what are the keys to the kingdom?
It all begins with an idea.
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are happy because you did not learn this from man. My Father in heaven has shown you this. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16: 15-19
What were the keys that Jesus gave Peter to open the kingdom of Heaven here on Earth?
Peter used the keys of the kingdom of Heaven for those witnesses of the healing of the paralytic man.
8 Then Peter, [c]filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “[d]Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are [e]on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, [f]as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that [g]by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—[h]by [i]this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 [j]He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:8-12
Peter used the keys of the kingdom for the Heaven for the Israelites.
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Call to Repentance
37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each 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, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt[k] generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.
Acts 2:36-41
Peter used the keys to open up the Kingdom of God the first Gentile converts.
34 Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who [y]fears Him and [z]does what is right is welcome to Him.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the [ag]message. 45 All the [ah]circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
Acts 10:34- 35; 44 -48
The Keys given by Jesus were faith, confession, repentance, baptism (for the forgiveness of sins), and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. These, 5 keys open the kingdom of Heaven to those here on Earth.
3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight![a]
4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3:1-6
11 “I baptize you with[c] water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove[d] his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:11
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”
15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.
16 When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him,[e] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus states that baptism must be done to fulfill all righteousness. And John the Baptist who was filled with the Holy Spirit since birth preached to the people about the forgiveness of sins through baptism and the confessing of the sins. What is hidden must come to light. Why? Because God is light and not darkness, we must be naked and unashamed when we come before him. Not meaning without clothing but everything exposed, asking for forgiveness, and accepting the Holy Cleansing that only God can provide. We must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth - confession is the truth and forgiveness is by the Spirit. Don’t miss your opportunity to utilize the keys to the kingdom of Heaven while you have the chance.
The Word
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (NIV)
The power of a word. We tend not to take a moment to recognize that the World itself has been created by them. Which means that your words create your world as well. What we say and, usually, the faith behind what we say can either move mountains in our lives or erect them.
We are created in the image and the likeness of God so if He creates with words, so do we.
“21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)“20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
“14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
The Bible warns us that our words are important and they start in our mind and heart. If we don’t take control of these words and thoughts we will always be at the whim of the enemy in this world. Do not let the enemy “Steal, Kill, and Destroy” your world because you didn’t or wouldn’t master your thoughts and your tongue.