door is meant as a barrier but once you possess the key it no longer hinders you
o Something that is meant as a barrier to others becomes simply a walkway for you
• The keys to open up or lock up the things of heaven right here on earth!
• All because you have been given authority
Source of Authority
I think we all understand that you don’t mess with someone who has a badge because they are not acting solely on their own authority and they have keys too. Keys that can lock you up!
• Jenny’s Dad Keven has those kind of keys
• He can lock you up
• If you think your bad enough to overpower him- He has friends and eventually you will be locked up
• Because with those keys and that badge, he is backed up by a greater authority
The Keys we are given are backed by absolute authority!
Matthew 28:18(NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Mark 1:22(NIV)
The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
• Authority to command wind and waves
• Authority to heal crippled
• Authority to open blinded eyes
• Authority to stop funeral processions
• Authority to change your circumstance
• This is the authority that these keys unlock!
This is the authority that these keys unlock yet somehow we have convinced ourselves that it is for a different time and place.
Matthew 10:1(NIV)
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
They received his authority because of their relationship with Jesus just as I got the keys to that first car because of my relationship with my parents.
Our Authority is based solely on our relationship with Jesus
• That is why we must maintain that relationship.
• Apart from Christ we are nothing.
Sons of Sceva (Acts 19)
• No relationship with Jesus
• No authority to use His name
• Got their tails kicked!
I’m tired of the church of our risen savior getting its tail kicked because of a lack of genuine relationship we continue to operate in a lack of authority!
If the Key Fits?
Okay I hear what you are saying but if we have these keys then why are we not seeing these miraculous heavenly things being unlocked here on earth? The short answer is that just because keys are given does not mean they are being used to their full potential
Blanks
• When we are saved we start out in a sense with what I am going to call a blank
o It will fit into certain types of locks but won’t open much
o It is also important to note that different blanks fit different locks
• Careful when judging another person’s key (when we criticize)
o It may not be the same as yours (You’re not a Mag, you’re a Yale or a Quickset)
o They may not be able to open the doors you can (but they are not supposed to)
o But they will walk through obstacles and unlock things you can’t!
1 Corinthians 12:17-20(NIV)
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:27-30(NIV)
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
• Some keys make us great Street Witnesses and get great results with a direct approach
• Others excel at compassion ministry and have a knack for loving the unlovable
• Still others enjoy building projects that require hard work and sweating
• Or a room full of kids
• Changing diapers all day with a smile on their face
• Attention to details/Super friendly
It takes us all to fulfill our mission so why is it we get caught up in judging other people’s keys?
Back to the blanks and your key…
The grinding wheel (opens more doors)
Now this doesn’t mean we don’t work on our weak areas
• If you want that blank to open more doors you have to put it on the grinding wheel
o Without grinding it just looks like a key
o And we wonder why we are powerless
• The more it’s ground properly the more it will unlock
o Grinding can be unpleasant
o We have to let him grind in that touchy area of our lives
• However there are some locks that no matter how much grinding we will never fit because we were simply not made for that lock
o Some people recognize it (Worship Team)
o Others do not (American Idol)
Ephesians 4:11-13(NIV)
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Levels of Keys:
Still our goal should be to become a Master Key for where we fit
Mark 16:15-18(NIV)
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Keys in the Pocket (unlock Nothing)
However the worst kind of key is one that never gets taken out of the pocket and put in a lock to see what it will unlock
Yates Pool Story (A multi-millionaire living in poverty)
I’m afraid we may be saddened on that day to see what we could have unlocked and let loose here on Earth if we had only used our key!
What will your key unlock?
What authority have you been given?
“I don’t have anything to bring to the table” Bull!
Matthew 25:14-15(NIV)
14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
Each according to their ability…
• We have been entrusted with the greatest property of all time (Salvation and the Kingdom)
• Bought at the highest price ever paid
• To be used to carry on the Master’s business until He returns
• Make no mistake, one day you will be asked what you did with your key!
o What will your response be?
o With Joy, God look what I was able to do even though I thought it wasn’t even possible!
o Oh, that old thing? Where did I put it? Just a second, it was here somewhere! I’m sorry you see all my time was taken up with “my” hobbies, “my” this and “my” that…
Matthew 25:25-26(NIV)
25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
Matthew 25:30(NIV)
30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Remember Jesus himself told this parable
What are you doing with your key? What could it unlock?
Will you hear “Well done” or “You wicked lazy servant”?
