Binding and Loosing

Matthew 16:15-19 ESV

Jesus Christ said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Not one of us can come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father draws to Christ, i.e. unless he persuades us with a divine persuasion to put our faith and trust in our Lord, to forsake our sins, and to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living. For the faith to believe in Jesus Christ comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, nor is it of the will nor of the flesh of man. So, even the knowledge of who Jesus Christ is comes from God the Father who is in heaven.

[Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Acts 5:32; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Eph 4:17-32; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Lu 9:23-26; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Matt 7:21-23]

And when we come to genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ we are also given the spiritual ability to shut the doors of hell from our lives so that the flesh cannot overtake and overpower us. By this God-given faith in Jesus Christ we can shut the flesh out of our lives and to have no part with it. We can separate ourselves from the flesh life and from worldliness and godlessness so that we can, in the power of God, live godly and holy lives pleasing to God. And we can live under the protection of Almighty God.

We can now refuse the flesh entry into our lives, and we can close all opportunities and entries of the flesh into our hearts, minds, and souls. We cannot do this in the flesh, in our own power and strength and wisdom, though, but only in the power of God and in his strength and wisdom. And this is not something that is just done once, done deal. We must daily deny self and die with Christ to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Every day we must say “No!” to sin and “Yes!” to God.

But this is not just about our own lives. As followers of Jesus Christ we are to shut the doors of hell in men’s faces by teaching the truth of the gospel and by rebuking and exposing the lies of the enemy of our souls. We are to be God’s instruments, his messengers on this earth of opening the door of faith to the people of the world through the preaching of the true gospel of our salvation and by calling out the lies of the enemy who is telling the people lies to ease their consciences and to appease their sins.

For “to bind” and “to loose” has to do with prohibiting one thing and permitting another, i.e. in this case prohibiting the flesh from gaining control over our lives and by permitting the Holy Spirit full reign and control in our lives. And again, this is not to just be applied to our own lives, but this must be something we are sharing with others so that they, too, can say “No!” to sin daily and say “Yes!” to God and to his will for their lives. For this purpose Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross.

For the Scriptures teach us that Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might now live for Christ and no longer for ourselves. They teach us that genuine faith in Jesus Christ results in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin and us being raised with Christ to now walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For Jesus shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of sin so we would now honor God with our lives.

[1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15,21; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:19-20]

And the Scriptures teach us, as well, that to know Christ means to obey his commands (New Covenant), in practice, and to live holy and godly lives, and to no longer walk in sin, in practice. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness, godliness, and holiness, and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, then we are told that we will not have eternal life with God. We will not inherit the kingdom of God, but we will die in our sins. So, we need to take this seriously, for our eternity depends on us living the truth and not the lies.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296