The Keys of the Kingdom (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 31; Isaiah 22:15-25) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. Their Old Testament Roots
II. Their New Testament Identity
III. Their Crucial Implications
Herman Hoeksema on Lord’s Day 31: “Where the word of God is purely preached and heard, there undoubtedly is the church. There is Christ, and where Christ is, there is the church. Where the word of God is not preached, there the church cannot be ... It stands to reason that where the word of God is purely preached there also is the proper administration of the sacraments. Besides, the preaching of the word is the chief key of the kingdom of heaven and the main means of Christian discipline. The sacraments and discipline stand and fall with the preaching of the word, so that in a way we can say that the distinguishing mark of the church is the pure preaching of the word” (Eating and Drinking Christ, pp. 159-160).