Matthew 6:13-20 - The Keys To The Kingdom
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What is church all about?
That's a good question, isn't it!? If you're a Christian and go church, you might wonder about that from time to time. Or if you're not yet a Christian and don't normally go to church, you might find the whole idea of church to be something of a mystery.
The Greek word for church (ecclesia) is only used in two verses in the Gospels. Both are in Matthew (here at Matt 18:17), both on the lips of Jesus. They anticipate a much fuller understanding of the church that would come later.
But the context of what Jesus says about the church in this particular passage reveals what the church is all about. It's all about Jesus!
This brief discussion is focussed on the identity of Jesus. Matthew has been building up to this for a couple of chapters, using different kinds of events and confrontations that lead up to this moment:
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
Jesus has taken his disciples on a retreat with the purpose of having this conversation away from the crowds, away from the Pharisees. What they talk about here will change everything for the disciples: their whole lives from this moment will be radically affected. And what they talked about then has radically affected the whole of history since, and continues to affect the world today.
Why? All because of Jesus - who he is (this week), what he came to do (next time).
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?" He's interested in what others are saying about him.
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Varied responses. All positive, but we know that not everyone did respond positively to Jesus. But what Jesus is really interested in is v15...
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This is a beautiful statement of faith! And it's this that prompts Jesus to talk very openly about what such a statement of faith means, particularly as it relates to the church.
He shows us that when someone confesses that Jesus is the Christ it is because...
The Father Reveals His Son
The Father Reveals His Son
People only belong to the church if they confess that Jesus is the Christ; and people only confess that Jesus is the Christ if God reveals it to them...
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Peter hasn't been extraordinarily clever in coming to this realisation. He hasn't used Sherlock-like powers of reason to deduce the truth about Jesus. He isn't cleverer than all the great thinkers of his day. It isn't primarily a matter of the mind.
No, this has been revealed to his heart. And that's what makes Peter blessed! Peter has been blessed from heaven as God the Father has revealed to him God the Son.
It had to be that way, because there is no other means of coming to true, saving faith in Jesus Christ. None of us are capable of saving ourselves, none of us can naturally put faith in Jesus (indeed, naturally we will not put faith in him). It must be revealed to us.
The rest of the NT affirms this as true:
In Eph 2 we are dead in sin, and then God makes us alive in Christ.
In 2 Co 4 we are blinded by Satan, and then God shines his light into our hearts that we might know Christ.
Peter needed the Father to reveal the true identity of Jesus to him, because even though it was staring him in the face, even though Peter was perfectly placed to see and know Jesus, he still wouldn't have come to this conclusion on his own. He needed divine, supernatural help and that's what he received.
And if you trust in Jesus as the Christ (God's chosen King), and as the Son of God (with all the authority and power of God), then the same is true of you. It has been revealed to you.
You're not saved because you had good parents who taught the gospel from an early age (even if they did!).
You're not saved because of a convincing argument you heard from a charismatic preacher, nor a weighty book, nor a powerful experience.
You're not saved because of your diligence in searching out the truth for yourself.
The only reason anyone is ever saved is because God reveals his Son to our hearts, gifts us with faith to believe in him, and sends his Spirit as a seal of our salvation.
People only belong to the church if they confess that Jesus is the Christ; and people only confess that Jesus is the Christ if God reveals it to them.
The Father reveals His Son, and then...
The Son Builds His Church
The Son Builds His Church
What do you think Jesus meant when he said that he would build his church "on this rock" (Matt 16:18)?
How does knowing that Jesus is in charge of building his church affect our witness (cf. 1 Co 3:5-9)
The church only grows as Jesus makes it grow
Still responding to Simon Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus makes this striking pronouncement...
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Play on words - Peter = Rock. Jesus is saying that Peter will have a foundational role in establishing the church he is building. And we know that to be true.
In Acts 2 it is peter who stands and preaches the gospel of Christ to the crowds. At the end of that chapter there is a church over over 3000 people. Then in Acts 10 it is Peter who crosses frontiers to bring the gospel to the first Gentiles. There is no question that Jesus used Peter as a foundation on which to begin building his church.
But more specifically, it was Peter's faith that Jesus used. The very thing Peter had just confessed: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." The thing that the Father had revealed.
Without that there was no foundation. There was nothing to build on. Without this confession of faith there is no church. So in one sense, Peter was used in a unique way by Jesus to establish the church in its earliest days.
But in another sense, there is nothing unique about how Jesus used Peter. Because he continues to use men and women to build his church in exactly the same way: the Father reveals the Son, gifts faith, fills with the Spirit and send out as witnesses. That puts you and me, and everyone who has faith in Jesus, on the same level as Peter!
That's particularly encouraging because we know so much of what Peter was like! Not least, he denied the Lord Jesus during his trial. He was an exceptionally strong-minded man, but also an exceptionally weak-willed disciple. And Jesus chose Peter to be the rock on which he would begin building his church!
And he chooses people like you and me to continue building his church today. We are every bit as weak and flawed and failing as Peter. But Jesus uses us to bring the message about him to those who don't yet know him.
Don't miss the last part of the verse...
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Jesus is the one who will build his church (not mine, not yours - his!). And this building will be so strong that not even the powers of hell will be able to stop it. The church is and it's here forever!
History bears witness to that truth - all the centuries of persecution, attempts to stamp out the Christian faith for good, none of it has worked! The church still stands for Christ in Syria, Iraq, North Korea, Nigeria, Egypt, and despite what you might read in the press, we're still here in the UK!
Why? Because Christ will build his church, on his power and his authority, which overrules and overpowers every other authority - human or demonic.
People only belong to the church if they confess that Jesus is the Christ; and people only confess that Jesus is the Christ if God reveals it to them. The church only grows as Jesus makes it grow.
The Father reveals His Son, the Son builds His Church, and finally...
The Church Declares...
The Church Declares...
Jesus gives his church the authority to declare two things.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
First..
Who's Accepted
Who's Accepted
The church is given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. This symbolises authority to proclaim the gospel and declare who truly believes the gospel. No church has the authority to admit people into the kingdom, nor to banish people from the kingdom. We've already seen that that authority belongs to God alone.
Rather, the church is to affirm and declare who belongs to Christ, those who have already been accepted into the Kingdom of God.
How do we do that? The same way Jesus dealt with Peter - "Who do you say I am?" We look for a credible profession of faith. Not just the right words, but the right ways.
Here at New City Church we do that together as a church family in a couple of ways. When we baptise someone we publicly affirm with them that they belong to Christ.
When we celebrate the Lord's Supper we make sure to say that everyone who confesses Christ as Lord and Saviour is welcome to take part.
We also have a formal membership. The elders have particular responsibility to get to know people and to look for clear signs that they are Christ's. When we recommend people for membership, then the current members are notified so that they can be part of the process of affirming that the applicant belongs to Christ.
The church is given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, not to decide who's accepted, but to declare who's already accepted.
The church is also to declare...
What's Accepted
What's Accepted
How should the church use the “keys of the kingdom” as well as its God-given authority for “binding and loosing”?
It's the second part of v19...
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The idea of binding and loosing was used by the Jewish Rabbis to talk about what was forbidden or permitted. It seems that Jesus is giving that kind of responsibility to the church - to declare what conduct, behaviour, practices are acceptable or otherwise. Again, the church is to declare not decide what is right or wrong.
A more correct but clumsy translation makes this clearer: "whatever you bind/loose on earth will have been bound/loosed in heaven." In other words, the matter is already decided; the church merely declares it and, by implication, teaches, admonishes, corrects as necessary according to the revealed Word and will of God.
This is all part of Jesus building his church and using weak servants like Peter, and me, and you to do it.
People only belong to the church if they confess that Jesus is the Christ; and people only confess that Jesus is the Christ if God reveals it to them. The church only grows as Jesus makes it grow. And the church is to declare who's accepted by Jesus and what's accepted by Jesus.
What's the church all about? It's all about Jesus! Believing in him, belonging to him. It's really not that mysterious. It's really not that complicated!
The question remains - do you believe, do you belong?
The Father reveals the Son - so if you don't know Jesus, ask the Father to show you!
The Son builds his church - he's using weak and flawed people. So if you don't feel good enough, then that's good enough for Jesus!
Not sure if you belong? Let us help you! The church declares who's accepted. We can help you to be sure that you belong to Christ.
Who do you say Jesus is? Ask God to give you faith to know Jesus, and then throw yourself into the church he is building.