“Do you have the house key?” How many times have you heard that or asked that question? I know growing up, my parents would ask that question between them. My wife and I have asked that question of each other as well.
But the question also has eternal consequences when it comes to heaven and even hell. There are at least two occasions where Jesus mentions these keys. One instance is found in Matthew.
And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bond on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” –Matthew 16:17-19.
I wanted to give the surrounding text to give more flavor to the portion that speaks of the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is telling Peter that He is giving him the authority to open the doors of Christianity that would open on the coming day of Pentecost. But these aren’t the “master keys,” so to speak. Those are held by Christ Himself as we see below in Revelations.
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” –Revelation 1:17-18.
This is the apostle John speaking of His encounter with the risen Christ. I don’t know about you, but I love how many times Jesus tells people “do not be afraid.” But if you’ll notice, Jesus says this only in response to those who acknowledge Him as God, and rightly so. It is Christ alone who has the authority over death because He conquered it!
Although my wife may be the one who has the house keys when we leave our home, I take great comfort in the fact that it is Jesus who has the real keys for when I will leave this earth. Thank you, Lord.
Which gate will Christ unlock when you leave this earth?
May He Increase!
It’s interesting how many Americans “profess” to be Christians. Matthew chapter 7 is one of the most frightening passages in all of Scripture. Who are the “few” who find it?
I have heard this preached that of all the people in the world only those who profess Christ are genuine and if you compare them to the rest of the world they are the “few”. Thats not what the passage is saying. It is saying that of all the people who say ‘Lord,Lord’……….of these people only a “few” are genuine.
We have far too many preachers who are reducing the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ down to a few simple spiritual laws you must know and a supersticious prayer that if you repeat it the preacher pronounces them saved. How many people believe themselves saved because they once repeated this prayer? It is a terrible thing for anyone to go to hell but I can’t think of anything worse than those who think themselves to be saved and will hear those words someday….”depart from Me”. God’s Word tells us to examine ourselves!
Ike,
Words alone won’t get you into heaven, I agree with you. Believing in God won’t either, necessarily. The devil and his angels believe in God (and even know His word!). It’s believing in Christ as the risen Lord. There’s a difference there. Satan may acknowledge Jesus rose from the dead, but he will never acknowledge Jesus is his Lord. It’s a heart condition. It’s repentance from sin, a turning away and a turning to Christ.
Joe,
I didn’t want you to think I had forgotten about you. I have read the post a couple of times and I am still digesting it I think. Of course, school just started again and I have a lot of thinking going on in my poor old brain.
Hey Jeff,
No worries. :-) I appreciate you taking the time to read it in the first place!