Keys open locked things. You need a key to get access. Let’s take a locked box, for instance. The box without a key is useless; if you don’t have the key, you can’t get to what’s inside. If someone told you that the box contained everything you needed, then gave you the key, would you throw the key away or forget you have it? Of course not, you’d use your key. Believers have been given heavenly keys that open doors of opportunity and blessing, but many times they toss the keys aside or even forget the keys are theirs to be used.
Jesus states in Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Jesus tells us the keys of the Kingdom of heaven belong to us, but what does He mean by heavenly keys?
Believers have been given heavenly keys that open doors of opportunity and blessing, but many times they toss the keys aside or even forget the keys are theirs to be used.
Keys in the Bible are a symbol of authority and power – whoever possesses the keys controls the kingdom. The king would appoint a chamberlain to manage the affairs of the kingdom. The chamberlain carried the keys to the kingdom on a ring on his shoulder – keys to the kingdom gate, keys to the kingdom palace, even keys to the kingdom treasury. Anyone who wanted to gain entrance to the kingdom would have to first go through the chamberlain. The chamberlain could open doors, and he could shut them. Kingdom authority and power literally rested on His shoulder.
Five hundred years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah foretold of Jesus and the authority he would possess through the story of Eliakim, King Hezekiah’s chamberlain. God says this of Eliakim:
I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. Isaiah 22:21-22
Just like a chamberlain, Jesus was given kingdom keys, not just any kingdom keys, but the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Authority and power rested on Jesus’ shoulder. Jesus confirms Isaiah’s prophecy in Revelation 3:7 when He says of himself:
“This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open.”
Jesus IS the chamberlain to the Kingdom of God. He holds the keys to the Kingdom: all authority and power rest on His shoulder.
Jesus has the keys to the Kingdom, but he doesn’t keep that authority to himself. He gave us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; he delegated His authority and power to us, His church (Matt. 16:18-19). The kingdom keys open the doors to all the benefits and blessings that the Kingdom offers. And they are ours!!!
The kingdom keys open the doors to all the benefits and blessings that the Kingdom offers. And they are ours.
But what are the keys, and how do we use them?
The Bible shows us that there are at least four keys to the Kingdom.
HOLY SPIRIT
The first key is Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that it was for their own good that He would leave earth and go back to heaven because then He could send Holy Spirit to us (John 16:7). He also said that when the Holy Spirit comes, they would receive power (Acts 1:8). That is exactly what happened. On Pentecost, Holy Spirit rested on the disciples as tongues of fire, filling them, giving them power, and enabling them to speak with other tongues (Acts 2:3-4) and declare the wonders of God (Acts 2:11).
As followers of Christ, we like the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we believe (Acts 2:38). Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our understanding, empowers us to live in a way that pleases God, and enables us to witness to others. Through Holy Spirit, we can pray in the spirit building ourselves up in our most holy faith (Jude 1:20) and edify other believers through the gifts of the spirit. Not only does Holy Spirit reveal all the kingdom blessings that God has given us (1 Cor. 2:12) but He also shows us how to get to them.
Through the Holy Spirit, we can pray in the spirit building ourselves up in our most holy faith (Jude 1:20) and we can edify other believers through the gifts of the spirit. Not only does Holy Spirit reveal all the kingdom blessings that God has given us (1 Cor. 2:12) but He also shows us how to get to them.
WORD OF GOD
The second key to the Kingdom is the Word of God. God’s Word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). It is unchanging. It binds and it looses.
When Jesus gave us His authority, he didn’t just stop there; He also gave us the power to back up that authority. He said, “whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
The devil was bound, kicked out of heaven, and tossed to earth. When he was being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, Jesus showed us how we, too, can bind the devil and his lies. Every time Satan would sling a temptation at Jesus, He would deflect it by responding with the Word of God. From this, we learn that the Word binds Satan and clears the path for us to receive the Kingdom blessings. Then we can loose God’s will on the earth by praying His Word, which is His will.
NAME OF JESUS
The third key to the Kingdom is the Name of Jesus. “At the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Philippians 2:10). Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth, and then He delegated that authority to every believer, in effect, giving us the legal right to use His name to accomplish Kingdom purposes (Matt 28: 18-20).
By using the name of Jesus, we can bind the enemy, loose every spiritual blessing and gift, receive divine protection, and lay our hands on the sick and see them recovered (Matt. 16:17-18).
By using the name of Jesus, we can bind the enemy, loose every spiritual blessing and gift, receive divine protection, and lay our hands on the sick and see them recovered. Everything in the Kingdom belongs to us! The Name of Jesus is the key that opens the Kingdom of Heaven to us!
PRAYER
The fourth key to the Kingdom is prayer. God has provided us everything we need for the earth to be as it is in heaven. BUT God requires action on our part. That action starts with prayer. R. A. Torrey, says in The Power of Prayer that “prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and as God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent.” In other words, prayer can do what we cannot. Hallelujah!
Finally, without faith, none of the kingdom keys will open the doors to opportunity and blessing. You can put the key in the lock, but you can’t open the door if you are unable to turn it. Faith turns the lock; it unleashes the power of God.
You can put the key in the lock, but you can’t open the door if you are unable to turn it. Faith turns the lock; it unleashes the power of God.
Holy Spirit, the Word, the name of Jesus, prayer – these are all keys that unlock doors to the Kingdom of Heaven, but faith is what turns the lock and gets us access. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must believe in God’s promises, His promise that the Kingdom and all its blessings are ours for the taking, and then we must ACT on our faith.
Don’t throw away the power and authority that Jesus has given you. You have the keys. Have the faith to use them. Build yourself up through praying in the Spirit. Meditate on the Word of God, stand up to the evil schemes of the enemy by invoking the name of Jesus, and pray, pray, pray! You have the authority and power to live a blessed life right here and right now. Heaven on earth is available to you. Just use your keys!
