It is now. And he had in his right hand
seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.
And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid
his right hand upon me, saying unto me, fear not, I am the first
and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. Behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and
of death. I'd like to spend some time on
the latter part of that verse. I have the keys of hell and of
death. That first part, we'll be spending
some time on Sunday morning early at the Easter sunrise service.
And I also might say right now we're having a fellowship dinner,
uh, to celebrate and also to feast and also to wish Michael
Blanchard well as he goes into the service. So remember him. I am he that liveth and was dead
and behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen. and have the keys of hell
and of death. This. Term keys. Has with it the significance
of authority. He has the authority now. This
authority he's always had. But it is so evidenced. after his resurrection. We see
the Lord with his authority to us, to regenerated people. His authority became so evidenced
after the resurrection. I have all power and authority
granted unto me in heaven and in earth. And now he has the
keys or the authority, the power over two of the most feared things. And they belong to him. He has
the keys over them. His full and finished salvation
is here most completely set forth and set forth under these strong
expressions as we read in this verse, I have the keys. I have
the authority. Now, we notice this. I got to
see a film one time of Charles Lindbergh after he came back
to the United States. He was given the keys of many
cities. when he went to visit them, ticker tape parades, and
he was granted a key, it was symbolic, and it was, we turn
our community, our city, over to you. We recognize what you
have done, and it's such a clear statement of your great ability,
here's the key to our city. And that still goes on. People
are granted keys to cities and there are great big things that
don't open a thing, but it's just you have the authority to
speak for us. We appreciate what you've done. He has the key of heaven to admit
who he wants and he has the key to hell to put there who he pleases. He has the authority, he has
the power, it is his kingdom and it is his key that opens
up the mystery of it. There is a passage of scripture
over in the book of Isaiah chapter 22 that we want to read. that
shares with us that he has the power granted to him because
of his greatness and sovereignty from eternity past to eternity
future, that when he closes a door, no man opens it, and when he
opens a door, no man can close it. So over here in the book
of Isaiah chapter 22, as we think about him having the keys of
hell and of death, And we're going to find out he doesn't
stop just there. He has keys over all his kingdom. He has the keys to all things. It is his power that all things
consist. He has the keys over the universe. He has the keys over our lives. He has the keys over the church.
He has the keys over his power. He has the keys over keeping
us and and directing us and overcoming us. He has the keys to us. He is able to unlock us. He is
able to bring us to his knees. He has the keys over his creation
and specifically over his special creation and all his lost sheep. He has the keys to their heart.
He has the keys to their way. He has the keys to wherever they
are, and he's just sovereign over all things, and he demonstrates
it by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
granting to him the keys over all things. Now, notice here
in the book of Isaiah, chapter 22, as the prophet was used of
the Holy Spirit to share this about God, about the Lord Jesus
Christ and his power, and his power to close and nobody is
able to open. Now we're going to see over here
in the book of Revelation a glorious demonstration of that when great
weeping was going on because no one had the ability of opening
the book with the seals on it. And then, hallelujah, there is
one who has the power to open the seals, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah. So he has the keys to this, he
has the keys to the mysteries. Isaiah chapter 22 and verse 22,
these words are written, the key and the key of the house
of David will I lay upon his shoulder. The power, the government,
just everything that has to do with this key, I lay on his So
he shall open and none shall shut. And he shall shut and none
shall open. Now we see that demonstrated
in the life of the Apostle Paul and his desire to go preach the
gospel. The Lord closed the field. At
the same time, he opened up the field in the West. So he had
the key to Paul and the key to Paul's way and the key to Paul's
ministry and the key to Paul's preaching. He was the key and
he has the key to that. So he has the ability and is
demonstrated by his power of these keys to open a door that
no man can shut and shut a door that no man can open. And that's
to our glory. It's to our praise. And we see
him as the rich, reigning sovereign in this capacity. Now, when we
see that he has the keys of death and hell, wow, he has power. He has all power. The greatest
enemy of the church was death. And he is able, by his resurrection,
to claim the keys over death. And death becomes a servant of
Almighty God. Always has been, always will
be, but to us, we get to see that. The vision is to us. The privilege to see is granted
to us that he has the keys over this. He has the ability of moving
and directing the greatest enemy of the church, and that is death,
to make it not fearful, but to make it a servant of God on the
behalf of the church. Turn with me if you would over
to the book of Matthew chapter 25. Now here we have a parable
and I'll be honest with you, I don't know much about what
some of these parables mean. And I read in books and I find
out they don't have much knowledge about it either. But read with
me here in the book of Matthew 25. This is the parable of the
10 virgins. Now my grandfather, I remember
him discussing the parable of the 10 virgins at a church potluck
while he was outside chewing tobacco. I was about five years
old, and I remember this, and you know, at five years old,
I thought he didn't know any more about it than I do. It was
just a point of discussion to make you feel important. Well,
there is a wonderful parable listed here about the ten virgins,
and five are wise and five are unwise, and five have oil in
their lamps and five don't. And they're going through life,
and finally the bridegroom calls, the message is out, and the five
wise virgins with their lamps and oil go in. And the five foolish
virgins say, share with us your oil so that we'll have light
too. And they just said, you're gonna have to go get your own.
And while they're going out looking for their light, Notice with
me here in Matthew 25 and verse 10, and this is what a key does.
This is what a key does. This is what the master of the
key does. It says in Matthew 25 and verse
10, and while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to
the marriage And the door was shut. Now that's what you do
with a key. You can shut a door that no man
can enter. While these five were out. Now,
it just shares with us, if we look at this in the parable of
the sower, there's so much similar here. We've got five that have
the appearance that they're whole that they're regenerate but when
it comes down to it when it comes to meeting the bridegroom they
have no light and they have well anyway they're locked out that's
what the power of this key is it shuts the door and then it
goes on to tell us in that very next verse and afterward came
also the other virgin saying lord lord open to us and he answered
and said verily i send you i know you not Now that's another passage
of scripture we find here in the book of Matthew. There shall
be many in that day shall say, Lord, Lord. And he says, depart
from me, you workers of iniquity, for I never knew you. So the
key has the ability of shutting the door that no one can open. And notice who's on the inside.
They're with the bridegroom. Notice who's on the outside.
They're without light. Now, this instant happened many
years ago, and I'd like you to turn with me to the book of Genesis,
chapter 7. As we think about the Lord Jesus having the keys
of death and hell, he has power, he has authority, he's sovereign
king. Now, notice what happened here
in the book of Genesis as Natural man's ways got worse and worse
and more obstinate and more wicked and more evil. God came down
and said, Noah, build an ark. Now there's going to be eight
people in that ark with a bunch of animals. Now notice with me
here in the book of Genesis chapter 7. This is what you do when you
have the power over these keys, when you have all power and all
authority, when you have the sovereign rule and reign over
all things, that there is nothing left out from His watch care. No providence of the universe
is free from divine rule. Nothing is free from His rule,
and nowhere does chance and chaos reign. Everything is under His
control. He has the keys over all things. He has power over all things.
He is sovereign over all things. Nowhere will you find a speck
of dust that is not under His sovereign rule. He has the keys,
and he is demonstrating that, expressing that in the book of
Revelation 1, verse 18. I am the sovereign king, and
that's gonna make all the difference in the world to our reading of
the book of Revelation. Not interpretation, but reading
of it when we hear the sovereign king is the one that has the
ability and power to know what's going on in the seven churches
of Asia. We're dealing with one that has all power all authority
keys of death and hell He's the one that is going to be the key
to the entire book of Revelation and that's what it says at the
very beginning the revelation of Jesus Christ He is the key
he has the keys and he is the key now notice here when the
ark was built and it took a long time to build and Had a window
up above and a door in the side. Now, notice what the one in charge
of the whole situation can do with that door. Now, Noah was
not instructed to put a rope through a pulley to close that
door. It wasn't instructed. There was
no instruction. There was no hydraulic ram to pull that door
shut. There was no pneumatic drive
to pull that door shut. God has the keys to the ark now
he has the keys to the ark to keep some in and he has the keys
to the ark to keep the rest out and that's just the way it is
he is sovereign over that boat now here in the book of genesis
chapter 7 and verse 16 we find these words recorded with regard
to noah his wife his three sons and their wives and all of the
cattle that needed to be placed in that ark. Now, there are instances
in this world where there are tracks with human beings and
dinosaurs in the same mud, and I'm convinced that there were
some critters that were not put on that ark, but if you ever
meet one of these Komodo dragons, you'll think you met with a brontosaurus
rex. They represented the family and
that's all that's necessary. We don't have 10 varieties of
dogs on there. We have a dog and that represents
the family. Now everything, every breed came
from them. We didn't have 10 varieties of
cows, 10 varieties of sheep, 10 varieties of horses. We have
the representatives on that ark of every family God wanted on
this earth after the flood. We've got the reptiles. and why
he would want mosquitoes to survive is beyond me. Okay, so we have, this is it. Now, they're all loaded. God
did not send Noah out to locate all the critters on the earth.
God brought him in. Now notice here in Genesis chapter
7 verse 16, after all is done, the ark is complete, all eight
people are aboard and all the critters that are going to represent
every family and every critter on the face of the earth can
trace their line right back to them today. When they're all
loaded, this is what God did because he has the keys. He is
the key to the universe and he has the keys to the universe.
He has the key to the ark and he is the key to the ark. Genesis
chapter seven and verse 16, it says, and they that went in went
in male and female of all flesh as God had commanded him and
the Lord shut him in. Now that's what it is to have
a key. Now to his church, those are pleasing words. The Lord
shuts us in. There's no change in your mind.
The Lord shuts you in. We would probably sell our birthright
given the opportunity, but it is his ark, his door, his key,
and he's the one that shuts us in. He's the one that has the
keys to our eternity. He's the one that overrides all
our thoughts and makes us presentable to God. He has the keys of death
and hell, and when he has those keys, he has all keys. He is
the key to all scripture, and he is the key to all scripture.
He is the key to the universe. It is him. They would have this
man, they would not have this man to rule over them, and yet
he has the keys of death and hell. Now he'll rule over them,
literally. Here he does it in a spiritual
manner now, and people will raise their fist at him, but in that
day, They will bow because he has the keys of death in hell. Now that hell means unseen state. It could represent those in heaven
or those in hell. And for those that are in the
church, they just are glad to have him with the key over them
in their eternal state. He's in charge. He has their
best interest. He has their hope. He has their
peace. He has their joy. He has their
long suffering. He has everything to them. And
he has the key to their eternal life. And to the church, we want
the person in charge to carry them. We don't give our car keys
to our two-year-old and expect to find them. Now, we may give
them keys, but they don't open anything. God doesn't give us
the keys to our eternal life. He keeps the keys to our eternal
life. He is the one in charge of it.
He's sovereign rule over it. He has the key over that. Now,
turn with me, if you would, over to the book of Revelation chapter
three and verse seven, and we find here almost a direct quote
of that passage we read in the book of Isaiah chapter 22. Here
in Revelation chapter three and verse seven, As he speaks to
a church, he says this, that he has this power. He has this
power over every instance in the world, every move in the
world, every door in the world. everything in all the universe. I have this absolute control
over all things." And he shares with them this. Revelation chapter
3 and verse 7, to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write,
these things saith he that is holy, he that is true, and he
that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth,
and he that shutteth and no man openeth. Quote from Isaiah 22,
22, right here in the book of Revelation, that is the hope
of the church. He's the one that opened my understanding,
and if he had not opened my understanding, it would be a blank door. It would be a blank wall. He's
the one that opened it, but he's also the one that has hidden
it. We read concerning the Old Testament, Moses came down off
of Mount Sinai and they put a veil over him, and that same veil
is over the eyes in the reading of the Old Testament until Christ
is revealed, and then the veil is taken away in Christ. It's still there in the preaching
of the law, but it is taken away in Christ. Who is that? It is
Christ that takes away that door that's in front of us and opens
up. What's the name of this book? The Revelation of Jesus Christ. He's the one that has the key
of revelation. He is the one that opens up our
heart to understand it, even a little bit. We could read this
book, and when we start mentioning that several, it's been several
years ago now, about what people say about how to be saved, and
that one article, I'll never forget, the preacher put it out
on the internet. You read this, and if you don't
understand it on how to be saved, read it again. And if you don't
understand it now, read it again. Well, that's not how people ever
get to see Christ. It's just by reading. It's by
revelation. And there is one that has the
key to unlock the ability to see him. And you know what? He's sovereign over that key.
He gives in to no one on this key. It is his key of understanding,
and he reveals it to whomsoever he will. What did he tell Pharaoh?
I will have my merciful key unlock the hearts of those I desire
to, and the others I'll harden. That's what he said. I'll have
mercy on whom I'll have mercy and to the others I'll harden.
That's what he said. What's he saying? I will reveal
myself to mine and the rest they'll never see me. Now we've seen
that in the study of the book of John, our Bible class Sunday
morning. How many, how few, how few got
to see who he was. Who's in charge of that? the
sovereign key keeper. He's the one that unlocks doors
that no man can shut, and he's the one that locks doors that
no man can open. He is the key keeper. I have
the keys of death and hell. Now, let's think about that.
Look there in Revelation chapter one, verse 18. I have the keys
of death and hell, verse 18. There is no one else that the
Church could ever hope to have those keys. We are thankful that they were
not granted to anyone else. A lot of people get the blame
for having those keys. There's a lot of spiritual beings,
one in particular is Satan. He gets the blame for having
those keys, but God is the one that owns those keys and he will
give them to no one. He has the keys of death and
hell. He's the one that has a date
appointed. from before the world began. He has a day appointed for not
only his death, but the death of all his saints and the death
of all those who go out of this life with their fists raised
high, say, I will not have this man rule over me. He has the
key, it's in a divine appointed book of almighty God recorded
when we'll leave this life and that key is in his hand and no
others. He has the keys of death. Now
the scriptures tell us that death is the greatest enemy and the
Lord Jesus Christ was victorious in his resurrection over death. Now, there's been a lot of allegories
preached about the Lord after his death and what he was doing
during that time. Well, in my mind, from a few
scriptures is, he was just dealing the death blow to death. He has
the keys over it. And when he came out of that
tomb, now it was promised to all the saints in the Old Testament,
we get to enjoy it in its reality. Death no longer has power over
us. What happened in the Garden of
Eden has been taken over by Christ. What did we read about the woman
who lost her property when she went down to Philistia? It's
been recovered. In Adam, all die. In Christ,
all are made alive. He has the keys of death and
hell. Now, he has the keys of hell. Now that's, you know, we could
say that's the place where enemies of Christ go, but this also means
the afterworld. He has the keys of my eternal
life. And he has the keys of eternal
death. And he opens and no man can restrict,
and he closes and no man can open. There is no providence
of the universe free from his divine rule. And he has the keys
to prove it. He is all powerful, has all authority,
and he demonstrates it as he does whatsoever he pleases to
do. He is absolute monarch. He is absolute king. He is king
over death. He is king over hell. He is king
over the grave. He is king and ruler over all
our sin. He has put it asunder. He is
king. He sits on his throne, high and
lifted up. He is absolute monarch, and when
we go through this book of Revelation, he is going to demonstrate continuously,
I am king, and I have all power, and I have the keys. And none
can take them out of my hand. I have the keys to the seven
seals. I have the key to this book. I have the key to Ephesians,
the church at Ephesus, Philadelphia, Smyrna, Thyatira, Laodicea, I
have the keys to all those. I know your works. I have the
key. And when he says to Ephesus,
you have lost your first love. He is the key to recovery. He
is the king. He is the prince. He is all authority
and power everywhere. Serene above the floods, the
Lord sitteth king forever and ever. No, he doesn't get caught
up in the wind. He doesn't get caught up in what's
going on in the world. He sits serenely, quietly, as
a monarch, knowing that everything worketh after the counsel of
his own will. He doesn't have reaction. He's not reacting. He will not
react to the church at Ephesus. He has the ability to do something
ahead of time. And he did. He has the ability
of working out the path before it's necessary, and he did. He is the sovereign shepherd
sheep for the slaughter before the foundation of the world.
He doesn't react to a thing. He is always proactive. Everything falls out according
to his divine purpose. He's not reacting to Iraq. He's not reacting to 140 million
Muslims in the world. He's not reacting to 40 million
Baptists. He's in charge. He's not reacting. He sits quietly, comfortably
in his own sovereignty, and everything is working out for his glory,
his honor, and his praise. He has the keys of death and
hell. He's the one that spoke peace
to John when he fell down on his feet as dead. He's the one
that gives us the revelation. He's the one that opens the door
that no man can close. And he's the one that closes
the door that no man can open. He is absolute sovereign king
of all things. And that's the one we're gonna
see walk up to seven seals. and lift them without any demonstration
of strength because he was king and ruler. Now, the 4 and 20
elders, oh my, and they're just like us. Who is going to do this? Weeping, weeping. And one says,
don't worry. The lion of the tribe of Judah
has prevailed. Well, we already knew that. But it's good to know it again.
Why? Because he has the keys. He's
the key to the scripture, and he has the keys to the scripture.
He has the key to his sovereign rule, and he is the key to his
sovereign rule. He is resting on his own power,
and everything else is just working out for his glory, his honor,
and his praise. What is that we heard at camp
one time? He is the person in charge of
the play, director. And all of the elect are actors. And the rest are just props. Those who are the hewers of wood
and drawers of water for God's church. He's in charge. He's the king. He has the keys. The most powerful keys are written
about right here. Keys of death and hell. If he
has those, he has the ability of opening our heart. If he has
those, he has the ability of arresting us. If he has those,
he has the ability of taking the gospel to us. He can direct
Lance Heller to go to New Guinea. He has the keys to do that. He
can send him to a tribe where there's going to be people that
are going to hear the gospel and they're going to be saved.
That's just the way it is. And he won't have to go on deputation.
He can just go preach the gospel and people say, I think we ought
to help him. And that's just the way it is, because he's king.
He's king. He doesn't have to convince us.
When he is doing what he has to do, he doesn't have to convince
us. That's the way it is. He is the
king. The Lord God has the keys, and
he'll send the gospel to wherever is necessary so that his lost
sheep will hear it, and he'll bring them in. And they're actors,
and the rest are props. That's all it is. Oh, thank God
for his kingship and the ability to hold a key, the most powerful
key in all the world. And the rest are just little
bitty trinket keys. Keys to people's hearts, keys
to people's lives, keys to people's way, stopping them, arresting
them. And he will interfere in people's
lives. I appreciated the days when the
policemen would go along and shake the doors on the businesses. I appreciate that. They were
a public servant and they walked the streets and they checked
the doors and made sure they were locked and nobody was in
there. And if there was a flashlight, they got somebody to find out
what's going on. We just think about that. How, how wonderful
that is. I like God having the keys of
the whole world. Things are not going as well
in my life as I'd like. He's got the keys. I'm just saying
that, and they're going great. But he has the keys. He has the
keys to my health. He has the keys to my mind. He
has the keys to my heart. He has the keys to my death.
He has the keys to my heaven. He has the keys. And he's the
one that is charged to walk beside his church. And I can just hear
the tinkle of his golden keys, comfort, comfort, comfort. I have the keys of death and
hell. You'll not leave this life until the time appointed, and
when you do, you'll enter into my glory with me. I have the
keys. I have the keys. So I have the
keys of hell and of death. Nothing will take him by surprise.
This metaphor of a king is for government, and our Lord rules. He has the king key to all government. The government shall rest on
his shoulders. No providence of the universe is free from
divine rule. Nothing is going out on chaos.
He is in charge. Now this one, we just can't say
enough positive about him. Every time we get into the word,
there's more that we can say, but we just can't get to the
end of it. This is the one that is walking among the church of
the living God and saying, John, write a letter. I'm gonna give
you the words to say, write a letter to these seven churches, which
represent the church in all ages, write a letter. And he's gonna
say, I know you. Now, there's no greater comfort.
I know you. I know you. I know what you're
putting up with. I know what you're doing. And I have this
against you. And I'm giving you time to repent.
I know you. I have the keys. And the church
at Ephesus, he says, I know you. I have someone against you. You've
forgotten your first love. But I grant you time to repent. Now, who's going to move in their
hearts to repent? I'm convinced that there were some in that
church at Ephesus that were just five foolish virgins. They're
going to be always around. People who just don't know, they
just don't have the light. They just don't have the light.
They just don't have the light. But, mercy, His mercy endureth
forever. Now, my time is about up, but
I want to read one or two verses about this. love that is over
there. Read with me in Romans 5 5 church
at Ephesus. Thou lost thy first love forgotten. I first love and this is the
king with the keys. This is the sovereign with the
authority and he says this this is I just love this verse Romans
5 5 it says. And hope maketh not a shame because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost,
which is given unto us." I love that. It's not my self-created
love. It's not love that I had to put
there. It's not love for God I have
to come up with. It's love that was shed abroad.
Same word that's found over there in the book of Revelation chapter
two, with the verse four with regard to Ephesus. It's the love
of God shed abroad in our heart. There is security in Christ Now
look at another verse with me and that's verse 8 of that same
chapter But God commendeth his love toward us in that while
we were yet sinners Christ died for us. That's the snatching
love He commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners. We were so uninterested in We have no desire and no interest,
but he has the key to apply the gospel and bring in his word
and create life. And he says, this is that kind
of love. God commendeth his love toward
us. And then in chapter eight in verse 35, we just finished
reading this in our study. And look at this, who can separate
us from the love of Christ? Who can separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Who shall separate us from this? Now, when the Lord comes into
the church at Ephesus, and this is what we want to deal with
next week, when he says, thou hast lost thy first love, we
must take into consideration, if they're Christ, the love of
God is shed abroad in their heart, if they're Christ, Uh, it is,
um, the Lord has put his love in us. If they're Christ who
shall separate us from the love of Christ. It's not going to be an, it's
an impossible task for anybody that has been regenerated to
get into this position. Now we may, and I'm wondering
about this. Sometimes we may be cool about
his sovereignty, cool about his word. I'm just wondering. But this is an impossible thing
to ever have, that love that was put in us, taken from us.
Who shall separate us from it? So read there in the book of
Revelation chapter two, the first few verses about Ephesus. And
there's much said. What's the fruit of the spirit?
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering. That's the fruit of the spirit.
That's that same word that we find over there in the book of
Revelation. And the word is agape. Who shall
separate us from that love? And he comes in and says, I know
your works. I know you. And you have lost. You've given
up on your first love. We'll stop there.