Did You Bring Your Keys? You Have the Keys!

by Ronald George Jr.

Have you ever lost your Keys? Have you ever locked your keys up in your car or your house? Some how you needed to get in, but you didn't have a key. You may have had the keys that someone else was looking for. . Locks supposedly were made to keep out the bad but let the good in. Yet, sometimes everyone gets locked out including the good. That's why some are smart enough to know the difference and responsible enough to open the door has been given the keys to the doors.

Matt 16:17 (KJS) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. {Peter: this name signifies a rock} 19 And I 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. 20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

The Lord himself gave the keys to the Kingdom to Peter and He gave them to you and me to let in all those who want to come in.. Even the gates of Hell will not stop those who are in the Kingdom of God. You and I are not the judges, but the "Keeper of the Keys."

Now , the question is What are the Keys to the Kingdom?

Text: John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. V. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. V.3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. V. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. V.5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? V.6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. V.7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. V.8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, V.9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? V.10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. V.11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. V.12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. V.13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.V.14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

I.The Keys to the Kingdom are Loaves and Fishes..or breaded fish and hush puppies..The Kingdom of God is life to all who will enter in. You have to have access to the door before you can come in and partake of the life giving presence of the living God in your life.

a. Food is the Key! Food that gives physical life and food that gives spiritual life. We all must eat or we will die. Who has the food that gives life?

b. The Little Boy is the key!

The little boy gave all that he had, which was 5 loaves and 2 fishes.God uses the little boys and girls in life, who don't have much to give. With out the keys the people would have not enjoyed the life giving food that the Lord had to offer. The little boy was used by the Lord to feed a vast multitude of people. Could the Lord use your 5's and 2's to feed the people the life giving morsels? Would you recognize what you have to give and then to give it to the Lord. You can keep it for fear of not having enough or you can give it to the Lord and allow Him to multiply it to be used to feed others.

c. What you have been given from God is the Key to the Kingdom? The Faith to believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God and the Messiah. So that you have the knowledge to share with others that they may have access to the precious gift of God of his Kingdom. Your five loaves and two fishes can be used by God to bring others into the kingdom..

d. The Disciples are the Keys to the Kingdom? Why did Jesus ask Phillip about the food for the crowd if he already knew what he would do? He chose to use the disciples to distribute the loaves and bread to the crowd. The disciples of Jesus are the keys to the kingdom of God for many who are starving with out the life giving food of God. God chooses you this morning to enter into the plan that he has for your life. He will use what he has given you to allow others to enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom.

John 20:21 (KJS) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace [be] unto you: as [my] Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; [and] whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained.

1. the disciples trusted the Lord..

2. the disciples gave to the Lord...

3. the disciples obeyed the Lord...

4. the disciples went out to the people..

5. the disciples recognized the Lord and acknowledged Him in their lives.

What is the Door to the Kingdom of Heaven? John 10:7 (KJS) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Jesus is the door and we are the Keys to the kingdom of the door.. Have you entered in ? Will you let others in?