By Jerry D. Ousley
Have you ever had keys that you no longer used, or maybe even forgot what they were for? I have.
I was cleaning out my drawer where I kept my “unmentionables” one day and I found a large pile of keys that had accumulated over the years. There were keys that went to automobiles we no longer owned. They were duplicates we had forgotten about when we had sold them or traded them in. There were some old house keys to properties we had long since moved out. There were keys to padlocks that had rusted and been replaced and thrown away. And some were so old I couldn’t even remember what they were for.
Over the years I had thought the classic thought, “I may need those one of these days.” But I never did.
By the way, the last time we moved and I cleaned out the garage I found rusty nails, end pieces of 2x4s and other things on which I had used the same philosophy. They went in the trash.
Keys are used to open locks so that we can get in the door or lid or whatever they may fit. In reality, they only keep out honest people. I had helped my dad install a lock on an outbuilding one day. After we had finished, I said, “That ought to keep thieves out.” My dad responded, “Son, a lock only lets honest people know you don’t want them in there. If thieves want in, they will find a way.” He was right, of course.
Jesus talked about keys. Revelation 1:18 tells us that Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. Because He conquered death by being resurrected on the third day, He became the owner of these keys which He holds guardedly.
With them, He can free us from death and Hell through His death and resurrection. We are saved from certain eternal destruction in Hades and finally the lake of fire because He earned the keys that unlock the door that sets us free. But we have to ask Him for that freedom.
The other set of keys He promised to Peter and ultimately to all believers. Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying He was. They told Him that some thought Him to be a reincarnated John the Baptist, others the prophet Elijah or one of the other prophets. Then He asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter spoke for the group, stating that “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” In response, Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed this, but that it was a revelation from God.
Next, He told Peter that He was a rock – in Greek, a petros (stone, little rock). Then said “upon this rock (petra – the main boulder), I will build My Church.” It wasn’t built on Peter as the first Pope as some erroneously interpret, but He was saying, “Peter, you are a little stone, but upon the boulder – the revelation of who I am and what I am going to do – I will build my Church.” It was the truth of that revelation upon which the Church would be established, not Peter – who was just a chip off the old block, so as to say.
He then told Peter that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it (because Christ earned the right to own the keys of death and Hades). Finally, we read in Matthew 16:19, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” He told this to Peter. But Peter represents all that have been freed from death and Hell with the keys Christ holds, and He gives us the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Wow! What does that mean anyway?
Because we have been made free from the curse of eternal death by Christ, He gives us the keys that can unlock the doors for others. The Bible doesn’t identify just what those keys are, but I wonder if they could unlock doors to bring things to others.
You see, we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit after we have been saved. Galatians 5:22 identifies those fruit as, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We exercise this fruit, or characteristics, as a result of our salvation. We may have to grow into them because they go against human nature and have to be practiced in order to exercise them, making them stronger in our lives.
As we bear this fruit others see the results, and those being drawn by the Spirit of God are thus attracted to the Gospel – the good news of salvation from eternal death. Are you bearing the keys? Are you using them to win souls into the Kingdom of Heaven? If not, study on it, pray about it, then start unlocking those doors!
—————
Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional" and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit spiritbread. com to download these and more completely free of charge.
Have you ever had keys that you no longer used, or maybe even forgot what they were for? I have.
I was cleaning out my drawer where I kept my “unmentionables” one day and I found a large pile of keys that had accumulated over the years. There were keys that went to automobiles we no longer owned. They were duplicates we had forgotten about when we had sold them or traded them in. There were some old house keys to properties we had long since moved out. There were keys to padlocks that had rusted and been replaced and thrown away. And some were so old I couldn’t even remember what they were for.
Over the years I had thought the classic thought, “I may need those one of these days.” But I never did.
By the way, the last time we moved and I cleaned out the garage I found rusty nails, end pieces of 2x4s and other things on which I had used the same philosophy. They went in the trash.
Keys are used to open locks so that we can get in the door or lid or whatever they may fit. In reality, they only keep out honest people. I had helped my dad install a lock on an outbuilding one day. After we had finished, I said, “That ought to keep thieves out.” My dad responded, “Son, a lock only lets honest people know you don’t want them in there. If thieves want in, they will find a way.” He was right, of course.
Jesus talked about keys. Revelation 1:18 tells us that Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. Because He conquered death by being resurrected on the third day, He became the owner of these keys which He holds guardedly.
With them, He can free us from death and Hell through His death and resurrection. We are saved from certain eternal destruction in Hades and finally the lake of fire because He earned the keys that unlock the door that sets us free. But we have to ask Him for that freedom.
The other set of keys He promised to Peter and ultimately to all believers. Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying He was. They told Him that some thought Him to be a reincarnated John the Baptist, others the prophet Elijah or one of the other prophets. Then He asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter spoke for the group, stating that “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” In response, Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed this, but that it was a revelation from God.
Next, He told Peter that He was a rock – in Greek, a petros (stone, little rock). Then said “upon this rock (petra – the main boulder), I will build My Church.” It wasn’t built on Peter as the first Pope as some erroneously interpret, but He was saying, “Peter, you are a little stone, but upon the boulder – the revelation of who I am and what I am going to do – I will build my Church.” It was the truth of that revelation upon which the Church would be established, not Peter – who was just a chip off the old block, so as to say.
He then told Peter that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it (because Christ earned the right to own the keys of death and Hades). Finally, we read in Matthew 16:19, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” He told this to Peter. But Peter represents all that have been freed from death and Hell with the keys Christ holds, and He gives us the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Wow! What does that mean anyway?
Because we have been made free from the curse of eternal death by Christ, He gives us the keys that can unlock the doors for others. The Bible doesn’t identify just what those keys are, but I wonder if they could unlock doors to bring things to others.
You see, we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit after we have been saved. Galatians 5:22 identifies those fruit as, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We exercise this fruit, or characteristics, as a result of our salvation. We may have to grow into them because they go against human nature and have to be practiced in order to exercise them, making them stronger in our lives.
As we bear this fruit others see the results, and those being drawn by the Spirit of God are thus attracted to the Gospel – the good news of salvation from eternal death. Are you bearing the keys? Are you using them to win souls into the Kingdom of Heaven? If not, study on it, pray about it, then start unlocking those doors!
—————
Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional" and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit spiritbread. com to download these and more completely free of charge.
