(Read Matthew 16:13-20)
This morning continue our overarching series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter and our study brought us to Matthew chapter 16. We have looked at this passage for over a week and we will go back to it today.
The Bible says, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 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. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. 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.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”
Today I am going to focus in on the words, “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.” This was from the New International Version. To ensure we lay a good foundation for what Jesus meant before I get started, I will share this verse with you from two other translations.
The New Living Translation reads, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” The Amplified Bible reads, “I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” There is lots to discuss here. It will take more than a day to deal with this verse. I will simply give you a few golden nuggets from this verse today and we will circle back to this tomorrow.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see.
1. Most missed Jesus’ message. The Israelites during Jesus’ day were waiting for a Messiah who would come to rule and reign as a king of his kingdom, but they were looking for an earthly kingdom. When Jesus announced, “The Kingdom of God is at hand”, most were still looking for an earthly king who would overthrow the Romans. Jesus’ Kingdom was a Kingdom from another world; a Kingdom that was to invade this world in a way that earthly kingdoms never could.
2. The connection between the church and the Kingdom. Jesus announced The Kingdom of Heaven everywhere He went. He did not mention His church until this passage (Matthew 16). The word “church” Jesus used is a word that means congregation or assembly. While Jesus did not come to establish His Kingdom (because it was established at the beginning of time), He did come to establish a church — a congregation, an assembly of believers — who would come together to learn of Him and who would be given the keys to the Kingdom. If you are a member of the Lord’s church you have been given the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
3. Binding and Loosing. Jesus explained to Peter that as a member of His church, with the keys to the Kingdom of heaven, he would be able to bind and loose in the earth and heaven would have his back. But to be clear, Jesus was not saying that heaven would validate everything he did or whatever he decided. That would be ‘the tail wagging the dog’. Just like Jesus only did what He saw in heaven first and only said what He heard from heaven first, Jesus expected Peter and all the members of His church who would follow to do the same. What Jesus was actually saying was, “Whatever you bind on the earth must be whatever is already bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on the earth must be whatever is already loosed in heaven.”
a) Jesus lived His life a conduit between two worlds: heaven and earth. He expects us to live the same way.
b) As a member of the Lord’s church you have the authority of His Kingdom and the power that comes with it. However, to operate in that authority you must seek and hear from heaven first. As you hear, you speak. As you see, you do. As you discover what is bound in heaven, you have the authority to bind it in the earth. As you discover what is loosed in heaven, you have the authority to loose it in the earth.
c) You are heaven’s representative in the earth. Act like it. The power of heaven is available to you. What are you going to do with it today?
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. By grace You made plans for me before the foundations of the world. I now pursue those plans with my faith. By grace You offered me eternal life in You Son. By faith I accepted Your Son and I was Born-Again. I am now a member of Your church, Your congregation, Your assembly. By grace You freely give me the keys to Your Kingdom. By faith I accept the keys and I seek to operate in Your authority in the earth. I am Your representative in this world, but I take my marching orders from Your world. As I hear, I speak. As I see, I do. As I discern, I bind and loose. When people come in contact with me they will be amazed that I operate in the earth with the same power and authority Jesus operated with. I am just like Jesus. As Jesus is, so am I, in this world. Not because I am so good, but only because You are so good, only because of Your grace! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
