Keys to the Kingdom, Part 2
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 38:20
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· 12 viewsChrist will build His church, and nothing will stop it. His authority given to the church affirms and guards the gospel.
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Call to Worship
Call to Worship
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Adoration
Adoration
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Confession
Confession
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Message
Message
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
What is the church primarily to do?
For some, the church is merely a social club, something like the YMCA.
For others, the church is a social activist group, a welfare system with a little spirituality sprinkled in.
What does the Bible say about the churches primary role is?
To say the church has responsibilities demands it has authority to carry them out.
Authority is a right to command.
Responsibility is a right to a task.
Jesus Christ is the HEAD of His church!
He is the head and we are His body.
Yet Jesus is building a people for Himself on the foundation of the Apostles.
People enter Christ’s church through the authority Christ gives.
Christ will build His church, and nothing will stop it. His authority given to the church affirms and guards the gospel.
Christ will build His church, and nothing will stop it. His authority given to the church affirms and guards the gospel.
Background
Idolatrous Caesarea Philippi.
Confusion over the identity of Jesus.
Peter’s great confession.
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Last week we considered what the church is:
built on the revelation of the Father
built on the solid foundation of the Apostles teaching
built for guaranteed growth
built unconquerable.
But this week we will shift just slightly to pick up what the church does.
The Authority that Christ Grants.
The Authority that Christ Grants.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
What kind of authority does Jesus grant?
The phrase “keys of the kingdom” reveals the nature of the authority.
A key is used to unlock and to lock a door.
Where does it come from?
Jesus grants authority originating in Heaven.
We build with the authority of heaven.
We build with the authority of heaven.
Jesus stood right beside Peter.
Peter expected a kingdom that would overthrow Rome.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
This authority is NOT ownership.
Peter receives a stewardship.
The authority comes from heaven.
The church ≠ the kingdom
The church ≠ the kingdom
The kingdom is the reign of God.
The church are the people of God.
The church are the people who proclaim the reign of King Jesus over all!
After Pentecost, Peter preaches to the masses and effectively begins to open the door to the kingdom for the people.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
The church will be founded on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.
The authority of the church body will be the message of the resurrected Christ.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
“Ambassadors speak in the name of their Master, wielding his gospel, which carries the authority to forgive sins and open the doors of heaven.” —Michael Reeves, Preaching: A God-Centered Vision
An ambassador speaks on behalf of the land that has deputized him.
They appeal to others on the behalf of the one who has sent them!
Application for all
When we hear the gospel, we’re not hearing a man’s message.
We’re hearing from the authority of the Sovereign God.
We’re hearing His pleas for us to be reconciled to Himself.
If the church possesses the keys of the kingdom, then how are those keys actually used?
To answer this question we must understand the authority is over two broad categories:
the confession
the confessor
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We affirm entrance through the gospel–binding.
We affirm entrance through the gospel–binding.
Now many throughout church history have held a view of the “binding” and “loosing” here as though heaven responds to the decisions on earth.
It’s not as though heaven is merely endorsing everything the church does on earth.
The church doesn’t determine the decisions of heaven.
But the church does declare what heaven recognizes…
Authority by divine guidance.
The church responds to the decisions of her Lord.
It’s exactly opposite.
The grammar shows us here that heaven acts first.
The phrases, “shall be bound” and “shall be loosed” have the sense of an action takes place before hand with a result for the future.
The church responds to the pronouncement already made in heaven.
One way to see this is the way the Bible expresses this idea of “the book of Life” (Revelation 13:8, 17:8, 20:12-15, 21:27; Philippians 4:3).
The church does not have the power to write in people’s names.
But by the profession and life of a person, it observes if a person has been written into this book.
We don’t decide who is in the book.
There is permission to enter through Peter’s profession.
Permission demands an authoritative plea to enter.
Peter is the first stone laid on the foundation which is Jesus Christ.
And all who hold to Peter’s confession after him will be laid in this great structure called the church.
Who does this authority rest with?
Authority doesn’t rest in a man.
Authority is given to His body on earth.
Church members have authority to command entrance.
Church members have authority to command entrance.
Application – Too many churches are too flippant about who they claim is “in the kingdom.”
All you have to do in most churches to get baptized is to say, “I love Jesus!” or “I want to get baptized!” and they are declared to be Christians!
Who gets to claim someone is a Christian?
Does your grandma?
Does your friend who baptized you in the river by yourself?
A summer camp or a friend cannot declare a person a Christian.
Do you know why our culture has so many false professions?
Is because someone told them, “You’re a Christian”
Even though they showed nothing of it in their profession or their life.
The local church has been given the keys to the kingdom of God.
It’s not the pastor.
It’s not the deacons.
It’s not the ladies ministry led by sweet Sally.
It’s the church body as a whole!
If the church affirms professions of faith, how does it publicly do that?
Through baptism!
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Baptism is the entrance into the family of God.
Baptism cannot be disconnected from teaching.
They are linked together.
Those who are baptized are assumed to be taught the Word of God.
What do we do when people are baptized outside of a local church?
We don’t start flipping tubs.
But we should ask…
What is a person baptized into?
People respond: “Into Christ!” to which we all heartily respond, “Amen!”
But press a little further, “Where do we see Christ’s body?”
Christ’s physical body is ruling and reigning at the Father’s right hand.
Christ is interceding for His people by the Holy Spirit.
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…
The church is the local expression of the body of Christ in heaven.
We should be utterly shocked when a person is baptized apart from a local church.
Application for the church body
When a person is baptized here, thats a really big deal.
It’s not merely another tally mark to put in a newsletter.
Jesus gives a church body each individual who is baptized.
They are to be cared for and looked after.
What role do church leaders have in this?
Church shepherds have authority to counsel entrance.
Church shepherds have authority to counsel entrance.
Though church shepherds do not have ultimate authority to determine who should be “in” or “out” of the church body.
They do have authority to counsel a person to be received.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
It’s an amazing thing that ministers of the gospel get to counsel people to be a part of the body of Christ.
Application for pastoral mis-practice
Many pastors have made declarations over people who truly didn’t make genuine professions of faith.
Pastors sometimes speak out of their depths.
So we should take heed to not listen to every person with the title “Pastor.”
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Teachers are judged with a greater strictness because we care for the souls that God has placed under our care.
As much as their is a fearful reality, there is also a great joy in the preaching of the Word.
“Preaching embodies the grace of the gospel that is present: one person gives the others good news. Sinners do not sit down and work it out by themselves: the life-giving Word must be given to them. The Word is proclaimed, and they simply receive it.
To know that in preaching, God is not simply being talked about but heard and encountered must change our expectations [of preaching].” —Michael Reeves, Preaching: A God-Centered Vision
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We guard the gospel through removal–loosing.
We guard the gospel through removal–loosing.
Too many churches never remove even the most vile of sinners from their midst.
We don’t ever remove “sinners,” because if we did none of us would be members here.
We remove unrepentant sinners from our midst.
If you were to ask 95% of churches:
When was the last time you removed a person for unrepentant sin?
What do you think they would say?
Most would say: “Never”
A few would point to those removed because of serious errors.
A question we should always consider, “What does heaven think of this pronouncement?”
The problem with the modern church is not living under the persecution of being identified with heaven.
The problem is we have ignored the proclamation of heaven.
And like the churches in Revelation, they stand to have our lampstands removed.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Church shepherds have authority to counsel exit.
Church shepherds have authority to counsel exit.
The pastors/shepherds do not have authority to remove a person from their church.
But they do have real authority…
Paul instructs Titus after rejoicing in the grace of God revealed in the gospel.
The grace of God produces in us “training” or “educating” us to live holy lives, and produces a holy hunger by “waiting” for the Lord Jesus from Heaven.
The grace of God produces within those with a living faith obedient and purified lives.
And this leads Paul to instruct Titus…
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
They DO HAVE the authority to rebuke, from the Word of God.
They have authority to correct, from the Word of God.
They even have the authority to counsel a person to leave their church to find another one.
The authority to counsel the church body in what they believe the Bible instructs them to do.
Church members have authority to command exit.
Church members have authority to command exit.
The church body as a whole alone has authority to remove a person from their midst.
Not the pastor.
Not the deacons.
Not the outside council.
The church body collectively has authority.
The Apostle Paul does not unilaterally remove a person from the church body.
Instead he calls the church body to do what they know they should do in removing the unrepentant man from their midst.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
The most loving thing to do to an unrepentant person is to remove them from the fellowship.
For them to remain in the church body does harm to themselves, to the church body as a whole, and their witness to the gospel.
Applications for the church body – If we’re not willing to remove a person from the church body, we should never pretend to bring them into the church.
Applications for parents – If you’re not willing to have your child publically removed from the church for unrepentant sin, you shouldn’t be quick or hasty in getting them baptized.
Christ will build His church, and nothing will stop it. His authority given to the church affirms and guards the gospel.
Christ will build His church, and nothing will stop it. His authority given to the church affirms and guards the gospel.
Benediction
Benediction
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
