And I (Jesus) 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.
Matthew 16:19
I love vintage doors. They have character. They are solid. The door knobs of marble, crystal, and brass are beautiful. The keys are even artistic though they are often called skeleton keys. Behind these doors are treasures: the walls reverberate with sounds of days gone by–laughter, tears, love, arguments, rough-housing children, creaking rockers, the tick-tock of grandfather clocks; the smells of life–bread baking in the oven, illness, flowers cut from the garden, diapers, cedar at Christmas, supper every night, museums of artisans crafts used in building, in the bricks laid for the fireplace, carvings of the crown moulding, arches of doorways, hand painted portraits, tapestries hanging, bits of newspaper stuck in the walls to cut down on the chill of winter, strips of cloth and string from quilting bees, iron skillets and irons, and milk glass vases and silver spoons. A slower, more thoughtful, purposeful life? Not necessarily, but certainly its tools more lasting.
The Bible has a lot to say about keys! In the past few months, the Lord has directed my attention to His keys. Simple implements used to unlock or secure something of value. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus says He holds the keys to death and Hades and in Matthew He tells us He has the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Keys equal control. Right? And HE is saying He will give ME the keys? What? He is going to hand me the keys of heaven? Control? I cannot even make a decision about where to go eat on Friday night! Why on earth would He entrust me with HIS keys? How am I supposed to affect decisions in Heaven when I cannot figure out my own life? Does this freak you out just a bit like it does me? I may have to go back through ALL the “fear nots” to tackle this subject! I feel an anxiety attack coming on………Hmmmm, not from above so I need to proceed. Someone wants me NOT to know this information!
Are you as intrigued as I am? Is this where the “power” of heaven is accessed? Is understanding the keys in my possession, as a child of the Most High God, and all they represent how I live the abundant life? So, would you like to dig in with me and see what is required in order to put these keys to use? Keys are worthless if you are clueless what they “go to.” I personally like “master keys:” One key for all the locks! Let’s see if there is one. But if not, I want to know what these keys He says I have are for and which door they unlock and when I am suppose to use them to secure what needs to be bolted down.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a key as: 1 a : a usually metal instrument by which the bolt of a lock is turned b : any of various devices having the form or function of such a key. 2 a : a means of gaining or preventing entrance, possession, or control b : an instrumental or deciding factor.
The Hebrew word for key is maphteach an “opening instrument.” The Greek word for key is kleis. This word “denotes power and authority of various kinds; the ability and opportunity to obtain knowledge.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) The Hebrew is the masculine form of key and the Greek is the feminine form. This fascinates me. Did you know in the mechanical world they have joints that are male and female and when speaking of how things “fit together” they will say “I need a male/female part.” So let’s think about this. The key is the male part and the locking mechanism is the female part. So an instrument is required to open the power and authority and knowledge. What is the key??? What is this instrument we need to start unlocking all this we read is available to us? Is the key symbolic or an actual key or both? Whew! This is a lot of questions to find the answers too. Looks like Sir Webster combined the Hebrew and Greek definitions into one.
The only way I know to tackle this is like I did all those “fear nots” and “timeouts.” Search the Scriptures and let the Word explain itself. It always does. So, let’s take this slow and deliberately. I do not want to miss any of this. I have an enemy I sure would like to lock up so I can live a bit more victoriously! What key do you need to get out of prison? Isn’t it time we turn the tables and live as Christ said we could? “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12)
It is time for the Bride to wake up, break out of the prisons of fear and doubt, and move as Jesus did among people doing good and making a difference in their lives. I want to find the treasures behind the doors and learn to use them…..
O Church Arise by Keith and Kristyn Getty
