Matt 16:18-20
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 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."
Eph 1:13-14….”Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory."
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 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."
We are facing a unique kind of loosing from a
strange kind of binding. We just found out that our church
has a safety deposit box. A treasurer sometime in the past
set it up and kept the only two keys. He ended up leaving
the church and joined another body, keeping the keys. Then
he died. Whatever is deposited inside that box
is bound on earth. We have an inaccessible safety deposit
box. It will cost us over $125 to have the thing drilled, but only after
legal documentation is provided. Is there anything in it?
Nobody knows. Except the man who died.
I certainly hope there is not money in that box, although people do that kind of thing. If the contents were placed there with kingdom values in mind, or if the inside was filled with a reflection of kingdom treasures, would they still be bound in an inaccessible lock box?
Or, what if it that deposit box is empty? Now, there is an illustration. Why has the church been paying for a box that was storing up nothing? How often do we lock worthless treasures away, meaningless things we wouldn’t even want to take with us to heaven? How frequently do people keep a lock on the emptiness of the heart without Christ and His eternal promises? We are a like a safety deposit box, and God wants us not empty but full of Him-----2 Cor 5:5…..”Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit , guaranteeing what is to come.” Now there is a treasure worth seeking and storing up
I certainly hope there is not money in that box, although people do that kind of thing. If the contents were placed there with kingdom values in mind, or if the inside was filled with a reflection of kingdom treasures, would they still be bound in an inaccessible lock box?
Matt 6:19-21…"Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth
and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Or, what if it that deposit box is empty? Now, there is an illustration. Why has the church been paying for a box that was storing up nothing? How often do we lock worthless treasures away, meaningless things we wouldn’t even want to take with us to heaven? How frequently do people keep a lock on the emptiness of the heart without Christ and His eternal promises? We are a like a safety deposit box, and God wants us not empty but full of Him-----2 Cor 5:5…..”Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit , guaranteeing what is to come.” Now there is a treasure worth seeking and storing up
Eph 1:13-14….”Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory."
What God places in as a deposit is to be guarded,
but certainly not locked up. We are given keys for sharing the kingdom
on earth as it is in heaven.
So, if anything of value is in that box, we will put it to kingdom use. If empty, we’ll treasure up the lesson. If it’s a deed to the building or land, we can be thankful for the illustration of God’s seal on our lives, a free gift worth rejoicing in.
2 Tim 1:14….”Guard the good deposit that was
entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in
us.” 2
Cor 4:7……”But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 1
Tim 6:17-19….”Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
Cor 4:7……”But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 1
Tim 6:17-19….”Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
So, if anything of value is in that box, we will put it to kingdom use. If empty, we’ll treasure up the lesson. If it’s a deed to the building or land, we can be thankful for the illustration of God’s seal on our lives, a free gift worth rejoicing in.
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