Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Today, we’re continuing a very exciting look at one of the most powerful statements Jesus ever made when, at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus said to His disciples: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt. 16:19) Are you ready to jump right back into this remarkable statement, seeking to understand: WHAT Jesus meant by what He said / to WHOM Jesus was saying it / and what it has to do with us TODAY, 2000 years later?
First, we must understand that the word ‘YOU‘ which Jesus used is a plural word.
Jesus was speaking to ALL of His disciples who were with Him that day, and by implication ALL future disciples of Jesus, down through time to our present day. So, if you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, then this verse applies to you as much as it did to those disciples!!
Second, we must understand Jesus was NOT giving these disciples actual, physical keys that would open physical locks.
I’m sure you’ve seen the difference between a padlock which opens with a key and a combination lock which opens by turning the dial to the correct, truthful combination for that specific lock. THAT is precisely what Jesus was talking about!
Jesus was teaching these disciples the truths of God regarding the kingdom of God. When anointed by the Holy Spirit of God these disciples, and others like the apostle Paul, would take these Jesus-spoken truths and they would both speak and write these truths so people of the first century would understand HOW to gain access to the kingdom of God. But, like a combination lock, that which the disciples gave to the people must be the accurate teachings of Jesus! The TRUTH! That’s why Jesus said what He did in Matthew 28:18-20 as we saw yesterday.
As time passed, bilingual people translated those spoken and written words into other languages for other people in the world, far from Jerusalem, so they also could understand HOW to gain access to the kingdom of God. I’ve known many Bible translators who did exactly that, in many different parts of the world!
Now today, let’s continue our deeper look into what these KEYS are which Jesus spoke about as recorded in Matthew 16:19. Yesterday I gave you two essential keys of Jesus’ truth for gaining access to God’s kingdom, remember?
Key #1 is… The Truthful IDENTITY of Jesus Christ. Entrance into the kingdom of God begins with and is built on the truth of WHO Jesus is!
There is NO entrance into God’s kingdom apart from Jesus, right? (John 14:6) Key #1 is what Peter had proclaimed there at Caesarea Philippi about Jesus: “You are the Christ (Messiah) the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16) Anyone desiring to gain entrance into the kingdom of God must begin by acknowledging the truth of WHO Jesus is and believe it with all their heart! (Romans 10:9)
Key #2… The Truth of the INCARNATION of Jesus! Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, is ETERNALLY God, who came to earth for a temporary few years, taking on a human body. Why?
Because He must live a sinless life here and die an atonement death on the cross, to pay the full price for our sin guilt before God! (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Peter 1:18-20)
Now today let’s add Key #3… This key is a large summary key, and it’s called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The word “Gospel” means “God’s good news”. (Mark 1:14)
The apostle Paul wrote these words: “By this GOSPEL you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you…” (1 Cor. 15:2) Then Paul wrote this very brief summary of the Gospel: “…that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve…” (1 Cor. 15:3-5)
This is very much like a combination lock with five essential digits. Do you see them my friends? The lock will only open with all five, in the correct order. So, let’s look closely.
First: “Jesus Christ died for our sins” this is the essential atonement death of Jesus to pay the sin debt price with God the Father which each human being has accumulated by their sin.
Second: “…according to the Scriptures…” The atonement death of Jesus was no mistake, nor was it human justice. It was the cornerstone of God’s Redemption plan predicted 700 years before, in great detail, by the Jewish prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53.
Third: “…He was buried…” Dead people are buried after they are confirmed dead, because the natural human decay process begins immediately. Jesus was absolutely dead and therefore buried!
Fourth: “…He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures…”
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, on the third day after His death, was both predicted and recorded as factual by the Scriptures. (Matt. 28; John 20) His resurrection is absolutely vital to the Gospel and entrance into the Kingdom of God. Why? Because a dead Savior cannot save anyone! His resurrection proves Jesus’ victory over sin, Satan and even death itself! Jesus is a living Savior everyday continuing to save those who call upon Him for salvation! (Heb. 7:24,25)
Fifth: “…and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.”
Resurrected Jesus appeared to many people on Easter Sunday (John 20; Luke 24) and then to many more over a period of 40 days! (Acts 1:3) A resurrection claimed, is only proved by actual, verifiable encounters with that resurrected person! Jesus was seen, touched, spoken with, heard, and even seen eating, by MANY people in those 40 days.
The GOSPEL is what the entire rest of the New Testament proclaims, after that Passover/Easter, world changing weekend! The Gospel proclaimed has resulted in the salvation of BILLIONS of people around the world since the days when those disciples first began proclaiming its truth!
Oh my, do I hear some great shouts of AMEN around the world today? Is your life built on the great truths of the Keys to the Kingdom of God?
More “lessons learned” notes are ready for you at the link below as well as a great worship song and I’ll be here on Monday with more keys to the Kingdom!
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 15:2-5.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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