Keys To Victory (Part 1)

Keys To Victory (Part 1)

Jesus spoke of His Church which would extend the message of the Kingdom throughout the world in Matthew 16:18, 19:

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.  And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven." 

Jesus revealed that Peter would be one of the spiritual foundation stones of the first church.  This meant he would be a vital part of its growth and development. Peter's name actually meant "a rock" or "stone."  

Jesus then said of Himself, "...upon this rock I will build my Church" indicating that the Church would derive its existence from Him.  He would be the rock upon which the Church was built.  There would be many other lesser stones or people like Peter. These stones would be an important part of the Church.  But Jesus Himself was the cornerstone on which the structure of the Church was to be built.

Jesus then made two comments regarding this Church:

-First, He said that "the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."  This implied that the Church would have enemies fighting  it, but assured that the enemies would not overcome it.

-Second, Jesus promised to give the keys to His Kingdom to the Church.  

In the natural world if you possess the keys to a building, it means you have authority there.  

The authority Jesus was speaking of in this passage is a spiritual authority.  He gave the Church spiritual keys to the doors of His Kingdom.  Jesus said "I" will give them.  The power and authority of the Church was to flow from Jesus.  The use of the word "will" (future tense) meant that the keys had not yet been given at the time Jesus spoke.  This power was released in Acts 2 when the Holy Ghost was given to believers:

Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The keys to the Kingdom were the power to bind and loose.  To bind something means to put fetters or a bond on it.  It is like closing and locking the door to a room.  To loose something is to release or set it free.  It is similar to opening the door to a room. 

The Church would have a position of authority.  It would have the keys to God's Kingdom.  It would be the instrument through which the spiritual doors to the Kingdom would be opened to the nations of the world.  Peter would be the first to use these keys to the Kingdom. He would open the door of ministry to the Gentile nations of the world.   

The Church would have the power to loose the spiritual forces of good and bind the spiritual forces of evil.  In every difficulty faced by believers, binding and loosing would be the key to victory.