The only way to keep us from having a limited view of salvation is to understand all that Jesus accomplished through His death & resurrection. When we read the Genesis account of creation, we discover that God's intention was for man to expand the borders of the Garden (His government) throughout the earth. As Adam & Eve were "fruitful" and multiplied then the earth would be filled with people rightly related to God.
In God's redemptive plan, Jesus was to reclaim all that man lost in "the fall." Satan understood this. That is why you read of him telling Jesus "All of this authority I will give You, and their glory..." (Luke 4:6-7). Through Jesus' death on the cross we were freed from the penalty of sin, and through His resurrection we were freed from it's power. Jesus rose victorious with the keys to death and hell. Why is this important? This is important because it makes the "Great Commission" make sense: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore..." (Matthew 28:18-19). It also fulfills the promise Jesus made to the disciples in Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven."
These keys are also referred to as the key of David. Unger's Bible Dictionary states, "The power of the keys consisted not only in the supervision of the royal chambers, but also in deciding who was and who was not to be received in the King's service." All that the Father has is ours through Christ. His entire treasure house of resources. His royal chambers, is at our disposal in order to fulfill His commission. But the more sobering part of this illustration is found in controlling who gets in to see the King. This will be our focus.
Who gets in to see the King? This is our decision. When we choose to declare the gospel, we give an opportunity for people to come to the King to be saved. When we are silent, we have chosen to keep those who would hear away from eternal life. Did you realize that you had that authority? Jesus death and resurrection has allowed mankind to be brought back into the relationship that Adam & Eve once possessed...that we would be fruitful and multiply and expand His borders. The difference being that much of our fruitfulness isn't the result of procreation but declaration. When we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world, then we provide an opportunity for the world to be born again.
You have an awesome responsibility and opportunity before you. The good news is that you don't have to do this through your own resources. You have everything you need through God's divine power at work in you. All the resources of heaven are at your disposal, the enemy we face has been defeated, and the darkness that tries to come against you cannot overcome the light that is within. You are fighting from victory. When God commissioned Adam & Even to subdue the earth, they were without sickness, poverty, and sin. In other words, they were without evil. Jesus prayed "deliver us from evil (Greek word Poneros, represents the entire curse of sin upon man, came from the word ponos, meaning pain. And that word comes from the root word penes, meaning poor). Look at it this way: evil-sin, pain-sickness, and poor-poverty. Now that we are restored to God's original purpose, should we expect anything less?
How will you use the authority that God has given you? These keys were never meant to give us access to a building that we would all gather in one day a week. These keys were meant for more than just being able to assemble together and worship. These keys were mean to release all of humanity from the curse of sin. Are you ready to partner with God on this amazing quest? Are you ready to step into your destiny of being conformed to the image of His Son? Jesus came as one rightly related to the Father (without sin) and was dependent upon the work of God's Spirit in His life. We have been brought into a right relationship as well (sins forgiven). The question is how dependent upon God's Spirit are we willing to live?
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