Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13–23

Tonight, as I said, we're gonna finish up this brief section in Matthew 16, I'll read at verse 13. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they said, some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am?

Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. "'Jesus answered and said to him, "'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, "'for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, "'but my Father who is in heaven. "'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 against it. "'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.' "'Then he commanded his disciples "'that they should tell no one "'that he was Jesus the Christ.

From that time, Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him saying, far be it from you, Lord. This shall not happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan.

You are an offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. Amen.

Introduction

So notice the specific context in verse 13, when they come into the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples, who do men outside of the disciple group, the immediate disciple group, the apostles, who do men say that I, the son of man am? So verse 14, some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. And then he brings that question to bear specifically upon the disciple group or the apostles. He says, but who do you say that I am?

So of course, Simon Peter makes this lofty confession of faith, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Notice that Jesus doesn't say, good on you, Peter, you've arrived, you have found out by your own wisdom these glorious things concerning me. That's not what he says. He pronounces a beatitude upon him in verse 17, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

So in order for dead sinners to confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, they must be awakened by the Father, they must be given the grace of the Spirit, and they must be given that revelation. I'm not suggesting this is Peter's conversion moment, but it certainly illustrates or is illustrative of those who make that good confession, they do so by the power of the Holy Spirit. We saw that in 1 Corinthians 12 as well. You can turn there just to see our need of and dependence upon the Holy Spirit in terms of salvation.

So in 1 Corinthians 12, 3, Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. So Simon Peter makes that lofty confession, Jesus pronounces him blessed, and then he makes a statement concerning the establishment of the church, and he does that in verse 18. He says, and I also say that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Remember, church is defined as the people of God, not necessarily the called out ones. Ekklesia doesn't have that primary meaning, but rather Ekklesia in the Greek is corresponding to the word kahal in the Old Testament.

It means the assembly of God's people. The specific word church that we use is related to kuriake, which is that which belongs to the Lord. It's used in 1 Corinthians 11 concerning the table, Revelation 1 concerning the day, the Lord's day. So church, or kirk, is modeled after that particular word.

The Greek word ekklesia is what we have here. It is the kahal, it is the people of God, the assembly of God. So then he says, I say to you that you are Peter. And this idea of Peter being the rock or the foundation.

Peter plays a foundational role in the establishment of the church. You see that in Ephesians chapter two. You see it in first Corinthians as well. But it's not Peter that is the Pope or the authority in the church.

It is the person that Peter confessed, the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus is the rock. upon which the church is built. It's that good confession concerning the Savior of sinners, that's the foundation for the church. So I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and then Jesus promises the triumph and victory of the church.

The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. That doesn't mean that every single church that's ever planted will only ever do well. No, there are churches that close. There are churches that prove to be synagogues of Satan.

There are churches that are no longer present in this present evil age. But the concept of the idea of church, it will march on. Christ will build it and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. We learn not only of the victory of the church, but we also learn of that constant opposition on the part of the devil and his kingdom.

And so then Jesus moves into the authority of the church in verse 19. This is what we're going to look at tonight. So it's not just a club. It's not just a social gathering.

There's actual authority invested in the church. Now, there are two obvious problems when it comes to authority in the church. The first is authoritarianism. Authoritarianism, where leaders in a church are lords over the consciences of the people under their charge.

That's not what Jesus is commending here. Authoritarianism is basically cultism, and it's wrong, and it is wicked, and it is a departure from the truth of God's Holy Word. So the authority invested by Christ in the church is not to be used in order to exalt a certain class of men, it's not to be used to beat down the very sheep of God Most High, but rather it is to be exercised to maintain order and decency within the context of the church. So if one of the problems is authoritarianism, the problem on the other end is an abdication of authority and this idea that anything goes.

And probably that's something more common in the evangelical world. And then the authoritarianism is probably more common in the reform world, certainly in Roman Catholicism. Not real sure about Eastern Orthodoxy, but they're very much like Roman Catholic, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was an authoritarian element there, though I don't want to castigate them needlessly after having just done so. But authoritarianism on the one hand, and then an abdication of authority on the other hand, again, where sort of anything goes.

Anybody can come in, anybody can preach, anybody can lead a Sunday school, anybody can come to the supper, anybody can do anything at all. Well that's not the biblical norm either. So Jesus gives authority to the church and Jesus expects the church to execute that authority. Not in an authoritarian manner and not abdicating that authority that Christ has invested in her.

So

The Authority of the Church

as we look at verse 19, I want to look first at the identification of the stewards, secondly, the delegation of authority, and then thirdly, the explanation of the functions. What does he mean in that last statement when he says, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven? But first, in terms of the identification of the stewards,

Identification of the Stewards

notice in verse 19, he's still talking to Simon Peter. So you can see how this passage in the hands of a papist yields lots of good fruits to fit their theology. So they teach in verse 18 that Jesus establishes Peter as the first pope. And then Jesus gives the first pope the keys of the kingdom such that they say Peter has complete power within the church.

Again, that is a stretch, and that is bringing Roman Catholic ecclesiology to bear upon the passage. If we read the passage, that's not the meaning that we get from it. When we compare it with other passages in the New Testament, that is certainly not what we get. In fact, last week we showed, and I hope successfully, that Peter wasn't instituted as a pope.

So if Peter wasn't instituted as a pope, then the keys of the kingdom aren't given only to the pope. But with reference to this statement, I will give you, it is a singular pronoun, and so Jesus is speaking specifically to Peter. But Peter functioned in a wide array of capacities. He functioned as an apostle.

He functioned as an elder in 1 Peter chapter 5. And he functions as a believer with reference to his Christian profession in the Lord Jesus Christ. So I would suggest and I would argue that the giving of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, they were given to the apostles, they're given to the elders, and they're given to the people as the people of God. In fact, turn over to chapter 18, specifically in verse 17. that last stage of church discipline in 1817, and if he refuses to hear them, the two or three witnesses, tell it to the church.

But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. So the church is involved when it gets to that point of branding a particular unrepentant sinner as a heathen or a tax collector. It's not simply the elders in the church that carry out discipline. It is the elders along with the brethren in the church that exercise that particular key of the kingdom to exclude unrepentant members from the fellowship of the saints.

So in verse 19, I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. It simply means that the church has this authority. The elders, the brethren, have the authority that is specified here in verse 19. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 4, where we see sort of the same kind of emphasis in the writing of the Apostle Paul. 1 Corinthians chapter 4, specifically in verse 1, let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

So for the apostle Paul, this concept of stewardship that Peter was initially given in Matthew 16, 19, transcends Peter. It is also the other apostles. And then he goes on to say in verse two, moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. So the stewards are those tasked with authority in terms of church life, but they are to use that authority in a very faithful way. and then turn over to the book of 1st Timothy. 1st Timothy chapter 5, specifically at verse 17. 1st Timothy chapter 5 at verse 17.

Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. So notice in verse 17, let the elders who rule well. They have authority in the context of the church.

They're engaged in government. They're engaged in ruling. So we've got not just the apostles as the stewards who receive these keys, but the elders in the church subsequent to the apostles, and even alongside of the apostles in the Jerusalem council. You've got the apostles, you've got the elders, and again, you've got the brethren.

So it is the church collectively that has received these keys from the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we go back to the passage, we then ask the question,

The Keys: Meaning and Background

what do keys mean? He says, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The keys do speak to authority. Davies and Allison say, The giving of the keys manifestly means the bestowing of authority.

To have keys means to have power, to be in control. And again, I want to qualify that, not absolute control, not absolute authority, but a delegated authority from the Lord Jesus Christ to the church such that she's not just a social club. such that she's not just like every other community of other people out there, but rather she has stricture, she has censure, she has the ability to deal with persons within the context of that church. And then the keys, here specifically, I would suggest emphasize preaching. If you notice in verse 18, Jesus says, I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.

If we ask the simple question, how does Jesus build his church? He does so through preaching. We know that when we get to the book of Acts, because the accent falls upon the apostolic preaching of the cross. How are disciples made?

Through the proclamation of the gospel. How are churches founded? Through the proclamation of the gospel. Same thing we see in the Great Commission, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.

How are they supposed to make the disciples? They're supposed to do so through preaching. And so the emphasis here in terms of the keys is with reference to preaching. preaching specifically the glorious truth of verse 16, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Keys Linked to Preaching and Discipline

But turning back to Matthew chapter 18, after the passage that I read in verse 17, we see the same language applied in verse 18 that we find in 1619. Notice, assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. So you see there, the keys are connected to discipline. So the keys are connected in chapter 16 to preaching, and then the keys are connected to discipline in chapter 18.

And then in terms of some Old Testament background, are we being recorded or are we online? So we can't do any sort of interaction. Oh, we can do interaction. Does anybody remember the Old Testament passage that I suggested lay behind this passage last week?

Yes. in terms of 2 Samuel 7. So in 2 Samuel 7, David has a desire to build a house for God. God says, no, you're not going to do it. You're a man of war.

Your son is going to build the house. And then he says, I'm going to build a dynasty of kings from you. And there's going to be a son of God who builds a temple of God, a house of God for me. And so when we look at this particular passage, we see a son of God building a house for God.

Notice in verse 16, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And then Jesus says what he says, and in verse 18, I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. So you have a son of God building a house for God in light of the 2 Samuel 7 Davidic covenant.

Isaiah 22 and Revelation 3 Background

There's another passage that sort of lays behind chapter, verse 19. You can turn to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 22. You have a reference to a man by the name of Eliakim. Eliakim, you see this picked up in the book of Revelation as well.

In Isaiah 22, specifically at verse 20. Then it shall be in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and strengthen him with your belt. I will commit your responsibility into his hand.

This is judgment upon Shebna. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder. So he shall open, and no one shall shut.

And he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father's house. And then turn over to the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 3, a passage that certainly has this in its background.

Revelation chapter 3, specifically with reference to the church at Philadelphia. So Revelation 3, 7, and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia writes, These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens. And then drop down to verse 12. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more.

I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write on him my new name. So basically, Eliakim was given stewardship or a position of steward over the house of David as opposed to Shabnat. It was a judgment on Shabnat.

Eliakim admitted or denied entry into the king's house. Christ, according to Revelation 3, assumes that particular role. Now in the delegation of that authority, he gives it to the church on earth, and he says that I give you the keys of the kingdom. You have that authority.

Through the proclamation of the truth, through the exercise of church discipline, you have this authority invested in you. It's not to be abused, you're not to be authoritarian, but it's not to be abdicated. You're not to let it go such that you're like the Elks Lodge, or you're like the Lions Club, or you're like some other social gathering, which I dare say probably has rules for membership within those particular communities. So it's the case wherein this idea that, well, you know, this idea of church discipline or telling somebody that they can't do such and such, that happens everywhere.

Why is it that the church is abusive when the church does that? The church has the authority of King Jesus Christ, and therefore she must exercise that authority in a responsible way, but for the good of the church here on earth. And then the final observation here under the identification of the stewards is the entity accessed. Notice in verse 19, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Peter, the elders, the other apostles, the stewards, the brethren, they're not given the keys of the kingdom of earth. They're not given civil authority. There's an obvious parallel, and there's an obvious overlap, and there's obvious interplay between civil government and ecclesiastical government, but they're not to be collapsed into one big amalgamation. Christ is head over all things.

Christ is ruler over the kings of the earth. Christ is over the elders of the church. The church is supposed to do churchly functions. The church is tasked, in the language of Belgic Confession, Article 29, with preaching the Word of God, exercising discipline, and the administration of the sacraments.

That's what church as church is supposed to do. We're not supposed to capture criminals and execute criminals. Now, as citizens in the civil sphere, we can certainly work as policemen. We could be executioners, if so called upon.

We can engage in any lawful authority that the Bible commands. But in terms of the church, we can't blame the church for everything that has ever happened. Now, I think the church is blameworthy for a lot of things, but not everything. The church has very delimited function in this present world.

And he says, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Now, in Matthew's gospel, kingdom of heaven often has a twofold reference. The Puritan spoke of the kingdom of grace, which is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the proclamation of the truth, Sunday in, Sunday out, the exercise of discipline, the structure, the order of the church of the Lord Jesus. and then the kingdom of glory, the eschatological consummation of all things. Now, I would suggest that the kingdom of God is more extensive than the church.

In fact, Psalm 103, 19 says, the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. But the visible manifestation of the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven on earth in this new covenant era is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So to say that the church is the kingdom of heaven I don't believe is a stretch and I don't believe it is to do injustice to the scripture. So basically he is saying I'm investing you with these keys of the kingdom of heaven to carry out what God has called you to do in terms of the Great Commission or what Christ has called you to do in the Great Commission.

Delegation of Authority

Now secondly, after looking at the identification of the stewards, we look at the delegation of authority. So then notice, 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. The Davidic covenant is in the background. Eliakim is in the background.

We've got this sort of entrance in and exclusion from the house of David, the house of God. And I think that's what's in view here with reference to whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. To bind meant to forbid and to loose means to permit.

So in other words, it is to prevent access or it is to allow or invite or permit access. And when we consider specifically Simon Peter in the book of Acts, we see that he engages in those types of functions.

Peter's Use of the Keys in Acts

Acts chapter 2, what does Peter do? Anybody remember? He preaches, and when he preaches, what happens? People get saved, right?

They received his word. They continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine. Fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers, 240 to 47 indicates the blessed effect of Peter's preaching. So he was permitting entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

Now it wasn't like Eliakim, are you the proper inhabitant of the house of David? It is through the preaching of the gospel. when sinners are converted, they have access into, they have entrance into the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. But as well, we see not only an emphasis on preaching in Peter in terms of permitting access into the kingdom, but we also see discipline in the life and ministry of Peter in excluding persons from participation in the church of Christ. This happens in Acts chapter five.

Does anybody remember what happens there? You can look, that's okay. This isn't a closed book test here. Acts chapter five.

Ananias and Sapphira. What? That's right. That's right.

So they got it. That was a direct excommunication by the hand of God himself. And then notice in chapter eight, and again just sketching, just looking at what Simon Peter does in terms of having this delegated authority, carrying out this task of binding and loosing relative to the kingdom of heaven. Notice the investigation of the work in Samaria in chapter eight at verse 14.

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. who when they had come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet he had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." So they're investigating the particular work going on there in Samaria.

Again, the binding, the loosing, the making sure that persons who had professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ understood these things and then participate in the kingdom of heaven. Acts chapter 10, look at chapter 10, what happens there? Preaching to the household of Cornelius, Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God Most High, not the first Gentile that was included, but formally the first in terms of what we find significant in the book of Acts. In Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19.

In Acts 2, you have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Acts 8, you have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Samaria. Acts 10, you have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles. Acts 19, you have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a bit of a different way, but the idea being is that at crucial junctures in the missionary enterprise, we see that Christ from the right hand of the Father is sending the Spirit to Jerusalem, to Judea, Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth.

That is the emphasis that you need to understand in 2, 8, and 10, very specifically in terms of the spirit falling and then them speaking in tongues. The accent isn't on, hey, let's speak in tongues. The accent is upon Jesus at the right hand, empowering the church for mission, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, uttermost parts of the earth. So in Acts chapter 10, there is the proclamation of truth to the household of Cornelius.

Notice in 1044, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished as many came with Peter because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. You see what's happening? He's binding, he's loosing.

He's in that particular activity. He's got the keys of the kingdom and he's going out there and he's using that authority to permit entrance and to exclude those from hermits that ought not to be participants. And then notice in Acts chapter 11, guess what happens? The church in Jerusalem hears about Peter out there gallivanting around with the Gentiles.

So what does Peter do? He reports to them. And then notice specifically at the very end, verse 17, chapter 11, he rehearses essentially what just happened in chapter 10. But in verse 17, if therefore God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is I that I could withstand God?

When they heard these things, they became silent. They glorified God, saying, Then God also has granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. So he receives the case, and he goes out, and he exercises it. He opens the door, he closes the door.

He admits persons into the presence of the church, and he excludes persons from the presence of the church. And of course, Acts chapter 15, Acts chapter 15, the specific emphasis in verse 1, certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. the Judaizing error, or heresy, or tendency. Paul deals with this at length in the book of Galatians. But with reference to this, these men came down, they said, it's good to believe on the Lord Jesus, but you also have to subscribe to the circumcision of Moses.

You have to take on Jewish identity as well. And so the Church convenes the apostles, the elders, the brethren, so that they could discuss these particular things. Notice they appeal to Peter. Or rather, Peter testifies in verses 7 to 11.

Same sort of a thing, verse 7. When there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them, men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as they. So you see this binding and loosing. He's reporting what God had done through him with reference to the Gentiles and their inclusion in the covenant promises of God. So basically what we see in Simon Peter, and then we see it in spades in the Apostle Paul from Acts 13 all the way to chapter 28.

And then in the epistles of Paul, the epistles of Peter, the epistles of John, all that converges upon us to show that they carried out, they took seriously the great commission, which as I would suggest is basically the execution of the keys of the kingdom, the proclamation of God's word, the exercise of church discipline, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you and I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. So the early church receives the keys, they go out and they utilize those keys for the admission and for the exclusion of those who are fit and appropriate and those who are not.

Explanation of Binding and Loosing

And then in terms of this explanation, again, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. France suggests that it was a terminology or phraseology utilized by the Jewish rabbis. He says the metaphor of tying up and untying also speaks of administrative authority. The terms are used in rabbinic literature for declaring what is and what is not permitted.

And essentially the church permits access to those conquered by sovereign grace. She doesn't just say to anybody and everybody, come on up, take the supper, come on up, preach the word, come on up, engage in, you know, teaching Sunday school. No, there's got to be some criteria. Turn to Acts chapter 8.

It's not a particular apostle, but it's an evangelist who, exercising the keys of the kingdom, meets with an Ethiopian eunuch. And notice what happens when they're at this critical juncture. Verse 34, the eunuch answered Philip and said, I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of some other man?

Then the text is Isaiah 53. Could you find a guy reading a better passage by which to preach Jesus? I mean, come on, that's just wonderful. And I love it, verse 35.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, and they came to some water, and the eunuch said, see, here is water, what hinders me from being baptized? Verse 37 is suspect in the modern translations. It's either in the margin or it's not even there.

But interestingly, it has very early testimony. In fact, verse 37A, Cyprian cites it. Cyprian lived about AD 200 to 258. And then 37B, Irenaeus cites it.

He lived in 130 to 202. It's got very ancient, very early pedigree. Now, if you have no clue what I'm talking about, I'm simply talking about what's called textual variance. There are manuscripts, over 5,000 of them that exist, not complete, partial, some more than others.

But there's over 5,000 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. And when they look at these manuscripts, they see certain characteristics, they categorize them in what we might call families. So there's a couple of different ways to try to get at the New Testament. All I am saying is that the newer translations that either get rid of verse 37 or put it into the margin are neglecting a very ancient testimony in terms of these two fathers, Cyprian and Irenaeus.

The point here, though, is when the man asks, what hinders me from being baptized, Philip doesn't say, just jump on in. It's all about the water. Get on in here. If you believe with all your heart, you may.

And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In other words, he's exercising the keys of the kingdom. He's not just willy-nilly admitting persons without any sort of a confession of who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished. So we have this binding and loosing.

The church permits access because persons confess Jesus Christ. The church denies access because persons reject Jesus Christ. If somebody came and said, I want to be a member of the church, and I met with them, and I said, what do you think of Jesus? And they said, I hate him.

I despise him. I'm a Muslim. Well, I don't despise him, but he's a prophet, and he's less than Muhammad. I don't welcome him in as a brother and say, come on in, let's go to communion together.

The church denies access because persons reject Jesus Christ. They don't make that good confession of verse 16. As well, the church rejects heresy. There's instances in the New Testament where this abdication of authority is certainly not envisaged by the New Testament church.

The Church Rejects Heresy and Disorder

Look at Romans chapter 16. I would already call attention to Acts 15. We've already looked at that, Jerusalem Council. And, you know, when they come, they're not coming with, you know, a different view of eschatology.

They're coming with something that compromises the gospel, the freeness of grace. Chapter 15, the council is convened because it's a great matter that needs investigation. Is it the case that a Gentile not only needs to believe, but a Gentile must also be circumcised? They got to deal with that.

Because if you're teaching that salvation is by faith in Jesus plus circumcision, you are botching up the gospel. It's no longer a free grace. So Acts 15 was a huge thing that the church had to respond to. But as well, notice in Romans 16 at verse 17, I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learn, and avoid that.

For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf, but I want you to be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil, and the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, amen.

See the apostle says, police the ranks from within. In other words, it's not okay for persons to cause division, it's not okay for persons to cause offense, and it's certainly not okay for those things to be done contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and then he says specifically to avoid them. Notice over in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, I think we're all somewhat familiar with that particular passage at verse 1. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that a man has his father's wife.

But then notice specifically verse 2, and you are puffed up and have not rather mourned that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. In other words, they knew about it and they didn't do anything. The apostle is reproving and rebuking them. And if we ask the question, well, why or how could they have known about it and not taken any action?

That's a good question. Perhaps they thought, you know, in Christ all things are lawful. Perhaps they thought that, you know, in this new covenant era with the liberty that we have, the liberty can include even such things as these. But then notice down in verse 9, I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

Note the delineation he makes here. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world or with the covetous or extortioners or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. In other words, you don't sell your townhouse because your next door neighbor is a pagan. You don't quit your job because there's heathen that work in that same department.

You'd have to leave the world is what Paul says. You'd have to actually get on an Elon Musk rocket and fly up to Mars. And even there, there would be somebody that would pollute your altogether holiness. But then notice the specifics in verse 11.

But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, that's the issue, who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside, God judges.

Therefore, put away from yourselves the evil person. Look at Galatians 1. Again, just showing the keys of the kingdom operative in the life of the early New Testament church. Galatians 1.6, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. And then turn to chapter 2, specifically at verse 11. It's kind of hard to jive the Jerusalem Council and Galatians 2.

If I'm asked the question, I would say that this event that is recorded here in Galatians 2, 11 to 13, happens just prior to the Jerusalem Council. I don't think it happened after the Jerusalem Council, because Peter was at the Jerusalem Council and would have known that the church had said, look, Now, we are not down with this. Now, guys disagree, others put it after the Jerusalem Council, they give pretty reasoned explanations as to why. Again, gun to my head, I would say it's just prior to Jerusalem Council, but I hope I never get a gun to my head for that.

I'll take a gun to my head for the Trinity and for justification by faith, but not where to locate Galatians 2.11 relative to Acts 15. That, I would say, don't shoot, okay? I'm not ready to die for that one. But notice Galatians 2.11.

Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed. For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, So I think the idea being is that Peter didn't want to give offense to Jews by eating with Gentiles. But Paul says the glory of new covenant religion is Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. You're betraying that, Peter, by this act of not wanting to give offense to certain Jews. Better to offend them than to make a wrong statement about the gospel of free and sovereign grace, even to Gentiles.

Notice in 2 Thessalonians 3. Again, the exercise of the keys of the kingdom, not in an authoritarian way, but certainly not in an abdicational way. Not getting rid of the teeth that are involved in maintaining the kingdom of heaven on earth. Notice in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 6.

This one's a bit intriguing because these are brethren that need to be taught lessons. These aren't heathen and tax collector that you're excluding for the purpose of handing them over to Satan. It's a bit of an interesting one, but nonetheless shows the exercise of the keys to keep the kingdom as we are able clean in this present world. 2 Thessalonians 3, 6, But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us.

For we were not disorderly among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this, if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such, we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Again, lots of contours, lots of things going on in there that we don't have time to develop.

The bottom line is, is that when there is a church and there are disorderly brethren, it is the church's task to exercise the keys of the kingdom and to engage in those things that Christ has called us to. Back to our text, when we go to that clause, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Sacerdotalism and Heaven's Ratification

If you have the New King James, you'll notice the marginal reading, or will have been, will have been. So it's either sort of a future or a perfect. Now, when we look at this, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. If we interpret it this way, it runs the risk of what we call sacerdotalism.

Anybody know what sacerdotalism is? You know what sacramentalism is? What would you suppose sacramentalism is? Sacraments that are promoted over and above their use.

In other words, we engage in the sacraments of the church, but if we load them with too much significance, we get involved in sacramentalism. Sacerdotalism refers to the priesthood. And sacerdotalism is a risk here. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, which seems to indicate that if we permit or forbid, then whatever we do on earth, heaven is obligated to endorse that.

As well, this idea that whatever you loose on earth, or rather, will have been bound or loosed, taking the other rating, it's the risk of an infallible communication with heaven. So I guess what I'm saying is we need to be careful with this particular clause, that on the one hand, we don't think that what we do on earth then obliges Jesus in heaven to endorse that. or that what we are going to do is what infallibly we know that the Lord would have us to do. I think a better understanding of this is not, you know, absolute, positively, we know the mind of Jesus. The idea is probably not divine endorsement, but guidance and ratification.

In other words, when the church does what she's supposed to do based on the written revelation of God, we have confidence that heaven is behind us. In other words, when we do what we're supposed to in terms of obedience, preaching, admitting and forbidding persons, as well exercising discipline, forbidding or permitting persons. When we do that, we have the blessing of heaven on our side. And again, turn over to chapter 18 in the context of discipline.

Verse 18, Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. In other words, heaven backs you when you're doing the hard thing of disciplining a sinning member in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Heaven is on your side. Everybody else may not be.

Everybody else is going to say, well, that's not nice. That's not loving. Judge not, lest you be judged. Everybody else is going to rise up against you and say it's bad for you and it's wrong for you to engage in church discipline.

If you're following the word of God, then the Lord God himself is behind you in terms of that particular situation. There's another sort of passage that indicates this as well. Again, I think it's in the proclamation of the truth in John's Gospel. John 20, 21, Jesus said to them again, peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Again, I don't think that sets up the Roman Catholic practice of confession.

Any ex-Roman Catholics here? Anyone? Yeah, you remember confession. You'd go into the box, you'd get on your knees, the light would come on outside so somebody would know not to go in there.

You'd say, bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been a month since my last confession. And then you start doling out your sins. And by way of punishment, they'd make you go pray.

That's a great lesson, isn't it? Nah, for your penance you gotta go pray. Wow, that's a great sort of association to make with prayer. But they had, at least according to Roman Catholic theology, the authority to forgive or absolve your sins.

That's not what Jesus is talking about. When you preach the forgiveness of sins, when you preach the free grace of God most high, you have the kingdom of heaven behind you. And I think that's the endorsement that this passage is speaking of in Matthew 16 in verse 19, Matthew 18 in verse 18, and then again in John 20 at verse 23. Raymond says, the authority to open or close the doors of the kingdom of heaven to men, which Jesus grants to Peter here and the rest of the disciples, must be seen to include both the authority to proclaim the liberating gospel and the authority to take disciplinary steps to ensure that the Church remains pure.

Spurgeon says for practical purposes, the people of God would need discipline and the power to receive, refuse, retain, or exclude members. Again, this is the way you're going to conduct the business of Christ in this age. You've got to have the authority of heaven behind you. So that's the authority of the church.

Verse 20 is interesting. Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. I don't want to leave any sort of, you know, dangling participles here. So what does he mean there?

I think the idea being was that it wasn't time at this point for them to have that revelation. It wasn't time concerning that revelation of Jesus as the Christ, because the common perception was that the Messiah was going to come in great power and glory. You see that in John 6, Jesus feeds them bread. What do they do?

They try to take him by force. and make him a king in John 6. So Jesus is trying to sort of tamp down that fervor and that earnestness. As well, notice that even Peter really wasn't ready for all the revelation that he had received. On the heels of having been pronounced blessed in verse 17, he is then rebuked in verse 23.

So when Jesus announces what is true concerning his messianic agenda, it's not this glorious reign and power right now, but rather is suffering and death and then resurrection. Peter struggles with that. So if Peter's going to struggle with that, certainly all the other Jews that are living around Jesus at that time are going to struggle with this as well. So that's why he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

Peter just made that confession. Jesus received it with approbation. But then he says to them, don't go out and declare this publicly right now. It's gonna come out, it's gonna be revealed, it's going to come in time.

But at that particular moment, he was supposed, or they were supposed to keep quiet about it.

Application: Embrace the Keys

So finally, we need to understand that behind verses 18 and 19, it's Jesus. Jesus builds the church, Jesus has absolute authority in the church. Jesus delegates with reference to building, go preach the gospel, go make disciples, go teach those disciples, as well discipline in terms of those disciples should they get out of line. And then as well, verse 19, there is authority invested in the church that comes from Christ himself.

We're not to be authoritarian, but we're not to be abdicators of that authority that Jesus has given. And we need to emphasize with reference to the keys that we embrace them as the church today. The keys of the kingdom are not entertainment. The keys of the kingdom are not self-help.

The keys of the kingdom are not do-goodery. The keys of the kingdom are proclamation of God's holy word and the discipline consistent with the management or the government of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I would throw the sacraments in there as well. They function alongside the word for the edification and the building up of God's people.

In sum, Jesus builds the church, and then Jesus continues to rule the church, and he does so very specifically in the means by which He has ordained. I'll close in prayer, and then if there's any questions, we can deal with those.

Closing Prayer

Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the Church and our privilege to gather in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You that He is building it and that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. We are encouraged at what You're doing.

In every tribe and tongue and people and nation, we pray for more men set apart and trained and qualified, recognized by the church and sent forth to preach the gospel, to make disciples, to teach them, whether it be church planting here in Canada or in the US or in the uttermost parts of the earth. We pray that you would indeed do glorious things for your namesake and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

Questions and Answers

Any questions or comments or anything relative to that? You're welcome. Really? All right.

S-A-C-E-R-D-O-T-A-L-I-S-N. There's two C's. No, there isn't. No.

You want a bat? No, I want a bat. Let's bat.

Scripture References

• 2 Samuel 7
• Psalms 103:19
• Isaiah 22:20; 53
• Matthew 16:13-23; 18:17-18
• John 6; 20:21-23
• Acts 2; 2:40-47; 5; 8:14; 8:34-37; 10; 10:44; 11; 11:17; 13; 15; 15:1; 15:7-11
• Romans 16:17
• 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 5:1-2; 5:9; 5:11; 11; 12:3
• Galatians 1:6; 2:11-13
• Ephesians 2
• 1 Timothy 5:17
• 2 Thessalonians 3:6
• 1 Peter 5
• Revelation 1; 3:7; 3:12