Articles
Understanding the Keys of the Kingdom
Understanding the Keys of the Kingdom
By Paul R. Blake
“Can you help me understand the keys of the kingdom and the binding and loosing more fully (Matt. 16:18-19)? Jesus told Peter that He would give him the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, and He seems to be speaking specifically to Peter in giving him the keys, so was Peter the one to unlock the kingdom of Heaven? What does the binding and loosing mean?”
Answer: Peter was not singled out to receive the keys of the kingdom alone. While Peter was the leading speaker in Acts 2, he was not the only speaker on Pentecost. And though Peter was the first one to teach and convert Gentiles, it was less about Peter being honored and more about Peter's bigotry. What better testimony of the power of God over man’s weakness than to open the way for Gentiles with the apostle who had the hardest time with prejudice against them? In point of fact, all of the apostles were present at Peter's confession, and all of them were under the auspices of Jesus' declaration. Matt. 16:20 defines the context as inclusive of all of the apostles. To believe that Peter was singled out is a common error, an error that forms the Petrine doctrine of Catholicism. In Matt. 18:18, Jesus says the same thing to all of the apostles.
With regard to binding and loosing, Jesus told them they would be guided into all truth (John 16:7-14). In other words, they don't get to decide what to bind and loose. They only get to reveal to others what has been bound and loosed in heaven. They get to open up the way for others to enter the kingdom by means of preaching the gospel of Christ. In fact, the verb form for eisomai in that passage is not "will be bound or loosed" but rather "will have been bound or loosed." In short, the apostles didn’t bind and loose on earth and God responds in heaven by accepting their decisions; in truth, the apostles simply revealed on earth what had already been bound and loosed in heaven. The Christians followed the apostles' doctrine (all of the apostles, not just Peter), but it was theirs by right of proclamation, not by right of origination. (See Acts 2:42; 1Cor. 11:2; 1Thes. 2:13; 1Cor. 14:37; 2Thes. 2:15).
Excuses
By the Kingsmen
Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them, if the church you stay away.
When people come to worship God, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
In the summer it's too hot. And, in the winter, it's too cold.
In the spring time when the weather's just right, you find someplace else to go.
Well, it's up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend.
Or, to just stay home and kinda relax and hope that some of the kinfolks will drop in.
Well, the church benches are too hard. And, members sing too loud.
Boy, you know how nervous you get when you're sitting in a great big crowd.
The doctor told you, "Now, you better watch them crowds. They'll set you back."
But, you go to that old ball game because you say "it helps you to relax."
Well, a headache Sunday morning and a backache Sunday night.
But by worktime Monday morning, you're feeling quite alright.
While one of the children has a cold, "Pneumonia, we suppose!"
Why the whole family had to stay at home, just to blow that poor kid's nose.
Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to worship God, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
Well, the preacher he's too young. And, maybe he's too old.
The sermons they're not hard enough. And, maybe they're too bold.
His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud.
He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he's way too proud.
Well, the sermons they're too long. And, maybe they're too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of "stomp and snort."
Well, that preacher we've got must be "the world's most stuck up man."
Well, one of the lady's told me the other day, "Well, he didn't even shake my hand."
Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to worship God, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
A Moments Wisdom
--The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
--Thanksgiving, to be truly Thanksgiving, is first thanks, then giving.
--When you drink from the stream remember to be grateful for the spring.
--A thankful heart is not only a great virtue, but is also the parent of other virtues.
--It is better to say “thank you,” and not mean it, than to mean it and not say it.
--No man who thinks in terms of catching mice will ever catch lions.
--Man’s mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.
--Beware of what you set your mind on for that you will surely become.
--Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and think what nobody has thought.
--Our opinions become fixed at the point we stop thinking.
--Hindsight explains the injury that foresight would have prevented.
--Be careful of your thoughts—they may break into words at any time.
--He who opens a school, closes a prison.
--School seeks to get you ready for examination; Life gives the finals.
Upcoming Sermons
6/18/23 AM - “That Great Sin of Omission”; PM - Guarding My Neighbor’s Good Name
6/25/23 AM & PM - How Long Will God Continue to Bless America? (Requested) (Parts One & Two)
7/2/23 AM - Opening a Door for the Gospel; PM - Worship in Song: Congregational Choice of Songs
7/9/23 AM - Gospel Power; PM - Learning by Listening
7/16/23 AM - “As the Elect of God, Holy and Beloved”; PM - Learning by Watching
7/23/23 AM - When Our Rooster Crows; PM - When Lying Feels Right
7/30/23 AM - Milk Drinkers and Meat Eaters; PM - Guest Speaker: Doug Sanders
