Lesson 51

Why did Jesus give us “the keys”?

What are the two keys Jesus has given to us? Matthew 16:19 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. bind / lock loose / unlock

What are the two keys Jesus has given to us? John 20:23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. not forgive forgive

What are the two keys Jesus has given to us? Matthew 18:18-20 I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. to all believers

What are the two keys Jesus has given to us? Mark 2:7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” power and right

Key Point #1 The two keys refer to the special power and right that Jesus gave to all believers to forgive or not to forgive other people’s sins.

Agree or Disagree? It is unlikely you will use the loosing key with another student at the school you attend.

How does Jesus want us to use the locking key? Matthew 18:15-18

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

How does Jesus want us to use the locking key? Matthew 18:15-18 not forgive impenitent

How does Jesus want us to use the locking key? Galatians 5:21 I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. to warn them and

How does Jesus want us to use the locking key? 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. to warn them to lead them to repent and

Key Point #2 We are to use the locking key to warn the impenitent that they will not go to heaven and to try to lead them to repent.

If God has justified the whole world because Jesus died for everyone, why do we tell some people that they don’t have forgiveness? Isn’t that a contradiction? Explain.

Agree or Disagree? If someone cries, you can know for sure that he is sorry for his sins.

How does God want us to use the unlocking key? Luke 17:3 So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. forgive penitent

How does God want us to use the unlocking key? 2 Corinthians 2:7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. to comfort them

Key Point #3 We are to use the unlocking key to comfort the penitent with God’s forgiveness.

Agree or Disagree It’s better to use the loosing key than the binding key?

Mike says to you, “I know that God gave the right to forgive sins to every Christian, but I think pastors do it better because they know all the right words to say.” How would you answer Mike?

Evaluate… On Sunday mornings our pastor always announces forgiveness to everyone who attends services. Since he doesn’t really know whether every person there is sorry for his or her sins, it might be better if he didn’t do this.

Agree or Disagree? Since Jesus died for all people, all people are forgiven by God.

Evaluate… Patty told some mean lies about Drew. But then she saw how badly she had hurt him, and she asked Drew to forgive her. Drew forgave Patty. But he didn’t tell her that he had forgiven her or that God had forgiven her because he figured she knew that already.

Project… The next time you do something that upsets your parents, tell them you’re sorry and ask them for forgiveness. Write down your reactions to the situation. For instance, did it seem strange to hear your parents tell you that you are forgiven? Why or why not? Did they tell you that God also forgave you? If not, would you have felt better if they had?

Lesson 51 Jesus gives us the authority to forgive the penitent in order to comfort them and to not forgive the impenitent to lead them to repent.

Vocabulary… “Binding Key” Power and right to withhold forgiveness from someone

Vocabulary… “Loosing Key” Power and right to forgive someone

Vocabulary… “Penitent” Sorry for sin

Vocabulary… “Impenitent” Not sorry for sin

Vocabulary… “Forgive” “to let go” (not “to let slide” / ignore)

Vocabulary… “Excommunication” Public announcement that an impenitent person is not a believer