MidWeek Lent 1 - 2026

MOST CERTAINLY TRUE

“Binding and Loosing”

Text: Matthew 16:13–19 Supporting: 2 Corinthians 5:16–20; Acts 3:17–20

Goal

That hearers would cherish Confession and Absolution as Christ’s own gift—His certain and personal forgiveness—delivered through the Office of the Keys.

Malady

We either carry guilt behind locked doors of shame and uncertainty, or we minimize sin and resist repentance—both of which leave us cut off from the comfort Christ intends.

Means

Jesus, who alone holds the keys of death and Hades through His cross and resurrection, entrusts His Church with the authority to bind and loose sins—so that sinners hear His forgiveness with certainty and are restored to life with God.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tonight we hear Jesus speak words that sound almost mysterious:

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven… whatever you bind… whatever you loose…”

Binding and loosing.

Keys and doors.

Authority and forgiveness.

But beneath those words is something very simple and very personal:

Jesus is talking about how sinners get back to God.

There is a particular feeling many of us know well.

It is the feeling of being locked out.

Locked out of your car. Locked out of your house. Locked out of somewhere you need to be.

You can see what you need—but you cannot get in.

There is a dramatic scene in the movie Titanic, when Jack and Rose are trapped behind a locked gate while the water rises. The question becomes urgent: Will the door open before it is too late?

Jesus uses that same kind of urgency when He speaks about the kingdom of heaven.

Because Scripture tells us something sobering:

Sin locks doors.

Sin separates.

Sin closes us off from God.

Isaiah says,

“Your iniquities have separated you from your God.”

And every conscience knows this is true.

We know the feeling of guilt.

We know the burden of regret.

We know the ache of things we wish we could undo.

And sometimes the greatest fear is this:

Is the door closed against me?

That is why the conversation at Caesarea Philippi matters so much.

Jesus asks:

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

And then He asks:

“But you—who do you say that I am?”

Peter answers:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

That confession is the foundation of everything.

Because if Jesus is truly the Christ—the Savior—then He alone has authority to open what sin has closed.

And Jesus confirms it:

“I will build My Church… and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Death itself will not win.

Why?

Because Jesus is going to the cross.

Because Jesus is going to rise again.

Because Jesus is going to conquer sin, death, and hell.

And that is why He can say elsewhere:

“I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

Christ alone has the keys.

And then comes the astonishing part:

He gives them to His Church.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

Why?

Not so pastors can feel powerful.

Not so the Church can control people.

But so sinners can be rescued.

Because a key does something.

It unlocks.

Or it locks.

It binds

and it looses

And Jesus explains exactly what He means in John 20:

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain them, they are retained.”

Our Small Catechism summarizes it beautifully:

“The Office of the Keys is that authority which Christ gave the Church to forgive the sins of those who repent…”

This is not symbolic.

This is not pretend.

This is Christ Himself working through His Word.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians tonight:

“We are ambassadors for Christ… God making His appeal through us… be reconciled to God.”

When absolution is spoken, Christ is speaking.

When forgiveness is declared, heaven agrees.

It is as if Jesus saying to His Church:

“Take these keys of Mine… and use them well.” 

Binding and Loosing

Jesus said in our text this evening:

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

The grammar of “shall have been” are very specific, and at the risk of getting very technical, the verb is a perfect passive, indicating an action completed in the past with ongoing results in the present, focusing on the subject receiving the action.

What that means, when the Pastor stands and pronounces forgiveness, he is not doing the forgiving, but is announcing to you what has already occured in heaven.

Now here is where binding and loosing becomes personal:

Because sometimes I am the sinner.

And when I am the sinner, I stand outside the door.

Locked out by guilt.

Locked out by shame.

Locked out by my own conscience.

And then comes one of the most beautiful moments in the Christian life:

Confession and absolution.

We confess:

“We have strayed from your ways like lost sheep…”

And then the pastor says:

“I forgive you…”

Those are not empty words.

That is Jesus unlocking the door.

That is Christ restoring the sinner.

That is heaven opening.

One woman, after private confession, said with tears,

“I feel a hundred pounds lighter.” 

Of course she did.

Because guilt is heavy.

And forgiveness is freedom.

But there is another side to the keys.

Sometimes the sinner is not me.

Sometimes the sinner is my brother or sister.

And love requires something difficult.

Jesus says in Matthew 18:

“If your brother sins… go and show him his fault.”

That is what some have called “tough love.” 

Not cruel love.

Not angry love.

But saving love.

Because sin is not harmless.

Sin is like a pet snake in a home—ignored until it suddenly destroys life. 

Sin chokes faith.

Sin destroys relationships.

Sin kills.

And sometimes the most loving thing we can do is say:

“This is hurting you. Come back.”

Binding is not punishment.

Binding is warning.

Binding is love trying to rescue someone before it is too late.

And when repentance comes—oh, what joy.

Jesus says,

“If he listens to you, you have won your brother.”

The door opens again.

Here is the deepest comfort tonight.

All of this begins with Jesus Himself.

Acts tells us:

“Repent… that your sins may be wiped out.”

How?

Because Christ went to the cross.

Because He carried your sin.

Because He paid your debt.

Because He rose again.

The keys are cross-shaped.

Forged in His suffering.

Given in His mercy.

So tonight, Brothers and Sisters, hear what is most certainly true:

There is forgiveness in Christ.

There is certainty in His Word.

There is comfort for your conscience.

There is restoration for your life.

And when the Church speaks forgiveness, Jesus Himself is at work bringing sinners home.

There is love in God’s house.

There is a Savior who opens the door.

There is a voice that says to you tonight:

“You are forgiven.”

Come, child.

He is bringing you home.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers of the Church

Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Lord God, heavenly Father, You sent Your Son into the world to seek and to save the lost, and through His cross You have opened the kingdom of heaven to all who believe. Grant that we would never take Your mercy lightly, but daily repent of our sins and trust Your promise of forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

Lord Jesus Christ, You entrusted to Your Church the keys of the kingdom, that sins may be forgiven and consciences comforted. Help us cherish the gift of Confession and Absolution, believing with certainty that when forgiveness is spoken in Your name, it is truly given in heaven. Strengthen pastors and all servants of Your Word to speak both Law and Gospel faithfully, binding the unrepentant and loosing the repentant according to Your will. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

Holy Spirit, giver of repentance and faith, soften hardened hearts and awaken those who have wandered from Christ. Where there is guilt, bring confession. Where there is shame, bring healing. Where there is stubbornness, bring humility. Restore those burdened by sin, and lead them again into the joy of Your salvation. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

Merciful God, You call us to love one another deeply, even when that love requires difficult conversations and honest correction. Grant us wisdom and compassion in our relationships, that we may speak the truth in love and seek reconciliation with those from whom we are separated. Heal broken families, friendships, and congregations through the forgiveness won by Christ. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

Gracious Father, during this holy season of Lent, draw us closer to the cross of Your Son. Strengthen our prayer, deepen our repentance, and renew our faith, that we may walk with Christ through suffering into the joy of His resurrection. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

God of compassion, we pray for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially those known to us. Grant healing according to Your will, patience in suffering, and confidence in Your promises. Surround them with Your presence and sustain them with the hope that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

Heavenly Father, we commend to You all who struggle with guilt, regret, or troubled consciences. Speak peace into their hearts through Your Gospel, and assure them that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. Lead them to rest in the certainty of Your forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy,

**hear our prayer.**

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

**Amen.**