The Keys and the Keepers

Matthew 19:16; 18:15-20

About the Sermon

Who has the final authority to receive and release members in the local church? Who is ultimately responsible for Jesus' name in his heavenly embassies here on earth? Jesus concerned himself with this question when he gave Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:19). But Peter is dead. So, who holds the keys? And how should they be exercised? Read Matthew 18:15–20 and listen in as we explore these important questions.

About the Series

Keys lock and unlock things, they open and close, they let people in and out. To be entrusted with keys to be given rights and responsibilities and privileges. In Matthew 16, Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus chooses his metaphors carefully. Why did he choose this metaphor of keys? What do they do exactly? Crucially, who holds them? These are a few of the foundational questions we’ll explore in this short series.
Keys lock and unlock things, they open and close, they let people in and out. To be entrusted with keys to be given rights and responsibilities and privileges. In Matthew 16, Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus chooses his metaphors carefully. Why did he choose this metaphor of keys? What do they do exactly? Crucially, who holds them? These are a few of the foundational questions we’ll explore in this short series.

Sermons in the Series