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feb2010
SCRIPTURE Mat 16:19, Rev 1:18 February, 2010
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.
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
SUBJECT KEYS!!! KEYS!!! KEYS!!!
Let me start this month's message by asking you a question. What is the best way that you know of, to protect something valuable??
Well, if you are like most of us, you would probably put it somewhere that you consider safe. And usually, that would be in a secured place, that has some type of lock on it.
It could be a small box, or safe. It could be a closet, or small room, or some other place, that could hold your valuables, where only the person that has the key, or combination to the lock, could open it up.
What if the valuable, was a car, or motor cycle, and it had to be kept outside, what then?? Well they all have a means to keep them from being started, unless, once again, you have a key, or code, to operate them.
Irregardless of what it is, if it is valuable to you, and you don't want it stolen, you would keep it under lock and key.
What if it was someone evil, like a bad person?? They would most likely, if they are a threat to society, be kept in a jail or prison, under, once again, lock and key.
So, as you can see, depending on what it is, locks, play a very important part in our lives. Our houses, usually have locks on the doors, to keep people from just walking in to them, while we are asleep, or away. And, the one thing that gives us access to all of them, is, for the purpose of this message, a key.
Keys, can either open something up to give you the ability to get your hands on it. Or, they can also, open up something to give someone that is locked up, the ability to be set free. It all depends on what the purpose is.
Having said that, this month, I want to look at some special kind of keys, that, for all intents and purposes, serve the same type of purpose, but, are not physical in nature, but, provide the same function, as their physical counterparts.
Look at the first subject scripture. Jesus is telling His followers, that He will give them the 'keys to Heaven.'
What this means, is that He will give them access to the throne of God. Meaning, that they will be able to bind, or loose the power of God, in their lives, and those around them. This seems like a mistake, to give this ability to man, with all of his flaws, and imperfections.
After all, imagine this power in the hands of someone, that has hatred, or vengeance in their hearts, using it to destroy those that they hated.
However, what Christ is saying is that He will give them access to the
Throne of God, by giving them keys that will open the door to Heaven, only if the Main Key is also used.
Let me explain.
If you have ever been in a bank safe deposit room, you will see all types of boxes. Each of those boxes has at least 2 locks on it. The owner of the box has a key, and the bank has a key. In order for anyone to gain access to a box, both the owner, and the bank have to be present, and use both keys, at the same time for the owner to get in.
Just because a person has a key, doesn't give them access to that box. The banker, has to verify that the person is authorized to get in to that box, otherwise, 'it ain't gonna happen.'
This is the gist of what Christ is talking about. Think about it. Just because you are saved, does not mean you can just go to the Throne of God, and start binding, and loosing the power of God. You will need the other 'Key' if you will, that Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit, has control of. If He says 'no', then you have no access.
In some instances, you may have keys to more than one box, but access to the others is restricted. The same thing holds true with God. You may have access to healing, in your own body, but not to go forth as one, who has a 'healing ministry.'
Whether you want to believe this or not, my son, died back in 1986, at age 19, but he just turned 43, 4 months ago. What happened?? I found him dead, in the bathroom of his house. His wife had called me away from repairing the roof on their house, telling me he had dropped dead. When I checked him, there were no vital signs, and he was about 3 shades darker than he usually is.
I laid hands on him, and commanded death to leave, and life to come back in to his body, in Jesus' name, and he coughed and came back to life. Afterwards, I took him to the hospital, so they could check him to see what happened, and they couldn't find a single thing wrong. Now, that was an example of having God's power to affect my life, and the lives of those around me, talking about close family. That does not mean I can go in to funeral homes, and hospitals, and start raising people up, out of their sick beds, or from death.
This is what I am talking about, where limits are put on what we can, and cannot do, with God's power.
Imagine how much money I could make, if I had this ability 24/7. I could be filthy rich. At the same time, imagine if I had a grudge against someone, and they called me to pray for their healing. I might turn them down flat. Do you see why Christ maintains ultimate control over this and other areas?? He has to, or else, we would destroy ourselves and others, not to mention making Him look bad.
What makes the different keys available to us, is essentially, our spiritual condition. Just like you wouldn't let a child play with a loaded weapon, neither would Christ, allow you to play with God's Power.
Naturally, when you got saved, you put your faith in Christ. That gave you the key to get in to the Throne of God, so that you could receive comfort, God's Grace and Mercy, and be assured of Heaven, when you die. But that, is about it.
In order to receive any more than that, requires a sort of Spiritual Maturity, that comes about, through tests and trials, and studying the word of God. As you begin to grow in this maturity, Christ will authorize you to be able to do more, and more things, in your personal life, that will first, reinforce your faith in Him, so that you will be strong enough to face the challenges that the enemy will bring on you, to get you to fall flat on your face.
If we look at the life of Christ, it was about 31 years of growing up, being obedient to His earthly parents, going to the temple, learning of God, asking questions, and putting in to practice, all that God said, for Him to be able to do what He did in His ministry. He didn't take shortcuts, but, we want to. We don't want to go to bible study, or prayer meetings. We barely go to church. And while we are there, we can't wait to get out. We don't tithe, and get upset when the offering plate is passed.
Outside, we are some of the most arrogant, and obnoxious people that there are. We will curse someone out, if they bump in to us. And don't let someone short change us, at the market checkout, because we will turn the air blue, talking in other tongues, [i.e. @##^%$*&&%#@($##**], not Tongues.
Then, when something goes wrong, we start quoting bible scriptures, binding the devil, rebuking sickness, loosing blessings, claiming we are God's Children, and nothing happens. Why?? The Holy Spirit, won't use His key to open the Door, so you can get what you need, in those areas. Of course, you are still saved, but that is just about it.
There is a key to everything God has for you, but, without the Key, of the Holy Spirit, you will need someone else, that does have the necessary access, to intercede for you, until you become the person God wants you to be.
Next, we see Christ saying in a vision to St. John, that He has the keys to hell, and death.
His message here is quite simple, only He has the ability to go in to hell, and take someone out, as well as raise someone from the dead.
This scripture means it is His, exclusively. No one can take His place in that area. And, since He has laid the ground work, for what it will take for Him to deliver a soul from hell and death, no man can take His place.
Only He can reach down in to the deepest parts of the hell that is someone's life, snatch them out, clean them up, and make a saint out of them. You may be dead, in trespasses and sins, but, He can take you, clean you up, and set you on a course of righteousness, where you will be a shining example of what He can do for anyone that will give Him a chance.
Right now, the Devil may have you locked up in his prison of sin, despair, and hopelessness, but, all you have to do, is call on Jesus, and He will come down to where you are, and use His key, to unlock that prison and set you free. Thank God for Keys!!!
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