KINGDOM KEYS

1. We often come to verses in the Bible that are well known but not well understood.

2. One of these places is Mt. 16:19.

3. Jesus said he would give “keys” to the apostle Peter.

4. These keys would be “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

TONIGHT WE WANT TO EXPLORE THE LORD’S PROMISE TO PETER. WE WANT TO DETERMINE WHAT THE KEYS WERE, WHEN THEY WERE GIVEN, WHAT THEY WERE USED FOR, IF ANYONE ELSE GOT THEM, AND A FEW OTHER THINGS.

1) A good starting place for this study is at the end of verse 19.

2) Jesus spoke of Peter being able to “bind and loose” things upon the earth.

3) We may not immediately identify with the words “bind and loose.”

4) Other terms such as “prohibit and permit” may make the thought a little easier.

5) We could even say “lock” and “unlock” or refer to it as what is “lawful and not lawful.”

a) If we use these suggested words, the word “keys” becomes less difficult.

b) Suppose that someone comes to the church building and all the doors are locked.

c) This person has a ring of several keys, but none of his keys works in our locks.

d) No matter how many keys he has, he will not be able to use them to unlock the doors.

6) Keys are items that both permit and deny entry.

7) Jesus made this very point in another verse (Lk. 11:52).

a) He said first century lawyers “had the key of knowledge” but they took it from people.

b) Jesus did not refer to a literal key; it was the authority to show people the way of salvation.

c) These people had all the right tools, but they failed to use what they had.

d) They could have unlocked the right way for people, but they bound up the truth.

8) In Mt. 16 we are introduced to a simple fact: the time for change had come.

9) The Old Testament system by Moses would be replaced by the church (verse 18).

10) Since the church is Christ’s body (Eph. 1:22-23), it is a place of salvation (refuge, safety).

11) Because the church is a place of salvation, people need to know how to find it and enter into it.

a) A few nights ago I watched a program about an old FBI case.

b) A small group of men decided to rob a bank by using a bank employee.

c) The bank employee was ordered to drive the main robber to the bank where she unlocked the door.

d) After getting inside the building the next step was to gain entrance to the vault.

e) Two codes were needed for entry into the safe, but she only had one of the combinations.

f) The robber had her call her coworker and this allowed her to get the second set of numbers.

g) At least three steps were needed to permit entry into the bank vault.

12) A similar point is true concerning the church (kingdom).

13) It is a place where people need to be, but how do they get there? There are keys that need to be used.

a) There is the key of belief. Belief is one of the keys to salvation.

b) Peter did some speaking on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

c) Acts 2:36 says “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that Jesus is Lord and Christ.”

d) Peter said to His Jewish audience, “You need to believe in Jesus of Nazareth.”

14) Belief is necessary, but faith alone will not bring us into the church built by Christ.

15) We know this because Peter also said there must be “repentance” in Acts 2:38.

16) After giving this key Peter spoke about baptism for the remission of sins (same verse).

17) The key of church admission is described in Acts 2:47.

18) Keys for proper service to God are found in Acts 2:42.

19) At least three keys are found in the second chapter of Acts.

20) IF WE KNOW WHAT AT LEAST SOME OF THE KEYS IN MATTHEW 16:19 ARE, AND WE KNOW THAT PETER USED AT LEAST THREE OF THEM ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, WE MIGHT ASK WHEN PETER RECEIVED HIS KEYS.

21) Jesus used the future tense in Mt. 16:19 so these keys were not received on this occasion.

22) If we look at other verses we find an indication of when the promised keys were received.

23) A verse which speaks to this matter is Acts 2:4.

24) Peter was with others, and Luke says that on the Day of Pentecost there was a “filling with the HS.”

25) People received a level of power and knowledge they had not previously possessed.

a) Furthermore, Peter used keys on this day, but there is no record of this being done before Acts 2.

b) Consider too the fact that Peter’s keys were associated with the church.

c) Acts 20:28 says that Jesus bought (purchased) the church with His own blood.

d) There was no church until Jesus created it; we read about people being added to it in Acts 2.

e) Everything we can find indicates it Peter received the keys in Acts 2 (the Day of Pentecost).

IF WE ACCEPT THIS CONCLUSION WE MIGHT ASK ABOUT ANOTHER MATTER: WAS PETER THE ONLY ONE WHO RECEIVED KEYS?

1) Mt. 18:18 is a verse that is almost identical to Mt. 16:19.

a) It differs in two main respects.

b) First, Mt. 16:19 focuses on Peter; Mt. 18:18 refers to all the apostles.

c) Second, “keys” is used in Mt. 16:19 but this term is not repeated in Mt. 18:18.

d) The function of the keys is found in both places (lock and unlock), but “keys” is not repeated.

2) Because we have the information in Mt. 18 we know that Peter was not the only one with authority.

a) When we look at Acts 2 we find that Peter was not the only one using kingdom keys.

b) Acts 2:4 says “they” were all “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

c) Peter was not the only one who received power, knowledge, and divine aid.

d) Acts 2:4 pictures all the apostles as receiving the same benefits.

3) Furthermore, Acts 2 is very precise in another point.

4) Acts 2:6 says that more than one person was speaking; the crowd heard “THEM” speaking.

5) Verse 7 says “all these that speak” (Peter was not the only one doing the talking).

6) Verses 8 and 11 of Acts 2 make this same point.

7) Peter certainly speak (verse 14), but he addressed the people of “Judea and Jerusalem.”

8) Today we sometimes hear it said that “Only Peter received the keys to the kingdom.”

9) This cannot be right because the same authority is found in Mt. 18:18.

10) Furthermore, consider what is said in Acts 2:37 – READ.

a) Peter exerted a lot of influence on the Day of Pentecost; no one doubts that.

b) Certainly the gospels picture him as a man who often leaped ahead of the others.

c) We must, however, insist that he was not the only person who had access to the keys.

11) When we continue to look at the book of Acts we find the Peter was not the only one with keys.

12) Acts 8 tells us about Philip, a Christian who preached but he was not an apostle.

13) This brother went to the area of Samaria and began teaching the gospel.

a) When he taught the gospel of Christ, he used the keys of the kingdom.

b) Such is still true today.

c) I might take one of my keys and make a copy so you can have one too.

d) Peter did not have exclusive keys; he was one of the men given key facts about salvation.

e) Jesus created only one church.

f) Anytime we tell someone about that church, we are using the keys of the kingdom.

g) We are unlocking the door so people can be joined with Jesus Christ.

14) At Samaria the door was unlocked and people entered into the Lord’s body known as the church.

15) Because the new converts did not have a New Testament, they needed help.

16) In the first century divine aid often came through spiritual gifts.

a) Peter and John (verse 14) came to Samaria and gave spiritual gifts to the Samaritans.

b) Verse 15 contains a small but important point that is too important to not read. READ verse 15.

c) “Prayed” is a plural verb; that is, both Peter and John prayed for these new Christians.

d) This was not a prayer for good health, thankfulness for their conversion, or something else.

e) It was an apostolic prayer for the reception of spiritual gifts.

f) Verse 17 continues the thought by saying “THEY” laid their hands on the new Christians.

17) Here were two ideal opportunities to say that Peter was the key man.

18) God could have had only Peter pray or only use his hands to convey spiritual gifts.

19) Luke carefully recorded that fact that Peter and John were both fully involved.

20) Acts 10 provides us with another story that is also associated with a key.

a) Back in Acts 2, Jews, especially in the area of Judea, had been given the chance to hear the gospel.

b) Acts 8 takes readers to Samaria.

c) By Acts 8 full blooded Jews and less pure blood Jews had been offered the gospel.

d) In Acts 10 Peter is the one who tells a Gentile and his household about salvation.

SOME THING THAT PETER WAS SPECIAL FOR SOME REASON AND RECEIVED AUTHORITY NOT POSSESSED BY OTHERS.

1) No, Peter just moved a little faster than some of the other apostles.

2) Even Peter said that he was not special (had information not possessed by the others).

a) I want to read for you Acts 15:7.

b) Peter explains why Jesus spoke about giving kingdom keys to him.

c) READ Acts 15:7.

d) Someone needed to see people outside Jerusalem.

e) Peter was the one who engaged in some of these first efforts.

f) This was God’s will.

g) Thus, it only made sense for Jesus to speak of Peter as receiving keys.

3) Many see Mt. 16:19 and draw some very wild conclusions about Peter.

4) This is unfortunate because the Bible is very clear about Peter’s keys.

5) First, Jesus did not wait too long before He said this authority belonged to the other apostles (Mt. 18:18).

6) Second, were Peter’s keys something that was really all that new/different?

7) Think back to the great commission, Mk. 16:15-16.

a) Jesus gave these instructions to His apostles before the church was started in Acts 2.

b) When Peter said “repent and be baptized” he used keys.

c) In light of the great commission, what can we say about the keys of repentance and baptism?

d) They were not exactly new because Jesus had already spoken about them.

e) Peter did not possess them because the time of Acts 2 had not come.

f) He did receive keys but they were not something which was completely brand new to him.

g) What about the key to the church?

h) It too was not new because Jesus said it would one day be built, Mt. 16:18.

8) Many think that Peter’s keys gave him all kinds of unprecedented authority and power.

9) I hate to rain on the parade, but Peter’s keys were not quite that glorious.

10) Peter as well as the others were simply binding what had been bound and loosing what had been loosed.

11) This really the force of Mt. 16:18.

12) Peter would “bind what had previously been bound” and “loose what had already been loosed.”

13) He and the other apostles declared the will of God for Christians and non-Christians.

14) He did what we today do through the Word of God.

15) When someone preaches or teaches the Word of God, they are using the keys to the kingdom.

16) Someone once wrote these words:

17) “Dear Peter, we found the keys; thanks for leaving the door open.”

18) We have all the keys Peter had (in a different form) and they still work.

19) When we think of keys we think of pieces of metal that function in locks.

a) Such is not the case with the keys in Mt. 16.

b) Jesus’ kingdom is “SPIRITUAL” (Jn. 18:36).

c) In this spiritual kingdom we have spiritual keys—the revealed truths in the Word of God.

20) If we want to be saved, we need to use the keys of the kingdom.

21) The first few keys are faith, repentance, confession, and baptism.

22) We access the church and then use the keys of right Christian living.

23) Are we using the keys given by God?