I remember distinctly when I held in my hand, for the first time, a most precious set of keys! What an incredible feeling of POWER, and STATUS, and FREEDOM came when my father for the first time, gave me the keys" to his car!

It was a beautiful car... a black 1957 Ford Fairlane 500... with fancy silver and gold colored chrome... custom wheel covers... a big V-8 engine, with a four-barrel carburetor... all power(windows, seats) ...a yellow leather interior! It was awesome! But it wasn't just the car, it was the keys, and all that those keys represented to a young teenager.

In your pocket, or in your purse, right now, you probably have a set of keys. And each one of those keys represents SOMETHING. Each one of those keys represents a RELATIONSHIP to someBODY, or to someTHING. Each key represents some level of responsibility!

Jesus asked his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

And then Jesus told them that it was upon the rock of Peter's CONFESSION OF FAITH, and the FAITH of those disciples that the church would be built -- FAITH IN HIM as "the son of the living God" You see, it wasn't until after their confession of faith that Jesus gave this very special "set of keys."

He went on, after this, to remind them that he wasn't going to be with them in a physical way for very much longer -- that the clock was ticking, time was short and running out! And this BESTOWING OF HIS AUTHORITY was a vital necessity -- for Jesus needed them, to do his work... Jesus needed them, to be his hands and his feet. He needed them to be his mind and his heart. He needed them to do his will: to love with his love and to speak his words. He needed them, to have authority to articulate and proclaim the kingdom of God. And who better than his closest friends and his best companions?

So Jesus gave Peter and the other disciples "the keys!" In other words he gave them the power, responsibility and the authority to represent him... to speak for him... to live for him... to be him! (Have you ever thought of your life in such a way - to be Christ?)

They in turn, commissioned others with this same authority and this same responsibility... and those later disciples commissioned others... and the others, others... and that passing on of authority and responsibility has continued down, and it thunders right into this place, at this moment this morning. And this is the clincher, if you muster the courage to stand up in few minutes to publically confess your faith "In Jesus Christ His Only Son Our Lord, the Son of God..." you too... no different than Peter... no different than the disciples... Will be given this most special "set of keys." God is entrusting them to you! -and to me!

I vividly remember when my son David received his driver's license. I'll never forget how I felt when I entrusted him with the "keys" to my car for the first time. As I handed him those keys, an uncomfortable anxiety flooded over me! For beginners, I was aware that my insurance premiums were doubling! And I admit, I had a few doubts, "Can this kid really handle it? Can he keep it under control, without misusing the authority and the responsibility that come with the "Keys" But the bottom line is, I wouldn't have him given those keys, if I didn't have trust in him.

It's no different with our Lord. I'm sure Jesus gave those first disciples the "keys" with a certain amount of "fear and trembling." I'm sure he must have wondered what in the world they were going to do with them.

And it's no different for us! He must wonder what roads we are going to take; who we are going to follow with them, who we are going to lead with them, and in what manner are we going to use them. But the point is, when we make that confession of faith, he trusts us enough, and loves us enough, to give us those keys!

How are we going to use them? How have we used them? How do we use them?

On my key ring, for the longest time, there was this one key; it was just a little key; it seemed like such an insignificant key; but it was a VERY SPECIAL KEY! It was special, because I HAD FORGOTTEN WHAT IT was FOR! Well you see, sometimes it's that way with our faith. Let's face it! Let's be totally honest! Sometimes we may put our faith to use so INFREQUENTLY, that we diminish its importance. We may even forget what doors it unlocks; what power it has; what purpose it brings; what nourishment it provides; what peace that comes! GOD FORBID THAT WE FORGET THE POWER AND SPIRIT ENERGY THAT COMES WITH FAITH!

Essentially you can do one of two things with a key. You can LOCK something or you can UNLOCK something. This is the crux of the issue of being entrusted with the keys. With keys I have the power to lock, or to unlock. I have been entrusted with that authority and that power and that responsibility.

I believe, that just as tragic as forgetting what they're for, is to use the keys that Jesus gives for the wrong thing, for the wrong purpose, in the wrong manner. We live in a world, you and I, that mainly wants to lock things up, and keep things secure, to keep people from taking our stuff; to keep people from hurting us; to keep people under control; to keep people at a comfortable distance. "Keys" have come to symbolize, not just authority, but territorial rights, personal barriers and boundaries of all kinds! And it doesn't take a great deal of insight to see how authority can be used or misused in ways that doesn't open doors, but rather locks doors and keeps people locked out and pushed away in a million ways.

And Christians have in no way been exempt! Often Christians have acted arrogantly and with an air of superiority. For some faith in Jesus Christ is not a bridge that connects, but a wall that keeps away. Christians have sometimes acted harshly, unjustly, judgingly, condemningly, all in the name of Jesus Christ. And, as a result, instead of unlocking doors and opening doors to the kingdom of God, the result has been that people have had doors slammed in their faces, or they have simply walked away because they don't see anything they want or anything they need.

I once read about the man who played the role of Jesus in the rock musical "Jesus Christ Superstar." At the time he played the role of Jesus he was a Satanist! Interesting! Sometime after that he attended a Christian revival meeting, and when it came time for the altar call, he had been so moved by God's Spirit that he got up and came forward to make his confession of faith in Jesus Christ! At that point the preacher, whoever he was, recognized him, and instead of welcoming him, publicly condemned him as a Satanist! The people went crazy, and people stampeded the stage and almost killed this guy. Unbelievable!

Now that's a blatant example, but too often we use our faith in such a way that barriers are enhanced, not broken down; doors are locked tighter than ever, not unlocked and thrown open.

In the final analysis, perhaps we sometimes misuse the authority that comes with faith, because we don't really understand it and appreciate the nature of it. The authority that the world knows, is mainly coercive authority, forceful external power! When we think of authority we think of someone who has power... power to give orders... power to make people do things... power to move people around... power to hire... power to fire... power to build up... power to tear down. This, world's kind of authority is always external, pushing from the outside in. It tends to be pressuring, and sometimes even intimidating and threatening. And when we use our faith in that way, with that kind of power, it's no wonder that people are driven away and have doors slammed in their faces.

But what is the nature of the authority of faith that comes with the "keys of the kingdom" that Jesus gives? What is it like? What is the appropriate expression of Christ's authority as we live out our faith in the world? At this point it's best to tell a story.

In the book "The Mission" which was made into a movie more than a decade ago, the main character was Rodrigo Mendoza, a Spanish mercenary, a slave trader who ruthlessly hunted the Indians and natives of South America, murdering some and capturing others in highly profitable slave trade!

The only kind of authority that Mendoza understood was the power of coercion, the power of the gun and the sword. One day in a fit jealous rage over a woman, he killed his own brother, whom he loved dearly.

As a result Mendoza fell into a state of crushing guilt and utter despair, feeling there was no hope and no peace for his tormented soul!

A caring Jesuit priest came to Mendoza and offered him a way of hope. What the priest offered was a way of penance.

Feeling there was no penance that would bring him peace, Mendoza, at first, refused to participate. He simply sat alone in his despair AND DESOLATION.

But the priest was persistent and Mendoza finally gave in. With great doubt it would have any positive effect, Mendoza set out on his penance.

The priest took a great net and filled the net with all of those things that symbolized and characterized Mendoza's tragic life. He filled the net with guns, and swords, and knives, and chains. With a long heavy rope, the priest tied one end around Mendoza and other to this great net. Mendoza then began a long journey, to who knows where, following this priest, dragging this burden many miles through the jungle; up the mountainside; over the falls to the Mission that was located in the midst of and inhabited by the very Indians and natives that Mendoza had ruthlessly hunted down like wild animals.

He had to do it alone. No one could help. The journey was formidable, totally exhausting. He almost lost his life on several occasions, and was injured numerous times along the way, dragging this awful weight up the mountain.

As he approached the Jesuit mission the natives were gathered, along with a few priests. They all saw him coming, and they recognized him as the man who had ruthlessly hunted them. By this time Mendoza was a beaten man, crawling on his hands and knees and belly, bleeding and exhausted. Mendoza was right about one thing, The Penance had failed - for there was no penance for what he had done and for who he had been. He felt no different than when he began!

One of the Indians suddenly broke out of the group, and grabbed a long razor-sharp knife and ran at full speed down to Mendoza and grabbed him by the hair and pulled back his head and was ready to slit his throat. Considering what Mendoza had done to those natives that would have been poetic justice and nobody would have questioned it! But then, the Indian's hand suddenly moved from Mendoza's throat, to the rope that was tied to the great weight of burden he had dragged up the mountain, and he cut the burden loose from his back -- not only the burden of the great physical weight, but the emotional and spiritual burden of his guilt that was even heavier yet! And at that moment, Mendoza cried and he laughed, and he wept and he shook for joy; for he now was truly set free and made whole again -- not by anything he had done, but by the grace and forgiveness that was given to him as a gift! For he needed the forgiveness of the offended to be at peace. And the natives wept and cried as well, for they too, had been set free, freed from the prison of their justifiable hatred, but hatred none-the-less.

That's an example of what it means to hold the "Keys of the kingdom" - to unlock and unleash it's power and set it loose in a human life and in the world! That's the form it takes. To borrow Paul's great words from the epistle for today, That's an example of not "conforming to the world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind... discerning what is the will of God."

Let us now, rise to our feet and make our confessions of faith using the Apostles' Creed.

"I believe in God. . . "

(Following the creed say)

Dear friends I tell you, you are rock upon which the Lord Jesus Christ will build his church. The gates of Hell will not prevail against it! The Lord Jesus Christ by his power and grace, gives to you, each one of you here this morning, the keys of the kingdom of heaven!