Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 18:15-20 “The Church Keys” Rev. John C. Wohlrabe, Jr., Th.D. Worship Report Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The text for our message today is the Gospel lesson, which was read a few moments ago, specifically Matthew 18:15-20. Friends of Jesus and Friends of Mine: Today I want to talk to you about something very important, about the Church Keys. And I’m not talking about the new electronic lock system for the east door to the church and the kitchen door. I’m not talking about Skip Farnam’s bottle opener collection – some of you may or may not know that bottle openers are also referred to as church keys (by the way, I understand Skip has over 700 of them!). I’m talking about what is also referred to as the Office of the Keys. But, just so there isn’t any confusion, this isn’t the little office area in the church where extra copies of all the keys to the church building are kept. I’m talking about what we learned from Luther’s Small Catechism, the Church Keys or the Office of the Keys: “that special authority which Christ has given to his church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.” Our Gospel lesson for today speaks to an aspect of the Office of the Keys. But actually, this is something that has been addressed in the Gospel lessons for the last few Sundays. Two weeks ago, the Gospel reading (from Matthew 16:13-20) specifically mentioned the keys of the kingdom of heaven. We read how Jesus asked the disciples who people say the Son of Man is. That’s when Simon Peter boldly proclaimed “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded by saying “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.” Jesus then went on to say: “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.” Keys are used to lock and unlock doors, and all of us use them day-in-and-day-out. But, here our Lord talks about the most important keys of all – the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Entry into heaven depends on our sins being forgiven; that is the key. And the pronouncement of this forgiveness, the loosing from the bonds of sin, together with the binding of the bonds of sin, this binding and loosing is given to the church. It is particularly important to note here that Jesus is not giving these keys to the person of Peter alone. Jesus blesses Peter for his confession. But the rock on which the Church is built is not Peter. Rather, it is the confession that Peter made. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and on that confession the Church is founded and built. Here we disagree with the Roman Catholic Church, which uses this passage to assert that it is the person of Peter, who they maintain was the first pope, who holds the keys of the kingdom of heaven. According to their understanding, these keys are then passed on to the subsequent popes. That is why the papal flag has two crossed keys on it. But, our Gospel lesson for last Sunday makes it especially clear that it wasn’t the person of Peter on which the Church is founded and to whom the keys are given. That lesson immediately follows Peter’s bold confession (Matthew 16:21-28). Here Jesus foretells his death and resurrection. You see, the forgiveness of our sins depends on Jesus suffering and dying as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. That is what the Christ, the Son of the living God must do! Our sins could not be forgiven unless they were paid for, unless God’s just wrath over our iniquities was appeased. Also, Jesus had to rise from the dead to show that his sacrifice was accepted by God the Father and that heaven is now open to us. Yet, when Jesus explained this to his disciples, Peter pulled Jesus aside and said “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Peter did not understand the nature of Christ’s mission, how forgiveness was to be gained, and the nature of the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus had to rebuke Peter, calling him Satan because the devil had deceived him, and saying Peter did not have his mind on things of God but on things of man. Which brings us to this Sunday’s Gospel lesson, where we are further shown that the keys to the kingdom of heaven are given to the whole Church, and not only to Peter. They are Church Keys, not Peter keys! They are Church Keys, not just pastor keys either! The Church Keys are the way that Christ builds or gathers the Church. Here we are not talking about the Church as a building of stone and mortar. Rather we are referring to the Church as a gathering of believers around God’s Word and Sacraments. This gathering of believers is built not with material things but with spiritual things, not with power but with grace, not with earning God’s favor but with receiving God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness is the key! It is the giving out of Christ’s forgiveness that builds or gathers the Church. In Holy Baptism, the Holy Spirit connects us to Jesus’ death and resurrection so that we receive the forgiveness of our sins. In confession and absolution, we are assured again and again that our sins are forgiven. In the reading and proclamation of God’s Word, we hear the Law, which convicts us of our sins, and the Gospel, which assures us that for Jesus’ sake, our sins are forgiven. In the Lord’s Supper, we receive Christ’s body and blood in, with, and under the bread and the wine for the forgiveness of our sins. It’s all about forgiveness, which Lutherans also know as the Office of the Keys. As mentioned already, this office is given by Christ to the Church – to all believers. It was not given only to Peter, not just to the Apostles, nor just to pastors. Our Gospel lesson for today makes it clear that Christ gave the keys to the Church. That’s why they are Church Keys. The binding and loosing of sins, the proclamation of God’s Word and administration of his Sacraments, are given to all believers. That is also why we refer to you as the Priesthood of All Believers – all believers in Christ are priests before God. All believers have access to God through Christ. All believers possess all churchly rights and authority. Yet, not all believers are called to proclaim God’s Word or administer his Sacraments publicly. For that, Christ instituted the Office of the Ministry. Men are called to this office by God through the call of a congregation of believers. Through your call you conferred upon me as your pastor the right and authority to carry out the Office of the Keys here publicly on your behalf. But, this is really God’s call and God’s office; God extends it through you the congregation of believers to me, your pastor. Because of that understanding, we confess in the Small Catechism: “I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.” Still, the calling of a pastor does not mean that individual Christians have no part to play in the Office of the Keys, which Christ has given his Church. You, as baptized believers in Christ, still carry this authority; you carry Church Keys. In fact, it is through all of us carrying out this authority and responsibility of binding and loosing sins that the Church is built or gathered. You see, this is our Lord’s plan for winning back Christians who openly sin and are not seeking the forgiveness they desperately need. Maybe you know someone like that, a member of our own congregation! In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus wants to make clear to us how deadly and terrible sin is. If sin is not forgiven, we are forever lost in hell. In fact, it would be better to go through life maimed than to go to hell whole. We are to receive God’s love and forgiveness like little children receive love from caring parents. We are not to come before God proud and haughty, but rather in humble repentance, receiving the forgiveness of our sins for Jesus’ sake. We are to also understand that God does not want to see any of his children lost for eternity. Like a shepherd who has a hundred sheep will then leave the 99 and go after the one who goes astray, so God does not want any of his children lost.