Giving the Keys Gives Total Access!

Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
“And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.” Matthew 16:17-19 (MSG)

Yesterday we talked about authority and when I think about authority – and those who have the privilege to have authority – I think about keys; those in authority usuallly have the keys to the place – to open any and all doors whenever they want to. When I was a principal, I had the keys to the school building, I could come in after hours, on the week-end, whenever I wanted! I knew the code to the burglar alarm – I knew how to navigate around any and all things I needed to function in that school building.

One of my pastors preached a message on the Keys to the Kingdom that I will never forget. He gave us an example of what authority – keys constitute. He said that if he gave someone the keys to his car or his house, they would have the ability to go anywhere in the car, and have the total run of the house! Perhaps this message struck home more to me, because I knew him as one who DID NOT give his keys to anyone easily. He held onto his car keys – never letting anyone drive, and it was just about the same situation with his house keys! Recognizing that if he gave his keys – he was giving something very precious to him, I not only listened to the message, I took it in!

God has given us the keys to the kingdom -knowing that even though we may become a rock like Peter – most of us aren’t there yet. Jesus died for us and the right gave us the right to the kingdom, not because we were perfect, or even whole, but because of His great love for us and His faith that “even though it does not yet appear, what we shall be, [He] knew that when He appeared, we would become like Him!”

God gave us total access to His kingdom – as the MSG so aptly puts our theme verse, “a yes here – is a yes in heaven; a no here – is a no in heaven!” Trying to fathom the unlimited possibilities of this is unbelievable, and yet whether we ever act on it or not – it is true! We can go in and we can come out – we can ask for or not ask for the authority that has been given to us – what is your choice?

God Bless You,
Maria