Pastor Dan Eddy
John 20: 21-23
The Keys to the
Kingdom
4-11-10
Nothing is worse
than when someone entrusts you with something of great value…and you lose
it…misplace it or forget it.
(Pull out keys). Take keys. A few weeks ago I thought I
had lost the keys to our other car and our home. I had discovered a hole in my
new suit pant’s pocket. I panicked. I didn’t know where I lost my keys. I searched my car, our home, and all around
the store I had been to, and including looking for them in the dark parking lot. I traveled all the way here and looked around
the church before I discovered I had misplaced them. Put them in a pocket I never put keys. The
relief of finally finding them.
Keys are the
worse thing to lose, because it means you can’t get in your car, your home, or your
place of employment. You are locked out.
How have you felt
when you lost something of value…something like a set of keys? It’s an awful
feeling, not being able to get in.
This morning’s
Gospel reading talks about keys, too. They aren’t keys to a building or a
vehicle. In John 20:21-23, Jesus entrusted His Disciples and the Church today
with the Keys to the
Now you may be
scratching your head at this point and asking yourself, “I never remember the text saying anything about Keys to the Kingdom of
God. “
Well you’re
right. The word “keys” was not mentioned directly. It was mentioned in passing
in our Epistle Reading from Revelation 1, specifically verses17-18 (NIV) where the
Apostle John is quoting Jesus in his apocalyptic dream when Christ said emphatically,
stop being afraid. "I (myself) am the First and the Last. I am the Living
One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys
of death and Hades.”
And
in Matthew 16:19 (ESV) Jesus said to Peter and the Disciples: “I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” And immediately after His
resurrection Jesus delivered on His promise. And
without His keys to heaven, you can’t get in.
So now back to
John 20:21-23 (NIV), listen to Jesus’ words to His Disciples carefully: “’Peace be with you! As the Father has sent
me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the
Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not
forgive them, they are not forgiven.’"
Remember you
can’t get into heaven if your sins aren’t forgiven, and you can’t have your
sins forgiven without having eternal life. It’s the package deal we get from having faith
alone in Jesus, but forgiveness is the
key. (Hold up keys)
When Jesus said, “Peace be with
you!” He wasn’t saying “Howdy dowdy
there fellow disciples. How’s it going there don’t you know?” Nor was He
expressing some fleeting wish or aspiration. When Jesus said, “Peace be with you,” He was saying, “I love you and forgive you for what you
did to me on the Cross, and for all the sins you have committed.”
Jesus was reflecting the words He said back in John 14:27: “The peace I leave with you; my peace I
give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid.”
This peace is not merely an absence of conflict between us and our
heavenly Father. It is the peace that takes our broken relationship with the
Lord caused by our sins, and restores it, because of Jesus’ death on the cross.
It is the peace proven by the fact that Jesus is still alive in the
flesh. And nothing is going to stop Him, not locked doors, thick walls, or
scared disciples, from giving everlasting life. But forgiveness is the key.
(Hold up key).
Jesus was pronouncing absolution on them for the sins they committed, and
then He wanted them to personally pass on the Keys of the Kingdom to
others. He entrusted them to pass on His
forgiveness to others, and He entrusts those Keys of forgiveness to the Church
today. That includes you, if you have faith in Christ. Don’t
lose them, misplace them or mistreat them.
When I was ordained a year and half ago to be a pastor in the Church at
large you called me to be your pastor in this congregation. You entrusted me
with these Keys of forgiveness to work on behalf of the church and this
congregation. It’s not a duty I take
lightly. I am Christ’s representative, and I better speak well on His behalf…or
He will deal with me accordingly. These are Keys I don’t want to lose, misplace
or mistreat.
But let me be clear. When I forgive you of your sins, it’s not Dan Eddy
forgiving you of your sins…It’s Jesus Christ forgiving you of your sins. I am
the called and ordained tools or instrument personally conveying that
forgiveness to you. I am Christ’s chosen
representative telling you that God in Christ Jesus has forgiven, “let go,” of your sins. I work by the power of the Holy Spirit, His
authority, not my own.
Based on this text, when I speak the Words of Absolution I am saying
that the forgiveness of sins you received at your baptism still stands in
Christ Jesus. I have assured you, you
still have the Keys to the
But let me make something also clear. God in Christ Jesus has given me
through the Church the power to retain people’s sins. It’s not me retaining their
sins, it’s God who is doing that. I tell them the Lord has not let their sins
go. Now that sounds awful nasty and judgmental, but it isn’t. It’s actually an
act of genuine love.
Look at it this
way. It’s never an issue whether someone’s sins are forgiven. It’s whether or
not the person really wants their sins forgiven. Is that person willing to “let go of their sins?”
No doubt…with
Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection He has forgiven everyone’s sins…no matter
what ethnic background or period in time they come from. Regardless of whether
or not they believe in Him. They are forgiven, BUT that doesn’t necessarily
mean that everyone wants His forgiveness, wants His Keys to the Kingdom.
It’s like if a
good friend got drunk, smashed into your car or home, and would not say he is
sorry for damaging your property. He
blames you because your car or house
was in his way.
Should you
forgive him for the terrible, selfish, inconsiderate thing he did to your car
or home? You bet…unconditionally. What do we say in the Lord’s Prayer? “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.”
But should you
give him the Keys to the Kingdom? No. Because he doesn’t want them, doesn’t
value them, and can’t be entrusted with them. If you gave them to him, do you think he would
really accept them?
So on Sunday
morning when I pronounce forgiveness, if you notice my pronouncement is
conditional on your sincerely confessing your sins so you can truly receive
God’s forgiveness. That’s one reason we leave a moment of silence so you can
focus on your un-forgiven sins, based on the 10 Commandments.
But really if
someone’s not engaged in contemplating their sins, how much are they going to
value the forgiveness I pronounce?
How can the Lord
let go of a person’s sins if that person is not willing to let them go
themselves? Otherwise, if we offer forgiveness for someone who doesn’t want it,
we are enabling sin, and cheapening God’s grace.
Now in that case,
it is our job, our duty as believers in Christ to personally, lovingly, and
humbly point out the sin the person is committing, so they will repent, and
then we, as a church, can give them the Keys to the Kingdom.
We hope that the awful feelings they have of not having keys to get into
heaven, of being locked out, will spur a genuine confession of sins. Remember
accepting the forgiveness is the key. And forgiving or retaining sins is not
just the job of the pastor.
Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” Do you know how the
ritual of the passing of the peace started?
The story was told that back when many of the congregations were started
by the Apostles, like the seven mentioned in our Epistle reading, they took
confession of sins very seriously. When you passed the peace if you couldn’t
genuinely offer that peace to everyone in the sanctuary because you were
holding a grudge against someone, they would stop the service. They would put the two people outside the
sanctuary and the congregation would surround them until the two had resolved
their conflict. Then they would welcome back into the Church, and the worship
service would continue. They would be
given the Keys to the Kingdom.
Forgiveness or “letting go” is an ongoing thing. Just
like everyday we have to find our keys; and yet some days we lose them.
But when you have
the forgiveness, the Keys to the Kingdom…it’s amazing what freedom you experience
in the here and now. You let go of sins…the burden has been lifted. It’s better
than the feeling you get when you find your lost keys. God’s Word is more
greatly treasured and so is the assurance of that forgiveness, given tangibly with
His real body and blood in Holy Communion.
Don’t be an
enabler of sin. Encourage others to let go of their sins so they can receive
the Keys to the Kingdom. Forgiveness is
the key. (Hold up keys.)
One of the
reasons pastors are given the power to forgive and retain sins on behalf of the
congregation is for peace and order in the Church. It’s expected of them to look at sin and the
sinner objectively. The assumption is the pastor should know what's a sin and
what isn’t. This requires a meditation and study of Scripture, so that they
don’t withhold forgiveness to those who need it nor grant to people forgiveness
who don’t really want it. It’s not
something I take lightly, but see as an opportunity to convey God’s love.
But as Jesus
passed on the Keys to His disciples, and they passed them onto to the Church,
and they’ve been given to pastors, so let me entrust them to you.
If someone comes
to you burdened by sins that have plagued them for years…an affair they had, an
addiction they can’t beat, or something they think they did that was
un-forgivable…and they confess them to you…in private…if they’re not willing to
come to me or another pastor…give them the Keys to the Kingdom…let them know of
God’s love and forgiveness. It’s the
mission of the Church to offer forgiveness to comfort troubled souls.
When someone truly
confesses their sins to you say please don’t say: “Oh, it’s not big deal. Don’t worry about it.” OR “That’s awful what
you did. I don’t think God will forgive that.” Give them the Keys by saying the following: “God forgives you and loves you and so do
I.” Go ahead and say that.
Then if they don’t
attend church regularly….invite them to ours to learn more about the Keys you
just gave them. You are working under the power of the Holy Spirit.
Remember the package
deal of faith: you can’t eternal life without your sins being forgiven and you
can’t have forgiveness of sins without receiving eternal life.
Remember that you
have something of the greatest value to pass onto others. That’s how we live the
Easter message every day.
Forgiveness is
the key…it is something given, not earn. Forgiveness is given in the Word by
faith in Christ, so the unbelievers will believe and the believers will be
strengthened.
Now let’s
practice what we preach by standing and confessing our sins at this time, so
you can receive the Keys to the
P:
Dearly beloved, let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto
God our Father beseeching Him in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ to grant us
forgiveness. Our help is in the name of You, O Lord.
C: Who made heaven and earth.
P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
C:
And You forgave the iniquity of us all.
P: O Almighty God, merciful Father,
C: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I
have ever offended You and justly deserve Your temporal and eternal punishment.
But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You
of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter
sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and
merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.
P:
In confessing your sins, God prepares you to see that even though you are His
child, you still commit iniquities against Him. So I ask you now was this your
sincere confession of sins?
C: Yes.
P:
Do you desire again to receive His forgiveness from your sins?
C: Yes
P:
Do you believe that the words of forgiveness I am about to speak to you is not
my forgiveness but God’s?
C: Yes
P:
And do you promise by the power of the Holy Spirit through God’s grace to amend
your sinful life?
C: Yes, with the help of God in Christ
Jesus.
P:
Do you believe that when the Words of Institution are spoken in a few moments
that the Word of God is being joined to the bread and cup and they will be
consecrated as also Christ’s real body and true blood?
C: Yes it is only by power of God in
Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
P:
Peace be with you and let His Spirit prepare your hearts
to hear His absolving of your sins, and, for those who have been properly
instructed and prepared, to receive His Supper. As a called and ordained servant of the Word, as God’s representative
in His Church and specifically in this congregation, and only by the authority
of Jesus Christ, I, therefore, forgive you all your sins in the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen. Praise be to God my
forgiveness stands in Christ Jesus.
P:
You have been given the Keys to the