Power of the Keys

Let me ask you a question…have you ever been locked out of your own home? You’ve been out, maybe all day with friends, and now you just want to be home because you’re hungry, thirsty, tired, dying to go to the bathroom…so, they pull up to your house, you hop out of the car confident that somebody’s home, after all someone’s always at home, you turn the door knob only to discover that the door is locked…

Perhaps you’ve never had this experience but I have, many years ago…pre-cell phone years ago…friends done drive off because after all someone’s always at home. I called out, silence was the response…I tried the front door, the side door, and the back door, and each one of them was locked. I hadn’t yet qualified to get a key of my own since the belief was, if you have your own key then you’d think that you’re a big woman, so no, no key for you yet. I could do nothing but wait and wait and wait. Believe me when I tell you that it was sheer torture. I was at the mercy of the key holder – the holder of the keys wields power.

Christ said to Peter,

And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever doors you lock on earth shall be locked in heaven; and whatever doors you open on earth shall be open in heaven! (Matthew 16:19 TLB)

When Peter received a revelation of who Jesus was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v. 16), he was given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And, like Peter, when you receive a revelation of Jesus Christ you become qualified as a holder of the keys.

The keys of the Kingdom are given to all believers for the display of the power and the glory of God. The possession of the keys symbolizes the authority conferred by God Himself – the Father conferred such authority on Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ conferred the authority first on Peter, then the other apostles and now on every born-again believer. 

Please understand that even though you are free to use the keys, God is the owner of the keys. He has given you the use and stewardship of this amazing authority. 

The Lord will put him in charge of the key that belongs to King David’s family. No one will be able to unlock what he locks, and no one will be able to lock what he unlocks. (Isaiah 22:22 CEV)

The keys are the same, or rather, of the same nature, as the key of David. Jesus is the holder of the key of David.

I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it. (Revelation 3:7 CEV)

The authority to open and shut the door into the Church and the Kingdom of God lies with Jesus. As a born-again believer we share this same authority with Jesus Christ (see Revelation 2:26-27). We are to be responsible in how we use this incredible gift, remembering always from whom it was received and the purpose of its use. We are not to be like the Pharisees who, by their example, “shut the Kingdom of Heaven in men’s faces” (see Matthew 23:13). Jesus Himself warns us, “do not do what they do” (v. 3).

Be aware of the power that is embedded in the keys, for therein lies the authority to lock and to open, bind and loose (see Matthew 18:18), and to forgive or not to forgive (John 20:22-23). This is no ordinary stewardship, so please take this most seriously, understanding that what you say is eternal.

Power of the Keys    Shelley Johnson 06-Jul-2016