Matthew 16:13-20 (AMP)
13 Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
14 And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
15 He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?
16 Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.
20 Then He sternly and strictly charged and warned the disciples to tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
There are all kinds of keys, used to lock or unlock doors but Jesus was referring to spiritual doors and the kingdom of heaven in our text.
Jesus has given every believer the authority to, as it were, open the doors to heaven and invite the world to enter.
There is a master key to every door and whoever holds it has the power and authority to open and lock the doors.
Christ has given us the master key to life, both to heaven and earth. He says we’ve been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven with the authority to open the door that will lead men to salvation and entrance into God’s kingdom.
After asking his disciples who they thought he was Matthew 16:13-20, Peter rightly identifies him as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” in Vs 16. Moments later in vs 19 Jesus says He will give the keys of the kingdom to Peter (including you and me) that whatever we refuse or allow on earth will be refused or allowed in heaven.
In both the Old and New Testaments, keys symbolize power and authority. The nature of that power and authority varies depending on the context.
Isaiah 22:22 refers to “the key to the house of David,” which in the context refers to the authority of the steward who manages the household of the king. The same imagery is applied to the risen Christ in Revelation 3:7. While Revelations 1:18 Christ is who has the keys of Death and Hades.
When the church follows Jesus’ teachings, they can be confident that their actions of binding and loosing are an extension of God’s actions in heaven in Matthew 18:18, Because the gospel determines what is bound and what is loosen. Peter’s actions of binding and losing here on earth express heaven’s verdict itself.
Therefore, Christ’s statements in Matthew 16:19 as well as in Matthew 18:18 show that His (apostles) followers have the authority to represent Him, to teach as He taught them and to be instruments in helping people live the way of the Kingdom of God.
Christ has given us the power and authority to effectively open or lock the doors in our lives as we faithfully desire.
Everything Psalm 119:89 declared is settled in heaven over you still need to be locked and unlocked by you with the right keys.
And Luke 11:52 says you must not hinder another from opening or locking a door if you are the one with the key.
Sometimes, like in Judges 3:25, we may hold a key and not use it, use it only when it’s too late or not even know we have it.
Some keys of the kingdom are God’s gift to his people to state heaven’s verdict on who will and will not enter the kingdom based on their response to the gospel. When we faithfully declare the word of God in the authority of Jesus’ name, we can open doors to the kingdom in people’s lives and a doorway into heaven.
Jesus is the door says John 10:7, He has given us the keys to allow us free entry, why not use it today? Use your keys purposefully and dot let it go to rust.
Shalom