This morning we are going to dive quickly into the word of God and what the Lord has to say to us this season. We would be starting a series on: The Keys of the Kingdom. But what we would be doing this morning is an introduction into the heart of this matter. The keys of the kingdom is the topic we would be starting today, it is a series, but this morning, the Holy Spirit wants to just give us an introduction into what the keys of the kingdom represent to us and why it is important for us to be able to handle and receive these keys. And I pray that as the Holy Spirit leads us into this, our lives will not remain the same again in Jesus name.
We are going to start from Ephesians 6, which will be the major text for this series. Ephesians 6:10-18. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Please I want us to note that this passage is a major part of this message, please look into your Bible, read every verse with meaning and let the Holy Spirit brood upon your heart as we are reading. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Verse 14; Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”
It said; “finally brethren” when somebody is writing a letter and you now say finally; you are saying at this point I want to strike an important note, I have been speaking thus far, but at this point I want to talk about something important and cogent, that you must not miss out on. And that’s why when apostle Paul came to this point in the letter he was writing to the church in Ephesus, he said finally brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. He said be strong and this is how you can be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might, by putting on the whole armor of God, not of men but of God. He said the reason why you will need to put on this armor is because when you do that you will be able to stand.
In life and in the kingdom, there is an important posture that you must take; it is called standing. Standing in the kingdom, is a posture of victory, it said that you may be able to stand. There are times in life that people get into battle situations and their posture change, the Bible says a righteous man will fall seven times, yet will rise again, when he rises what does he do? He stands. So, it's not enough that there are challenges, if you go to the book of Revelations and you see the pictures that Jesus gave to us by revelation of apostle John, he started talking about those seven churches, and He said “he that overcomes.” Overcoming means that you are still standing.
In spite and despite of what has happened and what came your way. Jesus said; In this world you will have tribulations, you will have trials but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. In this confidence, stand. Apostle Paul is now writing to this church in Ephesus, he said; put on the whole armor of God, you can't put on what is not available. You put it on because it is available. Can you put on a cloth that is in the boutique that you don't have access to? You put on the cloth you have access to, because it is yours. So, access is important in the kingdom. You access things that enables you to stand, to be an overcomer, to be victorious. And Jesus made it clear in revelations that the reward He has is for overcomers; those that are standing.
So, the important posture, the posture that is necessary in the kingdom, is for us to stand. Haven done all, stand. You will see apostle Paul repeating that standing. I want us to see it, he first said put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand. That you might have the ability. So, the armor of God gives you the ability to stand. You may be able to stand against all the whiles, the strategies of the devil, because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. These are the forces that will impede your standing. So, the person that does not want you to stand is not the person seated next to you, the enemy of your standing is the devil and His cohorts. It said therefore take up the whole armor, you take up what is available, what you have access to, that you might be able to withstand. That means there will be contention, you will have the ability to contend.
Another word for withstand is to contend in the evil day, haven done all to stand. So, this standing is so important in the kingdom. Then in verse 14 it started again, stand therefore, for this reason, stand. Haven put on; then he began to list them. The belt of truth, the breast plates of righteousness, the helmet, the shield, the sword. He started listing what you will take on and put on. So, standing is important in the kingdom. And what gives you access to these things are what we are going to see in Matthew 16, that's our focus this morning. What gives you right and access to these things you want to put on, that you must put on? Matthew 16:18-19. Let's hear what Jesus said: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not [g]prevail against it.” Let us pause a little bit at verse 18, the gate of hell is a contending gate, remember where we read in Ephesians 6, it says you do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, spiritual host of wickedness and Jesus saying emphatically here, He said I will build my church on this rock and the gates of hades that comprises of principalities and powers, Jesus re-presented all of them as the gates of hades. "Shall not be able to prevail against it" "I will build my church" so My church will stand and the gates of hades will not be able to contend with it.
And it said in verse 19, introducing us to the reason, "it said and I will give you" you are not exempted in this verse, you are included. Every saint in Christ is included in this verse. Because you will understand that from verse 18, it said; “I also say to you, that you are Peter and, on this rock…” so the first question this morning is; are you on this rock? What is that rock? Christ! On this rock, on the revelation of Christ the church is built. So, the first question we should ask before we go into the details. Apostle Paul said we should have left these basic things, these elementary principles into the mysteries, but you still have issues with the basic things. There are some people that still have issues with the basic things. Are you on this rock? Because that's the basic. Before We start talking about the keys of the kingdom are you on this rock.
Because Jesus said it's on this rock that I will build my church. So, if you are not on this rock, you don't qualify for the keys. On the revelation of Christ Jesus. So, have you accepted Jesus as the Christ.? Is He your Lord and savior? Have you been located on the rock? Because it's on this rock that He will build His Church. It is not enough that you are looking for God, you can only find Him in Christ on this rock. Jesus at this point was asking His disciples, who do men say that I am? They said some said that you are Elijah, some said you are John the Baptist, in fact some said you are Jeremiah. He said okay, if they are saying all that about me, who do you say that I am?
So, Jesus is asking that question, He is asking His disciples that question this morning, who do you say that I am? And in this particular text all the disciples were looking, we too we don't have that revelation, and one spoke by the Spirit of God, He said you are the Christ the Son of the living God. And Jesus said flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. Jesus now made this statement in verse 18, on this revelation, on this truth, will I build My church, and the gate of hell shall not prevail. It is when my church is standing on this truth. That the gate of hell cannot prevail. As long as they are not standing on this rock, the gate of hell will prevail. So, it's not enough to say we are the body of Christ, are we on this rock? Are we standing on the revelation of Jesus as the Christ? Because that is the rock that speaks for our effectiveness as a body. Our effectiveness as a body is not in us standing individually or standing on other plains. It's us standing on the rock.
Christ is the solid rock, until we are found on that rock, we can't have access. Enough of saying the church is suffering, we are being persecuted, we are going through all these trying times, Jesus said these trying times will come but the thing that will speak for your dominion and authority on the earth is that you are on this rock. No matter how intense the persecution, and how the issues might be, if you are on this rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail. On this revelation I will build my church and the gates of hell. "And" is a joining word, "on this rock I will build my church and the gate of hell…"
Any other rock, or any other place or any other land anywhere else, if it's not Christ, it will crumble. Jesus gave a parable, He said there two men, one built his house on the rock, and another on the sand, He said and the storms came, the wind blew, the rains fell, beat upon the house, the one upon the sand crumbled; great was the fall of it. The one on the rock stood, same conditions but one kept standing why? The rock! The other fell, why? No rock. That is why we must understand this as believers, what gives us access, what qualifies us, no other message, no other truth can be preached anywhere else, Christ in us the hope of glory. No other foundation can be laid than that which has been laid which is Christ. What qualifies us, what enlist us, what gives us access is Christ.
It said if it's on this rock, this is the guarantee I Am giving you; this rock has a guarantee, the gate of hell shall not prevail. He said in verse 19, I will give you the keys of the kingdom, access to the kingdom of God is only found in Christ. It says I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth He began to show us the nature of the keys. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. That's what the key will do for you. It said I will give you access to dominion and authority without barriers and limitations. You have it. And sometimes we are doubting this thing that Jesus said. It's the truth. I want us to see Colossians 1:26-27. Don't doubt this that Jesus said; it's the truth.
Colossians 1:19-21. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, Understand the jurisdiction of Christ. Having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you; He is talking about you now, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled” verse 27: the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. Who are the saints of God? The church! On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail. It said; the mystery-the keys which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
Verse 27: To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What gives us access to glory? The keys of the kingdom, the mysteries that have been hidden in the ages is now revealed to the saints. What qualifies us for access? Christ Jesus! Not your works lest any man should boast. Our qualification is Christ. Why do we have access to the keys? Christ! Why are we qualified for glory? Christ! Christ in you, Christ in me is the hope of glory. When you have access to the kingdom you have access to glory. Why are you so fixated on the temporal things that are here today and tomorrow they are no more? The real deal is the keys of the kingdom. It says whatever you allow on earth is allowed in heaven.
So, on the revelation of Christ is our complete and free access to the kingdom of God. Ephesians 3:3-6. “how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, in other ages, remember we read this in Colossians? Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, Why? Christ has not been revealed. In fact, the book of Hebrews recorded that the generations before us, they long to see this day we are walking in, they were so expectant of these days, but they were not permitted to see it, because Christ was not revealed. But in our day Christ has been revealed. That's what gives us access, that's what qualifies us, not because we are better than Abraham, Solomon and the prophets but because Christ has been revealed. And see what apostle Paul was saying here in verse 5. “which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets”
It has now been revealed. Christ has now been revealed, Christ is the key to the keys, without Christ there is no access. The key talks about access to mysteries. In Matthew 13:10-11, Jesus was speaking a parable to a people and the disciples asked Him, why are you speaking to them in parables and you speak to us plainly? And He said it has been given to you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. It has been given to you, why because I am revealed. So, Christ is the key? What are you looking for in the kingdom of God? Christ is the gateway. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. In this kingdom, no one can come to the Father, no one has access to the Father except by Me. No one, I Am the way that you enter into and you are able to access. I am the truth about this access, I am the life of it. No one, so when we are talking about the keys of the kingdom, it starts with Christ.
For you to be excited by all the keys of the kingdom, your first excitement must be Christ. If you are not excited about Christ, you cannot have the keys. And that's why it started in Matthew 16, it says I will build my church on this rock-on this revelation and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. See the sequence, I will build my church, the revelation of Christ will contend with your adversaries and because of this you will have access to much more in the kingdom. Jesus said to His disciples, what have you seen? He said greater works than these you will do. Why? because I go to the Father, I Am glorified. What the revealed Christ and the glorified Christ will do for you, is much more than what you are seeing right now. It said He is at the right hand of the Father, making intercession, advocating, so why do you think you want to come into the kingdom and have access to the kingdom without the way? It's not possible, so Christ is the center, He is the focus, He is the rock. So, what qualifies us is Christ, Christ in you the hope of glory. And what are these keys about? What will these keys do for you as a believer? And why do you need them?
Romans 8:29; “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Everything that Jesus is, you are. You have access; the same way Jesus had access because you have been conformed to be image of Christ. So, when God sees you, He sees you in Christ. So, the Bible says He is the first born of many brethren, so Jesus is the first, we all lined up after Him. So, when Jesus is approaching the Father, He is approaching the Father on behalf of all us in the queue and you see what that means to us. Romans 8:29-30. “Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” So, there is a predestination, there is a calling, and there is a justification that gives you glorification. That's what you have in Christ. We transit this way on Christ until the point where we are glorified. That's the peak of it. You stand glorified. So, He predestinated you, He called you, so it's the response of that calling, He called you in Christ, He predestinated you because He gave Christ in hope that you will find Him.
So, He predestinated you in Christ. Then He called you in Christ, then you responded to that call in Christ. So now that you are in Christ, you have responded to the call, He justified you in Christ, and in Christ He will glorify you. So, you can see that you can't separate your life from Christ, you must be in Christ. In Him we live, move and have our being. Our glorified being is in Christ. And see the reason why we are so important. Hebrews 12, this is so key and important to us, we can't afford to joke with this. This is our reality; this is our truth. Hebrews 12:18-24.
The reality of our new spirit, our new identity. It says; “For you have not come [g]to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and [h]darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. This was how we were before Christ. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
Even Moses talks less of the children of Israel. This was the picture. But see the new picture. From verse 22-24; "but you have come" you the saints, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the [j]general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Please I want you to note the arrangements if these verses, 22-24. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the [j]general assembly; Now many of us will think what is the Bible talking about? All these people must be heavenly beings, in fact this Scripture is talking about what happens in heaven, but see what the Bible says; it says you have come. You have been invited into this experience, so you are not exempted from it. This is your new company, so every time you are in Christ, this is the reality of the company that you are in.
Before you cast it to the time where you die and be with the Lord, the Bible is saying "you have come" was apostle Paul talking about life hereafter? No! He is talking about now, this is your reality, in Christ this is your experience, anytime you come to Christ you come to this company. Because in Christ is the living God. It said it pleased the Lord that the fullness of God should dwell. This is your reality, every time you open your mouth and you are in Christ and you are having conversations on the spirit, this is the company around you. So, you are not just an ordinary person, you are not just one in billions, you are a citizen of heaven. In our Disciplers Convocation the Lord has been revealing that to us over and over again, you are a citizen of heaven. See what the Bible says; and the church of first born who are registered on heaven.
He is not talking about only apostle Paul, you included in Christ. Everyone that comes into Christ is registered in heaven, you are a citizen of heaven. So anytime we gather and you come in Christ into the presence of God, you are in this company. Even though I am not physically present when we are praying, we are in that company together. Because I'm not outside Christ, I am in Christ. So, when you are praying there is a witness in your spirit that the church all over the world are registered in heaven. They have attendance, we are not broken outside Christ, we are one. The oneness of Christ is the embodiment of the kingdom. Everyone in Christ is a citizen of heaven and every time you in Christ, you are in a company of the saints registered in heaven.
To God the judge of all, to the Spirit of just men made perfect, understand that the Spirit of just men made perfect is different from the general assembly. The church of the first born that are registered in heaven. Don't the Bible is referring the general assembly and the church of the first born to be exclusively restricted to people that have died before, that died in God. You are the church of the first born. Who is the first born? Christ.
It said He is the first born among many brethren. Who are His brethren? You and I. So, don't remove yourself. When you are in Christ and you are praying, this is the company you are in. You are in this company. So, when Jesus is saying I will give you the keys of the kingdom, it's a potent key, He is not talking about a key that will fail; they are sure keys, proven and tested. And it said; you have come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. This is our reality. This the reality of the children of God on the earth. We are not weaklings, we are not powerless, as long as we on this rock, the revelation of Christ Jesus.
We are not people buying time, we are a legislative body of heaven on earth. And that's why Jesus said in Matthew 16:19, He said whatever you permit on the earth is permitted in heaven. Because you are a citizen of heaven, you are an ambassador. Jesus sent His disciples two by two to the places He wanted to go and He said when you come into a house and you say peace be unto the house and they receive you the peace you bring will remain in that house and if they refuse you in any city, dust the sandals of your feet, it said it will be worse for that city than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah. Because you are an ambassador, whatever you allow on earth is allowed in heaven, whatever you disallow on earth is disallowed in heaven. So what does that mean for us?
The keys of the kingdom are the keys that open. Jesus said I have the keys of David I open and no man can shut. I shut and no man can open. He is the first born of many brethren. So the same keys of Christ are the same keys we have. We are representing Christ on earth. So if Christ shut and no man can open, He said the same power, He said I bestow upon you a kingdom; the same authority and dominion I operated with on the earth, you have it.
Whatever you disallow on earth is disallowed in heaven, whatever you allow on earth is allowed in heaven. That is what the keys are for. The keys of the kingdom are what gives you access on earth and in heaven. And what qualifies you? Christ! You are a citizen of heaven. Even though you are on earth, the core of your being is spirit, so you communicate with the headquarters. You are not cut off you are in Christ. Christ is the spiritual identity that links us up with heaven. It said I open and no man can shut, I shut and no man can open. And He is the first born of many brethren. Christ in us the hope of Glory. Let’s go back to that Matthew 16:18-19. So from this we understand what Jesus is saying to us; And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail.
Can they prevail against God the judge of all, against Jesus the mediator the new covenant? That’s your company. Understand what Jesus is saying to you, the gates of hades cannot prevail. They will try but they cannot prevail, because that’s your company. You are in the company of the supernatural, powers greater than every power. It said He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. Can they contend with He that is in you that is greater? No! that is why the gates of hell cannot prevail. It says and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind. I want us to look at that word “bind” it says whatever, meaning that it’s a big thing, that means whatever you prohibit, whatever you imprison, whatever you imprison on earth is imprisoned in heaven, whatever you disallow on earth is disallowed in heaven. Whatever you say no to, becomes a no n heaven.
So, your no one earth is no in heaven. Whatever you say cannot go is prohibited in heaven. And it says whatever you lose, whatever you allow, whatever you permit, free on earth is free in heaven. No wonder Jesus said to His disciples, whatever sin you retain, is retained, whatever sin you forgive is forgiven. The church is the legislative assembly of Christ on the earth. What gives you the right to operate is written in Matthew 16:19, it gives us the power as a church to legislate on the earth on behalf of heaven. Because we are heavens citizens, sent on a mission on earth. So, we legislate because what gives us the power of legislation is this verse. Matthew 16:19, whatever we allow on earth, what do they do in the national assembly of nations? The allow and disallow issues in the country and that’s all they do. And Jesus is saying you the church, and I are His legislative assembly on the earth.
Why are we thinking small? Why are we not doing that work? We have been empowered. The word is our backing, the word gives us the right, the word is our constitution, the word regulates our activities, we are judged by the word. So, if we are not doing this, the word will judge us. So, if things are allowed on earth, it’s because we allowed it. If some things are not disallowed, it’s because we did not disallow them. So as much as we looking unto God, Jesus said I will give you the keys of the kingdom. So, don’t be looking unto me to be opening the doors. You have the keys, you open and no man will shut, you shut and no man will open. You are the legislative assembly on the earth. If you have that kind of power, how comes you are not even legislating in your house? how come you are not even legislating well in your life? What is happening, have we lost that right? Or we have chosen to ignore it, or the devil has blinded us? Apostle Paul was speaking to a particular church; he said who bewitched you, who manipulated you, who lied to you, who deceived you? That you are powerless, that you are without authority, that you can’t exercise dominion.
We have such authority in Christ, the keys of the kingdom are ours. Whatever we allow on earth is allowed in heave, whatever we disallow on earth is disallowed in heaven. So as the Lord takes us by His Spirit through this series, we are in for such a time of revelation, because these are mysteries. You will understand the things that God has made for our peace and our freedom, what the Lord has made for our prosperity as His people, that the devil has been cheating us on. This is the time. I went back to the word the lord gave to us in the beginning of the year. He said this is the year of unveiling, the manifestations of sons, when sons show up, they show up in dominion. They don’t show up beggarly, they don’t show up apologetically, they show up with power, they show up with the aura of their Father, they show up in the full regalia of who their Father is. Like father like son, that’s how we are in the kingdom.
So, if God cannot look like this, then the look must change, if God cannot appear like this, then the appearance must change, if God cannot talk like this, then the talk must change. Scripture says “yeah are gods and the sons of the most-high”, you have power, you have authority in Christ. The devil cannot bewitch us; this year are we ready for God, are we ready for all that God has for us? Yes, this is the year to do it, this is the year to be all out, this is the year of the kingdom, enough of religion, it is time for kingdom business. I pray the Lord will help us in Jesus name.
Amen!
