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Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven
Episode #610
8-12-2018
With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow
What are the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus gave to the church in Matthew 18? Is the church using them as Christ intended or are we out of line?
Martha:
We’ve had a project going on for a little while that has taken a long time to get to and I’ll let John tell that story. I’m working with Jennifer on a booklet and it’s going to be an eBook isn’t it, John?
John:
Yeah, well originally it was made as a CD of the Month back in, actually, 2008 (correction: December 2002). And it was the very first CD of the Month.
Martha:
Really? I didn’t know that.
John:
Yeah, it’s the very first one and it was released back in 2008 and we’re on number this month, we’re on 189 CD’s of the Month. Every single month…
Martha:
Goodness!
John:
…boom, boom, boom, boom. It’s just been amazing. You’re a wealth, is what you are. And, but we want to do is we want to turn these messages into booklets because they’re precious and we want to, you know, just get that message out there in a different format and so we’re going to get this as Kindle Books. And hopefully do that real soon here. We’re working on it right now. Jennifer, you and I are working on it.
Martha:
Well, you’ve wanted this done for a long time, John. You have liked that message and I’ve sort of resisted it. But Lori Thomas was in the office the other day and she read the transcript and she raved about it and Jennifer’s raved about it. So it’s ignited a little bit of life and love in me for that message. But I’m on a whole different, whole new aspect of it. It’s partially in there but I’ve got so much more to say about it. And it’s— Shall I just jump in and…? Ok.
It’s really an amazing thing that God want us to rule and reign with Christ and He wants us to learn in this life how to overcome, how to rule and reign. And I’ve done several conferences on that subject because I see it so clearly in the scriptures. But I’ve got a really precious treasure now because it’s called the Keys of the Kingdom and it has to do with ruling and reigning. But I just want to say first… I want to read from Isaiah 9, one of my very favorite passages.
Isaiah 9:6-7 AMPC
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
And this statement: “of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”
John:
I hate that that scripture is relegated to Christmas.
Martha:
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
John:
Because it’s not a…
Martha:
Oh, no…
John:
…it’s not a Christmas only story. It goes so far beyond that.
Martha:
So it means that the government, which is unseen, unrecognized and most of the, mostly not believed in. The kingdom is functioning in the midst of this chaotic, sick world and that government, even in this, life Christ has put in our hands. It’s incredible!
John:
We’re called to reign and rule now.
Martha:
Um hmm.
John:
And that’s, that’s phenomenal. I can get it that we’re going to reign and rule with Him in heaven but to actually bring the kingdom here to earth now. That’s, that’s the thing that you have to struggle with.
Martha:
Um hmm. I wrote about it a little bit in Altogether Forgiven, that in, it’s in Matthew 18. Matthew 16 and 18. After Peter has had the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God, He says to them which I will go into it in the manuscript somewhat, that “I will give you the keys of the kingdom.” Now keys mean…are exciting. The keys are authority and keys mean you open and you shut, you lock and you unlock. It’s an authority that He has that He wants to share with us. And that’s incredible! I would have settled for so much less than that, wouldn’t you, John?
John:
Absolutely.
(Martha laughing)
John:
Absolutely!
Martha:
And, but what we’re going to learn in this life is incredible. And just making that willingness toward the Lord that you want to be involved in ruling and reigning, you want to learn it, is to have a whole lot of things opened up to you that are real exciting. So He was saying this to Peter and He said, “You are pebble” – not rock – “and on this I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” So I go into all that. But the interesting thing is that He’s not, He doesn’t say that Peter is the rock of the church. He really reduces him to a little pebble. Each of us is just a pebble in the kingdom, a very important one but only that. The church doesn’t rest on any one but Jesus. The church… It is His church He will build. So when He was addressing Peter, He was giving the keys of the kingdom to those disciples present and to all disciples afterwards.
John:
Remember when we were in the Vatican and the statue, when you come out of the end of the museum part of it, and you remember the statue up there of Peter, real pretty, gorgeous statue of Peter with the keys.
Martha:
No, I don’t remember that.
John:
Oh, I loved it. It was a beau—
Martha:
Did you take a picture of it?
John:
I did, I did. I put a picture in the podcast. It was really cool. But he was given the keys and he gave the keys to the—
Martha:
I didn’t get it while we were there. We’ll have to go back.
John:
Ha, yeah.
Martha:
Of course. I was so smitten with David and the Pieta that I didn’t, I missed that one. So thank you. But it’s given to you and me. We are the church. We are His, those who are just His disciples and followers, He gives the keys. And it’s in two scriptures. One is Matthew 16 and the other is Matthew 18. So Jesus repeats. Matthew records it twice. I’m going to read from 18. This… I’m going to read from the Amplified, but this is a controversial scripture and it’s translated in some places in error and it changes the whole meaning of it. So you really have to stick with the accurate translation in this, this one. He’s, in the context, He’s taking about confrontation with a brother who wrongs you and if he pays no attention to you, and he won’t listen you, or to someone else then let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. But then I realized that there’s a remedy to that that’s given following it. It’s a call to prayer, to authoritative prayer. And he says, Matthew quotes Jesus saying,
Matthew 18:18-20 AMPC Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. If two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. So where two or three are gathered together there I am in the midst.
But what it means is, John, that it has to function as a corporate entity. Independently, I believe you can exercise this but when it comes to significant things, we have to come together as a church and come to agreement. But what we have to come to agreement about is what is decided in heaven. We can’t decide anything.
John:
Yeah, that’s the temptation is to believe that what you declare bound is bound and what you declare loosed is loose. But you just read it very clearly, it’s not, it’s not…
Martha:
It’s, it doesn’t rest on…
John:
…based on my opinion…
Martha:
No!
John:
…on my anything, really!
Martha:
Insight…
John:
No.
Martha:
…reason, even revelation.
John:
It’s my hearing, my faith, and my proclaiming what…
Martha:
What He has decided.
John:
…He has—
Martha:
We rule what, His rule.
John:
Wow!
Martha:
We, we bring to earth what He is doing in heaven. So it’s huge on, because of this. It means you have to be in touch with heaven.
John:
He is the Head and…
Martha:
Yes…
John:
…and you have to be in touch with heaven.
Martha:
That’s right.
John:
Hmm.
Martha:
Everything must come down.
Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven – Episode #610 – Shulamite Podcast
What are the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus gave to the church in Matthew 18? Is the church using them as Christ intended we should? Or have we misunderstood the most important part of the authoritative gift that Jesus gave to us?
