THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN!
- Matt. 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
- 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
- 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
- 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
- 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
- 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
- 19 And I will give unto thee 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.
In this sermon outline we look at some of the Keys of Power that the Lord has given to the Church. The sad thing is that many times the Church does not use that which God has given us, so that we may successfully do the commission of the Church, which is the evangelism of the world. Nor to we use that which God has provided the Church that we might be a people of victory and not one of defeat.
I. Jesus asked the question, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Mt 16:13)
A. He is more than any prophet.
B. Then He asked, "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?"
1. The world can curse Him and speak and make movies that make Him the low of the lowest.
C. The question that really matters is who do we say He is?
D. Peter answers the question with, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
E. He is more than a man or prophet.
1. He is the Christ!
2. He is the Son of God
3. He is the Word made Flesh!
- John 1:14 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
II. The message of Jesus being the Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, it was not a work of the flesh or of head knowledge. "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
A. We must not only hear the Word of God we must believe that Jesus is Lord
1. This is the Work of the Holy Spirit making Jesus know to us.
2. This is how we are saved and become a "new creature"
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
- Romans 10:9-10 (KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
III. Upon this confession God builds His Church.
"That thou art Peter, (stone or pebble) and upon this rock (a rock like the Rock of Gibraltar) I will build my church."
A. It is upon this Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ and confession that He is the Christ that God has built and continues to build His Church.
B. Jesus is greater than all the powers of Hell. "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
- Romans 8:31 (KJV) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
C. I love the words to the old hymn The Rock of Ages.
IV. The Keys.
They evidently are source of power and blessing.
- Matthew 16:19 (YLT) and I will give to thee the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
A. With the Keys we will be able to bind and loose on earth what has been performed in heaven.
1. The devil was bound and kicked out.
a. We can do the same in our lives.
2. The perfect Will of God is operating in Heaven.
a. We can pray and let God operate His Will in our lives.
b. How? Romans 12:1 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
V. I believe that the following are four of the most important keys, (promises and tools) that God has give unto the Church.
A. The Holy Spirit is the first Key.
- Acts 1:4 (KJV) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. - Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. - Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
-Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
1. The source of Spiritual Power comes from the Holy Spirit.
2. He reveals Christ to us as He did for Peter.
3. We cannot be converted and saved unless the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus as Saviour and He does it through the second key, The Word of God.
B. The Second Key is the Word of God.
1. The Word is unchanging.
- Psalm 119:89 (KJV) For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
- Matthew 24:35 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
2. The Word of God is the Promises of God.
3. The Word is the Good News.
C. The Third Key is the Name of Jesus Christ.
- Acts 4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1. Salvation is only in that Name
2. There is no Name like that Name.
3. Name we pray in to the Father.
- John 16:23 (KJV) And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
a. Only that Name can bring answered prayer.
4. It is the Name the devil flees from and the Name we can cast out demons.
- Luke 11:20 (KJV) But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
5. We do all things through that Name.
- Col 3:17 (KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
D. The fourth is Faith and Faith is like the ’key chain’ that holds the keys together and together is how they work in our churches and lives.
1. Remember, you can have a key and not use it. God wants us to use the keys He has provided in our lives as we follow Him.
2. God has given us His faith when we were converted to Christ. Romans 12:3 (KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
a. God’s measure is a full measure.
3. It is impossible to please God without using our Faith. Heb Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 11:3
Forth Key is Faith
It is like a key chain holding the other 3 keys together so that at the moment we need them they are reading to be used.
