THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

Matthew 16:13-2016Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the

Son of the living God.“ 17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And 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. 19I 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." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Having explained the kingdom in parables, Jesus puts the keys to the kingdom into

Peter’s hands.Matthew 16:13-20

What are the keys for? FOR AUTHORITYTo bind on earth what is bound in

heaven, and to loose on earth what is

loosed in heaven

Parables about the Kingdom of God

Parables about the Kingdom of God

The Sower The tares The seed growing in the ground The mustard seed The leaven The treasure hid in the field

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWERMat. 13

1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying:

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWERMat. 13

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."

UNDERSTANDING THE PARABLE The farmer: JesusThe seed: the God’s word1. Some fell along the path, and the birds came and

ate it up. 2. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have

much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

3. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

4. Other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE 18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:

19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE First Situation: When anyone hears the message about the

kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

Seed sown along the path and eaten by the

birds: Lack of understanding of the message about the kingdom makes the seed vulnerable to Satan’s stealing.

THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE Second situation: The one who received the seed that fell on rocky

places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

Rocky places: the seed withers because of troubles and persecutions. This happens because there is no root.

THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE

Third situation: the one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

The seed is choked by the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and does not prosper.

The thorns are the worries of life and the love for money.

THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE Fourth situation: “The one who received the seed that fell on good

soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.“

The seed only prospers on the good soil: that

understands the message of the kingdom.

OBSTACLES TO THE KINGDOMLack of understanding: path; birdsTroubles and persecution: rocky; no rootsWorries of this life and the deceitfulness of

wealth: thorns

THE GOOD SOILThe good soil for the seed to prosper and to

produce a crop according to God’s Will: it is the heart that understands the message of the Kingdom.

UNDERSTANDING is crucial.

The SECRET: Mark 4:11-12"The secret of the kingdom of God has

been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!

THE SECRETThe secret of the Kingdom of God is only

for the disciplesFor the Pharisees was taught in parables

so they could not understand them

DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?Mk.4:13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you

understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

THE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS FIRST PARABLE IS REQUIRED TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE PARABLESOF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

IT IS LIKE “PARABLES 101 COURSE”

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND?What kind of soil are you?

1. Lack of understanding Soil2. Withered by troubles & persecution Soil3. Worried with life & deceived by the love

for money Soil4. The soil that understands

The KEYS were given after the disciples UNDERSTOOD THE PARABLES OF THE

KINGDOM