The keys to the kingdom

The keys to the kingdom

Scripture:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 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. 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.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16:13-20

Observation:

“Who do you say I am?” the Lord asks His disciples. True to form, it is Peter, the most impetuous among the disciples who answers first quickly. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” Peter proclaims. While some speculated Jesus was John the Baptist or Elijah or Jeremiah or another prophet risen again, Peter already knew that the Lord was truly the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah!

The Lord is pleased and blesses Peter, giving glory to God the Father for revealing this great truth to him. Then comes a statement that has proved very controversial throughout the Christian ages. ”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”. The popular Catholic view here is that Peter as the foundation “rock” of the church was designated as the supreme leader over the whole early church and this supports the idea of papal supremacy in one man leading  the whole church worldwide. Many Evangelicals however tend to interpret this based on the interplay of the Greek meaning of the word “rock”. Thus, the correct translation should be “I tell you that you are Peter (Petros meaning pebble) and on this rock (Petra meaning large boulder) I will build my church”. Therefore, from that viewpoint, Jesus is referring to Himself (Petra) as the rock on which the church would be built. In other Scripture, Jesus is known as the Chief Cornerstone and God is the Rock of ages. Paul also refers to Jesus as the Rock.

It is without doubt that Christ is our ultimate Rock upon which every church stands, and as God, He is the Rock of ages. However, in this passage, it does seem like Jesus is referring to Peter as a rock on which He would build the early church. However, interpreting it as a means to support the theology of papal supremacy is also too far-fetched. Although Peter was one of the most important leaders in the early church, James, John and Paul were also rocks of the church in different times and places. Moreover, the promise of the power of binding and loosing in the Heavens certainly would not apply to Peter only but also to the rest of the disciples, and even to us today!

Principally, Jesus is our ultimate Rock, and foundation, the cornerstone of our faith. However, as He calls us, we too can become rocks and pillars in the church and various ministries by faithful and diligent service seeking His will always.

In respect to the principle of binding and loosing, the Lord’s teaching here is especially powerful and relevant today in terms of our prayers. We pray on earth, and it seems that nothing happens in the earthly realm, but in fact, there are great repercussions in the spiritual realm that we could never truly comprehend.

How do we bind and loose? What does it mean? Remember how the Lord spoke of needing to tie up the strong man of the house before taking his goods. That is binding! When we declare in faith, “We bind you, Satan and all demonic forces in Jesus name” in a particular situation, for example, when praying someone prone to suicidal depression, we set forces at work in the Heavenly realm that bind the demons and demonic angels in that area from continuing their demonic activity. Similarly, a person may be in bondage to pornography or nicotine. That is where we declare in faith, “We loose this brother in Jesus name from all bondage to pornography and nicotine”. We declare him free in Jesus name. Likewise, we set powers at work in the spiritual realms to release the captive from spiritual bondage and set him or her free. Another aspect of loosing is when we speak release of God’s holy angels to go forth to encourage and bring revelation and truth. Likewise, we can also speak release of God’s Holy Spirit to go forth in greater measure into our own lives into those of our loved ones, to bring forth love and joy and peace and every good thing.

Application:

Praise our might God in Heaven who is our Mighty Rock. Praise our Lord Jesus for He is the Rock of ages, always unmoving. It is on Him alone that we all move and have our being. Praise the Lord, that just as He is the Rock, He too enables us to become rocks and pillars in the church and ministry where He plants us. The image of the rock gives us the symbol of faithfulness, and that is what we need to aspire to in prayer and diligence.

Practice binding and loosing in our daily lives. We have been given such a great key by the Lord. We need to use it. Where we see injustice, or sickness or evil in a particular area, let us bind the demons at work there in Jesus name. Where we see people in bondage or under deception, let us loose them in Jesus name. Let us speak release of God’s Holy angels to send forth and do the will of God in helping and encouraging the saints. Let us speak release of God’s Holy Spirit to go forth in great measure to bring peace and strength to those in need. Pray for wisdom as to how to use this mighty key the Lord has given us.

Prayer:

We praise thee, Heavenly Father, for You are our Great Rock, faithful and unmoving throughout the ages. Make us rocks for you too, Lord, in our church or ministries where You have called us. Let us be faithful and put our trust in You as the ultimate Rock of our lives.

Teach us, Lord, to use this wonderful key You have given us. Where there is evil, let us bind the forces at work in Jesus name. Where there are people suffering or held captive, let us loose them from bondage in Jesus. We bind you in Jesus name, Satan and every spirit of unbelief and deception that prevent our loved ones from knowing Jesus Christ. We loose them in Jesus name from the web of deception and pride that has covered their eyes. We bind you in Jesus name, Satan and every spirit of addiction and lust and pride and covetousness that come and plot against us in Jesus name. We loose ourselves in Jesus name, to be free, to know the truths of God, to be set free from every bondage, from every curse, from every lie and deception. We release in Jesus name, God’s holy angels to go forth and encourage and bring truth and revelation to us, to our brothers and sisters, to our loved ones. We release in Jesus name, God’s Holy Spirit, in greater and greater measure into our hearts, over our church, over our nation. We praise You and love You, Lord. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.